In truth, his blade was already set up long before Ichi had begun his attack, and he could truly not see it, he had instead predicted it.
Bringing together his tyrannical aura, he hid himself in a haze, drew attention to himself and then called him out, took his anger on so that his own rage at seeing the greedy gaze upon his wife could be assuaged.
He didn't plan to kill him originally.
However, how could he allow such a thing, even for a moment?
If his life truly mattered, then Vienna would stop his blade.
"He was a vast basin, yet held nothing." Shou Xin turned his head to look at the rest of those so called juniors with distaste in his mouth, "They are all reflections of yourself."
An undulation of violence, a peek into the chaos.
Vienna's strength rippled through the mountain range, cutting apart the tops.
He took a step forward and raised his hand.
"Is it not time that you stop being a child."
Words carried more lethal flavor than any blade, yet this was not the killing stroke nor the cutting edge.
He was unaffected by this, for he knew well.
"I was never a child."
He never had such a luxury.
Survival was all he ever hoped for, a life well lived at his own march.
He was never a child, playing happily.
He was never a child, making hapless mistakes.
He was never a child, allowed to simply live so carelessly.
He was never.
Such words did not cut him, they defined him, he was not the boy who grew up loved, but rather the one who would burn everything for a shred of warmth.
A tyrant.
The dragon coiled around him moved slightly and returned to his inner sea where it would rest until called upon again.
He was done speaking with his master, who never brought anything but trouble.
Away, upon the other, the flagship carrying the symbols of the Hallmaster, of Wo Yiyu whom he once knew and had seen many a time.
"You've grown significantly."
A woman's voice, a bewitching beauty appeared from the depths of that ship, stepping into the skies.
Her steps left ripples in the clouds.
"A passing leaf still."
He did not care of her words, nor appearance.
She was ecstatic when she'd appeared in the air, her eyes darting to the Nightmare Ship and back to him repeatedly, but even that did not catch his attention.
He was focused on a single person, a single powerhouse who stood quietly with great patience for Wo Yiyu who had cut in front of her.
He knew.
Vast and solemn the voice from this man cracked through the air like a chilled spring, "Sword Devil, Sword Dragon, Traitor, Demon, Freak, Monster, Killer, Swordmaster… so many names for just one person."
Vienna smiled coldly, he wondered how they would dispose of his disciple, what they would do to him now that they had found him.
He watched with great anticipation.
He was certain, and seeing the slight change in the man's expression he was without a shred of a doubt, this was indeed the brother of Wo Yiyu and the first son of the Southern Hallmaster, the heir to the South, "The names given are not always so kind, Son of the Southern Hall."
Wo Heidao.
Many heard stories of this man whose age had long passed a hundred years, his cultivation surpassing the Unchained realm and stepping into the Dao a long time ago.
"Indeed. Sometimes, a name will reach before the holder does," Chilled and low his voice bellied no intentions of violence, "I have a message from my father."
He frowned.
He knew what a message from his father meant, it meant a message from the Exiled Court, which meant it was likely another punishment.
Another unfair treatment.
He waited.
Yet he was not alone.
The beast was plotting at his side.
Her eyes rolled over the fleet before her, wondering how many ships she could take down in an instant, how many experts's hearts she could tear from their chests before they could react.
Her bloodshirst leaked and fear spread.
It was though they were being circled by an ancient toatie eyeing them, everywhere she looked they flinched.
Yet it was not the bloodthirst that made Wo Heidao stop for a moment, it was the patience behind those bloodthirsty eyes, a tempered killer.
One who would not strike until the moment was perfect.
Such a gaze told volumes of what kind of person she was.
For the first time, he looked over at her and ran a curious gaze over her.
Third Stage Law Expert.
Divine Physique.
A possible spirit weapon.
His smile grew, and this time he felt a sharp tickle run over his mind, it was but a graze, yet to draw even a drop of blood in his mind was a great achievement.
The tyrant was not so patient.
Especially not so when the one he cared for was being evaluated right before his eyes in such a manner.
The Sword Intent which rolled off him in waves turned the clouds which the ships liked to sit on into little squares before bursting them apart, revealing the world below.
The trembling of seven laws put extreme pressure on the surroundings.
Yet, that was it.
Wo Heidao did not feel much pressure at all, it was as though an ant stood on his arm.
"Thank you for revealing the plot of the Yan Clan to use Weapon Slaves for mining Sword Stones without permission from the Exiled Court. The Hall of the South gives it's thanks, and as a reward, you've been pardoned of all crimes."
The great pressure, bloodthirst and Sword Intent vanished as though it were all a dream.
Vienna's eyes widened from his seated position, with some food already prepared to watch the clash, a great frown creased his brow.
"Really? That's it?"
On his feet now, there was a distasteful smile on his lips.
He slowly began to speak, as though with great interest, his eyes changing between his disciple and the heir of the south.
"What about the dragon collusion?"
The air went sour in a split second.
Wo Heidao from his position frowned and his fleets cannon formations revealed themselves in response to even the accusation of dragons.
"...Speak wisely, Chaotic Sword Deity. This is not a matter to joke about."
For the first time, one could get a small sense of the power which resided within his body, the ringing of hundreds of laws at once.
A Dao slumbered within his Inner Sea.
"Living in the demon realm, by the Dragon's Row, near their capital of the Maw. Do you believe they'd never need to collude with dragons, not even once?"
Vienna's words were penetrating.
As the son of the south, Wo Heidao knew well to where that Gate led to, especially so because every party they ever sent inside was immediately annihilated by some sort of great force, only leaving behind the remnants of dragon's breath such that it had been nearly forgotten.
Nothing short of hatred did he feel for the dragons.
A new voice entered the frey, a patient and wisened voice which hide away the truly beastial strength within, replaced by a regallity which was still in it's infancy, "His ship has the ability to make new rifts. That is how we escaped back then."
Her voice ripped through the conversation.
"I am sure you've noticed the increased number of Gates. It is his ship ripping holes in the Endless Dao!"
Between dragon's and the creation of Gates, both were extremely heavy accusations.
On one hand, it was like finding out someone in your home is friends with the person who killed your grandparents and their grandparents whilst on the other hand, it was like finding out a visitor is leading new enemies to your front door free of charge.
"You've seen their ships' travel ability."
That beast did not back down even amid the freezing stare of Vienna, who stood upon his Nightmare warship.
She suddenly raised a hand and in it was one half of the warship totem.
Knowing instantly what she wanted, he didn't wait and connected them.
The small piece was small only for a moment, as in a few moments the sky made room for a new creation, a warship not inferior to either of the other two.
"We killed a pair of demon commanders in Baylen's Rest, and took this as our spoils of war."
Vienna scoffed and rolled his eyes, a flashing look in his eyes.
He pointedly began, "Killing a pair of demon commanders with a ship like that in their possession, they would need to be at least Unchained to even be allowed to step on it!"
Yet, in a moment he realized his mistake.
Had not one of them just killed an Unchained Expert right before their very eyes?
And they had not yet seen the prowess of the beast whose sight was reaching them even now, a divine physique was not so lightly brushed off.
"How do you know what level of strength is needed for fleets in the Demon Realm? You've never been around during our battles."
This time, it was Vienna's turn to respond, but he had no response to give nor even if he did would he give it because he felt it was so beneath him to argue here.
His original fun had been spoiled and now everyone had been turned against him into a common enemy.
Using the name of the dragons was, even as a whisper, let alone an accusation, could lead to death by the guardians of the Exiled Court.
Knowing anything he said now would only incriminate him further, he went for the most direct method of destroying all evidence.
To destroy it all.
"Star Fall."
Yet, as he was about to attack, the sky began to buzz.
The star's during the midday were brighter than the sun as they fell downwards, hundreds of them shooting straight for him.
He turned to the culprit, the son of the south, Wo Heidao who in his hands held a Spirit Weapon, coupled with his power of the Dao Establishment realm, could do such a thing.
Rather than being no match, Vienna understood that even if he did kill them all, he would not gain anything from it since he could not do it instantly, meaning someone would get a message off at least.
And so he chose the most suitable option.
His Nightmare Warship began to undulate, souls detached from it's hull and slowly came upwards forming into a single ball and in the center was the soul of his first disciple.
They screamed silently and Wo Heidao's eyes went bloodshot.
As a true taoist, how could he allow something so vile?
There were even the souls of children!
The corpse of the first disciple appeared on the deck.
The tens of thousands of souls which had turned all into a small pearl slowly came down, the stars chased but they were too far.
The pearl vanished, then.
Vienna's full focus had to be on it to hold all the souls together in pearl form without letting the souls run rampant and rage.
Yet, in just that single moment of distraction when the stars turned white hot as they crashed through the lowest cloud layer, the pearl had managed to escape.
A Ten Thousand Soul Pearl.
He was prepared to look everywhere for a few hundred thousand miles in all directions, as such a thing could move incredibly fast in mere breaths.
Wo Heidao who watched the pearl fly off could feel the cries of the innocent within and wanted to find and purify it as well, the two no longer had time for one another and direction left the scene.
Wo Heidao put the souls of the ten thousand over a fight with a single evil.
And Vienna put the souls of ten thousand over a fight with a single scion.
Wo Heidao turned into blue light, turning into an evaporated form as they vanished into the beyond.
Vienna's Nightmarish Warship directly tore through the void, his eyes showing some signs of true rage for the first time in the years since he first arrived in the Exiled Court.
Left in the sky which once carried an insurmountable force, was but a single ship carrying but two people who looked so small upon it's deck, yet took up so much of the sky with just their presence.
"It would seem we can go visiting with even greater ease now."
Feng Wuqing let loose a calm smile, her eyes glinted as she glanced towards a certain tyrant, whose face was unreadable to all but her.
As for the tyrant who stood above even those other's would see as above him, Shou Xin felt a little bitter, as he was hoping for a greater challenge, something to truly sharpen his blade on.
"It is also easier to find a peaceful place to cultivate."
His mind was set, though his heart carried room for all.
The warship slowly began to turn towards the void, teleportation lights began to rise amid the middays sunlight wrapping around them after the fog had cleared.
A wisp of dao passed by them, almost as though to see them off.
They knew who it was.
Pop.
The ship vanished in a haze, leaving behind the destruction caused by those few minutes when the mountains shook.
—
"What a bunch of troublemakers."
Not a moment passed since the storms gathering above the Jiyue Sect had dissipated, than did the Sect Leader appear in the sky in the middle of where they had been as though she'd been there from the start.
A stone appeared in her hand, it grew for a moment, glowering coldly.
An image of a familiar person appeared, Hallmaster Wo, to be exact.
He was wearing a particularly purple set of robes, though his hair seemed to be a mess, the work around him looking like a disastrous mess.
"...What is it, Sect Leader of Jiyue."
His face shifted slightly, and power emanate from the air around him, revealing the pride and power required to stand as a hallmaster within the Exiled Realm.
A Peak Dao Foundation Expert on the verge of Dao Creation Realm.
"It would appear that your son is on the move, chasing a Ten Thousand Soul Pearl, as well as hunting some extremely dangerous Dragon Worshippers, the Chaotic Sword Deity and his disciples."
Sect Leader Ji did not mince her words, nor did she seem perturbed by the display of the Hallmaster's immaculate disposition amid the toppling towers of papers.
His brow twitched.
"Chaotic Sword Deity… He is the one who has been leading raids on the Orthodox and Unorthodox Sects alike. We cannot take action against him, for the sake of balance," He straightened out his purple robes revealing a slight air of regality amid the clutter, "However, such a being creating a Ten Thousand Soul Pearl is certainly immoral and cannot be allowed under the Endless Dao as well as possible Dragon involvement. I will send a report to the External Affairs Department, post haste."
Naturally, Sect Leader Ji clearly understood what that meant.
It meant that he would send a letter, and she had to hope for the best since from her position, the peak of the Exiled Realm's external strength, the External Affairs Ministry, was simply too far and her strength to weak to garner any significant attention.
"Thank you, Hallmaster."
The transmission cut out leaving a dull silence above the battlefield.
—
Velvet skies, a barrier against the swarms of beasts which befell the capital every year from the Wild Land's beyond the furthest reaches of the state.
Such tides would tear through the countryside annihilating the unsuspecting and suspicious all the same with it's vice-like strength.
Such was the nature of the Wild States, they were hardly developed, still on the verge of savagery.
Yet, in this place, the capital of the Fang State, there was none of that savagery one might expect to see.
The streets were clean, and the sky clear save for that velvet sheen.
People walked through the city without fear, their hearts at ease with each step, their only true fear stemming from the doubts layered into them by their day to day life.
Such was the nature of the capital, where the main Feng Clan laid claim.
The seat of power within the Feng State.
The Capital of Fang, Fengshi.
"...I came here once with Feng Guqin." A low tone, which bellied it's regality with a casual intonation, "It's still the same as ever, pretentious as it was."
The young man walking beside her swept the city with his dried blood eyes, he seemed to almost be evaluating the strength of the place.
He closed his eyes and lightly shook his head, as though coming to a verdict.
"It's a marvel of disguise." He peeked up at the guards whose cultivations were on display for the whole world, Half-Step Unchained Experts, though barely so.
The cultivation genius' of the Ward from which he had originated could only ever hope to become a Chain Expert, Law Experts were seldom even heard of in his small town.
It was a strange sensation.
The trip from Jiyue Sect to the capital by warship took several days, yet, in those days the true realization of many things had touched him.
He was no longer in Sea Spring Ward.
He wasn't even close.
Each time he thought back, it was as though he couldn't even recognize himself anymore.
Yet, he didn't mind.
She too was similar in this.
Grown up in Fengzhou, a place which could be said to be the gate to the rest of the Feng State, governing the Eastern Direction of the state as the bastion of defense and prosperity, a trade hub, she had been around power all her life.