The valley had become a nightmare of chaos and death. Spirit beasts surged through every crevice and ravine, their deafening roars and snarls mingling with the cries of cultivators locked in desperate combat. The ground trembled beneath their feet as the tide of beasts seemed endless, pouring into the clearing with unrelenting ferocity. Blood soaked the earth, a macabre testament to the unyielding battle that raged around the **Starspirit Vine**, its fruit glowing faintly as it approached ripeness.
---
Tianyu's sword carved through the air, its translucent blade shimmering with faint light as it cut down yet another **Blightfang Leopard**. The spirit beast collapsed in a heap, but Tianyu barely had time to breathe before a **Venomspike Boar** charged at him, its tusks glowing faintly with toxic Qi. He pivoted, his movements sharp and precise, driving his blade into the boar's side. The beast screeched, its body collapsing as Tianyu turned to face the next threat.
*"They just keep coming,"* he thought grimly, his eyes darting to the horizon, where more beasts surged forward. The ratio of beasts to cultivators was staggering—ten to one at least—and the sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm even the strongest warriors.
To his left, a nascent soul cultivator unleashed a torrent of fire from his palm, incinerating a pack of wolves. The flames roared, momentarily clearing the area, but the cultivator staggered back, his breaths labored. "How many more can there be?" he muttered, his voice tinged with desperation.
To Tianyu's right, another cultivator, a woman wielding twin daggers, fought valiantly against a serpent-like beast. Her movements were fluid, her strikes precise, but even she was beginning to falter under the relentless assault. Around the valley, the battle unfolded in bursts of brilliance and desperation—swords flashing, Qi techniques erupting, and the earth shaking under the weight of the horde.
The nascent soul cultivators, once commanding presences, were now struggling to hold their ground. Even their formidable power wasn't enough to fully stem the tide. Fatigue began to take its toll as their techniques grew slower, their breaths heavier. The odds were merciless.
---
In the midst of the chaos, Tianyu fought with everything he had, his movements precise yet fierce. He had been keeping an eye on the **Starspirit Vine**, its fruit growing brighter with each passing moment, a beacon of hope—and danger. The fruits weren't yet ripe, but the surge of energy emanating from them was enough to attract both man and beast to their allure.
As he felled another beast, a sharp pain shot through his side, where claws had grazed him earlier. His breath hitched, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on. "I can't stop now," he muttered, his voice barely audible amidst the cacophony.
It was then that fragments of his past life stirred within him—memories of a battlefield drenched in blood, where he had fought for days without rest. Amid the haze of recollection came a sudden realization, a technique buried deep within his fragmented mind.
*"The **Scarlet Immolation Tempering Art**…"* Tianyu's eyes widened as the memory solidified. The technique required the practitioner to fight amidst a battlefield of blood, using the chaos and carnage to temper their body and soul. It was dangerous, demanding unyielding willpower and the ability to suppress the bloodlust that came with it. *"I used this before… in the wars of the 9th Heavenly Realm. It's a body-tempering technique even mortals can use—but it's relentless. I…"* He hesitated. *"I have no choice."*
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Tianyu centered himself, allowing the chaotic energy of the battlefield to flow through him. He began to cultivate the **Scarlet Immolation Tempering Art**, his body trembling as it absorbed the residual Qi from the slain beasts around him. His muscles burned, his senses sharpened, and his strikes grew more ferocious with each passing moment.
Tianyu lunged at a **Duskclaw Wolf**, his sword slicing through its thick hide with ease. The wolf howled, but Tianyu gave it no chance to recover, driving his blade into its neck. As the beast fell, he felt a surge of energy course through his body, replenishing his strength.
*"The more I fight, the stronger I become,"* he realized, a faint smirk crossing his lips. But he was acutely aware of the technique's drawbacks. In higher stages, the **Scarlet Immolation Tempering Art** would threaten to consume the practitioner with uncontrollable bloodlust. For now, though, Tianyu's iron will—tempered by two lives' worth of experience—kept him grounded.
Around him, other cultivators fell one by one, their fatigue and injuries proving too much to bear. Yet they continued to fight, their resolve unbroken despite the overwhelming odds. No one could retreat—escape was impossible. The only choice was to stand and fight.
Tianyu's body ached, his wounds mounting, but he refused to falter. His crystalline sword glowed faintly, its spirit seemingly responding to the unyielding fury of its wielder. Together, they carved through the horde, each strike more precise and powerful than the last.
----
Four grueling hours passed, the battlefield a sea of blood and fallen beasts. Only a handful of cultivators remained, their bodies battered but their spirits unyielding. The horde began to dwindle, the once-unrelenting tide of beasts thinning as the survivors fought on with everything they had.
Even the nascent soul warriors, who had initially seemed invincible, were now glancing toward Tianyu. The young cultivator's resilience was impossible to ignore. His strikes were sharp, his movements calculated, and the sheer force of his will rivaled even their own.
*"How is he still standing?"* one of them thought, his gaze lingering on Tianyu's form. *"A mere boy… in the Spiritual Bloom Stage… How is this possible?"*
It was then that the earth trembled once more, but this time, it wasn't from the beasts. A brilliant burst of light erupted from the **Starspirit Vine**, its glow illuminating the valley in radiant hues of gold and silver. The fruits had ripened.
As the fruits reached their peak, their overwhelming aroma filled the air, the energy radiating from them enough to make the cultivators' hearts race. Without hesitation, several nascent soul warriors surged toward the vine, their movements a blur as they raced to claim the prize.
Tianyu, still locked in combat with the remnants of the horde, paused for a brief moment, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. The battle for the fruits was fierce—swords clashing, Qi techniques erupting, and the valley trembling under the sheer force of the conflict.
*"I can't rush in blindly,"* Tianyu thought, his gaze shifting to his previous adversary. The man was still fighting, his movements precise as he dispatched the remaining beasts around him. *"If anyone knows how to approach this, it's him."*
With the horde's numbers finally dwindling, Tianyu steeled himself, his mind racing as he considered his next move. The fruits were within reach, but the valley had become a crucible of blood, power, and ambition. To claim them, he would need more than strength—he would need strategy.