"Everyone, we've found the base!" Sentinel Macron's voice bellowed through the intercoms, sending shockwaves all across the west. The scouts all hit on the brakes, forcing their bodies to come to an abrupt halt. However, instead of easing their tension, those on the ground doubled up their vigilance. The easy part was over… It was now time for the most arduous task of them all…
Macron held onto the Aether Crystal that was used to transmit his voice with a tremble in his fingers. The map had been laid bare before him, and the markings were exceedingly clear. "Unit Alpha, move eleven kilometres north. Unit Bravo, move six kilometres south-west. Unit..." The Commander of the entire operation quickly directed his forces to move into position.
Time was of the essence. They had to completely enclose the area and mark it with members of the Alliance. They couldn't give the Black Masks any time to recuperate and regroup. In the worst-case scenario, Junius would escape wholly untouched, and the Black Masks would unleash hell upon the mortal lands. Macron and Shin both knew that all too well.
"Senior Heigui, Bingbing… Please continue to defend me," Shin weakly mumbled before falling down into a seated lotus position. "Master, Senior Zishen… I'm ready..."
"Gotcha," Lady Seph grinned before placing her pure, white fingers around Shin's weakened wrist. The Azure Dragon Lord did the exact same thing, but with Shin's other hand. They both closed their eyes and focused deep into their Venerate and Beast Soul, respectively. The mana that they'd produced over the past few hours quickly left their bodies and entered through the pores of Shin's loose skin.
Everything had been planned out beforehand. Once the flare was fired, Shin would immediately begin his recovery process. The Alliance and the forces brought over by Shin would be responsible for triangulating the region where the base laid, creating huge ditches and temporary strongholds for the members to regroup. Macron's plan was quite simple. Seek, surround and destroy. The seeking was done, and it was time to move on to the next phase.
Shin, on the other hand, couldn't join in on the fun. He'd just expended all of his energy to change the weather, and his mana reserves had basically been run dry. It was a miracle that Shin's Spectre Soul hadn't entered into exhaustion. Fortunately for the young Prince, he had two of the best mentors around to guide him to regain his mana. Lady Seph was in charge of recovery, while the Azure Dragon Lord supplied the mana. Glorious verses from the Hymn of Origin echoed out from Shin's mouth, all while the elements danced around him. In this state, Shin would be incapacitated for at least an hour or two; thus, Heigui Xuegang and Bingbing's role were absolutely crucial.
"Hahaha, fucking Black Masks! We've finally found you!!!" Jimga hollered out with his Tyrant Blade in hand. Beads of light flowed out from the Spirit Emperor's dominant sword and quickly rose above his head. They all merged into one, creating a colossal Sword Avatar that was at least a hundred metres tall.
The Tyrant Blade was many things. A patient man, he was not. "DIE!!!" Jimga sent his Sword Avatar crashing down upon the barrier like how the waves of the ocean would destroy the breakwaters.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
The earth trembled in fear. Trees were uprooted, and legions of boulders flew across the white skies. Jimga's one swing had forced the barrier to break its illusory spell revealing the vast castle that laid within. Thousands of Spirit Beast, ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 6, all bared their fangs and claws at the Spirit Emperor. Black Masks sentries, who had been lying in wait, all took their battle positions as Vaishya, Kshatriyas and Brahmins all took to the skies. They were all ready to face the oncoming threat, albeit in their own manner.
Jimga took a deep breath in, cleanly absorbing the dense energies of the area. There was something familiar with the air… Something the tyrant had faced countless of times in the past.
"So… Even in the heart of hell… Devils still feel fear..." Jimga scoffed, watching some of the Black Masks standing their ground with shaky legs. They all served the Allfather and couldn't go against his orders. Thus, they couldn't escape even if it meant that their lives would be forfeit. Jimga quite liked that… Facing terrified enemies was much easier than going against foes that had nothing else to lose. "Come… Let me ease your burden!!!"
"With just your ability?"
"!!!"
Before Jimga could create yet another Sword Avatar, a cold and detached voice echoed out from his behind, halting the Tyrant Blade's mana output. Unconsciously, Jimga leapt a hundred metres the other way, as he looped his body around to face the unseen foe. A blue-haired man, who seemed utterly unperturbed by the disturbance that Jimga had created, stood all alone within the snowy skies. His tall physique and charming appearance would captivate any human who loved to observe the beauty that life could produce. Jimga was no exception. Still, the Spirit Emperor raised his blade in a combative form.
"Who are you?" Jimga questioned the man, his blade held up high.
"Does it really matter?" Ao tilted his head as his face showed no signs of change. "You've attacked the hornet's nest. Is it that surprising for us to retaliate?" Ao watched the unmoving Jimga as his eyes narrowed quickly.
'A hornet? More like the queen bee!!!' Jimga bit down hard on his lower lip. The Tyrant Sword stood near the apex of the cultivation world. If his senses had failed him, that could only mean one thing… 'For him to come so close without me noticing… He must at least be a Spirit Venerate or a Tier 9 Spirit Beast!!!'
"What's the matter? Weren't you a talkative one?" Ao raised his chin. "Something about devils and hell? Easing our burden? Quite the tall statement coming from someone that's running away from a confrontation!" The World Serpent's face finally contorted. The single dot pupils that he had morphed into vertical lines, akin to that of a snake's. A deadly aura flowed out from his pores, filling the thin atmosphere with a dense spiritual pressure.
Jimga held on his chest, forcing his lungs to contract to ease the pressure. His eyes turned red as veins climbed up his entire neck. Every muscle that he had tensed up tremendously and the man's fingernails rapidly dug into his palms. He had felt this pressure only once before…
'It's him!!!' The Spirit Emperor mentally cheered. The world was rapidly crashing down on his soul, but Jimga could only feel overwhelming joy. The Dalgeom Sect, Jimga and Yeunghi especially, had been chasing the World Serpent down ever since he'd killed their Senior Wangu. They searched high and low, leaving no clue unturned… And yet, the World Serpent never showed. Until now, that is…
"We've finally found you..." Jimga's choked voice entered the eardrums of the World Serpent.
"Hmmm? You know me?" Ao raised his brows.
"So you've forgotten, huh..." The Tyrant Blade gritted his teeth and held on desperately to his growing blade. The spiritual pressure of the World Serpent was still there, but the man, by some mystical force, was able to push his body past his limits. "Seven years! I've waited eight long years for this!!! I've trained so long and hard for this very day… The day where I finally meet you again!!! Finally, I can avenge Senior Wangu's death!!!"
"Seven years?" Ao reflected on his past experiences, rewinding his memories back that given time frame. "Ah, yes… I vaguely remember you… The three swordmasters that tried to go against me back at Mort Bay. If my memory serves me right, there was one man that stood behind to let all of you escape… How regretful… That brave man had given up his life to save all of you, but you're just going to let his sacrifice go to waste..."
Ao shook his head. He vaguely remembered the form of Wangu, who would rather die than to let his juniors leave their souls behind. It was one of the noblest deeds that Ao had seen come out from a human. "What was his name… Wangu, was it?"
"YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT NAME!!!" Jimga screamed back. The sword in his hands grew to fifteen times its original size and was swung cleanly at the blue-haired man's neck. Jimga wanted to end the World Serpent once and for all. All of his power was sent to his blade, and the air trembled alongside the man. Alas, the sword wouldn't find its target.
Clank!!!
Ao grabbed onto the descending blade. His claw dug deep into the sharp end of the sword, holding back the eventual damage that it may inflict. The light that the Sword Avatar emitted was quickly being quelled as the World Serpent's strength completely overwhelmed the Spirit Emperor's.
"A fine strike," the blue-haired man lauded Jimga's attempt to take his neck. "If that had hit my flesh, I'll probably get cut..." Ao added more force into his fingers, and the Sword Avatar was broken into a million light particles, leaving Jimga completely naked to an advancing attack. With nowhere to run, the Spirit Emperor braced himself for Ao's rapidly approaching fist.
"ARGHHH!!!" Jimga wailed. His six-packs abdomen was crushed as blood gushed out from his interior. Flying back a thousand metres, the Tyrant Blade saw the world spin as his body was violently crashed upon the snowy landscape.
'Just one hit causes this much damage?!' The Spirit Emperor cursed. He'd been training tirelessly to improve his swordplay and cultivation level, hoping to at least bridge the gap between the Tier 9 Spirit Beast and him. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten the one rule of life.
Everything grows…
So what if Jimga was ten times stronger than before? Ao wasn't the same either. He'd been advancing steadily in preparation for his eventual ascent into a Primordial Beast. Additionally, the Allfather's Grand Scheme was rapidly approaching its final stages, and there was a need for the Black Masks, particularly the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts, to become far stronger than they originally were. Some might say in the past seven years, Ao had advanced faster than he did thousands of years before.
"Hah… How weak..." Ao pitifully glanced at the fallen Spirit Emperor who couldn't even last a single hit. Then, he turned his attention to the eastern skies, where a tiny speck of light could be seen floating around. "On the other hand, that kid… He'd grown so strong… To think that he could change the weather in the Spirit Lord realm..."
Ao recalled the times where he'd met Shin. The first time they'd met, Shin was wholly focused on escaping from Mort Bay, and he was nothing more than an ant that the World Serpent could squash at any moment. The next time they'd met, Shin had used the shard to destroy the Paradise Heart of Junius' Payirci, making the Black Masks suffer the first significant loss. Now, in just a span of a few years, Shin had grown strong enough to influence the weather, albeit in a constrained manner.
'If he were to be left alone, how much would he continue to grow?' Ao grew increasingly amused. 'No, it's because of the war that he's able to grow at this rate… Oh, great Allfather… Your predictions never fail to impress me...'
Sighing, Ao looked down at the wiggling Jimga. "Hmmm, there many mana signatures coming in rapidly… They're all Spirit Kings… No, Spirit Emperors? Wow, the Alliance is really giving their all this time, huh?"
"..." Jimga remained silent at the World Serpent's monologue. All he needed to do, was hold out until Yeunghi and Spirit Venerate Pangu arrived. Until that point, he couldn't perish. Jimga held back the pain and raised his sword once more. The fight wasn't over just yet…
"Hmmm, but the brat has a point..." Ao continued to ignore Jimga's useless struggle, adding to his own monologue. "This snowy weather is quite the hindrance, even for me… So… Let's change it shall we?"
Ao's body began to glow. Azure beams flashed out from his inner soul, and the water elements went into complete disarray. They were all crying out in bliss, for the world was now going to be filled with them. A tower of light burst forth from Ao's body, as the World Serpent took its original form. Taller than any mountain and longer than any pipe, the Tier 9 Spirit Beast coiled around the barrier, bearing its fangs towards the snowy skies.
"Let it rain..."
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