WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

BOOM!

An earth-shattering explosion echoed across the Grand Platform.

The ground beneath shattered in a jagged ripple, cracks racing outward as chunks of stone lifted into the air, spiraling along with dust and debris.

The sheer force of the clash was overwhelming—causing both the spectators and the disciples on the Grand Platform to instinctively flinch.

Yi Ran had lunged with her full might, invoking the power of her Lesser Perfection Stage Ethereal Lotus Saber Physique.

Just as she expected the clash to end in Reon's swift defeat—convinced he was nothing without his Artifact—her expression suddenly shifted.

Her saber stopped.

It didn't move forward even an inch.

Clang!

It had collided with something unnaturally solid, something that felt... immovable.

'Ugh! W-What is this?! Why isn't my saber moving forward at all?!'

'It's like I just struck an unbreakable mountain!'

Her heart pounded in disbelief.

'I even used the full power of my Physique just now!'

Shock painted her face as the dust finally cleared—and her eyes widened.

There, standing calmly amidst the cracked Grand Platform, was Reon.

And in his hand—

A shadowy, curved dagger, swirling with dense white lightning, held her saber at bay with ease.

It was the Nightpiercer Dagger, now sheathed in 1-Star Imperial Lightning Qi—

'T-That dagger… it looks dangerous!'

Whoosh!

Yi Ran immediately retreated, putting several meters of distance between them, her eyes narrowed in cautious alarm.

But Reon didn't chase.

He stood unmoving, eyes fixed on the weapon in his hand.

'So this dagger… I assumed it would only have affinity with Shadow or Darkness Attributes… but this—this is different.'

White Lightning danced along the curved blade like a living thing, crackling and hissing with destructive energy.

'It's reacting beautifully to Lightning Qi. I didn't expect it to channel it this smoothly… It even seems to enhance its destructive power.'

His thoughts turned back—bitterly.

'I couldn't do the same with my Aura...'

'Because my aura is aligned with Darkness, its power would have been greatly enhanced—possibly even comparable to 1-Star Elemental Qi or higher.

'If I had this kind of compatibility back in the Secret Realm… I might've been able to defeat Xiao Yan with ease.'

His gaze lowered slightly, thoughtful and grim.

'Still… it's fortunate that my Miraculous Beast Tamer Profession had such a terrifyingly good passive skill.'

"I had already suspected that my Profession was something unusual—especially after Cloudia awakened her Legendary-Lineage Nine-Tailed Fox Bloodline so unnaturally in the Mystic Evergreen Forest."

"Even so… without it, I don't even want to imagine what might've happened to me and Cloudia in that moment.'

A faint sigh escaped his lips.

Then his eyes sharpened once more, fixed on the girl before him.

'That's why… I can't afford to fall behind anymore.'

'I have to keep pushing forward… climb higher… grow stronger.'

His grip tightened on the hilt of the dagger.

'No... I will grow stronger. Whatever it takes.'

Whooosh!

Reon lunged forward like a streak of lightning, his sharp eyes locking onto Yi Ran.

SWOOOSH!

CLANG!

Their weapons collided with thunderous force.

Yi Ran's body sank a few inches into the Grand Platform, the sheer pressure beneath Reon's strike pressing her down like a falling mountain.

"U-Ugh!"

Her hand trembled, veins bulging from the strain of holding back Reon's momentum.

The shock from his dagger rippled up her arm.

'W-What is this power?! It's… even stronger than before!'

Reon didn't stop.

He pushed his dagger harder, a wave of pressure surging from it.

"Agh!"

With a sharp cry, Yi Ran was blasted backward, skidding across the platform like a falling star.

But—

Whooosh!

Before she could even touch the ground, Reon had already closed the distance, appearing in front of her like a phantom.

His hand surged forward, cloaked in Mastery-Stage Aura Expansion, aimed straight at her face.

Yi Ran's eyes widened in disbelief.

'S-Shit! How is he this fast?!'

SWOOSH!

BOOM!

His punch connected—solid and merciless.

Yi Ran's body was slammed into the platform with devastating force, the earth cracking beneath her form as she was driven a meter deep into the ground.

"C-COOGH!"

Blood spilled from her lips, bright and crimson, as the wind was knocked from her lungs.

A moment later, Reon landed lightly a few meters away, calm and composed, like the storm had passed—but only for him.

He glanced at his right leg, where traces of white lightning still flickered.

'Good. By channeling my Lightning Qi into one leg, I'm able to boost my speed significantly, surpassing even the effects of my Footwork Technique.'

But his expression turned thoughtful.

'Still… I can't channel this Lightning Qi into multiple parts of my body at once—not yet.'

He looked at his hand, then at his weapon.

'Right now, I can only imbue it into one place at a time… and even then, it takes eight seconds to activate. That delay is far too long.'

He smirked faintly as he poured 1-Star Imperial Lightning Qi into his dagger again, the blade crackling with furious white energy.

'If I had used this lightning in my hand instead of just my Aura… Hehe... I wonder what would've happened to Yi Ran just now?'

'And once I can control it freely, channeling it into my limbs, my weapon—everywhere at once… just how terrifying will I become?'

But then—

A jolt of danger tore through his senses.

Reon's Instinctual Awareness screamed.

A furious cry erupted nearby—raw with frustration and anger.

"Y-You bastard! You're… toying with me... not even using your full strength or your artifact?!"

From the small broken crater, Yi Ran rose, her body shaking but her will unyielding.

Blood dripped from her mouth, yet her eyes blazed with defiance.

"I won't forgive you… I'll never forgive you... for this humiliation!"

"I will defeat you today... no matter what it takes!"

Her Physique flared brilliantly as Yi Ran lunged forward, her eyes gleaming with cold determination.

She whispered under her breath:

"False Heaven Cleave Technique...

Sixth Form — Twelve Phantom Thrust!"

WHOOSH!

In the blink of an eye, twelve devastating saber strikes surged forward, each shimmering with her Awakening-Stage Saber Qi.

They tore through the air like spectral blades, phasing in and out of visibility—moving so erratically and violently that no eye could track them.

The surrounding space distorted.

Each thrust screamed like an envoy of death, promising annihilation.

Reon's gaze sharpened as he faced the incoming storm.

'Hoo… This is a new form of that Epic Grade Saber Technique of hers!'

'It's as dangerous as those other terrifying forms—Illusory Sky Severance, Heaven's Hollow Decree...perhaps even stronger'

'But… I've reached Intermediate Stage in my technique too—after that brutal fight with those Azure Dragon Sect spies.'

Reon's stance shifted subtly, fluidly—his body low, dagger raised, lightning crackling around him.

'Let's try something new this time… Instead of channeling Sword Aura into a sword, I'll use Lightning Qi with my dagger.'

His focus deepened, and his thoughts grew clear.

'It's technically a sword technique—but so what if I'm using a dagger? That doesn't matter.'

'Sword, spear, saber, dagger… in the end, they're all just blades. And mastering the blade—that's the essence of a true Weapon Cultivator.'

He exhaled softly—calmly—before muttering under his breath, his voice barely a whisper carried by the wind:

"Nine Yang Sword Technique...

Fifth Form — Swirling Fire Storm!"

WHOOOOSH!

A tempest exploded from Reon's dagger, forming a howling vortex that surged forward with blinding speed and devastating force.

But unlike the flaming storm he once unleashed in the Secret Realm—this one crackled with white-hot Imperial Lightning.

'Huh! It… actually worked! Though it devoured a third of my Spiritual Energy.'

The vortex spun like a hurricane of death, far stronger than the fiery version from before.

'This technique is at Intermediate Stage now… Back then, it only barely held off Xiao Yan's Elemental Blades.'

'But now, coated with 1-Star Lightning Qi... this should match 3-Star Elemental Qi Blades at least.'

What Reon didn't know—was that this was no ordinary lightning.

It was Imperial Lightning, and it had pushed the power of his technique beyond imagination…

Comparable not to 3-Star—but to 6-Star Elemental Qi Blades.

BOOOOOOM!

The moment the two techniques collided, the entire Grand Platform erupted.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground as fragments of shattered stone were launched into the air, swirling like a cyclone.

A shockwave tore across the arena, and even the strongest disciples—Yang Mi, Zi Chen, Rou Jin, Ma Shen, and even Yang Lie—hurriedly retreated to the edges to avoid the devastating impact.

Some activated defensive artifacts, while others threw up barriers just in time.

A stunned silence fell across the audience.

Everyone was in awe of the attack—not just the spectators, but even the remaining disciples on the Grand Platform, and the Elders themselves.

This… wasn't a clash between ordinary disciples.

This was a duel of monsters.

Then—

Yi Ran's eyes flew wide open in utter disbelief.

Her Twelve Phantom Thrust—a technique stronger than even the Heaven's Hollow Decree she once used—had failed.

Her attack had been broken apart, torn to shreds like paper in a storm.

And Reon's lightning tempest… was still coming.

'What…?! Impossible! This strike… it was supposed to be far stronger than the Heaven's Hollow Decree!'

'Back then… the Heaven's Hollow Decree alone nearly ended him before… he only managed to defeat me by copying it with his artifact, taking advantage of the fact that I was drained of Spiritual Energy!'

'But now—he's overpowering this far stronger attack… with his own technique?!'

'Damn it—!'

Yi Ran's instincts screamed.

She gritted her teeth and redirected all her energy into her Physique, reinforcing her body as she braced for the hit.

She raised her saber, stance low, Purple Saber Qi flaring—

And then—

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The tempest collided with her.