Chapter 71: So What if I am Xue Taiyang?

Reon slowly lifted his head, his expression calm yet laced with a chilling coldness. His grip on his sword tightened slightly as he prepared to set his plan into motion.

"So what if I am Xue Taiyang?" he said, his voice steady and piercing as he locked eyes with the leader of the group. "What will you do about it?"

The leader's lips curled into a sneer, his eyes narrowing with triumph. "So you are Xue Taiyang! You bastard! We've been looking for you for a month, and now we've finally found you."

His voice grew sharper, brimming with venom. "Of course, you'll die here today. It's the will of Young Master Niu. He ordered your death for defying him, for your betrayal."

Reon's gaze didn't waver, his lips curving into a faint, humorless smile. "I see. So you're the lackeys of that spoiled bastard Niu Ling."

"Watch your mouth!" the leader barked, his face darkening with fury. "Don't insult Young Master Niu! Do you really think you stand a chance against us? Just because your Mist Cloud Fox managed to beat a few Outer Sect trash, you think you're invincible?"

Reon tilted his head slightly, his voice calm yet carrying an undertone of subtle menace. "You're not wrong. Cloudia wouldn't have stood a chance against you... that is, if she were still in her previous state. But things have changed." His lips curved into a faint smirk. "You'll find out soon enough."

The leader opened his mouth to respond. "What do you mea—"

Before he could finish, Reon's voice cut through the air, cold and sharp as a blade. "Before we go any further, answer me this." His gaze darkened, and his tone dropped to a chilling whisper. "Were you the ones who injured her—my little cat?"

The leader let out a dark chuckle, his confidence unshaken. "Since you won't be leaving here alive, I suppose there's no harm in telling you. Yes, it was us. That beast was nothing more than a tool for our glory, but it dared to resist."

He sneered, his tone laced with contempt. "A creature with a Legendary Lineage like that can't be bound by force into a contract, so we had no choice but to injure it and subdue it with a Slave Collar. It was meant to serve Young Master Niu, whether it liked it or not."

The leader didn't expect the sudden shift in Reon's expression. It wasn't rage—not the kind that screamed or flared—but a terrifying, icy calm. The air around Reon seemed to change, becoming heavy and oppressive.

His Dark Blue Moonlit Fang trembled faintly in his hand before being engulfed in a dark, ominous aura that rippled like shadows made solid.

The group froze as the aura spread like a suffocating wave.

The leader's eyes widened in disbelief as he stumbled over his words. "I-is that... Sword Aura?" he stammered, his voice breaking. "But... it's black? That's impossible! And how did it cover his sword so fast? It should take at least two minutes to fully manifest!"

"Even the most gifted Heavenly Geniuses, those who awaken Golden Sword Aura, need at least thirty seconds to a minute to form it," he muttered, his tone laced with mounting dread. "But his... it didn't even take ten seconds!"

"And this pressure..." Another disciple's voice trembled, thick with panic. "Big Brother, this isn't an ordinary Sword Aura. I've never felt anything so... overwhelming! Not even when Young Master Niu unleashed his Sword Aura during the Inner Sect Disciple Selection Ceremony three years ago."

"Shut up!" the leader snapped, though his own voice betrayed his unease. "It must be some kind of forbidden item, imbued with Death Qi. There's no way a black Sword Aura actually exists!"

Yin Shan swallowed hard, glancing nervously at the leader. "B-but, Big Brother, it's not just the color. Look at the intensity! This isn't low-level Sword Aura—it's Pinnacle-Stage Sword Aura!"

"Enough!" the leader roared, his voice cutting through the rising panic like a blade. Frustration burned in his tone as he fought to steady his rattled comrades. "Stop panicking like cowards! He's just using some lowly, forbidden artifact to create an illusion of power."

He drew his sword with a sharp, commanding motion, his gaze fixed on Reon. "It may look intimidating, but don't let it fool you! We have the upper hand—numbers, higher cultivation, and experience are on our side."

He sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "We are Inner Disciples, the elite of the sect, while he's nothing more than a frail weakling who couldn't even stand against a sect newcomer. Surround him, now!"

"Yes, Big Brother!" the others responded in unison, their voices firm, though the flicker of unease in their eyes betrayed the fear still gnawing at them.

His grip tightened on the hilt of his blade, the faint hum of energy beginning to emanate from it. "We can't afford to lose this ticket to glory! I'll activate my Mastery-Stage Sword Aura and put an end to this farce myself!"

Reon took a single step forward, his dark Sword Aura flaring with greater intensity. His voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Activate your Sword Aura? You won't have the chance."