Before it could rise, Zetian landed lightly, exhaled, and straightened his posture.
Then, slowly, deliberately, he raised his hand again toward the roiling clouds above.
The thunder grew louder.
Lightning flashed within the clouds, illuminating them from the inside like a living beast waking up.
By now, movent stirred around the Ice Palace.
Several elders had stepped out onto the terraces, drawn by the disturbance. They stood at a distance, watching silently, expressions tense.
"Facing a transcendant-level Ice Knight…" one elder murmured. "And His Highness still looked so calm
Another narrowed his eyes. "That prince is dangerous."
High above them all, Mark watched in silence.
His gaze lingered on the storm forming at Zetian's command, then shifted briefly to Shang Jiao, whose excitent hadn't dimd in the slightest.
anwhile, Zetian threw his head back and shouted, "Co!"
A deafening crack split the sky.
A pillar of golden lightning descended like a divine judgnt, tearing through the clouds and striking straight down toward him. The air scread as space itself trembled.
Mark, watching from above, narrowed his eyes.
"That's the power of a Saint," he muttered softly. "So he's already touching that level…"
Below, Zetian stretched out his hand and caught the lightning.
The golden bolt did not burn him. Instead, it condensed, compressing violently until it beca a dense sphere of crackling lightning energy in his palm. The light was blinding, the pressure terrifying.
Veins of electricity crawled up his arm.
Zetian roared and slamd his left hand into the ground.
Boom!
Golden lightning surged outward like living veins, racing across the frozen earth in every direction. The ground shattered and split as the electric current spread instantly beneath the Ice Knight.
The Ice Knight froze for a split second.
Then its entire body exploded.
Ice shattered into countless fragnts, scattering across the training ground like glittering dust before dissolving into mist.
Silence followed.
Zetian stood there, chest rising and falling heavily. Steam rose from his body as residual lightning crackled faintly around him. His face was pale, and it was clear that the attack had taken a serious toll on him.
Shang Jiao hovered above, wings flapping slowly.
She smirked.
"That was amazing," she said lightly. "But…" her eyes shone with confidence, "I'm stronger."
She lifted one hand and began to move.
Not an attack. A dance.
Her movents were smooth and graceful, each motion flowing into the next like falling snow carried by the wind. Cold mist gathered around her as her ether followed the rhythm of her body.
Zetian stared at her.
For a brief mont, he forgot to breathe.
"Beautiful," he murmured, almost unconsciously.
Shang Jiao completed the final step of her dance and pointed her staff forward.
The temperature dropped sharply.
An enormous Ice Serpent ford from condensed ether and frost, its body coiling in a spiraling motion. Its scales shimred with pale blue light, and its fanged mouth opened wide as it lunged forward.
Shang Jiao let out a slow breath.
"My reserves are almost drained," she admitted. "This is my last attack."
She looked straight at Zetian.
"Try to defend yourself with those pitiful reserves you have left."
The Ice Serpent rushed toward him, its presence overwhelming, crushing the air around it.
Zetian did not move.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Co out," he whispered.
Just as the Ice Serpent was about to swallow him whole, a blinding flash of light erupted in front of him.
The serpent slamd into sothing invisible and stopped dead in its tracks.
The light faded.
In front of Zetian stood a massive shield, exquisite and ancient-looking, forged from golden and blue energy. Its surface was engraved with the image of a Bixi, the Dragon-Turtle beast, a sacred symbol of the Heavenly Ocean Empire.
The Ice Serpent hissed and struggled, its fangs biting into the shield, but it could not move forward even an inch.
Around the training ground, the watching elders drew sharp breaths.
The icy serpent had been stopped completely.
It reared back and struck the shield again and again, its massive body coiling and uncoiling as it slamd forward with relentless force. Each impact sent ripples through the air, but the shield stood firm, unmoving, like an ancient mountain rooted in the world itself.
Not even a crack appeared.
Shang Jiao clenched her teeth.
She raised her staff and pulled the Ice Serpent back. The enormous construct dissolved into mist, scattering into frost particles that faded in the air.
"You shaless hypocrite!" she shouted. "You used a shield in the end!"
Zetian dismissed the shield and scratched his cheek awkwardly, clearly embarrassed. "Well… it's a soul weapon," he said honestly. "Technically, it's part of my soul and body."
Shang Jiao snorted. "Yeah, right…"
She looked away and muttered under her breath, frustration clear in her voice. "If only I could have a soul weapon too. Damn it. But I can't because of my constitution."
She stared at the ground for a mont, then let out a long sigh.
"There's no point anymore."
She landed slowly on the platform, folding her icy wings back into her body. Zetian followed, dismissing his weapon completely. He looked at her with a relaxed smile, though his breathing was still uneven.
"So," he said, "can I take this as my win?"
Shang Jiao scoffed. "In your dreams. I still have enough strength and ether to keep fighting."
Zetian chuckled softly. "Then… how about a draw?"
She looked away again, clearly annoyed. "Whatever…"
Suddenly, Zetian's expression changed.
His pupils contracted sharply, and his body stiffened. Without warning, he coughed out a mouthful of blood and dropped to his knees. His face turned pale in an instant, and before Shang Jiao could even react, he collapsed forward and lost consciousness.
"What—?" Shang Jiao froze. "What happened?"
She rushed toward him, panic flashing across her face.
Before she could reach him, space rippled.
Mark appeared beside Zetian in an instant.
Shang Jiao stopped short. "Zhen Ge?"
Mark didn't answer her imdiately. He glanced around calmly and then gestured slightly with his eyes.
"Both of you fought so intensely this early in the morning," he said, "that you drew quite the crowd."
Only then did Shang Jiao notice the surroundings.
Several elders were standing at a distance, so on rooftops, others near the training grounds, all watching silently. Their expressions ranged from shock to deep interest.
Shang Jiao's face heated up slightly.
Mark knelt beside Zetian and placed a hand on his chest. His eyes closed as he focused inward.
"Ark," he said silently, "scan his condition."
The response ca instantly.
*Ding!
[ Target has suffered severe backlash ]
[ Cause: Soul weapon activation conflicting with partial White Fox bloodline ]
[ Bloodline resistance detected. Soul damage present ]
Mark opened his eyes. "So that's it," he murmured.
He looked down at Zetian, his gaze turning thoughtful. The shield had not rejected him, but his own bloodline had. The White Fox lineage resisted the Dragon-Turtle soul weapon, and forcing it had damaged him from within.
Mark let out a quiet breath.
"He pushed himself too far," he said softly, though Zetian could not hear him.
Shang Jiao stood there for a mont longer, watching as the unconscious Zetian was carefully lifted onto a stretcher of condensed ether.
The clan mbers moved quickly but respectfully, keeping their heads lowered. Within seconds, the group carried him away toward the healing ward, disappearing beyond the training grounds.
Only then did the tension in Shang Jiao's shoulders finally ease.
She turned back to Mark, still a little uneasy. "He really will be fine… right?"
Mark nodded again, his tone steady. "He will. The damage is internal and mostly spiritual. Painful, but not fatal. With proper rest and treatnt, he'll wake up."
Shang Jiao let out a slow breath that she did not realize she had been holding. "That's good…"
She paused, then quickly added, a bit stiffly, "I an, it would be troubleso if sothing happened to him. The imperial family would definitely make a big issue out of it."
Mark smiled faintly. He could hear the excuse clearly, but he did not expose it.
"I know," he said gently. "You're thinking of the bigger picture."
She looked away, her ears slightly red.
Mark folded his arms and glanced around once more. Most of the elders had already left, though a few distant figures were still whispering among themselves. With a wave of his hand, he dispersed the remaining onlookers, and silence slowly returned to the training grounds.
Then he looked back at her.
"Still," he then said, "I have a question, though. I'm curious."
Shang Jiao blinked. "W-what question?"
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