Su Ye's crimson eyes darkened, killing intent surging like a rising tide.
"Twelfth Form…Black Box."
The spiraling sphere of Yin Devouring Aura shot forward like a cannonball, tearing through the air with a low, violent hum. Just as it reached the center of the arena, it halted abruptly, suspended in midair.
Li Tao narrowed his eyes, his sharp features tightening with suspicion. Around the arena, countless gazes locked onto the strange scene.
"What is he doing?"
The answer came in the next breath.
The sphere expanded.
Black walls stretched outward from the orb, descending from the sky like a closing cage. At the same time, the ground beneath them darkened as the Yin Devouring Aura spread across it, forming a sealed domain.
In an instant, the entire arena was enclosed.
A prison.
A world of black.
Li Tao's expression changed. Having experienced that aura before, he did not hesitate. His body rose into the air, avoiding contact with the ground.
"Is this your trump card?" he said coldly. "After fifteen years, you have only learned tricks."
Su Ye's lips curled slightly.
"Then make sure…you never fall from grace."
The air shifted.
Countless fine particles of Yin Devouring Aura began to disperse, drifting like mist, invisible yet suffocating.
Li Tao's brows furrowed.
The space around him felt… wrong.
The spiritual qi in the air vanished and even his breath was affected.
Completely erased.
This was the true terror of the Twelfth Form: Black Box.
Within this domain, all spiritual qi was erased. Cultivators, who relied on qi as their very foundation, would find themselves stripped of their strength, their senses, and eventually…their very existence.
Li Tao's breathing grew uneven.
His body trembled slightly as the qi sustaining him began to collapse.
His flight faltered.
Then—
He fell.
Bam!
His body slammed into the ground, the impact sending cracks across the blackened surface.
Now, he lay within a sea of Yin Devouring Aura.
Every inch of it rushing towards him.
Eager to destroy him from within.
Su Ye began walking forward.
Step by step.
Slowly as possible.
Each footstep echoed clearly in the suffocating silence.
"Can't breathe?" he asked softly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I created this technique just for you."
Li Tao struggled, his once imposing figure now reduced to a trembling form pressed against the ground.
"Y-you…!"
His voice was hoarse, his strength fading rapidly.
All his treasures were useless.
Every method shattered in the presence of the Yin Devouring Aura.
The Yin Devouring Aura clung to him like chains, locking down his limbs, suppressing his very existence.
"There is something you value more than life," Su Ye continued calmly. "Your cultivation. Your righteousness. Your pride."
He stopped a few steps away.
"So before you die…I will take all of it away."
Then—
He laughed.
"Hahaha!"
The sound echoed across the arena, sharp and unrestrained.
"Look at you!" he said, his voice filled with cold amusement. "You look like a fish struggling on land!"
The spectators felt a chill run down their spines.
Even seasoned cultivators shifted uneasily.
"What kind of technique is this?"
"To suppress a fifth-step cultivator in a single move…!"
"This aura… it feels unnatural… almost demonic—"
"Silence!" someone hissed. "Do you want to die? If you call him a demon, you are calling the Su family demons!"
The murmurs quieted instantly.
Fear spread, not just of Su Ye—
But of what stood behind him.
Above the arena—
Bam!
Li Meng slammed his hand against the armrest, his aged face filled with anger.
"Su Daoxuan! A scholar may be killed, but he must not be humiliated!"
Su Daoxuan, still wrapped in layers of defensive formations, glanced at him with mild amusement.
"Did I do anything?" he replied lazily. "If I remember correctly, Brother Shen said that no uninvolved parties should interfere."
Shen Mo nodded slowly.
"This is a matter between father and son. No one else should intervene."
Li Meng's expression darkened, but he said nothing further.
Su Daoxuan chuckled softly.
"Bastard, even if you wish to act…you had best endure it."
On the stage—
Su Ye suddenly raised his voice.
"Fellow daoists!"
All attention turned toward him.
"I believe everyone here knows why I treat this man as I do."
Li Tao struggled weakly.
"W-what are you trying to do…?"
Su Ye ignored him.
The crowd began whispering again.
"He killed his own wife…right?"
"The son repaying the mother's death… this is justified."
"Is he trying to drag the Li family down with him?"
For the Li family that built its foundation on righteousness, any taint would greatly impact and even sever their future.
Su Ye's gaze lifted.
It locked directly onto Li Meng.
"I want to ask the Li family one question."
His voice was steady.
"Why was Li Tao not properly punished?"
Li Meng closed his eyes briefly, then spoke.
"Fifteen years ago, he was judged by the elders. His cultivation was reduced by one realm, and he was sentenced to the Repentance Cliff for four hundred and fifty years."
He paused.
"It was only because of your challenge…that he was allowed to leave early."
Su Ye laughed.
At first, it was soft.
Then louder.
Then uncontrollable.
Tears streamed down his face, yet his expression twisted with madness.
"Is that…justice?"
He raised his head, his crimson eyes burning.
"Reducing his cultivation by one step…and calling it punishment?"
"My mother is dead."
"Dead!"
His voice echoed like thunder.
"And this is the justice your righteous qi upholds?"
He pointed at Li Tao, who lay helpless on the ground.
"You claim to judge good and evil."
"You claim to walk the righteous path."
"Then tell me—"
His voice dropped, cold and sharp.
"If this is justice…what am I supposed to believe in?"
The Yin Devouring Aura surged violently around him.
"Your justice protects the strong and buries the innocent."
"And yet you dare call it righteous?"
He smiled.
A cold, hollow smile.
"If this is righteousness…"
"Then I will become something far worse."