Chapter 32: The Return of the Fury Technique

The Sect Master of the Refining Sect moved with the speed of lightning, his feet treading upon the void. With each step, he seemed to shatter invisible barriers, advancing toward Yu Fan with an overbearing majesty.

The longsword in his hand was wreathed in violet electricity. As the tip trembled, faint sounds of dragons roaring and tigers howling echoed forth. This violet lightning was no ordinary phenomenon; it was the most rigid and pure thunder energy of heaven and earth, refined into the blade by the Sect Master’s supreme power. At this moment, it surged violently within the steel, yearning to break free from its scabbard and swallow all darkness.

In stark contrast, a dense mass of dark energy—like a demon crawling from the abyss—greedily devoured the surrounding light. It coiled around the longsword, shifting between the shape of a gruesome, distorted face and sharp, pitch-black claws, attempting to obstruct the Sect Master’s assault. A suffocating, terrifying atmosphere permeated the air, as if time itself had frozen.

Yet, the Sect Master’s gaze grew only more resolute, a cold, chilling smile curling at the corner of his lips. Clearly, this clash between light and darkness had only just begun.

Yu Fan unfolded his body, agile as a rabbit in the woods. Instantly catching the subtle gap in the Sect Master’s offensive, he used the momentum against his opponent, spinning lightly to deftly evade a powerful roundhouse kick. However, the Sect Master’s cultivation was unfathomable. Even in that fleeting moment, he had anticipated Yu Fan’s movement. Without pausing his footwork, he subtly adjusted his angle in mid-air, transforming his momentum into a hidden force. Like a dragon whipping its tail, he grazed past the hem of Yu Fan’s robe, kicking up a fierce pressure of wind.

Yu Fan felt an irresistible force strike him from the side. Losing his balance, he was tossed like a leaf caught in a gale, hurtling toward the temple wall. His pupils contracted as a sense of unprecedented crisis surged within him. Yet, at this very moment, some latent power inside him seemed awakened by the desperate situation. He rapidly formed seals with his hands against his chest, attempting to gather one final ounce of resistance.

The Sect Master sneered, "Boy, I have fought thousands of battles. Don't try to play tricks on me."

Yu Fan clutched his chest, looked up, and replied, "You are right, Senior. It would be my honor to die by your blade."

A hint of admiration entered the Sect Master’s voice. "If you are not dead yet, then pick up your sword and fight. Otherwise, why would I bother killing you?"

Yu Fan retorted, "To fight is death, and not to fight is also death. Why don't you just finish me?" A look of fearlessness filled his face.

The Sect Master laughed. "If you can take three of my strikes, I will let you go, no matter what techniques you use or if you choose to flee."

With that, the violet electricity around his body intensified. The longsword hummed in response to its master’s will. The pure solar energy of heaven and earth condensed into three brilliant sword phantoms, hovering around the Sect Master, each carrying the power to cleave mountains and shatter rocks.

He waved his hand, and the first sword phantom pierced the sky, rushing toward Yu Fan with a thunderous roar. Wherever the sword light passed, the air seemed to be cleaved in two, leaving behind a deep fissure.

Yu Fan gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the incoming flash. The power awakened by his desperation boiled over. He lunged upward, his feet tapping the ground as if walking on waves, narrowly evading the edge of the first strike by a hair's breadth. The blade grazed his hair, leaving a wisp of smoke, and he felt the shiver of death for the first time.

"That was the first strike, boy. Not bad! Not bad at all!" the Sect Master remarked.

He stood immovable, his eyes like torches, seemingly capable of peering through all illusions in the world. He took a deep breath, his internal energy surging and transforming into a chaotic force that flowed into his blade. The sword trembled, and the violet lightning grew wilder; even the heavens seemed affected as dark clouds gathered and thunder rumbled.

"This is the second strike. Catch it!" the Sect Master’s voice echoed hollowly in Yu Fan’s ears.

With a low chant, the Sect Master struck. Where the sword pointed, the void cracked open, and dark energy surged out like a tidal wave, striking toward Yu Fan with the speed of lightning. Within that darkness, countless vengeful souls seemed to wail, carrying a horrifying aura of destruction.

Yu Fan’s pupils shrank, a sense of unprecedented despair rising in his heart. But he did not retreat; instead, his desire to survive intensified. Gritting his teeth, he formed a seal. A strange, exotic energy swirled around him—a latent power within him, fully awakened in this moment of life and death, forming a barrier. The barrier ground against the Sect Master’s second strike for several minutes.

"Bang!"

A massive ball of fire erupted. Yu Fan was blasted against the wall, falling to his knees and vomiting blood. The Sect Master also staggered back a few steps.

"What? This boy is still alive?" the Sect Master exclaimed in disbelief.

Yu Fan slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Is that all? Go ahead and unleash your next move!"

A sinister smile touched the Sect Master’s lips. "Then, receive my third strike."

The violet lightning pierced the sky like a divine thunderbolt from the nine heavens, crashing toward the temple with irresistible might. In the blink of an eye, the temple’s eaves and rafters could not withstand the power of heaven and earth; they shattered, rocks flew, and dust filled the air.

Yu Fan looked tiny amidst the chaos. He slowly knelt, hands folded against his chest, closing his eyes to focus. The strange energy around him condensed into a faint veil of light, attempting to resist the destructive force about to consume him.

Yu Fan was already exhausted from the second strike; had it not been for the strange energy manifesting from within him, he would have perished long ago.

The violet sword light descended, roaring like a giant dragon. The moment the tip touched the light veil, a dazzling glow erupted, accompanied by a deafening roar that made the entire world tremble. Within the radiance, Yu Fan’s figure flickered; his face was pale as paper, but his eyes were exceptionally firm, as if engaged in a silent struggle against the power of heaven and earth.

His body swayed under the impact, sweat and dust mixing on his face to outline his resolute features. The strange energy behind him surged like an awakened ancient totem, revealing a power not to be underestimated. It wove a complex, dense web around him, each tremor seemingly parrying the endless oppression from the outside.

Just as the violet light was about to shatter his defense, the energy suddenly boiled over, transforming into slender streams of light that wove between the sword glare and the light veil. Like the brightest stars in the night sky, they interwove with the violet electricity, neutralizing each other.

The air was filled with sparks of friction and resistance. Every collision made Yu Fan’s body tremble, but his eyes grew brighter, as if he had found his own path on the very edge of life and death.