The mist twisted through the trees like pale snakes as Long Tianyan halted his steps.
Behind him, footsteps echoed once more—slow, heavy, and filled with killing intent.
"You really think you can just walk away from us?" Liu Feng's voice rang out, sharper than before. "You're not leaving until I've crippled you."
Tianyan slowly turned around, his expression calm. The wind rustled his robes, and a faint glow of blue flickered beneath his sleeves—the Azureflame Dragon soul sleeping silently within.
Liu Yan sneered from behind his brother, bloodlust dancing in his eyes. "Let's see how arrogant you are when you're kneeling."
Without another word, Liu Feng struck first.
The ground beneath him cracked as his figure dashed forward, his palm covered in fiery crimson energy. "Crimson Flame Palm!"
Tianyan didn't move.
He waited until Liu Feng was right in front of him—then raised a single hand.
Bang!
The palm strike was caught mid-air. A ripple of force blasted outward, shaking nearby trees. But Tianyan's stance didn't shift. His eyes met Liu Feng's with chilling calm.
"Too slow."
A blur of blue flame surged.
Boom!
Liu Feng was sent flying backward, smashing through a stone boulder before skidding across the forest floor. His chest was scorched, his arm trembling from the counterforce.
"What…?" Liu Feng groaned, struggling to his feet. "That wasn't… that wasn't a simple strike."
Tianyan stepped forward, not rushing, not flaring his full strength—yet every step made the air around him feel heavier.
Liu Feng's pride was burning.
With a roar, he activated his strongest technique. "Flame Serpent Devouring the Sky!"
A massive crimson serpent formed from spirit flames shot out from his hands, coiling through the air with fangs bared.
Tianyan calmly raised his fingers. A faint Azureflame danced around them.
"Burn."
A flash of light—silent, swift, merciless.
The flame serpent shattered in mid-air as Tianyan's Azureflame swept through it like a blade through paper.
Then, in a blink, Tianyan appeared in front of Liu Feng and slammed his palm into his gut.
BOOM!
Blood sprayed from Liu Feng's mouth as his body slammed into the earth, cracking the soil. He coughed violently, his inner organs scorched.
"You… You're hiding your strength," he said with disbelief, barely able to raise his head.
Tianyan said nothing.
From behind, Liu Yan panicked.
"No! You monster!" he screamed, drawing a spirit talisman from his sleeve. It pulsed with violent energy. "I'll kill you!"
Before he could activate it, Tianyan's gaze turned cold.
One step.
One slash of his palm.
A line of Azureflame shot through the air.
Liu Yan froze. The talisman turned to ash in his hand.
Then his body split at the chest and fell to the ground, lifeless.
His eyes still wide in fear.
Tianyan stood still.
Liu Feng, barely breathing, stared in horror. "You… killed him…"
Tianyan looked down at him. "I warned him before. He didn't listen."
"You'll regret this… My father… he'll—"
Before he could finish, Tianyan's final strike fell.
Blue flame passed through Liu Feng's heart like a wisp of wind.
His eyes widened—and then closed, forever.
The forest fell silent.
The ground was littered with cracked stones, scorched trees, and the smell of burned blood.
Tianyan stood alone, his robes untouched by dust, his eyes unreadable.
He turned away and disappeared into the mist.
He had used only a fraction of his power.
Meanwhile, in the Liu Family Estate
In the grand main hall, a storm was rising.
The air was heavy with pressure as Liu Tianhai, the head of the Liu family and a late-stage Spirit Transformation Realm expert, stood at the center. His eyes were bloodshot, rage surging in waves from his body.
He held a jade communication talisman in his hand—it had just shattered, confirming the death of both his sons.
"The Forbidden Ground… and now they're gone?" His voice was cold and sharp as a blade.
An elder stepped forward, carefully. "Patriarch, the sect has not released any official report. But some inner sect disciples said they saw both young masters following Long Tianyan into the forest…"
Liu Tianhai crushed the rest of the talisman with one hand.
"I want names. I want witnesses. I want the one who dared kill my sons!"
The air trembled.
"The sect may protect their own, but I'll find the truth. If it's him… if it's really Long Tianyan…"
He didn't finish his sentence.
But the silence that followed spoke volumes.
Back in the Forbidden Area
Tianyan stood beneath a waterfall, letting the cold water wash away the scent of battle. His mind was calm, but his heart was sharper than ever.
He had crossed a line.
And there was no going back.
He looked up at the sky.
"Azureflame," he said in his thoughts.
The dragon soul stirred within.
"I'm ready. Whatever comes next—I won't run."
Far away, the drums of consequence had already begun to beat.
And the Liu family would not forget.