Chapter 10

The sky was blue, the winds calm, and the birds were singing songs. Literally.

In any case, the valley was very much peaceful with barely any sign of human activity. In fact, the fighting floor and formations had all been constructed, meaning no excess personnel were required. Disregarding the retinue of personal guards, there were three important figures. There was Elder Lin, responsible for guarding against any high-level cultivators. There was Bai Ruxue, currently in a cage like some zoo attraction. And of course, there was Long Hao standing upright in the combat area. With eyes closed, no less. Whether he was actually meditating or just acting cool, he was not sure.

Then there was himself, Li Zhixing. It might be an over-exaggeration to say he was as important as the other three, though – in this situation at least. But hey, it should be worth a passing mention. At the end of the day, the protagonist remembered his name, and that was what mattered.

Suddenly, the skies turned bright red, the once-peaceful winds now raged with wild abandon, and those beautiful songbirds had turned stiff with fear. Some of them were in fact dead, the guttural, liquid fear stopping their tiny hearts.

Flying from the crimson horizon, there he was. Eyes the colour of the sky – or rather, the reverse was the case. Half the sky had turned to resemble his red eye, with a black pupil covering the presence of the sun. That black mass, the centre of this grand spectacle, was directly aimed at one person and one person only.

“LI ZHIXING! COME AND FACE JUDGEMENT!”

Li Zhixing dropped to his knee for the nth time, with what seemed like the weight of the sky pressing against his back. The crimson eye was growing smaller, yet that was of no relief. Instead, the bluer the sky turned, the worse it got. And that was the least of his concerns. His enemy was still dashing straight at him, a red blur on the landscape.

Firmly in the man’s grasp was a spear. Li Zhixing instinctively knew that in a matter of seconds, the spear would pin his body against the ground. Half ludicrous, he wondered if he would resemble a freshwater fish being speared – karma for all the fish he had once caught.

Before anything could happen though, a voice rang out, with unquestioned authority. “Stop, or else your little whore will die.”

The man slowed down, but still pressed forward. “Was that a threat? And who gave you the right to speak?”

“No, that was a statement of fact. Her life is tied to his.”

He fully stopped, the realization dawning on him. He sneered. “You are a larger piece of shit than I initially realized. For your information though, I only wanted to keep him in place. Maybe making him lose one of his limbs, permanently. Immediate death would be too easy a fate. Not a worthy punishment.”

“Don’t, or I will break the key. For your information, that cage is won’t break anytime soon. Just know that.”

“And I repeat my question, what gives you the right to speak on equal terms with me? Some arrogant spoilt brat who has not once suffered in his life not once endured my pain-”

“Cry me a river,” he said plainly. “I’ll keep it simple for the simpleton. We duel. If you win, you’ll get the key dangling on my neck. If you lose, you’ll abandon your name and any claim to the family.”

“Ain’t happening. Me losing that is. Last of all to a backstabbing, blackhearted piece of shit. So sure. Sounds good. Only on this floor, right?”

“Yes. The aim is to either put the other out of commission or throw them out of the fighting area. No outside intervention, I assure you that. Otherwise, anything goes.”

“Death is on the table?” Seeing the other man nod, Long Tian smiled. “Very good. At least you aren’t too much of a coward. You will die in good hands, so don’t be so glum.”

With a crack of thunder and a blast of pure Qi, the fighting terms had been decided. Easy as pie.

The protagonist came onto the fighting floor, the winds flapping at his locks of hair. Only now could Li Zhixing fully evaluate his opponent’s appearance. Long black hair, tied in a bun. Pale white skin, sharply contrasting his crimson robes. And as mentioned before, red eyes characteristic of his lineage. The shade is a bit darker than both Long Hao and Bai Ruxue, but red was red all the same.

If there was one thing that made him stand out, that would be the tattoos. Well, calling them tattoos would be a bit inaccurate since they were not man-made. Thin lines of gold covered the left side of his body, depicting coiling dragons and soaring phoenixes. These were the imprint of his overly-robust Qi Veins on the real world. With each pulse, the energy held within resembled caged beasts, smashing at the prison of his body and turning the lines into a wondrous shade of white.

Long Tian was born with this. Though of course, as with any good protagonist, it took a while for his superhuman talents to actually shine through. A combination of medical procedures, ancient herbs, traumatic events, and cultivation techniques was the catalyst for change and remained the catalyst to this day. In fact, those glowing lines were only to spread even further, and eventually, they would become one and the same with his normal circulatory system.

In short, his Qi veins were superior to most, embodying the true definition of a “dragon-phoenix” constitution. Look at that, and then look at what Li Zhixing possessed, and it was easy to see who was the main character of this world.

As for Long Hao, if he was intimidated by the previous display of unadulterated power, he did not show it. His face remained as calm and steady as ever, and his body had not once shifted from his original position.

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The two combatants were both at the upper reaches of Core Formation. Long Hao had the advantage of being more used to his current power, though it would be hard to consider anything substantial. On the other side, Long Tian should have an advantage in every field, especially raw power. After all, who else in that realm could manifest his will onto the skies?

Regardless, Li Zhixing could only hope that Long Hao made good use of his information. As Li Zhixing closed his eyes and clasped his hands, Long Tian sneered from the distance, “Praying to the Heavens? How far have you fallen? That said, it’s good that you know your fate. Hold onto my spear until then. I’ve been needing a spear bearer, after all.”

“Shut it,” Long Hao said.

“Sure thing, mister young master. If you want to die sooner, all you need to do is ask.”

With that, the battle erupted. Long Tian flexed his muscles and threw a spear. The air screeched as the weapon split the air, leaving a white trail in its path. In less than a second, the projectile landed, an explosion of smoke lying in its wake.

However, no blood or flesh or even physical debris. Long Tian clicked his tongue, before dashing to the side, a blade cutting a lock of his flowing hair. Long Hao pressed and pressed, leaving open gashes on Long Tian’s body. For whatever reason, Long Tian’s blood spewed out a lot more than what was normal, filling the gaps between the paved tiles and leaving a mist of blood on the battleground.

Li Zhixing frowned. Long Hao’s speed and strength were superior just because it was a duel. A duel, with its well-defined rules and traditionalism, fitted the man’s base of honour. Not to mention, his swordplay was better fitting for a one-on-one.

Li Zhixing knew that quite clearly, so it was not his concern. Instead, he was concerned about the blood. Blood manipulation was one of the protagonist’s main and enduring powers. While it was more relevant in open battles, it was still a bit worrying – especially because Long Tian seemed to be deliberately letting himself bleed more.

And there it was. As he dodged, Long Tian roared, “Do you not see? The powerful, the strong, and the wealthy raise their arms against those without protection, shedding the red blood of the innocent. Is that not unjust? Are you not enraged? Does that not need to be rectified? I SAY YES.”

With that statement, the blood on the floor multiplied, before coalescing onto Long Hao. His robes were strengthened, his weapon even more so. A simple steel spear had now become a crimson lance, with intricate engravings of a simple phrase: Absolute Justice.

Long Tian growled, before thrusting his spear straight at the other man’s chest. The latter batted it aside, before immediately jumping back. A crimson dragon had just snapped its jaws at the previous location – a transformation of the spear. Again, it returned to its prior form.

Red eyes met red eyes. Long Hao said, “That’s it?” The man dodged easily, having known what things entailed. It felt cheap, but the young master shook his head. It was too early to celebrate and grow complacent.

Again, Long Tian lunged forward, his spear splitting into three hungry heads. Yet, this time Long Hao just smashed them into splatters of red liquid. Long Tian smiled, commanding the blood on his opponent’s body to pierce the skin. Yet, before that could be done, the blood evaporated.

Long Tian speculated it was heightened body heat. Most likely due to one artefact or another, considering the family resources Long Hao had at his disposal. Not blood heritage though; Dragon blood did not entail control of heat, as unfortunate as that was.

“Made some preparations, I see. Both of you really care about your sorry lives.”

Long Hao offered no words in return. Instead, he continued with his onslaught, his blades elegant but no less effective. On the opposing side, Long Tian prevented any serious injuries, but the minor cuts were stacking up. While his skills were exceptional – as was the case with any protagonists – he lacked the finesse and proper training of Long Hao. Not to mention, brute force and larger fights were his bread and butter, not duels.

With the same old nonchalance, Long Hao stated his truth, “A person with no family is one without ties.”

Long Tian’s eyes widened, moving back as fast as he possibly could. Even then, it was not enough. Long Hao’s blade cut through his defences, like a blade against air – no resistance. The spear was in two pieces, the crimson robes sliced apart, and a large open gash now lay on Long Hao’s chest. With a grimace, he backed up even more, his hands clutching the wound.

Yet, not even a second later, the man grinned. The blood slowly covered his lines of ‘tattoos’, turning them from a goldish white to a crimson gold – the colour of royals and the Emperor in heaven. Like his opponent, Long Tian had been circulating his Qi with deft and skill, only now completing his technique.

The sky turned red once more, the fiery eye gazing at Li Zhixing. Long Tian growled, his voice reverberating throughout the valley, “Criminal scum, traitor of men, breaker of oaths. The man whom I trusted, the man who had wronged me. Satiate my boiling wrath, let him face justice’s righteous hands.”

Li Zhixing found himself weakened, his breath harsher and his body slower. More importantly, Long Tian was bolstered, his body now burning with crimson flames. There was a certain weight to his personhood, one that Li Zhixing felt very tangibly. And feelings of guilt weighed him down, while that of wrath added to Long Tian’s existence.

His body shifted, bulging in unnatural proportions. One second, he was a man. The next, he was little more than a mindless beast. He grew thrice his original size, with jagged claws and an uneven smattering of scales. His muscles were unwieldy and his skin was a mixture of black and red. His limbs were asymmetrical and misshapen, with none being remotely the same size. Finally, those lines of artistic beauty had shifted, now appearing like cracks on dried earth, or shattered pottery haphazardly put together.

An abomination in the truest sense of the word.

Heavenward, the pupil shone its light on two people and two people alone, the Punisher and the Punished. Everyone else melded with the background, shrouded in the darkness that accompanied the loss of our ever-loving Sun.

“Unfortunately, justice is blind.”

His hands plunged into his own two eyes. His actions were reflected onto the eye above, two illusionary spears piercing it through. The sky bled, and light returned. Yet, there was a sense of haziness that pervaded the air, as though everything was less tangible, less real.

Everything else had become mere collateral, an unfortunate accident in the pursuit of justice. Until the guilty were punished, Long Tian would not rest.

Slowly, the beast’s eyes were opened, or at least, what remained of them did. “I smell you. I sense you. I will kill you.”

Before anybody could react, its bulging arm moved. His fist acted like a war hammer, flying straight at his opponent. An explosion followed, sending shockwaves that even Li Zhixing could feel from the distance. Surprisingly, the floor actually broke, a feat that neither had managed during their prior bouts.

As for the target, Long Hao was bloodied but not dead. He managed to block the attack with a sturdy combination of sword and Qi. That said, his robe was in tatters and the unguarded parts of his body – namely his hands, arms, and head – had the flesh ripped open. The sight was unpleasant, the smell even more so.

However, it was the exact thing Long Tian had been anticipating. “Give me what I want, and maybe I’ll spare your sorry life. Otherwise, I’ll bite your head off,” he opened his gaping maw, showing lines upon lines of crooked teeth, “and take the key off your bleeding neck.”

With a raspy cough, Long Hao said, “No, thank you.”

“Well, you asked for it.”

And then he moved.