Wu Jian's heart raced as the man from the Black Lotus Sect stepped forward, his presence overwhelming. The dark-robed figure exuded an air of danger, his aura suffocating. Wu Jian instinctively reached for the power within him, but there was still so much he didn't understand about this new strength. The lingering darkness, the celestial power, both were there, swirling beneath his skin.
"You'll regret defying us, boy," the Black Lotus Sect cultivator sneered. His voice was like poison, dripping with malicious intent. His dark eyes glinted with cruel amusement as he took another step forward, making Wu Jian feel as though the ground itself were turning beneath him.
Wu Jian's legs were rooted to the ground, his body still trembling with the aftershocks of his earlier practice. He could feel the power within him growing stronger, yet it was still wild and untamed. There were no guarantees that he could control it in time.
"You're wrong," Wu Jian said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "I will not be your puppet."
The man laughed, the sound echoing through the clearing. "A feisty one, aren't you? How entertaining." His hand glowed with a dark, ominous energy, and Wu Jian felt the air around him thicken as if it were becoming saturated with the energy of the Black Lotus Sect's forbidden arts.
Wu Jian knew he had no time to waste. If he couldn't fight back now, he'd be finished before he even had the chance to fully understand his powers. He summoned the energy within him, but it felt chaotic, unstable.
In that moment, a strange memory flashed in his mind. The teachings of the Tianxuan Sect, those ancient practices that had been embedded in his mind since his awakening. A technique came to him — an old martial art that harnessed both celestial and fiendish energy. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but there was no time to doubt.
Wu Jian thrust his hand forward, channeling the energy as he had seen in his vision. The power surged from his palm in a violent burst of light and shadow, crashing toward the Black Lotus Sect cultivator. But before it could make contact, the cultivator's eyes flashed with dark energy, and he raised his hand to intercept.
The two energies collided in midair, sending a shockwave through the clearing. Wu Jian's body jolted from the force, his footing unsteady. The Black Lotus cultivator's smirk never wavered as he casually absorbed the impact, the dark energy flickering around his hand as though he were unaffected by the attack.
"Is that all you have?" the cultivator taunted, his eyes glinting with amusement. He raised his other hand, and the dark energy around him surged, forming tendrils that whipped through the air like snakes. They aimed straight for Wu Jian, each one sharp and deadly.
Panic surged through Wu Jian's chest. His power was still too raw, unrefined. If he couldn't control it, he would be overwhelmed. But then, a familiar, comforting feeling began to settle over him — the feeling of the Tianxuan Sect's power, the bloodline that ran through his veins, reminding him of who he was and what he could become.
In that instant, Wu Jian made a decision. He couldn't fight with just brute force. He needed control, precision. He needed to become one with the energy that flowed within him.
Wu Jian closed his eyes, calming his breath, focusing on the core of the celestial and fiendish energies within him. He felt the opposing forces twist and coil like a dual current within his body. His fingers twitched as he reached for the two forces, the celestial light and the fiendish shadow, and for the first time, he felt the two energies working together.
Opening his eyes, Wu Jian raised both hands in front of him. The tendrils of dark energy from the Black Lotus cultivator came rushing at him, but this time, Wu Jian was ready. With a swift motion, he guided the energy within him, manipulating it like a weapon. His hands glowed with both a brilliant light and an eerie shadow, and he thrust them forward.
The collision was catastrophic. The two opposing forces collided, but this time it was Wu Jian's energy that held the upper hand. The Black Lotus cultivator's dark energy flickered and destabilized, allowing Wu Jian to push through. The celestial light from Wu Jian's hands enveloped the tendrils, dispersing them into nothingness.
"Impossible!" the Black Lotus cultivator shouted, his expression shifting from amusement to genuine surprise. The cultivator staggered back, his hands raised to protect himself, but Wu Jian's energy was already closing in on him.
Before the cultivator could react, Wu Jian's energy blasted forward, striking him in the chest. The force sent the man flying back several feet, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud.
Wu Jian stood there, breathing heavily, the last remnants of his celestial and fiendish power swirling around him like a tempest. He could feel the power inside him settling, calming down now that he had found a balance between the two forces. But the Black Lotus cultivator wasn't out of the fight just yet.
The cultivator slowly pushed himself up, his face twisted in a snarl. "You… you're stronger than I thought. But this isn't over."
Wu Jian tightened his grip. "I've only just begun."
The cultivator sneered but then paused, his expression thoughtful. "It seems you're not entirely useless. Perhaps I'll give you one more chance to join us."
Wu Jian shook his head. "I'll never join you."
The Black Lotus cultivator smirked, then straightened up, turning on his heel. "So be it. You'll regret this. The Black Lotus Sect will never forget you." With that, he disappeared into the shadows, vanishing as quickly as he had come.
Wu Jian stood alone in the clearing, his body trembling with exhaustion. He had won this battle, but he knew that the real fight was just beginning. The Black Lotus Sect would be back. And next time, they wouldn't give him a choice.