The shimmering golden light from the shattered mountain intensified behind him, growing brighter, more numerous. He was a lone spark against an impending inferno.
He had no sanctuary. No allies. Only the black sword, the weight of a shattered world, and a purpose forged in fire and loss. He would not run. Not anymore. He would meet them.
The first golden light, impossibly swift, shot towards him from the ruins.
**
The first golden light, impossibly swift, shot towards him from the ruins. Ling Xiaochen did not flinch. His body, battered and bruised, moved with a primal instinct, a desperate surge of Void Qi from Pedang Neraka pushing him sideways. The blinding shaft of energy hissed past his left ear, searing the frigid air, then slammed into the snow-covered ground where he had stood m
