Before Weiji He could react, Sister Xie Yue took out several artifacts from her spatial ring. High in the night sky, a powerful firework exploded. For a split second, Duma City was lit as in broad daylight. Everyone received the message clearly. The city was under attack. After all, Sister Xie Yue couldn't be sure whether Weiji He was alone or not. Although she had not felt any other intruder, she had not felt Weiji He either. Given, he had some strange technique to hide in the shadows, but someone else could have a similar technique. Or, they could be waiting for a second wave of attacks. Apparently, he was here to assassinate discreetly, but he might have prepared some backup.
Even without any backup, Weiji He was not someone Sister Xie Yu could take on alone. In fact, she wasn't sure she could take him on at all. Thankfully, she had many resources in this city. Considering that her mission was to protect Boss Gui and the Blazing Swallow, she couldn't leave. Even if Cao Yun had not put seals in her, she would have never abandoned her mission. The Sisters of the Abyss were disciplined like that.
Hopefully though, she might be able to deter Weiji He. If he had come with the intention of being discreet, she might very well be able to convince him to leave. After all, he had done nothing yet. And before the Sisters of the Abyss, many would simply surrender. Even Lord Wanghuo wouldn't want to harm the Sisters in any way. Still, before trying to talk to the would-be assassin, Sister Xie Yue was also preparing her next move, were the first one to fail. Cao Yun might be her salvation in this situation. For the moment, if she could buy some time, it would be perfect.
Sister Xie Yue didn't want to corner Weiji He just yet. Most likely, she was the only one who had recognized him. Thus, she spoke telepathically to him.
"Marshal Weiji, cease this madness. You've done nothing irreparable just yet. I can only imagine the distress caused by your niece's untimely demise. However, this won't solve anything."
With her information, Sister Xie Yue was convinced that she knew the reason behind this assassination attempt. At the very least, she was almost certain of her. She could only imagine two scenarios. Either City Lord Sihe had sent him, but it seemed impossible since Weiji He wouldn't have risked enraging the Sisters of the Abyss and Lord Wanghuo for City Lord Sihe. The other scenario was that he deemed Boss Gui responsible for his niece's death. Of course, Sister Xie Yue knew for a fact that it was wrong. After all, she had helped conceal the truth on Cao Yun's orders given to her trough High Mother Lisha. Still, she could understand why Weiji He would think Boss Gui was behind it. Indeed, like many others, he still didn't know that Cao Yun had survived. The news had spread among the nomadic tribes but it had not reached the entire Nalupu Kingdom. Besides, he had been secluded for some time.
"Sister, get out of my way! There is no reason for us to be enemies. You cannot stop me in any way. Let the bastard die by hands. I have no qualms with your order."
"Unfortunately, Marshal Weiji, High Mother Lisha herself tasked me with the protection of this city. By attacking anyone within the confines of Duma City, you go against the Sisters of the Abyss. Think carefully. I can assure you that Boss Gui was in no way responsible for your niece's fate. You are making a terrible mistake."
"Marshal Weiji?! I am Marshal no more. I am Weiji no more. I renounce my title and my family name for my revenge."
Obviously, Weiji He didn't really intend to forsake his name or his title. But were he to fail, he was trying to protect his family. Were he to succeed though, he would forget about it all and come home as if nothing had happened. At the very least, it showed Sister Xie Yue that he was prepared to go all the way.
"Sir, do not go to such extremities. Your niece forfeited her life when she dabbled with the taboo. We both know that she is guilty of many crimes and so was her son."
"She might have failed this son by her inability to discipline him properly. But Weiji Nian didn't deserve such a fate and neither did that idiotic son of hers. You claim that Boss Gui isn't behind her death. Then, who is?"
Weiji He wasn't thoroughly convinced, but if there was truth to her words, he might uncover something. Just like Sister Xie Yue though, he was preparing his next move. Unfortunately for him, time was helping the floating woman, not him. Still, in his mind, no one in Duma City could contend with him unless they used battle formations. But he was a great soldier and knew probably more about battle formations than he knew about martial arts.
Of course, Sister Xie Yue couldn't tell him anything about the truth. Even if she had wanted to, her seals would prevent her from doing so. And Weiji He would be unable to sift through her memories to get any information. Her very memories would be destroyed if someone tried to enter her mind. She realized that she had spoken herself into a corner. But she didn't really have a choice. As long as Weiji He thought Boss Gui was behind the death of his niece, he would target her and he would never believe that it was a mere accident. Fortunately, he had turned his sights toward Sister Xie Yue herself. He was half-convinced that she had information on Weiji Nian. Hopefully, it would help her protect Boss Gui and accomplish her mission.
"Sir, please, if you feel wronged, we can talk to High Mother Lisha and Lord Wanghuo. They will soon meet. I can petition High Mother Lisha to hear your grievances."
Reminding Weiji He of the relation between the Sisters and the Nalupu Kingdom was meant to calm him without directly threatening him. Besides, Sister Xie Yue was already using some form of mental attack through her telepathy. Unfortunately, Weiji He's will was too strong. And it wasn't wavering at all. Any Golden Blood Child would have already fallen on their knees, asking for her forgiveness.
"Enough! If you won't tell me, I'll get the answer myself!"
Suddenly, Weiji He took out a halberd from his spatial ring. The serrated blade itself was as large as Weiji He's body. All over the blade, there were metallic rings, small chains and many decorations. Not only the blade, but the shaft also was immense. In total, the weapon was three times as large as Weiji He. And it was also extremely heavy. Most likely, it was around seventy to eighty thousand dan*. Only a late Golden Blood Child could hold this weapon, but even they wouldn't have been able to wield it properly. Besides, without spiritual senses to handle it, the sheer weight of the weapon would have caused the wielder to sink into the ground. On the other hand, Weiji He was already floating above the ground with his weapon.
Speed was more important than weight when producing strength. But it didn't mean that weight wasn't important either. Forsaking speed for weight was often a mistake, but as a 5th-grade Accomplished Demon, Weiji He could wield his halberd with extreme speed despite its heaviness. And he did.
'Splitting the Realms'.
The sound of hooves trampling on the world echoed throughout Duma City. Many thought that an army had been unleashed against them. Weiji He found himself directly in front of Sister Xie Yue. His halberd struck horizontally, trying to cut her in two. As it moved, the air itself was compressed. Even without using any martial art, he would have been able to create shock waves and the sound of thunder, but he was using martial art. His art was called 'Chaos of War' and Sister Xie Yue was familiar with it. It would give her a small advantage. But the difference between their cultivation was a problem. Even one grade was a lot for Accomplished Demons.
Another advantage she had was that Weiji He's stealth relied on shadows, not hers. But she had to be smart about it.
As the halberd was about to strike her, she could feel its weight. With a direct hit, even she would be split in half, there was no doubt in her mind. She couldn't receive any strike from that weapon while Weiji He was wielding it. Being close to the halberd, she could also smell the thick odor of blood around it. It was a mixture of Weiji He's killing intent and the blood shed by the weapon itself. In long fights, demons' strategy was often to bleed their opponents to death as it was the source of their Qi. it explained most of the shapes of their weapons. They were meant to kill yes, but also to bleed their opponents in such situations.
Sister Xie Yue was alone in front of Weiji He. Her other Sisters were coming but not there yet. And the mercenaries simply couldn't fly. Besides, she had already ordered Boss Gui and her bodyguards to stay within the array formation where they were relatively safe. On the ground though, the mercenaries were getting ready for a battle formation. According to what she knew, it would have helped them fight an early Accomplished Demon. Against Weiji He, it wouldn't be as helpful, but it might still give her the edge she needed. Every bit of advantage was good to take. And she would take them all.
From her own spatial ring, thousands of chains emerged. They completely covered her as though they were an armor. Then, she tried to block the weapon with both her arms. From her hands, the chains spurted forward and formed a thick layer between her and the weapon.
When Weiji He's strike collided with the chains, the force of the impact was spread throughout this armor. Sister Xie Yue still felt how intense it was and she could even hear her bones screaming at her. The chains themselves were bent by the impact. But in the end, her bones didn't break and she survived the first strike. At this very moment, her chains became animated once more and tried to coil around the halberd in order to entrap it.
Weiji He reacted immediately. First of all, he rotated his halberd with a sudden jerk. All the chains around it broke apart. At the same time, he kicked Sister Xie Yue in her sternum. Once again, the chains took the brunt of the impact, but the woman still felt pain and controlled herself not to spit out some blood. On her stomach, there was a bruise in the shape of a hoof. Her chains had broken apart as well, but they moved and reformed her armor once again.
With the chains tightly coiled around her body, Sister Xie Yue was extremely alluring. However, Weiji He didn't let it distract him. She was also extremely deadly. Although her cultivation was a bit weaker, he wasn't taking her lightly. Immediately, he was using all of his strength and going for the kill. As a matter of fact, this was also Sister Xie Yue's intention.
The broken links from her chain floated in the air. Suddenly, they flew straight toward Weiji He. He was surprised by the first ones that cut his chest. They didn't penetrate too deep though and his wounds were merely superficial. He didn't lose any time trying to dodge of parry the other links. He simply made sure that they didn't hit his eyes or fingers. He didn't want to lose his weapon.
Sister Xie Yue's chains emerged from her back. They formed eight large heads. The Qi Manifestation of a gigantic hydra appeared behind her. The heads attacked Weiji He while he was trying to close the distance he had created by kicking her away. Now they were high in the sky. Sister Xie Yue had been able to lure him away from Boss Gui's residence. The array formations there were mainly defensive. But Cao Yun had set up other array formations throughout Duma City.
Weiji He's halberd drew circles in the sky. Two of the hydra's heads were cut apart. The sky too was cut apart. The clouds were becoming red as blood and dirt mixed together. And the strikes from his halberd were shattering them. With each strike, he was creating shock waves that shook the entire Duma City. A fight between two middle Accomplished Demons was no laughing matter. If they were too close to the ground, they could level the city without any problem. After all, the Great War against Demon God Da Mo had almost destroyed the Piaolu planet according to the legends. And the fight against the Weaver of Souls had created this very continent.
While he was beheading the Qi manifestation, Weiji He didn't feel another chain directed toward his heart. It was completely invisible as Sister Xie Yue was using her stealth on it. It had emerged from her fingers. Unfortunately for her, her Sisters arrived precisely at this moment. Weiji He got distracted and moved at the worst possible moment. Her chain pierced his chest and tore through his left lung once again. The wound he had already sustained there worsened, but it didn't kill him straight away as she had planned. Without any hesitation, she tried to control the chain so it moved around in his chest cavity. Weiji He let go one of his hand and grabbed the chain that had turned visible with it. The chain was slippery as his blood had flowed on it.
With all of his strength, he ripped it apart, taking some of his own organ with it. In a frenzy, he used the chain to suddenly jerk his opponent toward him. Xie Yue was taken aback by his fury. All of a sudden, she found herself before Weiji He who grabbed her throat. With his other hand, he was ready to slash her apart with his halberd. In his eyes, she could only see blood and killing intent.
All around Weiji He, there was a thick odor of blood as though he had come back from the bloodiest battlefield. And all around him, some could see broken bodies, severed heads and horses trampling on them all. This was a scene of devastation. Then, his halberd fell down toward Sister Xie Yue.
* 70k-80k dan = approximately 3,500-4,000 tons