Chapter 21: The Shadow That Devours
🔹 Aftermath of the Explosion
The ruined temple was engulfed in a shockwave of black Qi, sending debris flying in all directions.
I barely had time to react—my instincts screamed danger.
Shadow Step!
I flickered backward, barely avoiding a massive chunk of collapsing stone. The entire temple shuddered, the structure giving way under the force of the attack.
Through the thick dust cloud, I caught sight of Gao Ren, still bound, struggling against his restraints.
But I wasn't the only one watching.
A dark figure emerged from the smoke.
The same black-robed warrior who had attacked me moments ago.
His eyes were unnatural—pitch black, filled with something inhuman. The air around him warped, his very presence distorting the spiritual energy in the surroundings.
My grip tightened on my Hidden Blade.
Who the hell was he?
🔹 A Presence Beyond Human
The figure stared at me, tilting his head slightly, as if amused.
"Ye Qing…" His voice was smooth, almost too calm. "You should not have come here."
I kept my stance firm. "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you."
A faint chuckle. "You do not understand what you are facing."
I exhaled slowly. So, he knew me.
That meant he was connected to either Wu Jian or the Hidden Master.
Before I could ask, he moved.
Not walked—moved.
His figure blurred, shifting unnaturally across the ruined temple floor.
One moment he was meters away.
The next—he was right in front of me.
Ding!
[Warning! Unknown Martial Force Detected!]
Name: ???
Cultivation Realm: ???
Threat Level: EXTREME
🔹 A Battle of Speed and Shadows
His palm shot forward.
I dodged, twisting to the side—but his movement shifted mid-attack, as if predicting my dodge.
CRACK!
His strike grazed my ribs, sending a pulse of corrupt Qi surging through my body.
Damn. He's fast.
I activated Silent Execution, erasing my presence.
For a brief second, he paused, scanning the battlefield.
Then—he smirked.
"You think I can't see you?"
I felt it before I saw it.
His hand pierced through my stealth, gripping my throat with crushing force.
My vision darkened. His Qi—it was suffocating.
Ding!
[Host is affected by Corrupt Shadow Qi! Energy flow disrupted!]
I clenched my fists, channeling my Qi explosively outward—forcing him to release me.
I staggered back, coughing.
This wasn't normal cultivation.
His power felt… wrong.
Unnatural.
🔹 The Blood Core Army Awakens
I wiped the blood from my lip. "You're not from the Silent Blades Sect."
The warrior smiled. "Correct."
My eyes narrowed. "You're part of the Hidden Master's faction."
Another smirk. "You learn quickly."
Then, he snapped his fingers.
From the depths of the ruins—they emerged.
Figures dressed in blood-red armor, their bodies emanating the same corrupt energy.
Their eyes?
Glowing crimson.
I stiffened.
Blood Core-enhanced warriors.
Not just assassins.
A whole army.
And I was outnumbered.
🔹 Gao Ren's Final Words
Gao Ren, still struggling against his restraints, spoke weakly.
"Ye Qing… you have to listen to me…"
I turned toward him. "Hold on—"
The black-robed warrior raised his hand.
Dark Qi coiled around Gao Ren's body like a snake.
"NO—!"
I dashed forward—
But the energy constricted.
Gao Ren gasped in agony.
His body shook violently—his skin blackening as if being devoured from the inside.
And then—
He was gone.
Not dead.
Gone.
As if he had been erased from existence.
🔹 A New Kind of Power
A chilling silence followed.
I stood frozen, my fingers clenched around my blade.
This wasn't just Qi absorption.
This was something else.
The black-robed warrior lowered his hand, looking at me with a hint of amusement.
"This is the fate of those who stand in our way," he said.
I exhaled. I was running out of time.
There were too many of them.
And their leader—his power was beyond anything I had fought before.
I had only one option.
Escape.
🔹 The Desperate Escape
I grabbed a smoke bomb, hurling it to the ground.
Thick fog exploded outward, covering the ruins.
I activated Shadow Step, vanishing into the darkness.
The Blood Core warriors reacted instantly, their eyes scanning through the fog.
But I had already moved.
Leaping onto a half-collapsed wall, I sprinted across the rooftops, pushing my speed to the limit.
Below me, the black-robed warrior watched calmly.
He didn't chase.
He didn't even move.
He simply smiled.
As if he knew something I didn't.
🔹 A Message from the Hidden Master
I ran until the ruins of Fengyang disappeared behind me.
Not stopping. Not turning back.
Only when I was deep in the forest did I finally pause, leaning against a tree, my heart pounding.
Gao Ren was gone.
The Hidden Master's forces were stronger than I thought.
And their power… was unnatural.
Ding!
[A new message has arrived.]
I tensed.
System messages didn't just appear without reason.
I opened it.
"You cannot stop what is coming. The war has already begun."
It wasn't from my system.
It wasn't from an ally.
It was a message from the Hidden Master himself.
🔹 End of Chapter 21