Cultivation is Creation

The red mist began to coalesce, drawing together like mercury. Ke Jun's form reconstructed itself, but there was something different about his expression now – a tightness around his eyes, a slight downturn to his mouth that spoke of genuine annoyance.

"How frustrating," he murmured, examining his semi-transparent hands. "This spiritual form appears incompatible with most of my usual techniques." His gaze shifted to Yan Li, blood-red eyes narrowing in assessment. "Though I must say, that imperial qi of yours is... intriguing. Golden variant? That was the sign of the Liu Clan back in my day. The Yan Clan has certainly come far. I remember when your ancestors were governors perfecting the basic bronze manifestation."

Liu Chang's expression darkened at that comment, but before he could respond, Ke Jun's form blurred, moving with impossible speed. Blood-red light traced complicated patterns in the air as his fingers danced through a series of signs I didn't recognize. "But even without my primary arts, there are always... alternatives."

The air itself seemed to turn to blood, a crimson tide surging toward Yan Li with devastating force. The attack carried a savage intensity that made my stomach turn - this wasn't just a technique meant to defeat an opponent, it was meant to rip them apart at the cellular level.

But Yan Li wasn't unprepared.

"Titan's Palm!"

Another massive golden hand materialized, this time palm-forward, creating a barrier. When the blood tide struck it, the two forces clashed in a spectacular display of red and gold energies.

Ke Jun's frown deepened as he watched his attack dissipate against Yan Li's defense. "Hmph. Blood techniques were never my specialty," he admitted, sounding almost annoyed with himself. "In my prime, I would have simply..." His words were cut off by Bing Lan appearing behind him.

"Azure Moon's Final Quarter!"

Her sword move was perfect – a technique that attacked from multiple angles simultaneously, leaving no room for conventional defense. The blade seemed to multiply, attacking from every possible direction at once, each strike carrying enough force to split mountains.

Ke Jun's response was... strange. He didn't block or dodge in any normal sense.

Instead, his body simply... flowed around the attacks. Like water parting around stones, his form distorted and reformed, letting the sword strikes pass through the spaces between his molecules.

"The famous Dancing Blade," he said, actually sounding impressed. "Its reputation is well-earned. That technique would have troubled me greatly in a proper body." His form solidified again. "Unfortunately..."

Faster than I could track, he closed the distance to Bing Lan who was rapidly retreating. His hand brushed her sword arm in passing – just the lightest touch – and suddenly crimson lines appeared on her skin, spreading like cracks in glass.

She stumbled back, face pale, her sword dropping from nerveless fingers.

"Senior Sister!" One of the younger disciples started forward, but Liu Chang's sharp command stopped them.

"Hold position! Su Yue, Shen Xuanyu – ranged assault pattern three!"

The fire and lightning users responded instantly. Su Yue's flames merged with Shen Xuanyu's jade lightning, creating a devastating combination attack. The heat was so intense that the stone platform beneath our feet began to melt.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wei and the other Heavenly Jade disciples added their power to Yan Li's next attack. Golden light mixed with jade energy, forming a massive sword of pure power that descended from above.

Ke Jun actually laughed as he was forced to give up attacking Bing Lan. "Better! Much better!" He raised both hands, blood-red light gathering around him in complex patterns. "Let me show you a technique that I did use quite a bit back in the old days..."

What happened next was almost too fast to follow.

The blood-red light exploded outward in countless thin lines, like a spider's web made of pure energy. Where these lines touched the incoming attacks, they... divided them. Split them into smaller and smaller pieces until they simply fell apart, their energy dispersing harmlessly.

"The Bloodline Division Art," Ke Jun explained, almost lecturing. "A technique I developed after studying how cells divide. Quite effective against most energy attacks, wouldn't you say?"

As if to demonstrate, he sent one of those red lines slicing through Su Yue's steam barrier. The defensive technique split perfectly down the middle, both halves dissipating into nothing. Su Yue herself barely managed to dodge backward as more lines cut through the space she'd occupied.

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"You're all quite talented," Ke Jun continued, casually walking forward as the group was forced to give ground. "In a few centuries, some of you might even approach my original level." He looked at Yan Li when he said that.

"But right now?" He shook his head. "You're children playing with profound techniques you barely understand."

Those words hung in the air for a moment before Ke Jun demonstrated exactly what he meant. One instant he was standing still, the next he had simply ceased to exist in that space and appeared elsewhere.

"Master," Azure's voice was sharp with urgency, "his qi signature is destabilizing further. The pattern suggests—"

Whatever Azure was about to say was cut off as Ke Jun's next attack began. Those blood-red lines multiplied, forming a web of death that filled the air around us. Where they touched stone, the material simply... divided. Split into smaller and smaller pieces until it was just dust.

Several of the weaker disciples didn't react quickly enough. The red lines passed through their defensive techniques like they weren't even there, then through their bodies just as easily. They didn't even have time to scream as they were literally divided into their component parts, their remains dissolving into pure qi that flowed toward Ke Jun.

"Scatter!" Liu Chang's command cut through the horror. "Don't bunch up! He can't divide everywhere at once!"

The remaining cultivators spread out, trying to surround Ke Jun while maintaining enough distance to have reaction time. I found myself closer to the edge of the platform, which was fine by me. The further from the ancient monster, the better.

I activated Hawk's Eye, knowing I'd only have thirty seconds before the mental strain became too much. But in a fight like this, thirty seconds of enhanced perception might make the difference between life and death.

The world slowed down, details becoming crystal clear.

I could see the subtle fluctuations in Ke Jun's form, the way his supposedly solid body occasionally rippled like water. More importantly, I could see the patterns in his movement, the way his attacks flowed from one to the next.

"The lines have a maximum range," I called out. "About forty feet! And they can't change direction once formed!"

Ke Jun's eyes fixed on me, and I immediately regretted drawing his attention. "Interesting," he murmured. "You've developed quite the analytical ability, haven't you? But can you analyze this?"

His form blurred, and suddenly those blood-red lines were shooting toward me from three different angles. I activated Blink Step. The lines passed through where I'd been standing, cutting deep grooves into the stone platform.

But Ke Jun hadn't really been aiming for me. His true target was—

"Bing Lan! Behind you!"

The warning came too late.

Even as she spun around to face the threat, Ke Jun's hand passed through her sword technique like it was mist. His fingers brushed her chest, just the lightest touch, and those crimson lines spread across her body like cracks in glass.

"No..." Bing Lan's voice was barely a whisper as her body began to divide, splitting along those red lines. "Not like..."

She didn't get to finish the sentence. The Stage 9 cultivator, who had survived countless battles, simply... came apart. Her remains dissolved into pure qi that Ke Jun's body eagerly absorbed.

The sight of Bing Lan's death triggered something in Liu Chang. Stone spread across his skin faster than I'd ever seen before, his qi signature spiking to levels that should have been impossible at the Qi Condensation realm.

"Immutable Titan Scripture - Mountain Crushes Heaven!"

The attack was... magnificent.

Liu Chang's stone-covered fist carried enough force to literally distort the air around it. The technique wasn't just physical power – it contained principles of momentum and mass that even my Hawk's Eye enhanced perception struggled to fully grasp.

Ke Jun raised his hand, presumably to use that division technique again. But Liu Chang's attack moved faster than the red lines could form. The impact caught the ancient monster directly in the chest, causing his physical form to shatter on impact.

But even that wasn't enough.

"Not bad," Ke Jun's voice came from everywhere and nowhere as his form reconstructed. "The Immutable Titan Scripture... it's been a while since I've seen that technique. But..."

His reformed body flowed around Liu Chang's guard. One pale hand brushed our team leader's stone-like skin, leaving traces of crimson energy that began to spread like cracks in glass.

Liu Chang stumbled back, his technique flickering as the foreign energy tried to disrupt his qi circulation. But before Ke Jun could press his advantage, a massive golden fist materialized above him.

"Heavenly Titan's Judgment!"

Ke Jun immediately countered with the red lines. The two techniques clashed in a spectacular display of power, neither immediately overwhelming the other.

I took advantage of the distraction to launch my own attack.

Not directly – I wasn't suicidal enough to get within reach of those division lines.

But I had other options.

Explosive Seeds shot from my fingers, each one precisely aimed. They detonated in a pattern around Ke Jun, not trying to hit him directly but to force him to move in specific directions. At the same time, my vines erupted from the ground, not to grab him but to limit his movement options.

"Jade Thunder Empire!"

Shen Xuanyu's lightning attack came from the opposite direction, perfectly timed with my area control techniques. Ke Jun was forced to choose between dodging the lightning or staying still and dealing with my vines.

He chose a third option.

Those blood-red lines expanded outward in every direction, dividing everything they touched. My vines, Shen Xuanyu's lightning, even the stone platform beneath our feet – all of it simply split apart into smaller and smaller pieces.

This was bad. Really bad.

Even with his power apparently limited in his current form, Ke Jun was dismantling our defenses with terrifying ease. His blood techniques might not have been his specialty, but they were devastating enough. The way he could simply flow around physical attacks while counterattacking with those life-draining touches... it was like fighting water.

Deadly, ancient, incredibly skilled water.

"Master," Azure's voice cut through my thoughts, "I've analyzed his energy signature. There's a pattern to the fluctuations."

I ducked behind a partially destroyed column as another wave of those blood-red division lines sliced through the air where I'd been standing. "Tell me you have good news."

"His form becomes slightly less stable each time it's forced to reconstruct. The process appears to drain significant energy."

That... that actually was good news.

It meant he wasn't truly invincible, just incredibly difficult to wear down.