A Clash of Auras

The woods around the Spirit Beast Garden, bathed in moonlight.

The instant Yan Kui charged out of the cave, terrifying waves of heat rippled across his entire body. His 3.2-meter-tall Demon God Physique looked especially ferocious beneath the moonlight. Golden Runes flowed like living things across his deep-red skin. Three colors of light—deep blue, dark red, and gold—intertwined in his eyes.

Everything was ready. All Six Cultivation Techniques had broken through their limits.

Yan Kui didn't linger. He strode toward the depths of the woods. Each step made the ground tremble faintly, and scorch marks spread beneath his feet. He needed to test this new power and find the limits of his current strength.

He entered an open clearing surrounded by towering ancient trees. It was a good place to put his abilities to the test.

Yan Kui slowly clenched his fists.

First, he tried the effects of Wind Travel Without Trace. His body flickered in midair, vanishing from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already perched atop a tree a hundred meters away. His afterimage left a ghostly trail in the night—the speed was at least fifty percent greater than before.

"Good." Yan Kui gave his assessment in a low voice.

Next came strength. He turned to face a massive boulder, fully three people tall and weighing at least a thousand tons. Flames automatically surged across his fist, Blue and Red Flames intertwining around it.

He charged.

One punch.

BOOM—

The terrifying force of his punch tore through the air with a shrill boom. The boulder exploded from within the instant his fist struck it! The thousand-ton boulder shattered with a thunderous crash, sending countless fragments blasting in every direction. The flames of Flame Infusion left scorch marks on the flying rocks, and the entire hill was flattened by that single punch. The shockwave swept behind him, blasting a massive hollow more than ten meters deep into the mountainside dozens of meters away.

"Mm." Yan Kui nodded, satisfied, and lowered his fist.

Next came defense. He extended his right hand, feeling the texture of his skin. The combined effects of Indestructible Diamond Body and Unbreakable Body had made his flesh terrifyingly hard. He casually slapped the thick trunk of an ancient tree that would have taken three people to encircle. CRACK— The trunk burst apart beneath his palm. The whole tree crumbled inch by inch from the point of impact, as if struck by heavenly lightning. Yan Kui withdrew his hand, his skin completely unscathed. Instead, it gleamed with a faint metallic sheen, as if it had been forged from Wrought iron.

Strength, speed, defense... every aspect had undergone a qualitative leap.

At last, Yan Kui stood still and slowly unleashed his Blood Fiend Domain. Deep-red energy spread outward from his body, forming a domain with a ten-meter radius. The surrounding plants rapidly withered, black smoke rose from the ground, and the air filled with the stench of blood and death.

"Six Cultivation Techniques... all laws merged..." Yan Kui murmured. "This is the essence of Divine Demon Power."

He clenched his fist, the surging power inside him battering against his consciousness. He had never felt anything like it—as if all of heaven and earth were making way for him.

"Luo Yue... you came at just the right time." A cold killing intent flashed in Yan Kui's eyes.

He could sense a familiar aura approaching from the direction of Artifact Refining Peak. It was Luo Yue's.

On Artifact Refining Peak, Luo Yue suddenly opened his eyes.

He had been cultivating with his eyes closed when he sensed an unusual disturbance in the aura coming from the direction of the Spirit Beast Garden. That aura... shocked him. Its strength was already close to Foundation Establishment Late Stage... What had this kid done in the past three days?

The three Foundation Establishment Early Stage disciples had fled back, but their accounts had been vague. They had only said that something had changed in Yan Kui's body. Now, having felt this aura for himself, Luo Yue finally understood—Yan Kui wasn't merely cultivating. He was undergoing some kind of bizarre transformation.

"If I keep letting him grow, he'll become a calamity sooner or later." Luo Yue immediately stood up as a sword of light gathered in his hand. "Still... this body's potential is even more perfect than I imagined."

He flew on his sword, his body turning into a streak of light as he sped toward the Spirit Beast Garden.

A short while later, Luo Yue was hovering above the Spirit Beast Garden.

Using a secret art, he surveyed the area below. The Abandoned Zone of the Spirit Beast Garden had been completely destroyed—stones lay shattered, trees had fallen, and scorch marks and bloodstains were everywhere. The 3.2-meter-tall figure was standing in the middle of the clearing.

Luo Yue narrowed his eyes.

He could see clearly—Yan Kui had grown even taller. His skin had changed from a uniform deep red to a pattern interwoven with ice and fire. Golden Runes flickered over his body beneath the moonlight, as if they were alive. Blue, red, and gold light flashed in turn within his eyes.

Every breath sent a ripple of heat through the air around Yan Kui.

"The extent of his bodily transformation... far exceeds my expectations," Luo Yue murmured. "His aura is actually at the level of Foundation Establishment Late Stage... This path of body refinement really is bizarre."

He sneered, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes. "But even the strongest Body Cultivator is still just a tough body. He can't use spells or fly on a sword, and he has no Spiritual Sense attacks... No matter how strong his aura is, he's still a lamb waiting to be slaughtered."

A greedy gleam flashed in his eyes.

"This body... if refined into a War Puppet, it'll be the strongest treasure ever to guard the Qingyun Sect." Luo Yue's lips curled into a cold smile. "His physical strength, aura quality, combat ability... every aspect is optimal. Once I succeed in refining him, I, Luo Yue, will truly hold the life and death of the sect in my hands."

However, Luo Yue noticed a problem.

Yan Kui's aura contained a dangerous, violent element. If he began refining him as he was, Yan Kui could easily lose control during the process. Luo Yue first had to suppress his will and render him half-conscious before the refinement could begin.

"First, I'll assess the limits of his strength, then use a trapping formation to restrain him... That should be the safest plan." Luo Yue silently plotted.

He swept a finger through the air, and streams of spiritual energy began to form around the Spirit Beast Garden. They came together into a massive trapping formation, surrounding the entire garden. Though the formation was invisible and intangible, it was enough to restrict the movements of a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.

With everything in place, Luo Yue finally descended slowly from the sky.

Yan Kui had sensed Luo Yue's presence long ago.

As the pressure of Foundation Establishment Late Stage came crashing down from all directions, Yan Kui turned to face him. His Blood Fiend Domain instantly expanded, its terrifying aura combining with the Extreme Path Domain to form a force that could rival Luo Yue's pressure.

The two domains collided in midair.

The surrounding trees snapped under the pressure, and web-like cracks appeared in the ground. Sharp popping sounds rang through the air—the telltale sign of two forces locked in a standoff.

"Good." Luo Yue slowly touched down about a hundred meters away from Yan Kui. "Your body has transformed quite well, even better than I expected."

Yan Kui didn't answer. He only stared coldly at Luo Yue, the three-colored light in his eyes growing brighter.

"Now it's time to fulfill your promise." Luo Yue spoke in a condescending tone. "Come back with me to Artifact Refining Peak and undergo War Puppet Refinement. It should be a great honor for you."

"As a War Puppet... you'll retain your consciousness, but your body, your power, everything you have will be completely under my control." A look of madness flashed in Luo Yue's eyes. "You'll become the Qingyun Sect's strongest weapon... the sharpest blade in my, Luo Yue's, hands."

"You should be satisfied with that fate. After all... it's the greatest achievement you could ever hope for."

A cold smile appeared on Yan Kui's face.

He slowly clenched his fists.

The Flame Infusion effect activated in an instant, and Blue and Red Flames blazed around his fists. Every muscle beneath his skin tightened, and the golden Runes flowed with even greater intensity.

"So you intend to resist." Luo Yue's expression turned cold. "What a pity... I gave you a chance to live, but you chose the path to death."

"Then don't blame me for crippling your limbs before taking you back. After all... a body without limbs will serve just as well as a War Puppet." A terrifying Foundation Establishment Late Stage aura began to radiate from Luo Yue.

"You think... you're powerful now?" Luo Yue mocked him. "A Body Cultivator is still just a Body Cultivator. You can't use spells or fly on a sword, so what if your aura is strong? My Magic Tools, talismans, and formations... Any one of them can easily suppress a brute who relies on nothing but force."

"Just surrender, and you'll suffer less... That's my final warning to you."

Killing intent boiled in Yan Kui's eyes.

He released every restraint he had placed on his body.

At that moment, the auras of all Six Cultivation Techniques erupted together—Indestructible Diamond Body, Unbreakable Body, Blood Fiend Domain, Flame Infusion, Wind Travel Without Trace, and Divine Demon Power. The six forces merged perfectly within him, forming an invincible cycle.

His terrifying aura surged outward like a tsunami.

The surrounding rocks shattered under its force, and ancient trees were ripped out by their roots. The air filled with shrill popping sounds. The entire Spirit Beast Garden trembled beneath the pressure of his aura.

Luo Yue's expression changed drastically.

"This aura... just what are you—" Before he could finish, he saw the bottomless killing intent in Yan Kui's eyes.

Yan Kui slowly raised his right fist.

Flames danced across it, as if heralding the destruction to come.

"You cultivators... sure talk a lot." Yan Kui spat out the words coldly.

The next moment, both figures vanished from the clearing.

The battle erupted in an instant.

In a secret chamber deep within the sect.

The Sect Master, who had been cultivating, abruptly opened his eyes. He felt terrifying fluctuations in the aura coming from a distance—from the direction of Artifact Refining Peak.

"Luo Yue's aura... and another unfamiliar aura..." The Sect Master furrowed his brow and swept his Spiritual Sense across the entire sect, quickly locating the two sides facing off.

"Yan Kui? That Outer Disciple with No Spiritual Root?" A trace of surprise colored the Sect Master's voice. "He's only been in the sect for a few days, and a Body Cultivator has already cultivated an aura comparable to Foundation Establishment Late Stage?"

He closed his eyes and sensed the situation for a moment, then relaxed.

"He's just a Body Refining Cultivator... His aura may be strong, but without spells, sword flight, or Spiritual Sense, he'll never amount to much." The Sect Master closed his eyes again. "Luo Yue is at Foundation Establishment Late Stage and is stationed at Artifact Refining Peak, with plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Dealing with a Body Cultivator who relies on brute force should be easy for him."

"Let Luo Yue test the limits of this young man's strength. If he really has value, I'll decide what to do afterward."

Silence returned to the secret chamber.