"In three days?"
Zhuo Fan faced the returned fiends with a hard face, then eyed every door the disciples were using, "That's a little tight. Venerables, couldn't you stall for a bit? We're quite short on time."
Fiend Yang bristled, "You wanted us, three little guys, to change the mind of a room packed with worthies? Sure, you're tight on time now, but what the hell did you do a few days ago? We asked you to cure them but you just wouldn't have it."
"It all comes down to luck again." Zhuo Fan turned a deaf ear to his complaints, deflecting the issue.
Fiend Yang was outraged, "For crying out loud, Zhuo Fan, you're the leader of the Demon Scheming Sect, so start acting like one! What luck? Don't tell me you didn't plan for this. And what's the deal with those girls? Why are they still here? Is this how a leader acts…"
Fiend Yang rambled on, blustering, cursing. Zhuo Fan's only saving grace was that he wasn't being torn into right now with the two extra fiends around.
Zhuo Fan shrugged and whistled a nameless tune. While his innards were cooking some master plan.
By his calculations, three days ought to get all the boys out, though who could vouch for it?
Some might feel like dragging it out for half a month instead.
Demon Scheming Sect was the only one having just come to Double Dragon Manor and got into advancing as a last-ditch effort.
The other sects would be startled at the news.
[Dude, are your disciples chilling? Can't they feel the pressure? The fight is just around the corner yet they're in the mood to advance? What friggin 'use would it be now?]
Having poisoned the guys for months into walking like zombies, Zhuo Fan knew for a fact curing them now got them in the best mood.
"Here's the plan, you guys stall, but not for long since I'll go in alone."
"You alone will do shit!" Fiend Yang sprayed his discontent, "Is this a joke to you, a play? The fighting is set by drawing lots, with a member must be fighting once. Are you going to draw ten lots by yourself?"
Fiend Gui shook his head, "While you're worth ten men, the rules forbid you from fighting more than once. It all depends on all your rankings where our sect lies. That's why your strength hardly matters, while effective in group battles."
Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow, "Double Dragon Gathering has so many rules. Won't it be faster if everyone just ganged up?"
"Ha-ha-ha, it's a thorough test of a sect's potential." Fiend Yin forced a smile.
[He's sometimes the most cunning mastermind, and other times the simplest dolt.]
"That leaves us with our hands tied. No choice but to leave it to fate."
"I'll leave you to fate, alright, just let me…"
Fiend Yang snapped. A good thing his fellow fiends were there to stop him from flattening Zhuo Fan.
While Zhuo Fan was taking it way too easy, the venerables were by themselves in worry, praying to the heavens above that their disciples would make it in time.
Their pleas went unanswered for three days, emphasizing the despair. Well sure, they could drag them out, but it would have the opposite effect, even lowering their progress.
Knock~
A most familiar sound came from outside, presenting a man in gray with a bow, "Demon Scheming Sect, the Double Dragon Gathering is starting, yet we do not see you present. The elder sent me to get you."
Fiend Yang's mouth twitched, sighing at Zhuo Fan, "What now?"
"Stall!" Zhuo Fan spoke.
Fiend Yang glared one last time, like it ever helped, "Ow, my tummy! You guys didn't wash it and now I have indigestion…"
"We are all cultivators, honored guests, we do not offer breakfast either. With your cultivation, such a case is impossible. Did you take some poisoned pill perhaps?" The man was unimpressed.
The portly fiend blushed hard, "Ha-ha-ha, now that you mention it, I'm cured."
[Dumbass.]
Zhuo Fan and co.' unanimous reaction.
"Shall we go then?" He led the way while watching them, "I've seen my fair share of cowards, but you are a different breed entirely. Getting sick just before getting on stage? What did you come here for anyway? Crazy."
Fiend Yang's face sank, glaring at Zhuo Fan behind him, "Punk, today's humiliation is on you. We stalled for you so you better get back our dignity. Or else is your head! "
Fiend Yang snorted after the two.
"What's your dignity got to do with me? I didn't tell you to show off." Zhuo Fan rolled his eyes, even as his brow never relaxed, seeing the doors closed still behind.
[Just how high are the brats aiming?]
Hum~
A powerful vibe came from a room, perking Zhuo Fan up. [Qi Changlong.]
Hum~
Followed closely by many more other rooms.
Zhuo Fan grinned.
[They're coming out of their shell at last. Now fly my pretties, ha-ha-ha…]
The huge stage had seats all around it, all taken by dignitaries for this or that empire, all to bear witness to the sects' power.
Yongning and Yun Shuang were eagerly awaiting the ever-delayed coming of the Demon Scheming Sect.
Mystical Heaven Sect and Beast Taming Sect were present, waiting on the stage to draw lots. Before them was an elder with white hair, the judge.
Exalted Double Dragon had no interest in the lower three sects, sending an elder was already courtesy enough.
It sure put a sad face on all those looking forward to seeing western lands' strongest.
"Elder, the Demon Scheming Sect is here." A man in gray bowed before the elder. He left, but not without sending one disdainful look at the trio behind him.
The elder frowned, "Venerables, why do I see only you three? What of the disciples?"
"Well…"
The trio looked at each other, lost. Fiend Yang chose to take the brunt of it, "Elder, the disciples are delayed and will be here shortly."
"Ha-ha-ha, talk about a disgrace. They're too scared to meet yours truly!"
A most arrogant and self-important voice declared, Hui Xiong, of course.
He strutted in the center, overlooking his audience, "Half a year ago, I wiped the floor with Demon Scheming Sect's elites. Now they had no one to send and threw in their worst and weakest. Their leader is even a 3rd layer Radiant Stage child. Some damn elders from the secular world would've been way better. In my moment of weakness, and generosity, I advised them against this and I see now they had an epiphany to not come. Ha-ha-ha, they ran away…
The ring was in a clamor
[Did the Demon Scheming Sect get scared? How embarrassing, worse than losing. This never happened ever, not at Double Dragon Gathering.]
The judge frowned at Fiend Yang.
The fiends had no way of explaining, just seething in anger.
Hui Xiong, in his infinite arrogance, took it as a sign he hit it right on the money, laughing at Mystical Heaven Sect, "The leader of the lower three sects will be decided between us now!"
Mystical Heaven Sect's lasses rolled their eyes.
They were sensible to not believe an idiot when they saw one, especially after Zhuo Fan's display of power. [Young master Zhou scared? Who are you kidding?]
[Does this guy think he can fight a superior three sect's disciple as well?]
Hui Xiong flared his nostrils in anger.
"Who is that?"
Heads whipped around, only to be stunned. What were they doing here?
To the shock of all present, three people, all bearing similar features, strolled in with an evil smile. None other than Demon Soul Sect's brothers.
Glancing at the two teams on stage, eldest young master Han frowned, "Demon Scheming Sect isn't here yet?"
"It doesn't look like it, brother. Should we wait for them?" Third Young Master Han spun his eyes around for that familiar and infuriating figure and proposed this once he didn't find him.
Eldest young master gave a curt nod as he walked on stage, "I was dying to see this freak that got you both so tense."
"Ha-ha-ha, brother, he'll make a great adversary." The other two chipped in.
While they were walking to the highest seat like they owned the place, the rest of the crowd was dumbfounded.
"What is Demon Soul Sect's best seed, Han Yunfeng, doing by coming to a meager scramble between the lower three sects? It can't be that someone caught his attention, right?"
"No way. Demon Soul Sect is a middle three sect, as strong as ever, and by no means could someone from the lower three sects contend. I reckon Young Master Han alone can take on all of the lower three sects."
"That makes sense. But how do you explain his presence here?"
"He got bored, so he went out for a stroll. What else is there, ha-ha-ha…"
"That simple?"
The people were bustling with scenarios and thought about the situation, why the trio just waltzed in and their purposes here, yet missed the target by a mile.
They weren't the only ones taken aback, even the judging elder frowned in suspicion. The sects had a clear hierarchy where strength meant everything. The superior three sects disdained the middle three sects, and the latter scorned the lower three sects. It had always been this way for the thousands of years the Double Dragon Gathering had been holding.
Yet this time, the Demon Soul Sect, came on its own to watch the lower three sects fight.
[Why? Is Demon Soul Sect's strength on the lower side this time, and do they fear someone from the lower three sects is going to take their place, so they came to scout?]
The judge's frown deepened, and he eyed the trio's cultivation and shook his head in even more puzzlement.
[Nah, it can't be. At their level, they have no worry about their place being taken. That only leaves boredom, but are they really bored?]
All in all, the presence of such a mighty power at this meager stage gave the lower three sects a glorious honor.
[No matter how bored they get, these are the core of Demon Soul Sect's disciples, there's no way they'd lower themselves for others' benefit.]
The elder's skepticism was in full bloom to understand the crux of it all. Shui Ruohua and the other girls just glared at the trio. They gnashed their teeth, and flames sparked in their eyes at the sight of them.
When they fought for a spiritual herb, Shui Ruohua ended up with a heavy wound by that third young master's hand which turned out to be a pain to heal. She wouldn't soon forget such a grudge, and the Mystical Heaven Sect's girls wouldn't either.
Third Young Master Han picked up on the growing hate he garnered and snickered at the girls' powerless glares. He rolled his pinkie around with a mocking smile.
[Bunch of broads not even worth hating.]
Shui Ruohua's face twisted in rage, her fists bunched tight.
Elder Yun spoke coldly, "Ruohua, calm down, our goal is the head of the lower three sects, not the middle three sects. Don't make a scene."
[Are you that confident?]
With some anger still obvious on the girls' faces, they cooled down somewhat, watching the elders with an odd look.
Elder Yun mentioned this three months ago. [Yet you still have such high expectations? And where are you putting the Demon Scheming Sect then?]
Recalling Zhuo Fan's brutal power, Elder Yun coughed with red cheeks, changing the subject, "Uh, the second place isn't that bad either. Do your best!"
That was more like it, and everyone breathed easier. They feared the elder was going to sic them on the Demon Scheming Sect. That would be plain suicide, giving their lives away for nothing.
"Ha-ha-ha, good, so you do know your limits. You know the head of the lower three sects can only belong to the Beast Taming Sect. You are wise to back down and take second place."
The incoming mockery caught their attention. They all frowned and saw the infinitely arrogant Hui Xiong. Snickering, they all wrote him off from their memory.
Yet Hui Xiong, in his infinite wisdom, saw it as a sign of weakness, balking under his awesome presence. His laughter grew even more outrageous, "A wise man knows when to quit. There's no shame in knowing your place beneath me, no need to be so downcast. You still have that Demon Scheming Sect filled with cripples under you. I am someone the Demon Soul Sect's three young masters had their eye on."
"You caught their attention?" Shui Ruohua eyed Hui Xiong skeptically, like the fool he was.
The judge's beard shook, sizing Hui Xiong up and down, then shaking his head.
[Beast Taming Sect's disciples have the right attitude, but perhaps too right…]
Oblivious to the weird looks he received, Hui Xiong puffed up his chest in pride, "After my master and I challenged the Demon Scheming Sect's elites and wiped the floor with them, on our way down, we stumbled upon Second Young Master Han. After hearing of my glorious feat, they had only respect for me, singing praises of me. My master bore witness as well. You can just ask him."
Elder Lu grinned from ear to ear, nodding all the while. Even he believed that the Demon Soul Sect's praises at that time were completely and utterly genuine.
Second Young Master Han stood up, his face twitching and lost for words.
[Is this pair of master-disciple dumb or dumber?] Sure, one didn't always get the thick irony even if it was pointed out to them, but this was absurd. [So much time passed, yet you still haven't figured it out? Is it the empty heads or utter ignorance at fault here?]
"Sigh, such are the trappings of greatness. But to think my brilliant aura would be so blinding, for even the young masters of the Demon Soul Sect to see me as their match, I am getting nervous."
Hui Xiong gave a theatrical sigh, cupping his hands at the said figures in the stands, "Young masters, rest easy, I know your thoughts perfectly. As the one you recognize the strongest, I will take the leading position of the lower three sects and defer to you, to show my undying respect for the grace you bestowed upon me."
A clamor rose among the audience. They were all taken in by Hui Xiong's heroic display and recognition of other heroes as he addressed the high-placed young masters.
[He's but a peak Radiant Stage, yet he garnered the attention of the three young masters to the point they came to see him fight?]
[We better keep an eye on this Hui Xiong, he might very well be a dark horse.]
(StarReader: yes, his name literally means grizzly bear)
The people gesticulated and pointed, with all eyes on this black bear. Han Yunfeng's face twitched, and he eyed Second Young Master Han.
"Brother, where did you meet this moron?"
"Uh, we barely exchanged a couple of words, yet he took them at face value. But what's even more ridiculous is his master believing them too…"
"Humph, like master, like disciple. Getting used by these ignorant and oblivious morons leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Han Yunfeng grumbled.
Second Young Master Han was getting angry as well, "Should I go down and sort it out?"
"Sort what out? The bigger he is the harder he'll fall. He'll soon get the reward that it's coming to him, don't you worry." Han Yunfeng grinned.
His brothers snickered…
Whoosh~
A flash of red spiked the temperature around the stage. A redhead youth towered before the crowd, just a hundred meters from the Han brothers, his cold eyes staring at the stage, "Hasn't that freak arrived yet?"
"Superior three sect Hellion Flame's best seed, Yan Mo?" Han Yunfeng watched the redhead with a shocked look.
He wasn't the only one, everyone here was stunned as he was such a heavy name and showed his presence here.
What was going on here? [First is the best seed from the middle three sects, and now it's the best disciple from the superior three sects. Do the lower three sects have some kind of inhumane being?]
Did the lower three sects have someone that could threaten the superior three sect's disciples?
[T-this was too astonishing!]
Superior three sects and lower three sects were worlds apart and the same applied to their disciples.
Yet Yan Mo came here. How would they explain that? Was he just as bored as the rest of them?
[Just how bored can you be, coming to the Double Dragon Gathering?]
"Brother, what's this freak doing here?" Second Young Master Han frowned.
Han Yunfeng shook his head, just as curious, "How should I know? There's no way he came by chance either. I just hope he didn't come to see the same guy we have our eyes on. That would be the pits."
"What?" Third Young Master Han gasped.
Han Yunfeng squinted, "Can't you tell? For Yan Mo to be so serious in looking after his target, that man must be truly powerful."
His brothers shuddered in shock…
"Yan Mo!"
Shui Ruohua's eyes were full of hate and rage. The memory was still fresh in her mind of how this demon toyed with her sisters to death.
Shui Ruohua's eyes were bloodshot.
Her junior sisters picked up on her distress and glared at Yan Mo with the same revulsion and disgust. Not that the redhead cared, having better things to do than mind nobodies, like searching for a certain deadly and familiar someone.
"Ruohua, quiet down! This is the Double Dragon Manor!" Elder Yun held her shoulder with a warning, "We can't touch Yan Mo even if we want to. Hellion Flame has his back."
Shui Ruohua's face sank, and she sighed. All her sisters' suffering and cruel treatment were now for nothing. She couldn't even avenge them.
Her nails dug deep in her palms, enough to draw blood.
She felt utterly helpless and futile.
Even Hui Xiong was taken aback by Yan Mo's coming, then he said in tears, "Master, do you see? Yan Mo has come to see me!"
"This attention is dangerous, but it proves your strength has reached the ears of Hellion Flame's first seed. I am proud to have you." Elder Lu was touched to the core.
The crowd was reeling in unison and looked at the weird pair with scorn.
[There's got to be a limit to how self-absorbed one can be. How did they just jump to the conclusion Yan Mo came for them as well? Why the hell would a 5th layer Ethereal Stage expert care about some nobody still in the Radiant Stage?]
[Dude, reign in your narcissistic tendencies if you know what's good for you.]
The judge shook his head.
Ignoring how the self-important idiots got their unfounded confidence from, he was more interested to know what got a middle three sect and a superior three sect to come at a measly lower three sects fights.
He scanned the two sects below, then looked over the roster and the respective levels, and the judge's suspicion grew.
[Not one among them is worth this much attention.]
[Whatever, it'll all be made clear once it starts.]
The judge turned to them and shouted, "We've waited long enough. Time to draw lots. Single battles will be fought in the form of tag teams. There are three numbers inside. The first and second will fight, while the third will fight the loser of the first fight and then the winner of the first match. These three rounds will determine your performance and evaluation."
The judge's hands lit up and presented a bamboo tube holding the three numbers.
Mystical Heaven Sect and Beast Taming Sect's elders stepped forward to draw. The fiends, however, only watched the entrance, catching no shadow of Zhuo Fan and the rest, and their anxiety mounted.
"Uh, elder, our people are running late. Could we maybe wait for a while longer?" Rubbing his greasy palms, Fiend Yang fawned.
The judge stared back at him like a whitewashed wall, but without all the emotion, "The time is up, and no one will wait for you. So hurry up and draw your lot. If you're lucky to draw third, you will have bought yourself the time."
"I understand, I do, but…"
Fiend Yang scratched his cheek, looking lost at the elder while pacing around.
The elder snapped, "Draw now or forfeit!"
"I will. Sheesh, it's just a number." Fiend Yang's mouth sank, and he noticed his two pals were just as conflicted. So he moved in closer.
"Fiend Yang, make it damn good!"
"You do it then!"
Fiend Yang barely took a step, and they shouted at him. Enraged, he glared back and gave a reply of his own.
Fiend Yin shrugged, flicking his hand, "Forget I said anything."
With gloom seeping out of every pore, Fiend Yang dragged his feet to the judge under the snicker of the opponents' elders. His face sank and roared with all his fury, cursing Zhuo Fan's entire lineage. In his mind that is.
[Damn that wretched brat! What the hell is taking him so long? Now I'm the patsy!]
"Venerable Yang, please." Elder Yun snickered as he made an exaggerated flourish for him to go first, with the kindest of intentions, of course. Elder Lu had a taunting look constantly plastered on his face.
Fiend Yang's face twitched, and he glared at Elder Yun.
[If it weren't for us, this old coot would be dead. Now he's laughing it up at my expense.]
[You haven't heard the last of me!]
Venting a bit on the inside to cool the towering fury, Fiend Yang set his jaw and stuffed his fat hand inside for the number.
But the number was anything but reassuring, going by his tearful and devastated eyes.
"What's the number?" Fiend Gui asked.
Fiend Yang was greatly ashamed as he gave it to the others, "Sorry, my luck's in the pits today. I picked number 1."
"Ha-ha-ha…"
The other fiends sighed, while the opponents' elders laughed at his misfortune.
Their disciples were still dragging their feet. Now that they had to go first, they'd be losing points. Talk about starting off on the wrong foot.
Watching the two gloat and enjoying others' pain, Fiend Yang could do nothing but bottle it up. The two coots were taking their sweet time drawing their own numbers, with as much flair as possible.
Beast Taming Sect was number 2, fighting Demon Scheming Sect, while Mystical Heaven Sect was number 3.
"Woe is me, here I was going to showcase the full extent of my sect's prowess but how could I when the Demon Scheming Sect falls short? I urged them not to come, and they actually listened. I'm sorry I'd have to take this easy win from you, I really am, ha-ha-ha…" Hui Xiong's arrogance knew no bounds, his head swelling with unfounded pride.
The fiends were seething, their hearts flaming mad. Not like they could act on it, not here, at the Double Dragon Gathering.
"With the Demon Scheming Sect's disciples failing to show on time, why don't you fight us instead."
Everyone set their eyes on Shui Ruohua cupping their hands. Then she bowed at the judge.
Smiling, Fiend Yang thanked her, "You're truly kind, girl. Elder, Mystical Heaven Sect is willing to take our place. Let them go first."
"Nonsense, when did we agree?"
Elder Yun's outraged shout echoed and bowed to the judge, "Elder, my disciple doesn't know what she's saying."
Then he glared at Shui Ruohua, "What are you standing around for? Get back!"
Shui Ruohua gave Fiend Yang an apologetic look and sighed, going back to her sisters.
She saw this as a good chance to pay back the favor of having the Demon Scheming Sect save them. But she knew the elder's intent even more. Zhuo Fan was far too strong.
Letting them have a round's handicap couldn't be better. But this in turn was immoral and unethical. It was burning bridges once one had got what he wanted.
The girls felt for Shui Ruohua, finding Elder Yun's choice highly improper.
Chu Qingcheng, the once leader of the Drifting Flowers Edifices, had been through many scraps of all kinds, "Senior sister, we are adversaries now and there's no need to show mercy. Besides, this little hiccup will hardly stall him."
The other started.
[Isn't Qingcheng on young master Zhuo's side? Why is she not minding this? Did their love turn into hatred?]
None of them truly knew Zhuo Fan, not like Chu Qingcheng. She knew full well what he needed and what he had no desire for.
Just like now, he didn't need their help over such a trifle.
Chu Qingcheng had a vague smile…
"Ol' Yun, you call yourself a man and a righteous cultivator on top of that? You're worse than a child." Fiend Yang mocked him.
Elder Yun deflected, "There's nothing between our sects. You explained what happened clearly, that it was just running into each other. What's so wrong with both of us taking the same path? We owe you nothing. Now that we are rivals, it goes double. We don't have to do anything for you."
"Why you…" Fiend Yang started with a red face. He hated Mystical Heaven Sect's cruel heart. He wouldn't have helped if he knew it then. They were better off dead at Yan Mo's hand.
The others looked on curiously, unaware of what happened between them.
As the mastermind behind the troubles, Yan Mo knew too well, but even he couldn't take the clan's hypocrisy, "Righteous sect alright, nothing but fake-ass and ungrateful pricks that even I feel sorry for the Demon Scheming Sect. They can't fight either because of this. It's truly a shame, especially that guy…"
Yan Mo rubbed his chin.
The Han brothers eyed him, waiting for the guest of honor. Yongning and Shuang'er were tense, their hearts in their throats.
"Are Demon Scheming Sect's disciples coming or not? If they aren't, this round will be forfeit." The judge declared. The fiends were getting nervous.
While Beast Taming Sect's side was puffing out their chests. Any more and they'd pop.
Then came a surreal aura of unimaginable power, making everyone gasp. It was soon followed by a very particular and well-known voice, "Ha-ha-ha, my bad. Demon Scheming Sect has arrived…"
[At long last!]
All people, without fail, turned toward the entrance, the great Han brothers and Yan Mo were no exception.
The fiends' eyes sparkled, thanking their ancestors, the gods above and below. [They came at long friggin' last. Any later, and we'd have been forfeiting.]
Tap~
Casual footsteps grew louder as they approached.
Passing through the shadow of the entrance was Zhuo Fan's sinister grin out in all its glory.
While Qi Changlong and the rest behind him looked mighty dark, their eyes chilling. They were wild animals on the prowl.
The shocker was the energy they were oozing out, one stronger than the next.
Yan Mo and the Han brothers widened their eyes, "How is this possible?"
Beside Zhuo Fan in the 3rd layer Radiant Stage, the others looked practically remade, their power surging with youth and boldness.
Qi Changlong, Lu Xie, and Bai Lian, the top elites were in the Ethereal Stage, at the 3rd layer.
Gui Hu was in the 2nd layer, Kui Lang and Yue Ling in the 1st layer.
Tie Ying, Kui Gang, and Yue'er had taken the Heaven Reaching Pill before, and their results were subdued this time. That, however, did not stop them from reaching the 6th layer Radiant Stage from the 2nd layer.
Of Demon Scheming Sect's ten disciples, six were in the Ethereal Stage, three in the 6th layer of Radiant Stage, and only one in the 3rd layer, Zhuo Fan. He kept his nose down, letting every Ethereal Stage expert underestimate the freak buried deep within.
Such a lineup was hardly present in the middle three sects and more seen among the superior three sects.
Yan Mo eyed the team with a sweaty brow. [It's no longer one man that is the problem, but the whole team.]
Han Yunfeng was still reeling from the shock, glaring at his brothers, "W-what the hell is this? Half of the Demon Scheming Sect's disciples are in the Ethereal Stage. What kind of testing did you even do back then? You couldn't even pick up this critical intelligence?"
"I… I…."
The two were just as floored, stammering to come up with a proper answer, "We don't know. Where the hell did they come from?"
Second Young Master Han then noticed Qi Changlong and the rest they wiped the floor with.
Second Young Master Han cried like he'd seen a ghost, "Brother, just months ago three of them were only in the 8th and 9th layer Radiant Stage. How the hell did they reach the 3rd layer of the Ethereal Stage then? This is impossible!"
"You're telling me they weren't in the Ethereal Stage?"
Han Yunfeng stared at the trio, then at Second Young Master Han, finding it hard to believe, even for him, "No way. Even you, brother, just now entered the Ethereal Stage with all our sect's resources. How could a low sect get so much on their hands in such a short time?"
Second Young Master Han was mind blown, "Brother, how should I know? You can ask third brother, he'll tell you the same thing."
"It's them alright. But to see them advance so fast gives me the chills." Third Young Master Han cried out as well.
A black cloud loomed over their faces at the dark times ahead.
Han Yunfeng squinted, "We can't look down on the Demon Scheming Sect any longer. They aren't just a threat to our position but are fully capable of replacing us. Change of plans. We have to do all we can to not get last place in the middle three sects fights, and we can escape the Demon Scheming Sect's threat."
The other two gave a heavy nod.
"Where's the one you guys mentioned? Is it among the six Ethereal Stage experts?" Han Yunfeng asked.
The two frowned and shook their heads. Third Young Master Han pointed at Zhuo Fan with fear in his eyes, "Brother, it's that punk. Don't let his low cultivation fool you, he's a monster."
"I know."
Han Yunfeng sized the team up, "The Ethereal Stage experts are walking behind him, so his strength must be more than it seems. Anyone that takes his cultivation at face value will suffer for it."
Han Yunfeng pondered, "Six Ethereal Stage experts and one monster. The Demon Scheming Sect is becoming more and more of a mystery. We have to change our target, that's our best bet. Though I can't help but feel curious, just what kind of godlike being could raise their cultivation so much and so fast? It's like a miracle."
His brothers sighed and nodded.
Meanwhile, the fiends saw Zhuo Fan saunter in with a heroic swag in his step. They stood stunned as well, but happier than anything else.
"Zhuo Fan, took you long enough, brat. You gave me such an astonishing surprise I could kiss you, ha-ha-ha…" Fiend Yang gesticulated while taking Zhuo Fan into a bear hug. Zhuo Fan flounced around in his grip, wanting nothing to do with this crazy ball of flubber.
Glaring at him, Zhuo Fan spat, "Shove it, I hate that kind of talk!"
"He-he-he, neither do I. I just let emotion take me." His glare didn't put Fiend Yang's joy off in the slightest, still grinning like a fool. Then he took in the disciples behind Zhuo Fan, but the more he looked, the giddier he became.
[He's the friggin' bomb, this kid!] In just six months, the lowest form of improvement was advancing four layers while also getting many of them in the Ethereal Stage.
[Zhuo Fan is a damn miracle worker if I ever saw one. Wuyue made the best decision of his life getting him into the sect.]
The other fiends bobbed their heads with beaming smiles.
Happy as their reunion was, there were two sects not in the least bit happy, their hearts thumping in fright inside their chests.
Elder Yun had seen what a brutal monster Zhuo Fan was and kept his guard up. But back then, he only had one to deal with while now he had a whole team.
This freak had turned the other Demon Scheming Sect's disciples into carbon copies of him, in nature at least, just as freaky.
The girls gasped, lost for words. [Weren't they the stiffies trudging along the way here?]
[How are they so strong?]
Chu Qingcheng smiled, "Told you so. Such a trifling matter has no hold on him. We have to see them as adversaries from the start."
"Qingcheng, how are you so calm? Most are in the Ethereal Stage expert!" Shui Ruohua looked crestfallen, having lost all hope in this tournament. With Demon Scheming Sect's strength, one forfeited round hardly affected them.
Then she raised her eyebrows, "Wait, did you just say they are all changed because of sir Zhuo? How did he pull it off?"
"Ha-ha-ha, I'm no seer. But what I do know is that he is a miracle worker." Chu Qingcheng's gaze on him was filled with tenderness.
The girls were even more astonished. [Sir Zhuo isn't just strong, but capable of incredible things. The very definition of a monster.]
All the girls watched Zhuo Fan as a cow looked at a new gate, and Xuan Shaoyu hated him for it with a burning passion…
The judge was shuffling through the roster in anxiety.
[What's Demon Scheming Sect playing at? They were all in the Radiant Stage when they came so how come six of them skipped a stage? How the hell is it they got so strong in just three days? This increase is suspicious. Did they get outside help?]
Wracking his brains all he could, the judge's withered hands stopped. Then he recalled the elders at the guards saying something.
That the Demon Scheming Sect got filthy rich, using Zombie Pills on their disciples.
All the pieces fit together, and the judge muttered to himself, [There's a real expert here that knows this rare training method to raise the disciples' strength so fast.]
Even the Double Dragon Manor only heard of it but never put it into practice. Yet for this guy to pull it off like nothing showed how brilliant he was.
The judge sighed, [The Double Dragon Gathering is going to flip again. Demon Scheming Sect is going places, ha-ha-ha…]
"Demon Scheming Sect and Beast Taming Sect, begin the fight. Please present your disciples for this round." The judge's voice boomed.
When he looked at Hui Xiong, he saw the muscle-bound guy shaking from every fiber and whiter than milk, if possible…