A cold wind whispered across the ruined courtyard as Liu Xiang and Shaurya stood face to face. Dust drifted between them like ash from a dying fire. Their eyes locked — silent, deadly, and unyielding.
Liu Xiang suddenly broke into laughter, his voice echoing through the broken stones around them.
Shaurya's expression remained unmoved, his gaze cutting sharper than steel.
In a tone colder than the night air, he said, "Have you lost your mind?"
Liu Xiang's grin widened, madness gleaming in his eyes.
"Don't worry about my mind," he sneered. "Worry for your life."
He slowly extended his hand. Emerald spiritual energy rippled across his palm, swirling and pulsing. Then, like a dying flame, it shifted — first to a dark crimson glow, then to something deeper, darker, as if the void itself seeped into his veins. A crimson crystal materialized, wrapped in writhing shadows, releasing a suffocating, ominous demonic aura that made the air heavy.
