The Golden Core cultivator slowly lowered his injured arm.
Blood sizzled where lightning had scorched his flesh, hissing as it met the turbulent air.
His expression hardened completely.
"…It seems," he said coldly, spiritual pressure rising like a tidal wave, "I will have to take this seriously."
Golden qi erupted outward, crushing the atmosphere in a ten-mile radius. The phantom giant behind him solidified further, its once-blurred features sharpening into something almost corporeal. Its presence grew suffocating, pressing down upon sky and earth alike.
"From this moment on—"
He never finished.
The lizard's maw ignited.
Not with lightning.
Not with wind.
But with flame.
Blue.
Deep and radiant, nearly translucent at the edges.
This was no ordinary fire. It burned with storm essence—wind feeding it, lightning threading through it like living veins.
His chest expanded—
Then a roar tore from his throat.
It was not merely sound.
It was force.
A draconic roar that shattered clouds and sent shockwaves rippling across the heavens.
From his mouth erupted a catastrophic torrent of blue stormfire, spiraling forward like a tidal wave of annihilation.
Wind amplified it.
Lightning destabilized everything it touched.
The entire sky ahead was swallowed in blue.
Clouds vaporized instantly.
Air screamed as it ignited.
For several heartbeats—
There was nothing but fire.
Even the fox shielded her eyes from below, fur rippling under the pressure.
The inferno raged, expanding outward in a massive dome that painted the heavens in azure light.
Then—
The flames split.
Swept violently aside.
Not extinguished.
Forced apart.
At the center of the divided inferno stood the Golden Core cultivator.
Untouched.
Above him rotated a radiant, umbrella-like construct formed of solidified golden light. Its surface was layered with intricate spiritual inscriptions, ancient and precise. A translucent barrier cascaded downward from it, shimmering with runic patterns that absorbed and redirected the stormfire's impact.
The blue flames crashed against it—
But could not break through.
Below, the fox's eyes narrowed.
"…A spirit-grade artifact."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"So that's the source of your confidence."
As the last waves of stormfire dissipated into the horizon, the cultivator's figure became fully visible.
In his hand now—
A spiritual weapon.
The golden umbrella folded inward with a resonant hum, its structure reshaping fluidly. Metal groaned as it transformed.
From umbrella—
To spear.
Long.
Elegant.
Its surface etched with glowing inscriptions that pulsed rhythmically, like circulating blood.
Golden light flowed down its length in steady waves.
The cultivator grasped it firmly, spiritual power synchronizing instantly with the artifact.
The air trembled.
"This," he said calmly, leveling the spear forward, "is an early-tier spirit-grade weapon."
Golden qi spiraled around him, denser and sharper than before.
"You have forced me to draw it."
His gaze locked onto the lizard, killing intent no longer concealed.
"So now…"
The spear flared brilliantly.
"…you die."
The sky went silent for half a heartbeat—
Then the cultivator vanished.
The spear thrust forward with Golden Core power reinforced by spirit-grade amplification.
It did not pierce through air—
It pierced through space.
The sky split along a straight golden line as the cultivator thrust with full killing intent.
The lizard's pupils constricted.
He twisted midair—
But the spear was too fast.
It grazed past his shoulder.
Even with storm-infused scales—
Blood sprayed.
White scales cracked apart under the force.
Golden lightning burst outward on impact as the strike hurled him backward like a falling star.
He crashed through three layers of storm cloud before stabilizing with a violent beat of his wings.
Pain flared.
Real pain.
Below, the fox's claws dug into the cliffside.
"…That artifact amplifies his core power by at least thirty percent."
The cultivator did not pause.
He reappeared again—
Second thrust.
The golden spear extended unnaturally, lengthening through spiritual projection.
The lizard raised his claw.
Wind condensed.
Lightning hardened.
He caught the spear's shaft.
For a split second—
They locked.
Golden Core energy clashed against peak Foundation Establishment storm force.
The sky trembled beneath the strain.
Then—
The cultivator smirked.
Golden inscriptions along the spear ignited.
A shock pulse detonated point-blank.
The lizard's claws tore open as he was blasted downward, crashing into the earth miles below.
The ground split.
Stone liquefied beneath the impact.
Dust and debris spiraled upward into the storm.
The cultivator hovered above the newly formed crater, expression cold and distant.
"You are extraordinary."
Golden energy coiled tighter around him.
"But realms exist for a reason."
He raised the spear overhead.
The golden giant manifestation mirrored the motion.
Spiritual power gathered at the spear's tip, compressing into a miniature sun that radiated destructive brilliance.
"Die."
He hurled it.
The spear descended like divine judgment.
Below—
Within the crater—
The lizard slowly rose.
Blood dripped from his claws.
Cracks webbed across several scales.
But his golden eyes were calm.
Too calm.
Above, the storm clouds began rotating unnaturally.
Not chaotic.
Spiraling.
Centering on him.
Wind reversed direction.
Lightning converged.
The descending golden spear met something unexpected—
A dome of rotating storm pressure that condensed into existence in an instant.
The spear struck.
The dome fractured—
But did not shatter.
The impact flattened everything within a mile radius, carving a circular depression into the land.
When the blinding light faded—
The lizard stood at the center of a spiraling storm pillar.
His wings, which had shielded him, slowly extended outward.
Black horns glowed faintly blue.
The wound on his shoulder was already sealing, dragon bloodline vitality accelerating his recovery.
High above—
The cultivator's brows furrowed slightly.
That strike should have crippled him.
The lizard slowly lifted his head.
This time—
He did not attack immediately.
Instead—
A different pressure began to spread.
Subtle.
Invisible.
Not elemental.
Soul.
The cultivator's instincts screamed.
Too late.
The lizard's eyes flashed—
A sharp pulse erupted silently from his gaze.
No lightning.
No wind.
Only a piercing mental spear that crossed the distance in an instant.
The Golden Core cultivator's body stiffened midair.
His pupils trembled violently.
A splitting headache detonated inside his mind.
He let out a muffled groan as his golden aura flickered erratically.
The spear he had recalled wavered in his grip.
Below—
The fox's eyes widened.
"He used it…"
The soul attack did not kill.
But it struck cleanly.
The cultivator clutched his head for half a breath—
Then roared in fury as golden light exploded outward, forcibly stabilizing his spiritual sea.
When he lowered his hand—
Blood stained the corner of his mouth.
Not from physical injury.
From internal backlash.
His gaze turned murderous.
"You dare attack my soul."
Golden qi erupted around him with violent intensity, far denser than before.
The playful collector had vanished.
Only an enraged Golden Core cultivator remained.
Above—
Storm clouds thickened into a suffocating vortex.
Below—
The lizard's chest rose and fell steadily.
He had confirmed what he needed to know.
The cultivator did not possess flawless soul defenses.
Which meant—
He could bleed.
And now—
The hunt had truly begun.