The torrential rain continued to lash the city, its rhythmic cascade pounding the earth.
Thunder rolled like a war drum, shaking the heavens in a dreadful cadence as if the heavens themselves bore witness to the fierce clash below.
A layer of mist and blood mingled in the air like ghostly wisps, wrapping around warriors who stood frozen in the aftershock of Jun Mo Xie's departure.
Shi Chang Xiao still stood there motionless. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned ghost white, and his eyes remained locked on the spot where Jun Mo Xie and Solitary Falcon had vanished into the storm. His breath was ragged. His entire body still trembled slightly from a bone-deep fear that had not yet left him.
It was just a mere illusion.
A hallucination.
But it had felt so real.
The sight of his own decapitation… not once, but twice. The sensation of his limbs being severed, the cold rush of blood spilling over him. And then, Jun Mo Xie's damned mask laughing in the rain as if the killing intent of a demon had just whispered in his soul.
Shi Chang Xiao gritted his teeth, shaking himself out of the terror. "Killing intent… that was just killing intent?"
He looked down at his hands. They're still here… I'm still here…
And yet, the fear clawing at his chest remained very real.
But the battlefield wasn't done yet.
As the rain intensified, like a curtain descending upon an unfinished play, the eyes of all combatants locked once again onto the real prize, the Xuan Core that shimmered with dazzling brilliance, pulsing like a heartbeat of endless power.
No matter what had just happened, no matter how much dread was still choking their hearts, none of them Shi Chang Xiao included could walk away from something like that.
He took a deep breath and steeled his mind.
"This Xuan Core…" He muttered, eyes sharp again. "It won't fall into someone else's hands. Not today."
But just as he was about to move, a voice echoed in the city crossing.
"That Xuan Core belongs to me!"
The voice was thunderous, deep, roaring, and sharp like a divine blade tearing across the stormy sky. It boomed across the battlefield like an explosion, embedding itself into every soul present.
The shout sent a wave of spiritual shock throughout the area, rattling bones and cracking the very air itself. Every Xuan cultivator turned their head instinctively, their hearts shaking violently.
BOOM!
Two shadows clad in black exploded into view. They moved like bolts of black lightning, faster than the human eye could trace, splitting the rain asunder in two streaks of pure ferocity. Their Xuan Qi trails twisted and pulsed like dragons spiraling through the air.
The first figure didn't even hesitate as he hurtled through the battlefield like a meteor, crashing past the three Elders of Silver Blizzard City. They barely had time to react as he spun into a wild dance of violence as his fists pounding into warriors with bone-breaking force, hurling bodies left and right as if scattering dry leaves in a storm.
Fei Meng Chen, who stood barely a few meters away, raised his arms to defend, but the man was already upon him.
"What the hell—!?"
He barely managed to block the first strike before the second connected with his ribs, sending him flying backwards with blood gushing from his mouth.
"Who are these devils?!" One of the them shouted .
The second figure, equally fast and just as terrifying, flew through the air like a phantom. Unlike his comrade, his approach was calm, precise, but no less deadly.
With an outstretched hand, he snatched the Xuan Core from the very air in front of Shi Chang Xiao who was just mere inches from his goal.
Shi Chang Xiao's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You—!"
In a reflexive fury, he struck out with his palm, channeling all of his energy into a desperate counterattack. A palm that had shattered mountains before.
A palm that should have sent this insolent thief into a bloody mist.
But the black-robed man merely raised his own palm to meet it.
BOOM!!!
A deafening shockwave erupted as the two palms collided. The force of the impact sent rocks and debris flying in every direction.
Shi Chang Xiao was hurled backwards, his body spinning through the air like a leaf caught in a tornado. He barely managed to stabilize himself mid-air, blood seeping from the corner of his lips.
What kind of power is that!? That wasn't just ordinary Xuan strength!
But the black-robed man hadn't escaped unscathed. He was flung into a twisting somersault through the air, flipping uncontrollably until he suddenly curved mid-flight in an impossible arc, like a ghost ignoring gravity itself.
With a blur, he darted away with the Xuan Core clutched tightly in his hand.
"Got it! Let's go!" He shouted.
His voice was crisp, mocking, and carried the victorious thrill of a predator who had just snatched the prize from a pack of starving wolves.
The two figures vanished into the fog and rain like whispers.
But no one could move.
No one could even breathe properly.
Fei Meng Chen dragged himself up, panting heavily. Blood streaked across his mouth, his robes tattered, his face pale. His gaze searched the sky, as if hoping to find the specters that had just disappeared.
He turned slowly to the other side, where the three Elders of Silver Blizzard City stood with faces frozen in disbelief. One of them was clutching his side while another was panting heavily.
But none were as visibly shaken as Shi Chang Xiao.
He was right there... right there.
The Xuan Core had been his.
It was his.
And yet… those two monsters had taken it like candy from a child.
Fei Meng Chen floated toward them, his face grim, voice low and deliberate. "Were they...?"
Shi Chang Xiao didn't answer.
His fists were trembling, and the muscles in his jaw tightened until it felt like his teeth would shatter. His heart still beat like a war drum, but now it was from was rage, humiliation, and disbelief tangled together like a storm.
"They weren't normal…" The Sixth Elder said hoarsely. His hand wiped the streak of blood from his lips, eyes wide with lingering fear. "That… that movement… that aura… was it…"
"The Tian Fa…" He murmured with a ghostly expression.
"The Tian Fa my ass!" The Third Elder snapped, his fury snapping like a whip. "You think you're so clever with your guesses? You think your speculations will bring the Core back?! We've already been humiliated enough for one day... don't stretch it further!"
The Sixth Elder lowered his eyes in silence, unable to refute him.
Shi Chang Xiao didn't speak a word. He only stared into the rain, into the place where those two had vanished. His heart was like a pit of boiling lava.
They had robbed him... Played him...
He had been a tiger, and they were just two wolves.
He felt like vomiting blood.
But the facts were undeniable.
The Third Elder sighed, rubbing his temples with exhausted hands.
"…They've already joined the fray. We're just dancing in the palm of someone else's hand now."
The others looked at him.
He turned and looked at the silver carriage in the distance, the one that had been surrounded protectively all this time.
"Take the Little Princess. We leave now."
The other Elders gave a silent nod.
Even if the entire army were to come, even if all the powers under heaven were to descend upon this valley... the Xuan Core was already gone.
And so was their face.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
📢 Author's Note 📢
If you're enjoying this story and want more chapters right now, I invite you to check out my Patreon. There you'll find:
✅ Daily updates – never miss a day of new content
✅ Advanced chapters – read far ahead of public releases
✅ Exclusive perks & extras – only available to patrons
Your support not only gives you early access but also helps me dedicate more time to writing and expanding this story. Every reader who joins makes a huge difference.
👉 Dive into more chapters today: patreon.com/Myth_Valley
Let's keep the adventure alive! 🔥📚✨