ASCENSION OF THE MARTIAL KING

"Clang!"

The shrill sound of swords clashing resonated through the grounds of the sandy mountain as several flashes of light collided, forcing Zhang Wei to stagger backward. In the chaos, dust and sand swirled in the air, carried by the brisk night breeze. With a deft motion, Zhang Wei's sleeve twirled as he raised an arm to regain his balance.

Simultaneously, nine figures clad in diverse-colored robes descended upon the mountain, brandishing gleaming swords aimed squarely at him.

"Zhang Wei, today is your last day. You must leave your life here!" one of the men declared with conviction, all their expressions alert.

Another swiftly added, "You practice forbidden arts, against Lingfeng Peak's rules. We shall eradicate you to keep the world safe."

Zhang Wei, initially silent, looked up at this, his gaze chilly as it settled on the group. His voice was fluid and brisk, yet his tone carried a shallow sense of arrogance as he spoke, "You? Do you dare!?"

As he spoke, Zhang Wei twirled his wrist, swinging the handle of his sword languidly. His lone figure stood in the middle while surrounded by the men, yet he didn't look out of place.

The nine of them were top cultivators from nine of the ten righteous sects that governed Lingfeng Peak[1]. They had all reached the sixth grade of cultivation, Xū Kōng Jìng [2], and were in no way considered weak. Yet, when faced with attacks from all nine of them at once, Zhang Wei was like a slippery eel, and they were unable to land a fatal blow on him.

He lunged forward, each swing of his weapon clashing with another as he was surrounded yet again. Moonlight flickered on the blades as he weaved seamlessly among them, his robe dancing in the air. Zhang Wei's eyes, chilly and focused, darted from opponent to opponent, predicting their every move. He moved with an almost unnatural grace, twirling and spinning to evade attacks. In a couple of minutes, two cultivators fell, their bodies sprawled on the sandy terrain.

However, just as Zhang Wei's sword clashed with the third's, slicing at him sharply, there was a sudden flash of light directed at him. Out of instinct, he evaded the attack, sliding some distance away, but his sword was sent flying toward the opposite direction.

Zhang Wei's eyes glinted, sensing the familiar energy that enveloped him as he gazed in the direction of the attack.

Sure enough, it was indeed him.

A man descended on the mountain, a couple of feet away from Zhang Wei, his white robe blowing with the breeze, giving off an ethereal and gentle vibe. Even without a word, he gave people the feeling of purity and gentleness; a sharp contrast to Zhang Wei's arrogant and reckless personality.

Upon seeing the man, the cultivators still left standing instantly clasped their palms in reverence as they chorused, "You're here, Master Qin."

One of them quickly stepped forward to the man and motioned, "Zhang Wei is an evil cultivator who wreaked havoc on the land and killed innocent cultivators. Celestial Master, you must avenge our brothers."

"Yes!" A few other voices quickly raised in agreement. However, the man referred to as Celestial Master Qin paid little to no attention to them.

Instead, he approached Zhang Wei, uttering softly, "You are indeed the Dark Lord, Zhang Wei. Even when faced with strong cultivators like these, you can come out unscathed." But, his gaze flickered toward Zhang Wei's sword that stood on the sand in the distance, and he added thoughtfully, "However, Ying Ren seems rather weak now."

Zhang Wei's gaze also moved in that direction, and the air around him descended lower upon hearing his words. He got up from that position, folding his arms behind his back relaxedly.

"If it isn't 'Celestial Master Qin,'" Zhang Wei remarked, sarcasm dripping from his words like venom. His gaze sharpened, a dark shadow imminent in the depths of his eyes as he questioned with unhidden anger, "You dare appear in front of me, Qin Shuo? After all, you've done?"

The other man, however, seemed unperturbed, and with how calm he was, he gave the impression that Zhang Wei was the one seeking trouble with him.

"Don't be so vengeful, Zhang Wei," he muttered. "These cultivators did not lie against you. You indeed practiced the forbidden arts, and according to the rules, you should be persecuted for that."

The look in Zhang Wei's eyes shifted when he heard this, and he sneered with contempt, "Ha! Just because you don't understand the power of the Sunset Soul Crystal doesn't mean it is bad."

"But you did acquire it from the remnants of the evil demon, Feng Yasha," Qin Shuo laughed, looking rather calm like he had everything in control.

His words, however, stirred the other cultivators even more, and they began to murmur among themselves.

"He must be rather daring," one said. "How could he even think of taking something that belonged to such an evil demon?"

"I heard he killed the cultivators that were sent to persuade him to destroy the crystal.

"Why?" another asked excitedly.

"Because they talk too much."

Gasps instantly spread around them as they chorused, "So arrogant!"

"Who knows if he has incurred the wrath of Feng Yasha? We must get rid of him to keep the peace."

The more they discussed amongst themselves, the more incensed Zhang Wei was. He, however, couldn't be bothered to deal with them, and instead, his gaze landed on Qin Shuo.

He spoke with evident bitterness, "When the Black Earth Monster attacked and devoured so many cultivators, you were the one who convinced me to assist you in killing it off. You lots didn't think my martial arts were forbidden on the verge of death. But now you parade yourselves in front of me, all in the name of righteous sects and condemn me. Hypocrites!"

Probably because he spoke the truth, their faces went crimson, and they were quick to chorus defensively. Qin Shuo's expression also turned dark for a moment, but he seemed to reflect and gave a small benevolent smile.

"How about this, Zhang Wei?" He offered, "Give me the Sunset Soul Crystal, and your life will be spared."

Zhang Wei's cold expression faltered for a moment, and his brows creased. But, he soon came to his senses and stared at Qin Shuo with a bewildering gaze, "So that is your motive? You want the Sunset Soul Crystal for yourself."

Qin Shuo's eyes glinted upon seeing that he had stumbled upon the truth, and he outstretched his hand. "Give it to me, and I'll spare your life."

"Spare me?" Zhang Wei scoffed. "You know that the crystal has fused with my core. The moment I take it out, I'll be erased. I'd rather die than hand it to you."

Instantly, he stretched his palm toward the sword in the distance, and it flew into his hand sharply. He gripped the sword handle and glared at Qin Shuo. "Come at me if you want it so badly!"

Qin Shuo immediately pulled out his sword, and the two men attacked at the same time. Blinding rays of light collided in the sky, causing everyone in the surroundings to shield their eyes. None of the cultivators dared to join in the fray, and they could barely keep up with the fight, but they were also awed by the display.

Both men had the same fighting style and pattern, further solidifying the rumors most of them had heard - that the Dark Lord and Celestial Master Qin had practiced under the same Shīfù[3].

Sword clashed with sword, each strike sending sparks of energy into the night sky. Their forms were like fleeting shadows, one attacking, the other defending, and then seamlessly switching roles. No one could keep up with their swift figures, and none of them seemed to be ready to give in to the other.

Two palms shot out into the air simultaneously as the two struck at each other again, hitting each other in fatal core points. The impact sent both of them staggering back, and Qin Shuo clutched his chest tightly, his expression changing as he looked at Zhang Wei.

"Master will not be pleased to know that we're at odds, Zhang Wei. Give it to me while I'm being nice," he declared with chilling coldness in his eyes.

Zhang Wei laughed; however, the aura around him reeked of gloominess as he fired back, "Master would turn in his grave if he knew of your betrayal."

Immediately, he stepped back some distance, his hands dancing in the air gracefully. The air around him stirred with the essence of a tempest, and a silver dragon seemed to materialize from the very wind. The dragon, majestic and ethereal, roared with the force of a gale as it lunged towards Qin Shuo, who immediately stepped back.

"Wind Dragon," Qin Shuo muttered under his breath.

But not to be outdone, he swiftly raised his sword in a defensive stance. The reflection of the silver dragon emerged from the ground, jaws wide open, ready to swallow him, and he seemed to be having a hard time fending it off.

"Master Qin!" the cultivators still standing on the mountain chorused, in panic.

But just then, the dragon with a swift and almost sentient motion turned its head and redirected its formidable force towards Zhang Wei.

His eyes widened immediately as it approached, gaping in utter shock.

Qin Shuo seemed delighted upon seeing the look of shock on Zhang Wei's face. He stood straight as he proudly declared, "You didn't know? I just happened to see Master when he performed the counterattack."

Zhang Wei was obviously stunned such that he didn't even attempt to dodge or defend himself, and the silver dragon's jaws closed in on him, hitting him squarely in the chest. He crashed to the ground, his body skidding across the sandy terrain. Blood seeped from his mouth as the impact of the celestial dragon's attack took its toll.

Almost immediately, the reflection of the dragon disappeared, but it had done enough harm. The Wind Dragon was a special martial arts technique their master personally taught them and had two forms. The first, which Zhang Wei used, was meant to effectively disarm any opponent - even ones stronger than them.

The second form was its counterattack, but his master had solemnly refused to teach any of them. He hadn't insisted, however, Qin Shuo had always wanted to learn it. But what Zhang Wei didn't expect was that he had managed to learn it or that he would attack him with it despite knowing the consequences.

The first form wouldn't cause destructive harm to the opponent and was only meant to stop them from moving. But the other form was meant to fatally injure and multiply the willpower of the first attack to strike.

Sure enough, Zhang Wei felt his entire core weaken, and he was practically defenseless. It would be very easy for Qin Shuo to take out his core and the crystal.

Qin Shuo descended onto the mountain too and looked at Zhang Wei with contempt in his eyes. "Have you still not learned your lesson, Zhang Wei? You can never be like me. Now, you'll have to die here, and no one will blame me for it. After all, you're the famous evil Dark Lord everyone wants to eradicate."

He approached Zhang Wei, a leery smile appearing on his lips as he murmured thoughtfully, "Now that you can't even move an inch, should I just take your core too? I'm just wondering... how powerful would it be if your core fuses with mine? It will be a shame to just kill you off. Maybe I should strip you of your essence, then make you live and see me become the leader of the Martial Union?"

"..." Zhang Wei spat another mouthful of blood in anger as his gaze met with the other man's. He could see the hatred seeping in his eyes, and for the first time, he realized just how much of a fool he was. He was the only one who still held onto sentiments like a fool.

A bitter smile appeared on his lips, and he muttered, "I am indeed regretful."

Qin Shuo seemed to be taken aback by his quick admission, and he looked wary. "What are you up to? Nothing can save you from me now."

A calm and gentle smile graced Zhang Wei's lips. However, his gaze mirrored the same amount of bitterness and hatred in Qin Shuo's eyes and more.

"Since I'll have to die anyway, I'd rather destroy my core than let you get your filthy hands on it," He muttered rather slowly, painfully lifting his palms.

Qin Shuo's eyes widened, and he quickly moved to stop him, unable to believe that Zhang Wei would willingly lay down his life to destroy the core and crystal. But, he was too late.

Zhang Wei folded his palms, intense light oozed from them, and he crashed them onto his chest. The mountains shook instantly as a blinding ray of light erupted from inside him, causing every single person to shield their eyes with their arms.

"Don't think I'm letting you off easy, you traitor!" Zhang Wei yelled in anger. "After everything I've sacrificed for you. I begged my master to train you, gave up joining a sect for you, gave you the light core that I found so you can become as strong as me and fought in the war to protect you. Yet, you betrayed me."

Qin Shuo could barely see, but he was in utter disbelief that the crystal was really gone. He could hear Zhang Wei's painful screams as his body and soul slowly withered due to the impact of his attack on his core.

"This grudge between us will not be settled forever," Zhang Wei continued, his voice shaking with the wind. "I'll come back and destroy everything you hold dearly. I will be back!"

And with that, the remnants of him that withered dissipated into the air, along with the wind. However, even after he was gone, there was still a cloudy smoke in the air, and all of the cultivators were unable to stand on their feet. The skies had turned eerily dark, and air bellowed from every corner, giving off a dark vibe.

That was the result of the death of a cultivator of the seventh grade.

It didn't have as much impact on Qin Shuo. However, his face was dark and eerie because things didn't turn out as he expected. The last words Zhang Wei said kept ringing in his ears: I will be back!

He frowned.

---

Lingfeng Peak[1] - One of the five cultivation domains to be depicted in the book.

Xū Kōng Jìng [2] - The essence of reaching a state where cultivators transcend physical limitations and often attain spiritual enlightenment.

Shīfù[3] - Master/Teacher.