Chapter 187: Split Heaven
"Enough playing around," Sunfire’s voice echoed in Grim’s mind, carrying decades of pent-up frustration. "Show this fool what our family’s true art can do!"
Grim’s expression shifted from casual interest to focused intensity. The orange radiance surrounding Sunfire began to intensify, and the temperature in the chamber rose noticeably.
"You’re right," he said aloud, though Mo Xuan couldn’t hear the sword’s voice. "It’s time to stop holding back."
"Sunfire Sword Dao: Solar Flare!"
The technique that erupted from Grim’s blade was unlike anything the chamber had ever witnessed. This was pure, concentrated sunlight given cutting edge.
The strike didn’t just cut through Mo Xuan’s defenses—it burned them away. Where Sunfire’s edge passed, the air itself ignited, creating a trail of superheated plasma that cauterized everything it touched.
Mo Xuan screamed as the attack carved across his chest, but no blood flowed from the wound. The heat was so intense that it sealed the injury instantly, creating the perfect cauterized cut that had given the Sunfire Sword Dao its nickname as the "bloodless sword art."
"Impossible!" Mo Xuan gasped, staggering backward. "That technique was lost! The Ambrose clan’s records were destroyed!"
"Records can be destroyed," Grim replied, advancing with steady steps. "But blades have wills of their own."
He began to move differently now. Each step left brief scorch marks on the ancient stone floor.
"Celestial Mist: Ethereal Mist," Grim whispered, and immediately the chamber began to fill with a strange hybrid technique. The mist that poured from his body wasn’t the cool vapor he had used before—it was superheated steam that glowed with orange light.