"He's waking up!"
"What? He shouldn't be waking up for the next week!'
"Maybe Shizun is running out of power, or is trying to suppress a memory?"
These panicked voices all echoed around Yi Lian's head. Where is he now? The memories and reality all seemed to blend together. As if the current world was forgotten in these dreams and when he awoke, they felt miles away.
The faceless shadows swam through Yi Lian's vision. He felt an extremely uncomfortable sensation though his entire body, all the way into his bones.
His skin was prickling with heat, his head throbbed. It felt as if someone was trying to shove lava through his meridians to extract his mind from his body.
However, he still knew that wherever he was was built to be as comfortable as a roses coffin. He was laced in silk sheets, soft blankets and someone held a cold rag to his forehead, they were trying their best to give him comfort but everything was still upsetting and hazy.
Yi Lian raised his head to see Nie Asreal sitting next to his bed on a stool. Now that he saw him, lit by candle light, he looked very different to the Nie Asreal in Yi Lian's dreams.
This Nie Asreal was older, he wore deep, black robes and had an air of importance. His eyes were closed and his face was drenched in sweat. He also surprisingly had a hand, a very tensed hand, to Yi Lian's bare chest!
In panic, Yi Lian noticed his outer robe was gone and his inner was open and in a state, showing his bare, snowy, shoulders and chest. In that moment Yi Lian felt like a shy maiden and felt his already flushed face become a deeper shade of red. Second Master Nie should not be touching him in such a manner. He was about to get up and smack Nie Asreal off of him when a hand clamped down his arms in an erratic hold.
Yi Lian looked up to a familiar looking person but he couldn't quite put his finger on who it was…
"Here try this! It'll knock him out for longer!" Said a figure that had appeared with shaking hands.
"Longer? I don't think Shizun will like that…"
"We can cross that bridge because this one has collapsed!"
"That is not the saying..." Yi Lian thought.
Seconds later the powder in question was thrown into his face. The world shifted and melted around him as his mind sat back and all present issues were temporarily forgotten.
-------------
The competition had commenced. The four Sects all sat at their respected tables with bright banners and orderly tea. Lantern had stepped in for Yi Lian's Sect table seat, which Nie Yang and Zhao Chen very much disagreed with however, Bai Hua had no complaints as he started chatting Lantern's ear off about the earth and sky.
Yi Lian and Bai Hua actually had quite a nice relationship. As children when their parents would visit either land the two were inseparable. Bai Hua favoured him over Yi Lian's brother whom he was meant to be getting along with, much to his parents distaste, but he still proclaimed Yi Lian his best friend so everyone just had to accept it.
Bai Hua didn't like the event. The gorges between the mountains were so dusty and the sand was almost a red powder, not good for clothes. So he let his, surprisingly strong, Sect do the work for him whilst he cheered them on.
After everyone was let loose into the gorges between the mountains, it was a free for all. Yi Lian jumped atop Winters-Gaze and flew through the spiked rock region. Some of his disciples followed behind him whilst others left to fight for themselves.
The event was simple. The three mountains or The Evil Peaks, were full of dark/demonic energies from wars from long ago. This became practically a beacon for ghosts and low leveled demon folk to come and absorb as much as they could.
A few hundred years ago Nie's Sect Leader proposed an event to let the young cultivators try and hunt as many as possible for Sect pride. This was a way to clean the mountains out so The Deserted Capital and the neighbouring towns and villages would be safer.
Now Yi Lian flew through, looking for an active spot.
After a while he sighted a small cave opening next to an open, red, chalky area. He swooped down and so did his entourage.
This was a good area! He hopped off of his sword and formed a hand sceal to let his sword fly freely. It was a pale, white blade, emitting a frosty cloud as if it were really made from ice. It was a famous sword but most thought it rumour as Yi Lian rarely had an opportunity to use it.
Yi Lian pondered on whether or not this would be a good learning experience for his disciples so instead of going right for the enemies he let his sword chase them out!
From the spiked rocks came gurgling noises followed by deformed, part rock, part human, demons. These were Evil Peak Demons. They were birthed from deep within The Evil Peaks and crawled out of the caves to roam until they found a way to the demon realm. In this form they were easy to deal with however once reaching The Demon Realm they evolved into the physically strongest Demons of the realm.
The Evil Peak Demon's stepped out at once from all directions. Yi Lian started to deal with the ones to his right whilst the seven disciples with him took the left.
Yi Lian floated through the air. Whilst the disciples let out battle cries as they swung their swords through the creatures, Yi Lian only had to tap the Demons for them to shrivel back in pain as their limbs started to ice over. This was Winters-Gaze's frozen bite.
Frozen Bite was the most painful thing for a creature to endure. For demons it was fatal but wasn't so painful, whereas if it were ever to touch human skin, it would be agony.
Yi Lian was surprised when all the Demons were slain but his sword was suddenly thrashed to the side.