Chapter 138 - Domain Clash
People started murmuring among the gathered cultivators, their voices rising with speculation and analysis.
Even Fiora, observing keenly from her vantage point, leaned toward Rexa with furrowed brows.
"Why are they not using their domains? I know Cale has one, despite being at Apex stage," she said, curiosity coloring her voice.
A middle-aged cultivator stepped forward from the crowd behind her,
"You don’t know? Wang Yunfeng has an ability which can negate any domain for ten seconds. And it can be activated again and again every few minutes," he explained. "Maybe the kid knows this."
Fiora’s eyes widened with understanding.
"Is that so..."
Cale stared at Wang Yunfeng intently, his mind working through multiple layers of strategies.
’Is he a fated one too? That is indeed possible, since only one of us will get this inheritance after this. Oi, system of mine, answer me.’
The response came:
[Individual Wang Yunfeng can be considered a Fated One by the System.]
’By the system, you say, hmm... so there can be people who are fated ones but due to change in circumstances, they’re not fated now, and vice versa. Indeed, fate is such a tricky thing.’
He nodded, shifting his focus back onto the fight—
Before another quest notification appeared:
[Quest: Kill Wang Yunfeng]
[Reward: Cultivation Masking]
[Cultivation Masking: Can mask host’s cultivation as a mortal, but not to any other stage host wants to.]
Cale sighed internally.
’So it’s not that good. What’s the point in faking being a cultivator and disguise as mortal? Well, if you’ve issued it, what can I say.’
But he had no time to dwell on the reward’s use. One of his Thorned Lotus swords — previously hidden in plain sight among the chaos, suddenly accelerated toward the crowd of spectators.
"Kugh!"
A low-level Wang clan warrior coughed blood as the flying sword pierced his gut cleanly.
"Argh! Where did this come from!" another screamed as the sword’s trajectory shifted, its edge finding his throat and opening it.
"Nooo! Go away! Somebody save me!" a third wailed as the blade hunted them with relentless determination.
The sword swiftly eliminated low-level warriors of the Wang clan, dwindling their numbers. It moved with near perfect targeting accuracy, ignoring everyone else and focusing exclusively on Wang Family members.
Cale had put at least 30% of his divine consciousness into it.
As soon as the gathered cultivators realized the pattern, they quickly moved to the sides, creating space. The cluster of Wang clansmen was forced to stand in the center of a growing circle, only for the sword to continuously move among them, attacking and confirming kills.
"I can’t believe that Cale kid is going this far! They’re only the low rungs of that clan!" someone shouted.
"Idiot," another one snorted. "Even the low-level warriors can report many things back to the clan. I say he’s helping us!"
Most observers didn’t know that Cale had already been present for the first hundred years of this inheritance.
He has taken special care of his appearance during that time; using youth-vitalizing pills regularly to prevent aging, maintaining a youthful facade while accumulating centuries of experience. To these people, he was simply a talented young cultivator with exceptional capabilities.
"He’s seriously humiliating them, isn’t he," one observer muttered.
Wang Yunfeng sensed the commotion, and his anger spiked to dangerous levels.
"You!! You bastard!" he roared, red fog beginning to emerge and swirl around his body.
’Here it is,’ Cale thought, recognizing the telltale signs of domain activation.
Yes, Wang Yunfeng had started to form his domain — the red fog coalescing into something far more structured and devastating.
Cale responded in kind, activating his own three domains simultaneously.
The Ink Sword Domain painted a massive dome of pure black above them, trapping both combatants within its radius. It increased his sword intent’s damage output exponentially, making every slash more lethal.
The Supreme Chaos Domain activated next, increasing his chaos flames’ efficiency to one hundred and fifty percent of normal output; turning already devastating fire more deadly.
The Supreme Nihility Domain completed the trinity; not allowing his enemy to heal wounds, decreasing their qi intake capacity, corrupting injuries themselves so they would fester and worsen even with treatment.
A surging pressure fell on Wang Yunfeng’s soul and physical body simultaneously, barely allowing him to maintain coherent thought through the overwhelming weight.
It was one domain against three.
Although it cost Cale significantly more in terms of energy expenditure, the damage inflicted on Wang Yunfeng would be proportionally devastating.
The clash was nearly even — both sides’ domains trying to cancel each other out. The one with the strongest force would last longer. The one who stumbled first, who showed weakness first, would lose everything.
The ink barrier formed a black dome above them, its surface capable of manifesting intent slashes that could be launched at the enemy with merely a thought from Cale.
It was reactive, automatically adjusting its output and toughness based on Wang Yunfeng’s energy reinforcement and durability, attempting to slice him down with perfect efficiency.
But the energy required for constant barrages of such slashes was immense.
Wang Yunfeng, recognizing this weakness, quickly spread his red fog throughout the dome’s interior, filling the space as completely as possible.
If this continued, Cale’s insides would accumulate residue fog, corrupting his cultivation from within.
"Sigh," Cale muttered, realizing not everything would go according to his initial plan.
He opened half of the ink domain, creating a gap to allow the red fog to disperse.
Wang Yunfeng, seeing the opening, immediately smirked.
Cale’s body was suddenly trapped between three sharp rings of condensed red energy, and they began to shrink inward, attempting to cut him apart through sheer compressive force.
It did cut him — slowly at first, but inevitably. Blood began to seep from where the rings touched his skin, and he was trapped in place, the rings forming a deadly prison. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as seconds stretched into eternities.
Less than twenty seconds had elapsed since he activated his domains, and already he was being pushed to his limits.
Rexa’s eyes widened in panic from the observation point.
"No! Young mast—" she started to move, ready to charge down and assist.
But Fiora quickly pulled her hand back, her grip firm and unyielding.
"Stop. Are you dumb?" Fiora hissed. "He surely has a healing skill. Don’t make a target of yourself."
Rexa hesitated, but she understood, biting her lips. Still, watching her young master being cut trapped and bleeding was almost unbearable.
Liushen remained hidden somewhere in the crowd, observing, waiting for an opportunity.
Cale moved with sudden explosive force.
Using the Three Illusionary Steps Technique, he bent agilely and escaped through the first ring with a sharp cry of effort. His body blurred, passing through the second and third rings just as swiftly, slipping free of the deadly prison.
Wang Yunfeng’s eyes narrowed.
"Tch! Even a healing... no, is it restoration?" he muttered, realizing that Cale’s wounds were closing almost instantly even as new ones appeared.
’An Emperor stage is still Emperor, huh?’ Cale thought grimly, recognizing the big difference between his Apex Stage and Wang Yunfeng’s Emperor Stage cultivation.
The fog around Wang Yunfeng materialized and transformed as he made a few hand signs. It formed countless needle-sized blades, swirling with the speed of gaseous particles themselves; a tornado of microscopic death approaching Cale from all directions.
Cale moved agilely, calling the Thorned Lotus to his side and using it to parry the incoming blades while simultaneously launching swift, invisible slashes from his ink domain. He dodged and parried with Noxis as well, his movements becoming a desperate dance of defense.
’There are too many!’
The blades came from everywhere at once—an overwhelming assault that gave him no opening for counterattack.
He threw explosive talismans in multiple directions, scattering the small blades for precious seconds before he dealt with the next wave.
’Shit! I need to think of something else.’
Even after parrying and blocking hundreds of individual blades, he was still being cut at dozens of places across his body. Each cut was fierce enough to pierce through his hardened, enhanced skin. Blood flowed freely now, staining his white robes red.
He healed, using his restoration laws to close wounds even as Wang Yunfeng’s next barrage of blades opened new ones.
It was a war of attrition that he was slowly losing.
His energy reserves were still vast, his healing capabilities still exceptional, but at this rate of constant damage and constant healing, eventually one would fail before the other.