I Become Sect master In Another World-Chapter 189 — The Predator and the Prey
Ash fell first.
Slow. Relentless. Silent.
Gray flakes drifted across the ruined mountainside, settling over shattered stone and melted terraces like the world had been buried beneath a dead sky.
The wind carried the smell of burnt earth and scorched metal. Somewhere beneath the drifting haze, embers still glowed faintly in cracks torn through the mountain.
Nothing moved.
The battlefield that had once roared with explosions and screams now lay buried under a thick ocean of dust.
For a long moment, even the sky seemed afraid to breathe.
High above, the Dark Pearl hovered within its golden barriers, its runes humming softly as the massive ship steadied itself against the fading shockwaves.
Inside the ship—
No one spoke.
Dozens of disciples stood pressed against the crystal viewing panes, staring down into the gray sea below.
They saw nothing.
Just dust.
Just silence.
Luo Chen leaned forward slightly, his fingers tightening around the railing.
"…Is it over?" he muttered hoarsely.
No one answered.
Below them, the dust shifted.
At first it was subtle.
A faint ripple running through the ash-covered battlefield.
Then—
The dust began to move.
Not all of it.
Only two places.
Two opposite sides of the ruined sect.
The drifting clouds trembled… then slowly parted.
One side
The dust pushed outward first.
Not blown away.
Forced.
Pressure rolled through the gray haze like an invisible tide, shoving the ash aside in slow spirals.
The drifting particles trembled violently before being thrown back, scattering across the broken ground.
Something stood inside the clearing storm.
A silhouette.
Still.
Unmoving.
The dust continued retreating until the figure finally came into view.
Shaurya.
He stood alone on a slab of cracked black stone.
Hands in his pockets.
Back straight.
Head slightly lowered.
His white inner robes were untouched by the chaos around him, the crimson outer coat hanging from his shoulders like a war banner that had never once been touched by the fire.
Golden aura flowed around him in slow waves.
Not explosive.
Not violent.
Just… heavy.
Each pulse of that golden light pressed outward, pushing the surrounding dust farther away from him. Ash that drifted too close simply slid aside, as if the air itself refused to let it touch him.
His hair stirred gently in the faint currents.
His expression did not.
Those eyes—
Cold.
Molten gold burned quietly in his pupils, steady and merciless.
He did not move.
He simply stood there, surrounded by a widening circle of clean air while the battlefield continued to crumble beneath his presence.
Above, several disciples gasped softly.
"Master…" "He is alright…"
The other side
The dust exploded outward.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
A violent surge ripped through the gray clouds as violet energy burst from the haze like lightning tearing open a storm.
The dust scattered in all directions.
Ash whirled through the air.
And a figure stepped out.
Qin Morian.
His robes fluttered once as the violet aura surrounding him flared sharply, the pressure rolling outward in jagged waves.
The haze near him twisted violently before being shoved away entirely, leaving a clear circle of shattered stone beneath his feet.
Violet sigils crawled lazily across the air around his body.
They rotated slowly.
Elegant.
Deadly.
His expression remained calm.
Almost amused.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he lifted his head and looked across the ruined battlefield.
Toward the only other figure still standing.
Toward Shaurya.
For a moment—
Neither of them moved.
Between them stretched what remained of the Sanatan Flame Sect.
Or what used to be.
Ash drifted between them like gray snow.
Shaurya lifted his eyes slightly.
Qin Morian tilted his head.
Their gazes met.
The air tightened.
Even from the sky above, the sect memebers felt it.
That invisible weight pressing across the battlefield again.
Two pressures colliding silently.
Gold.
And violet.
Neither one yielding.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then Qin Morian chuckled softly.
A quiet sound.
Calm.
"…Well," he said, brushing a thin layer of ash from his sleeve, "that was rather dramatic."
His gaze drifted across the destroyed mountain before returning to Shaurya.
The faint smile on his face widened slightly.
"I must admit…" he continued smoothly, violet light curling lazily around his fingers, "I didn't expect someone in this region to carry power capable of erasing an entire mountain."
His eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"Impressive."
Shaurya didn't answer.
He stood exactly the same.
Hands still in his pockets.
Eyes steady.
The golden aura around him rolled outward once again, pushing another wave of drifting dust aside.
Qin Morian watched him for a moment longer.
Then he laughed.
Soft.
Genuine amusement flickering through his voice.
"…But unfortunately," he said calmly, spreading his arms slightly, violet energy swirling outward in a slow storm around him, "it seems your little technique wasn't quite enough."
The violet aura surged.
The ground beneath him cracked again.
Dust scattered violently as the pressure rose.
Across the battlefield—
Shaurya finally moved.
Only slightly.
His head lifted.
Golden light burned brighter in his eyes.
His voice came out low.
Cold.
"…I know."
The wind died.
Ash froze in the air between them.
And for the first time since the explosion—
The battlefield began to tremble again.
The wind died.
Ash drifted between them in slow, silent spirals.
Their eyes locked.
Cold gold.
Sharp violet.
No more words were needed.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
Both of them moved.
The ground exploded beneath their feet.
Stone shattered as two blurs tore forward across the battlefield, ripping straight through the drifting dust like twin meteors crashing toward one another.
A streak of gold.
A streak of violet.
They roared.
Not words.
A raw, furious sound ripped from both throats as their fists drew back at the same instant.
And then—
BOOM.
Their punches collided in the center of the battlefield.
The impact detonated like thunder exploding inside a canyon.
A circular shockwave burst outward from the collision, flattening the dust storm in a single violent sweep.
Ash and debris were blasted away in every direction, the gray clouds ripped apart like paper before a hurricane.
The battlefield was revealed completely.
The mountain terrace that once held the sect now lay shattered open like a broken crown.
Black scorch marks crawled across the stone pathways where sapphire fire had torn through moments earlier, leaving long glowing cracks that breathed faint heat into the air.
Ash drifted through the ruins.
Not from battle.
From buildings that no longer existed.
Where the disciple quarters had once stood in neat rows along the eastern terrace, only charred foundations remained.
Stone pillars had collapsed inward, roofs completely gone, beams burned down to brittle skeletons that snapped softly whenever a gust of wind brushed across them.
Fragments of tiled roofs lay scattered across the ground like broken scales, many of them half-melted from the heat.
A cracked wooden door hung from one hinge, swaying slowly in the smoky air.
Beyond it—
Nothing.
Just blackened ground where rooms full of life had once been.
Further up the terrace stood the Main Hall.
Or the ruin of it.
The towering structure that had once dominated the sect courtyard had collapsed inward during the explosion.
One entire wall had been blown apart, leaving the interior exposed to the sky like the ribs of a dead giant.
Broken beams leaned against each other in jagged angles while shattered stone statues lay buried beneath fallen pillars.
Half of the roof had slid down the slope and shattered into fragments.
The sect banner that once hung above the hall entrance was gone.
Only a scorched pole remained.
Not far from the hall—
The Medicinal Garden had been erased.
Stone pathways that once curved between carefully cultivated herbs were cracked and overturned.
Rows of rare spiritual plants had been ripped out of the soil by the shockwaves, their roots dried and curled from the lingering heat.
Clay cultivation pots lay overturned everywhere.
Some had shattered completely.
Others had fused into the ground where the fire had passed over them.
The scent of burnt herbs still lingered faintly in the air.
A twisted iron archway that once marked the garden entrance had collapsed sideways, half buried beneath blackened earth.
Near the center of the courtyard—
The sect fountain had collapsed into itself.
The circular stone basin had cracked straight through the middle, one half tilted downward where the ground beneath it had shifted during the blast.
The carved dragon heads that once poured clear mountain water into the basin now hung broken, their mouths filled with ash.
The water inside the fountain no longer moved.
It had boiled dry.
A thin white crust of minerals clung to the inner walls where the water had evaporated under the heat.
One shattered statue lay beside the fountain base.
Just a foot.
Carved stone toes pointed upward toward the gray sky.
The rest of the statue—
Gone.
Even the pedestal it once stood on had cracked open.
Only a circular scar remained where Shaurya's statue had once stood overlooking the courtyard.
Further across the ruined terraces—
The Disciplinary Hall had fared no better.
Its once rigid stone walls were split with long fractures running from roof to foundation.
One corner of the building had collapsed entirely, leaving a jagged gap where broken wooden training racks now spilled across the ground.
Iron chains used for punishment training lay twisted among the debris.
One of them still swung gently from a cracked beam.
Creak.
Creak.
Creak.
Ash continued falling around it.
Across the entire sect grounds, stone paths had been ripped apart by the blast.
Some sections had been pushed upward like broken teeth while others had sunk inward, forming shallow craters where the shockwaves had struck hardest.
Fragments of shattered walls littered every terrace.
Burned.
Broken.
Half melted.
The once orderly proud Sanatan Flame sect had become a graveyard of ruins.
At the center of the wasteland—
Two figures still stood.
Shaurya and Qin Morian.
Their fists pressed together between them.
The ground beneath their feet cracked deeper with every second.
Both men bared their teeth, muscles trembling as they pushed against the other's strength.
Golden aura surged.
Violet aura answered.
The air screamed.
Then they vanished.
CLANG—!
A punch tore through the empty space where Qin Morian's head had been a moment earlier.
Violet light flashed to the side as he twisted away, countering instantly with a sweeping kick aimed at Shaurya's ribs.
Shaurya blocked.
The impact rang like iron striking iron.
CRACK.
The force shattered the stone beneath them, sending fragments flying across the battlefield.
They separated—
Only to collide again.
Punch.
Kick.
Palm.
Elbow.
Their movements blurred into streaks of motion that the disciples watching from above could barely follow.
On the deck of the Dark Pearl, dozens of eyes widened in disbelief.
"I—I can't see them!" Xiao Rui gasped.
Wang Tian pointed downward, voice trembling.
"Look—there!"
But even as he spoke, the figures had already vanished again.
All they could see were the explosions.
Shockwaves rippled across the battlefield again and again, blasting craters into the ash-covered ground.
Broken rocks were hurled into the sky before being pulverized by the pressure of their clashes.
The two figures flickered through the destruction like lightning fighting lightning.
Gold.
Violet.
Gold.
Violet.
Each collision rang through the air like a war drum.
Shaurya's fist shot forward—
Qin Morian slipped inside the strike and drove his elbow toward Shaurya's chest.
Shaurya twisted sideways.
The elbow grazed past his ribs.
His knee snapped upward like a spear.
Qin Morian blocked—
BOOM.
The shockwave from the strike tore a trench across the battlefield behind them.
They spun apart again.
Their feet barely touched the ground before launching them back into motion.
Above, Wang Tian leaned against the railing, eyes wide as he tried to track the fight.
"…What the hell…" he whispered.
Below them, the battlefield erupted again.
Shaurya roared as he lunged forward, golden aura flaring violently around his body.
Qin Morian answered with a cold laugh, violet sigils igniting around his fists.
They collided again.
A storm of strikes exploded between them.
Punch after punch.
Kick after kick.
Their fists moved so fast that they seemed to multiply, dozens of afterimages slamming against each other in a relentless barrage of blows.
The sound of impact became a constant thunder rolling across the ruined mountain.
BOOM.
CRACK.
CLANG.
The air warped with every strike.
Shaurya drove forward with a brutal right hook.
Qin Morian leaned back—
But not far enough.
The fist grazed his cheek.
His eyes flashed.
He retaliated instantly.
His own fist snapped forward like lightning.
Shaurya turned—
Too slow.
Both fists landed at the same time.
CRACK.
Shaurya's right fist slammed into Qin Morian's cheek.
Qin Morian's left fist smashed into Shaurya's jaw.
The impact echoed across the battlefield like a cannon blast.
Both men's heads snapped sideways.
Their teeth ground together as pain flashed through their bones.
For a single moment—
They stared at each other from inches away.
Then the force of the strikes finally exploded outward.
Both figures were thrown backward across the battlefield.
Their boots skidded across the ruined ground, carving deep trenches through the ash before they finally stopped.
Shaurya straightened slowly.
Golden light rolled outward from his body in heavy waves.
Across from him—
Qin Morian lifted his head, violet aura spiraling violently around him like a storm gathering strength.
Neither of them looked injured.
If anything—
They looked more excited.
Shaurya exhaled once.
Then the golden aura around him erupted.
The air trembled.
Across the battlefield, Qin Morian's violet aura surged in response, crackling with jagged arcs of energy.
They moved again.
Two streaks of light ripped across the battlefield.
Gold.
Violet.
The lines cut straight toward one another—
And collided.
Again.
And again.
And again.
To the disciples watching from above, the battlefield had turned into a storm of color.
A spiral of golden light wrapped around twisting coils of violet energy as the two figures clashed again and again in blinding flashes of motion.
It looked less like two men fighting—
And more like two celestial serpents locked in mortal combat.
Golden light struck.
Violet answered.
The streaks twisted together, circling and snapping at one another like enormous snakes battling for dominance across the ruined mountain.
Shockwaves rippled outward with every collision.
The ground cracked deeper.
Ash lifted into the sky again.
The spiraling storm of gold and violet tore apart.
Two streaks of light shot past each other across the ruined battlefield.
For a split second—
Silence.
Then both figures reappeared.
Shaurya stepped out of the fading trail of golden light behind him, his boots scraping across the cracked stone as he came to a stop.
The golden aura he had torn through moments earlier lingered in the air like a burning scar stretching across the battlefield.
Across from him—
A streak of violet energy collapsed inward.
Qin Morian emerged from it.
His robes snapped violently as the last fragments of violet light scattered behind him like shattered glass.
The aura around him pulsed sharply, rippling through the air as he steadied himself.
The two stood facing one another again.
The battlefield between them trembled faintly, cracked ground glowing in dull lines from the force of their earlier clashes.
Then—
Shaurya moved first.
His voice ripped through the air in a furious roar.
"CRUSHING EARTH PALM!"
His body surged forward.
Wind exploded around him as his palm shot out, tearing through the air with terrifying speed. Brown-gold energy erupted around his hand, spiraling tightly around his fingers like compressed earth grinding under unbearable pressure.
The ground beneath his step shattered.
Across from him—
Qin Morian's eyes flashed.
His lips curled into a snarl as violet energy surged violently around his arm.
"ABYSS PALM!"
Dark violet aura gathered at the center of his palm, condensing into a dense vortex that seemed to swallow the surrounding light. The energy twisted inward like the mouth of a devouring void.
He thrust his palm forward.
The two attacks collided midair.
BOOOOOOM—!
The impact detonated like a bomb.
A violent shockwave exploded outward, flattening the surrounding ash and blasting shattered stone across the battlefield.
The ground beneath their feet cracked instantly, spiderweb fractures racing outward across the ruined mountain.
Their palms pressed together.
Energy roared between them.
Brown-gold force grinding against swirling violet darkness.
Both men screamed as they pushed forward.
Muscles bulged.
Aura clashed violently, sparks of gold and violet exploding outward where their powers collided.
Shaurya's teeth ground together.
The veins along his neck bulged as he forced his palm forward inch by inch.
"You evil old bastard—!"
His voice trembled with fury.
The golden aura around his body surged violently.
With a sudden roar—
He shoved forward.
Qin Morian's eyes widened as the crushing force slammed into him.
The older man's feet slid backward across the ground, carving deep trenches through the cracked stone as he was forced away.
"Ggh—!"
Before Qin Morian could recover—
Shaurya moved again.
His body spun sharply.
The golden aura around him flared violently as he twisted his hips and unleashed a devastating spinning kick.
His heel slammed into Qin Morian's abdomen.
THUD—!
The impact bent Qin Morian's body forward.
A spray of blood burst from his lips.
"COUGH—!"
He barely had time to gasp before Shaurya grabbed him.
Shaurya's hand shot forward and seized Qin Morian by the hair.
The grip tightened instantly.
Then—
CRASH.
Shaurya slammed Qin Morian's head into the ground.
Stone exploded.
Cracks tore outward across the battlefield as the impact cratered the earth beneath them.
Dust burst into the air.
Shaurya didn't stop.
He yanked Qin Morian's head up by the hair again.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The older man's face was streaked with blood and ash as his body hung half-lifted from the ground.
Shaurya's eyes were ice cold.
His fist drew back.
Then slammed forward.
THUD.
The punch buried itself deep into Qin Morian's abdomen.
The impact forced the air from his lungs.
Shaurya pulled his fist back—
And struck again.
THUD.
Again.
THUD.
Again.
Each blow drove deeper into Qin Morian's stomach, the dull sound of flesh and bone echoing across the battlefield.
Shaurya's expression never changed.
His eyes burned with quiet, merciless fury.
"I'll make you pay."
Another punch.
THUD.
"For everything you've done."
Another.
THUD.
"For my people."
Blood spilled from Qin Morian's mouth as his body convulsed under the relentless barrage.
Shaurya leaned closer, his voice dropping into a cold whisper.
"Qin Morian…"
His fist slammed forward again.
"You will pay."
For a moment—
It seemed over.
Then Qin Morian's eyes flashed open.
Fury burned in them.
His teeth clenched so hard they creaked.
"RAAAAAAH—!"
A violent surge of violet energy exploded from his body.
BOOM.
The sudden eruption blasted outward like a shockwave.
Shaurya's grip was torn loose as the violet aura burst between them.
Qin Morian twisted his body violently.
And struck.
His fist whipped forward like a striking serpent.
CRACK.
The punch slammed into Shaurya's cheek.
Shaurya's head snapped slightly to the side.
His body took a single step backward.
The battlefield fell silent.
Shaurya slowly turned his head.
His gaze slid sideways toward Qin Morian.
A quiet side glance.
Cold.
Empty.
Qin Morian froze.
For the first time since the battle began—
Unease flickered in his eyes.
He instinctively took a step back.
Then another.
The air around Shaurya shifted.
Golden light began to gather slowly in his pupils.
Not flickering.
Not unstable.
Burning.
Shaurya lifted his head.
His eyes ignited.
Molten gold blazed within them like twin suns rising over the ruins of the battlefield.
To Be Continued...
