Born in Blood



A solid hour passed.

The outer layer of the Ravenous Leash Sect had been utterly decimated. 

Buildings were razed to dust, lands were charred, corpses were devoured.

By then, the Elders had obviously realized what was going on.

A Leash Elder flew over the rampant beasts on a Wind Hawk, killing them off one by one, before shooting towards the crane.

WHOOOSH!

In an instant, his mount tore through the air with incredible speed.

More and more Elders left their buildings to deal with the new threat.

The invasion had gone public.

The atmosphere changed.

Screams and cries resounded from all sides.

The Ravenous Leashes were being attacked from every corner.

Now, it was an actual war.

A vicious, brutal battle.

But in actuality, the Leash Elders were handicapped.

The crane golem was too powerful.

Six Temple Elders were riding it!

Not only that, but there were still rampant Rank 4 and Rank 3 creatures running wild.

Even with their numbers that rose above nine thousand – which was steadily lowering – they couldn't make the most out of it.

They were losing!

Their lands were being violated!

Their disciples were being slaughtered!

Beasts were being spread wildly.

Death covered the lands.

Just then, Wild Fang made his appearance.

An oppressive aura unfolded throughout the region.

It was like an invisible mountain loomed above everyone's heads.

Liam took that as a sign to run as far and far as he could. His skin rose to no end, and every instinct of his screamed with danger.

Despite the incredible distance that was between him and the lion statue, Liam's mental sphere threatened to buckle and crack.

Liam had to resist the urge of looking back.

Liam spent nearly all his mental energy to run as far as he could.

The pressure was still there, just less than before.

Finally, Liam turned around to see the monster capable of influencing the world to such a degree.

There, ahead of the monolithic lion statue, stood a handsome, resplendent figure.

Wild Fang.

He had long and wild crimson hair that gently fluttered like a banner.

He wore an ornate, tight, black-and-red robe that showed off his sturdy build and broad shoulders.

His earthly aura was huge!

He had taken over half the horizon with just his aura!

Liam's eye widened in shock.

Every realm of power was just unbelievably more powerful than the next.

And this wasn't even the peak of it.

Different energies swirled around Wild Fang's figure.

He was of the earth element, but there was so much that Liam didn't understand about the man's wild aura.

It raged uncontrollably. 

And a closer look would reveal vague shapes and foreign, invisible energies that Liam didn't comprehend at all.

It was basically a jumbled up mix of colors with no specific shape.

Liam's eye constricted to see more of his facial features.

Just by doing that, his mental sphere shook a bit.

Just by looking at him!

Liam instantly felt respect towards the man.

Despite him being an enemy.

Wild Fang had bright red eyes, a sharp jawline, and looked around middle-age.

Liam knew he wasn't middle-aged.

He wasn't sure how long it took to reach the fifth Rank.

The Royal academy didn't say anything about that.

But Liam knew it reached the century mark. 

Way more than that, even.

And right now, a stoically pissed off expression was on Wild Fang's face.

Before the Rank 5 cultivator even made his appearance, the Elders riding the crane made a run for it.

They used everything in their power to run as far as possible, abandoning everything.

The acolytes were no exception.

Those in active battle flat out ran away. Some died instantly since they were too close to the center.

If Liam had to guess, Wild Fang saw them running away and escaping.

Even now, Liam was subconsciously being watched by the man.

That was what the "invisible mountain" was.

It was just the man's mental energy.

But Wild Fang still did nothing.

Liam and the lower acolytes were still insignificant. 

They weren't threats to the man. 

Wild Fang's fierce gaze was way out into the distance.

It was like he was looking at something specific and not just air.

Liam trailed the man's gaze, excitement boiling in him.

It was still fully night time.

But Liam noticed something peculiar.

There were no stars in the endless sky.

Not even the moon!

Only the pure, black, empty firmament was visible.

Slowly, the world got a little darker.

And darker.

Even darker.

It was as though everything was being illuminated by a hazy, faint blue light.

This was an Isolation Barrier!

And it covered the entire island!

Liam's instincts screamed, his heart-rate quickening.

The Shadows crawling over him felt like they were alive.

But he wasn't in any danger. There wasn't any pain of the sort.

Only Wild Fang was unaffected by the change in illumination, his figure clearly visible as though the Shadows hadn't approached him.

There was only an unnaturally ominous silence.

Nobody spoke.

They were too scared to.

Any remaining Rank 4 beast suddenly burrowed itself into the ground in fear.

Wild Fang widened his eyes in surprise, then narrowed them.

"There's only one person who I knew capable of doing something like this," Wild Fang said to no one in particular, his eyes narrowed.

His voice was low, but spread evenly across the island.

"Come out."

Nothing followed his words for ten full seconds.

Then…

Something emerged from the darkness, flying to the same altitude as Wild Fang.

Liam's glowing eye constricted towards the new figure.

Usan's hair was bone-white and short.

He was of slim but lean build.

His amber eyes were hooded and streamlined, a distant look in them. 

He wore the Temple's usual wrappings that left the arms bare, where a mesmerizing pattern of tattoos were.

Liam's mental sphere shook a bit as he zoomed in, but he got a good look at the man's domineering aura.

Blackness.

There was only darkness there.

Liam didn't see any foreign energies or strange shapes in the man's aura.

Just abyssal blackness.