From the gorge's depths rose the guardian—an Elemental Titan. Its body was a shifting mass of molten stone, obsidian plates cracking and reforming as rivers of blue magma pulsed beneath. Claws dripped molten fire, reshaping with every strike, and its furnace eyes glowed with sapphire flame. When it moved, the gorge quaked; when it roared, sonic waves of fire split the sky.
Numerous cultivators launched attacks at the spirit beast, but they weren't enough. Fire lances, flame blades, and blazing spikes shattered against its molten hide, leaving only faint cracks that sealed almost instantly as blue magma surged to heal the wounds. The beast roared again, shaking the gorge, and several weaker cultivators staggered back, coughing blood from the sheer pressure of its aura.
Raja focused his spirit sense, then reached within himself and drew forth the Supreme Grade Shadow Blade, Ebon Severance. The gorge shuddered as if recoiling from its presence.
Twin sabers curved like crescent fangs shimmered into existence, not with light but with devouring shadow. Black flames recoiled from their edges, bending inward as if consumed. The moment the blade appeared, whispers rippled through the crowd.
"That's… a supreme tool."
"Impossible. How does a child possess such a weapon?"
"If I could seize it…"
Greed and envy filled the gorge. Eyes lingered on Raja, some already calculating how to take the blade once the beast was slain. But Raja ignored them. His focus was absolute.
The magma beast lunged, molten claws tearing through the air. Raja moved with Eclipsed Motion (Shadow Technique #1), vanishing into shadow and reappearing behind the beast, trails of black flame scorching the stone. He slashed with his own created cultivation technique from both the Shadow Art he inherited from his dad and the Fire Spirit Art inherited from his mother, the Shadow Flaming Art third technique, Flame‑Edge Severance, his sabers burning with corrosive black fire. The strike carved into the beast's shoulder, magma spraying outward, sizzling as it hit the ground. For the first time, the beast staggered.
But its retaliation was immediate. A geyser of blue magma erupted beneath Raja, catching him mid‑step. He raised his blade to block, but the force hurled him backward, ribs cracking from the impact. He coughed blood, his cloak of qi flickering.
Raja rose again, eyes blazing. He lifted his sabers skyward, shadow and flame spiraling together, streaking upward like twin storms.
From above, the heavens themselves seemed to ignite as he unveiled his new creation: Shadow Flaming Art—Technique. #1: Obsidian Phoenix Burst.
Blades of shadow merged with flame lances, spears of black fire entwined with phoenix‑shaped bursts. Each strike was a fusion—shadow binding, flame consuming—unleashed in arcs that tore through the sky before crashing down upon the beast.
Other cultivators joined the assault, their techniques weaving into the storm. Fire bolts, fire spikes, and radiant arrows filled the air, mingling with Raja's shadow‑fire barrage. The sky became a battlefield, a canvas of destruction raining down.
The beast roared in pain, its molten armor cracking further under the combined assault. Yet it endured. Its furnace eyes locked onto Raja, who posed the greatest threat. Though Raja's realm was far weaker, he possessed Jael's dragon bloodline—the origin of all dragons—making him dangerous beyond measure. The beast unleashed sonic waves of blue flame. The gorge quaked. Pillars of molten stone shot upward, collapsing the battlefield into chaos. Several cultivators fled, unwilling to risk their lives further.
Raja gritted his teeth. He summoned Dusk Rend Spiral (Shadow Technique #6), a cyclone of orbiting shadow blades, to shred the magma pillars before they could crush him and to also fend off the flaming waves. Sweat poured down his face, his body trembling from the effort.
With a roar, the Elemental Titan surged upward, molten wings unfurling from its shifting frame. The sky blazed as it ascended, hurling streams of blue fire downward. Raja answered in kind, shadow‑flame wreathing his sabers as he propelled himself aloft, his body vanishing and reappearing mid‑air with Eclipsed Motion (Shadow Technique #1). Their blows collided above the gorge, each strike shaking the heavens—magma claws against black‑flame steel. Sparks of shadow and fire rained like meteors before the Titan's bulk slammed Raja from the sky, driving him into stone.
The beast charged through the cyclone, its molten body resisting the blades. It slammed into Raja, sending him crashing into the gorge wall. His sabers clattered against stone, his arms numb. Pain surged through him, but he refused to yield.
He staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his lips. The cultivators watching were stunned. He should have collapsed already, yet his aura still burned. He raised the Supreme Shadow Blade once more, channeling Puppet Eclipse Control (Shadow Technique #9). The beast's shadow twisted unnaturally, binding its limbs for a brief moment. Black flames erupted from within its body, searing its magma core.
The beast shrieked, thrashing violently, breaking free of the bind. It retaliated with a torrent of molten breath, a river of blue fire that consumed half the gorge. Raja crossed his sabers, channeling Flame Implosion (Spirit Fire Art #7). His body flared with destructive fire, compressing the torrent inward, rupturing its flow—but the backlash tore at his meridians. He slashed through the torrent, dispersing part of it, though the remainder engulfed him.
His cloak shattered. His skin burned. He collapsed to one knee, vision blurring. The Supreme Shadow Blades hummed, resonating with his exhaustion, as if urging him to rise.
He barely managed to dodge a flaming attack before retaliating, activating Infernal Vanishing Eclipse (Shadow Technique #10), dissolving into pure shadow‑fire. The beast's molten claws struck empty air. Raja reappeared behind it, sabers glowing with black flame. He slashed across its back, carving deep wounds that erupted with magma.
The beast roared in agony, staggering forward. For the first time, its movements slowed. Raja had drawn blood—true blood—from the guardian of the gorge.
Yet his body was failing. His qi was nearly spent, his meridians strained to breaking. He knew he could not continue like this. Still, he refused to retreat.