Jin Wang ran at full speed. His paws thundered as he charged, he ran with speed greater than anything Yin Long had ever seen him use. Yin Long sat on his back and leaned down so as to not needlessly increase the wind resistance, the sound of wind getting pushed aside roaring in his ears.

"It's a shame, but we'll try you again in the future."

Yin Long muttered a bit to himself as he felt the warm golden fur against his face. His Qi was currently converting into Netherworld energy and pouring into his bandaged arm to heal it. Habits were hard to break so he wasn't confident that he could stop himself from using his other arm if it wasn't bandaged like this, that was why he hadn't rushed its healing, it was a good chance to train. But now he would need everything he had so he had no choice but to restore his arm.

"You're rushing. What happened?"

A familiar voice reached him as they rushed to meet up with the others, Hongzai contacting him through the hairpin. She probably hadn't been watching earlier and thus missed his remark to Jin Wang, otherwise, she wouldn't be asking such a pointless question.

"My family has been forced in here and are being treated as trespassers. We're guessing that they're being used to bait me out, and if my guess is correct then the one responsible is one of the Province Emperors. I'm rushing to meet up with them."

There was no point in beating around the bush or trying to hide things, Yin Long had never been that type of person either after all. His voice was calm and steady, tinged with a coldness that told Hongzai just how serious the situation actually was.

"You're going to go against a Province Emperor? You?"

He couldn't see her, but he could guess that she was probably raising an eyebrow as she questioned him, perhaps she was even looking at him like he was an idiot. But that wouldn't change the situation, nor would it change his simple answer.

"Yes."

His family was in danger, those he cared about were in danger. It could be a Dominion Deity coming for all he cared, he would move and do the best he could either way.

"The plan?"

There was an additional shade of seriousness in Hongzai's voice as she spoke, Yin Long's simple answer had probably told her that the situation was beyond just serious and had already reached the do-or/-die stage. Yin Long thought back to the map he saw when he activated the spatial array, the thing Yin Yu wanted to show him had been clearly marked there.

"There's an exit, a rift in this space similar to the one we used to reach your abode. Yin Yu said that it'll spit us out in a danger zone that lies within the territory of her grandmother's sect. It's in a different province so it'll be harder for the emperor to move there, lest he wants to piss off the other Province Emperor. It should at least buy us time to move around."

A rift, an escape, it provided both security and danger. It was safe because it would put distance between them and Starblood, but it was dangerous because it would probably be easier for him to move outside of this fractured space. But he was a Province Emperor, going against him was already rife with risks. There was a short moment of silence from the other end of the hairpin as Hongzai went over the plan, if it could even be called that.

"Which emperor is after you, and which province is that girlie's grandma's sect in."

Different provinces had different emperors, and as you could expect, different levels of strength. The Lang clan that once ruled three provinces was beyond strong, there wasn't a single Province Emperor that could stand against the one they chose as their emperor, only a coalition and some diplomacy could hold them back.

"Starblood is coming, and we're heading for Snow's Muse."

Yin Yu was from the Hermit's Abode, which belonged to the Starblood Province, but she said that her grandmother had already left the sect long ago and joined a different one. That was what they were betting on right now, it was all they could bet on right now. But Hongzai shot that down immediately.

"Then you can forget about it. Starblood is strong, he's fought for his position and maintained it for thousands of years by fighting. Snow's Muse is weaker, he got his position through scheming and connections, it would be better to picture Snow's Muse as a province ruled by a conglomeration of weaker people. Starblood can run rampant there."

Province Emperor, it wasn't a cultivation realm but a position. And the weakness of all positions was that there would always be more than one way to get them. And thus, sometimes there would be undeserving people who ended up getting those positions. The news were far from good, almost catastrophic even, but Yin Long's expression barely budged.

"I see, then things are worse than we hoped. There is a chance I won't get to return and learn more from you, Master, you'll have to forgive this disciple if that ends up being the case."

Yin Long had been prepared for death the moment Yin Yu sent him the news, that was why he had warned Jin Wang of exactly that. They were going against a Province Emperor, the chances of survival were already around only 1% so what did it matter if you removed half of that?

"...Man, you can really be so damn hateful at times..."

Hongzai's murmur sounded a bit aggrieved as it reached Yin Long. She knew, she knew from the moment she met him. This was how he was, such a beautifully plain and simple. Life and death barely registered in his eyes, that was the only way he could train in such a suicidal way. It was efficient, but painful to those who cared for him. She drew in a sharp breath, Yin Long could hear it through the hairpin, and then she stretched out her hand and offered it to this disciple that had barged into her life.

"It'll be hard for Starblood to do too much within the fractured space, there's no way the Warden will let him do that, he'll do everything he can to stop him. But I doubt that it will be enough, you'll still be in danger as long as you're there, as long as he can track you for that matter. The Wasted Flowerfield, do you have the qualifications to head to that spatial array?"

The Warden of the Wastes, the main entrance of this fractured space was located squarely within the territory he guarded. To forcibly intrude in it to harm competitors? There was no way he would ever allow that, it would be a gargantuan stain on his pride for all time.

"I do, but how do you know about it, Master?"

Yin Long hadn't gone to that spatial array, but he had seen the name fly by while he scrolled through the map occasionally so he had a rough idea of where it was. But what he didn't know was how Hongzai would know about it. Had she perhaps taken part in this competition before?

"I originally came from within the land you're in now."

Her answer was short and emotionless, it was a voice signalling that she had cut all ties with her old home. She didn't linger on the answer either and moved directly on to the main topic instead, from her position outside of the competition she could see that it wouldn't be too long before Yin Long met up with the others.

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"Bring everyone to the Wasted Flowerfield and then head straight east, you'll easily be able to see your target, it looks like a mountain that was caved in by something falling on it. Head for the centre of that basin, there'll be a crack in space there you can use to escape to a place that even Province Emperors don't dare enter without a lot of debating, they might die if they do."

Yin Long's pupils shrank slightly when Hongzai spoke of the danger beyond the rift. A place that even Province Emperors would fear? Granted, even if some Province Emperors were weaker, some were still very strong, like Starblood. What sort of land was beyond the rift, to even endanger them?

"Where is it?"

He didn't bother asking if it was safe or how dangerous it would be for them, the situation was already so dangerous that it really didn't matter to him how dangerous the land was. But he wanted to know where it was, he wanted to know exactly what land could threaten emperors. The only other places he had heard of like that so far was the Underearth Forest and the Skywater Marsh. Both of them bordered his hometown, and the central portions could threaten even emperors.

"The tomb of the god that was closest to man. I can't say too much about it, you'll understand why if you reach the deepest part of it. But know this, you alone will be like a fish in water once you reach that place."

Sadly, the answer Hongzai gave him was cryptic at best, while also being slightly assuring. He saw a bit of hope now, past that 0.5% chance of survival.

"Thank you, Master."

He spoke sincerely, a small smile on his face, but Hongzai simply scoffed.

"Thank me when you come back to learn some more, I still need to teach you how to make your scream truly scrape the world."

Yin Long smiled slightly again. He was a swordsman, a Woehowl whose scream, whose sword, was meant to scrape the world. But right now he only had the one sword, Esi, the sword of starvation, so perhaps it was better to call him half a swordsman, an infant even.

"...I'll try to call in a favour, but don't expect too much. Focus on yourself and what you can do, never wait for outside possibilities to save you."

Hongzai spoke again after some hesitation. She had cut herself away from the world quite a while ago already to hide from the flood, but she still had some acquaintances she should be able to contact, debts to call in. But whether or not they actually answered for the sake of her disciple was questionable.

"I'll bring some good wine next time, my elder sister is a great brewer."

Yin Long didn't even thank her, he just spoke about their possible next meeting. To speak of it was to make it a promise, and a promise was something he had to keep, so he couldn't die here. But once again, Hongzai scoffed, although her tone changed slightly towards the end.

"We can save the drinking until we've accomplished our goals. But once the flood is dead I'd be delighted to join you for a glass."

Hongzai had a grudge, Yin Long knew that. Her sword, her scream, wasn't pointed at the world, but at someone within the Floodlight line. The family of a Dominion Deity, how grand of an existence was that? How hard would it be to cut the throat of someone like that? But it was her goal all the same.

Yin Long simply smiled, or perhaps smirked was a better description. Such a distant goal she had, but wasn't he the same? The smile was his answer to her statement, the day they would share a cup would come eventually.

Silence descended since they both finished saying what they had to say, the sound of roaring wind once again occupying Yin Long's ears. But it didn't take long before a few other sounds started to quietly reach him, Jin Wang's head turning sharply before he growled.

"Yeah, I noticed. A battle. Go."

The sound of metal colliding with metal, flesh tearing, screams, the familiar sounds of battle reached them from the distance. Jin Wang turned his body and rushed into the distance, a battle in this area was highly likely to include his targets.

And indeed, after running for a bit, the scene of battle came into sight. The gargantuan trees around them were covered in cuts and other marks, several of them were missing large chunks and some were even burning. Yin Yu, Lan Yun, and Lang Ru stuck close to each other as they made their way through the trees, fending off the various attackers.

Some seemed strong enough to be part of the competition while some appeared weaker, they were probably inhabitants who had either been forced to participate, or just wanted to participate for the reward. Yin Long took in the faces of all the attackers and then pat Jin Wang's mane.

"Let's go."

The golden lion charged forward with a thunderous roar, the earth erupting beneath his paws as he ran and lept into the air. He came crashing down on one of the attackers that was closer to Yin Yu's group, the woman hurriedly raising her shield to block him. But a slightly curved cyan sword snuck past her shield and cut her chest, blades of wind erupting from the weapon and tearing her to ribbons.

Jin Wang landed on the corpse and squelched it, Yin Long hopping off his back and using his sword to draw a line in the dirt as he faced the other attackers.

"Anyone who crosses that line is willingly handing over their heads."

His voice was colder than ice, dripping with more blood than the corpse he had created. Half a step, anyone who took even half a step beyond that line would become his eternal enemy, he wanted to make that statement clear not only to the people present but also to everyone watching the scene from outside the competition.

The approaching people hesitated slightly when Yin Long intruded, seeing a person shredded like that made them stop up to observe the situation. Yin Long turned his head slightly, locking eyes with Lang Ru for the first time in what felt like ages, a slightly bitter smile on his face.

"I really wish we didn't have to meet like this."

If he was to meet his family again then he would have preferred to do so over drinks, perhaps while they were celebrating Lang Huo and Tang Fen's wedding. Or perhaps the birth of his nephew or niece, anything but a situation like this. But Lang Ru simply smiled at him, taking in the back of the brother that finally got the chance to spread his wings.

"But at least we're meeting, right? Life is a lot brighter if you look at the positives like that."

His back looked a bit wider now and his complexion seemed to have lightened up somewhat. She was happy, he looked much better than he did when he was in the sect, he looked free. She ignored the situation they were in and swiped her interspatial ring, tossing a pale yellow gourd to him.

"Take it, you've probably run out by now, no?"

Yin Long caught the gourd and unplugged it, the familiar scent of elderflower and rhubarb hitting his nose. Lang Ru had prepared a lot of alcohol for Yin Long, but most of it was kept with Lang Huo since she didn't expect to meet him. This one gourd was just a little extra, more for her than for him. He smirked slightly at the smell, taking a swig of the wine before he closed the gourd and tucked it away.

"Ah, you really know me best."

The taste had gotten better compared to what he remembered so it seemed like she hadn't abandoned this hobby of hers. He turned his gaze back onto the attackers, but his focus wasn't on them, he knew that the real enemy was going to show himself soon. After all, he felt the eyes again.

"I was hoping that I was wrong, I really was."

And indeed, that familiar voice quickly reached him, a sigh echoing through the area. The air started to crackle as energy gathered around what looked like a drop of blood that had appeared in the air, an oppressive sensation filling the land. But something seemed to be suppressing the energy, the Warden was probably dealing with the emperor's real body at this very moment.

"Starblood."

Yin Long's gaze was locked on the figure that was formed by the energy. Over three metres tall, a few faint wrinkles on his face, dark silver hair, and light red eyes, an exact copy of Emperor Starblood. Just as he expected, or perhaps feared, he had appeared straight away. He looked at Starblood, and Starblood looked at him, a somewhat sour expression on his face.

"I was almost fooled. Really, you almost had me, I really wanted to believe you."

He honestly did. He sincerely prayed that Yin Long was actually his lord, that the Lord of Everburning Trees had returned. Everything would be wonderful if that was the case, everything would end up perfect. But life was rarely that kind.

"But no, you're not my lord, you have that one fatal flaw he never had."

The more he observed this reincarnated 'lord' of his, the more he saw it, that one weakness that his true lord never had. That was why he investigated, that was why he acted, he needed to see if he was just faking it or if he had been lying all along. And the answer he got at the end was disappointing.

"Yin Long, my lord was a sun. Brighter than any star, brighter than any other light. But do you know what a sun is? It is something that blots out everything else, it is a solitary thing that won't let anything exist around it, everything else is just drowned out by that light. The sun has no need for care or love, it just needs loyal subjects that can worship it from a safe distance."

When you looked at the sun, it blinded you. When you existed next to the sun, it would burn you. And if you could survive the burn? Well, then the light of the sun would be so bright that you would never be seen, an existence that would never be acknowledged. His Lord had been exactly one such sun, resplendent and solitary, beautiful and grand. But Yin Long? No, Starblood had seen the truth after his investigation, and just the fact that Yin Long had shown himself here marked that fact more strongly than anything else.

"And you... you can never become a solitary sun."