"Mystic Blood Arts: Crimson Dragon," Hu Man declared, his voice like a divine decree.
The air warped as crimson mist surged from his palm, coagulating into the form of a massive dragon made entirely of blood. The beast let out a haunting roar before launching forward, its serpentine body tearing through the sky like a streak of violent red.
Nie Yong's pupils contracted.
"Phantom Scorching Wrath Arts: Hollow Flame Mantle!"
There was no time to hesitate. If he didn't go all out now, he would die.
His body transformed in an instant—his once-normal eyes turned into glowing, hollow blue orbs, empty like a ghost's vengeance. Green spectral fire erupted from his hair and eyebrows, flickering with wild, wrathful intensity. The ghostly flames enveloped his body in a living cloak of death, bending the air around him with heat and spiritual pressure.
Hu Man's eyes widened, stunned. "W-What is that?!"
He had never seen a technique like this. In all his years, in all his battles, nothing came close to this eerie, hellish transformation.
Nie Yong didn't answer. The green flames coalesced into his right fist as the Blood Dragon bore down on him like a tidal wave of death.
"Spectral Inferno Fist!" he roared, his voice distorted by the flames as he lunged forward.
Fist met fang.
The moment his punch collided with the Blood Dragon's head, a thunderous explosion shook the sky. Nie Yong was immediately blasted backward, his inhuman form breaking apart as he smashed through branches and slammed into a tree with bone-rattling force.
Crack!
The Hollow Flame Mantle flickered out. His hair fell back to normal, his eyes returned to their human state, and he slumped forward.
But he was smiling.
Because the Blood Dragon was burning.
The green flames clung to its form, consuming it from within. It screeched one last time before collapsing into a shower of crimson mist and ash.
'Interesting…' Hu Man thought, narrowing his eyes. That technique... it wasn't just powerful—it countered mine perfectly. I didn't use my full power, but still... How can someone at his level possess such a skill?
Nie Yong groaned as he stood up, brushing bark off his shoulder.
"Liked my punch, father-in-law?" he taunted with a crooked grin.
Hu Man blinked, then barked a laugh.
"Calling me father-in-law? Do you want to die, kid?" he said with a grin of his own.
But deep down, he wasn't angry.
He was impressed.
This boy was handsome, fearless, reckless—but more than anything, he was talented. Hu Man had sensed his cultivation realm during the clash—Tempered Body Realm, and not even its peak. Yet here he was, standing tall after taking on a technique from someone at the peak of Immortal Ascension.
Unbelievable.
If this brat doesn't die young… he might become something terrifying.
Nie Yong cracked his neck, wiped the blood from his lip, and grinned.
"Ready for another round, father-in-law?"
His tone was cocky, but inside, he felt different—clearer. He had been terrified when the fight began. Who wouldn't be, facing a peak Immortal Ascension expert?
But after blocking that devastating Crimson Dragon technique—surviving it—he realized something.
Hu Man never intended to kill him.
The aura, the fury, the pressure—it had all been a test. A brutal, terrifying test.
And he'd passed.
Hu Man's brows raised slightly, then a low chuckle escaped him. "Ready... son-in-law."
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
Hu Mei'er would've fainted from joy if she heard them.
Nie Yong smirked.
Both men shot forward at the same time.
BOOM!
They collided at the center of a clearing, their auras flaring like clashing suns.
Nie Yong's right hand was coated in a sharp, brilliant blade of fiery orange Yang Qi. His left shimmered with a curved, dark-blue blade of chilling Yin Qi. The twin energies danced in harmony, flickering with primal balance.
Hu Man met him head-on, his arm covered in roiling Blood Qi so thick it looked like molten crimson armor, pulsing with life and death.
CLANG!
Blade met fist. Yang met Blood. Yin spiraled into flesh.
Each strike sent shockwaves tearing through the forest, uprooting trees and splitting the earth. The ground cracked under their feet. Flames burst from Nie Yong's hands as he unleashed slash after slash, while Hu Man countered each with ruthless precision, his fists thundering like war drums.
The duel had shifted.
No longer a trial.
It was now a dance between two warriors—one seasoned and supreme, the other young and defiant.
...
The clash of fists, blades, and willpower had raged for an hour.
An entire hour.
The once-lush clearing was now a battlefield. Trees were scorched or reduced to splinters. Craters marred the ground, and faint wisps of residual Qi lingered in the air like fading ghosts.
And in the middle of it all, Nie Yong collapsed onto the grass, limbs trembling, chest heaving with exhaustion.
"Tired, huh, son-in-law?" Hu Man said, strolling over with an infuriatingly casual grin before sitting beside him.
Nie Yong could barely keep his eyes open. "Yep..." he panted, flopping back and staring at the sky. "I'm dying."
Hu Man chuckled and plucked a twig from his own hair.
"Well, I've got a question for you," he said, voice turning oddly serious. "And your answer will determine whether or not I spare your life."
Nie Yong sat up slowly, confusion dawning on his bruised face. "What?" he asked, startled. "I thought we were bonding?! What are you talking about?"
Hu Man's expression turned grim. His eyes glinted with intensity as he leaned in and asked the most profound question of all:
"What's your type of women?"
Nie Yong blinked. Was this a joke? Was he delirious? Had he taken too many hits to the head?
'He wants to decide my fate… based on that?' he thought, almost insulted. But Hu Man looked dead serious.
So Nie Yong scratched the back of his head awkwardly and muttered, "Well... tall women with a big booty—"
Before he could even finish, Hu Man burst into a roar of laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT!" he bellowed, slapping Nie Yong on the back hard enough to nearly knock him over again. "You're perfect for being my son-in-law!"
Nie Yong blinked, then smirked. "Pft!"
He couldn't help it—he started laughing too.
The two of them sat side by side, laughing like old friends beneath the blood-red sky, surrounded by the ruins of their battle.
Enemies at first sight. Allies by the end.
And now... family.
To be continued...
***
***
Liked this chapter?