"What happened?"
"Ji Wangji was crippled!"
"Heavens!"
The people in the arena reacted with mixed emotions. Those on the lion faction's side were stunned by the result. Those from the eagle faction were happy at the result but stunned at how they got there.
Li Yuechan's performance had far surpassed anyone's expectations. She had not only displayed spiritual arts at the Lesser Realm of Spiritual Growth, thus proving that she had stepped onto the road of immortal cultivation, she had also displayed both ice and fire.
A cool gust of mountain wind swept over the stage. It blew away the remnants of icy fog and dust from the battle. Two prone bodies lay on the ground belonging to Yu Yanjia and Ji Wangji. Ji Wangji had already fallen unconscious while Yu Yanjia was writhing about, moaning like he was being slaughtered like a fat cow.
"Yanjia!" Someone shouted.
An elderly woman from the lion faction's side rushed up to the stage. Ignoring propriety, she fell on the agonizing Yu Yanjia and started stabilizing his heavy wound with spiritual energy.
At the same time, a few more people leaped onto the stage, all from the lion faction. Their richly embroidered robes belied their status as elders. There was even an executive elder among them that stood out like a sore thumb.
Two more elders went to provide assistance to Ji Wangji while the main elder stepped forward with a serious expression. His middle-aged face had a deep frown that made his wrinkles more pronounced. His weathered face could have been considered handsome many decades ago but that prime was long gone.
"Little miss, your moves were so ruthless. You directly ended the lineage of two of our disciples. What do you have to say for yourself?" The man asked.
Li Yuechan cast him a casual glance, "Li Yuechan greets mister. May I ask mister's name?"
"Hmph! No need to act polite after what you have already done. I am executive elder He Xingping! I will have to answer to the lion lord for your actions. Tell me, how should I deal with you?"
It was He Xingping, the first soul that Chen Wentian had taken over from the Beast God Sanctum. It was one of his important chess pieces but his disciples still didn't know about its existence. Thus, Li Yuechan's reaction was natural and believable.
Li Yuechan bowed slightly, returning to her serene and noble demeanor, "Executive Elder He, in a fight, swords and fists have no eyes. It was an accident. I hope you can forgive me."
"Insolent!" The female elder shouted, "The Fox Volant of Beast Mountain is supposed to be a celebration for our sect, not a place to cripple each other and settle grudges. He Xingping, you have to seek justice for Yanjia and Wangji!"
"Executive Elder, seek justice for us!"
"Executive Elder!"
The lion faction seemed to rise up as one. Never before had they been humiliated and bullied by an outsider like today. They couldn't let this go just like that. Someone had to pay!
He Xingping crossed his arms as his spiritual aura rose to the peak. Although he was still at the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm and not the lesser realm, he had the power of authority at his back.
"Miss Li, you will accompany me to see the lion lord. The lord will determine your punishment for your actions here today."
At his words, the elders around him joined him and raised their spiritual auras. Combined, they were more than enough to take Li Yuechan down.
"Wait!" A brash voice interrupted the scene.
Qu Jing strode forward and stood next to Li Yuechan. "He Xingping. You're good. Just a little executive elder position and you dare to speak nonsense to an honored guest of our eagle lord?"
"Qu Jing, step aside!" He Xingping said, "This has nothing to do with you. Elders, capture Li Yuechan!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Who dares?"
"Lion bastards, do you want a fight?"
A chorus of shouts rang out as an equal number of old farts and elders from the eagle faction jumped onto the stage. They stood alongside Qu Jing and Li Yuechan and faced off against He Xingping's side. These people had fought many battles against each other in the past. They were itching for another round to settle old scores.
The arena suddenly filled with a deadly aura as many experts at the peak of mortal cultivation prepared to clash. This was the first such incident since the insect siege. The peace that had lasted for close to a year was finally fraying before everyone's eyes.
The tense moment passed by slowly. The elders on both sides eyed each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Once that happened, they were fully prepared to fight it out until blood covered the ground.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the whole mountain seemed to shake as the clouds above the arena seemed to collide together. It was as if two invisible giants had crashed into each other in the skies above.
Rumble!
The clouds parted after another clash, forming a straight line of blue sky directly above the arena and the battle lines that had already been drawn by the elders.
"Lion lord!"
"Eagle lord!"
Everyone knelt down and shouted to their respective masters. Only Zhou Ziyun and Li Yuechan remained standing, looking at the sky curiously.
The unseen spiritual wills of the two Spirit Kings clashed a few more times before things finally calmed down. The might behind both rulers of the mountain was enough to bring it crumbling down. Mortals of the city could only cower like ants until the moment passed.
The Spirit Kings withdrew their spiritual auras and the clouds parted. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, even the elders. He Xingping gave Li Yuechan a difficult expression as he straightened his noble robes.
"We're leaving!" He Xingping said and turned to leave.
"But… but…" The female elder spluttered a few times before giving Li Yuechan one last hateful look and dragging Ji Wangji away.
Li Yuechan left the stage and returned to her seat.
"Well done!" Zhou Ziyun said in greeting.
Li Yuechan gave her a knowing smile.
This time around, the two of them had successfully carried out the first phase of their mission. They had caused so much trouble that the two Spirit Kings' attentions were firmly on them and on the city. Now, they just had to keep it up for the duration.
---
Across the vast expanse of the wilderness, far away from Beast God City, Chen Wentian and Jasmine were camped out by a river that snaked through an endless jungle. He had been narrating the events that morning in the city. Jasmine had been clinging to every word and begging him for more details while complaining about his storytelling ability or lack thereof. He really wanted to spank her perky butt as punishment but they didn't have the time.
"It's our turn!" He said.
"Finally."
They had to resume their attack on the Glittering Forest. Their current position was on the eastern side. The Glittering Forest which was the domain of Queen Sundew had no definitive border here. The Glittering Forest continued on and on until it joined a jungle that seemed to have no edge.
There were unknown foes and hidden dangers. Even Chen Wentian didn't dare to venture too far without proper preparation. It was rumored that to the far, far east, there was even a continent ruled by demons. And it was this rumor that he was going to leverage this time around.
"How do I look?" Chen Wentian asked as he emerged from the tent with a brand-new disguise.
"… What the heck…" Jasmine stared dumbly.
He wore heavy black armor from head to toe. The black metal scales were not polished but dull and lifeless. There were few decorations to make it stand out. There was no helmet and, in its place, he wore the large skull of a demon with two long horns that protruded horizontally from each side, that curved forward. Long golden hair flowed down his back like a cape. And in his hand was a black spear. The pole was made of a mysterious black metal carved with intricate patterns. The spear tip was more like a blade and had the width of three fingers and a length of one meter that tapered to a sharp point.
His attire gave off the aura of a fearsome warrior; a demon slayer, a demonic spearman, or a mix of both. It was impossible to tell the origin of the armor design as it was too heavy compared to the style popular in the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent. He looked like a stranger from a faraway land.
"What the hell is this supposed to be?" Jasmine asked.
"Haha, it's something I picked up from an ancient tomb a while ago. The armor is ordinary. The skull is from some kind of demon and I added the wig for fun. But the most interesting thing is this spear."
He swung it around and it left a trail of demonic energy in its wake.
"It's a demonic weapon!" Jasmine exclaimed.
"That's right. It's a Spirit Lord Realm demonic weapon. I couldn't use it even when I was a Spirit Lord. The demon spirit within the spear is quite vicious. But now, I finally have some control over it. So, what do you say, how about we cause some trouble."
Jasmine shook her head. His antics always took her by surprise just when she thought she understood him. "I'm ready when you're ready."
---
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