"Your lightning is pathetic," Qi Tian said coldly before launching his counterattack.
Qi Tian formed a hand seal, and from the sky descended a massive ice spear. Lei Baiyu tried to dodge, but one of the spears struck his shoulder, slamming him into the ground.
"Ugh!" Lei Baiyu coughed up blood.
He forced himself up, trying to attack again, but his movements were slower. Qi Tian appeared behind him like a shadow.
"Frozen Domain: Thousand Spike Burial."
The ground froze, and from below, a thousand sharp ice spikes burst forth, impaling Lei Baiyu. His scream was stifled by the overwhelming pain.
His body was pinned to the ground, blood dripping from the edge of his robe. Qi Tian stood over him, emotionless.
"You're not worthy to fight us. Just a burden carrying the name 'son of Qin Baiyu.'"
Everyone from Lingyun Sect fell silent in tension. Qin Baiyu only scoffed.
"Weak like his mother… useless."
Lei Baiyu grinned. All eyes turned to him in disbelief.
"You think this is the end?" he growled, voice raspy but filled with resolve.
Suddenly, a burst of spiritual energy surged from his body. The ground trembled, winds howled, and the sky pulsed with thunder. Lightning cloaked him, buzzing like a thousand storms in a single breath.
Qi Tian took a step back. Even the spirit beasts froze in place. The cultivators of Lingyun Sect held their breath.
"T-This…!" one of the elders exclaimed.
Qin Baiyu narrowed his eyes, visibly shocked for the first time.
"L-Lei Baiyu… You… You broke through to Foundation Stage Level 4?!"
Lei Baiyu glared at his father, his eyes now glowing a stormy violet-blue.
"I will destroy the demonic world you built with these hands… Father."
"Hahaha! You think such meager power can defeat Lord Qi Tian?" Qin Baiyu laughed, his arrogant voice echoing through the cloudy skies.
Lei Baiyu clenched his jaw. Lightning surged wildly from his body, creating a stormy field around him.
"Shut up… I'll kill you. Today… I'll prove that your blood is not my destiny!"
With a single push, the ground beneath Lei Baiyu exploded. He shot forward like a bolt of lightning, slicing through the air, his thunder sword vibrating intensely.
"Thunder Piercing Fang!"
His attack was so fast it created five afterimages, slashing at Qi Tian from all sides. The air cracked, dust flew, and blinding flashes of light filled the battlefield.
But Qi Tian stood still.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
With one hand and no change in expression, Qi Tian blocked every strike. His bare hand looked like steel, shattering the lightning energy bombarding him.
"All you do is make noise," he said flatly. He raised one finger.
"Frost Needle."
Dozens of ice needles shot out. Lei Baiyu leapt to evade, but several pierced his shoulder and left thigh.
"UGH!"
He crashed down but immediately rose again to attack.
"I'm not done yet!"
He slashed, thrust, and struck—but every move was read. Qi Tian hadn't moved a step.
"Enough."
Qi Tian raised both hands, then slowly brought them down.
"Frozen Echo."
The ground froze solid. Lei Baiyu's lightning began to falter under the biting cold. The wind hardened, the sky itself seemed to freeze. Lei Baiyu's movements slowed.
"Why… is my body… slowing down?"
"Because you were never strong enough," Qi Tian answered before vanishing and reappearing right in front of him.
BUGH!
A brutal punch struck Lei Baiyu's stomach. Blood burst from his mouth. He was thrown and slammed into the frozen earth.
"UGHAAK!"
His body trembled, lightning flickering weakly around him. Qi Tian walked forward, towering like a god of death.
Lei Baiyu tried to rise—his hand trembled, his knees shook—but his body wouldn't obey. In the end, he could only kneel, holding himself up with one hand, gasping for breath.
"You… haven't… won…" he whispered.
Qi Tian looked down at him. "Even a pawn knows when to stop moving. You're just a minor piece… trying to challenge the king."
"Just kill him already," Qin Baiyu snapped. "Keeping him alive will only cause trouble…"
Lei Baiyu clenched his fists—blood dripping from his torn fingers.
"I'm… not… done yet…"
But just as the sword aimed for Lei Baiyu's neck, light suddenly flared from beneath his feet. A massive surge of spiritual energy exploded from his body, swirling upward into the sky—then took the form of a radiant, holy lightning dragon.
Its roar shook the heavens. The dragon instantly lunged at Qi Tian.
Qi Tian tried to evade, but this power… wasn't something he could fight. In an instant, his body was wrapped in spiritual energy like cursed bandages, constricting him like a mummified corpse.
CRACK—CRACK—BOOOM!
Qi Tian's body exploded. The sound was like a thousand blades slicing through radishes at once. Flesh, blood, and bone vanished—utterly destroyed by an indescribable force.
Qi Tian… was gone without a trace.
The battlefield froze in silence.
All eyes were wide. No one could speak. Even the sound of breathing had vanished.
"W-What… was that?" Qin Baiyu's voice cracked, his body trembling. "L-Lord Qi Tian… turned into minced meat…"
On the other side, the Lingyun troops looked stunned and lost. Even the usually calm elders had changed expressions.
"Gr-Grand Elder Meng Ling… t-this power…" Da Ling stammered.
Meng Ling slowly nodded, her eyes fixed on the fading glow in the air.
"Yes… It appears to be the power of the Chosen One."
Amid the silence and chaos, Lei Baiyu stood, staggering—his body still weak, but his eyes burned with vengeance.
He turned toward Qin Baiyu—who now stood frozen, trembling, all confidence shattered.
SWOOSH!
In an instant, Lei Baiyu's sword pierced Qin Baiyu's chest.
"At last… you die by my hand…" Lei Baiyu gasped, his body trembling but his eyes sharp as lightning.
Qin Baiyu spat blood. His eyes were blank, but his mouth still managed to speak softly:
"J-Just wait… for my revenge… son…"
His voice faded as his body crumbled into ash, scattered by the wind.