"Impossible!!"
Lord Demonic's voice roared across the silent battlefield, crashing against the shattered stone pillars, echoing among the thousands of fallen warriors, spreading the stench of blood and death in the air.
His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his breathing ragged, his body trembling violently—as if, for the first time in his life, fear had gnawed into his bloodthirsty soul.
"How can you know all the martial techniques of every sect and clan?! Who are you, really?!"
Before him, the old man ceased his dance-like steps. The swirling dust around his feet slowly settled, his aura still exuding the faint scent of plum blossoms mixed with a biting chill.
The man lifted his head, staring straight into Lord Demonic's eyes—a gaze so calm it seemed to force the surrounding darkness to retreat in fear.
"I… am Sun Chen. Disciple of Elder Xue Ying, one of the youngest elders of the Blossoming Mountain Sect."
Sun Chen's voice was low but firm, each word shaking the oppressive air.
His eyes glistened for a moment, recalling the youthful face of his master—the gentle smile that had once given him strength—before the world had torn it all away.
"Perhaps you wouldn't know… because my master died of a strange illness when he was only twenty… before he could make a name for himself… before he could pass on all his potential to this world…"
Lord Demonic fell silent, his pupils slightly shrinking, his body instinctively retreating half a step as he sensed an eerie presence from the old man standing before him.
The wind blew softly, carrying the mingled scents of blood and plum blossoms, creating an odd atmosphere between death and tranquility.
Sun Chen closed his eyes briefly, letting the wind brush against his wrinkled face before reopening them with a gaze as sharp as a blade's edge.
"I… Sun Chen… a coward who once feared raising a sword… a useless librarian who couldn't even protect his own sect… but today… I bring with me all those you've killed…"
He slowly raised his finger.
WHOOSH!!
A long sword shot through the air, leaving behind a thin trail of golden light before—
THUD!!
—it pierced Lord Demonic's chest, straight through his heart.
"ARGHH!!"
Blood gushed out, soaking the blackened earth, dripping onto Sun Chen's feet, seeping into the ground already parched by the blood of thousands of innocent lives.
Lord Demonic's eyes bulged, his lips parted, his hands rising to pull out the sword—but his fingers trembled, unable to grasp the hilt.
"N-No… impossible…" His voice was hoarse, his eyes wet with a fear he had never known before.
His body shook violently, blood pouring from his chest, staining his black robes—now torn and covered in crimson stains.
"All my plans… everything went as the prophet foretold… but… why was your existence never mentioned…? This… can't be… Impossible!!"
Sun Chen furrowed his brows. The word "prophet" stuck in his mind, but his gaze remained unblinking.
"A… prophet?"
Lord Demonic groaned in pain, his breathing growing heavier.
"Forty years… all the legendary relics… the ancient ruins… all this destruction… was a trap we set with the prophet's help… to conquer the martial world… to erase every sect… every clan… all for power…"
Sun Chen took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling, his eyes sharpening as his aura began to tremble, shaking the ground beneath his feet.
"You… slaughtered the innocent… destroyed peace… all for blind ambition and hollow power…"
His voice was quiet, yet it resonated, carrying a chill that pierced to the bone.
He slowly pulled out the sword, blood spurting once more, dripping heavily onto the ground.
He raised the blade to Lord Demonic's neck, his eyes glowing gold, his aura surging like a storm.
Suddenly—
A violent black aura erupted from Lord Demonic's body, thick dark mist spreading rapidly, swallowing all light, plunging the area into suffocating darkness.
"Forbidden Technique: Endless Darkness!"
The black fog enveloped everything, erasing all light, leaving only pitch-black void.
Sun Chen stared into the darkness—but rather than fear, a faint smile touched his aged face.
"Futile…"
He raised his left hand, forming an ancient hand seal. His aura trembled, then surged upward like a pillar of light, piercing through the abyss.
The darkened sky suddenly split apart.
A massive golden dragon descended from a swirling vortex of light, roaring with a sound that shook the earth. The wind howled violently, dust and black mist blasted away.
The dragon's body shone brilliantly, each scale reflecting golden radiance that penetrated the thick darkness, tearing apart the black fog shrouding Lord Demonic.
"N-No… truly… Impossible…"
Lord Demonic stared at the dragon in terror, his eyes filled with despair, his body trembling uncontrollably.
The dragon's light descended slowly, washing over the thousands of fallen warriors on the battlefield, bathing them in a warm glow—as if guiding them back to peace.
Amidst the radiance, Sun Chen stood, his golden aura radiating, his gaze cold yet filled with compassion.
He looked down at Lord Demonic, now kneeling, blood dripping from his mouth, his hands shaking, his body weakening.
Sun Chen stared deeply into his eyes, and with a voice calm yet soul-piercing, he spoke:
"This… is the end of all your darkness."
BOOM!!
The explosion was colossal. Golden light soared into the sky, piercing the dark clouds, forcing night into day for a fleeting moment.
The shockwave ravaged the battlefield, shaking the earth, shattering stones, toppling trees, and scattering the blood-filled smoke that had saturated the air.
Within the light, the silhouette of a man stood tall atop a massive crater formed by the cataclysmic blast.
The radiance slowly faded, leaving behind fragments of light that fell like a rain of stars before vanishing entirely—revealing Sun Chen, standing in tattered white robes, covered in dust and blood, his silver-white hair disheveled in the wind.
His face was peaceful, yet his sharp eyes gradually dimmed. His breathing grew ragged, his chest rising and falling heavily, his hands trembling slightly.
Then, suddenly—
"Ugh… cough…"
Sun Chen coughed violently, fresh blood spraying from his lips, splattering onto the cracked ground beneath him.
His eyes widened slightly, his vision blurring, his legs wobbling before he steadied himself by driving his sword into the earth.
"Has… my limit… finally come…?"
His whisper was faint, carried away by the cold night wind, lost amidst the crackling flames still consuming the ruins.
Sun Chen stared at his trembling hands, seeing the veins bulging and turning blue, his skin pale as if all his strength had been drained.
"I… pushed myself too far…"
His gaze was hollow, piercing through the darkness as he recalled every second of the vengeance that had sustained him for forty years.
"I knew… this power… wasn't meant for me…"
The flash of the golden dragon he had summoned flickered in his mind—an overwhelming force he had barely controlled, one that seemed to have devoured his lifespan and energy.
"This power… was too heavy… for someone who started too late…"
Sun Chen's voice shook, his aged chest heaving with labored breaths, his shoulders trembling as pain coursed through his body.
Yet, slowly, he raised his head, gazing at the night sky—now dark again, illuminated only by the stars that seemed to bear witness.
"But… in the end… I've avenged them… I've destroyed Lord Demonic…"
A small smile appeared on his face—but it was bitter, his eyes glistening with unspoken emotions.
Yet beneath that smile, an unbearable weight remained in his heart.
Regret.
Regret that suffocated him like a boulder crushing his chest.
A feeling that came too late… words left unspoken…
Vengeance had been achieved, yet it felt hollow. Sun Chen closed his eyes, tears streaming silently down his dust-and-blood-stained cheeks.
"Everyone… all those who died… will never return…"
His whisper was almost inaudible, lost amidst the falling teardrops on the blood-soaked earth.
"Memories… won't come back… even if I've taken revenge…"
His eyes opened slowly, gazing into the distance—at the ruins of the sect's gate, at the plum tree burned to ashes, at the place where he had once studied with his master, at the spot that had witnessed laughter long gone.
"Everything… is empty…"
Sun Chen's body weakened, his knees shaking before finally collapsing onto the ground with a heavy thud.
The sword slipped from his grip, clattering against the hard earth before lying still beside his frail body.
His vision blurred further. The once-bright stars now seemed dim in his eyes, and the sound of the wind turned into a silent whisper, calling him away.
"Well… perhaps… dying like this is for the best…"
Sun Chen's voice was barely a murmur. His eyes slowly closed for the last time, his breath fading, his chest rising once more before finally falling—never to rise again.
In the end… in his final moments…
Sun Chen could only accept his fate.