A Waste of Time

Chapter 166: Crimson Dominion

Daemon looked at the two young men, eyes gleaming with quiet satisfaction as they lowered their weapons—then bowed their heads before him.

The sight drew a faint smirk to his lips, not one of arrogance but of acknowledgment. Good, he thought, at least they know when to yield.

The tension that had weighed on the battlefield only moments ago seemed to dissolve into the air, replaced by the faint crackle of lingering Qi and the scent of charred earth.

Above them, the mist of dissipating Fire and Lightning still shimmered faintly, framing the boy’s silhouette like the afterglow of a storm that had finally passed.

Tianwu and Lei swallowed their frustrations, the bitterness of defeat heavy on their tongues, then released it all in a single sigh — one that carried the weight of a lifetime spent grinding, striving, and clashing against fellow clansmen and Sect Cultivators.

The sound was weary yet dignified, echoing faintly across the scorched ground where pride and effort had just been tested, measured, and found wanting.

"Good choice, gents. The future will prove it right." The boy pointed toward Yuying and Ruyue, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Team up with one each... and watch greatness — of my own making."

Without waiting for a response, his Fire Clone bolted through the forest toward the source of thunderous noise ahead. He didn’t need guidance; the clash between Feiyun, Qingshui, and Fangran against the Guardian Beast was loud enough to light the way.

His Dark Clone had long vanished by the time those two were still weighing their options in that sticky situation.

Silent as smoke, he slithered through the shadows, his presence hidden even from the senses of the Guardian Beast itself. For a few fleeting seconds, he paused to observe the clash between the three Cultivators and the raging Ape — then, without a sound, he slipped toward the cave that the beast so fiercely guarded.

Beyond the cave’s opening, he immediately sensed the faint hum of Space Qi — the distinct signature of Ruyue’s handiwork.

But where others would have been halted or trapped, Daemon’s Grey Palace pulsed faintly, guiding him with perfect instinct. He slipped through the narrow gap of a concealed Formation Node tucked away in the corner — an invisible flaw in the Formation that even its creator could never detect.

Howl

But once he stepped beyond the Formation, the enraged cry of the Guardian Beast thundered through the cave, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"It noticed me?" The kid paused, genuinely confused. How?

Then he shook his head and brushed the thought aside, his steps light and steady as he ventured deeper into the darkness — unconcerned by the chaos outside. After all, his Fire Clone was there to keep the Beast busy.

Outside the cave, the scene unfolding was enough to intrigue Feiyun, though his two companions were visibly tense.

The arrival of this boy was like a tsunami out of nowhere — their plans, their teamwork, everything was thrown into disarray.

Even when the kid halted Gorath with a single chop of pure flame, his overwhelming aura pressed down on the Beast so fiercely that the Ape froze mid-motion, its eyes burning with wrath and confusion.

"You three," Daemon called out without taking his gaze off the Beast, "either scram or step aside and watch. Whoever makes a move against me is doomed to get disqualified from this stage."

Then he turned slightly, shooting them a sideways glance and a smirk that mirrored Feiyun’s own. "Of course, you're more than welcome to fight this creature... but who’s to say it won’t target you too?"

Fangran’s fingers tightened around the handle of his Hammer, every vein in his arm pulsing with excitement — eager to leap into the fray and test his might against this boy who exuded danger like a living inferno.

Qingshui, however, nervously exchanged a glance with Feiyun, only to see the man give a subtle shake of his head — a silent command to stand down.

At least for now, crossing this kid was out of the question.

Looking up at the cloud, he noticed the faded names of his five fallen minions, yet Tianwu and Lei still remained in the competition — along with a few others.

The boy’s name gleamed faintly in 11th place, his sudden rise in the rankings clearly the result of being the one who eliminated them.

"Humph… cowards!" Fangran muttered under his breath, clearly unsatisfied by the hesitation written on his teammates’ faces. "What’s the point of Cultivating in the first place if you won’t challenge yourselves?"

The main source of his confidence was simple — the boy before them displayed skills purely Fire-oriented.

Still… I’d be a fool to completely ignore the rumors of his control over other Elements. The man thought while stepping forward into the air, making his stance clear for all to see.

He would not stand by and watch some brat seize his treasure. His alliance with Feiyun and Qingshui no longer stood.

Unaware, however, that his decision stirred two different reactions — a gleam of approval flickered within Daemon’s eyes, and another, more complex emotion filled Feiyun’s chest. But the man hid it all behind the same calm smile on his face.

Of course, Feiyun still turned subtly to the side and gave a discreet nod toward the distant direction where Yuying, Ruyue, Tianwu, and Zhan Lei were watching from afar.

Raagh!

The Ape finally decided to attack.

The ground trembled—not from his sheer weight, but from the oppressive pressure of his spiritual presence, thick enough to make the air itself groan in resistance.

When the massive arm came crashing down, Daemon met it head-on, his Blade cutting a blazing arc through the air and clashing with the beast’s fist. The impact shook the forest to its roots.

At that same instant, Fangran struck.

The man’s Hammer flared with icy radiance as he swung it with all his might, timing his strike perfectly with the clash between boy and beast. The collision of Flame, Frost, and the Abyssal Ape’s Earth-infused punch turned the clearing into a storm of debris and blinding light.

The Beast roared again—this time its other eyes opening all at once, flooding the area in crimson glow that warped perception and twisted the edges of reality.

This pressure... it’s distorting everything, Daemon thought, his stance sliding back half a step as his colorful barrier flared to life. Even the air doesn’t want me here!

The boy’s grin widened. “Now this... this is my kind of fight.”

The earth trembled as the Abyssal Eye Ape—Gorath the Thousand-Eyed Warden—rose to its full height, each motion like a mountain shrugging off centuries of stillness. Its fur, black as oil, shimmered under the crimson glow bleeding from the cluster of eyes across its shoulders. When the Prime Eye on its forehead opened, it wept threads of red luminescence that ran down its scarred face like molten tears.

From the ridge, Feiyun steadied his breath. “It’s... not enraged,” he whispered, voice tight. “It’s calculating. Look at its gaze, Qingshui—It’s ignoring Fangran’s strikes because they’re angled toward Daemon.”

The woman tightened her grip on her Shield, her own reflection flickering in the creature’s Prime Eye. “It knows the hammer’s blows are buying it space to maneuver freely. It is using Fangran as cover in this fight but, this kid is taking them both head on for a few rounds already without giving any openings for his opponents!”

Below them, Daemon’s Fire Clone clashed head-on with the Beast once again. The Blade met a colossal fist mid-swing—Boom!—and molten sparks scattered across the clearing. But before the dust settled, Gorath’s knuckles struck again, the air twisting with spiritual pressure. The shockwave sent burning leaves and flaming debris spiraling like comets from the point of impact which forced the Beast's only human allie to seek cover otherwise he'd be just collateral damage at any point in this fight!

“Raagh!” the Ape bellowed again with much intense rage spilling from its many eyes, unleashing one of its unique abilities. The Roar of the Abyss.

The world itself seemed to split—sound turned to vibration, vibration turned to pain. Feiyun gritted his teeth, blood seeping from his ears. “That’s not sound Qi,” he hissed, “it’s spiritual resonance... the potent kind that can shatters souls weaker than the Abyssal Eye Ape's and could well injure souls stronger than itself when it is desperate or cornered enough to risk mutual damage.”

Qingshui raised her Shield in time, its faint blue light dispersing the resonance before it reached them. “No wonder the forest’s gone silent—it’s suppressing every pulse of Qi in the area!”

Both of them quickly retreated to escape the danger since this fight just got heated all of a sudden.

Across the gorge, Han Ruyue and Liu Yuying watched the chaos unfold from behind a barrier of Wind and Space Qi. The Beast’s aura distorted the air even at this distance, thanks to the effects of another one of its unique abilities. All-Seeing Dread, scanning across planes both visible and unseen. It rendered the double-layered barrier of Wind and Space Qi almost defective when it comes to defensive or disguising capabilities.

“Its Prime Eye is open...” Yuying whispered, swallowing hard. “If it looks our way—”

“Don’t let your mind wander,” Ruyue warned, her tone sharp. “That eye pierces illusions and fear alike. The moment it sees you, your consciousness fractures. I can feel its gaze brushing against our barrier, wary... but not hostile. Yet!” It took all of her willpower to stop a cold shiver from affecting her posture in front of Liu Yuying, Yu Tianwu, and Zhan Lie. This girl understood that she must stay cool, calm, and collected under these circumstances as their leader.

Meanwhile, Tianwu and Lei exchanged pale looks, the former muttering under his breath, “That thing isn’t just a Beast... it’s a calamity.” Lei nodded stiffly, gripping his Spear tighter as if that would steady his trembling fingers.

Back near the battlefield, Fangran roared and struck the ground with his Hammer, channeling Ice Qi through the terrain. A thousand black glass-like spikes of Ice Qi erupted outward—Petrifying Grasp.

But Gorath merely stood there unbothered by the wide range of his human ally's wide-range attack!

Letting his own darkness merge with the crystallized field. The spikes retracted, liquefying into shadow that healed the wounds Gorath had accumulated on his arms. After clashing bare-fisted with the Blade, which Daemon's Fire Clone kept coating its already sharp edge with a layer or two of Flames and Lightning, it looked like the boy was gaining a slight advantage in this fight against this Beast.

But, all it took was a single move from the third party in this fight to reverse the situation back to where it started.

And Daemon couldn't help but flick a side-glance towards the man who played that move, a gleam of interest and approval shadowed his gaze.

“Regeneration through darkness,” Feiyun murmured, awe mixing with dread. “Every drop of blood that hits shadow becomes part of him, either kill an Abyssal Eye Ape in a single strike or flee at once, engaging this creature in a battle of attrition is just pure madness.”

Qingshui just nodded and adjusted the angle of her Shield in a direct line with Gorath, this was the seventh time she did so in the last minute without realizing that her palm is already soaked in nervous sweat.

And who would blame her though! This trial isn't as harmful to their physiques since they can be pulled away at the first sign of danger to a participant's life but, when it comes to the Soul... only a foolish Cultivator would dare risk endangering that!

Daemon’s Clone adjusted his stance, fiery aura flickering brighter. “You can heal yourself using Darkness huh! Guess I’ll have to melt the shadows from the equation to force a submission out of you,” he muttered, spinning his Blade until it hummed red and purple glow.

Gorath’s thousand eyes flared in response—crimson rain cascading through the clearing. A third ability was unleashed, Field of Warped Reality began to spread, space bending, sound curving in unnatural echoes. Even Feiyun’s breath caught in his throat.

“Ruyue...” Yuying whispered from afar, her face pale. “He’s bending perception itself... allies and enemies are switching places! Don't hesitate to forfeit the trial or you're doomed for a fate worse than death by this Abyssal Eye Ape, a mere puppet for it to toy with however it likes and discard whenever it is bored.” Now she was no longer able to maintain the air of a competent leader of her group, this girl was really panicking inside right now because she could clearly sense the influence on herself as unreasonable ideas kept creeping into her mind, like a devil's whisper... urging her to attack her friend, the ones in her group, her competition, and the kid in the center of the stage.

But in that chaos, the only one the Beast saw clearly—truly, consciously—was the small boy with the flaming Blade who dared meet its gaze and smile.

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