A deathly silence filled the air.
On a lone Qi platform, untouched by the chaos of battle, a man sat in the lotus position, his breathing deep and steady. The lingering traces of Qi from his meditation fluctuated like ripples on a still lake. Around him stood five figures, unmoving, their gazes sharp as they watched over him.
They were Tang Jiyan, Xiang Xiaoli, Guo Bohai, Shi Meixiu, and Dong Chen—the five companions of Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan had been recovering his spiritual energy for two full days, and now, at last, his eyes fluttered open. A smirk tugged at his lips as he slowly stood, stretching his arms as if shaking off fatigue.
His companions exchanged glances. They had long grown used to Shen Yuan's unpredictability, but something about the way he looked around—as if waiting for something—made them uneasy.
Then, it happened.
A spatial rift cracked open before them, its presence so silent that even the most perceptive among them failed to notice until it had fully formed. The five tensed, instinctively preparing for battle, but Shen Yuan merely smiled.
Whoosh!
Out of the spatial rift, hundreds of flags suddenly flew out like shooting stars. The sight was surreal—their embroidered insignias fluttered wildly as they filled the surrounding space like a rain of banners.
Tang Jiyan's eyes widened.
"These… are all the flags of other teams?"
Before anyone could react, Shen Yuan's figure blurred. He grabbed the falling flags, snatching each one before they could scatter. His movements were smooth and effortless, like a dragon weaving through the skies.
The next moment, he stabbed them into the Qi platform, forming a ring of team banners around them.
Dong Chen was the first to speak. "Wait… if all these belong to the other teams, does that mean your clone… destroyed them all?"
Shen Yuan turned to him and smirked.
"What do you think?"
Dong Chen stiffened, then let out a breath. "Never mind."
He fell silent. He already knew the answer.
It was a 'yes'.
"He did it again…" thought Dong Chen.
Without another word, Shen Yuan flicked his wrist. Suddenly, streams of Qi surged out of the flags, their essence forcefully extracted. The banners withered almost instantly, turning into ashes before vanishing in the cosmic sky of the dying universe.
A swirling torrent of energy rose into the cosmic sky before plunging into their Twin Soul Sect's flag. The flag hummed violently, releasing an immense glow.
Within seconds, the first phase was a clear guarantee of win for them now.
In a distant sector of the dying universe, the Young Prince of Fengyue sat in quiet contemplation, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the surface of his jade armrest. Before him stood Bai Chen, his second-in-command, his expression unreadable.
"Your Highness, the last of the remaining 10,000 vassal representatives have arrived."
As Bai Chen's words fell, numerous spatial rifts tore open in the cosmic sky. A sea of figures emerged, their presence blanketing the battlefield like a dark storm.
One by one, the vassal representatives knelt before the prince.
"We greet Your Highness!" Their voices rumbled like thunder.
The prince smiled faintly.
"You all know why you are here," he said, his voice smooth and commanding. "Attack Shen Yuan at once."
Some of the vassals hesitated for a moment. They had heard rumors of Shen Yuan's power. But how strong could a first-layer Nirvana Realm cultivator truly be?
However, their doubts quickly vanished.
After all, they had 10,000 men—many among them were at the peak of Nirvana Realm. How could they possibly lose?
Seeing them ready for battle, the prince's smile deepened. But inwardly, he chuckled coldly.
"Fools. You are nothing but expendable pawns for me to gauge Shen Yuan's strength… and dispose of the useless ones."
Bai Chen, standing at his side, let out a soft sigh.
"These poor souls… They don't even realize they're being sacrificed."
With a final command, the vassal representatives ripped open a massive spatial rift and vanished into it.
"Yes… go forth, throw yourselves into the fire. Whether you succeed or not, your purpose will be fulfilled." The prince chuckled.
Back at Shen Yuan's Qi platform, Xiang Xiaoli turned to him, her brow furrowed. "Where's your clone now?"
Shen Yuan's smirk deepened. "Cultivating his own path. He's my hidden trump card."
His companions felt a chill at his words. Every time Shen Yuan introduced a 'trump card, chaos followed.
But before they could dwell on their unease, they sensed it.
Rumble!
A massive spatial rift yawned open in the distance, its size dwarfing any that had come before. From its depths, thousands of figures stepped forth, their expressions laced with confidence and bloodlust.
Shen Yuan barely needed to scan them with his divine sense—he had seen their faces before. These were the very vassals his clone had spared, and they had come for revenge.
He could tell there were a total of 10,000 of them.
One of the vassals stepped forward, his face contorted with confusion. "How are you still in the rankings? Didn't you abandon your team?"
Shen Yuan's companions all smirked in unison. The Young Prince hadn't told them everything. These fools still believed his clone was his real body. Well not like the prince was sure of his clone self anyways.
With a casual glance, Shen Yuan analyzed their formation—4,000 at the First Layer of Nirvana Realm, 5,000 between the Fifth and Seventh Layers, and 1,000 at the peak.
The numbers didn't faze him.
He took a single step forward, his gaze sweeping over them with cold amusement. "I will give you a choice," he said, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight. "Leave now, and live. Stay, and perish."
Laughter erupted from the vassals. To them, he was but a single Nirvana cultivator facing an army. Their arrogance blinded them to the abyss into which they were walking.
Shen Yuan merely smiled. "Very well."
He turned slightly toward his companions. "Leave the peak Nirvan cultivators to me."
Tang Jiyan scoffed. "What, are we not allowed to have any fun?"
"The weak bore me," Shen Yuan replied. "You can handle them. But the peak Nirvana cultivators? They're mine."
His words sent a shiver through them. They knew he was serious.
As the vassals prepared their assault, Shen Yuan slowly raised his hand. A dark crimson light flickered around his fingertips. His pupils narrowed into vertical slits, his eyes burning like molten rubies, changing its colour into crimson from light purple.
"Good," he murmured. "You came at the perfect time. Now I can test the second stage of my Nether Dragon Scripture."
Meanwhile in their actual universe, the World Lord Han Bolin seemed to have noticed Shen Yuan's transformation and the name he just used for his cultivation method.
The world lord's face seemed to turn serious and amused.
"Could that really…be that thing?"