Predator or Prey?

POV Shift – Green-Robed Cultivator

I despised cultivators. Every single one of them. Their arrogance, their self-righteousness, their belief that they stood above all else.

And this blindfolded youth I was watching… he was the worst of them all.

He moved with the kind of ease that made my skin crawl, as if the entire world bent to his whims. My fingers twitched with the urge to strike him down, to rip him apart where he stood. But I held back. The master had given his orders. This one was special. And so was the girl traveling with him.

I licked my lips at the thought of her. It had been too long since we last feasted on cultivator flesh. I could almost taste her already—sweet, tender, brimming with vitality. A small smile crept onto my lips as hunger stirred in my gut.

But then, my amusement faded. This youth… something about him was off. He had already realized that the wave of beast attacks wasn't natural. That was impossible. None of our previous targets had ever noticed the subtle manipulations of our clan. He was different. And for that, I almost pitied him.

I trailed him to the Iron-Spiked Warthog's territory, lurking in the shadows as he knelt by a pond, drinking lazily from its crystal-clear waters. He lay back, arms spread out, as if basking in the moment.

Then, he suddenly shot up, eyes gleaming behind that ridiculous blindfold, and laughed like an excited child.

His gaze landed on a Grade 4 Honey Peach Tree. Without hesitation, he rushed toward it, plucked a fruit, and took a massive bite—no preparation, no refinement, nothing. My jaw clenched in disbelief.

Was he insane? Did he not understand that devouring a spiritual fruit without refining the volatile Yuan Power could tear a person apart from the inside? Yet, as I watched, he casually tossed one peach after another into his mouth, utterly unaffected.

The master was right. His constitution was not normal. And then came the real shock.

The Iron-Spiked Warthog emerged, its hulking form radiating raw power, but the youth stood there like it was a minor inconvenience. Then he moved.

One swipe. That was all it took. The warthog's body split clean in two.

I stiffened. Impossible. A Peak Body Tempering Realm cultivator one-shotting a Grade 4 beast? That defied every law of cultivation. My mind screamed in protest. I instinctively pulled my hood over my face and prepared to retreat. But then… he smirked. Right at me.

Before I could react, he was above me—fists cocked back, his wild grin stretched in anticipation. I didn't hesitate.

"Blood Eclipse Devouring Art: Crimson Shadow Slip!"

A searing pain ripped through me as my veins bulged and turned crimson. Then—

BOOM!

My body exploded into a rain of blood, scattering into the wind.

POV Shift – Third Person

Gojo landed lightly where the cultivator had stood, watching as the blood mist dispersed. His hand adjusted his blindfold slightly, revealing one sharp crystal-blue eye that glowed with intrigue.

His left arm folded across his chest, and his right hand rested on his chin in thought.

"Fascinating," he murmured, his lips curling in admiration. "That technique was… brilliant."

Then his head suddenly snapped to the side.

BANG!

A massive fist—nearly as large as his entire body—crashed against him, sending him hurtling through the air like a missile.

Meanwhile, droplets of blood in the distance coalesced into the green-robed youth once more. Pale, but grinning wickedly, he wiped the blood from the corner of his lips before vanishing into the shadows.

MeiYing sat cross-legged on a grassy clearing, calmly cultivating to recover her strength. Her breathing was steady, her mind tranquil—until her instincts screamed at her.

Her eyes snapped open. In a flash of golden light, she vanished.

A mere second later—

BOOM!

A figure crashed into the ground where she had been sitting, skidding violently across the terrain before slamming into a massive tree, stopping his momentum. She stared at the scene, stunned.

Then—

ROOOAR!

A deafening bellow shook the air. Each footstep that followed made the earth tremble as if a giant was approaching.

From the dense forest emerged a massive golden ape, its body rippling with savage might. Its blood-red eyes burned with raw fury, a bloodlusted aura radiating from every inch of its towering form.

MeiYing's heart clenched.

"A Grade 5 Spiritual Beast?!"

Until now, they had only encountered Grade 4s or lower. But this—this was on an entirely different level.

Without hesitation, she drew her blade. A deep breath steadied her nerves as a sharp sword aura surged skyward. Her presence became ethereal, her stance unwavering. She stepped forward—

But a hand gently grasped her shoulder. She froze. The warmth of his touch sent a strange calm through her.

Turning, she found Gojo standing beside her, his silver hair catching the wind, his blindfold pulled down completely, revealing his piercing blue eyes.

He smiled—confident, unwavering.

"Leave it to me."

His voice was quiet, but something about it felt… heavier than usual.

MeiYing hesitated. "Your cultivation—?"

But he was already walking away. He didn't answer. His focus was entirely on the ape.

Silver light clashed against gold and crimson as two unstoppable forces advanced toward each other.

And then—

BOOM!

No words. No hesitation. Their fists collided in a sheer contest of brute force.

The impact rippled outward, splitting the ground and flattening the surrounding trees.

MeiYing's brows furrowed. Gojo was so much smaller, yet the force behind his strikes defied logic. Then, he grinned.

The runes on his chest flared, a silver-blue glow illuminating his body as he flipped back to avoid another crushing blow. (Think Ultra Instinct Goku aura)

He shifted tactics.

"Void God's Fist Art: Riftstorm Barrage!"

BANG!

An onslaught of pure physical might and dense silvery Yuan Power exploded against the ape's chest. He blasted everything he could into the ape, and despite it's size, it's body recoiled from the impact, the shards of space splintering in an earth shattering crash. Like thousands of glass windows shattering at the same time.

Large cracks opened up in its chest, the splintering of space tore through it's almost impenetrable figure, nearly blowing a massive hole in its torso. Blood gushed out like springs and it's body was launched into the distance, crashing into multiple trees.

Gojo couldn't help but clench his fist and laugh. His hand swept back his silver hair as he walked on with one hand in his pocket. A soft wind blowing against his clothes painted him an ethereal look. MeiYing was completely flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events.

One punch. Just one punch. Who exactly had she come to protect here? She questioned herself and lowered her head. Judging cultivators like him based on the level of stage of their cultivation was the biggest mistake anyone would ever make in their life.

While the void God's Fist Art was a punching technique, the Riftstorm Barrage was not a technique. It was a simple application of the property of his Yuan Power which he could now control and shape with his will, after his breakthrough to the Middle Stage of the Earthly Titan Physique.

Honestly, he didn't expect the effect and destructive ability to be so overbearing, but he was quite satisfied by the results.

ROOOAR!

The ape roared in fury, ignoring its wounds as it blitzed forward. Its massive hand snatched Gojo, swinging him violently through the air, smashing him into rocks, trees—anything in its path.

BANG!

BANG!

The earth trembled with every impact.

MeiYing tensed. She couldn't help but feel inferior. Deep down she knew, No Heavenly Yuan Realm cultivator or Yuan Dan realm cultivator was surviving that thrashing. Yet he shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

From the dust, he emerged. Unscathed. A thin silvery miasma clung to his figure. He wasn't caught offguard or anything, he just wanted to test out the defensive capabilities of his physique. But then—

Gojo wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his lips, his grin turning savage. The ape, enraged, hurled an entire tree like a spear.

Gojo laughed. He sprinted up the airborne trunk, corkscrewing into the sky. For a moment, he was suspended there—arms spread wide, eyes reflecting the heavens. Memories of this same moment flashed back in his consciousness, and his eyes closed, the sunlight peering down onto his body.

Back then, in this same position, he had declared mighty words, he had crowned himself, yet in this same very moment, those words couldn't find their way to his lips.

Time seemed to slow down and in a moment, he flipped around, and his body began to drop from the skies at incredible speed

"Void God's Fist Art: Black Flash!"

And he descended like a comet.

A/N: Enjoy.