Fighting a Million Alone

Qin Huai propelled himself towards the clouds, his resolve solidifying with each increasing altitude.

He had mentally prepared himself for this journey could potentially be his last. He had personally witnessed Wang Kun’s formidable power and enigmatic capabilities. Although he had numerous aces up his sleeve, Wang Kun was supported by millions of evil cult followers from Qingzhou.

Life and death, the outcome remained uncertain.

Qin Huai cast a reluctant glance downwards, encompassing the ten counties of East Qingzhou and the Nine Dragons Sect. And then…his gaze fell upon a vast, brilliant sea of stars.

“I hope I’ll return to unravel the mystery of this radiant stellar sea,” he muttered. Then, with an increased pace, he flew towards the looming blood-red sea above.

Boom!

At seventy thousand feet, an explosion of vivid flames cut through the white fog. His ten-meter-long wings, enflamed, slashed through the clouds. His eyes shimmered with intense light as he scanned the extensive blood sea.

Within a heartbeat, he spotted his comrade, his battle ally. The two of them stared at each other, obviously knowing the truth.

Flames spread across the heavens. In mere moments, Qin Huai was before Wang Kun. The latter’s once familiar countenance was now transformed – cold, disdainful, and mocking. His aura had altered entirely, no traces of the Wang Kun he once knew remained.

“Brother Qin, run!” Wang Kun’s sudden exclamation startled Qin Huai.

For a moment, Qin Huai felt a familiar presence return. Yet, it was fleeting and soon vanished, replaced by a stranger’s cold stare. The words reverberating in his ears felt illusory.

“I have to say, your disguise is really amazing. For several months, I failed to spot a single flaw,” Qin Huai spoke languidly. “If not for your astonishing pace of cultivation, I wouldn’t have doubted you. I would’ve suspected the Kun Peng demons instead.”

“This isn’t a disguise,” Wang Kun said. His voice shifted seven times, like a malfunctioning, mechanically synthesized sound from another lifetime.

Suddenly, Wang Kun vanished from Qin Huai’s sight, only to reappear instantly, looming before him. Flames erupted, cascading from the sky like a fiery wave. Qin Huai unfurled his wings, sweeping up the flaming debris.

Boom!

In an instant, his fiery wings expanded from ten to twenty meters. He folded his wings, diving downwards. His wings traced a burning cross in mid-air, the resultant force charring the air. The usually calm blood sea boiled under the thermal shockwave, sending blood droplets flying.

Qin Huai’s arm suddenly felt heavier, surprising him. As his body circled over the blood sea, his robe bore a single gray feather. It was the central clan leader’s move!

Qin Huai’s heart clenched. He realized that the earlier sea of fire was the fire illusion technique. How did this man learn the techniques of that Kun Peng clan leader?

“I nearly overlooked your powerful fire technique. Once it makes contact, it incinerates bones, blood, and life essence alike. Its power is immense but requires power accumulation,” Wang Kun’s voice drifted in the air.

Qin Huai’s pupils dilated in surprise. “How did you know?” It was a secret that anyone who had seen his flame longevity technique was dispatched to the underworld without exception.

“Brother Qin, haven’t you noticed? The array manuals of Wuji Mountain may contain records, but they’re superficial. The Sacred Heart Sect’s blood sea array is a top-tier rarity since its core isn’t a person, but a lifeform infused with the memories of all the vengeful souls in the blood sea…

“No, in the blood sea, perhaps you can address me as God!” Wang Kun’s confident smile sent chills down Qin Huai’s spine.

The next moment, a bloody mist began descending from the sky. With a single sniff, Qin Huai could detect the distinctive odor. It was the poison king technique of the Blood Poison Gang.

Boom!

A chilling pressure emanated from above as five beams of distinct colors plummeted abruptly. It was the five elements spirit pillar! In an instant, these luminary pillars expanded from a tiny line and swallowed Qin Huai in the blink of an eye.

Wang Kun’s smirk punctuated the tension as he compressed the flames in his hand into a sword, swinging it around in an arc. With a resounding clash, his palm met the flames. Brilliant sparks fragmented, scattering in the air.

Wang Kun’s eyes gleamed with intense light. Qin Huai, initially ensnared within the five elements spirit pillar, was suddenly reduced to green fragments, dispersed by the wind.

“It’s useless. Even the Emperor of Qingzhou’s blind-blocking technique cannot evade my hundred eye techniques,” Wang Kun sneered. “Your physical form seems to be invincible in Qingzhou?”

As the words left his lips, he effortlessly crushed the flaming sword in his hand, launching a fist at Qin Huai. His body was etched with an assortment of patterns – tigers, leopards, wolves, bears, plants, and spirits. These curious designs, in tandem with his enlarged frame and discolored skin, expelled a terrifying energy.

Wang Kun’s form showed signs of deterioration from this exertion of power, but he remained resolute.

Bang!

The force of his punch rippled out like a colossal wave, disturbing a concentric circle of white rhythm. The two figures at the epicenter of the battlefield trembled under the immense force.

“You can withstand this blow?” Wonder flickered in Wang Kun’s eyes. “I’m using dozens of physique-strengthening techniques at the same time.”

“No matter the amount of strengthening methods, it still depends on the strength of the original body, right?” Qin Huai retorted. As they spoke, the two traded dozens of blows mid-air.

It was a deadlock, with no discernible advantage for either party.

Qin Huai’s entire form radiated a crimson hue as he strained his qi and blood to their utmost. His body, honed by countless bloodbaths, reaped a smidgen of blood essence power with each adversary defeated. Coupled with the numerous demons in the blood sea, each confrontation led to substantial improvements to his physique, which had experienced drastic transformations since the year before.

Qin Huai’s white hair billowed back. Then, a black light spread out from his body, covering a two-mile radius. His hair grew longer and turned black, and his eyes became pitch-black again. Dragon bones surfaced from his skin, forming an armor around him.

The formidable emperor’s force crashed upon Wang Kun.

Witnessing this earth-shaking aura, Wang Kun’s expression faltered. He barely had time to react when Qin Huai was already before him. “Black dragon world, black coffin!”

A powerful sucking force came from all sides, stripping Wang Kun bare. His abundant blood essence and power were rapidly drained, slowing his reactions.

Qin Huai’s punch descended. “Dragon king shock!”

Boom!

Wang Kun’s vision distorted as the explosive force instantly decapitated him. His head disintegrated in a cloud of bloody mist. The remains, both red and white, were consumed by the darkness, condensing into a black dragon pearl in Qin Huai’s hand.

“Is this the legendary might of an emperor?” Wang Kun’s half-bodied form somehow managed to speak. “Do you really think you can kill me like this?”

An enraged roar echoed from the black dragon world. Shortly after, countless bloodstreams surged into the realm.

Qin Huai’s brows furrowed as he pushed the black dragon world’s power to its limit. Numerous blood droplets were swallowed by the darkness and vanished.

Seizing the remaining half of Wang Kun’s body, Qin Huai took to the sky. As he ascended, he kept punching, pulverizing what was left of Wang Kun’s body. However, the blood sea was vast, and the waves it churned reached towering heights, consuming Qin Huai’s black dragon world at an alarming pace.

Within the black dragon world, a grand rain of blood splattered down. The shredded flesh and blood slowly reformed into a human shape.