Once inside the group, Jared eased Yuliana down. Aurelius barked an order. Seconds later, a pouch of healing pills was pressed into Yuliana’s palm. She swallowed one. Gentle spiritual energy steadied in veins, yet eyes never left the battlefield.
The black-robed man was speechless after Jared dissed him. He was furious but did not dare to confront Jared. He vented his anger toward the cultivators.
“You are all cowards! You got carried away after one win! Who wants to sacrifice themselves?” the black-robed man roared.
His taunt pierced the assembled cultivators. The brief spark of morale Yuliana’s victory had won guttered in the breeze.
Niall’s face flushed crimson. He lurched forward, only for comrades to yank back. His energy was still shredded, another duel would be suicide.
A rich, booming laugh rolled over the hush. “A demon brat mouthing off? Allow me to teach manners!”
A silhouette clad in blazing crimson vaulted from the rear ranks. He landed at center field with the fury of wildfire, sending a ring of dust spiraling skyward.
The man emerged from the swirling dust in a fitted coat of crimson leather.
A massive saber rested against his hip, its ridged back as wide as a man’s palm. A reckless grin lit his face. It was Leonel Hackett, third on the Martial Rankings, known everywhere as the Blaze Sword.
“That’s Leonel Hackett!”
A wave of cries climbed the slope.
“Number Three on the Martial Rankings is finally taking action!”
“He reached the Earthly Immortal Realm Level Nine years ago. He’s stronger than Yuliana. The black-robed Demonic Cultivator is dead meat!”
“Good! Somebody’s about to humble those arrogant Demonic Cultivators!”
Hope flared through the gathered cultivators, their whispers turning to eager anticipation. Even Aurelius’s tight jaw loosened. Relief stole across his features.
Within the younger generation of level six, Leonel’s savagery was legendary. His Blaze Sword Technique once cleaved a thousand-foot cliff in half, a power Niall could only dream of matching.
The black-robed man felt the weight of Leonel’s aura, and his eyes sharpened, yet his mouth stayed brash. “Another fool rushing to die? Perfect! I’ll finish you along with the rest!”
Leonel barked a laugh. “Enough chatter. Time to wager your life!”
Hunger for battle flashed in his eyes. He ripped the saber free, metal singing as it cleared the scabbard.
Heat slammed forward the instant steel met air. A translucent film of Heaven Blazing Flame crawled along the edge, turning the weapon into a torch that roared without smoke.
The black-robed man dared not slacken. Fingers blurred, weaving seals. A demonic aura boiled around him, hardening into two black scimitars that hovered at his flanks.
“Catch this!” He whipped his arm.
The scimitars shrieked through the sky, twin black streaks aimed straight for Leonel’s heart.
Leonel’s grin widened. He raised his saber in a lazy arc to intercept.
Clang!
Sparks burst. The dark blades spun away, their demonic aura devoured instantly by Heaven Blazing Flame.
The black-robed man’s chest tightened. He hadn’t expected such raw force. Snapping his wrist, yanked the scorched blades back into a fresh assault.
This time, the black weapons spiraled, fluttering like night bats as they slashed from every angle at once.
Leonel did not retreat. His Blaze Sword whirled into a flaming wheel, forging a wall of fire that swallowed every incoming edge.
“Is that really all you’ve got?” With a booming laugh, vaulted Skyward, both hands gripping the hilt. “Blaze Sword Technique! First Form: Blazing Field!”
The blade crashed downward. A tide of fire erupted from the edge, flooding the mountainside in a rolling, crimson sea.
Soil charred black in an instant. The very air began to burn.
The black-robed man’s face drained of color. He hurled every ounce of demonic aura into shaping a black shield before him.
Boom! Flame and darkness collided, the detonation echoing like thunder across the crags.
The black shield that the black-robed man had conjured only moments earlier sagged under the assault of the Incandescent blaze. Blood crept from the corner of the black-robed man’s mouth, evidence of internal wounds his trembling body could no longer hide.
