Slashing toward his neck, several of Lord Samus' protective layers shattered instantly, leaving only a single barrier hanging by a thread. Kang-Min's diamond-encrusted blade came within inches of carving through his exposed nape.
However, Samus reacted in time.
A palm strike erupted outward, blasting his old rival several meters away.
Kang-Min refused to relent.
Multiple silver Qi slashes burst from his blade as he surged forward once more. Both men, standing at the peak of the mortal realm, clashed repeatedly, their attacks colliding with enough force to turn the unnatural sky into a dazzling yet deadly light show.
After exchanging countless blows, Samus began to notice something strange.
Pressing the advantage, his suspicions slowly gained merit as he gradually seized control of the battle.
"I don't know why you've decided to stick your nose into my affairs, but is it just me, or have you gotten much weaker since we last fought?"
He taunted.
Kang-Min remained silent.
The lack of a response only deepened Samus' suspicions.
Eventually, he broke through Kang-Min's defenses and smashed him into the earth below.
Immediately afterward, Guanyin extended one of its massive hands, wrapping its fingers around Kang-Min before lifting him high into the sky.
"Now answer me! What brings you here?"
Lord Samus demanded as the two found themselves face-to-face.
To his surprise, Kang-Min began laughing.
The grip tightened.
Yet the old man only laughed harder.
"You insufferable fool! Fine, have it your way!"
Fed up, Samus opened Guanyin's palm and embedded Kang-Min within its golden hand, leaving only his head and upper torso exposed.
Without hesitation, Samus thrust his hand forward, activating a high-level soul-searching technique capable of viewing a person's entire life if performed correctly.
A grin spread across his face.
After all these years, he was finally about to uncover every secret his old rival possessed.
However, the moment his consciousness entered the body, his satisfaction vanished.
There was nothing there.
No memories.
No spirit.
No soul.
"Your soul... where is it!?"
Samus demanded.
Kang-Min's laughter ceased.
A mocking smile appeared.
"Who's the fool now?"
The moment those words left his mouth, his body transformed into a lifeless wooden puppet.
Silence followed.
For a brief second, Lord Samus simply stared.
Then rage exploded from within him.
The puppet shattered into splinters under Guanyin's crushing grasp as a blood-curdling roar echoed across the landscape.
The sound traveled for kilometers.
Taking several deep breaths, Samus gradually regained the composure expected of a Stage 5 Grandmaster.
His gaze shifted downward.
The Blood Sanctum still stood.
Even worse, the barrier showed far less damage than it should have.
Most of the destruction he believed he had inflicted had been wasted on Kang-Min's illusion.
"It must have happened when we first locked eyes."
The realization struck him immediately.
Sharing a bitter rivalry that stretched back centuries, they had spent the last hundred years intentionally avoiding one another.
Yet the moment they reunited, Kang-Min had somehow managed to ensnare him.
Even knowing the answer, several pieces still refused to fit together.
Regardless, that mystery could wait.
His priority remained Zeke.
Closing his eyes, Samus searched for the tracking curse embedded within all of his offspring.
Long before Zeke had been born, he had secretly branded each of his children with a unique tracking seal known only to himself.
The moment he located it, his eyes snapped open.
"What!?"
For the first time that day, genuine surprise surfaced on his face.
Zeke had traveled an absurd distance in a remarkably short amount of time.
"You little rat. No matter how far you run, even to the ends of the earth, you'll forever remain under my watchful eyes."
With a cold snort, he dispersed Guanyin.
His ultimate technique was most effective while stationary.
The instant it vanished, Samus shot across the sky like a comet, accompanied by the ever-vigilant teal recording orb.
....
Meanwhile, high above the clouds, a griffon soared through the evening sky at breathtaking speed.
Clinging to its feathered back was a man wearing tattered red-and-black robes.
Short black hair.
Golden eyes.
Bronze skin.
Zeke tightened his grip as the powerful beast carried him toward the Central Plains.
Despite everything that had transpired, he had never abandoned his original objective.
Several hours had passed since his escape from the Blood Sanctum.
When Samus finally broke free from Kang-Min's trap, he had assumed only a few seconds had elapsed.
The reality couldn't have been further from the truth.
Within Kang-Min's illusion, a single second perceived by the victim translated into an entire minute outside.
The old man had intentionally delayed his assassination attempt, buying precious time exactly as instructed.
Originally, Zeke had wanted Kang-Min to strike immediately.
That idea changed the moment Kang-Min explained the limitations of his illusion techniques.
....
"Zeke, your plan isn't bad considering your circumstances. However, illusions aren't exactly my specialty. The moment I launch a separate attack, he'll notice something is wrong. At best, I'll only buy you time."
Those words echoed through Zeke's mind.
At the time, he had been seated within the Blood Sanctum while preparing his contingency plans.
From within his spatial pouch, he retrieved a rare Level 5 Divine Scroll.
The artifact possessed the ability to instantly summon anyone whose signature had been inscribed upon its enchanted parchment, provided they willingly accepted.
Among all his contacts, Kang-Min was the strongest person Zeke could reliably call upon.
Years ago, during a drunken wager, the two had signed a binding Oath Mantra.
Breaking such an oath carried devastating consequences for the soul.
Because of that agreement, Zeke could trust the notoriously eccentric Grandmaster more than most people within his own sect.
As for the griffon carrying him now, Blue was among the few companions Zeke could rely on without reservation.
One of the fastest Mystical Beasts in existence, Blue traveled nearly six times faster than Zeke could underground using the Earth Dragon Technique.
The downside was obvious.
A creature this powerful left a trail of residual Qi that tracked across the sky like a blazing beacon.
Far from ideal for someone attempting to disappear.
Still, Zeke had reached a point where caution alone could no longer save him.
It was now or never.
....
Another hour passed.
The border outpost housing one of Zeke's secret safehouses was finally within reach.
The setting sun painted the horizon with a mixture of orange and blue, blending beautifully into the sea of clouds ahead.
For a fleeting moment, all of Zeke's worries faded.
The view was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Then the feeling returned.
An eerie premonition.
A chill raced down his spine.
Déjà vu.
Without hesitation, Zeke swallowed an emerald-colored pill known as Devil's Miracle.
Almost immediately, disaster struck.
A storm of fireballs erupted through the cloud layer below.
Blue screeched in pain.
One projectile tore through the griffon's left wing, separating beast and rider instantly.
The pair plummeted from the sky.
As Blue desperately fought to extinguish the supernatural flames consuming his feathers, Devil's Miracle activated.
A violent surge of Qi flooded Zeke's spiritual root.
Crimson energy erupted from his body.
His aura expanded uncontrollably, resembling an overinflated balloon moments away from bursting.
The bottlenecks of Disciple Rank and Master Rank shattered.
Within seconds, Zeke forcibly stepped into the realm of Grandmaster.
Yet miracles always demanded payment.
The enhancement would last only minutes.
Worse, the strain threatened permanent damage to his meridians, potentially resulting in Qi Deviation severe enough to cripple his cultivation forever.
Before Zeke could stabilize himself, another figure burst through the clouds.
Lord Samus.
Twisting through the air, Zeke immediately retrieved a black-and-silver scabbard from his spatial pouch.
The distance between them rapidly shrank.
Fifty meters.
Forty.
Thirty.
Twenty.
Zeke wrapped both hands around the hilt.
Every ounce of newly acquired Qi flowed into the sheathed divine sword.
"8th Cycle... Crescent Moon."
The blade left its scabbard.
A brilliant white flash exploded across the heavens.
The clouds themselves split apart.
Caught off guard, Samus attempted to evade.
Too late.
A massive crescent-shaped slash tore through the sky and struck him head-on.
Forced onto the defensive, Samus crossed both arms in front of himself.
Even then, the overwhelming force threatened to drive him from the sky.
The attack pushed him backward relentlessly.
Hovering above, Zeke capitalized instantly.
His sword blurred.
Tracing a perfect circle through the air.
"1st Cycle... New Moon."
A massive circular beam descended like divine judgment.
The second attack merged seamlessly with the first.
The stalemate shattered.
Under the combined pressure, Samus finally lost ground.
"You mangy mut!"
he roared.
Moments later, Lord Samus plummeted toward the earth below as the combined techniques continued their relentless descent.
Against the backdrop of the newly arrived night, the massive beam became a brilliant streak of light cutting across the darkness.