"Black Sand Flow!"
Yu Chen's commanding shout shook the air, his aura shifting dramatically. The arrogant general's demeanor turned eerily calm, his long hair dancing in the wind, his black armor radiating valor. To the youths of White Sand Dynasty, he was an idol; to its maidens, a dream.
Around him, the golden sand of Earth Spiritual Energy darkened into ominous black grains, pulsing with danger. Whistling gales accompanied them, wild and ferocious. Where the black sand passed, the air grew heavy, space cracking like fragile glass, pressing oppressively on all.
"Black Sand! The General's using Black Sand!" a White Bird soldier cheered.
"He's truly enraged!" another whispered, shivering.
"It's been over a year since he used it against that person," others recalled, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The White Bird Legion roared with fervor, fixated on Yu Chen's imposing figure, eager for his triumph. Black Sand, transformed from ordinary sand, was an advanced Earth Spiritual Energy born from a unique technique.
That technique was the Low Spirit-Grade Black Sand Heart Sutra, renowned across the realm, coveted by Earth cultivators. In a Ninth-Grade power like White Sand Dynasty, such techniques were strictly for royalty. But the Yu Clan was an exception. Long ago, a Yu elder sacrificed himself to save a dynasty prince, earning the emperor's trust and the Black Sand Heart Sutra as a reward, sparking envy across the dynasty.
Mastering it was no easy feat, requiring profound control over Earth Spiritual Energy and unyielding will to endure the agony of transforming one's energy. Few in the Yu Clan succeeded. Yu Chen, with his exceptional mastery, had risen to his current stature.
Now, fully unleashed, Black Sand filled the sky, casting a vast, dark shadow teeming with deathly aura. The Blazing Tiger's ferocious expression tightened, a flicker of wariness in its eyes. It sensed the sand's lethal threat.
Yet, as a Sixth-Rank beast, wariness wasn't fear. The danger only fueled its bloodlust. Its bell-like eyes burned red, veins pulsing with bloodthirsty intent.
"ROAR!"
Eschewing caution, the Blazing Tiger chose offense over defense. Flames flared, its massive body transforming into a blazing wheel of destruction, charging Yu Chen.
The fire's searing purity, backed by Sixth-Rank might, reduced swaths of forest to ash. Yet Yu Chen remained unfazed, his eyes swirling with Black Sand, devoid of emotion before the tiger's apocalyptic assault.
As the flaming beast bore down, intent on tearing him apart, Yu Chen stood motionless.
WHOOSH!
To onlookers, his body was shredded into fragments. "General!" soldiers cried out, hearts sinking.
But no blood sprayed, no screams echoed. Yu Chen's form dissolved into countless Black Sand grains, scattering across the heavens, leaving only afterimages. The tiger had struck a mere phantom, his speed too terrifying to track.
"Not good!" the Blazing Tiger sensed danger too late.
Behind it, Black Sand swirled, reforming Yu Chen's figure, his lips curling in mockery. His eyes locked on the tiger's back, brimming with killing intent. The Black War Spear thrust forward, a small vortex of Black Sand spinning at its tip like a drill, shredding space itself.
"Black Sand Pierce!"
Yu Chen's shout heralded a devastating strike, too swift to evade. The tiger, caught off guard, could only muster a desperate defense, condensing flames at its rear to form a fiery barrier.
But Black Sand wasn't ordinary fire's match. The spear's vortex tore through the flames, scattering them like embers. Thud! The spear pierced the tiger's tough hide, the Black Sand drill gouging a gaping, bloody hole.
"ROAR!"
Pain overwhelmed reason, the Blazing Tiger howling in fury. It lunged forward, escaping the spear's pursuit. "Not bad speed," Yu Chen sneered, licking the blood from his spear, now ground to dust by Black Sand.
He toyed with his prey like a hunter. "Damn you, I underestimated a Golden List prodigy," the tiger panted, its eyes wary. Without Lan An's existence, Golden List elites were monsters, dominating peers effortlessly.
Lan An, a freak among freaks, simply overshadowed them. Yu Chen, reclaiming the Golden List's honor, crushed his equal with ease.
The battle became the forest's focal point. "General's invincible!" the White Bird Legion cheered, their morale soaring.
"Damn it!" the Ghost Cobra hissed, seeing its ally falter. If the tiger fell, it was next. Abandoning the legion, it rushed to aid the tiger.
Yu Chen now faced both beasts, yet held his ground. Black Sand's destructive and agile nature kept him untouchable, his high-speed strikes and the legion's occasional ambushes wearing the beasts down.
"Black Sand's impressive, but it pales compared to Aunt Liu's Night Wind," Lan An mused, observing from a White Bird's back. His wounds were healing, though blood still masked his recovery. The pain lingered, internal injuries unhealed.
Black Sand seemed formidable, but the beasts lacked special attributes or strategy. Against a unique attribute, it would falter. "Of course," Jin Ni huffed proudly. "Black Sand comes from a mere Low Spirit-Grade Black Sand Heart Sutra. How can it compare to Liu Shi Qin's Ice Moon Night Wind Sutra?"
Lan An nodded. The Ice Moon Night Wind Sutra, a System treasure, was leagues beyond, its true grade unknown but terrifying, given Liu Shi Qin's cultivation speed. "If she masters it to a high level, even unique attributes will crumble before her," Jin Ni revealed, a rare insight.
Lan An inhaled sharply. A technique surpassing unique attributes likely hailed from a world beyond Viet Dragon Star. He felt joy for his aunt.
"What's happening?" he asked Jin Ni, still dazed.
"Your luck's as absurd as ever. Even half-dead, a beauty saves you," Jin Ni pouted, her tone sour.
"Beauty?" Lan An blinked, confused.
Jin Ni recounted the princess's intervention, her voice tinged with jealousy. Lan An's eyes softened, glancing at the ornate carriage. Though he hadn't seen his savior, her kindness earned his gratitude—a debt he'd repay tenfold.
In this ruthless world, such compassion was rare, stirring his admiration. With a thought, he activated the Faceless Mask, reshaping his features into Wen Lang's visage beneath the blood. At an unknown place among strangers, revealing his true self was unwise.
Covered in scars and blood, no one noticed the change. The dynasty's people, dismissing him as a cripple, hadn't probed him with divine sense. Lan An's name echoed across Viet Dragon Star; caution was paramount.
He feigned unconsciousness, observing the battle to plan his next move.
Yu Chen, facing both beasts, held the upper hand. Black Sand's destructive agility thwarted their attacks, his spear and the legion's support overwhelming them.
The Blazing Tiger, desperate, growled, "We can't keep this up. I'll pin him down—you wipe out those ants!"
Its savage nature surged, willing to take Yu Chen's blows to buy time for the Ghost Cobra. "Leave it to me!" the cobra hissed, its massive body slithering away, targeting the legion with venom and tail strikes.
"Running?" Yu Chen roared, moving to pursue.
"Your foe is me!" The Blazing Tiger lunged, flames blazing. "Tiger Roar Shakes the Forest!"
Its maw opened like a bloody valley, unleashing fiery shockwaves that engulfed Yu Chen. "Foolish beast!" Yu Chen snarled, summoning a Black Sand storm to clash head-on.
BOOM! BOOM!
Yu Chen's power prevailed, shattering the shockwaves. The tiger, battered by the sandstorm, bled from countless cuts. "Know your place!" Yu Chen sneered, eyeing the cobra's assault on his legion.
As he moved to intercept, the tiger, heedless of its wounds, charged again. "Die, beast!" Yu Chen spun, entangled once more.
The Ghost Cobra, unleashing its full might, spewed venomous mist and swung its mountain-like tail, devastating the legion. Warriors spat blood, their formation crumbling.
"Die together, human! See what happens when you cross beasts!" the Blazing Tiger cackled, its pain fueling bloodthirsty glee.
A White Bird warrior, about to be crushed by the cobra's tail, leapt from his mount. "Caw!" the bird shrieked, abandoned, facing the tail's impact.
A hand shot out, effortlessly halting the colossal tail.
A calm voice echoed through the forest.
"Enough!"