Silence! The entire battlefield suddenly quieted down. All the silver-armored soldiers stared in shock, their mouths agape, forgetting even to breathe. A living person had just been ‘made’ to disappear by William Carter—such a spectacle was not only something they had never seen, but not even heard of. They even suspected that William Carter was using witchcraft or magic. A thick sense of fear shot from the soles of their feet all the way to the tips of their hair.

They didn’t know that what William Carter used was the most difficult yet most fundamental skill in the dark-element spirit martial arts—Dark Fire. Burning away a soldier’s body, transforming it into spiritual energy for one’s own absorption, that was the first level of Dark Fire: Death Burn.

Dark-element spirit martial arts are also divided into factions, mainly two: the Inner Sect and the Outer Sect. The Outer Sect’s dark-element spirit martial arts are essentially no different from the light-element ones; both require the practitioner to increase spiritual energy through their own cultivation, only the skills learned differ. The Inner Sect’s dark-element spirit martial arts, however, are completely different. Practitioners cannot increase spiritual energy through their own cultivation, but must constantly fight, using Dark Fire to kill opponents and absorb their spiritual energy. Dark Fire can be said to be the most basic skill of the Inner Sect, but also the hardest to master. When first practicing Dark Fire, there is a great risk of backlash, which could leave the practitioner with not even a trace of their remains. This is one of the reasons why there are so few dark-element spirit cultivators. Moreover, because the dark-element has such an extreme and brutal Inner Sect, the entire dark-element spirit martial arts are heavily ostracized and suppressed, even regarded as mortal enemies by light-element spirit warriors. Even those who wish to practice dark-element spirit martial arts are often forced to give up due to the pressure.

Henry Clark is an outstanding dark-element spirit warrior, and what he practices is precisely the most notorious and fearsome Inner Sect of the dark-element.

William Carter merged with Henry Clark, but gained very little spiritual energy from it. Now, he was in urgent need of replenishment, and these enemy soldiers before him were undoubtedly the best targets for restoring his cultivation. However, he didn’t want news of him being a dark-element spirit warrior to spread, so he let the soldiers of the Wind Nation escape first, so he could act without restraint.

“You… are you human or demon?” One silver-armored soldier was the first to react, swallowing hard, looking at William Carter in terror, his voice trembling as he asked.

“Heh heh… hahaha…”

William Carter first chuckled, then threw his head back in wild laughter. Absorbing the spiritual energy from one soldier was little, but it awakened the bloodthirsty nature deep in his bones. His ten fingers curled, the Dark Fire in his palms burned fiercer and fiercer, and he sneered, “What does it matter to you if I’m human or demon? Today, none of you are leaving!”

Before he finished speaking, his figure darted out, plunging into the crowd, his palms waving, burning everyone he met, incinerating all in his path, like a vengeful ghost, a tiger among sheep.

William Carter wielded Dark Fire even more skillfully than Henry Clark. In this world, there is no kung fu; people cultivate spiritual energy and various spirit martial skills. But William Carter had practiced martial arts since childhood, dabbling in the techniques of many schools, especially excelling in movement skills—agile, unpredictable, elusive, and especially powerful in chaotic battle.

Now, he combined kung fu and spirit martial arts in his attacks, greatly increasing his power. Even ordinary spirit warriors might not be his match, let alone these common soldiers!

Nearly a hundred men, under the burning of Dark Fire, vanished by more than half in an instant, and William Carter’s speed not only didn’t slow, but grew faster and faster. The spiritual energy in his body rapidly accumulated with each kill, growing ever stronger, until in the end, he could barely control his own body, his mind filled with nothing but the urge to kill.

Clang! After finishing off the last fleeing soldier and absorbing all the spiritual energy drifting in the air, the Dark Fire in William Carter’s palms finally disappeared. He panted heavily, sweat on his face and body, but he didn’t feel tired—instead, he felt a strange excitement, and a sense of fulfillment in his body.

After a while, William Carter’s mood finally calmed. Looking around, he could no longer find a single enemy soldier; weapons and armor were scattered everywhere on the ground.

He felt the spiritual energy slowly flowing within him, then looked down at his own palms. This was Dark Fire, one of the most terrifying skills in dark-element spirit martial arts. William Carter smiled—his union with Henry Clark was not without its benefits…

“Dark… Dark Fire?”

A sudden voice from behind snapped William Carter back to his senses. Without warning, the black flames that had vanished from his palms reignited, and at the same time, his whole body shot backward like an arrow released from a bow.

“It’s you?” The person who appeared behind William Carter was the young man he had just encountered in the grass. He had thought the youth had already fled with the other Wind Nation soldiers, but unexpectedly, he had stayed behind. There was no need to ask—he must have seen everything that had happened.

“You didn’t run?” William Carter frowned, staring coldly at the youth. Although the other was from the Wind Nation, the Dark Fire in his palms did not disappear; on the contrary, the killing intent in his eyes grew stronger.

The youth could feel his murderous aura, his heart trembling, a chill running through him, but on the surface he managed to remain calm. He put on a friendly smile and said, “You… you don’t need to worry. Even though I saw everything, I absolutely won’t tell anyone…”