Golden light erupted from the focal node on the eastern bank. Senior Brother Bai held the carved bone pillar with his bare hands, his flesh burning away as his life marrow fought the rotting corpse energy. The screaming blood dome flickered, its structural integrity failing under the sheer force of Bai's sacrificial ignition.
Ye Chen stood on the shifting ironwood raft and watched the lawman burn.
The dark voice inside Ye Chen's mind did not whisper this time. It roared, a feral, echoing demand for unbridled s*******r that rattled against his ribs. For months, Ye Chen had fought that voice. He had chained his chaotic power behind iron walls of discipline, terrified of becoming the very monster the Jade Pavilion accused him of being.
He looked at the dying enforcer who had surrendered hi
