A heavy silence hung over the dying universe as Shen Yuan and his five companions stood on their qi platform, the surroundings around them swirling with unstable energy. The once-majestic galaxies had long since withered, leaving behind only the ghostly echoes of their former brilliance.
In the distance, countless qi platforms floated across the cosmic battlefield, each bearing the flags of their respective sects and clans. The battle had yet to begin, but Shen Yuan knew that the first phase of the Sacred Sect Ranking Competition would determine who truly deserved to fight in the second phase.
He turned toward his companions, his light purple eyes gleaming with an eerie radiance.
"I'll say this only once. Listen carefully."
The weight of his voice made them straighten their backs, their expressions growing serious.
"From what I've read, this first phase is just as crucial as the elimination matches that follow."
Shen Yuan's gaze swept over them, cold and calculating.
"We are required to fill our sect's flag with the qi of this dying universe. The top 100 sects and clans with the highest amount of absorbed qi will advance."
Xiang Xiaoli, Guo Bohai, and Shi Meixiu exchanged glances. This much was obvious. But then Shen Yuan continued, his smirk deepening.
"The real catch lies in the leader's token."
Shi Meixiu frowned. "The leader token?"
"The leader must remain on their qi platform at all times. If the leader even steps off by an inch, the entire team is eliminated immediately."
A wave of realization washed over them.
"But it gets worse," Shen Yuan continued, his voice laced with amusement. "Since there are no rules… strong teams can simply send members to hunt down weaker leaders. The moment a leader dies, their team is out."
A dark silence filled the space around them.
Xiang Xiaoli clenched her fists. "That's… that's insane!"
Tang Jiyan chuckled dryly. "Not insane. Just effective. The World Lord never intended for this competition to be fair."
"Exactly," Shen Yuan said. "This phase isn't just about collecting qi. It's about culling the weak. And if there are no rules…"
His smirk widened, and his light purple eyes shimmered with malice.
"Then I intend to use that to its fullest."
His words sent a shiver through the group.
Then, without another word, Shen Yuan retrieved a jade slip from his storage ring. The ancient relic pulsed with an unfathomable aura, radiating an oppressive presence. Carved into its surface were two simple words:
'Split Incarnation.'
The moment it appeared, Tang Jiyan and Dong Chen stiffened. Their eyes widened in shock, their faces turning pale.
Dong Chen's breath hitched. "This… this couldn't be—"
"It is," Shen Yuan interrupted, his tone indifferent.
Tang Jiyan exhaled sharply. "Then it really is that art, huh?"
Xiang Xiaoli, Guo Bohai, and Shi Meixiu looked between them, confused.
Shi Meixiu crossed her arms. "Enough with the riddles. What is it?"
Tang Jiyan hesitated before glancing at Shen Yuan. At his subtle nod, he turned back to the others and explained:
"The Split Incarnation Art is one of the top techniques comprehended by the Twin Soul Sect's sect masters a thousand years ago. It is never taught outside their core disciples."
"It allows a cultivator to use their own spiritual energy and blood to form a second body, which you can also refer to as a clone—one that shares the same consciousness as the main body but can act and cultivate independently."
Silence.
Xiang Xiaoli's breath came out in a whisper. "That's… almost god-like…"
Both Guo Bohai and Shi Meixiu were too stunned and spoke finally in unison, "That's…. Dangerous and brilliant…"
Shen Yuan let out a small chuckle.
"Step back."
They immediately obeyed, retreating several paces.
Then, Shen Yuan and on the qi platform, cross legged, and then bit into his finger, a crimson drop of blood falling onto the platform. The moment it touched the ground Shen Yuan quickly shot a massive amount of his spiritual energy in it, as an ancient force stirred.
His hands quickly blurred through a complex series of signs, his spiritual energy surging in tandem with his blood essence. The droplet of blood expanded, twisting and morphing into something unnatural.
It pulsed.
It convulsed.
It grew.
With each passing second, it began to take shape—his shape. Then days started to go by as it continued to slowly form, then three days went by as it was finally almost complete. Skin slowly started to appear on its flesh, now fully looking like Shen Yuan.
The energy around them twisted violently, distorting the space itself.
Minutes passed. Then robes similar to Shen Yuan also slowly started to appear on it. Then after a few more hours with a final boom, the newly formed clone body opened its eyes, the same identical light purple as Shen Yuan.
A wave of pure Yin Qi exploded outward.
The others instinctively shielded themselves as a second Shen Yuan slowly lifted his head.
Then it smiled, filled with the same eerie amusement as the original. Its cultivation was also the same as the original.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Even Tang Jiyan and Dong Chen, despite knowing of the technique, were shaken. Seeing it in person was something else entirely.
Xiang Xiaoli was the first to regain her voice. "Wait… does this mean your clone also has your World Devourer's Mirage Eye?"
Then Shen Yuan smirked.
"No. My clone shares the same consciousness and cultivation, but not the powers I acquired externally."
The others fell into thought, it made sense as well as the clone was made of his blood and spiritual energy, not his soul fully but also, they sensed that he wasn't telling the full truth. But before they could press him, Dong Chen subtly shook his head.
They understood.
Some things were best left unspoken.
Then, Shen Yuan turned to his clone.
"You know what to do, right?"
The clone smirked.
"Is that even a question?"
Without another word, the clone stepped beyond the formation, beyond the qi platform, and into the endless cosmic sky.
Then—it vanished.
A flicker of unease passed through the group. Where had it gone?
The real Shen Yuan merely crossed his arms, his smirk unwavering.
"Let the games begin."