Red Snow

The air in the stadium vanished.

A pressure, heavy and suffocating like the bottom of an ocean, slammed into everyone. The referee fell to his knees. The disciples in the stands gasped, clutching their throats.

A figure descended from the sky. It wasn't a jump; it was a meteor strike.

Xiulan landed in the center of the arena. The marble floor shattered, sending debris flying.

Viper looked up, his sneer faltering.

Xiulan stood over Jing. Her eyes were no longer human. The whites were gone, replaced by pools of crimson. Her hair floated around her, defying gravity.

"You touched him," she said. Her voice wasn't loud. It was a vibration that rattled the teeth.

"I—it's a match—" Viper stammered, backing away.

Xiulan raised her hand. "Blood Art: Thousand Petal Purgatory."

She clenched her fist.

Viper screamed as the blood inside his own veins rebelled. It erupted from his pores, crystallizing into sharp, red needles. He hovered in the air, suspended by his own agony.

The crowd screamed in horror. The Elders stood up. "Xiulan! Stop! That is a Forbidden Art!"

Xiulan didn't hear them. She only saw Jing, clutching his burnt arm, tears in his eyes.

"He hurt you," she whispered to Jing, though her eyes were on Viper. "He is dirty. I will clean it."

She flicked her finger.

Viper’s left arm—the one that had struck Jing—exploded into a mist of red.

"Xiulan!" Jing shouted, fighting through the pain. "Stop! You're killing him!"

"He deserves worse," Xiulan said calmly. She twisted her hand. Viper’s legs snapped.

The Sect Leader, a powerful man with a white beard, leaped into the arena. "Subdue her! She has succumbed to a Heart Demon!"

Twelve Elite enforcers descended.

Xiulan didn't flinch. She stomped her foot. A dome of solid, swirling blood erected itself around her and Jing, sealing them off from the world.

"Stay close, Jing," she cooed, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly sweet pitch. "I will kill them all. Then we can go home."