C17 Flames of Fury

Feeling the oppressive force emanating from every direction, the old Taoist's face grew increasingly grave. He had clashed with this adversary several times before, always outmatched and often resorting to escape rather than direct confrontation. But now, he truly sensed the urgency and trepidation. Yet, it was precisely this moment, with all else cast aside, that the old Taoist needed to unleash the fury that had been smoldering within him for years.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes slowly, and the spiritual energy surged through his meridians. In a flash, his eyes snapped open, and the energy burst forth from within him!

"Hahaha, you brazen cur! Today, I shall rid the people of your scourge, and my lifelong pursuit of the Tao will not have been in vain." With the spiritual energy exploding from his body, the old Taoist roared with laughter and hurled an insult. With a flick of his sword, he darted forward, leaving a ghostly afterimage. In a mere moment, he unleashed a flurry of a hundred sword thrusts, each leaving a trail of sword shadows.

The adversary, with eyes a fiery red, narrowed them slightly and let out a chilling laugh, showing no sign of disarray. The Black Sickle in his grasp twisted rapidly, parrying the old Taoist's onslaught and counterattacking with a sweeping strike that turned defense into offense.

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged a dozen lightning-fast blows, each attack razor-sharp. The contrast between the white and black strikes was stark amid the shower of sparks. A single misstep could result in serious injury. Any expert watching would notice the old Taoist, initially fierce in his assault, gradually losing ground and even emitting pained grunts with each collision, his injuries worsening with every impact.

With a thunderous "Boom!" the Black Sickle intercepted a sword's glow, then spun around to deliver a powerful kick. A relentless surge of dark Qi exploded against the old Taoist's chest, sending him reeling backward with a stifled groan, blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth.

The black-robed man, having repelled his foe, did not pursue. He casually lowered the sickle to his side as the black Qi around his face briefly revealed a ghastly pale visage. Narrowing his crimson eyes, he sneered, "You now bear a striking resemblance to that old man, like an ant desperately clinging to life."

The spiritual energy around the old Taoist subtly quivered, as he forcibly calmed the disordered spiritual energy coursing through his meridians. Lifting his gaze to meet that of his adversary, his normally stoic face twitched slightly. Clenching his teeth in fury, he demanded, "Was it you who harmed my master?"

"Hehe, as a matter of fact, I owe you thanks for that. Had the seal within you not loosened, you would have been quite the challenge to track down. But you should also be thanking me. If that old man hadn't hidden you away, and if I hadn't been so keen to savor your soul alone, allowing him to slip away, how else would you have been so fortunate to survive until today? Because of that blunder, I faced severe punishment. But don't feel too indebted; we're even now, hehe..." The black-robed man said with a seemingly harmless, sinister chuckle, sensing the old Taoist's rage.

"Hahaha..." The old Taoist's frame shook with a mixture of fury and derisive laughter. "You cur, incapable of human speech! Without your underhanded tactics, you'd never have caught my master's eye. You overestimate yourself. Though I cannot avenge my master with blood, presenting your head to him in the afterlife will make a fitting gift."

The old Taoist's form quivered, and the spiritual energy within him erupted like a tidal wave. As this potent spiritual energy surged, the aura that enveloped him grew even more intense, resembling a pale blue flame dancing and leaping.

"Ready for a real fight, are we? Good. The sooner I dispatch you, the sooner I can claim my reward." The black-robed man's visage was shrouded in black mist once more, and he brandished the Black Sickle in his pallid hand, pointing it at the old Taoist from a distance. The dark mist coalesced around the handle of the sickle.

As the spiritual energy around him reached its zenith, the old Taoist glared menacingly at the man wielding the Black Sickle. The sword in his grasp, as if responding to his anger, vibrated with a crisp ring. In a blink, the old Taoist vanished from his spot, reappearing above the black-robed man and thrusting downward with lethal speed.

"Dragon Slaying Sword!"

With a furious roar, a massive pale blue sword light, spanning over thirty feet, burst forth from the blade, slashing through the air as it surged downward.

"Underworld Fire Battle Sickle!"

As the sword light barreled toward him, his fiery red eyes narrowed. With a surge of black Qi from his hands, he unleashed a deep cry. The sickle swung upward, and a pitch-black Black Sickle, as dark as ink, eerily emerged. The black Qi, leaping as if freshly sprung from the flames of hell, wrapped around the Underworld Fire and charged at the sword light.

"Boom!"

The two formidable attacks, each brimming with terrifying power, collided, the pale blue and black energies tearing at each other. After a tense standoff, the pale blue sword light was overpowered.

Energy ripples cascaded across the sky, warping the space around them. The man with fiery red eyes squinted at the dissipating black energy, which had halted its advance. Sensing the old man's location, his face contorted with alarm.

In that moment of the black-robed man's shock, a shadow burst from the dispersing energy. His robe was tattered, revealing ghastly wounds, but the old man seemed oblivious. His hands moved swiftly, forming seals, and in a flash, he was before his opponent. With one final gesture, his hands came together, ready to strike.

"Five Elements Secret Skill - Limitless Flame Sea!"

The old man's actions flowed seamlessly, all unfolding in the blink of an eye. With a soft cry, a fiery red blaze, carrying an unusually intense heat, erupted from his hands.

The heat was upon him before he could mount a defense, and his fiery red eyes widened in terror. The blast struck him squarely in the chest, sending him plummeting. Desperately, his feet tapped the void, trying to fend off the assault, but to no avail. After a brief struggle, he plummeted to the earth with a heavy thud.

"Boom!"

The impact echoed far and wide as the sea of fire raged. The fiery red flames, as if unable to contain their fury, roiled and burst from the epicenter, the scorching wind spreading the inferno in all directions.

Above the sky, the old Taoist stood with his hands retracted, beads of sweat dotting his forehead as he took deep breaths, intently sensing the situation unfolding below. Wisps of black smoke rose, and a sweep of autumn wind cleared the billowing fumes, revealing a vast circular crater. Stones tumbled from the edges, breaking apart and scattering as they fell, hinting at the sheer terror of the previous impact.

"Ouch, it truly hurts! To think you could leave me in such disarray!" came a voice from below.

Following the voice, a massive surge of black fog erupted from the deepest part of the pit. The fog swiftly coiled and condensed, ultimately transforming into a towering column of black light that pierced the heavens.

The old Taoist, whose vigilance had momentarily waned, felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He enveloped himself with spiritual energy that had been discreetly drawn back, his pallid face growing increasingly grave. He covertly dabbed at the bloodstains on his skin—wounds that had burst open from the energy's impact. Gazing towards the black light, he whispered, "A demon, indeed... this will be quite the challenge..."