The cave seemed to breathe.
Then—
It erupted.
A sharp hum rang from Xue Yan's saber as the runes etched along its surface ignited, glowing a deep, violent red. Dark Qi surged from the blade, thick and restless, coiling like smoke given life. Within it, faint wails echoed—distorted, anguished, as though countless voices were trapped inside.
Without warning, Xue Yan moved.
He shot forward like a streak of blood-red lightning, the saber thrusting straight toward Li Wei's chest. The attack was clean. Direct. Meant to kill in a single motion.
Li Wei tilted slightly.
The blade passed by him—close enough to feel the cold edge brush the air against his skin.
Xue Yan didn't stop.
The thrust flowed into a slash, then another. His saber danced in a tight, vicious arc, each strike faster than the last, cutting through the air with shrill cries. Hack. Slash. Cut. Each movement carried lethal precision.
But none of them landed.
Li Wei moved through it all with calm simplicity.
A step. A shift. A slight lean.
Effortless.
His figure blurred just enough to avoid each strike, his movements minimal, controlled—like water flowing around jagged stone.
Then—
He struck.
A faint swirl of grey Chaos Qi wrapped around his fist, subtle but heavy. Without flourish, without buildup, he drove his fist forward.
It connected.
BOOM.
The impact was dull, but absolute.
Xue Yan's body lifted off the ground, thrown backward as if struck by something far larger than a human fist. He crashed against the cave wall, dust and fragments scattering around him.
For a moment, silence.
Then Xue Yan pushed himself up slowly, his breathing uneven.
His eyes changed.
The casual cruelty was gone.
Replaced by something sharper.
Colder.
"…So that's it."
His grip on the saber tightened.
'I'm not dealing with a mere Qi Condensation brat,' he thought.
His aura surged, no longer restrained. The pressure of a Third Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator spread through the cave, heavy and suffocating.
This time—
He was serious.
Li Wei said nothing.
He stepped forward.
And the two collided.
Fist met blade.
A sharp clang echoed as Chaos Qi collided with blood-soaked saber light. The force pushed both of them back a step, the ground cracking beneath their feet.
Then they moved again.
Faster.
Stronger.
The cave filled with motion.
Xue Yan's saber cut through the air in deadly arcs, each strike aimed to kill—neck, heart, joints. His movements were vicious, refined through cruelty and experience.
Li Wei answered with his fists.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Each punch carried weight—raw, crushing force wrapped in controlled intent. He didn't chase. He didn't rush. He met every strike head-on or slipped just enough to counter.
Clang.
Boom.
Crack.
Their exchanges blurred into a storm of impact and movement.
Stone shattered beneath their feet. The walls trembled. Dust fell in thin streams.
Then—
They separated.
A brief pause.
Li Wei stood still, his breathing steady. His robe bore several clean slashes, torn where the saber had passed through.
But beneath it—
His skin remained unbroken.
Not even a scratch.
Across from him, Xue Yan stared.
His saber… had chipped.
Just slightly.
But it was there.
A thin fracture along the edge of the blade.
Worse—
The dark Qi coating it had done nothing.
No corrosion. No decay. No effect.
His eyes narrowed.
"What… are you?"
Li Wei didn't answer.
He simply stepped forward again.
Xue Yan's expression twisted.
Then hardened.
"Fine."
He raised his saber, both hands gripping it now. The dark Qi around the blade thickened, turning denser, heavier. The wailing sounds grew louder, sharper, as though the weapon itself was screaming.
His stance shifted.
Lower.
Focused.
"Slaughter Saber Stance."
The moment the words left his lips—
He moved.
Faster than before.
Faster than Li Wei expected.
The blade cut forward in a single, terrifying arc.
There was no time to dodge.
Li Wei raised his arm.
The saber struck.
A deep sound echoed—not metal, not flesh—but something in between.
Then—
Blood.
Golden-red.
It flowed from the cut, warm and vivid against his skin.
For a brief second—
Everything stopped.
Xue Yan's eyes widened.
His gaze locked onto the blood.
Golden.
Radiant.
Alive.
Then—
He smiled.
Greed flooded his face, raw and unhidden.
"…So that's it."
His voice dropped, trembling slightly.
"A special bloodline…"
His eyes burned now—not with caution, but hunger.
"That blood… is far better than anything I've used."
Li Wei saw it.
That look.
His expression turned cold.
Completely cold.
A faint golden light began to rise from his body.
It spread slowly at first, then steadily, wrapping around him like a second skin. His muscles tensed, his frame seeming to grow heavier, denser.
The Divine Overlord Body Refining Art activated.
At the same time—
Grey Chaos Qi seeped outward, coiling around him in quiet, oppressive waves.
Golden light.
Grey chaos.
The two merged into something that didn't belong.
Xue Yan's smile faltered.
For the first time—
Fear crept into his eyes.
Li Wei stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Then—
They charged.
Xue Yan struck first.
"Slaughter Saber Stance!"
The blade came down again, faster, stronger, carrying everything he had.
Li Wei's fist rose to meet it.
"Heaven-Shattering Fist."
The moment they collided—
The cave shook.
A deep, crushing force exploded outward, not loud, but overwhelming. The saber's red light flickered violently—
Then shattered.
The stance broke.
The blade's momentum died.
And the force behind Li Wei's punch continued forward.
Xue Yan's eyes widened.
Then—
He was gone.
His body slammed into the cauldron with a deafening crash, sending boiling blood spilling violently across the cave floor.
Before he could even rise—
Li Wei was already there.
A kick.
Clean.
Brutal.
It struck Xue Yan's side, sending him flying across the ground, crashing hard against the stone.
The saber slipped from his hand.
His body trembled.
Broken.
Li Wei walked toward him.
Slowly.
Each step steady.
Unstoppable.
Xue Yan tried to move.
Failed.
A shadow fell over him.
A hand closed around his neck.
Tight.
Unyielding.
His body lifted off the ground.
Fingers like iron.
No escape.
No chance.
Xue Yan struggled, his hands clawing weakly at Li Wei's arm.
It didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Li Wei's eyes were calm.
Cold.
He didn't speak.
He didn't hesitate.
His grip tightened.
CRACK.
The sound was clean.
Final.
Then—
Another.
His neck snapped.
The body went limp.
Silence returned.
The cave stilled.
The blood on the floor slowly settled.
Li Wei released the corpse, letting it fall without care.
The mission was complete.
He turned, dragging the body slightly before pulling free the head and placing it on the ground beside him.
Then—
He sat.
Cross-legged.
His breathing slowed.
The Primordial Sovereign Scripture began to circulate.
Chaos Qi stirred.
The surrounding energy—tainted, violent, corrupted—was drawn toward him, devoured, refined.
Absorbed.
His wounds began to close.
His strength returned.
In the silent cave of blood and death—
Li Wei cultivated calmly.
As if none of it mattered.