Miu Jiang didn’t waste even a second.
He instantly poured his Spiritual Qi into his sword and left hand, and a fierce green aura burst to life around them.
At the same time, he tapped into his Golden Core, drawing out the purest Spiritual Qi it held—concentrated, potent, and blazing with power.
The aura around him surged, becoming sharper, heavier, and more deadly.
The stronger a cultivator becomes, the purer and denser their Spiritual Qi becomes.
And the denser the Spiritual Qi, the stronger the Sword Aura, even if it’s only at the Awakening Stage.
The Golden Core is known for holding the purest and most concentrated Spiritual Qi within a cultivator’s body—like a well of refined power.
Because of that, any Sword Aura released by a Golden Core Realm cultivator—especially when powered by this pure Qi—is far stronger and more destructive than anything a Foundation Realm or Qi Solidification Realm cultivator could ever hope to match.
Miu Jiang lunged forward without hesitation.
Reon stood firm, feet planted solidly on the ground.
Swoosh!
The last traces of faint aura on Reon’s sword and hand vanished completely.
"Hahaha! You’re finished now, bastard!" Miu Jiang shouted, charging straight at him. "I’ll kill you in the most painful way possible. You’ve humiliated me enough today!"
Reon took a slow breath.
His mind, which had been chaotic after the bloodshed, began to calm.
His crimson eyes slowly faded back to their usual black, but the rage burning in his heart—for what Miu Jiang had done to Cloudia and the little tiger—remained just as fierce.
"Why... why don’t you bastards ever understand?" he muttered coldly.
He slowly began to draw Mana from his Mana Core. It surged through his veins like a second life force, spreading across his body.
A soft green glow replaced the usual blue light of Spiritual Qi.
’I can’t beat him using just 1st-Circle magic spells... I’ll try channeling my techniques through Mana instead and see if it works,’ he thought.
’But even if it works... it still won’t be enough to kill him!’
He channeled the Mana into his sword and left hand. Though not as dense as full Aura, a thin green layer wrapped around both—flickering with power.
It was enough to stop Miu Jiang in his tracks.
His eyes widened in shock.
"W-What...? Mana? Y-You can use Mana!?" he stammered.
"Of course I can," Reon replied calmly.
Miu Jiang suddenly laughed, delighted. "Hahaha! What a pleasant surprise! Today really is full of wonders."
"Once I kill you, I’ll extract your True Blood and bring it back to my family’s lab. It’ll make for great research," he added, licking his lips.
"You’re good at dreaming," Reon said coldly.
"Heh... we’ll see soon enough whether it’s a dream or reality," Miu Jiang sneered and dashed forward again.
Reon compressed the Mana in both his hand and sword—condensing it tightly, willing it to change form.
In an instant, Dark Aura surged from his hand and sword—fed not by Spiritual Qi, but by Mana.
’It worked!’ Reon thought. ’Then it’s true... I can use Mana the same way I use Qi. There’s really no difference.’
"Then I should be able to channel my techniques through Mana to—"
SWOOSH!
Before he could even finish the thought, Miu Jiang was already standing before him.
A vicious thrust shot toward Reon’s neck.
But Reon ducked instantly.
BOOOOM!
He looked behind him—and his eyes widened.
A wide stretch of the forest—kilometers across—had been turned to ash.
’Golden Core cultivators... really are monsters,’ Reon thought inwardly.
’There’s no way I can win using just Mana alone.’
Before he could even regroup—
A kick wreathed in crackling Aura came flying from the right, aimed straight at his head.
Reon rolled back just in time to dodge it—barely.
But the sheer force of the attack shattered everything in its path, leveling trees and tearing through the ground for kilometers to the right.
"You really are like a cockroach!" Miu Jiang sneered. "But next time, I won’t miss."
"Yeah, maybe," Reon said slowly, his voice calm but filled with quiet confidence. "But I think it’s time to show you my new power."
Miu Jiang’s eyes narrowed—he instantly sensed something was very wrong again.
He wouldn’t mess up this time.
With deadly intent, he lunged forward, his left arm and sword slicing through the air, aiming straight for Reon’s head.
But—
It was already too late.
Reon muttered quietly,
"Abyssal Absorption: Eternal Void of Annihilation...
Third Art—Release!"
In the next instant—
SPUUUURTTT!
Blood sprayed violently into the air, bursting out from both of Miu Jiang’s arms.
His hands—both of them—were Gone.
’What? It’s burning on my cheek... but I haven’t finished him yet,’ Miu Jiang thought in shock.
As the warm blood splashed onto his face, Miu Jiang turned his head—only to see his severed arms still suspended in the air, tumbling in slow motion.
"W-W-What? Again...?"
His voice cracked, barely more than a whisper.
Horror crept across his face, twisting his features with disbelief.
Then it surged—rushing through his entire body like a wave of ice, making him tremble uncontrollably.
"AHHHHRRRGGGGHH!"
He screamed—a terrible, heart-wrenching sound that echoed through the forest.
But that was far from the end.
Next—
Reon’s sword pierced through his open mouth, cutting a path from throat all the way down to his belly.
And all of this happened while Miu Jiang was still flying through the air.
That’s how terrifyingly fast Reon was!
Then—
Reon moved calmly to the side, dodging Miu Jiang’s falling body as it crashed and rolled across the ground for several meters.
Suddenly—
Ding!
A familiar chime echoed inside Reon’s mind.
[The Host has used 1000 Vitality Stat!]
Just moments ago, Reon had tapped into the vitality he absorbed using the Fourth Art from the foes he had slain—then ignited it using the power of the Third Art, unleashing a sudden surge in strength.
For a brief moment, he had the strength of a Low-Stage Golden Core Formation Realm cultivator.
Reon took slow, steady steps toward Miu Jiang, who was now barely able to scream in pain—his body twisted and grotesque.
Blood poured freely from both his missing arms.
Blood gushed from his mouth and gaping wound in his belly, the sword still lodged between his jaws.
With a calm smile, Reon said, "So... did you like the ’Deepthroat’ I gave you? Courtesy of my sword."
He took another step closer, his voice low but laced with venom.
"I bet, if you had the strength, you would’ve loved to force Cloudia to perform a Deepthroat in front of me, right?"
Reon’s eyes narrowed, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Though honestly... I doubt you had a big enough dick to call it a deepthroat in the first place."
He tilted his head slightly, as if mocking pity.
"But don’t worry—since she didn’t get the chance, I did it for her. With my sword."
He gave a small laugh. "Aren’t you lucky?"