The sky turned red.Chen Mo didn't remember doing it. He didn't remember willing it. He just remembered the weight of his father's body in his arms. The warmth fading. The last whisper of forgiveness. And then something inside him had shattered."Father," he whispered. "Father, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."The blood in his veins was burning. The scales on his arms were spreading. The Dragon-Spine in his back was screaming. He looked up at the sky and watched it change. Crimson clouds swirled above the arena, thick and heavy, pregnant with a storm that had no name."What's happening?" someone screamed. "What's he doing?""Stop him! Someone stop him!"But no one could stop him. No one could touch him. The air around him was thick with pressure, heavy with the scent of copper and iron. The blood of his father. The blood of his enemies. The blood of everyone who had ever wronged him."Kill them all." The Founder's voice was a whisper in his mind. "Kill them all, and the pain will stop.""Shu

  "You don't belong here, boy. You never did." The Heavenly Sword Master's voice was ancient, cold, absolute. His blade was drawn, its edge gleaming with a light so pure it seemed to burn the air around it. He was tall and gaunt, his robes immaculate, his eyes holding centuries of practiced killing. Chen Mo stood across from him, his scales burning, his heart pounding. The arena around them was chaos. The blood storm had passed. Meng Yao had disabled the barriers. But the fight wasn't over. It was just beginning. "I belong wherever I choose to be," Chen Mo said. "And right now, I choose to be here. I choose to fight you." "Fight me? You're barely standing. Your father is dead. Your lover is broken. Your power is a curse you can't control. What makes you think you can win?" "Because I have something you don't." "And what's that?"

  "You've fought well, boy. But this is where it ends." The Imperial Inspector's voice cut through the chaos like a blade of frozen light. Chen Mo turned, his scales burning, his heart pounding. The man was standing at the edge of the arena, his golden armor gleaming, his eyes cold and absolute. He had been watching. Waiting. Calculating. "No," Chen Mo said. "It's not over. It's never over." "Oh, but it is." The Inspector stepped forward. His presence was suffocating, a weight that pressed down on Chen Mo's lungs, his heart, his very soul. "You've caused enough chaos for one day. The Heavenly Sword Master is dead. The tournament is ruined. The city is burning. And now it's time for you to face the consequences." "The consequences?" Chen Mo laughed. It was a broken, hollow sound. "You want to talk about consequences? Your people killed my father. Your people destroyed my clan

  "Your armor won't save you. Nothing will save you." Chen Mo's voice was cold, absolute, the words falling from his lips like stones into still water. The Imperial Inspector was on his knees before him, his golden breastplate cracked, his power fading. The runes that had once pulsed with light were now dark and broken. "You can't do this," the Inspector gasped. "You can't kill me. I'm an agent of the Imperial Court. I'm—" "I know exactly what you are." Chen Mo's hand closed around the edge of the breastplate. "You're the man who hunted me. The man who tried to take everything from me. The man who killed my father." "You can't prove that." "I don't need to prove it." His scales flared. The Dragon-Spine screamed. "I know it. That's enough." "Please—" "Too late." He pulled. The gold