Swoosh! A figure moved in the dust cloud. Screams resounded as it moved through a group of four nuns, slashing a long sword around.
"Guh! Fan out! Keep attacking!" A nun shouted with a bloodied mouth. She was heavily wounded but still resolute.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! All the nuns retreated at once, fanning out and soon started using their best moves.
"Chaos cannon!" A nun shouted, shooting a large ball of chaotic vibrations towards the figure in the dust.
"Chaos burst!"
"Chaos beam!"
"Deterring chaos!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Four explosions resounded as these moves struck the blurry figure. The dust dissipated revealing a female ork who stood unmoving and injured. This was Xiao. Her eyes were completely black and one couldn't tell who she was looking at; but all the nuns felt a chill down their spine.
"We can't bring her down…" One of the nuns- Eun mumbled hopelessly.
"Then we'll go down together." Mercia spoke valiantly.
The other two nuns remained silent. They were Locust and Mini. They were trembling slightly in fear.
Swooosh! Together they leapt towards the unmoving Xiao.
"Chaos detonation!" The four shouted together.
Boom!! A deafening explosion occurred as the four nuns detonated themselves once they were near Xiao, engulfing her in the powerful chaos explosion.
Dust blew everywhere. And when it settled, Xiao emerged from it, still alive. There was a layer of solid tough minerals on her body, slowly crumbling down. This layer had protected Xiao from the explosion. It was Lan's support move that she used on Xiao right before the explosion.
"Do you want to take a break?" Lan asked but Xiao didn't reply. She leapt forward and clashed with the next strategy.
Boom! She struck with her giant axe several times, hacking the defensive strategy barrier. She looked fearsome and ruthless.
The nuns inside the barrier palpitated. Apparently, the chaos technique was ineffective against Xiao as long as Lan defended her. The nuns exchanged glances and nodded, making up their mind.
Boom! The strategy soon was destroyed and Xiao barged in.
Swish! Swish! The nuns fled and moved around Xiao, targeting Lan instead who was standing few meters behind Xiao.
"Hmph!" Lan snorted and a hole appeared below her feet. She fell into it and then the ground morphed, filling up that hole.
Whing! Whing! Whing! Whing! Four golden staffs emerged in the hands of the nuns and they attacked the ground together with the staffs.
"Shattering moon!" They all exclaimed.
Boom! With an explosive sound, a large crater formed in the ground.
Boom! Boom! The nuns kept striking the ground with staff & Chaos technique moves, forming a tunnel easily and entering it, speedily chasing after Lan. Apparently, they could sense where Lan was. This was due to their support type technique- Shark Scent. It was taught to them by Deodomus and allowed one to sniff out their target from about 6 li away. Meanwhile the weapon-based staff technique they used was called Heavenly Staff technique taught to them by Wu Shang years ago. These nuns were stronger than the two groups before them.
Up above, Xiao ignored those nuns and leapt towards the final nun group led by Karisa herself.
"You know the drill." Karisa said calmly to her sisters.
"Yes, elder sister!" The nuns replied, summoning their weapons. Two of them carried a golden staff each while the third nun held a large blade on her shoulder. This blade was quite similar to the one Qiang used to possess. Meanwhile Karisa remained weaponless. She stared directly at Xiao without any fear. Although her cultivation realm was far below Xiao, only at level 2 Sage realm, she had plenty methods up her sleeves; and her knowledge of Chaos technique was quite close to Aerin's. She had learnt a lot from Aerin, Wu Shang & Deodomus as well. After Aerin, Karisa was the strongest nun of the Order of Chaos. In some ways she was even better than Aerin.
Boom! The strategy shattered.
"Chaos beam!" A nun shouted immediately shooting an unceasing chaos beam at Xiao. Xiao felt like she was standing in a wind storm. But it only had mild effect on her. She stepped forward with ease.
"Chaos Burst!" The other nun shouted, clapping her hands and shooting out another burst of chaos, making the chaos beam stronger. Now Xiao was pushed back by a few steps but she kept persisting and stepped forward again.
Swoosh! A shadow emerged above her. It was the nun with large blade. She struck heavily at Xiao, using her best move directly.
"Troll Crush!!" The nun shouted striking at Xiao who parried it with her huge axe.
Clang!! The two weapons collided.
Boom!! A massive explosion occurred, creating a cater underneath Xiao which kept enlarging as the pressure increased. Troll crush was apparently being used along with Chaos technique. This was a massive force which pressed down hard on Xiao. Even with her large ork body, she was forced to take a knee to support herself. She stared up at the nun while grunting.
"Bind!" Xiao suddenly cast a magic spell, successfully binding the nun with invisible ropes. Her attack ended abruptly as she fell down.
Bam! Xiao kicked hard and the nun was shot away like a cannonball, colliding against a rocky cave wall half a mile away, fainting immediately.
"Shattering Moon!" the two nuns shouted attacking Xiao immediately.
Boom! An explosion occurred and Xiao was pushed off the ground. She landed a few feet away and glared at the nuns before storming towards them.
Boom! Boom! Clang! The two nuns fought ork Xiao valiantly. They were both at level 1 Sage realm. But against Xiao, they were very weak despite using multiple techniques in sync. They could only last a minute before Xiao pummeled them down and brutishly hacked them to pieces! Red blood splattered all over Xiao, painting a threatening picture. She then glared at Karisa who was standing several feet away calmly.
"My move is ready." Karisa said softly. "Behold…the power of chaos!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Suddenly intense winds blew across the entire Dwarves colony. They quickly grew stronger and formed a whirlwind. Karisa's whole body flew up slowly. Her long white hairs were dancing in the fierce wind. Her black nun dress fluttered wildly, revealing her fair thighs. Her eyes gleamed in white color as she stared down at Xiao.
Puchi! A vein popped on Xiao's left shoulder, spurting out blood.
Puchi! Puchi! Several more veins exploded and she started to bleed more. She was the sole target of this killer move. Usually, a whirlwind would create a vacuum-like sucking force at its center, but this one acted the opposite. It exerted immense pressure upon Xiao. Even her large sturdy ork body could not endure this pressure for long.
Crack! A bone cracked in Xiao's body
Crack! Crack! Crack! Multiple bones broke down. Blood vessels burst open, Blood trickled down Xiao's nose, ears and eyes. She could use Restore spell to recover but it'd be futile since the whirlwind would still be there, & it kept getting stronger with each passing moment.
At this point Jiao took a step forth. He wasn't willing to watch Xiao remain in a passive state taking damage. This step was a threat towards Karisa who noticed it and snorted in response.
"Not even an emperor can withstand this move once it accumulates enough power." Karisa thought and smiled. She only needed some time.
Rumble!!! Suddenly the ground shook heavily and a mountain of doom arose. There were countless rocky spears on its surface. Its peak itself was sharp & long like a huge spear. It rose up, resisting against the pressure of the whirlwind. Obviously, Lan had defeated the nuns attacking her under the ground and was now supporting Xiao in battle.
Boom! Clang! Clang! Swish! Winds blew crazily. The vibrations and pressure ebbed and fell. Hundreds of stony spears broke off under the pressure and flew around like dried leaves in a windstorm. It was a chaotic scene.
"Haaaa!!!" Karisa yelled pointing both her hands towards the ground, as though pressing down and increased the intensity of her move, pushing the mountain of doom back down at once! This was an incredible display of power! Everyone was impressed.
"If we were to fight these women…" One of the empyrean warriors mumbled. His confidence was shaken. Others stole a glance at him. They were also apprehensive. Lan, Xiao, Karisa…these three alone were very powerful and troublesome. These empyrean warriors would have suffered great losses against them. But ironically the tables turned. Xiao and Lan became Jiao's puppets and fought against their own group. Whether they succeeded or failed, it'd still be Jiao's victory. He was winning without lifting a finger!
Swoosh! At this point Xiao leapt up! She used Restore & Flee spells consecutively, leaping high and resisting the pressure. Karisa felt alarmed. Her heart thumped rapidly as she watched Xiao close in. Karisa was too busy controlling the Chaos Whirlwind. Any other careless move might result in a deathly backlash.
Swoosh! Suddenly, someone leapt up and attacked Xiao midway.
Clang! Clang! Their weapons struck rapidly as they fought in the whirlwind while floating in it and enduring the immense pressure. This person who attacked Xiao was Deodomus . He had come to Karisa's aid. This was a good strategic move. Karisa had a chance at defeating Xiao and even Lan. Deodomus wouldn't stay back and watch her die. Also, he had taken a liking to Karisa over the past few months as they dual cultivated daily.
"Troll crush!" Deodomus shouted using his signature attack move.
Boom! Xiao was flung down towards the ground.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Dozens of stony spears were shot off the mountain of doom. They avoided Xiao and attacked Deodomus who swung his large blade to strike them away.
"Leap!" Xiao used the mountain's peak as footrest and leapt up speedily.
Boom! The mountain peak crumbled under her from the impact of her leap.
"Ork Maul!" Xiao shouted using her fierce attack, swinging her huge axe charged with large amount of chi.
"Enhance!"
"Troll crush!"
Booom!! A loud explosion occurred. Deodomus' large blade broke apart and flew off in the intense winds. He was also badly injured despite his defensive Bronze Body technique.
"Die!!" Xiao shouted and struck again.
"Do it!" Deodomus shouted back but he actually meant it for Karisa.
"Oh Deodomus…" Karisa sighed looking at Deodomus' broad back. She smiled with teary eyes and spread her arms wide. At once the whirlwind became even more intense. Karisa was going all out. Her eyes became white as she mumbled a prayer before shouting.
"Chaos Spear!" She shouted clapping her hands and in a split second the whirlwind vanished. Its chaotic vibrations gathered at Karisa's palms and shot down at breakneck speed, taking form of an illusory spear.
Boom! It struck Deodomus, piercing through his back and then struck Xiao, piercing through her chest and then struck the mountain of doom piercing through its entirety, reaching all the way to its base.
"Final Chaos Burst!" Karisa shouted as she bled from seven orifices while manipulating the chaos spar the tail of which was still connected to her palms.
BOOOM!!! A massive explosion occurred, destroying the entire mountain of doom and reducing it to rubbles and then engulfed a large area flinging everything away and even dicing through rocks, metals and people.
Deodomus was dead and chopped into tiny pieces. So was Xiao, and Lan's fate was unknown. Karisa fell lifelessly towards the ground. A pair of arms caught her and laid her down on the rubble.
"Sigh. Well done nun." Wind said and sighed. "You fought well."
"Wind!" Plant King exclaimed as he saw Wind.
"Wind!"
"Big brother wind!"
The children in the center hub exclaimed next. Wind's silhouette became clear as the dust settled down. Quite some distance from him, Emperor Jiao's group's interest was piqued.
"Who is that brat? Why are they all suddenly so excited?" One of the empyrean warriors mumbled.
"Wind…White Clown!" Jiao exclaimed as his eyes became bloodshot. Xiao had told him about Wind's White Clown identity. Although Jiao had seen Wind before, he didn't know his identity back then.
"So, the thief who stole my empyrean treasury's riches was the White Clown all along! & the horrors you made my daughter go through…! I'll make sure to make you beg for death!" Jiao growled.
Boom! A strong shockwave erupted from Jiao's body as he revolved his chi, revealing his Emperor realm cultivation base. His followers were all anxious and afraid seeing their crafty emperor suddenly losing his calm.
Swish! Plant King landed near Wind.
"You're finally here. Have you broken through to Emperor realm?" Plant King asked as he scrutinized Wind.
"Level 10 Sage realm! Why are you here if you haven't broken through!?" Plant King was incredulously shaken.
"Isn't it obvious?" Wind smiled. "I came here to save you all. Alas I'm a bit late." Wind sighed. His third eye enabled him to see through everything around him. He could tell who was alive and who was dead.
Splash! Splash! Suddenly droplets of water coagulated in air and quickly formed a waterbody swirling around. It then took form of Xiao!
"I see you're still alive and dandy, huh mother?" Wind called out. Xiao didn't reply. Her eyes were as black as ink as she stared at Wind threateningly.
"Tsk. Since you're already here, everything was for naught sigh." Plant King sighed and frowned. "I'll transform and hold her off along with the enemy. Take the kids and escape."
"No." Wind replied. "You take them and leave ahead first. Survive. No one needs to die for my sake any longer."
"You…" Plant King felt lost for words. He could sense that Wind seemed to a be different person from the last time. He was actually caring towards others and taking up the responsibility?
"Hmph! I would consider it if you were selfish but now that you're here to sacrifice yourself, I'll go down too." Plant King said. "I've seen too many noble deaths. No more."
"Suit yourself." Wind smiled. "The kids pose no threat. They'll most probably be taken as slaves if we died. In the meantime, they should be fine inside the strategy. Let's get things done without worry."
"Bring him to me." Jiao's words suddenly resounded in the cave. He had regained his calm. He was a crafty man and evil too who liked to toy with his prey. Currently Wind arrived with a much greater cultivation level than the last time. Jiao was confident in his power but he still wanted to test the waters using Xiao as his weapon. Then, if needed, he still had his own warriors too. Wind's growth was too shocking! He must have some secrets up his sleeves; thinking so, Jiao commanded Xiao to fight him instead.
"I'll handle mother. You watch out for Lan. She seems to be aiming towards us." Wind said. "What happened to her anyway?"
"She got brainwashed by Xiao who in turn is being controlled by Jiao." Plant King explained briefly.
"Alright." Wind nodded and disappeared from his spot, appearing near Xiao as he hovered in the sky using the Chaos technique. As for Xiao she was simply using a levitation spell.
"Let me knock some brains into you Xiao." Wind said coldly as he summoned his jade green blade.
Swoosh! Xiao flew over speedily. Wind did the same. A long sword emerged in Xiao's hand and she swung it towards Wind.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Swoosh! The two tangled in an awe spiring swordfight. They were both at the pinnacle of Sage realm. Xiao had depleted her magic already, using the little bit remainder to keep herself afloat; but her body was already recovered to the peak due to Restore spell. She was also very proficient at swordsmanship. Wind was already getting pushed back by her. But he had many techniques up his sleeves such as Clown Combat technique. It allowed him to dodge any attack which he was unable to parry.
Swish! Swoosh! Clang! Grraahhh!!! While fight, suddenly Xiao turned into an ork and attacked Wind, taking him by surprise.
Boom! Wind was punched down and collided into the rocky rubble with a loud sound, forming a crater underneath him.
Boom! Xiao landed heavily upon Wind and started pounding him with punches and kicks, pinning him down with ease. Even with his perfect body, Wind felt quite shaken up with each strike. His ears began to buzz as Xiao kept beating him up.
"Hahahaha! Good! But don't kill him!" Jiao shouted from afar. Bring him here. He's, my prey." Deep killing intent arose from Jiao's voice.
Plant King sighed as he watched this. He had been standing on the same spot all this while. Lan had not attacked him yet. She was most probably injured from Karisa's previous lethal attack and would rather wait it out than attack head on.
Xiao turned into her elf form and sat down on Wind's chest still punching him fiercely. Each punch resounded in the entire Dwarves colony. This continued for a whole minute before Xiao finally stopped. She was panting.
"Are you done venting?" Wind asked. He looked in a miserable state but was actually unhurt! Perfect body was no joke. Even Xiao's ork form had been unable to injure him, let alone her elf form.
"What took you so long…?" Xiao asked as tears began to drip down from her eyes and fell upon Wind's face. "I killed them…I killed them all. My own son…my friends…my husband! I… hick-!" Xiao sobbed.
This was the first time Wind had seen this iron maiden cry. Xiao was an incredible tough person. No sort of mental or physical trauma could bend her will. But she finally broke into tears. She had come to senses. The moment she had touched Wind, Wind had actually absorbed Jiao's black energy off of her, returning her to sanity. But Xiao was truly pissed off and took out all her anger on Wind for a good while.
Wind reached out and patted Xiao's beautiful face.
"I'm sorry mother. I was too late." Wind sighed with teary eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through all this. I promise you, no one else will have to die before me. I will avenge everyone. The revenge of this fallen prince will spare no enemy!"
Crackle! Lighting crackled upwards from the crater, bathing Xiao in it but not hurting her. The lightning reached high up and illuminated the dark Dwarves colony at once.
"Recover your magic and protect the children." Wind said. "And cure Lan if you can."
"Of course." Xiao replied. "Kill that bastard Jiao for me." She gritted her teeth and growled.
"Yes, I swear!" Wind growled too as lightning intensified around him. A golden spear emerged in his hand replacing the green jade blade as he flew up and landed beside Plant King.
"Take down the minions, will you?" Wind asked Plant King.
"Sure. But don't underestimate Jiao." Plant King replied.
"Yes." Wind replied before hovering up.
"Come Jiao…let's end this…" Wind said.
Boom! He flew towards Jiao at breakneck speed. On the ground Plant King dashed forward with the same speed.
"Attack!" Jiao growled and summoned his black scythe.
"Horaaaa!!!" Empyrean warriors roared and stormed forth. The two sides met with a deafening collision which shook up the entire cave at once.