Chapter 151 Love Token
Xuefeng was still in shock at the girl's sudden arrival but he didn't care about how and why. He only cared they came back to him.
"I missed you!" Xuefeng called out as he squeezed them both and they didn't let go either. He could feel something wet drip onto his neck, causing him to feel emotional as well.
"Sniff… We are back…" Yiren muttered. His heart wanted to break at her cute voice.
"Hey… Don't cry, I'm here now. We are together again…" Xuefeng assured while showering them with tens of kisses when he saw hundreds of guards hover above them.
"Don't worry, they are with me!" Xuefeng called out to them happily as he admitted proudly. "They are my wives!"
"Sir, they need to leave the Arena. The Finals are about to start and they are not part of it," the Black-armored guard replied seriously, but Xuefeng didn't want to separate just yet.
"Give me a moment," Xuefeng pleaded as he lifted himself up with the girls in his arms. "Are you two okay?"
"Mhmm, just a bit tired. We teleported multiple times and then rushed here to meet with you," Lisa explained as she leaned for another kiss. "Don't worry, we are good now."
"I see, that's great. There is so much I want to ask you two but this is a bad moment I guess. How about we meet after— Whoaa, and who is that?"
Xuefeng couldn't finish his words as a sudden white fox jumped on Yiren's shoulder, scaring him back.
"It's Mona, a Celestial Fox that we befriended," Yiren introduced as she petted Mona but the beautiful fox just stared into Xuefeng's eyes.
"So you are that Xuefeng…" Mona muttered and jumped, hopping onto Xuefeng's shoulder instead. "I heard a lot about you."
'That's a really rare fox Yiren brought… You should definitely be nice to her,' Ming immediately warned, causing him to get stressed.
Mona sniffed him and announced directly, "I can smell a lot of women from you."
"Ehem… It just happens that I have a few loving wives. Nice to meet you though. Hope we get along well," Xuefeng greeted the small fox but only received a stare in return.
"We will see about that later. I will be watching you."
She didn't give him any more attention and jumped back to Yiren.
'I guess she likes me,' Xuefeng commented, but Ming has a different opinion.
'I doubt it. Nine-tailed White Foxes are cautious by nature. They are really rare, actually, they should have been extinct by now. It's actually a miracle we can see one right now. I thought they got hunted down for their impeccable beauty a long time ago.'
'Oh, beauty?' Xuefeng got interested. 'Also, I can only see one tail.'
'All Nine-tailed White Foxes are born as females and they are the closest when it comes to connection to nature. They are pure and innocent while also being beautiful. She is currently in her fox form with just one tail so she is probably recovering her strength. She should be able to transform back to her human form once she reaches nine tails,' Ming explained.
He didn't reply and simply glanced at Mona yet again, giving her a nod of approval. He could still feel the softness of her fur on his cheek.
"Sir, we can't stall any longer," the Guards reminded as two flying cameras appeared on the scene, transferring the situation.
"As you can see, the situation seems to be under control. The finals should proceed shortly," the Commentator announced. The finals this time weren't soundproof so they could hear all the cheering and the crowd which acted like an additional distraction.
"Alright," Xuefeng agreed, going up to his wives. "Will you two go up to the platform and meet up with Nuwa? I wish we could talk for hours so you can tell me about your adventures but we can't let the people wait. I will finish this Finals quickly and meet you there, I promise."
He gave each of them a kiss before gazing up at the guards.
"Will you please lead them to the platform and inform Miss Xinyu about them? Tell her to keep them safe till I arrive."
"Not a problem, as long as we hurry," the Guard nodded.
"Wait!" Yiren suddenly exclaimed. "There is one more thing. I have something to show you."
She reached inside her dress and pulled out a chain with a blue stone on it. It wasn't an exaggeration to say every single guard was dumbfounded with their eyes gawking at the stone.
'Water Elemental Stone!' Ming and Ling exclaimed at the same time but everyone noticed the same right away.
"No! Don't tell me this is another Elemental Stone! There is no way, right?!" the Commentator commented right away. "It looks exactly like the Fire Stone from yesterday!"
"Yiren, where did you get it?!" Xuefeng immediately skipped towards her, his eyes widened at the sight of the blue stone. "This is…"
"It's the stone you need, right?" Yiren asked happily as she took the placed of the stone on his palm but his hands were slapped away by a fluffy tail.
"Yiren, what are you doing? It's my love token! Are you trying to betray me?" Mona called out coldly, protecting the stone from Xuefeng's hands. Too bad, there was something powerful quickly losing its patience.
Xuefeng's hand vibrated as the Elemental Bracelet acted up, turning into a golden gauntlet that covered his whole arm. Normally, he could use the Elemental Bracelet power as he wished but the Spirit inside took the control away.
He immediately felt a tingling pain on his skin as if the Elemental Bracelet was punishing him for his stalling.
It wanted that Water Stone badly!
'The Elemental Bracelet's Spirit seems to have gotten greedy. Get the stone before it goes crazy,' Ling suggested. He could still remember the pain he received just yesterday when the Fire Stone was right in front of him.
"Mona, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but Xuefeng needs those stones. If he doesn't collect them all, he will die and I will do anything in my power to keep him alive," Yiren declared firmly as she broke the chain from her neck.
"You knew this whole time and you didn't tell me?" Mona questioned angrily, her claws biting into Yiren's shoulder.
"What did you want me to tell you? Would you follow us knowing the only guy you can be with is Xuefeng? I wanted to be fully honest but at the same time, I can't let the love of my life die. I'm sorry, but your love token can only belong to Xuefeng," Yiren explained, clearly hurt by keeping such a secret from her.
"Oh, damn… This is getting spicy. It seems like the stone belongs to that white fox but Miss Yiren wants to forcefully give the Stone to our Xuefeng. It seems to be special for love token for the fox," the Commentator explained like an experienced gossip girl. "What will the white fox do?"
"No!"
The commentator's words provoked Mona as all they heard was her scream when she slapped Yiren's hand and took the stone away in a blink. She was like a white shadow, her speed greater than what their eyes could see.
Arrgh!
The moment to strike him with pain couldn't be more perfect as the gauntlet pierced needles into his arm.
The Elemental Bracelet's Spirit was calling him to act faster. Xuefeng knew he had to do something, but the situation was more complicated than he had thought.
"Mona!" Yiren called out after the fox but it didn't stop running, taking the Water Stone away in its mouth.
"I will handle it,' Xuefeng assured as he finally moved. "Go to the viewing platform and find Nuwa."
After saying that, he blinked into the bushes, following closely after Mona.
"Quick, quick! Follow the action!" the Commentator called out right after, reminding him they had the whole Arena watching them.
"Please, wait!" Xuefeng yelled after Mona but she only sped up, forcing him to teleport in front of her. "I just want to talk."
She finally stopped, glaring at him like an enemy.
"I have no idea what is going on, but from what you two said, this Water Stone should be something special to you, right?" Xuefeng questioned to which she nodded.
"Let me guess. You want to give it to your future lover as a token of your love, correct? Don't worry, I won't force anything. I just want to understand."
"Mhmm…" Mona confirmed again, loosening up a bit. She was all hostile at first but Xuefeng's calm approach worked.
"Yiren was right. I really need this Stone," Xuefeng explained as he raised his golden gauntlet. "This thing is stuck to me. The only way to take it off is by dying and it will kill me if I don't bring nine of those stones to it."
Mona naturally turned suspicious again, her claws burying in the ground as if to run away again when she paused, seeing Xuefeng getting down on his knees, helpless.
"You can go," Xuefeng suggested as he pointed in one direction. "Run South. You will notice an exit. It will lead you out of the arena."
The sudden change in his behavior put Mona off guard. She placed the Water Stone on the ground and asked confused.
"Why?"
Xuefeng smiled gently.
"Because as much as I want to live, I don't want to live while knowing I took away from you what I value the most, and that is love. Everyone has the right to love."
Mona's eyes stared blankly at him as he continued.
"I wish I could just lie and say I can love you, or that I can be your lover but I can't do that. I don't treat love this lightly as it is really important to me. I can't promise you that I will love you, but I can give my best to understand, listen to you and be a person you love to be around."
"What will happen after that?" He asked with a shrug. "I don't know. I don't gamble with love. It's the only thing I leave as a secret so I can figure out my feelings and have this magical moment of realization that you truly love someone."
Xuefeng extended his hand to her and asked one last time.
"Do you want to be my friend first and see what the future offers for us?"
Chapter 152 Thunder Beauty
'Whoa… Xuefeng… Even my heart is fluttering right now,' Ming reacted.
'Mhmm, mine too…' Ling confirmed. "Since when did he become so romantic?'
'Wasn't I always like this?' Xuefeng asked but he kept eye contact with Mona. Convincing her of his sincerity was the most important.
Mona stared at him in silence before she picked up the Water Stone and slowly walked up to him. When she sniffed his hand and let Xuefeng pet her, the crowd cheered madly.
"If anyone asks me in the future how did our Xuefeng get so many beautiful wives… I will show them this scene…" the Commentator concluded. "It seems like no one will stop Xuefeng once he gets his third stone."
He wasn't the only one. Everyone already thought so as well but the crowd was still excited to see the ultimate power of the top expert.
"Aaah, fuck!" Xuefeng suddenly cursed, the Bracelet's Spirit punishing him again, this time even more aggressive.
It definitely didn't have patience at all. The third, Water Stone socket on the gauntlet was shining brightly as if demanding him to take the stone already.
"Does it hurt?" Mona asked calmly as she put the Water Stone in his hand. "Take it."
He grasped the stone, it's surface cool and refreshing to the skin but he didn't hurry.
"It hurts but only a little bit. If I don't make an active effort to claim the Elemental Stones, this Bracelet punishes me for stalling using pain. I think it only recognizes violence as the only way to achieve things," Xuefeng explained as he fidgeted the stone in his fingers. "What made you agree?"
Mona tilted her head and replied casually, "If you really need it to survive, you would chase me all over the Realm to get it and I would never have my peace. Since it will take me a while to recover my strength, it would be really annoying."
"So you don't want to be my friend?" Xuefeng asked curiously but Mona sat down in response, wrapping her tail around her.
"I didn't say that. Now that you took my Love Token, I'm going to bother you instead. I'm your problem now."
Xuefeng couldn't help but smile at that reply and finally placed the Water Stone in the socket.
"I can live with tha—"
Boom!
He couldn't finish as a sudden explosion disturbed him, the Elemental Spirit breaking inside the barriers of his mind. It didn't bring him any pain as if they were already connected, giving the Spirit full access to his body.
"First Gate Opened. Searching for the closest Stone. Next Target: Lightning Stone."
An empty-sounding voice announced before his surroundings blurred, giving him no time to react. He wasn't losing consciousness but instead, he moved so fast the background looked like moving stars.
'What the…'
His mind skimmed through some unknown to him terrain in godspeed mode when it came to a stop. He found himself in a dark place, full of creepy dead trees surrounding a gigantic hole in the ground. Leaning forward a bit, he couldn't see the bottom of it beside the stone spike piercing from the walls.
'Welcome to the Hell Hole, a place of no return.'
He read the sign at the edge before his background turned dark again as his mind rushed down the hole. It took more than five seconds of darkness for him to reach the bottom and his mind was literally blown away.
'There is another world underneath Heaven Realm?!'
A boundless dark space greeted him only to be welcomed by another large noise.
ROAAAR!
Tens of beast roars filled the cave before the place shook from clear signs of battle. His mind kept traveling while the beast's roars were never-ending. He quickly concluded it was definitely a bad place to drop to.
It wasn't the end.
The darkness slowly faded away as golden light filled the tunnel and he entered into his final destination, a different world hidden within the darkness.
'Fate Stones!'
Two words that Drakos would die to hear. Thousands of Fate Stones grew directly from the ground and what surprised him more, he wasn't the only human there!
Hundreds of people mined Fate Stones while even more fought with beasts, bigger in size than any house. He had no doubt that any of those were Celestial Stage Beasts or probably even exceeding it. They required so many experts just to push them back and they couldn't even hurt them. All they did was buy more time for their team.
Xuefeng finally stopped, hovering in the sky when all the humans began to run away in panic.
"She is coming!"
Both the miners and the fighters didn't hesitate as they flew away towards the nearby tunnels. Xuefeng didn't know what's going on but he noticed a certain detail that connected all the people inside. All of them had the same symbol on their back, with three words underneath it.
'Dark Fate Sect… Did I discovered some secret operation going on?'
Too bad, he didn't have time to get an answer as sudden lightning snapped right in front of him.
Boom!
The explosion blew a group of cultivators away, killing them instantly. They popped like a balloon of Qi, leaving no remains on the site.
Boom! Boom!
Two more Golden Lightning launched forward, exploding another two groups. By the time he realized what was going on, only about ten percent reached the tunnels.
'So they were using Avatars…' Xuefeng guessed and turned in the direction of the strikes.
A ball of Golden Lightning moved closer before it hovered in the sky, just a hundred meters away from him. Even from that far he could feel the power of the lightning, finding it even more destructing than Golden Queen.
After a moment, the Lightning faded away and Xuefeng realized it wasn't any beast but a person instead. He couldn't help but wonder if his luck was this bad or someone was controlling his life to make it even harder.
"Seriously? Another beauty? Just perfect," Xuefeng commented out loud as he rolled his eyes.
He was just hit by a troublesome situation with a Celestial Fox only to meet another one. He already struck a deal by trading himself for the Water Stone and now he would face the same with the Lightning Stone.
A beautiful mature woman had the Stone stuck inside her forehead and it was none other than the one he needed.
'Why can't it be a guy or some old man? It would be so much easier killing them compared to the stunning beauties. Come on, give me a break,' Xuefeng complained, knowing himself very well. He could only kill women if they asked for it by hurting him or insulting his wives.
The woman in front of him didn't look like she even talked much, staring coldly ahead of her. He was casually checking out her body when her head suddenly turned, looking directly at him.
"Are you done?" she asked coldly as she extended her hand to him, a Golden Lightning forming on top of her palm. "I don't know who you are, but if you dare come here, I will kill you."
Swoosh!
The Lightning shot out, so fast he would have no time to react even if he could.
'Oh, fuc—'
Xuefeng didn't even finish his curse when his body got stuck on his chest. He thought it was just a vision from the Elemental Bracelet but everything was real!
"Ahh!!" Xuefeng screamed, feeling his body and mind exploding only to regain control, appearing back in the Arena.
"Xuefeng? Are you okay? You suddenly fell to the ground. Why did you scream?" Mona questioned as she sat next to him but he didn't find the breath to respond.
Hu... Hu…
He desperately tried to catch his breath as he reached to his chest but he found no wounds. All that was left was pure pain across his chest.
"Don't worry… I'm fine. Just a headache," Xuefeng assured as he struggled to sit up.
'Xuefeng! Where happened? The Elemental Bracelet suddenly ripped a part of your soul away. Are you okay?' Ming and Ling also questioned worried and he finally realized what happened.
'I think the Elemental Bracelet created an avatar for me and led me to the location of the Lightning Stone. I just died there,' Xuefeng explained. 'I feel like my soul is about to explode.'
'Don't worry, your soul is not in any danger. Ling already began healing it before you came back,' Ming assured.
'Do you know Hell Hole?' Xuefeng asked curiously.
'Yes, but I have never been there personally,' Ming replied. 'Is that where the next Stone is?'
'It's at the bottom of it. There is a huge mine of Fate Stones with gigantic beasts. I found out that Dark Fate Sect is sending their Avatars there to mine them,' Xuefeng explained hurriedly. 'But that's not all. The Lightning Stone is stuck to a woman's forehead who is protecting that place. She killed almost all of the Dark Fate Sect Members when I got there. She then spotted me even though I was hidden and killed me too.'
'Damn, don't even mention those bastards. It's good they died,' Ming cursed. 'About the Fate Stones, it's natural for them to grow in the Heaven Realm. They are like normal minerals just rarer.'
'Can you show us how the girl looked?' Ling asked curiously, and Xuefeng didn't mind, displaying the women from his memory in full view.
He didn't expect Ling to be this stunned.
'No way… This is impossible….'
Chapter 153 Transformation
'What do you mean? Do you know her?' Xuefeng questioned curiously only to freeze at her answer.
'We all know her. It's Thunder Goddess, my past Fate Holder…'
'But how? Wasn't she locked in the ice, waiting for us to find her?" Xuefeng asked confused. 'The only reason we joined this tournament is to buy the medicine that can cure her poison.'
'I don't know… I guess someone must have freed her before us or she escaped on her own. What I can tell you for sure, she didn't have the Lightning Stone when we separated. She had to get it afterward,' Ling revealed.
'I see… Well, we will ask her when we get there. It's not like I can avoid going there,' Xuefeng shrugged, petting Mona as he stood up. 'Where is that Hell Hole?'
'At the depths of the Earth Land. I can bet that's where that Dark Fate Sect has their base as well,' Ming replied with hatred. 'We have to destroy and kill every single one of them.'
'Don't worry, we will depart there once we are done here,' Xuefeng assured. 'For now, let's focus on what's in front of us.'
He extended his hand and saw three shiny stones, giving him full control over three elements. It just happened there was no lack of Water Essence in the Water Land and he already reached the Fourth Refinement.
Would there be anyone who can face him then?
He only needed to extend his thoughts outside to find out the whole place reacted to his call. Water Essence across the Arena vibrated, giving him full control over it.
'Hehe, I see you all…' Xuefeng giggled, scanning the whole arena.
By controlling Water Essence, he could imagine a three dimensional model of the whole arenas. All the empty places in the shapes of humans were naturally the other participants.
"Let's get the party started…" Xuefeng muttered as he turned to the flying camera. "We can start the Tournament now. I'm ready!"
As he said so, his Elemental Bracelet transformed into a golden gauntlet but this time, it didn't end at that. It spread across his body, creating a golden armor all around his body.
"Whoa! To think Xuefeng was holding back his powers this whole time! As expected from our Xuefeng!" the Commentator called out in amazement. "With Xuefeng ready, we can finally begin our Finals! Are you all ready?!"
'What happened?' Xuefeng wondered as he checked out his new armor. 'Did my Elemental Bracelet upgrade or something?'
'Maybe it has something to do with the first Gate opening? I'm not sure what it means but maybe after every three Elemental Stones, the Elemental Bracelet transforms, giving you a boost in power? After all, the Elemental Stones are like energy source for it,' Ming suggested which sounded like a reasonable answer.
He didn't bother asking the Bracelet's Spirit and instead enjoyed the transformation, actually looking cool in the new armor. He spawned his golden wings and couldn't help but get excited. He was now shining with gold from head to toe.
Xuefeng was about to launch in the sky to return to his assigned position when he remembered Mona who watched him from the ground.
"Right, what do I do with you?" Xuefeng wondered.
"I will just follow you," Mona replied without hesitation and jumped on his shoulder. "I'm your problem now."
"I doubt they will let a Celestial Stage beast join the Tournament with me. That would be an overkill," Xuefeng commented and thought of an idea.
He pulled out his necklace where Ling created her own world and suggested, "How about I introduce you to my two lovely wives?"
"There is more?" Mona questioned surprised, causing Xuefeng to smile awkwardly.
"Wait till we all reunite…" Xuefeng commented and placed the crystal up to Mona's nose. "Don't resist. She will bring you inside."
'Ling, Ming, take care of her for now,' Xuefeng ordered before adding, 'and don't teach her anything stupid.'
'Haha, yes boss!' Ming replied while laughing and Mona vanished right after, entering into Ling's space.
Xuefeng didn't hesitate and launched to the sky before landing right where the reunion happened. He already knew two guards were still waiting for him there with Yiren and Lisa already gone. He didn't test how far could he see with his Elemental Awareness but at the very least, he saw four girls in the Platform all together.
"Sir, use the Token once again to lock yourself in place. To make it fair for everyone, please remove any Arts as well," the Black-armored guard commanded to which he complied immediately, knowing he made everyone wait for him.
"Let's get this party started."
———
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
The countdown began again but two women on the stands were not really in the mood to cheer with everyone.
"It's all over…" Jiao muttered as she stared at Xuefeng's face on the large screen. "I'm nothing compared to him…"
Seeing him receive another boost in strength like this made Jiao realize how strong he actually was. Having the Elemental Bracelet, one of the top ten Godly Treasures, was already an overkill. Add his individual strength to the mix and you got yourself a monster.
"Seven!"
"six!"
"Girl, chill. Don't worry about it for now and just watch," Dandan assured as she gave her a side hug. "You still have a chance to catch up to him. Just give it time and work hard."
"Two!"
"One!"
"The Finals begin now!" the Commentator finished the counting and all locks on the Participants disappeared.
Xuefeng's golden armor returned to him the very first second and he pulled out his Dragon Edge while shouting out coolly.
"Water Domain!!!"
Swoosh!
Like a shockwave, the Water Domain expanded all across the Arena, locking the whole place to the maximum capacity, stopping right before the stands. Even if someone tried to escape, they couldn't. They were forced to fight inside, on their own rules.
The Commentator was for sure hyped about it.
"OH HEAVENS! He locked the entire Arena with his Domain!!! How big is that?! Is this the power of his Elemental Bracelet?!"
Jiao couldn't help but look at Dandan with a 'What did I tell you just now' face. She didn't even need to say anything as Xuefeng's performance just confirmed her words.
"Okay, fair enough. Xuefeng is extremely powerful but baby, why do you worry about him? That shouldn't be your target. You should aim to beat his wives instead," Dandan suggested when Xuefeng spawned his wings and flew out like a Golden Angel.
"He is flying towards his wife while ignoring all his opponents! That's how you know he values his wives more than the win of this Tournament! They will face all the opponents together!" the Commentator described as the screen changed, showing Tianshi instead.
She stood still with her eyes closed before suddenly snapping them open.
"Arise my Soldiers!!!"
Rumble!
The ground shook as massive hands pierced through the ground. Everyone already knew this from before so they already expected it. Five earth Golems fought for her but this time it was different, shocking everyone.
Thud!
All five Golems slapped their hands together at the same time before slowly releasing them, creating five colorful swords.
"Elemental Swords!!! She armed their Golems with Swords!" the Commentator cried out hyped. "Can anyone even face this legendary couple?!"
Tianshi smiled at that comment, naturally hearing the Commentator just like everyone else, and cried out to everyone in the Tournament.
"Come at me bitches! Let me show you some power!"
Both Xuefeng and Tianshi were the main stars of the show, the screen splitting up to show both of them together.
"…" Dandan didn't have anything to say, being a bit speechless at this point. She already had to eat her words twice in the span of just one minute.
"From what I remember, Tianshi was one of the weakest back then. Look how strong she is? Do you think I can even compete with Xuefeng's wives? He naturally picks the best from the best," Jiao informed, causing Dandan to scratch her head.
"Okay… You got a point, but not everything is lost," Dandan muttered. "I already told you I have a plan for you."
"What plan?" Jiao wondered as she got closer. She was very close to giving up and Dandan's idea was the only thing that kept her hopes above the losing line.
"Have you ever heard of the Hell Hole?" Dandan whispered an unknown place to her.
"No, but I don't like it already," Jiao replied honestly.
"Basically, it a hole with no end. Once you enter inside, there is very little chance you will go out. But, it's not impossible. There are many who entered inside and came out with riches beyond imagination," Dandan explained. "Besides the wealth, there was something else inside that interests many. Inheritances."
"Inheritances…?" Jiao repeated interested.
"That's right. Many lonely old fogies who know their lives are about to end goes into solitude at the bottom of the Hell Hole. They don't want to share their wealth and secrets with anyone so they lock themselves to die in peace. I will tell you the details later but basically, I know someone who entered inside and came back, so I know it's possible. What do you think? Are you in?"
"And I'm sure there are many dangers inside?" Jiao guessed the obvious.
"Oh, of course, there are, but that's what makes it interesting. Many beasts are waiting to rip you to shreds but I learned only weak beasts live close to the exit. We should be fine going inside even if we just want to train," Dandan convinced. "I will naturally go in with you."
Jiao turned her eyes to the screen, tracking Xuefeng's movements before muttering, "Let me think about it first…"
As they chatted, the Finals were getting more and more intense.
"This is interesting! We still didn't have any battles but it seems we will be having a group battle! Xuefeng reached Tianshi while the rest of the Participants decided to group together! They are planning on finishing the couple first!" the Commentator called out, exposing both parties' positions. "I wonder who will strike first."
Xuefeng grinned at that as he hugged Tianshi, surrounded by five earth Golems.
"For the lovely crowd in this Arena, let me give you some entertainment," Xuefeng announced before raising his fingers.
Snap!
Chapter 154 Balance of Power
The screen switched to the group of hundred-plus participants right before the massacre.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Water bombs exploded on everyone's faces, throwing them off balance. They appeared out of nowhere from all sides but the top youths reacted quickly. Most of them already had their armors but they still set up another set of Qi barriers around them. The Water Balls didn't do any damage to them aside from making them wet and being annoying.
Xuefeng didn't mind that, playing around with them as he created a soft cloud behind them.
"My Queen, would you like to take a seat?" Xuefeng suggested as he held Tianshi's hand and she grinned, sitting down first. "Of course, my King."
He laid down next to her and pointed at the screens above them. They could see both, themselves and the annoyed group, who hacked and sliced the water bombs he constantly sent at them.
"Now we can relax and watch as the clowns try to kill us," Xuefeng commented casually. "It's quite amusing they think they can even reach us."
"Sure~" Tianshi agreed immediately as she cuddled into his chest. "But I would rather hug. They are not that interesting."
"Ayy, don't say that. You are going to hurt their feelings," Xuefeng muttered only to pause and agree, "Alright, you are right. They are pretty boring. If they can't even beat my Water Domain then that will be disappointing."
"Daaaamn! The disrespect! Hahaha!" the Commentator laughed together with the crowd. "Only Xuefeng could pull it off! Relaxing on the cloud in front of all Water Land top youths!"
Xuefeng only smiled at that, rubbing Tianshi's back. It was just a cover for them while Xuefeng began regenerating Tianshi's body. She already told him it was quite taxing to create and move all five of her Golems, so he made sure to ease her pain.
Meanwhile, he still kept playing with their opponents, having an unlimited amount of Water Essence at his disposal. Although it wasn't his own, it was still enough as an appetizer. His own Water Qi would naturally cause much more damage.
"Everyone, those bombs can't hurt us! We should push forward and finish him first else this will never end! He got the Elemental Bracelet!"
Finally, one of the participants stood forward, leading the whole bunch. Li Wei, the original top seed for this tournament. Not anymore though.
"With the Water Stone, he has unlimited power and can do this all day. He is trying to tire us out before finishing us. We can't let that happen," Li Wei called out as he slashed another two Water Bombs. "Too bad for him, those are too weak to defeat us!"
He flew above them and raised his sword as he shouted, "Who is with me?!"
"Yeah!!!" Everyone followed suit, raising their weapons which hyped the conflict even more.
The main battle would start soon!
"Li Wei! As expected of him. He managed to unify everyone like a true leader!" the Commentator encouraged them before wondering. "But why isn't Xuefeng responding?"
As a response, Xuefeng caressed Tianshi's hair before extending the other.
"Enjoy stage two~" Xuefeng announced playfully.
Snap!
The crowd already knew what it meant.
"He snapped!!!" the Commentator cried out, causing Li Wei to get alert.
"Watch out!" Li Wei ordered but it was too late.
Winter has arrived.
"Ahh! I'm freezing!"
"Nooo! My legs! Fuck!"
Curses and screams filled the scene as the water on the ground began freezing their legs. They were mostly soaked from the constant bombarding of Water Bombs and now all the water began freezing.
"Quick! Fly up!" Li Wei commanded immediately.
Smart ones already reacted, raising in the sky while the overconfident got stuck. They began smacking the ice with their swords but no matter what they did, more and more ice appeared, locking them in place. Some even tried to fight the Ice with Fire but that it quickly faded away.
Twelve participants became ice statues, leaving only their heads that could only beg for help. They couldn't even break their tokens to escape.
"Help me!"
Those who escaped watched them cry for help but they didn't move till one female called out Li Wei's name.
"Li Wei! Help me please!"
He dove down with his sword shining but Xuefeng laughed at his effort.
"Too late!"
Bang!
All twelve statues exploded into small chunks with their blood frozen into ice.
"Fucking bastard!!!" Li Wei cursed as he flew back up while glaring at the screen. "You will die!"
He didn't hesitate and rushed towards Xuefeng's location with others following him.
"Haha! I am waiting here for you guys!" Xuefeng announced in laughter, feeling no remorse for the kills. They decided to go against him so they are solely responsible for their death.
He could move his Water Qi everywhere as he wished and it just happened he had a lot of it, already Dual Cultivating two days to the peak of his capacity. No matter how much Qi he used, Ling was constantly producing more for him.
Naturally, even if his Water Qi was almost endless, he couldn't kill them all at the same time. Twelve was still a satisfactory result for him.
Xuefeng watched them all fly above the tree crowns which was just as he predicted. Thanks to the Water Stone, he could now do everything he wanted, gaining full mastery over Water Element. Even if before he found it hard to manipulate Water into Ice, it was a piece of cake now.
"Will Xuefeng just let them approach him just like that?" the Commentator wondered right before Xuefeng raised his hand again. "Oh! Oh! Oh! He is going to snap!"
Everyone already knew what it meant.
"Welcome to round three!" Xuefeng called out, bringing hype to the stage.
Snap!
"He snapped!"
"Quick! Use Teleports to get closer to them!" Li Wei ordered but the winter found them again. They were already halfway when their target disappeared from view, replaced with thick white mist.
Snowstorm!
The wind blew as the snow formed in the sky, disorienting the whole group. Only a small part of the Arena where Xuefeng and Tianshi rested was snow-free.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The crowd saw nothing inside but the number of explosions was impossible to count. Xuefeng unleashed his full power, slicing and dicing with ice swords while the Water Bombs froze everyone, making them unable to respond. No matter how powerful one was and how many arts they knew, the dangers of coldness shouldn't be underestimated.
Seeing the destruction, he had to evaluate Princess Shan and Jiao's strength as that was terrifying.
"Did I overdo it?" Xuefeng questioned awkwardly. He felt like an adult playing football with five-year-old kids.
The advantage the Elemental Bracelet gave him was just too much. He finally realized why everyone was trying so desperately to kill him and get it for himself.
He could see their struggle in the snowstorm. No matter how many shields they had, it was for naught as his constant barrage of attacks wore them down quickly. They tried to teleport but with no vision and Spirit Awareness blocked by him, they couldn't find Xuefeng's location.
Some even tried to dive to the ground only to realize everything was frozen as well, with the situation no different than the sky.
"Is this over?!" the Commentator exclaimed as the whole stand stood up in confusion. "Is Xuefeng going to win just like that? The waiting lobby just reported multiple Participants giving up and the number is going up with each second!"
'Xuefeng—' Ming began but Xuefeng didn't let her finish. 'I know.'
He stood up while lifting Tianshi with him and kissed her.
"It's time for me to do the final clean up. Wait for me here."
"Good luck," Tianshi nodded in understanding as if knowing he will leave beforehand.
"Huh? Xuefeng is going to fight personally?" the Commentator announced surprised when the snowstorm stopped and the explosions ceased.
Although everything was frozen, the sky cleared up, displaying fifty survivors.
"Congratulations! It seems you are strong enough to face my own blade," Xuefeng called out as his body covered in Golden Armor once again, his Dragon Edge gripped firmly.
Li Wei glared at Xuefeng as he flew up to face them in the sky, one versus fifty. They didn't hesitate and popped numbers of pills into their mouths, not giving up but Xuefeng didn't hurry to kill them.
"Fifty! They survived Xuefeng's snowstorm! They still got the chance! The ultimate battle is about to start!" the Commentator began to hype and the crowd cheered for them. The narrative changed and now it was Xuefeng who was the villain.
"And here I thought I could finish you effortlessly. Too bad, even the Elemental Bracelet has its limits else this would be over already," Xuefeng commented casually, blatantly laying on purpose. "Fifty of you should be enough to test my current strength without using the Elemental Bracelet."
"So the Elemental Bracelet has limits after all! I knew it was too good to be true!" the Commentator confirmed Xuefeng's lie, eating him from the hand.
Xuefeng could already hear the gossip about him, saying he is nothing without the Elemental Bracelet. Human behavior was simple to understand, especially in the Cultivation world. If he abused a Godly treasure, his fame would be short-lived.
Being high profile also required balance else he would become someone even he would feel scared of.
"So," Xuefeng began, aiming his sword at them. "Shall we start?"
Chapter 155 Real Pain
The group wasn't in a hurry to reply, quickly tending to their wounds, causing Xuefeng to shrug.
Swoosh!
He swung his sword and sent a casual Air Qi Wave in their direction. They didn't seem that concerned about it, someone stepping forward to block it, but they seem to forget who they were facing against.
'Multiply!' Xuefeng cried out and instead of one wave, they suddenly faced against a hundred.
Bang!
The waves smashed against the man repeatedly till he was forced to crush his token.
"One down. Forty-nine left," Xuefeng called out as he played with the edge of his sword. "Sometimes I really wonder if I fight against top experts or a bunch of kids. Aren't you Immortals already? Where are your cores? Where are your Qi Materialization Beasts? Am I really supposed to teach you how to fight?"
"Oof! The burn!" the Commentator exclaimed while sucking in a breath. "But I have to agree. If they want to defeat Xuefeng, they need to give it their all. Being fifty versus one is not really an advantage when it comes to Xuefeng."
The group immediately darkened at that comment, especially Li Wei who had his own pride as the number one expert for such a long time.
He didn't need to say anything before everyone began pulling their aces.
Roar! Screee!
Multiple Qi Manifestation Beasts appeared behind them, announcing their presence as they glared at Xuefeng. He couldn't help but grin at that.
"Hahaha, that's what I'm talking about!" Xuefeng called out and kept his sword. "If I use my sword it will be unfair to you so let's make it a pure battle of skills! Let's see whose Qi Materialization is superior!"
He extended his two arms and Water Qi covered them, creating two massive Dragon Claws. Besides its own strength, a thin layer of Elemental Bracelet's armor covered them, giving him additional protection against both Fate Qi and three other elements.
Two Dragon Claws was the maximum he could create right now with his Qi but Ling didn't lazy around, constantly replenishing his Water Qi. It was finally time to unleash the full extent of his Qi Materialization.
"It's Xuefeng's Dragon Claws! The ultimate battle is about to start!" the Commentator hyped the stands, but they were already excited enough, everyone standing to see more action.
"Attack together! Don't spread out else he will finish us one by one!" Li Wei ordered as he stood at the front, holding his Sword firmly. Just because Xuefeng didn't have a sword didn't mean they had to do the same.
Too bad, they were mistaken if they thought Xuefeng was alone. He was never alone!
'That Li Wei will try to use his sword skill on you once you teleport inside. It's quick so you have to immediately block once you kill that gal in blue,' Tianshi suggested, predicting the nearby future for him. 'If you teleport from one place to another, you can kill multiple of them while they strike each other. Their group is too tight so friendly fire should be your weapon.'
'Alright! Are you going to be alright?' Xuefeng wondered. 'They will definitely change targets to you once they figure out they can't fight me.'
'I will be fine. I will know when they come for me,' Tianshi replied without worry. 'Go!'
Xuefeng only smiled at her and his wings' ends sharpened, acting as an additional weapon. He launched forward while laughing maniacally.
"Hahaha, I'm coming!!"
Just his laugh alone made his opponents tense and their faces stressed. Same with anger, once the opponent feared you, they were bound to make mistakes.
First, the weakest person in the group, having a butterfly as her Materialized Beast. She had the most space around her as she created a poisonous mist to protect herself but how could that work against him?
"Ah!!" the woman screamed as he suddenly appeared behind her, his Dragon Claw swinging at her head but he stopped midway, teleporting away again to their backline.
Boom!
Almost everyone bombarded his spot with their skills, blasting the butterfly girl into oblivion. They didn't seem to care about her dying together with him. They just wanted to kill him.
"Damn, you guys are cruel. That death was on you!" Xuefeng called out as he sliced his claws at someone else, cutting their head away. His Dragon Claws broke through his defenses with ease.
Seeing how brutal they were, he only confirmed his resolve of killing them. If he didn't do it, how could he protect his wives in the future? It was either them or leaving his wives without a husband. The choice was obvious.
"Forty-seven!" Xuefeng announced, running away from their arts once again.
'I'm sorry. I told you the wrong future,' Tianshi apologized but Xuefeng quickly assured her. 'Don't worry, I saw them moving so I reacted. You can't predict everything.'
Tianshi can sometimes see multiple possible futures, some happening in most scenarios but there can happen a case where the least possible future happens. If not for his Elemental Awareness using his Water Domain, he might actually fall into their trap.
Thankfully, her second prediction recovered her reputation.
"Arghh!! Stop shooting randomly!"
"Why you hit me?!"
The chaos happened even before Xuefeng's kill count crossed ten. He was simply everywhere, making it impossible to hit their skills without actually predicting his movements.
"Fuck you, Li Wei! Spread out! Spread out!"
Before he knew, Li Wei lost his respect as everyone began running away, returning back to every man for himself rule.
'Wait, one is missing,' Xuefeng hesitated in the middle of his killing spree, realizing he lost one of the Participants.
Xuefeng remembered all top ten and naturally monitored them but it seemed someone tried to sneak up on him. His Ether Qi was slowly running out so he couldn't continue dodging with Teleports.
'Watch out behind you!' Tianshi screamed in his mind and Xuefeng didn't hesitate, using his Dragon Claws as a block.
Bang!
Hundreds of swords exploded from the void, cutting and piercing into him. He could cover his face and torso but his legs suffered, blood slowly dripping down.
"They wounded him!! Xuefeng got wound—" the Commentator cried out but the situation changed before he could even finish.
Pa! Pa!
He slapped the Swords away before grabbing behind him.
"Bitch! You thought!"
Li Wei was like a wind, suddenly appearing behind him but Xuefeng already saw him move and grabbed his sword before it pierced him.
"Fuck!" Li Wei cursed as he swiftly withdrew, taking the leadership role again. "You idiots! We need to attack together! He can't teleport endlessly! If we don't synchronize, we won't win! We have higher chances with fewer people!"
The man from the void appeared next to Li Wei and confirmed with a nod.
"I agree. This Xuefeng is nothing much. If we focus, we can still win. I already hurt him so it's not impossible."
Xuefeng found it hilarious.
"Hahahaha! You hurt me?!"
His laugh caused the people to get alert. He kept chuckling as he began pulling out the swords from his legs. One by one the swords fell down from the sky, but his face didn't even twitch. After a second, all his wounds closed itself and the blood stopped dripping out.
"You think this hurts?" Xuefeng commented as his legs began covering with Dragon Scales.
"Let me show you real pain!"
Chapter 156 Elemental Core
Xuefeng was actually pissed at how cocky they were. He was restraining his powers not to look too strong which made them think they can actually win against him.
His Golden Wings swung as he shot forward at the man who injured him. Li Wei immediately teleported away but the man froze in place as if something blocked his movements. His face reddened and shivered, fighting against the restriction but it was too late.
"You can't escape from me!" Xuefeng called out as his claws aimed at the man's stomach, but his chest suddenly shone, bursting out a colorful ball like a cannon.
Bang!
Xuefeng grabbed it but the impact pushed him back and disrupted his lockdown, letting the man recover his movements.
'Oh! That's his Elemental Core!' Ming exclaimed at the sight. 'Let's steal it!'
Only Ming would have thought of that but Xuefeng didn't object. He could feel Ming's Fate Qi travel through his body and attack the Core but it suddenly pulled back, almost escaping from his grasp.
'Hold it still for a moment! I need to break his connection with it so we can rebrand it as ours,' Ming explained. 'I only need a minute.'
'You know how much is a minute?!' Xuefeng cried out, knowing he could kill multiple people with that much time.
Cough!
The man puked blood a second later before calling for help, "Quick!! He is trying to steal my Core! Kill him now!"
That information shocked the crowd as the excitement skyrocketed.
"He is trying to steal the Elemental Core! What balls! Right in front of them!" the Commentator repeated what everyone already heard but there were still some who needed it.
After all, the Elemental Core was special, storing all the Qi belonging to the person. If someone's Core was stolen, it meant they would lose all of their cultivation on top of being injured, forcing them to start from the very beginning. It pained everyone, knowing how many years it took people to Cultivate.
"Stop him!!! Kill him now!" Li Wei quickly ordered as he launched forward and others followed suit.
Xuefeng was either forced to give up on the Core and escape or face the whole barrage of attacks coming his way. The Core was constantly trying to escape from his grasp, forcing him to use his Elvish Bloodline on top of his strength.
'Who knew the Elemental Core would be this strong. I need to quickly get one for myself,' Xuefeng commented as he glanced at Tianshi's location and teleported away for the last time. She was far away from them, forcing him to use every bit of Ether Qi he had left.
He appeared behind her and pleaded, 'Honey, can you hold them back for a moment? I need less than a minute.'
Tianshi seemed to be waiting for it as the Spirit Barrier already covered his body, providing him extra strength and protection.
'On it!'
The Golems who remained stationary this whole time finally moved, swinging their swords left and right. She sent multiple blasts of Qi in the group way but they were obviously too weak to do anything to them.
Thankfully, that wasn't their goal. She only needed to slow them down.
Cough, cough!
The man with stolen core puked even more blood, his face all pale.
"Q-quick! Cough! If he succeeds, he will recover his strength and kill you all!" he cried out in pain.
This caused everyone to push harder, breaking through the Golem Qi waves one by one.
'Thirty more seconds!' Xuefeng informed but the enemies were right in front of them. 'Are you sure you can handle it?'
'Yes! I can!' Tianshi called out confidently but still sat down next to him. 'I got a plan but if I faint, please take care of me. I didn't test it yet.'
'Faint?!' Xuefeng questioned in panic but it was too late, Tianshi already acted.
Four Golems moved closer to them, surrounding them in a defensive ring while one of them began running at the enemies.
To Xuefeng's surprise, it jumped, then jumped again, and again, and again.
It was walking on the clouds! Tianshi's signature move!
He understood it worked because Tianshi was slim and weighed almost nothing but how did she hold a Golem's weight on top of a cloud? Just based on Tianshi's sweating forehead and her body shaking he knew she was pushing herself to the limits.
"Oh, my Heavens! The Golem can fly!" the Commentator called out excitedly but the crowd wasn't blind, nor was Li Wei.
"Dodge it!" Li Wei ordered immediately. "Don't waste time fighting it!"
The Golem was charging straight at them but they simply teleported behind him, letting it pass them with no contact what so ever. To everyone's shock, the Golem didn't stop but instead sped up.
Li Wei was the first who saw it.
"Fuck, we were not its target from the very start!"
The coughing man was only suspended in the air thanks to another Participant who wore the same robes as him, signaling they knew each other. Too bad, when the lady saw a charging Golem, with its sword piercing straight at them, she naturally chose to evacuate herself.
"Noooooooo!!!"
The Man's scream was his last when the flaming sword pierced through his chest before brutally ripping his head away.
"No one hurts my Xuefeng…"
Xuefeng heard Tianshi mutter before her body collapsed, falling down to the ground.
"Tianshi!" Xuefeng called out as he caught her but she didn't respond, completely passed out.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The four Golems dropped down like her, sinking back to the ground they were made of.
'Don't worry, she just exhausted her mind. Send her to me so I can heal her,' Ling assured and he didn't question her, placing the Golden Crystal up to her forehead.
She disappeared right before the Skills smashed against the ground blasting his body with the explosion. Thankfully, his whole torso already covered with Dragon Scales, protecting him from the impact.
He stood up and displayed the Elemental Core in his palm.
"Is this what you wanted?" Xuefeng asked with a smile and placed it against his chest, letting it sink into his body.
"Time for round four! Surrender or die!"
Chapter 157 Reflection
"You can do that?!" the Commentator voiced out everyone's thoughts. "How is that possible?"
It was probably the first time for many to see someone consume an Elemental Core this easily. Once the Cultivator died, the Elemental Core would crumble as well, since it was tightly connected with the Cultivator's Soul.
Knowing how hard it was to absorb and use someone else's Qi, it was naturally unheard of to steal other's Cores. Xuefeng definitely couldn't use it as his own core, but no one could be certain anymore.
Xuefeng, on the other hand, had the same questions in mind and didn't hurry to fight, waiting for Ming to explain what was going on first. It was her who took the Core for herself while he only pretended to absorb it.
'Can we use this Core?' Xuefeng wondered while staring at the group. Tianshi wasn't in the picture anymore so he didn't need to worry about anyone but himself.
'You cannot use it directly to replace your own Elemental Core but I can use it as storage. It is really small but contains all the Qi from the Cultivator's body. Imagine we had hundreds of them? Would we ever run out of Qi this way?' Ming explained excitedly. 'How about we steal the Elemental Cores from everyone here? We could get at least thirty plus cores!'
The sheer thought of that scared him. He was already overstepping his moral boundaries, killing people left and right as if it was nothing. He looked down at his bloodied Dragon Claws and suddenly realized something.
Since when did he become so cruel and insensitive, capable of killing people as if they were nothing? Before he only killed when someone attacked him or someone he cared about was in danger.
What about now? Some of the people he killed couldn't even defend themselves before they died. Was it really the person he wanted to be? He was slowly becoming someone he didn't even recognize anymore.
'No… I think we should stop…' Xuefeng muttered, feeling unwell with himself. 'Do you want me to become an emotionless killer or what? This is too much.'
'What…? Can't you see how amazing that would be? Imagine how many Forbidden Techniques I can teach you that require an immense amount of Qi. This could help us defeat the Old Master!' Ming convinced passionately. 'I can help you get the Cores with ease!'
'But at what cost? How can I treat people normally when I don't care about anything and kill everyone as I wish? I would soon become the same monster of a person that I hated if I didn't already become one. This is too much,' Xuefeng pointed out, recalling all of his actions so far. 'What happened to me?'
Even though Heaven Realm was the land of kill or get killed, he was strong enough to decide the path for himself.
"Everyone! Don't believe him!" Li Wei called out, breaking his thoughts. "He cannot absorb the Qi from the Elemental Core so why should we worry! He can't teleport anymore so this is our chance to win!"
The Participants began regaining their courage when Xuefeng broke it again.
"Do you really think I need to teleport to kill you? All I need is a simple snap."
He raised his hand after the claim, causing the group to back away on impulse. Xuefeng snapped his fingers and all frozen trees and plants turned into dust. With just one snap, the whole jungle was no more, leaving only him and the group in the sky.
"I changed my mind. I want to end it fast and attend to my Wife. I will give you ten seconds to pull out your tokens and resign. After that, I will kill the rest. You won't get the chance to escape once you decide to stay, that's for sure," Xuefeng suggested calmly. "The choice is yours."
Xuefeng didn't seem like he was joking, all the laughter disappearing from his face. It definitely worked on some as they listened to his advice and took out their tokens.
"Don't listen to him! He is just trying to divide us! He knows he can't win against us all," Li Wei cried out to stop them. "You leaving is like giving him a free win against us! Are you going to ignore all the people he killed so far?!"
The youths hesitated at his words till one of them shared a valid point.
"From what I know, there aren't many limits to Elemental Bracelet. He could kill us much earlier but for some reason, he didn't, giving us hope that we can defeat him. We knew the results from the beginning but our pride didn't let us accept that fact. It is time to face the reality."
He sighed and broke the token after one last glance at Xuefeng, disappearing from the place. Following suit were others, leaving one by one till only those in the Top Ten remained.
"Congratulations, you won," a Female expert said, copying everyone else. Her robes were tattered from the battle in multiple places, exposing most of her skin.
Xuefeng couldn't help but take a deep breath at that sight.
'I'm disappointed. If they got the chance to kill you, they wouldn't hesitate at all. Why did you let them escape?' Ming questioned but Xuefeng had an answer ready.
'To remain the Xuefeng I know.'
"Fuck! A bunch of idiots," Li Wei cursed as all figures from Top Ten also resigned, leaving only the last three. "Are you two going to leave me too?"
The Top Second and Third Seed looked at each other and nodded.
"Our lives are more valuable than some Upgrade Fragments and money. There will be more Tournaments in the future," one of them explained. "This is just the beginning of our journey. If you want to bet it all this early then go ahead."
They both disappeared right after, leaving Li Wei alone with him.
"Time is up," Xuefeng announced, slowly flying up to match Li Wei's altitude. "So you decided to die?"
Li Wei's face darkened, not replying to his question.
'How about him? Are you planning on killing him?' Ming wondered, ignoring their previous argument. 'I only care about you and my goal is improving your strength so you can survive in this world. Do you think you can beat that Old Master or get other Elemental Stones if you don't get stronger? The only efficient way to improve is by using others as stepping stones.'
'I know that,' Xuefeng agreed. 'I don't deny that killing is an integral part of this world but there should be limits.'
'Limits? You are the Owner of the Elemental Bracelet. You are already breaking all the limits possible and you are meant to be the ruler. If you don't take this position, there are many who will willingly take your place,' Ming explained. 'If you begin to enjoy killing, I will be the first to slap your face, but you don't. You use it as a tool to get stronger and protect your wives.'
She didn't stop there and added, 'Since this Tournament depended on killing to win, why are you bothered by it? They joined knowing they can die and continued to challenge you. If you won't kill them now, they will only cause trouble for you later on.'
Xuefeng gave Li Wei a deep stare, knowing she was talking about him. The hatred in his eyes was obvious even though he tried to hide it. People like him were the main reason he even began killing, knowing there was no other choice.
'Don't worry, I never planned to let him leave,' Xuefeng assured when he heard the crowd slowly explode.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
"It seems like the crowd is still hungry for more! Is Xuefeng and Li Wei going to satisfy our hunger?!" the Commentator called out excitedly, ignoring the fact that tens of experts already resigned.
"It seems even the people don't want you to live," Xuefeng commented with a shrug. "I gave you ten seconds and you already lost your chance."
He didn't plan to wait anymore, launching himself forward in the full offense when Li Wei shocked everyone.
He backed off instead and pulled out Teleportation Token, planning on escaping.
"You only won because of the Elemental Bracelet! You are nothing without it and you never will be!" Li Wei cried out and he squeezed his palm.
Too bad, his expression changed right after, realizing he was still in the same spot while the Token stayed intact.
"You are not going anywhere!" Xuefeng shouted as his Elvish Bloodline wrapped around Li Wei's body. There was basically no time for him to react when Xuefeng was already in front of him, his claws piercing through his chest.
Cough!
Blood sprayed from Li Wei's mouth while Xuefeng pulled out the Elemental Core from his chest. There were no words needed. Xuefeng made his point as Li Wei's body dropped down from the sky, leaving only the Core to continue his life.
"Xuefeng Won! He won! Xuefeng is the strongest and wins the Tournament!" the Commentator announced causing an avalanche of cheers.
Although he won, Xuefeng wasn't happy at all, his voice breaking through the crowds.
"Is that what all of you wanted? Are you happy seeing so many of your Top Experts die? How many more should die before it's enough?"
Chapter 158 New Path
Xuefeng's sudden outbursts caused the crowds to slowly quieten down.
"This world has already so much brutality. You leave the Safe Zone and you risk getting robbed or killed. Why do we add more death knowing how hard it is already?" Xuefeng questioned unhappily, not liking the current trend.
No one dared to utter a word, giving Xuefeng the chance to speak.
"I'm not against killing. If someone threatens me or my wives' life, I will kill them without hesitation, but this is something else. Top experts of the Land joined the Tournament with a reward that no one would reject. And the results? Tens of dead bodies all over the arena," Xuefeng displayed as he pointed at the arena.
"I'm guilty of it too. I was tempted by the reward but I didn't wish to win like this. I don't kill for fun, so you all can enjoy the show. I kill because I have to. I was forced to kill else I would be killed instead. Everyone already accepted such a cruel reality but I won't. I hate it."
Xuefeng took a deep breath as he collected the Elemental Core. He wanted to continue when Sir Liu appeared next to him out of nowhere.
"Life and death have a very thin line in the world of Cultivation, but I partially agree with you. We shouldn't feel joyful from the death of our fellow experts but at the same time, what is wrong with celebrating a victory?" Sir Liu questioned.
He didn't let Xuefeng reply as he continued, "Just as we shouldn't feel joy from death, we shouldn't take away the choice everyone has. Anyone who joined the Tournament knew the risk. Instead of training patiently, they decided to risk their lives for a quicker path to success with only a little chance of winning. This teaches us that gambling your life is not always the best idea, but we can't take away such opportunities."
Sir Liu glanced at Xuefeng and displayed his Storage Ring.
"With that said, Xuefeng turned out to be the strongest and I'm happy to announce, he is the winner of this Tournament!" Sir Liu called out excitedly and suddenly thousands of Upgrade Fragments flew out from his ring.
"Whoa! Look at all those Upgrade Fragments! Let's give a round of applause for our winner!" the Commentator followed up immediately, causing the crowds to cheer once again.
It seemed like everyone forgot what Xuefeng was saying just now, his speech ruined by Sir Liu.
"Why…?" Xuefeng asked confused, knowing Sir Liu did it on purpose.
"Don't ask questions. I will explain later," Sir Liu replied quietly before sucking in all the Upgrade Fragments back into the ring and passed it to him.
"With that, the Finals of our Tournament ends! Thank you all for coming and enjoying this afternoon with us. Goodbye, and take care!" Sir Liu announced loudly to everyone and grabbed Xuefeng's shoulder, teleporting them away.
Xuefeng thought he would take them to the Platform but instead, they appeared in an office.
"You shouldn't have done that," Sir Liu immediately scolded. "You don't realize how important controlled deaths are."
"Huh…?" Xuefeng paused, not expecting this. "Controlled deaths?"
Sir Liu rubbed his forehead as he walked up to a cabinet to pour himself some liquor.
"What do you think is the main point of this Tournament?" Sir Liu questioned before replying right away. "It is only because of you that it became such a mess. The rewards went up which caused higher desperation from all the Participants even though you were bound to win. Normally that wouldn't be the case and there would be fewer deaths."
Xuefeng frowned.
"That doesn't explain Controlled Deaths. Was I meant to kill everyone?"
Sir Liu gulped down his glass.
"I will tell you a secret. Do you know why there are still so many deaths even though we have Safe Zones?" Sir Liu began. "There is only one answer and that is resources. There are too few resources for the number of Cultivators that live in the Heaven Realm. Without any deaths, the Heaven Realm would simply become overpopulated. We create those Tournaments and encourage Cultivators to explore on their own to filter the weak that wouldn't survive in the long run anyway."
Xuefeng's eyes widened, not expecting that.
"That's…." Xuefeng muttered, unable to find a correct word.
"Inhumane? Unfair? It's nothing like that," Sir Liu shook his head. "It's the necessary evil and the natural selection at its finest. If we sheltered all of our young experts, the competition for the resources would become even more deadly than it is now. Only the strongest survive and it has always been like this. You cannot break this balance. With the number of years we can live and the safety of the Safe Zones, random deaths are necessary for the Heaven Realm's future."
Sir Liu sighed and approached him, patting Xuefeng on the shoulder.
"No one is forcing you to kill if it's not necessary, but don't try to ruin a perfectly working ecosystem."
Xuefeng didn't get the chance to reply before Xuefeng's surroundings changed and he saw four familiar figures in front of him.
"Xuefeng! Are you okay?"
All the girls exclaimed at his sight as they ran up to his embrace. To squeeze him tight. Xinyu hesitated for a moment but in the end, she stood on the side, sharing only a gentle hug with them.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Xuefeng assured, despite being confused. Sir Liu's words were still stuck in his mind but the more he thought about them, the more sense they had.
People will always fight for limited resources and if he tries to stop it, others will replace them. It's the never-ending cycle that was impossible to break.
"What was that speech? If you don't feel like killing, you can always leave that to me. I don't really mind since I don't care about other people," Nuwa suggested, causing another thought to emerge.
'I guess focusing on oneself and not caring about others is really a go-to mindset in this world…' Xuefeng thought as he leaned to kiss Nuwa on the lips. 'I will just focus on myself, my wives, and our future. Improve, protect, and enjoy. A new path to happiness.'
"Xuefeng? Why are you staring at me like that?" Nuwa asked but Xuefeng only smiled as he hugged them all closer. "Thank you."
They all tilted their heads confused but he didn't say anything else.
'Is Tianshi alright?' Xuefeng asked in his mind and as a response, Tianshi and Mona appeared behind him, momentarily stealing all the show.
"Mona!" Yiren exclaimed as she skipped towards the pretty fox and the girls follow suit, surrounding Tianshi. Since Ling let her leave, it could only mean she was alright so he stopped worrying.
"Congrats on the win~" Xinyu chirped as she finally approached, patting him on the chest. "I knew you can do it."
"Thanks," Xuefeng replied casually as he took a look at the platform. "Where are all those experts who were after me? I thought they would be here."
"I told Uncle Liu to find another place for them since Nuwa would easily start a fight with them but it seems my parents were the ones who handled it," Xinyu replied as she glanced at Sir Liu.
"We already predicted there would be conflicts so my brother decided to send them off as you are under his protection now," Sir Liu explained when they heard footsteps. "It seems like they are coming back already."
They looked at the other exit and saw Golden Queen walk into the Platform but Sect Master Liu didn't accompany her.
"Is everyone ready? I'm supposed to escort everyone to the Palace," Golden Queen announced, causing the petting session to stop.
"Are we in some danger?" Nuwa wondered.
"Well, I can't promise there will be none. Xuefeng's performance caused a major uproar and it seems more and more Powerful Cultivators are coming to the Capital to target him," Golden Queen said as she gave Xuefeng a look over. "The safest solution would be putting you on house arrest for at least a week till we calm down the situation."
Xuefeng's expression paled. That was exactly what he was worried about. Displaying too much power just drew even more greedy eyes to his Elemental Bracelet.
"Brother-in-law, you will protect the girls, while I will take care of Xuefeng," Golden Queen continued as she extended her hand to him. "It is better if we move now and prepare before it's too late."
"What about Master?" Xuefeng asked, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
"Well, he is currently talking with some of his old friends. I left before any battle broke out but I can tell they were eager to test their skills. I'm not planning on fighting any old geezers so I decided to protect you directly," Golden Queen replied with a shrug. "Don't worry, we promised to protect you guys so we won't let anyone touch you. Are you coming?"
Chapter 159 Get Him Boys
"Sigh… He disappeared so fast I couldn't even…"
Jiao didn't finish, not really knowing what she expected. Did she think Xuefeng will spot her within the crowd of hundreds of thousand people? She felt like a single ant in the ant hive, no different than anyone else.
"Hey, at least you met him and saw him for the first time after three years of waiting. I would still say this trip was worth it," Dandan pointed out as she grabbed her hand, heading towards the exit. Since they were standing on the stairs, they would soon be squished by everyone.
"Well, I am happy I could see him once again but it only made me realize how weak I actually am," Jiao muttered with a deep sigh when Dandan wrapped her arms around her neck, almost choking her.
"Who are you and what did you do with my Jiao?"
Jiao naturally couldn't reply till Dandan released her, causing Jiao to push her away.
"Cough! W-what are you doing?" Jiao questioned upset but Dandan only shrugged, pulling her to the exit.
"It's your fault. Where did all your confidence go?" Dandan scolded. "The Jiao I met for the first time was full of determination and resilience. What happened to you?"
"Maybe I just realized the truth…" Jiao muttered sadly. "That the task ahead of me surpasses my capabilities. Maybe we were never meant to be."
"You…" Dandan raised her hand to slap her, but she held back, cursing, "Fuck, you make me so mad."
Dandan grabbed Jiao's hand and stormed out of the Arena.
"Where are we going?" Jiao asked confused, but Dandan stayed silent the whole time till they reached their inn.
Thud!
She pinned Jiao to the wall while staring deeply into her eyes.
"I will help you recover your confidence. You will get this Xuefeng no matter what!" Dandan called out sternly. "You are just lost and it happens to everyone. You are lucky you have a friend who can beat the shit out of you and glue you back to one piece."
"Dandan—" Jiao uttered but Dandan cut her off immediately.
"No, I already decided. I will help you and you are going to win this battle. If you don't, we will fall together," Dandan expressed as she suddenly hugged her. "That's what friends are for."
Jiao couldn't help but tear up at her words, hugging her back tightly.
"You mean best friends…"
They hugged for a good minute when Jiao asked the important question.
"What's your plan then?"
Dandan pulled away with a smile.
"Didn't I say it already? We are going to the Hell Hole."
———
'Nuwa contacted me multiple times already… I'm sure she already met with Xuefeng and he won the tournament… I wish I could see it, sigh.'
Walking through the Trade Union's lobby, Wu thoughts were all over the place but she couldn't break her cover. Their plan wouldn't work if their enemy discovers anything and she was sure the person was watching.
"Miss Wu, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Just as she was signing some papers for deliveries, the Secretary called her from behind.
'That's right… Fall right into my trap,' Wu thought before she turned around casually. "Yes? Is there another person you want to replace or what is it this time?"
The Secretary scratched her head embarrassed, probably expecting such a reaction. The tension between them was quite high for the last two days.
"No, don't worry Miss Wu, that won't happen again. Every change will go through you," the Secretary assured and passed her a notepad with some papers. "This is more of a regular check-up. I'm supposed to visit the Treasury and scan all the contents. We do it every month to know what we need to order and basically analyze the monthly demand."
Wu looked through the papers and it really was the standard procedure that they performed in the Earth Realm as well.
"And what you need me for?" Wu questioned as she passed the notes back. The two guards were on her side the whole time just to show she was on alert.
"Well, since I know Miss Wu is suspicious of me, I wanted you to assist me. I want to regain your trust so we can work well together. It was my fault earlier so I plan to fix it by doing a good job for you," the Secretary explained as she hugged the notepad, showing a genuine smile.
Wu wanted to roll her eyes but she resisted her urge, looking at the Secretary suspiciously.
"Sure, I will go with you. I wanted to check the treasury anyway," Wu agreed calmly but in her mind, she wasn't that kind.
'What a lying bitch, honestly… No wonder my grandpa fell for her,' Wu thought. The Secretary was good at lying and she now faced a master of this craft.
"Great!" the Secretary exclaimed, leading the way for her. "Follow me then."
Snap!
"You two, go with me," Wu ordered the two guards and they quickly agreed. "Yes, Miss."
The Treasury was one of the most protected places in the Trade Union grounds. Not only was it stationed underground but to her there, they had to pass by multiple controls and barriers which only opened for authorized people. Wu and the Secretary were naturally two of them.
'Hmmm? How come she didn't notice?'
Three barriers later, Wu noticed something suspicious. She already exchanged the guards responsible for the Treasury but the Secretary didn't pay it any attention. She would definitely notice this fact if she visited the Treasury even once.
'She is not that stupid… She must be pretending,' Wu figured out and she got on alert, ready to fight at any moment. She already had multiple treasures to protect her life if necessary.
There were tens of top guards surrounding the Treasury which contained the rarest Artefacts and treasures. Every time someone wanted to buy something rare, they had to personally enter the Treasury to take it out for them. Every visit was recorded and controlled, but Wu didn't have to go through those procedures.
She was the one who planned it all.
Click!
A massive door opened with a large crackle, displaying a gigantic room. Wu couldn't help but take a deep breath of the aroma inside. Even though the herbs were locked in safe boxes, she could still smell them.
"After you Miss Wu," the Secretary suggested to which Wu nodded, calling out to the guards outside. "If we don't come out in fifteen minutes, you can enter and check on me."
"Yes, Miss!" the Guards saluted.
They all walked inside and the door to Treasury closed behind them.
"How about you give me half of the list and we split up?" Wu proposed as she looked around but instead of the Secretary's voice, she heard two thuds as her personal guards fell to the ground, fully unconscious.
Wu quickly turned around while jumping away and saw that the Secretary was shivering. Her lips parted and a voice that didn't belong to her spoke for her.
"That won't be necessary…"
Immediately after, a thick black smoke came out of her mouth and formed into a person in front of her. The Secretary staggered, almost falling down but she found the corridor wall to support herself.
"I did what you wanted, now release me," the Secretary called out with a sweaty forehead, but the man ignored her.
"Who are you?" Wu questioned coldly as she pulled out a sword.
It was all staged and she knew she wasn't in any danger but the person in front of her was too creepy. He was hiding his face behind a cloud of black smoke and his whole body was distorted.
"Hehe, you don't need to know that," the man chuckled as he took a step forward. "All you need to know is that I am someone who always gets what he wants."
"Come any closer and I will alarm the whole Trade Union!" Wu shouted, causing the man to laugh.
"Do you think it matters? Once you become my puppet, you will do everything I tell you to," the man echoed as he walked closer when the Secretary cried out again, "Release me now! I know you can't control two people at the same time!"
The man stopped, chuckling again.
"Heh, you are smart, but it seems you forgot who is the boss here."
Cough! Cough!
The man extended his hand backward and the Secretary started to choke, dropping on her knees.
"I hate when my puppets don't listen, but since you were a good puppet so far, I will let it pass," the man muttered and snapped his fingers.
The Secretary recovered her breath and coughed out even more smoke from her lungs.
'So she wasn't evil… It seems like she was controlled by this guy,' Wu figured out when the man turned back to her.
"So now, are you ready to become my new puppet? Don't worry, I will treat you well," the man assured before his body dispersed in all directions, trying to attack her from all sides.
Wu only smiled at that.
"Get him, boys."
Chapter 160 Dragon and a Curse
Multiple barriers surrounded Wu when the smoke struck her, spreading on all lengths to somehow get inside, turning the inside completely dark.
Crack!
Wu heard the first barrier break immediately, causing her to stress a little but her team was already there.
Swoosh!
A wind blow smashed against the smoke, dispersing and pushing it back. Six figures in black appeared in front of her with a special man at the front, controlling the whole operation.
Darkin, the Secretary of Defense in the Fire Land.
"You are not the only one who likes to live in the Shadows," Darkin spoke as the smoke shaped back into the male figure. "We knew about you for a while already. It's good you finally showed yourself so we can finish you quickly."
"Hahaha," the smoke man laughed in ridicule. "Well, well, who do we have here? Darkin, the protector of this City. What a surprising visit. How long did you wait in here for me?"
"I'm not playing your games," Darkin muttered indifferently and threw a box on the floor. "Hop in."
The smoke man clearly panicked and swiftly retreated, diving towards the Secretary by the doors but it was too late for him.
"Ahhh!!" he screamed when a sudden suction force stopped him in place, sucking the smoke out of his body.
It wasn't even a second before his whole body disappeared in the box which closed right after. The silence filled the Treasury before Darkin walked up and picked up the box, storing it in his Storage Ring.
"Done," he reported to Wu before snapping his fingers as he pointed at the two unconscious guards. "Take care of them."
His men immediately moved, lifting the guards to wake them up. Everything that happened was part of the plan but Wu was still shocked at how smoothly it went.
"That's it? One box and the problem is over?" Wu questioned as she canceled the barriers around her.
"That's right Miss Wu. Our job here is done," Darkin replied casually.
"Wait, you said you knew about him already. Why didn't you tell me?" Wu questioned suspiciously.
She contacted him after a suggestion from her two bodyguards and surprisingly enough, he agreed to assist her without any payment. She naturally accepted the help since she needed someone strong to protect her but now it all didn't add up.
"There was no need to tell Miss Wu about it. Miss wanted us to take down the target and we did just that. Since there is no more danger, we will return back to our jobs," Darkin explained before glancing at the Secretary. "Oh, right, what about her? Should we take her down too?"
"Wait! I'm innocent!" the Secretary called out in defense. "I was being controlled by this monster. If I didn't do what he told me, he would hurt me and threaten to kill me. I had no choice."
"The decision depends on you Miss Wu," Darkin replied, ignoring the Secretary as if she had no say in it.
"It's okay, leave her. She is not strong enough to do anything on her own. I will supervise her for now. After all, she helped us bring that man to us," Wu decided and nodded in gratitude. "Thank you for the help again."
Darkin smiled. "You are welcome, Miss Wu."
He disappeared with his team right as he finished, leaving Wu with the aftermath alone. Thankfully, there wasn't much for her to do aside from having a long talk with the Secretary to figure out the situation.
On the other hand, Darkin reappeared on top of the Trade Union building like a ghost and pulled out a Communication Crystal together with the box from before. It connected a moment later and he reported immediately.
"Mission successful. Your granddaughter contacted us just as Sir thought and we set up an ambush for him. We caught the thief easily."
"Torture him and figure out who sent him and I will pay you double," President Wu's voice resounded from the Crystal.
"Roger that. Should we still keep a watch on Miss Wu?" Darkin questioned as he played with the box.
"Yes. Protect her till We return. It should take us a week or two to return," President Wu ordered.
"Got it," Darking nodded and cut the connection. He observed the box for a moment and finally smirked.
"Let's have some fun, shall we?"
———
"Alright, I just got news from my husband. He said he will be late as they are having a heated discussion outside the Capital."
Golden Queen spilled the news as soon as she entered Xuefeng's bedroom where everyone gathered. All the girls were sitting on the bed as they waited for the new information.
"It seems Master is having a fight over me," Xuefeng commented, imagining Sect Master Liu's explosive personality would for sure lead to a few clashes.
"Yeah, I'm sure he is having lots of fun. It has been a while since he fought as he was preparing for his breakthrough," Golden Queen replied casually. "Right now all we can do is wait for the situation to cool down before we move. It would be bad to leave in the current state."
"Don't worry, you can stay in the Palace as long as you want. I already have hundreds of Guards monitor the surroundings and we set an additional set of barriers just in case anyone tried to break in," Sir Liu assured as he stood up from his chair. "This whole floor will be yours to use so feel free to change rooms if you need some peace to Cultivate."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Since we will be here for a while, you can continue your training. With President Wu's help, I'm sure we can get everyone all the materials you need," Golden Queen concurred.
"Alright, thank you," Xuefeng nodded in gratitude before making an eye-contact with Lisa and Yiren. "We also didn't see each other for a while so it's a good time to catch up."
"Oh, really?" Golden Queen immediately questioned. "I think you forgot about something."
"Huh?" Xuefeng got confused for a moment before he recalled the deal. "Right, the curse. Don't worry, I didn't forget about it. Can Miss Golden give me a few minutes?"
Golden Queen smirked, wrapping her arms together.
"So we are giving our all in protecting you, even sacrificing our connections for it and you dare negotiate with me?"
Xuefeng froze, feeling stupid. They were indeed helping them a lot and he was demanding more. He was just about to get up and agree when Golden Queen turned around, walking towards the doors.
"You have one minute, I'm waiting outside for you."
Thud!
The doors closed with a bang, causing Xuefeng to scratch his head.
"She is always like this. Just go along with her and you will be good," Sir Liu suggested as he walked up to the balcony. "If you need anything just contact the servants. They will prepare it for you."
He zoomed outside as well, leaving the team and Xinyu alone.
"I guess I need to head out. I need to clear a curse from her soul in exchange for this help," Xuefeng explained as he crawled up to Yiren and Lisa to give them a warm hug. "I'm glad you two are back by my side. We will talk about your adventures once I'm back, okay?"
"Don't worry, we will have a lot of time together," Yiren assured while Lisa tempted, "We have a lot of interesting stories, so you better hurry or you will miss something."
"Hehe," Xuefeng chuckled as he kissed her deeply. "I will be back before you realize."
He pulled away and took out a Storage Ring with all the winnings from the Tournament.
"You can take the Upgrade Fragments and start training without me. We need to use this week and improve as much as we can. There is no time to slack anymore," Xuefeng said sternly but Lisa pushed his ring back, displaying her own.
"There is no need. You can keep yours. I have more than enough for us all."
Xuefeng couldn't help tilt his head in confusion but Lisa only smiled and suddenly multiple bags began spilling out on the bed. Not only Xuefeng but Nuwa and Tianshi's eyes widened.
"How did you get so much?" Xuefeng wondered dumbfounded, but Yiren and Lisa only shrugged.
"We told you a lot has happened," Lisa muttered. "By the way, your minute is already up."
"Fuck," Xuefeng cursed and jumped out from the bed. "You tell me later! I will be right back!"
"Wait!" As he stormed towards the door, Xinyu called out after him. "I'm going with you. I don't need to cultivate this much."
She grabbed onto his arm as he was leaving and they saw Golden Queen standing right outside, leaning against the corridor wall with her leg stomping impatiently.
"You are late," Golden Queen called out and reached forward, pulling him by the hand. "Follow me."
He had no choice but to listen to her commands. Her fingers were so soft to the touch
"Xinyu, get back to your room. It's just between me and Xuefeng," Golden Queen ordered on the way, ruining Xinyu's plan. She didn't argue with Golden Queen's stern tone.
"Ah, fine…" Xinyu agreed unhappily and left in the second direction. "See you later Xuefeng~"
She didn't forget to rub his hand affectionately, but maybe it was just his hallucination.
"Come in," Golden Queen invited him inside her room and closed the door behind her. "Let's start right away."
He didn't even have time to look around the room when he heard her dress slid to the ground.
"Wait, why are you stripping?!" Xuefeng called out in alarm, wanting to take it easy at first.
"What? Shouldn't I be naked so you can finish faster?"