While an intense battle was brewing outside the Crafting School. Within a secluded cave on the northern peaks of Mt. Crimson.
Students were generally forbidden to enter this part of the schoolgrounds. At the current moment, one of the caves was filled with a warm-red light. Inside that cave was a room about twenty meters in circumference and had a stone altar half the height of a person installed in it. A miniature red sun floated above the altar and hummed with strange waves of energy.
Right beside this ball of light stood a single person. Zi Jin.
It hadnât been long since the barrier had been activated, but Zi Jin could sense the explosive battle taking place outside along with the auras clashing with one another.
âOuyang Hua broke his seclusion to fight?!â Zi Jin narrowed his eyes. Walking away from the ball of light, Zi Jin prepared himself to leave this place to enter the fight himself.
The barrier was activated now and could keep itself going. It should be fine without personal supervision.
âHm?!â
But right as he was turning aroundâŚhe saw someone!
Someone was walking into the cave. They turned around the corner to walk within eyesight of him. It was a person in black, and a person whose aura was faint, but distinctly there!
An enemy!!
An enemy had somehow entered the Crafting School and managed to stealth their way over to where the barrierâs formation was!
But how!
That was when Zi Jin began to sense a familiar energy from the person. Then when the person gradually got closer to him, Zi Jin could see the personâs faceâŚÂ
The other person came to a stop right in front of him. Curling at the lips, he smiled.
âMasterâŚI trust youâve been since our last meeting.â
Zi Jin was stunned. He couldnât help but begin to shake at the body as his rage took hold of him.
âYou!!â
He roared with unbridled rage. A sliver of sorrow and disappointment was heard in his voice as well.
Dongfang Ming didnât even flinch. He simply stood there as if he was enjoying this meeting. âIâve said it to you before, master. A day would come when Iâd return to personally destroy the Crafting School.â
His words felt like daggers to Zi Jinâs heart. The hurt and disappointment he had felt even more pronounced.Â
âWhyâŚwhy have you become like this!?â
âWhy?â The smile on his face grew wider.
âDo you think I have a secret? Or that I may be controlled by Soul Puppetry? Allow me to inform you thenâŚI am not.â
Looking at Zi Jinâs stunned face, Dongfang Ming continued to speak. âIt isnât very complicated. My goal is simply because of revenge. Thatâs all.â
Dongfang Ming began to sneer mockingly at his old master. âRevenge for your denial of me. For the Crafting Schoolâs denial of me. You denied me everything and removed me. As such, I have come today to remove you all in return.â
ââŚâŚ..â
Zi Jin still couldnât believe it. The betrayal of his traitorous disciple had hurt him grievously for the last thirty years. But to hear him say these words todayâŚit filled his heart with uncontrollable griefâŚÂ
âWhat hasâŚthe demon armaments turn you intoâŚâ Zi Jin sighed in sorrow as he regained his wits.
Refocused, he glared at Dongfang Ming. In response, the other man took a step forward.
It was a single step, but his person moved ten steps forward somehow as if he was teleportingâŚÂ
âPcht pcht pcht pchtâŚâ
The sound of stone being carved out could be heard moments after he took that single step. Scars and scratches could be seen in the place where Dongfang Ming once stood!
It was as if multiple blades had carved the ground! Those scars were so numerous that not even an inch of the original location was left untouched!
This wasâŚthe work of a spatial slash! AndâŚinvisible ones!
Dongfang Ming took that one step forward to evade this move. Any Soul King wouldâve died to it, but he was a Soul Emperor.Â
âYouâre not recovered yet and yet you can still pull off a move as strong as thatâŚmaster, your Lacus Edge is as powerful as ever. Did you perhaps manage to refine it?â
âDo not call me your master!!â
Incensed by Dongfang Mingâs words, Zi Jin let out a loud roar before he swiped outward with his hands. Something akin to a sword in his right hand glinted in the light before disappearing while a small red shortsword shot out from his left hand!
Zi Jin was a rare soul cultivator capable of both elemental fire and spatial energy. Because of that, his two soul armaments, the space-type Lacus Edge and fire-type Ignis Edge were his main weapons. The Lacus Edge was his lifebound armament and had the ability to unleash invisible spatial tears. Its power was so great and rare that no one familiar with his soul armament would definitely fell prey to them. Even an Early-stage Soul Emperor.
But the person he was fighting wasnât a stranger. It was his once loved student and a person familiar with himâŚÂ
âYou would have been a Mid-stage Soul Emperor by now had you ignored Cang Yu and her baby. Iâd never be able to fight you in that case.â Dongfang Ming shook his head with a small smile. âBut that isnât the case anymore. YouâŚare no match for me!â
He took another step forward and brandished his right hand forward!
The power of an Early-stage Soul Emperor exploded out at once. Red and black light traveled forward to slam int
âBoom!!â
The entire cave trembled as the red light then slammed into Zi Jinâs sword. The Ignis Edge let out a mourning cry before it was rebuffed and sent flying back,
âPcht! Pcht! Pcht!â
On the right side, the black light Dongfang Ming sent out turned into a wall of black. It extended out toward Zi Jin before several invisible attacks perforated its surface. The wall looked as though it was sliced through by multiple blades, but it continued flying forward!
Dongfang Ming had a dual affinity for fire and darkness!
Zi Jin was forced to use elemental energy to attack, but Dongfang Ming played on a different level. He could harness the power of Law!
In one step, Dongfang Ming was already just less than ten steps away from Zi Jin!
One more step.
He was close!
A streak of red entered Dongfang Mingâs eyes. The neutral expression on his face was gone now. In its place was the cold glare of a man filled with hatred!
And in his right hand was a small blood-red sword!
âSwoosh!!â
The strange soul armament shined ominously in the cave light before it moved to strike Zi Jinâs throat!