“I HAVE TO ESCAPE!”

Lu Jade burst through the Heavenly Imperial Palace gates. Those black scales that were Qi Hawk’s blessing slithered with frantic urgency. His heart was a drum against his ribs as images of his brother Raphael’s defiant stand flashed through his terrified mind.

He vaulted over those corridors that were suspended in the open sky and continued onward, never pausing to acknowledge those mighty serpentine gatekeepers who were now lazily exchanging gossip about a tasty frog they had for dinner and those juicy flies that buzzed around their master's beard. Those concerns they held, paled in comparison to Lu Jade’s terror.

Their ignorance of this situation would be short-lived, however, as a figure far more terrifying than any mere Saint Ruler came screeching through the gates.

“Get back here you BASTARD!”

It was Lu Ruby! Her furious voice carried with it a potent aura of anger and humiliation, it resonated with a deadly power that had those very foundations of Hebikuni trembling.

Lu Jade didn't dare look back as he slithered.

"Those lies! Because of YOU… I was almost executed! Thank god Father didn’t buy your bullshit. You will pay DEARLY!”

She didn’t slow down her serpentine slither.

“Get back here you… you… LITTLE SHIT!”

With a powerful leap fueled by ancient energies. Lu Ruby vaulted over those corridors and launched herself into those open skies above that city of serpentine grandeur, chasing after that fleeing black serpent whose back had already disappeared into the horizon.

She wasn’t finished with this traitor.

“Red Chariot!” she commanded.

And as if conjured from those fiery depths of her very being.

BOOM!

A magnificent crimson chariot appeared before her. It was crafted from purest rubies, gold, and those bones from dragons she had slain during her sojourn in Fol Ash.

Those eight eels returned as her loyal steeds. They glowed brighter, and stronger than when they first came bearing those crates earlier. They had fed well, she thought smugly as she gracefully alighted into her opulent red seat.

“CHASE!”

With a snort that had those clouds above parting. Her eels shot forward towards her prey. The intensity had the wind rushing past her robe. She laughed. The chase was truly exhilarating!

Meanwhile…

Lu Jade was flying. He could slither through the air; propelled by those secret techniques he'd learnt from his mother and mastered in seclusion, but even this wasn't enough!

“Huff! Huff! Damn… she’sss… ssshe’ssss catching up!”

Fear propelled him forward, his elongated black form swerved erratically as he zipped past a sentient tree whose leafy branches were teeming with noble bronze serpent children in their pajamas, enjoying those evening breezes before bedtime. He could hear their joyful laughter which contrast his current panic.

Those children’s shouts of “What wasss that?”, they fueled his anxiety.

“Ssshe iss catching up!”

Below him, two serpents were entwined in those depths of a small pool fed by a cascading waterfall. He glanced briefly as their bodies moved in a rhythmic dance. But before he could even contemplate their passion and judge their choice of location for such… activity, his flight path collided with those lovers. He swerved, narrowly avoiding a tangled mass of tails and fangs.

"What the…?! Are you blind? Can't you see… Oh no! Is that Lu Ruby?"

Their whispers quickly turned into panicked yelps as his tail clipped a nearby rock, sending shards scattering through the tranquil space.

“Sorry, gotta go! Bye!”

"Think you can outrun me, Little bastard! Think again!”

That dreaded voice of his sister shattered his hope of escape, even those eels seemed to screech “Catch him!”, how unfortunate!

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"Oh no. I have to get away! I need to…"

Lu Jade instinctively reached for the 'Octahedron Communicator'. He had to contact Qi Hawk, that Emperor Calamity could help. He remembered his promise.

But then…

“Those were his words! Wait!”

‘Help can only be sent if I’m outside Lu Ignis’s territory.’ He hissed desperately. ‘Oh, God, I…I have to get out of Hebikuni!”

His distraction had cost him precious seconds. Those eels were mere inches away! He could feel the wind from their passage! And Lu Ruby's gleeful laughter… It was haunting.

BOOM!

A searing hot ball of crimson energy slammed into his backside with explosive force, sending him plummeting towards a pond filled with frolicking young serpents of those less fortunate lineages. It wasn't a kill shot. Just enough to incapacitate!

"Ouch! My… ssscaless…”

His descent created a massive splash.

“What the…?!”

“Intruder! Attack!"

Those mating serpents, caught mid-action, hissed in alarm. They scrambled in a frenzy of whipping tails and flashing fangs, trying to escape the chaos. Some even vanished beneath those muddy depths while others fled for those trees above. Their screams were amplifying the tension, of those about to witness a bloodbath.

“Those poor soulsss… Thisss day just keeps getting worse.” Lu Jade coughed a mouthful of murky water and then saw those shadows around him. Three pairs of potent, bloodshot eyes peered down.

He was surrounded!

"Capture him! My Father wants him ALIVE!" Lu Ruby's command came with an intensity that could shatter diamond.

“You’re not escaping today.”

Then they attack!

WHOOSH!

The three silver-gold armored Sun Imperial Guards descended. Each one possessed those powerful ‘Sun Cycle’ devices upon their back, which were now glowing threateningly. It was clear, Lu Ignis had spared no expenses when equipping his daughter's retinue.

“Huh! They’re going to attack!”

Lu Jade didn’t have much time to think because one guard slammed his fist against Lu Jade’s chest, but instead of connecting…

CLANG!

A 'Sun Cycle' materialized before him. It intercepted the attack, the force of their meeting sent shockwaves rippling through the water.

Those bronze discs now resembled shields as they pulsed in unison with each guard's essence, reflecting their shared lineage.

This coordination, this efficiency… truly remarkable, Lu Jade concluded before dodging another tail whip aimed at his skull with a hiss.

He would survive. He was no longer the scared snake hiding in his jade cave. He was Lu Jade. A jade green serpent with the heart of a warrior!

Those whispers within those deepest, most primal parts of his essence were screaming: “SHOW them what you are truly capable of! Annihilate!”

‘Big Brother… he’s fighting for our survival right now… so should I!’

As their attacks intensified, the air around the guards crackled with raw power. They raised their hands, those glowing Sun Cycles resonated and coalesced into a ball of incandescent sun energy, aiming straight at Lu Jade.

It hummed and those runes etched into those bronze discs were moving, this blast, it could shatter mountains if unleashed!

“That energy is scary. I have to do it… but can I?” Lu Jade was seconds guessing himself, but then his resolved harden.

"Jade Flower Domain!"

BOOM!

A blinding green light erupted outwards, shattering their coordinated attacks before expanding into a massive dome that encompassed the entire pond.

Within the confines of Lu Jade’s domain, those emerald flames of his roared into existence. They replaced those stagnant waters as his new form twisted and those scales glistened with a brilliance he'd never known before.

At the very heart of this emerald expanse, a wondrous spectacle unfolded, fueled by that innate bond he’d forged with that Jade Stone that had sealed those abilities he'd been hiding for thousands of years.

A crystal-clear pond appeared. Within it floated jade-green lotuses with golden edges and a fragrance that sent waves of peaceful energy towards those serpents outside that barrier.

Surrounding this majestic lake was a carpet of Phantom Willow Grass that gently swayed with a graceful cadence.

And looming high above the pool, a giant Divine Phantom Willow Tree materialized. Beneath the tree, was Lu Jade. His serpentine body was enormous now. It coiled protectively around the base of the divine tree, and from the ground where he’d shed a few scales moments before came a dozen glowing Phantom Willow Grass that swayed around him like a beautiful jade green skirt adorned with soft purple luminescence.

"Thisss is…?" Lu Ruby watched in stunned disbelief. She recognized it now. “T-that domain… It’s unmistakable! You… Y-you are… Lu Jade?"

This wasn't that pathetic, clumsy runt she’d torment those thousands of years ago, no. This was a creature that could rival even those elite Sun Imperial Guard in both power and efficiency!

It wasn't possible! This was supposed to be a joke, a game… right?

Those anxieties and self-doubts would have to wait, however, for a more terrifying truth came shattering those remaining optimistic bubbles.

Her father, he wanted to bring this ‘traitor’ back alive… so there was no negotiation, no mercy for this ‘little bitch’, not today.

Those guards surrounding her hissed in recognition.

“It is that snake that conspires with the golden bull against the Emperor, right?”

“Yes! This is truly him. Lu Jade… but the color of his scales are deeper. And the Phantom Willow Grass?”

This was their nightmare!

"He has awakened…" Killaman pointed ahead as chills raced through him. "He'sss larger than even Hellphet! And his cultivation has risen from Great Ordeal Stage… to Ssssaint Ruler 4th layer!”

“So what if he'sss a ssssaint ruler?!" Lu Ruby retorted angrily while whipping her tail about. “Hisss ssstrength isss ssstill pitiful compared to mine. I’m a Nightmare Calamity! Prepare yourssself for a beating baby brother. Jusssst like old timesss.”

Those words, how familiar. How terrifying they had been to Lu Jade in the past, but now, with those glowing Phantom Willow stalks forming a protective halo above him…

"Come! Lu Ruby! I'm not the ssssnake you usssed to know." He stared defiantly at his arrogant sister, radiating a confidence and power she’d never seen in him.

He wasn't a pushover anymore, not by a long shot. This realization had her tail thrumming with anticipation, such a worthy opponent!

And so…

Their eyes met, and sparks flew.

“Clearly you are not! But that foolish ambition of yours, those dark allies you keep close… You'll learn this lesson again, and perhaps thissss time Father will watch as you become a forgotten soul! DIE!"

"HAAA!" Lu Jade hissed. "We shall see!"

The fight began!