I channeled the black flame into Dance of Embers. Agony ripped through me, and I screamed. Huo seized the moment, hurling a fireball, but my black aura swallowed it. Then I felt it—that unparalleled sensation. A breakthrough. Controlling both techniques became effortless, but my "superweapon's" fuel was spent. No matter—plenty of black flame lingered, and now I could wield it. A swift lunge, and a crack spiderwebbed across Huo's amulet.
"Impossible! Impossible!" he shrieked. The sand glowed red-hot, fusing into glass in patches. His fire wall spiraled out of control, wasting its energy in a wild blaze.
Black flame molded around me like armor, the crimson veins on my skin darkening to maroon. I must've looked like a demon, but the fused technique shattered Huo's amulet. I struck fast and brutal, Kai's memories guiding me to every vulnerable point. My blows were precise, my movements honed. Huo tried to defend, to cast techniques, but they faltered. He wasn't used to pain. He feared it. A delightful surprise for me—and fatal for him.
It ended abruptly. The raging flames vanished, and the mighty Huo was gone. Only a battered, sobbing boy remained. I deactivated Song of Pure Flame and exhaled, exhausted. Cleansed of impurities, my body still ached.
"Did I win?" I shouted, eyeing the elders' box.
"The duel was to the death!" Mo Shan replied. "You're both alive. What victory?"
I glanced at the whimpering Huo. Damn it, why was I hesitating? He'd never have spared me. Was I weak? Or stronger than these twisted parodies of righteous Daoists?
"Let's wait a few hours. They'll tire, maybe change their minds," I sighed, turning to leave. A surge of energy flared behind me. I tried activating Dance of Embers, but my Qi was drained—nothing left. On instinct, I rolled forward, hearing an explosion. No pain came, only a pained groan and the crowd's stunned silence.
"Technical victory to Kai Shen!" Mo Shan roared a second later. Lesson learned, Kai: never leave a living enemy at your back. Never.
Casting a final glance at Huo's body, I headed for the open exit. The twins awaited me. The crowd jeered, curses raining down. Suddenly, an immense pressure descended, stealing my breath. The stands fell silent. Turning, I saw Clan Leader Cao Shen hovering above the arena. A levitation technique? Or sheer power defying nature?
"Brothers, sisters, members of the great Phoenix Sect," he declared. "In light of this controversial duel, I announce: I expel disciple Kai Shen from the Phoenix Sect! And to ensure no one seeks to settle grudges, as Shen Clan Leader, I banish him to the Fort of Eternal Ice!"
Wait—hadn't the twins mentioned a different name? The Frost Ridge Sect? Silence held for a moment, then a cacophony of cheers erupted. The crowd rejoiced. Two questions burned in my mind: What made the Fort of Eternal Ice so terrifying? And why did these people hate me so fiercely?
I'd find the answer to the first soon enough.