Chapter 13

Demon Queen Xuelan Mowang's World

A feminine voice, both soft and imperious, infiltrated Xiao Wujing's mind, resonating like a divine whisper.

— Do you dare to think yourself superior to me, miserable insect?

Xiao Wujing shuddered. His breath hitched, his blood froze. Before him, Demon Queen Xuelan Mowang sat upon a throne sculpted from bone and blood, erected at the heart of a crimson sea. Above them, a solar cataclysm tore through the sky, casting infernal hues upon this nightmarish realm. Xuelan's purple irises, laced with glacial indifference, gazed down at Xiao as if he were nothing more than an insignificant vermin.

The insult made him tremble with rage.

— Arts—!

Xiao assumed a combat stance, but before he could make a move, Xuelan was already beside him. Her motion defied comprehension. He reacted on instinct, unleashing an attack so powerful it could fracture an entire dimension. His strike tore through the heavens with a deafening scream… and dissipated against Xuelan's body like a breeze against eternity.

She hadn't even moved.

— You wish to witness true martial arts? Very well.

With a whisper, she sealed his fate.

— Qi Foundation Technique: Extinction of the Bloodstained Cherry Blossoms.

The crimson sea quivered. Xiao glanced downward, his heart teetering on the abyss. He felt nothing… yet his body was dissolving. His legs, his hips, his torso… all transmuted into a rain of scarlet petals.

— No… No!

Blind, disembodied, he stammered desperate pleas.

— Mercy…! I will never again raise a hand against the Celestial Army! Nor against the Demon Kings!

Xuelan let out a crystalline laugh, both mocking and cruel.

— So weak… You should have begged sooner.

The petals scattered in the infernal wind. The apostle, once a servant of a cosmic horror, was no more.

Yehun Temple

Among the scorched ruins of the temple, the dragon warrior instinctively stepped back, his breath unsteady. He had just witnessed a power so overwhelming that a primal shiver ran down his spine. Beside him, the Chinese Kitsune remained frozen, her tail trembling under the weight of the shock.

— Who are you…? growled the warrior, leveling his staff. Where does your Qi come from?!

With a fluid motion, he spun his weapon, gathering devastating energy. He struck.

The impact resounded like a celestial gong.

Yet, Meilin did not move. Her wooden saber, insignificant against such a colossus, deflected the attack with a mere gesture. The shockwave was redirected miles away, uprooting entire forests and igniting colossal wildfires.

— You touched my friends… and Tao.

Her gaze darkened.

— Prepare to be cut to ribbons.

Xuelan appeared beside her, a cryptic smile on her lips.

— Meilin, listen closely, the Demon Queen whispered into her ear. I will teach you a technique. A sequence of five precise strikes. The first three will shatter his defense… The last two will end him.

Nearby, Tao slowly opened his eyes, powerless.

— Meilin… he murmured, blood on his lips.

Xuelan turned to Tiang, blowing a kiss into the air. A trivial gesture… yet enough to ignite a blazing jealousy within Meilin's heart.

— Focus on the fight! she barked, tightening her grip on her saber.

The dragon warrior narrowed his eyes.

— A demonic energy…? No matter.

— Qi Condensation Technique: Thousand Dragon Fists!

In a heartbeat, he vanished. Then, he reappeared before Meilin, his fists multiplying infinitely. Thousands of strikes rained upon her in a cascade of golden light.

But Meilin dodged.

With a step.

Then another.

With each evasion, the earth trembled under the colossal pressure of their movements. At a distance, Tiang, Lijing, and Yin Na could only perceive flashes of Qi colliding at incomprehensible speed

Suddenly, the dragon warrior's staff struck Meilin directly, sending her hurtling miles into the sky. He leaped onto a cloud to pursue her.

— Technique: Fury of the Three Golden Dragons!

Three energy dragons surged from his weapon, hurtling toward Meilin.

She evaded the first two with an aerial footwork technique, then used the skull of the third as a foothold to leap even higher. Her saber began to glow with a blood-red light.

— Five Death-Splitting Strikes.

The attacks flowed like a deadly dance.

One.

Two.

Three.

The warrior felt his energy shield fracture.

Four.

His body gave way.

Five.

His skull was severed cleanly.

His body plummeted from the skies like a meteor, crashing heavily into the ruins of the temple. His head rolled to Tiang's feet.

A funeral silence descended upon the battlefield.

The Chinese Kitsune recoiled in panic, making a motion to open a portal.

But Meilin descended from the heavens, pinning her to the ground.

She pressed the blade of her saber against the Kitsune's throat.

— Hey, nine-tailed bitch… Meilin's voice was low, dangerous. If you're planning to run, I'll make you swallow every single one of them. Understood?