Death Cultivator : Rise For Revenge!

Chapter 5

Shockwaves of spiritual pressure saturated the air, forcing the thousands of remaining Meng disciples to recoil in terror. The duel had begun: Huo Tian Xian, the vengeful specter, against Meng Shan, the First Elder and the ultimate shield of the Meng Clan.

Meng Shan, draped in pristine white robes and radiating a halo of pure sacred energy, looked like a god descending into a sea of blood and corpses. He was the perfect antithesis to the swirling, crimson-black demonic miasma that clung to Tian Xian.

"You have defiled the sacred lands of cultivation, boy!" Meng Shan bellowed, his voice echoing with the absolute authority of a grandmaster. The dragon-headed staff in his hand pulsed with blinding golden light. "I, Meng Shan, shall cleanse the name of the Meng Clan and cast your tainted soul back into the Abyss!"

Tian Xian let out a sharp, derisive laugh—a sound that carried the chill of the grave. He launched himself from the earth.

"The Abyss? Don't be so arrogant, old man. I’ve already been there—and I walked back out. And you know what? That place is far warmer than your frozen, hypocritical hearts!"

Sling—!

Tian Xian struck first. His red blade, now whispering with the hunger of the Blood-Sucking Demonic Sword, sliced through the air. He didn't aim for the body; he aimed for Meng Shan’s very essence.

As a seasoned master, Meng Shan didn't panic. He swung his staff with practiced grace.

Technique: Sacred Golden Shield!

A wall of shimmering golden energy, six feet thick, manifested before him. The collision between the Demonic Blade and the Golden Shield created a deafening sonic boom. The ground beneath them splintered, and the shockwave sent hidden Meng disciples flying, knocking them unconscious instantly.

The shield was formidable, but Tian Xian’s blade was sheer madness. It didn't just strike physically; it feasted on spiritual essence. Every time the Demonic Blade made contact, the Golden Shield flickered, its energy visibly eroding.

"Impossible!" Meng Shan cried, his withered face contorting in shock. "What manner of devilry is this? It is devouring my pure spiritual energy!"

Tian Xian seized the moment of hesitation. He retracted his blade, spun with predatory speed, and unleashed a far more sinister technique.

Technique: Heart-Severing Demonic Net!

Hundreds of dark-crimson threads of energy shot forth, coiling around Meng Shan from every direction. These threads were designed to sever the meridians and spiritual pathways within the body, catastrophically disrupting his cultivation.

Meng Shan roared. Realizing he couldn't let these threads touch him, he slammed his staff into the earth.

DUM—!

A wave of golden energy erupted in a massive circle, a pulse that cleared everything within fifty yards. Tian Xian’s demonic threads were incinerated.

"Impressive, old man! You're a bit tougher than the rest of this filth!" Tian Xian mocked. "But you’ve forgotten one thing..."

Meng Shan’s heart skipped a beat. He realized his spiritual reserves, used for that massive defensive pulse, had drained significantly more than they should have. He looked at his hands—dark red spots were beginning to spread across his skin, creeping up his veins.

It was the residue of the demonic energy Tian Xian had released earlier, slowly poisoning his chi circulation.

Atop the gatehouse, Huo Li Yu was trembling violently. This battle was beyond anything she had ever witnessed. But amidst the titanic clash, she noticed something small—a silver glint sliding out of Meng Shan’s torn robe, falling into a deep fissure in the earth below.

Her heart nearly stopped. It was Tian Xian’s original Spiritual Core!

Li Yu wanted to scream. Meng Jiu Ning had lied! They hadn't thrown it into a mass grave; the Meng Clan had kept it as a trophy, perhaps to trade with a more powerful sect. She clawed at the crimson cage protecting her, but it remained impenetrable. She could only watch as the silver bead lay hidden in the cracks of the earth.

On the battlefield, Meng Shan was losing his composure. He was gasping for air.

"How... how can you wield the power of a True Demon?" Meng Shan rasped. "The Huo Clan was a clan of Light! You should not be able to command the Darkness!"

Tian Xian leaped back, narrowly avoiding a golden energy blast. A flicker of doubt crossed his face for a split second, but he banished it instantly.

"You talk too much, old man," Tian Xian replied. He gathered every ounce of demonic energy into his palm. This time, the energy wasn't just crimson—it turned into a void-like obsidian black, like an abyss ready to swallow the sun.

Ultimate Technique: Ten Thousand Ghost Devouring Finger!

Tian Xian fired a thick beam of black energy straight at Meng Shan’s chest.

Meng Shan knew he had to give everything. He screamed, channeling his final reserves of pure chi into his staff.

"I am the bastion of the Meng Clan! I will not fall!"

Technique: Golden World Crusher!

A light brighter than the sun erupted from the staff, racing toward Tian Xian’s darkness.

BLAAAAARRR!

The two opposing forces collided. The resulting explosion shook the entire Meng estate to its foundations. Roofs collapsed, and windows shattered into a million pieces.

As the dust settled, Meng Shan was still standing, but he looked ancient—broken. His robes were tatters, and blood dripped from his hands. Tian Xian staggered back, wounded, but his injuries began to close rapidly under the influence of his demonic regeneration.

"Old man... your tank is empty," Tian Xian said, his voice heavy with menace.

"I... I still have one secret technique..." Meng Shan tried to bluff, but his voice failed him.

Tian Xian smiled cruelly. With a flash of his blade, he pierced through Meng Shan’s paper-thin spiritual shield.

Jleb!

He didn't aim for the heart, but the shoulder. Tian Xian smirked. "I won't kill you yet. You deserve to live long enough to watch your Patriarch burn."

He pulled the blade out, letting a sliver of demonic energy seep into the wound—just enough to poison Meng Shan’s cultivation and ensure he would suffer a slow, agonizing decline.

Meng Shan collapsed, his eyes fixed on the pale face of Meng Jiu Ning at the window.

Meng Jiu Ning, watching his final bastion crumble, was consumed by raw panic. "Elder Shan! No! Destroy him!" he shrieked hysterically.

Huo Tian Xian raised his sword high, pointing it directly at the hall. "Meng Jiu Ning! You murdered my parents. Now, it's your turn!"

Realizing the end was near, Meng Jiu Ning didn't flee. He turned back into the room. "Damn you! If I must die, I will take this secret to the grave!"

Tian Xian didn't give him a second. With a single leap, he smashed through the walls of the main hall. As he lunged, he saw Meng Jiu Ning clutching an ancient parchment scroll. But before Tian Xian could reach him, the Patriarch hurled the scroll into the roaring fireplace.

"You will never know the truth!" Meng Jiu Ning screamed in hatred.

Tian Xian had to choose: the secret scroll, or Meng Jiu Ning’s head.

He chose the latter.

Brak!

Tian Xian’s demonic blade struck Meng Jiu Ning. He didn't kill him instantly; instead, he shattered his Spiritual Core, sending the Patriarch flying against the wall, paralyzed and howling in pain.

Tian Xian spun toward the hearth, but it was too late. The parchment was already ash.

"Dammit!" Tian Xian hissed. He turned to the broken man on the floor. "You think burning a scroll makes you the winner? I will make you watch as the Meng Clan is ground into dust!"

Tian Xian’s eyes glowed a predatory red. The battle was won, but the secret of the Huo Clan had just turned to ash before his eyes.