Zha Fune's hands turned crimson.
His fists thrust forward—and the air screamed a whistling tune.
Prrrrrrrrrr!
Space rippled violently where he punched, the pressure compressing into invisible shockwaves that tore through the sky toward Lian.
"Shit—"
Lian twisted mid-air.
"Ha, wind essence, it's truly great for sky combat, ha," he thought, facing up.
The attacks narrowly missed him, roaring past and slamming into the ship behind.
BOOM!
Thunder cracked as wood exploded apart. Splinters and broken planks rained down from above.
Lian reached out.
He caught several shards mid-fall and hurled them back with amplified force.
They struck Zha Fune squarely.
Thud—thud—thud!
"Got him." But his joy was cut short.
"Mmm… not bad, not bad at all," Zha Fune said, brushing debris from his body.
Where the wood had struck, his skin had hardened, glowing faintly red—as if iron had been forged beneath his flesh.
"Tsk… that did nothing," Lian thought grimly.
Zha Fune hit the ground first.
THUD!
The earth cracked as he skidded backwards, boots carving trenches through soil and stone.
Moments later, Lian landed on the opposite side, sliding to a halt.
The two faced each other.
"You've got talent, kid—I'll give you that," Zha Fune said, rolling his shoulders.
"But that was foolish, you both."
He began to move.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Circling clockwise.
"Do you really think you can take me on by yourself?" he continued.
"Didn't Heaven's Gate teach you how to gauge strength before acting?"
Lian moved as well, mirroring him, stepping in the opposite direction, never letting his guard drop.
The forest around them was dark, trees packed tightly together, their canopies swallowing what little light filtered down.
With every step Zha Fune took, his silhouette seemed to warp.
Muscles bulged unnaturally.
His frame subtly shifted.
Like something inside him was struggling to break free.
Lian narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't just pressure.
It was a transformation.
"Heh…"
Lian chuckled softly.
"I can tell from his aura alone—he's stronger than anyone I've fought so far," he thought.
"But for some reason… I'm not scared at all."
His gaze sharpened.
"But I don't feel like I'm going to lose here."
Across from him, blood began to pour from Zha Fune's hand.
" Blood Forge: Open." Zha Fune mattered.
It spilt freely—yet instead of falling to the ground, it halted midair.
The crimson liquid twisted, thickened, and crystallised.
Layer by layer, it forged itself into an axe.
A massive, brutal thing—its edge gleaming wetly beneath the moonlight.
"Tch… isn't it a bit crowded here, don't you think?" Zha Fune said lazily.
He swung the axe once.
WHOOOOM—!
A terrifying force exploded outward.
Trees were annihilated.
Trunks snapped like twigs, foliage disintegrating into splinters and dust as the forest was carved open in a wide arc.
Moonlight poured through the newly cleared space, bathing the ground in silver—and reflecting sharply off the crimson axe.
"So that's it…" Lian thought, planting his feet firmly into the earth.
"That's his technique."
"He's using his own blood as a weapon."
His eyes narrowed.
"And earlier—when his skin hardened—it must have been the same thing."
"Not just offence…" Lian realised.
"He can use it defensively too."
"He can attack and defend all at the same time, ha>"
"How fascinating…" Lian murmured inwardly.
"Demonic cultivators really do learn some terrifying arts."
For a brief moment, a flicker of curiosity crossed his mind.
"I would've liked to study something like that…"
Then his gaze hardened.
"But if the price is consuming human blood—then no."
"I can't walk that path."
Zha Fune grinned, blood axe resting against his shoulder.
"Well then," he said.
"Shall we begin?"
He kicked off the ground.
The earth cracked beneath his feet as he launched forward—axe raised, killing intent flooding the clearing.
BOOM!
Zha Fune landed hard.
Lian's palms snapped shut around the blood axe.
Golden Qi still radiated from his hands, seeping into the crimson weapon. Wherever it touched, the solidified blood sizzled, melting and reverting into liquid before trying—desperately—to reform.
Zha Fune's eyes narrowed.
He pulled his fist back and launched it straight at Lian's face.
But Lian evaded using micro step.
With the back of his palm, he redirected the punch.
The strike slammed into the ground instead.
KRAAAASH!
The earth exploded outward, dirt and stone blasting into the air.
Before Zha Fune could recover, Lian stepped in.
Using the edge of his palm, he struck upward—
CRACK!
Zha Fune's chin snapped back.
His body shot away like a cannonball, skidding across the ground as soil and rock crumbled beneath his weight.
"Tsk…" Zha Fune spat out blood, slowly pushing himself upright.
"That's one nifty technique you've got there."
His gaze sharpened.
"Reminds me of the arts used by the people of Shaolin."
"But I thought only spiritual practitioners could wield karmic energy."
Karmic energy is a force entirely different from Qi.
Shaolin monks cultivated it through scripture, discipline, and detachment from worldly desire. By severing themselves from greed, fear, and obsession, they aligned with cause and effect itself.
Lian should not have been able to use it.
He had far too many worldly desires.
And yet—
By accident, his new cultivation method, the Four Seasons Technique, mimicked the natural flow of the world. Through it, Lian formed a pseudo-world rules, allowing him to channel a diluted form of karmic energy.
Not true karmic force—but close enough.
Close enough to counter demonic cultivation.
Combined with the Buddhist techniques taught to him by the Pill Saint, Lian had forged a martial path that mirrored Shaolin arts without fully belonging to them.
"You sure know a lot," Lian said calmly, shifting his stance.
His aura changed—grounded, steady, unyielding.
"Tell me," He continued,
"What's your goal?"
"Why did you all choose to go after Yùzhàn?"
Zha Fune's expression darkened.
"This brat…" he thought.
"I thought I could crush him easily.
But that Buddhist art of his… It's my natural enemy, I can't let him leave here."
The blood Lian purified could no longer be absorbed back into his body.
"Tch…"
Zha Fune wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned.
"Alright, kid. Let's do it like this."
"You tell me something—"
"And I'll tell you what you want to know."
But before Lian could respond—
A whistling sound tore through the air.
Something fast.
Something sharp.
A flying projectile came screaming in from behind him.
"Shit, it's too late to escape." He thought as it drew closer to the back of his head.