Reincarnated with a lucky draw system-Chapter 513: CLASH OF TECHNIQUES II

He poured every ounce of his will into breaking free, qi surging like a crimson storm beneath his skin.

He activated the second step of the Crimson Firmament, Crimson Glide, while still riding the speed boost from the first.

The technique allowed an abrupt, violent change of direction mid-motion.

Combined with his already multiplied velocity, Xu Tialan became a blazing scarlet streak, appearing behind Chen Mo in the blink of an eye, momentum fully preserved.

"Fourth Form!" he snarled coldly, blade whistling toward Chen Mo’s neck.

The sword technique condensed his qi into a single, razor-thin slash capable of severing space itself.

"Abyssal Soul Stride," Chen Mo called out, invoking the second step of his own footwork with casual ease.

A translucent soul projection separated from his body, gliding past Xu Tialan and materializing behind him.

The phantom looked identical, same black robes, same calm expression.

Xu Tialan’s eyes widened, convinced the real Chen Mo had attacked.

But the projection was harmless, nothing more than an afterimage of will.

Confident that his opponent had made a fatal mistake, Xu Tialan pressed his attack forward.

Then, in the instant before his blade could descend, the real Chen Mo vanished from sight.

"Huh? Where—?" Xu Tialan’s head snapped around, eyes scanning desperately.

"Behind!" his instincts screamed.

His senses locked onto Chen Mo standing exactly where the soul projection had been.

"That bastard!" Xu Tialan cursed, realization dawning too late.

He spun, using the second step once more to reverse direction instantly.

But he had miscalculated.

The second step of the Sevenfold Heavenly Demon Tyranny Steps held a hidden layer.

The very spot where Chen Mo had stood, and where Xu Tialan now rushed, erupted in a violent explosion of pure demonic energy. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Black, abyssal flames roared outward like a waking volcano, slamming into Xu Tialan with cataclysmic force.

He was sent flying, body tumbling through the air before crashing hard into the blood-soaked ground.

His pristine white robes tore and stained with dirt and gore; dust billowed around him in a choking cloud.

"Chen Mo... you bastard," Xu Tialan gasped, pushing himself up on trembling arms, bewilderment etched across his face.

"How are you this strong?"

Chen Mo offered no reply.

The reason was simple, yet profound.

Unlike ordinary cultivators who possessed a single core, Chen Mo’s dantian had been split into multiple perfect sections by his Mystic Arms.

Each segment retained its full quality and quantity of qi, multiplying his reserves far beyond what any normal expert could dream of.

The reforged sword, imbued with Vault’s ancient knowledge, amplified the effect even further.

Two of those cores had been filled with the foreign essences Chen Mo received from Vault: one saturated with pure demonic energy drawn from Vault himself, the other infused with the preserved heavenly essence of Vault’s long-dead wife.

Her body had been kept pristine across the ages, her power now flowing through Chen Mo’s veins like living starlight.

Combined with the techniques he had polished under Vault’s merciless guidance, Chen Mo’s true strength dwarfed anything he allowed to show.

In truth, he was forcefully suppressing his realm, deliberately holding himself in the second realm so he would not be pulled into the third.

The gap between him and Xu Tialan was far wider than the older man could ever imagine.

The mountain wind howled through the ruined gates, carrying the scent of blood and shattered stone as the two heirs of opposing fates faced each other once more.

Xu Tialan stared at Chen Mo with raw surprise, unable to comprehend how a single footstep could root him in place like a statue bound by the mountain itself.

The abyssal pressure crushed downward, pinning his legs to the shattered stone as dark fissures spread outward like living veins.

The air grew thick and heavy, every breath labored under the invisible weight.

"Do not toy with me!!" Xu Tialan roared, fury igniting his qi like a crimson inferno.

He poured every ounce of his will into breaking free, veins bulging on his neck as he surged forward once more.

He activated the first, second, and third steps of the Crimson Firmament simultaneously.

The third step, Heavenly Flash, unleashed an instant burst of speed that made the world blur.

To the four demonic cultivators standing behind Chen Mo, Xu Tialan simply flickered out of existence.

He reappeared directly in front of Chen Mo, momentum fully preserved, legs reinforced with massive amounts of qi to push the burst to its absolute limit.

His goal was brutal and simple: end the fight before Chen Mo could even register his movement.

"Heaven Pierce!" he shouted with grim determination, stabbing straight toward Chen Mo’s eyes.

The technique concentrated every drop of his qi into the blade’s tip.

The energy released like a concentrated laser beam capable of tearing through the heavens themselves.

Xu Tialan poured nearly all his reserves into the strike, seeking a single, decisive kill.

Dealing with the four elites afterward would be child’s play.

Chen Mo didn’t blink.

For the first time in the battle, he swung his sword, casually, almost lazily.

Xu Tialan’s eyes widened in confusion and bewilderment.

The draw was impossible in his eyes.

It felt as though time itself slowed to accommodate the motion, the air rippling like water around the blade.

Or perhaps Chen Mo was simply faster, far faster, than any logic allowed.

One way or another, Chen Mo’s attack took absolute priority.

Casually, Xu Tialan’s blade was severed cleanly in two.

The broken half spun through the air, clattering uselessly against the stone.

Xu Tialan stood speechless, staring at the ruined weapon in his hand, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

"Xu Tialan," Chen Mo asked coldly, voice carrying over the mountain wind like a death sentence, "where is Su Yueqing?"

"I’m not saying," Xu Tialan replied stubbornly, jaw clenched despite the growing dread.

Chen Mo stared at him in silence, eyes dark and unreadable.

Then he swung his sword once more.

Xu Tialan instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, expecting the limb to be severed as the blade arced toward it.

But the sword passed straight through his hand without cutting it.

A bluff? Xu Tialan thought, relief flooding him as he looked down and found his fingers perfectly intact.

He opened his mouth to mock Chen Mo, only to freeze.

True dread clawed up his spine.

He had lost all control over the hand.

It hung limp and lifeless at his side, fingers twitching uselessly like dead meat, completely severed from his will.

"What... what did you do?" Xu Tialan gasped, eyes bloodshot with rising panic, voice cracking for the first time.

The mountain wind howled through the ruined gates, carrying the thick scent of blood and shattered pride as the heir of Heaven’s Ascension finally began to understand the depth of the monster standing before him.