My eyes began to bleed, dark red trails of blood dripping down my face in rivulets, mingling with the sweat and grime that clung to my skin. Each drop that fell felt like a warning, a signal that my body was nearing its limits. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, the coppery tang overwhelming my senses, but I barely registered it. Discover exclusive content at empire
My vision blurred, the world narrowing to pinpricks of light and shadow.
Yet, none of that mattered. Sure, Shen Ban cannot win this, he's too calm, too preserved and too stable in his mind. What I need to be right now isn't Shen Bao, But Du Shen. Only Du Shen can be insane enough to overcome the difference in level of cultivation. Only Du Shen can be crazy enough and mad enough to risk his life and cultivation to achieve his goals.
Only Du Shen has enough madness to forsake all reason and go for the jugular.
The pain was exquisite. Exquisite because it was real. Because it reminded me of one crucial fact—I wasn't dead yet. No, far from it. I could feel the throbs of my increasing heartbeat through my bloodied veins. And I could feel the power of my mind skyrocketing at the same time.
I slapped my side, a violent, instinctual motion, and the familiar sound of mechanical whirring filled the air. Four metallic arms shot out of my back, steel vines unfurling like deadly tendrils, each one bristling with latent power, ready to help me tear the very fabric of reality apart if needed. They hissed and clanked, their joints glowing faintly as if responding to the heat of the battle.
Each arm felt like an extension of my will, forged in the fires of desperation and chaos, designed to break everything that stood in my path.
"How... how did he do it?" I muttered, calm and collected but eyes full of madness like never before. My voice was almost lost amidst the chaos. My mind was racing, trying to remember the Wisest Sun's technique, the effortless way he bent the world to his will. My thoughts scattered like leaves in a storm, each one flickering for a moment before slipping through my fingers.
Then it clicked. I could see it now—the strings of reality, faint threads that shimmered in the air, crisscrossing the world like an invisible web. They pulsed with energy, the very laws of the universe laid bare before me. They were there for the taking, but they were fragile, delicate. The smallest misstep, the wrong pull, and everything could collapse. But that was a risk I was willing to take.
I reached out with one of my metallic arms, its razor-sharp claws glinting in the dim light. Slowly, deliberately, I plucked one of the spatial law lines.
The universe shuddered.
A ripple coursed through reality itself, distorting the air and causing the ground beneath us to tremble. The Cryptic Sun's face twisted in an expression I hadn't seen before—fear.
"You wouldn't dare!" he screamed, his voice edged with desperation. His hands moved faster than the eye could follow, weaving new formations, conjuring triple the number of seals as he unleashed an onslaught of power toward me. Lightning bolts, flames, and frost exploded from his fingertips, hurtling toward me with deadly intent.
The air crackled with energy, but I didn't flinch. I was caught up with enough madness that my body although in a world of pain couldn't help but express it in the most unholy laughter known to man as I was mimicking a sun!
With a casual swipe of my metallic arm, I plucked another law line. BOOM! A spatial rift tore open before me, the impact destabilizing the incoming formations. The ground split, cracks spiderwebbing beneath my feet as the force of the blast hit me full-on. My head snapped back, and blood spurted from my nose in a fountain of red.
"GOLDEN SCRIPTURE!" I roared, the words tearing from my throat like a war cry.
Twelve clones of myself materialized around me, each one a perfect replica, their faces twisted in the same madness that burned in my soul. They moved as I did, their hands reaching out to pluck at the laws of the universe, disrupting reality itself. My mind was a furnace, every thought, every neuron firing at once in a symphony of pain and power.
The pain was unimaginable. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out. My brain boiled, every nerve in my body screamed in agony.
But I didn't stop.
Couldn't stop.
The world around me trembled, the ground beneath us shook violently, and the very air seemed to twist and shudder as if it was caught in a storm of conflicting realities. Even the Death Sun and Wisest Sun, locked in their spatial battle, flickered into view for a brief moment, their forms hazy and distorted.
Their eyes widened in surprise as they saw what I was doing—what I was becoming.
For a brief second, the Wisest Sun's gaze met mine. He understood. I was mimicking him. I wasn't as fast, I wasn't as skilled, but with twelve clones, I could compensate. I could push past the limits of what I thought possible.
And with the Blue Sun charging forward, bloodied but unbroken, I knew we had a chance.
"Let's go!" I roared, my body trembling with exhaustion, my vision flickering. But I pushed through the pain, the madness swirling in my mind.
The Blue Sun finally reached the Cryptic Sun, her hammer swinging with the weight of a planet.
His eyes widened in pure, unadulterated terror.
He tried to retreat, summoning more formations, but it was too late. The chaos I had unleashed had already torn apart his defenses. His robes fluttered, his hands moved desperately, but he couldn't stop what was coming. The Blue Sun was faster.
She grabbed him by the robes, her eyes burning with righteous fury. Her grip was like iron, unrelenting, and the Cryptic Sun's face contorted in disbelief.
"Got you!" she hissed through gritted teeth.