"Well, that's enough talking," Wang Li said as he snapped his fan open.
Bang!
In the same breath, Lian found himself skidding across the ground, stone cracking beneath his heels.
"What the hell—"
He twisted his body, barely managing to regain his footing.
Clang!
A second strike came just as fast. Lian raised his blade—still in its sheath—and blocked, yet the force still sent him sliding back several steps, arms numb from the impact.
"Hahaha." Wang Li chuckled, lazily fanning himself.
"Wu Hei, didn't you say you'd finish him in one move? I guess he's stronger than you expected, ha."
From the dancing shadows cast by the flames, a figure stepped forward.
"Dong Feng…"
No—Wu Hei, as Wang Li had called him.
"Hehehe," Wu Hei laughed, his voice low and rough. "I was just testing him."
He reached up and removed the mask from his face.
Brown skin, sharp features—and a single jagged scar tearing through the corner of his lip. His coarse, spiky hair hung messily over his forehead, shadowing eyes filled with amusement.
"I knew that since he defeated the Fune twins, he had some latent talent," Wu Hei continued.
"I simply wanted to see how much he'd grown."
Wang Li waved his fan diagonally.
"Oh, and speaking of growth…" he said lightly.
"Look at my little brother. He's managed to break through to the Martial Sovereign Realm in that short time."
A powerful gust of wind burst from the fan, ripping through the air like a blade.
"Isn't that just wonderful?"
"Tsk!"
Wang Gu leapt through the air as the violent gust swept beneath him.
Behind him, several buildings were instantly obliterated, walls collapsing as if carved away by an invisible blade.
"Come, little brother," Wang Li called out calmly.
"Let your elder brother see just how much you have grown."
He flicked his wrist—
The fan shot forward like a deadly discus.
Wang Gu twisted aside, narrowly dodging it—but in that split second, Wang Li was already before him, palm raised high.
Wang Gu reacted on instinct, shifting sideways and striking the palm down. His counter grazed Wang Li's face, a thin line of blood appearing across his cheek.
"Hehe."
Wang Li laughed.
The fan suddenly reversed direction, returning with even greater speed. It slammed into Wang Gu's side, sending him flying.
Both figures skidded through the air, landing at opposite ends of the battlefield.
"Not too bad," Wang Li said, catching the fan effortlessly and snapping it shut with his left hand.
He smiled.
"Well then," Wu Hei said, stepping forward, cracking his knuckles.
"Shall we begin as well?"
"Don't die too fast," he added lightly. "Let's make this a little entertaining."
As he took a single step, his body melted into the shadow before him.
Gone.
"—!"
Lian reacted instantly, bowing his body low as Wu Hei appeared behind him.
Swish!
Wu Hei's attack sliced through empty air, missing by a hair's breadth.
Before either of them could move again—
Ting—! Booo—Dooong!
A piercing zither note descended from the sky.
The sound rippled through the battlefield, freezing everyone below in place as if the air itself had solidified.
Lian's eyes widened as his body refused to obey him.
"Is that…"
"…Master Fu?"
Fu soared through the air from the northern skies, stopping just before the City Lord. His robes fluttered violently as he hovered, a zither cradled beneath his arm, its strings humming with restrained power.
"Cheng Hong."
Fu's voice thundered across the sky.
"You brat—what have you done?"
"Oh? Master." Cheng Hong smiled faintly, hovering in place.
"It truly warms my heart to see you again… especially now that we stand on equal footing." His gaze sharpened. "I can finally look you in the eyes without feeling crushed by your pressure."
"Haaa…"
Old Fu exhaled slowly, his shoulders sagging.
"I have truly failed as a teacher," he thought bitterly.
"Every disciple of mine seems destined to walk the path of blood."
He looked at Cheng Hong—at the familiar face now twisted by ambition.
"I knew you were envious of your brother's martial talent," Fu continued quietly, "but to descend into evil because of it… How shameful."
"Have you come to stop me, Master?" Cheng Hong asked, his tone mocking.
He removed the imperial veil from his head and cast it down, where it shattered against the stone below.
"You wanted to be emperor so badly," Fu said, eyes narrowing, "that you even dress like one."
"It is my birthright!" Cheng Hong snapped.
His voice rolled across the city like a natural disaster, shaking the air itself.
Old Fu remained silent.
"I beg you, Cheng," Fu said at last, extending a trembling hand.
"Stop this foolishness."
Cheng Hong retreated a step, his smile vanishing.
"Foolish?" he sneered. "You are the foolish one, old man. I have seen the truth of this world. All petty authority is meaningless."
His hair began to shift—black bleeding into crimson, then deep violet, demonic Qi surging outward.
"Only martial might matters. Everything else is dust."
"Don't make me kill you, Cheng Hong," Fu said softly.
There was no anger in his voice—only sorrow.
"Ha!" Cheng Hong laughed wildly.
"You speak as if you could have killed me at any time. Come then, old man—let me see how you plan to do it now."
Dark energy condensed around his hand, solidifying into a Qiang, a sinister Chinese halberd-spear pulsating with blood-red light.
He spun it around and regripped it, the air cracked, and he repositioned it, pointing it at Master Fu.
Down below, the blood extraction slowed, though it had not stopped entirely. A few people collapsed to the ground, their bodies shrivelling as the last of their blood was torn from them—but the count was still not zero.
"This will be extremely difficult," Master Fu thought grimly,
"to locate the formation's weak point while suppressing—"
His thoughts halted.
His gaze shifted downward… locking onto Lian.
"Mmm…"
"So that is his true face."
For a brief moment, Fu felt as though time had folded in on itself.
"He looks exactly like Chen… just as he did in his youth."
"Nephew," Master Fu said, his voice slipping into a frequency whisper.
"I need you to find the formation core and destroy it."
His zither hummed softly, suppressing the raging Qi above as he continued:
"I am certain of it. If you extend your Will—the same way you did during your refinement—you will be able to sense it."
Fu's eyes hardened.
"Only by breaking it can you save all the people here."
"Okay I understand," Lian responded without even questioning. He realised what was at stake.