Embersteel: Legend of the Warrior BlackSmith

Chapter 23: Jin Wu

Jiang Feng stood rooted in place, his mind racing as he struggled to process the unfolding chaos. He'd always known that this moment would come—that the secrets he carried would attract danger. It was precisely why he had stayed hidden in Lin Village, instead of fleeing alone into the unknown. Even if he'd had days of a head start, he doubted he could have escaped the forces that now loomed around him. But he hadn't expected things to spiral this quickly, or with this much terror.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" His voice was tight, barely steady, as he took a shaky step back. Cold sweat slicked his spine, his chest tight with the weight of dread pressing down on him. He could hear the thundering drum of his heart, each beat amplifying the suffocating tension. The man before him seemed to have materialized straight from the shadows, as though he were an extension of the darkness itself. Even as Jiang Feng looked directly at him, the man's edges seemed to blur and meld with the air, an unearthly presence like nothing Jiang Feng had ever encountered.

"Your body is spilling draconic spiritual energy into the air," the man sneered, his gaze narrowing with a sinister glint. "If I'm not mistaken, the Axina Minor World has no dragons. So, tell me... where did you crawl out from?"

The figure's curiosity was chilling, more predatory than inquisitive, as he closed the distance in a single, ghost-like step. In an instant, his hand shot out and clamped around Jiang Feng's throat, hoisting him off the ground. Jiang's legs dangled helplessly, and the iron grip crushed his breath.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Jiang Feng choked out, his voice a strangled roar as panic clawed up his spine. In a desperate burst, blue flames exploded across his body, blazing to life with a heat so fierce it set the barn's wooden rafters ablaze. Fire licked up the walls, but the shadowy figure remained utterly unaffected, standing amidst the flames as if he were part of them. Jiang Feng's heart sank, a flicker of despair settling in his gut.

The man's lips curled in a mocking smile, revealing a row of sharp, predatory teeth. "Did you think your little Foundation Stage flames could harm me? How amusing." The man's words were cold and sharp, each one a razor-edged reminder of the difference between them.

A punch like a sledgehammer slammed into Jiang Feng's stomach, ripping the breath from his lungs and sending blood spraying from his mouth. His vision went hazy, darkening at the edges. Through the fog, he saw the barn wall shatter in an explosion of wood and dust, Lin Rou charging in with a fearsome blade raised high and a headless body gripped in his other hand.

"Die!" He roared, his voice fierce and raw. Space warped around him as he unleashed a massive arc of blade light, a storm of condensed power from the Essence Condensation Stage erupting with a blinding flash. The air itself seemed to scream as Lin Rou's strike carved through it, the sheer force enough to make Jiang Feng's bones rattle and his vision swim.

But the shadowy figure merely smirked, unfazed by the display of power. His voice was cold, calm, almost mocking as he murmured, "Umbral Severance." He extended his hand, and the very shadows around him seemed to coil and writhe, converging on his outstretched fingers. The darkness solidified into a sword—a blade forged of pure shadow, dark as midnight and wreathed in the tortured wails of unseen spirits.

With a single, casual step, he closed the distance between them, raising the black blade high. His hand moved in a blur, slicing down with brutal precision. The blade of darkness collided with Lin Rou's attack, the two forces clashing in a violent explosion of light and shadow.

BOOM!

The impact detonated with a thunderous roar, sending shockwaves through the barn. Wood splintered and flames danced wildly in the air, a chaotic storm of power and fury. Jiang Feng was thrown backward, his body colliding with the ground as debris rained down around him. In the midst of it all, the shadowy figure remained steady, his dark form standing unharmed amidst the ruins, like death itself come to life.

Lin Rou was sent crashing through the air, his body tumbling like a rag doll. As he landed, his sword arm lay in a bloody mess, a testament to the brutal exchange that had just unfolded. Despite being at the third level of Essence Condensation, capable of holding his own against opponents one level above him, the ease with which he had been injured left Jiang Feng in a state of abject shock. The shadowy figure before them was clearly leagues ahead, radiating a power that made it painfully evident to Jiang Feng that Lin Rou's life hung by a thread.

"Lin Rou, be mindful of your step. This village could go up in smoke if you keep meddling in our affairs," the figure smirked, his voice dripping with malice. The familiarity in their exchange suggested a long and twisted history, one that sent a shiver down Jiang Feng's spine.

"Jin Wu, isn't the Celestial Shadow Church afraid that the city government will send people to hunt you vile creatures down? To suddenly appear in public—what bravery you have! The church must be losing talent; I've killed at least five of you already," Lin Rou spat out blood, the crimson droplets contrasting sharply against the dirt beneath him. His eyes burned with fury, a fire that defied the pain coursing through his body.

The members of the Celestial Shadow Church were despised wherever they roamed; their mere presence foreshadowed calamity. It was said that when they appeared, darkness followed. In response, the Empire had imposed severe sanctions against their organization—an order that decreed they be killed on sight.

The moment the law was enacted, the church had retaliated with ferocity, slaying thousands of officials in a blood-soaked uprising. Only when the royal guards descended upon their stronghold, ruthlessly cleansing it in a tide of violence, did the remaining members retreat into the shadows. Thus, seeing Jin Wu among them now spelled impending doom for all.

"To dare threaten me with the name of the city government? Ha! Soon enough, the royal family will be washed in blood. Old man Lin Moyi, you can come out now. I want this boy. Don't put the lives of your people at risk for the sake of an unknown child," Jin Wu declared, his tone mocking as he turned to a nearby tree, where an old man was seated.

Lin Moyi, his aged face etched with lines of wisdom and weariness, gripped a wooden staff that glowed with a ghostly gray hue. The air around him shimmered with latent energy, hinting at the power he wielded, though his expression bore the weight of countless battles fought and lost.