~~~

The barrier comes down as soon as Liu Jin is declared the winner. Such is the will of the Crimson Cloud. Though it is not unaware of the various interests surrounding the battle, it sees no purpose in interfering with them. Emperor Xiang's many attempts to convince it otherwise were for naught. The concerns of the Crimson Cloud lie elsewhere.

The shadows strike.

Dark creatures without shape or mass rise from the shadows and leap onto the ring. For one brief instant, many of the greatest cultivators of the Crimson Cloud Empire are caught by surprise. Such a thing should be unthinkable, yet their very power has worked against them. The exceedingly high amount of ambient Qi created by gathering so many Emperors in one place resulted in the perfect conditions for these creatures to go undetected.

Liu Jin and Xiao Shuang are some of the strongest cultivators of their generation. Usually, they'd have nothing to fear from foes such as these, but Xiao Shuang has yet to regain consciousness, and Liu Jin is barely standing. It cannot possibly be they who make the first move. It is also not Emperor Xiang. It is not Feng Gui or Feng Shang. It is not even Ruan Chenshu, and certainly not the Wandering Wind, who merely sits back and watches.

The one who seizes the initiative is Meng Yue.

Time seems to stop for her as she moves into the ring, but such is an impossibility. The march of time can never be stopped. That is an immutable law.

However, for the sake of the argument, if one were capable of creating a spatial realm in which the flow of time goes by so fast that time in the true world seems frozen by comparison, then overlapped that spatial realm with the true world in such a way that only they were acting under the time of their personal spatial realm, the effect created would seem indistinguishable from frozen time.

When Meng Yue dismisses her spatial realm, a logic error is created. Two different times try to reconcile with each other.

Reality quivers. Time hiccups.

Meng Yue arrives in the ring a fraction of a second before she leaves her seat.

A protective dome of ice rises around Xiao Shuang. Immediately after, the shadows freeze and shatter. The particles of ice left behind by their annihilation glitter in the air like diamonds around Meng Yue, leaving the audience completely breathless. Many will remember her beauty for as long as they live.

"You have my thanks," Meng Yue says to Liu Jin. "I was worried about what would happen to my disciple, but this outcome may serve her best. Of course, I never thought she would lose, but never mind that, you will come with me to the Divine Frozen Palace."

"Is that so?"

Lord Feng Gui of the Eternal Flame Clan steps into the ring. The man wears his usual confident smile as he puts himself between Meng Yue and Liu Jin.

"Young Qing Jin is a disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Why should he go with you?" He asks.

"...I had a few excuses ready, but what is the point of them?" Meng Yue says. Her Qi rises abruptly. "You were a poor partner last time, but if you want to make up for it now and satisfy me, who am I to say no?"

Feng Gui's smile dims, yet his Qi starts rising in preparation. Several of the weaker people in the Crimson Cloud Arena wisely start making themselves scarce.

However, before Feng Gui can say or do anything, someone else speaks up.

"Emperor Qing Jin will not be going with either of you."

A cloaked figure emerges in the ring. It is immediately obvious that the one under the hood is not a human but a puppet, a contraption of wood and metal whose movements are being controlled by someone else.

Lord Feng Gui snorts.

"You have no place in this discussion, child. I can sense your power even through your attempts to hide. Begone and let your betters speak."

"I have no issue if you wish to join, but be aware you might not survive it," Meng Yue says, not taking her eyes off Feng Gui.

"I represent the Temple of the Thousand Shadows," the puppet says. "You will find there are consequences for getting in the way of our designs."

The Temple of the Thousand Shadows.

Most of the people listening do not know the name, yet many of those who do feel their blood freeze. The Temple of the Thousand Shadows is one of the three main powers on the other side of the Dead Plains. In other words, though the puppeteer might not be their match, the authority behind him is not one anyone in the arena can take lightly.

Feng Gui and Meng Yue remain undaunted.

"I do not care," she says.

"The Temple of the Thousand Shadows is not the one authorized to interfere with this side of the Dead Plains," says he.

Liu Jin smiles.

"Brother Firm Shadow," he says, "it has been a long time."

The puppet turns in his direction.

"Emperor Qing Jin, I warned you about calling too much attention to yourself when we last spoke," Firm Shadow says through his puppets. "I never imagined the secret you were hiding was this big, but now that it has come to this, you cannot be allowed to live."

Liu Jin's smile becomes tinged with sadness. He knew it would come to this from the moment he revealed Art of the Roaming Thief, though he was not expecting it'd be Firm Shadow personally.

"Brother Alarming Shadow must be somewhere close, then?" He says more for Meng Yue's and Feng Gui's benefit than to make conversation. "Still, I thought the Temple of the Thousand Shadow was the one that followed the rules, unlike the other two. Shouldn't it be the Peerless Heavenly Sword who comes to collect me?"

The puppet seems to glare at him.

"It is because the rules have been broken so much that we cannot rely on them to do what they should!"

"No!" Xiao Shuang's voice calls out from inside the dome of ice. She seems to have regained consciousness, but her voice is still weak. "I will not let you take him!"

"Well, that's quite enough, isn't it?"

A heavy weight falls over the puppet, crushing it into pieces.

Elder Chen of the Infinite Mountain Sect is that heavy weight. The man aims a disarming smile at two of the most powerful people in the empire. He looks much like an older version of Chen Guo, but despite being the tallest person in the ring, not even he can match Chen Guo's prodigious height.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"I think this matter should be settled between the Four Great Sects. There is no need for outsiders," he says. "Don't you agree?"

"You speak of outsiders?" Feng Gui says. "Unlike the Divine Frozen Palace, you don't have a single pretext to lay claim on a disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan."

"My nephew told me you declined his offer," Elder Chen says, ignoring Feng Gui and speaking directly to Liu Jin. "Have you changed your mind?"

Liu Jin never gets the opportunity to answer.

Meng Yue has had enough talking.

She appears in front of Elder Chen without warning and delivers a single strike to his chest. Elder Chen is launched out of the ring, and the ensuing shockwave rocks the city. Lord Feng Gui does not fail to take advantage of the opportunity. A dome of golden flames rises around Liu Jin as the man advances on Meng Yue's back. His hand points up, and golden flames rise for several miles to form a giant flaming sword. People in neighboring cities stop what they are doing to stare at the massive construct.

Bai Lianshi dashes in. At that exact moment, Feng Shang leaps from his seat and intercepts her. She glares at him as her aura rises, spreading glacial cold. Feng Shang's flames scatter over the arena. None of them touches Bai Lianshi, yet their light envelopes them both.

When it fades, the two are nowhere to be seen.

~~~

Hundreds of miles away, Bai Lianshi opens her eyes.

"You!" she says, glaring angrily at Feng Shang.

"It is indeed I," Feng Shang says, floating in front of her. "Do not look so angry with me. There was too much power gathered in the arena. It was only natural for it to spread. The pleasure of your company is merely a fortunate event."

Bai Lianshi decides to ignore the last part of that statement.

"How many did you get? "

"Not as many people as I wanted, but more than I expected," Feng Shang replies. "Will you stand down? You can try to fly back to the arena, but considering the level of those involved, it is all bound to be over by then."

Ice explodes around the two of them.

"Oh, Feng Shang," Bai Lianshi says as ice begins to form an armor around her body. Her lips curl into a smile. "It is as if you do not know me at all."

~~~

[Enlightened Majestic Blade]

The sword begins to fall. The tip is aimed straight at the crown of Meng Yue's head, intent on piercing it along with the entire arena and the city below it if not stopped.

That is something Emperor Xiang cannot allow.

He knows Meng Yue can defend herself from an attack of this level, but he cannot rely on her to handle the attack in a way that best minimizes collateral damage just as he cannot rely on Feng Gui to moderate what he considers necessary destruction.

Idiots, both of them.

Emperor Xiang flies up. His aura flares around him with force.

Emperor Realm, Level Eight.

He cannot match the likes of Feng Gui or Meng Yue. That is something he already knows, but he does not need to. He only needs to destroy the attack, something that would be easier if he could call upon the Crimson Cloud, but that thing's attention seems to be elsewhere right now. About the only positive thing in this whole situation is that the arena is significantly emptier than it was a fraction of a second ago thanks to Feng Shang's trick.

Emperor Xiang breathes in.

[Fist of the Crimson Cloud]

A fist of red slams onto the massive blade with enough force to clear out every cloud in the sky. However, things can never be simple with Feng Gui. The man's Dao is Destruction, and that is what is wrapped around his technique. Emperor Xiang's attack is only enough to destroy the barrier of destruction around the blade.

[Rising Cloud Annihilates Sky]

His fist turns. A whirlwind of red swallows the several-mile-long sword and launches it up through the stratosphere. Most likely, it will hit the barrier surrounding the continent soon enough, but an attack of that magnitude cannot possibly put a dent in that thing. Otherwise, it'd have come down a long time ago.

"That was well done, but unneeded. Sister Yue could have handled it easily enough," a voice speaks up behind him. Emperor Xiang turns to face Shao Zhilan. She smiles at him. "Can I take that to mean we can count on your support?"

Emperor Xiang snorts. "Hardly. I merely did not wish to rely on that woman's self-control."

"She is not that bad," Shao Zhilan says, but he has a feeling she is only doing it out of obligation. "Still, will you really not side with us? The city is in danger, and I believe the Divine Frozen Palace is the one best suited for guaranteeing its safety. It is only natural for us to join forces."

Emperor Xiang takes a moment to look around the arena. His son and that pink girl are awkwardly standing near each other, neither one having the guts to fight one another, yet also unable to betray their respective sides. Feng Zhuo of the Eternal Flame Clan faces off against Bai Wen of the Divine Frozen Palace with Lady Ling at his side. Lady Feng and Elder Xue have yet to move. Meanwhile, Elder Chen has already stood up and dusted himself off as though no harm was done to him.

"My city is in danger," Emperor Xiang says. "That is exactly why, no matter how attractive the option, allowing you to do what you want in my capital is unacceptable."

"What a pity."

Still, neither of the two moves to attack.

~~~

Lord Feng Gui's skill is nothing short of masterful. Those are Liu Jin's most sincere thoughts as he looks at the flaming dome that now surrounds him. It even goes under the ground. It is the same Eternal Flame that Feng Zhi and Lu Mei use, yet the potency is far greater. By all means, being so close to a flame this hot should be incinerating him, but the heat of the flame refuses to touch him.

Even if he were in perfect condition, breaking free from it would be exceedingly hard.

"As expected, he is incredibly strong," Liu Jin says as he starts treating himself.

The use of pills and elixirs is not allowed during the tournament, but that time is over. The night before the fight, Liu Jin hid Old Jiang's spatial pouch inside his body, and now, he is free to take it out. It is a good thing the material is so durable. Otherwise, Xiao Shuang's cold could have destroyed it inside his stomach.

That would not have been pretty.

The fire dome does not stop him from sensing the clashing energies outside. Things have more or less progressed as he expected them to, but that's not exactly a good thing. Firm Shadow and Alarming Shadow are still somewhere out there, waiting for their opportunity. It would have been better if the Temple of the Thousand Shadows had sent someone stronger, but they were probably aware of how problematic that could have been.

People like Lord Feng Gui already resent the influence of those on the other side of the Dead Plains. Had they sent someone strong enough to make the Four Great Sects publicly submit, that level of humiliation could have irrevocably damaged relationships between the Four Great Sects and the other side. It could have even compelled them to join forces against them. The one who chose to send Firm Shadow and Alarming Shadow probably realized that.

Sensible people are a problem.

"Husband."

Liu Jin blinks as the voice of Xiao Shuang enters his mind. Though not exactly impossible, that she managed to navigate her Qi through Meng Yue's and Feng Gui's barriers, especially in her condition, is nothing short of remarkable.

"You never cease to amaze," he says, using the connection she forged.

"This is hardly surprising. You accepted me into your world, and we bared our souls to one another," Xiao Shuang replies. "Barriers of this level could never hope to keep us apart."

She is right, but Liu Jin hadn't quite realized the practical applications of his actions until she pointed them out. A light blush colors his cheeks.

"We have little time," Xiao Shuang keeps speaking. "What shall we do?"

Liu Jin blinks. "You will support me?"

"Despite my misgivings, you won our battle," Xiao Shuang says. "You seem to think you can navigate your way through this disaster, and I intend to give you the chance to prove it. Besides, you said you'd take me with you. I hope you won't prove yourself a liar so quickly."

"Of course not," Liu Jin replies. "If I could, I'd share some of my elixirs with you right now. I'd prefer to have you at your best."

"There is no need for you to worry about that," Xiao Shuang says. "The dome my master summoned is nourishing my Qi and body. I shall be in a good enough condition soon enough."

Unlike Feng Gui, Meng Yue is considerate. Hardly surprising, considering Feng Gui doesn't want him escaping.

"I ask again, what shall we do?" Xiao Shuang asks him.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Exactly," Liu Jin says, sitting on the floor, cross-legged. "We are protected by barriers created by some of the strongest cultivators on this side of the Dead Plains. For now, we are exactly where we need to be. Focus on recovering as much as possible."

He looks at the dome and feels the warring energies around him.

"Most of this will settle itself before we step a single foot outside this ring."

~~~

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.