Zuo Qia staggered backward.
Blood streamed continuously from her nose.
From her ears.
From the corners of her eyes.
Another mouthful of dark blood spilled from her lips.
"Cough—!"
Her breathing instantly became ragged.
"...What is this...?"
She lowered her gaze.
The wound across her side—
the one carved open by the lizard's attack—
had changed.
Dark veins spread outward from it.
Thin at first.
Then rapidly branching beneath her skin.
Like countless black roots.
"...Poison..."
Her pupils contracted.
*When...?*
Her thoughts raced.
*That strike...?*
She immediately rejected the possibility.
*No.*
*Impossible.*
*It's spreading far too quickly.*
It hadn't even been a full second.
Yet the poison had already merged with her circulating spiritual energy.
It surged through her meridians with terrifying speed.
She could already feel it beginning to approach her Golden Core.
"...How..."
Another cough escaped her lips.
Blood splattered across her white robes.
*What kind of poison spreads this quickly...?*
She immediately circulated her spiritual qi, attempting to suppress it.
Nothing.
The poison continued advancing without the slightest resistance.
As though it had already rooted itself within her body long before she had noticed it.
Her eyes widened.
*Unless...*
A realization surfaced.
*I've already been poisoned...*
*For some time.*
---
Across the battlefield—
Lizarius hovered silently.
Blood stained the black scales covering the tip of his tail.
Fresh crimson slowly dripped from the poisonous spikes.
His golden eyes never left Zuo Qia.
*...It took longer than expected.*
His thoughts remained calm.
*But the final strike accelerated it.*
There wasn't the slightest trace of satisfaction.
Only another completed calculation.
---
The battlefield faded from his thoughts.
A memory quietly resurfaced.
---
Earlier—
when the battle had first begun and the dark storm clouds swallowed the entire battlefield—
within those clouds, the lizard remained completely concealed.
Hidden by roaring winds.
By endless lightning.
By darkness itself.
Lizarius had quietly released something from his body.
An almost invisible black mist silently dispersed into the storm.
It carried no obvious aura.
No killing intent.
No detectable spiritual fluctuations.
The violent winds immediately scattered it throughout every layer of the storm.
It merged naturally with the clouds.
With the rain.
With the lightning-filled mist.
Impossible to distinguish.
---
Later—
when Zuo Qia had been swallowed by the dragon manifestation—
azure flames and lightning continuously battered her defensive barrier.
Tiny fractures repeatedly appeared across its surface.
Whenever those fractures opened—
no matter how briefly—
the surrounding poisonous mist silently seeped through.
Into her burns.
Into her wounds.
Not enough to kill.
Only enough to enter.
To settle.
To remain dormant.
---
Then—
the dragon manifestation had been destroyed.
Its body exploded into countless fragments of storm clouds.
The poison hidden within those clouds dispersed once again.
The violent winds carried it everywhere.
Even as Zuo Qia escaped—
she continued breathing.
Every breath drew in another trace.
Another fragment.
Another invisible strand.
The poison slowly accumulated.
Patiently.
Silently.
Never revealing itself.
---
Only moments ago—
the black-scaled tail had finally struck her.
The poisonous spikes embedded along its surface pierced her flesh.
Not deeply.
Only enough.
That second dose of venom wasn't meant to kill her.
It merely served as...
A catalyst.
A stimulant.
The poison already circulating throughout her body awakened instantly.
Every hidden strand responded at once.
Its spread accelerated severalfold.
---
The memory faded.
---
Lizarius quietly watched.
*The concentration wasn't sufficient at first.*
*She was a Nascent Soul cultivator.*
*Her spiritual qi continuously suppressed it.*
*Without external stimulation...*
*Its effects would've remained slow.*
His gaze settled upon the wound she had received moments earlier.
*Fortunately...*
*The catalyst functioned exactly as intended.*
---
Across from him—
Zuo Qia's breathing grew heavier.
Blood continued dripping from her lips.
Dark veins spread farther beneath her skin.
Her thoughts rapidly replayed every moment of the battle.
*The storm...*
*The dragon...*
*The clouds...*
Her pupils slowly contracted.
"...The clouds..."
Another cough interrupted her.
Dark blood stained the air.
Her expression finally changed.
"...The poison..."
"...Was hidden..."
"...Inside the storm..."
Her voice had become noticeably hoarse.
"...I see it now..."
"...It wasn't your tail..."
"...Not entirely..."
"...It merely..."
She glanced once more at the spreading black veins.
Understanding finally settled within her eyes.
"...Accelerated it."
Silence.
Lizarius neither confirmed nor denied her conclusion.
His golden eyes remained as calm as ever.
Seeing no reply—
Zuo Qia slowly exhaled.
"...I see..."
"...From the very beginning..."
"...From the moment you created that storm..."
"...This battle..."
"...Had already entered its final stage."
For the first time—
there was unmistakable admiration in her gaze.
"...Every exchange..."
"...Every retreat..."
"...Every technique..."
"...Was only buying time."
She slowly looked toward the dark clouds still lingering overhead.
"...You never intended..."
"...To overpower me."
Her gaze returned to Lizarius.
"...You intended..."
"...To let the poison kill me."
The mountain range fell silent.
Only distant thunder answered.
Zuo Qia silently watched the enormous white-scaled lizard.
Dark veins continued spreading beneath her skin.
Every heartbeat carried the poison deeper.
Yet—
her eyes had become calmer than ever.
*...What a terrifying creature.*
Her fingers slowly tightened around the hilt of her sword.
*To think...*
*From the moment it lured me away from the sect...*
*Everything had already begun.*
The storm.
The concealment.
The dragon.
The poison hidden within the clouds.
The catalyst concealed upon its tail.
The countless feints.
The shadow clones.
Even the moments where it appeared to retreat...
*Every single exchange...*
*Had only been buying time.*
Her breathing remained uneven.
Blood continued dripping from the corner of her lips.
*I believed I was hunting it...*
*Yet from the very beginning...*
*A trap had already been carefully laid.*
*A trap...*
*And I walked into it willingly.*
A faint, bitter smile appeared on her face.
*I've been the prey all along.*
Her eyes slowly sharpened once more.
*But...*
*Cornered prey...*
*Bites the hardest.*
She understood her condition perfectly.
Circulating spiritual qi recklessly would only accelerate the poison.
Continuing a prolonged battle...
Would end in certain death.
Which meant—
she had only one option.
End everything.
Without the slightest warning—
the colossal Soul Manifestation behind her moved.
The enormous white sword ignored distance.
Ignored space itself.
It pierced directly toward Lizarius' soul.
---
Lizarius' golden eyes remained calm.
The instant the Soul Manifestation locked onto him—
his body dissolved.
Not into blood.
Not into flesh.
Only...
Shadow.
The manifestation pierced through empty darkness.
A shadow clone.
Several hundred meters away—
the true Lizarius silently appeared.
---
But—
Zuo Qia had never expected that strike to land.
The moment Lizarius exchanged positions—
her spatial ring flashed.
A small jade bottle appeared in her hand.
Pop.
The stopper flew free.
Without hesitation—
she poured its entire contents into her mouth.
Several medicinal pills disappeared down her throat.
She swallowed them in one motion.
Powerful medicinal energy immediately erupted throughout her meridians.
The advancing poison visibly slowed.
The black veins no longer spread as rapidly.
Though they did not disappear—
their terrifying advance had been temporarily restrained.
She spat out another mouthful of dark blood.
"Cough..."
Her breathing steadied slightly.
*That...*
*Should suppress it...*
*For now.*
Her gaze slowly lifted.
Meeting Lizarius' golden eyes once more.
Silence.
The two simply stared at one another across the shattered battlefield.
Within Zuo Qia's mind—
another realization surfaced.
*So...*
*This is how you chose to fight.*
She looked at him without blinking.
*No reckless assaults.*
*No unnecessary exchanges.*
*No impatience.*
*You're simply...*
*Waiting.*
*Waiting for the poison...*
*To finish me.*
Her grip tightened.
*That won't happen.*
Boom!
Sword intent erupted once more.
Without warning—
she swung.
A single horizontal slash swept across the battlefield.
It wasn't aimed solely at Lizarius.
It swept across everything.
Every lingering shadow.
Every hidden clone.
Every remaining illusion.
Shrrk!
One after another—
the shadow clones scattered throughout the battlefield were split apart.
They dissolved into darkness before disappearing entirely.
Only one presence remained.
The real one.
At the same instant—
the colossal Soul Manifestation surged forward once more.
The gigantic white sword pierced through the heavens.
Straight toward Lizarius.
---
His pupils narrowed.
Lightning exploded beneath his claws.
Wind erupted around his wings.
Gravity twisted violently.
Boom!
His enormous body shot sideways.
The Soul Manifestation narrowly missed.
Then—
without slowing—
it turned.
Like an extension of Zuo Qia's own consciousness—
the colossal sword instantly altered its trajectory.
Once again—
it pursued him.
Boom!
Lizarius accelerated.
Lightning streaked across the heavens.
The manifestation followed.
Boom!
He changed direction again.
The white sword instantly corrected its path.
Never losing him.
Never hesitating.
Never drifting even the slightest fraction from its target.
High above the battlefield—
a white streak relentlessly pursued a crimson bolt of lightning.
One fled.
One hunted.
Neither yielded.
---
Zuo Qia quietly watched the chase.
Blood continued dripping from her lips.
Yet her gaze remained unwavering.
"...You've already figured it out..."
"...Haven't you?"
Her calm voice drifted across the battlefield.
"...Unlike ordinary techniques..."
"...A Soul Manifestation..."
"...Cannot be escaped."
She slowly raised her sword once more.
"...As long as my consciousness remains..."
"...It will continue pursuing you."
"...No matter how far you run..."
"...No matter how many times you exchange positions..."
"...It will never lose its target."
Her eyes locked onto Lizarius.
"...Eventually..."
"...It will reach you."
Far away—
lightning exploded once more as Lizarius changed direction.
The colossal white sword followed immediately behind him.
Unwavering.
Relentless.
Like death itself...
Pursuing its destined prey.
Zuo Qia's eyes remained fixed upon the white-scaled dragon racing through the heavens.
Her fingers still gripped the spatial talisman tightly.
Its runes had already begun glowing.
She needed only—
A single instant.
Then—
Her pupils contracted.
"...!"
The fleeing Lizarius suddenly disappeared.
No—
He had switched places.
Far behind him—
a shadow clone instantly exchanged positions with his true body.
The clone continued fleeing—
but it didn't survive even a single moment before the pursuing manifestation obliterated it.
The real Lizarius—
charged directly toward her.
A deep growl shook the heavens.
"Grrrrrr..."
Boom!
An overwhelming pressure erupted from his body.
His heartbeat thundered like war drums.
His muscles rapidly swelled.
Every strand of spiritual power within him exploded violently.
Crimson light spread throughout his body.
His horns darkened.
His claws became even sharper.
The black scales covering his tail turned blood-red.
Even the lightning dancing around him transformed.
Blue-white...
Became crimson.
Each bolt radiated an incomparably violent aura.
His blood essence...
Burned.
*Dragon Blood Fury.*
For the first time since the battle began—
Lizarius abandoned all restraint.
Everything—
His speed.
His strength.
His reactions.
Exploded upward.
---
Zuo Qia's eyes widened slightly.
*His aura...*
*It increased?*
Before the thought could finish—
He vanished.
Boom!!
The sky behind him exploded.
A crimson bolt tore across the battlefield.
He wasn't flying.
He wasn't charging.
He simply...
Appeared.
Too fast.
---
Zuo Qia reacted instantly.
Her Soul Manifestation descended.
The colossal white sword appeared beside her once again.
Ignoring distance.
Ignoring space.
It slashed directly toward Lizarius.
At the same moment—
she twisted her body.
Her own sword flashed upward.
Attempting to intercept him.
Everything happened within less than a heartbeat.
Then—
A wet sound echoed.
**Shlk!**
Blood erupted into the sky.
Scarlet droplets scattered like rain.
Zuo Qia's body froze.
Her right shoulder suddenly felt...
Weightless.
Her eyes slowly shifted.
The arm gripping the spatial talisman...
Was gone.
Severed cleanly from the shoulder.
The detached arm continued flying through the air.
Still clutching the activated talisman.
Fresh blood sprayed endlessly from the smooth wound.
Only then—
did the Soul Manifestation finally descend.
Boom!!
Lizarius forcibly twisted his body.
The enormous white blade grazed across his left flank.
It left no physical wound.
Its target had never been flesh.
It was his soul.
He never slowed.
His crimson eyes remained fixed on only one target.
The severed arm.
---
Without hesitation—
His jaws snapped shut.
Crunch!
The detached arm—
along with the spatial talisman—
vanished into his mouth.
The glowing runes hadn't even finished activating.
His throat moved once.
He swallowed.
The light of the talisman vanished completely.
Silence.
Only the sound of blood falling from the sky remained.
---
Several hundred meters away—
Lizarius skidded across the empty air before finally coming to a halt.
Blood stained his massive maw.
His tongue flicked out, slowly licking the crimson from his fangs.
Dragon Blood Fury still surged throughout his body.
Crimson lightning crackled wildly around his scales.
Yet his golden eyes—
now tinged with crimson—
never left Zuo Qia.
Calm.
Cold.
Calculating.
---
Across the battlefield—
Zuo Qia slowly looked at the empty space where her arm had once been.
Blood poured endlessly from the wound.
Then—
her gaze shifted toward Lizarius.
Toward his slightly swollen throat.
Understanding dawned almost instantly.
"...You..."
Her voice was hoarse.
"...You swallowed it..."
Lizarius offered no reply.
Only silence.
The surrounding storm rumbled softly overhead.
Zuo Qia slowly lowered her sword.
For the first time since becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator—
she felt genuine disbelief.
*He noticed...*
*Even while fleeing...*
*He saw the spatial talisman.*
*He knew exactly what it was...*
*And immediately changed his objective.*
*Not killing me...*
*Preventing my escape.*
Her remaining hand tightened around the hilt of her sword.
Blood continued dripping from her severed shoulder.
Her breathing grew heavier.
The poison continued spreading.
The pills suppressed it...
But only temporarily.
Her escape route...
Had just disappeared.
Across the silent battlefield—
the two figures stared at one another once more.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Only distant thunder rolled across the mountains.
The battle...
Had entered its final stage.