Bai Qi's [Twelve Tails of Lightning] turned out to be everything he expected them to be. And as if he had not just killed, an unrelated thought crossed Bai Qi's mind.

*Swoosh*

Five tails embedded into the bodies, three that had clashed against the now fallen weapons, and the two that missed their mark returned to Bai Qi. And on his command, the ten dispersed while the daggers landed in his hand.

*Thump*

And as by a signal, five bodies fell to the ground. Neither of them had been weak, sporting cultivations between the peak Sage and the 2nd level of the Warrior Lord. Still, all of them fell to a single attack. Costly enough to drain an average cultivator's qi pool. But cost only a third of his total for Bai Qi.

Like if it was a simple test, Bai Qi even took a few moments to examine the details.

{You two, retreat now! I will fight him!} Bu Zan had vaulted forwards even before the lightning was released, but he had been too late. Still, he had to preserve at least two of his power's cultivators. After all, how would he be considered worthy of the leader's position if everyone died?!

*Swoosh* *Crash*

Bai Qi dodged the heavy mace aimed at his head with a skillful side jump, allowing it to crash against the ground. And though this made his two non-recalled tails move away from the two remaining [Grey Gate] cultivators, he showed no emotion but a smile.

"So now, you are up for the duel?"

"YOU! I swear that I will pull out your tendons, break all of your bones, and only then grant you death!" If Bu Zan got more infuriated, he would have definitively vomited blood from anger.

"While I usually like to accompany others in their plans, this one I don't like much." Bai Qi shrugged and continued infuriating his opponent. It wasn't as if Bai Qi did not want to fight cleanly, but he saw no need either.

*Swoosh*

Bu Zan's heavy mace, drawing clumps of earth, flew sideways in an attempt to crush Bai Qi. Still, the latter ignored it until the last moment, only to disappear just as the mace was about to touch him.

Regretfully, Bu Zan's question would remain unanswered. And even more, Bai Qi's following actions served to show he could not care less about the regionally famous cultivator.

*Splatter*

Bai Qi reappeared near the retreating pair, and his [Green Demon's Claw] pierced the staff-wielder body.

"A mere peak Sage, and he dared to show his face around. Is your power so weak that you had to recruit from the street?" Bai Qi continued in his previous manner.

"GRAAAARH!!!" And it seemingly worked as intended. Bu Zan did not even say any words but roared furiously and, by using his utmost speed, which wasn't less than Bai Qi's current one, lunged forward.

But Bai Qi wasn't using his speed in this battle. After all, the limit meant his maximum could be not higher than the 3rd level Warrior Lord one. In turn, he was relying solely on [Counting Steps]. The advantage of disappearing from the senses of everyone was lost, at least now that most opponents were close to Bai Qi's realm, but it still served for a few times until someone learned the trick as to how to track him.

Calling Bu Zan a bull wasn't mockery but came from that his movement technique resembled a stampeding beast. And its actual name was [Ramming Six-Horn], but Bai Qi had no way to know it. Otherwise, he would not have ignored the possibility of joking about the horns.

"I will duel with you as soon as the matter with my attackers is done." Bai Qi again avoided Bu Zan and chased the now truly escaping [Grey Gate] subordinate of the latter.

Allowing someone who attacked him to escape was neither the previous, nor the original, nor even the current Bai Qi's manner. So he planned to deal with the saber-wielding 1st level Warrior Lord first.

"Leave him alone, and duel me, you fucking rabid dog!" Bu Zan, with bloodshot eyes, was on the verge of exploding from anger.

"Agreed then." Bai Qi shrugged and stopped. He did not plan to let the escapee run, especially as it would mean more enemies for Bai Qi, but he would not run around the towers either.

*Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Swoosh*

As if they had always been there, the twelve throwing daggers from before appeared from thin air. And right away, they flew after the fugitive.

"Mo Tao, use it!" Bu Zan stopped cursing and swearing and, in place, gave a command.

No qi transmission or anything followed, so Bai Qi wondered, what did that command mean? And why did the escaping Mo Tao stop, turn around and prepare to meet the daggers?

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After turning around, Mo Tao stored the saber and bumped his fists, "Closing the Gates."

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

As if Bai Qi's daggers struck on stone, they were repelled from the standing still Mo Tao. As for Bu Zan, he used this moment to rush at Bai Qi again.

And while the latter could have avoided the bull-rush again, he did not. Bai Qi thought as his aura picked up the fallen dangers and began to dance around Mo Tao. "Let's see what happens first, your skill dispels, or I finish with Bull Zan here." Bai Qi mocked again and summoned the [Spear of Blades].

*Swoosh* *Clang* *Crash*

Bu Zan's physical strength wasn't so much lower than Bai Qi's, and with the restriction active, neither could boost it more. Aware of it, Bai Qi avoided clashing directly and chose to divert the mace's head by sweeping at the pole.

*Swoosh*

In response to the mace missing, Bu Zan freed his left arm and sent an aura-covered punch while moving forward.

*Thump*

A punch that Bai Qi blocked with the still active [Green Demon's Claw].

***

Several exchanges later, both the parties separated.

Surprised, Bu Zan was forced to acknowledge that the so-infuriating youngster wasn't bad at all. And considering that Bu Zan was 25 years old, then the strange, black and white, hair youngster was more talented.

Bai Qi objectively examined the result. Indeed, Bu Zan wasn't a weakling, and if not for the restriction, he would have been a difficult opponent.

Bai Qi was a 3rd level Warrior Lord with the prowess of four levels above his own, and so, a 5th level Warrior Lord that could skip over more than one level would be indeed close.

In essence, any level, step, realm, or stage in cultivation and any path were inherently the same for anyone. The speed and ability to reach them were referred to simply as talent. And the same term applied to the number of benefits that one could reap from the same stage. So, while equal for everyone, the people and beings that reached or entered them were not.

Talent aside, there were two other important, if not determining, things in a cultivator. The martial, or combat, prowess, and the ability to skip over levels. The latter could also be referred to as prowess, although usually, cultivators tended to mention level-skipping like thus as martial prowess was rarely completely innate and cost-free.

Martial prowess stood as the ability of a cultivator to show powers, be they physical, spiritual, or soul, above his level. In Bai Qi's case, before the [Baptism], he could use the aura, strength, speed, and other qualities of a 7th level Warrior Lord at max. It did leave a strain on his body and required him to spend more qi than someone of his cultivation, but still, it was there.

The [Baptism] and consequent breakthroughs did not add much in terms of quantity, but the quality of his martial prowess changed. Now it wasn't something he could do or not by choice. On the contrary, it was something natural to him, and while the current restriction did not allow him to show everything, most of the benefits were active.

And so, his now innate martial prowess, coupled with the [Heavens' Lost levels] of the Yellow Realm, and with the addition of the special training he had undertaken, allowed Bai Qi to fight a 7th level Warrior Lord as if he, himself, was one.

"You, who are you?" Bu Zan acknowledged the youth as an opponent and so asked.

"Bai Qi." Bai Qi had decided to resume using his name. No one on this plane had even heard of the [Four Forests] plane he was originally from, so why not?

"Bai Qi, huh? You are an interesting one, but it is now time for you to die." If Bai Qi had not killed the [Grey Gate] men, Bu Zan would even consider trying to recruit him. After all, a 3rd level Warrior Lord with such, a several-level above, prowess?

Only a couple of minutes had passed since the clash began, but Bai Qi's senses followed the developments just a thousand feet above, near the tower's entrance.

"Let's see who dies then!" Bai Qi grinned provocatively as his weapons, and even the daggers still attacking Mo Tao, were stored in his [Void Ring].

Bu Zan had no idea why the opponent did that, but it wasn't as if he cared anyway. This Bai Qi had to die, and he would serve as the perfect show of skill indeed.

Sometimes it appeared as if the battles between cultivators followed a script. But this one? Neither Bu Zan, Mo Tao, or anyone else could deny that it had none of that. Bai Qi fought as he wanted, and worse, he had the means to do it. And while they could think that Bai Qi was a crazed battle-maniac, it wasn't so either.

Bai Qi's plan was simple, to engrave his presence in the minds of everyone and doing so, gain enough recognition, be it bad or good. To a level where he would be invited to the inter-region events, he had heard about in [Shuomen].

Risky, lacking finesse, and so far from what the previous Bai Qi would have done.

"Heh, let's start then!" No one would know to whom Bai Qi directed those words. But they would mark the nightmare that later, the surviving cultivators would relate as the worst they had seen until now.

{Let's go, Ghostflame.} Bai Qi reached to the black flames in his dantian and after, taking a deep breath, muttered, "Black Flame Demon Incarnation."

***

Dozens of different thoughts had crossed Bu Zan's mind as he saw, fought, and then observed the salt-pepper-haired youth. But all of them included the world dangerous. And the word crazy did surface a few times. Still, as he felt the sudden pressure, even before black flame rushed out of Bai Qi's body, Bu Zan's intuition almost roared, {Threat!}

Something confirmed by the roar that accompanied the flames.

It was a roar that could be easily attributed to a demon or a savage beast, but the torrent of black-colored flames that gushed out of every pore of Bai Qi's body surrounded him like a cocoon and not attacked Bu Zan as the latter suspected.

Not knowing if it was the proper thought, Bu Zan still decided to act right away. And after commanding Mo Tao to retain his defensive skill until he was sure of escaping, Bu Zan agitated his inner qi, sending it crashing through the small door-like symbol that floated inside his dantian. "Opening the gate." Similar to Bai Qi's murmur from before, he called for what was his strongest state and even hid his mace as well.

As if timed, when Bu Zan's body started irradiating a greyish light, and his aura formed the image of an enormous, open, stone gate behind him, Bai Qi's flame cocoon also opened, revealing an almost, if not truly, demonic entity.

A pitch-black armor formed from shifting flame tendrils.

Enormous claws on both hands and toes.

Golden-colored wings with black flames covering each of the feathers on his back.

And a demon-like visage with sharp fangs and horns.

***

Two figures,

One human but with grayish qi flowing from every pore;

One demonic, with black flames and menacing looks;

For a second, they stood facing each other, and the next one,

*Swoosh* *Swoosh*

They flew to meet each other in a grapple.