CHAPTER 29 — THE ASCENT OF THE WHITE RAKSHASA
The sun had not yet risen over the Violet Cloud Sect, but the mountain was already screaming. The alarm bells—massive bronze artifacts designed to be heard for fifty miles—rang incessantly, their vibrations shattering the windows of the outer disciple quarters.
At the base of the Ten Thousand Heavenly Steps, a single figure stood in the mist. Lin Fei's white hair was a stark contrast to the dark, blood-red robes he had chosen for the occasion.
THE BREAKING OF THE GATE
The Great Sect Gate was protected by the Cloud-Swallowing Array, a barrier that had stood for three thousand years. Fifty inner disciples stood behind it, their swords drawn, their faces pale.
"Halt! This is a restricted—"
Lin Fei didn't wait for the sentence to finish. He didn't use a spell. He simply walked forward. When his chest hit the barrier, the array hummed, then screamed. The disciples watched in horror as the translucent shield began to bend around his body.
* The Physics of the Dragon: Lin Fei's skin, now infused with the Saint Demonic Dragon Body's material density, was harder than the energy of the array.
* The Collapse: With a sound like a mountain splitting, the array shattered. The feedback killed the disciples instantly, their internal organs turned to liquid by the sudden release of pressure.
THE CORRIDOR OF ASH
Lin Fei began his ascent. He didn't run. He walked with a steady, rhythmic pace.
Every time a group of disciples rushed him, the result was the same. He didn't unsheathe a weapon. He used his hands as if he were parting tall grass.
* The Physical Toll: A flick of his finger snapped spirit-steel blades.
* The Aura: He released the Sovereign Shadow Bind in a concentrated radius. Those who got within ten feet of him found the gravity increasing ten-fold, pinning them to the stairs until their own bones crushed their lungs.
By the time he reached the halfway point, the "Ten Thousand Heavenly Steps" were painted a deep, slick crimson.
THE SECT ELDERS' DESPERATION
At the Main Plaza, the Twelve Great Elders stood in a circular formation. These were Foundation Establishment masters, the backbone of the sect.
"Form the Void-Severing Sword Circle!" the Lead Elder roared.
Twelve beams of white light converged on Lin Fei, creating a localized sun of destructive energy. The stone beneath him vaporized. The heat was enough to melt iron. For a moment, the Elders breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, a hand—pale, unburnt, and pristine—reached out from the white light.
Lin Fei stepped out of the "sun." His clothes were gone from the waist up, revealing the shimmering, translucent jade-glow of his torso. The Saint Demonic Dragon runes on his spine were glowing with a cold, silver light.
"Is this the limit of your 'Heaven'?" Lin Fei asked, his voice echoing through the soul of every living person on the mountain.
THE MASSACRE AT THE SUMMIT
He moved. To the human eye, he simply vanished. To the Elders, it was the arrival of death.
One by one, the Elders were dismantled. He didn't just kill them; he used his Abyssal Devouring Breath to strip their cultivation as he struck. He was a predator in a pen of sheep.
* Elder Mo: Throat crushed by a grip that felt like a hydraulic press.
* Elder Han: Heart pierced by a single, straight-hand strike that bypassed his defensive armor as if it were paper.
By the time the sun finally broke the horizon, Lin Fei stood alone in the center of the plaza. Ten thousand disciples were either dead, fleeing, or paralyzed with terror. The "Great Sect" was now a mountain of corpses and silence.
He looked toward the Sovereign Hall, where the three Gold Core Masters were finally emerging, their faces twisted in a mixture of disbelief and primal fear.
"The appetizers were mediocre," Lin Fei said, wiping a single drop of blood from his cheek. "I hope the main course has more substance."
Lin Fei has reached the peak. The entire sect hierarchy below the Gold Core level has been annihilated. Only the three Great Masters remain between him and total control of the mountain.
How shall the Sovereign end this massacre?
* The Brutal Conclusion: Lin Fei engages the three Gold Core Masters in a purely physical brawl, showing them that their "Divine Laws" cannot scratch his skin.
* The Soul Devour: Lin Fei uses the blood of the fallen disciples to fuel a Sovereign Array, turning the entire mountain into a digestive tract that begins to eat the Gold Cores of the Masters while they are still alive.
Which path shall we take, or would you like to see the aftermath of the "Corridor of Ash"?