MARTIAL UNIVERSE: The strongest

MeiYing's vision blurred, her body collapsing under its own weight as blood dripped from open wounds. Each breath was a battle, each heartbeat a desperate plea against the creeping void of unconsciousness. The battlefield around her was a graveyard of shattered earth, soaked in demonic Qi and the echoes of slaughter.

She had fought until her muscles failed, until her Yuan Power flickered like a candle in a storm. And now, as her body betrayed her, she knew this was the end.

Or at least, it should have been.

Just before darkness claimed her, she felt it.

A shift. A ripple in space. A presence.

Then...

"Man… you really did a number on her."

The voice, tinged with lazy amusement, was utterly out of place amidst the carnage. MeiYing forced her eyes open, vision swimming as she looked up. And there, perched atop a floating shard of shattered space, was him.

Gojo.

He sat cross-legged, arms resting on his knees, looking completely at ease. His snow-white hair stood in sharp contrast to the black blindfold covering his eyes, yet she could feel his gaze locked onto her. That smirk, half amused, half infuriating, was unmistakable.

He was alive.

Somehow, against all odds, he had survived the lair of the Flaming Striped Python. A man of miracles, indeed.

Across from them, Mo Xie's expression twisted into an evil grin, his eyes gleaming with malice. His black robes, lined with sinister red embroidery, fluttered in the breeze as he rested a single hand on the hilt of his blade.

"Tsk. Let me guess, you escaped from the Python, didn't you?" He scoffed, voice thick with disdain. "Fair enough. That just means I get to kill you myself. But why waste a talent like yours? Perhaps I'll make you one of my slaves instead."

Without hesitation, Mo Xie raised his weapon, blood-red energy surging along the blade's edge.

"Hell-Devouring Slash!"

The air trembled as a massive crimson arc tore forward, distorting space in its wake. The attack carried the fury of a man who had slaughtered thousands, an execution meant to erase Gojo from existence.

And yet..

BANG!

Nothing. Mo Xie's eyes narrowed. The attack had struck, but there was no explosion of blood, no torn flesh. No trace of Gojo at all.

Then, he heard it. A sigh.

"Sigh. People don't even say hi anymore…"

Mo Xie turned sharply, and there he was, Gojo, standing before MeiYing, completely untouched. He hadn't deflected the attack. He had simply moved.

MeiYing stared, breath hitching. He was so fast that even her battered senses hadn't registered his movement. If not for the warmth of his presence before her, she wouldn't have believed he had been there at all.

Gojo pinched the bridge of his nose. "I told you to run…" His voice was softer than usual, lacking its usual teasing edge.

MeiYing, despite her pain, wiped the blood from her lips and glared at him. "If you had died in there, I would have cursed your name for all eternity."

A grin slowly spread across Gojo's lips. "Good thing I decided against it. After all, why die now when I have a lifetime ahead of me to annoy you?"

She wanted to hit him. Or maybe hug him. Probably both. But before the moment could settle, the battlefield roared back to life.

One of Mo Xie's lackeys, a massive, muscle-bound warrior wielding a square-shaped broadsword leaped into the air, his aura flaring with violent intent.

"Descending Devil Chop!"

A full-force strike from a Heavenly Yuan Realm expert, wrapped in crimson demonic Qi, aimed straight for Gojo's head. The sheer force split the sky, the sword's edge howling through the air.

Gojo didn't move. He didn't need to. He clenched his fist. No technique. No fancy martial skill. Just raw, terrifying strength.

And then he punched.The moment his fist met the blade, the world fractured.

A cascade of shattered glass-like space erupted from the point of collision, distorting reality itself. The attack folded in on itself, swallowed by the vortex of Gojo's might.

A heartbeat later, the top half of the man was gone, devoured by the very space he had stood upon.

His lower half dropped to the ground in a grotesque squelch.

Silence.

Mo Xie's grip on his blade tightened. One of the remaining underling threw down his weapon and ran.

Meanwhile, MeiYing simply stared, stunned beyond words. This annoying man, this idiot—had grown even stronger. So much so that she couldn't even sense his limits anymore. His presence was like staring into the abyss, an unfathomable depth wrapped in a carefree smirk.

And then..

KAAAA!! KAAAA!!

A sharp screech echoed through the battlefield as a massive snow falcon descended from the skies like a divine spear, landing gracefully behind them. Its golden eyes burned with intelligence, sharp talons flexing as it prepared to attack.

MeiYing lifted a hand, stopping it. "It's alright, Little Snow. You did your best."

Gojo rolled his eyes. "You're the fastest creature I know, and yet you're this late? If I hadn't shown up, MeiYing would've been toast. You're unreliable."

The falcon screeched at him in protest but quickly nuzzled MeiYing in apology.

She simply smiled, patting its head. Then, turning back to Gojo, she sighed. "We should leave. They won't be able to catch up to us."

But Gojo didn't move.

His eyes, hidden beneath his blindfold, locked onto Mo Xie. And the air around him grew heavy.

"I'll be fine. Trust me.." he said, his tone light but firm. "But I have some unfinished business."

Her heart sank. There was no convincing him.

She exhaled. "You better come back alive. And don't forget, the outer court ranking examination is in three days."

Gojo smirked. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

With one last lingering glance, she climbed onto the falcon's back. In a single flap of its wings, cyclones of Yuan Power surged outward, propelling them skyward like a comet.

And then..

A blur.

The last Mo Xie's men lunged, aiming to intercept MeiYing mid-flight.

But Gojo was faster.

A ghostly afterimage, a whisper of movement, then his hand clamped around the attacker's face.What followed was merciless.He dragged the man through dirt, stone, and debris, ragdolling him like a child's toy. By the time he stopped, the man's face was an unrecognizable pulp of blood and agony.

And then Gojo pushed.

Yuan Power flooded into the man's body, distorting the very fabric of space around him. Reality fractured, silver-blue cracks splintering outward as the force ripped him apart, tearing him into nothingness.

Mo Xie, watching, did not flinch. Instead, he grinned.

"You have indeed broken through to the Earthly Yuan Realm. And from the looks of it, your Yuan Power isn't simple at all. At the very least, the sheer intensity and concentration is far greater than most genius Heavenly Yuan Realmers.

No wonder you're confident to go against me. But make no mistake. I'm not a Heavenly Yuan Realmer!"

Mo Xie made a little observation and then, Crimson demonic Yuan Power erupted from Mo Xie's body, his aura surging like a tidal wave. The sky darkened.

Gojo sighed, loosening his shoulders. "Nice little observation there." Of course he had achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation, but his real battle power didn't come from his cultivation.

After the fight with the Flaming Striped Python, the Voidforge Titan Physique had made progress. Add raw, beastly physical might that can challenge a Heavenly Yuan Realmer to hyper regeneration, god like perception and Divine Abilities and you'll have a man who can challenge a Yuan Dan Realm expert in combat. His Yuan Power and it's property was just the bonus

He unwrapped his blindfold.

Azure light erupted. Both men readied themselves.

And then, the battle began.

A/N: Enjoy.. I've kinda messed up the update schedule a bit, but bear with me guys. From next week, it'll be three of four chapters per week depending on my mood. For today, I have a bonus chapter in stock, I'll post it if I get two reviews. Not too difficult eh?