94. A Silent Storm Awakens

The moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the Nightshade Clan's vast encampment. Rows upon rows of tents stretched into the distance, with guards patrolling the perimeter. Their vigilance was heightened—Ling Tian's reputation was not something they took lightly.

Yet, no matter how sharp their senses were, they were not prepared for what was coming.

Ling Tian crouched on a rocky outcrop, surveying the encampment below. His golden eyes shimmered in the darkness, reflecting the torches of the enemy camp. Beside him, Xu Qing'er exuded a silent yet deadly presence, her sword already drawn.

"There are at least three thousand elite warriors here," Xu Qing'er noted. "Several Nascent Soul cultivators… and a few whose aura I can't quite grasp."

Ling Tian smirked. "We'll deal with them as they come."

Xu Qing'er gave him a sideways glance. "You're enjoying this too much."

"I just prefer being the hunter rather than the hunted."

She sighed but didn't disagree. This was the nature of their world—hesitation meant death.

Ling Tian reached into his storage ring, pulling out a small, intricately carved jade token. The moment it appeared, a strange vibration pulsed through the air.

Xu Qing'er's eyes widened slightly. "That's…"

"A relic of the Ling Clan," Ling Tian said softly. "One of the last things I have from them."

He pressed the jade token against his palm, sending a pulse of qi into it. A moment later, the air around them trembled, and a faint, ancient power awakened.

Xu Qing'er watched in astonishment as the shadows around them began to distort. "Spatial disruption?"

Ling Tian nodded. "A little trick passed down in my clan… They won't be able to sense our presence until it's too late."

Xu Qing'er's lips curled into a small smile. "Then let's make it count."

With that, they disappeared into the night, moving like specters toward the heart of the enemy camp.

---

Nightshade Clan's Inner Sanctum

Deep within the camp, Nightshade Xian stood in his command tent, his arms crossed as he listened to his advisors report.

"Our forces are prepared," one of them said. "Ling Tian is strong, but we have numbers on our side."

Nightshade Xian remained silent, his fingers tapping against the wooden table before him.

"I don't care about numbers," he finally said. "I care about results. If Ling Tian survives this night, it will be because we didn't kill him fast enough."

The veiled woman beside him chuckled. "And if he's already here?"

Nightshade Xian's expression remained unreadable. Then, without warning, he flicked his fingers. A dagger shot out of his sleeve, piercing through the tent flap and embedding itself in the throat of a hidden assassin lurking in the shadows.

The advisors tensed.

Nightshade Xian smirked. "He's not the only one who can see through the darkness."

But even as he spoke, an unsettling pressure filled the air. The flames within the tent flickered, casting distorted shadows along the walls.

One of the guards gasped. "Something's wrong—"

A golden light erupted outside.

Nightshade Xian's eyes narrowed. "He's here."

---

Ling Tian's Decisive Strike

The first explosion rocked the encampment, sending shockwaves through the ground.

Ling Tian stood amidst the chaos, his azure-gold qi swirling violently around him. His figure was blurred, moving faster than the eye could follow as he cut through the Nightshade warriors like a phantom.

Xu Qing'er followed close behind, her sword flashing as she weaved between enemies with deadly precision.

The encampment fell into complete disarray.

Alarm bells rang, torches flared to life, and warriors rushed out of their tents, only to be met with the unstoppable force of Ling Tian's wrath.

One by one, the Nightshade assassins fell.

Nightshade Xian emerged from his tent, his expression dark as he watched his forces struggle. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.

"So, this is how it begins…"

The final battle between them was inevitable.

And it would shake the entire realm.

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