Chương 194: You're Mine!

"There!" Su Yue shouted, noticing the same thing I had.

"He's weakening!" She launched a fire technique that would have made her teachers proud. The flames took the shape of a phoenix, its wings spreading to cut off escape routes while its beak struck directly at Ke Jun's chest. The ancient monster's response was... educational. He didn't try to dodge or block. Instead, his body simply... opened. Like a flower blooming in reverse, his chest split apart, creating a hole that the phoenix passed harmlessly through.

The attack continued on to slam into one of the few remaining sections of the shrine's walls, melting stone into slag.

"A decent attempt," Ke Jun said as his body reformed.

"But futile. This form cannot be harmed by conventional—""Heaven's Jade Burial!" Zhang Wei's attack caught everyone by surprise, even Ke Jun. The ground beneath the ancient monster suddenly crystallized into pure jade, the transformation spreading faster than even those blood-red lines could divide it. For a brief moment, Ke Jun was actually trapped, his legs encased in jade up to the knees. His expression showed genuine surprise, followed by what might have been approval.

"Now!" Liu Chang shouted. Everyone attacked at once. Liu Chang's stone-covered fist carried the weight of mountains. Yan Li's golden light took the form of a massive sword. Shen Xuanyu's lightning turned the air itself into a conductor for devastating power. Su Yue's flames reached temperatures that melted stone into vapor. Zhang Wei's jade techniques sought to crystallize the very air. And I... I did what I could. I threw Explosive Seeds while my vines tried to take advantage of any openings created by the others.

The combined attack was beautiful in its coordination, in its raw power, in its perfect timing. It was also completely useless. Ke Jun's body simply... came apart. Not divided by those blood-red lines, but dissolving into crimson mist that reformed behind us, condensing back into his humanoid shape. But again, I noticed that the reformation seemed to take significantly longer than before. His edges remained blurry for almost a full second before solidifying.

It was almost like each time his form dissipated, he lost a life, but the question was, just how many lives did he have before he stayed dead?

"A commendable effort," he said, and to my surprise, he actually sounded sincere.

"Your coordination is excellent..." His voice trailed off as golden light suddenly filled the area. Yan Li stood with his hands raised, imperial qi swirling around him in patterns I'd never seen before.

"Heaven's Mandate - Divine Authority!" The technique was... overwhelming. The golden light didn't just fill the air, it seemed to rewrite the very laws of reality around us. Every molecule, every particle of qi, every trace of energy suddenly became subject to imperial authority. This was clearly an attack that went beyond the Qi Condensation Realm. Ke Jun's form wavered, clearly struggling against the power of heaven's mandate.

For a moment, it seemed like Yan Li's technique might actually work, might actually be able to bind the ancient monster through sheer force of divine authority. Then Ke Jun laughed.

"Divine authority?" The ancient monster's form stabilized, somehow resisting the golden light that should have bound him.

"You think heaven's mandate can constrain one who has touched eternity? Let me show you true authority." What happened next was... difficult to describe. It wasn't just an attack. It was like reality itself rejected us, like the fundamental laws of the universe decided we shouldn't exist. The air became blood, the stone became blades, even our qi turned against us. I saw two Heavenly Jade disciples simply...

cease to exist, their jade techniques shattering like glass as their bodies converted into pure qi between one heartbeat and the next. But Shen Xuanyu and Zhang Wei responded immediately.

"Jade Thunder Coalescence!" Shen Xuanyu's voice cracked with effort as he executed a technique I'd never seen before. His jade-colored lightning didn't attack, instead, it turned inward, transforming his entire body into pure electrical energy. In this state, even Ke Jun's reality-warping attack couldn't find purchase. You can't divide what isn't solid. Meanwhile, Zhang Wei had taken an even more extreme approach.

"Nine Heavens Jade Prison!" Jade crystals erupted from his body, not just as armor but as a complete geometric enclosure. The jade structure created a pocket of isolated space where Ke Jun's influence couldn't reach. Even Liu Chang and Yan Li were driven back, their supreme techniques barely able to resist the overwhelming force of Ke Jun's power. I survived purely by luck and paranoia.

The moment I saw that reality-warping technique begin, I'd activated every defensive rune I had while simultaneously using Blink Step to put as much distance as possible between myself and the ancient monster. The Aegis Mark's barrier shattered instantly, but it bought me the split second I needed to get clear. The Shroud rune worked overtime trying to mask my presence, while the World Tree Sutra's stabilizing influence helped me resist the reality-warping effects.

When the technique ended, only a handful of us remained. Liu Chang stood at the center of the platform, his stone skin cracked but holding. The Immutable Titan Scripture had proven its worth, allowing him to survive what should have been unsurvivable. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Yan Li maintained his position on the opposite side, golden light still swirling around him, though noticeably weaker than before.

His robes were torn and bloody, but his eyes still burned with determination. Su Yue had somehow survived by turning herself into living flame at the crucial moment, though the effort had clearly cost her. She could barely stand, her qi fluctuations dangerously unstable. Yan Ziheng had been far enough from the combat to avoid the worst of it, though he looked pale and shaken. One other Yan clan member stood near him. Shen Xuanyu's and Zhang Wei's defensive techniques were the type which came at a terrible cost.

I could see blood trickling from Shen Xuanyu's eyes and ears as he reformed, while cracks appeared on Zhang Wei's skin as he stepped out of his prison. But they survived. And me? I was at the very edge of the platform, my body screaming in protest from the strain of multiple emergency Blink Steps. The red sun in my inner world had shrunk to a pathetic ember, while the blue sun worked overtime trying to stabilize my essence.

"Impressive," Ke Jun said, looking around at the survivors.

"Most impressive. But ultimately futile." His form wavered again, taking noticeably longer to stabilize this time. The effort of that reality-warping technique had clearly cost him something. But would it be enough? Could we actually wear him down before he killed us all?

"Master," Azure's voice was urgent in my mind.

"Your cultivation... it's reaching a critical point." He was right. The stress of combat, the desperate channeling of qi, the constant push to survive had brought me to the edge of breakthrough. I could no longer hold it back, it was like a wall of glass struggling to hold back a flood of power, at any moment, it would shatter. Normally, this would be cause for celebration. Advancing to the 7th stage of Qi Condensation was a major milestone, one that would significantly increase my combat ability.

With my understanding of the World Tree Sutra and my various runes, I might even be able to fight at the level of a Stage 9 cultivator. But was this the right time? Breaking through would reset my essence reserves, give me a temporary power boost that might help turn the tide. But it would also leave me vulnerable for a second while my body adapted to the new power level. A second, against an opponent like Ke Jun, might as well be years.

"No choice," I muttered, watching as the ancient monster began walking towards me, those blood-red lines forming complex patterns in the air around him.

"We're dead anyway if something doesn't change." Liu Chang was closest to me, so I caught his eye and made a series of quick hand signals, formation shorthand for "need time, please distract." His eyes widened slightly as he understood what I was planning, but he gave a slight nod. I took a deep breath, then I stopped resisting the breakthrough. Let the accumulated insights and power flood through my meridians like a bursting dam.

"Now then," Ke Jun raised his hand.

"I believe it's time to end this game. Your bodies will make excellent cultivation resources once I've properly divided them. But first let me take what is mine." His form blurred, crossing the distance between us faster than thought. Those crimson hands reached for my face. But Liu Chang was faster. Stone-covered and solid as a mountain, he appeared between us, his massive frame blocking Ke Jun's path.

"You'll have to go through me first, ancestor or not." Ke Jun's smile was cold enough to freeze blood.

"As you wish." The clash was devastating. Liu Chang's stone-enhanced fist met Ke Jun's spectral palm in an explosion of power that cracked what remained of the shrine's platform. Shockwaves of force rippled outward, shattering nearby pillars and sending fragments of stone raining through the air. For a moment, they seemed evenly matched. Then Ke Jun's lips curved into a cruel smile.

"Blood Reflection Art." The technique wasn't like his previous attacks. Instead of dividing or warping, this one... inverted. Liu Chang's own power turned back on him, multiplied and twisted into something that violated the natural laws of qi circulation. The stone armor protecting Liu Chang's chest exploded inward. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was launched backward, his body carving a trench through solid stone before coming to rest near the platform's edge.

I wasn't sure if he was going to get back up anytime soon, but he'd bought me the second I needed. The breakthrough completed, power flooding through my meridians like a tidal wave of lightning. My essence reserves instantly refilled as my cultivation base expanded, pushing me firmly into the 7th stage of Qi Condensation. But what surprised me most was the red sun, not only was it looking healthy once again, but it had actually grown.

Ke Jun's smile widened as he sensed the change, his blood-red eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"Ahhh, perfect timing, my child. You've made my vessel even stronger." He spread his arms wide, as if welcoming the surge of power.

"I must thank you for this gift. Now, shall we begin the transference properly?" Then he vanished. My heart stopped as I felt his presence directly in front of me, those blood-red eyes boring into mine as his pale hands reached for my face.

"You're mine!"