A low chuckle echoed in the darkness.
"Hehe..."
The sound sent a chill down Yang Kai's spine. It was a sinister, almost amused laugh, one that carried an eerie resonance. Then, without warning, ghostly green flames erupted around Nie Yong, forming a flickering, wraith-like aura that distorted the very air around him.
"I'll have to use my first, real trump card here then!" Nie Yong declared, his voice laced with anticipation.
The surrounding Yin Qi, which had once blanketed the battlefield under the Abyssal Veil, suddenly shifted. Tendrils of the oppressive energy were being drawn toward Nie Yong, merging seamlessly with his spectral flames. The green fire around him burned fiercer, its glow pulsating unnaturally.
Yang Kai's grip on his Yin Blade tightened as he instinctively took a step back. His breath felt heavy. There was something wrong—something unnatural about this transformation.
"What's happening, Master?" he asked, his voice tense.
"I don't know... but finish him off now!" Yang Bai's voice carried a rare urgency, a clear warning of danger. "I'm not sure if you can win if you let him make his move!"
Yang Kai didn't hesitate. Trusting his master's instincts, he surged forward, Yin Qi condensing around his blade like a raging storm. He closed the gap in an instant and swung with all his might, aiming to cut down Nie Yong before whatever transformation he was undergoing could be completed.
But then—
Clang!
Yang Kai's eyes widened in shock. His blade—his sword forged from pure Yin Qi—had been caught.
By a single hand.
Green flames wrapped around Nie Yong's fingers, easily containing the deadly energy within his grip. The force of the impact barely made his arm tremble.
Slowly, Yang Kai lifted his gaze, his pupils shrinking at what he saw.
Nie Yong's once-normal eyes had turned into hollow, empty blue orbs, glowing like those of a vengeful ghost. His hair and eyebrows had transformed into roaring green spectral fire, flickering with an unearthly intensity. The ghostly flames wrapped around his entire body like a mantle of death, distorting his form into something inhuman.
Nie Yong smirked. "Like this new form of mine, Yang Kai?"
Before Yang Kai could react, a sudden force slammed into his stomach.
Bang!
The next thing he knew, he was flying backward like a ragdoll. The world spun as his body crashed through the air before skidding across the ground, his breath forcefully knocked from his lungs.
Then, as if dismissing the battlefield itself, Nie Yong's aura surged—and the Abyssal Veil shattered.
The engulfing darkness dispersed instantly, retreating as though fleeing from his very presence. The battlefield was once again illuminated, but now, with the ghostly glow of Nie Yong's raging flames.
Yang Kai coughed as he struggled to his feet, his body aching from the impact. He barely had time to compose himself before Nie Yong's voice rang out once more.
"It's called the Hollow Flame Mantle."
A wraith-like aura flickered around Nie Yong as he took a slow step forward, the green flames around him shifting and distorting unnaturally. His presence itself felt warped, as if he were both there and not there at the same time.
But an instant later, Nie Yong's eyes widened. A system's notification appeared in front of him, cutting through the chaos of the battle.
[Host! You are currently using a technique of the Phantom Scorching Wrath Arts too advanced for your level! Your Yang Qi and Yin Qi are being absorbed at a crazy rate!]
[You have only ten seconds left in this mode.]
A wave of panic surged through Nie Yong.
"Oh, fuck!" He cursed inwardly, grinding his teeth in frustration. I didn't think I could maintain this for long, but ten seconds?
Despite the pressure, a smirk spread across his face. "Well, this means I have to make them count!" He thought, his excitement rising as the remaining seconds ticked away.
Without hesitation, he surged forward with all the speed his enhanced form could muster, his figure a blur of green flames and wraith-like movement.
"Yang Kai!" Yang Bai's voice rang out in his mind, sharp with panic. "Dodge or you'll die!"
The urgency in his master's voice snapped Yang Kai from his shock, and in a heartbeat, he reacted. But before he could fully recover, Nie Yong was already upon him, his fist blazing with the terrifying power of the Hollow Flame Mantle.
"Scorching Phantom Wrath Arts: Spectral Inferno Fist!" Nie Yong roared, his voice laced with a mix of thrill and menace.
The concentrated burst of green flames collided with Yang Kai's side in a violent explosion.
Boooom!
The force of the explosion sent Yang Kai crashing to the ground, his body slamming into the earth with an impact that left him gasping for breath. The air was thick with the scent of burning flesh and the bitter tang of singed Qi as the flames continued to burn at him, weakening his cultivation and clouding his mind.
"My disciple!" Yang Bai's voice echoed in his mind, frantic with worry.
As Yang Kai writhed in pain, Yang Bai's voice thundered in his mind, a rush of cold fury permeating his every word.
"You little ant!" Yang Bai's Yin Qi Form boomed. "If you dare to kill my disciple, I'll—"
But Nie Yong cut him off with a dismissive flick of his hand. The Hollow Flame Mantle flickered and then vanished into nothingness, the ethereal flames retreating as he stood over the battered Yang Kai.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill him," Nie Yong said with a dark grin, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and cruelty. He crouched down, his ghostly form casting an eerie glow as he reached out toward Yang Kai.
A sudden, cold pressure settled over Yang Kai's head as Nie Yong placed his hand there, the green flames flickering ominously around his fingers.
"Copy," he muttered inwardly.
[Copying...]
[The host has acquired the martial skill, Dark Abyssal Sword Art!]
[The host has acquired the martial skill, Yin Blade!]
[The host has acquired the secret art, Evil Yin Secret Art!]
[The host's combat power has risen to the Peak Initial Element Stage!]
To be continued...
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Am I exaggerating with those new OP forms and arts?
Hope y'all a great day!