As Ling Feng and Li Zhongu arrived at the site, the grim sight that greeted them was the lifeless corpse of Shi Ma sprawled on the ground. The stillness of the scene was deafening.
"Looks like he died just moments ago," Li Zhongu deduced, his sharp gaze lingering on Shi Ma's body, calculating the timeline with detached precision.
Ling Feng sighed deeply, walking over to the corpse. Without a word, he placed his hand gently on the remains. Suddenly, Shi Ma's body began to crumble, turning into fine ash that blew away in the wind.
"He was a good one," Ling Feng remarked, his voice neutral, almost devoid of personal sentiment.
"Indeed he was," Li Zhongu agreed with a nod. There wasn't much sorrow in their tones. Dragon Generals were to each other what office workers are—colleagues, perhaps respected, but never more than that.
Ling Feng, however, remained contemplative. "For something to have killed him, it must've been incredibly powerful. He was assigned to the Demon of a Thousand Faces, wasn't he?"
Li Zhongu nodded, still scanning the environment. "Indeed. My calculations anticipated a strong opponent, but... to this extent was beyond even my expectations."
Suddenly, something struck Ling Feng as odd. "Wait, the explosion we heard moments ago came from this exact area. So where's the destruction?"
Li Zhongu sighed, his sharp instincts already a step ahead. "Now that you've caught on... you can come out," he called out loudly, his voice commanding the unseen.
From the shadows, a cackling figure emerged. "Impressive, Li Zhongu. You always were sharp. I wonder how you've been... remember me? Xia Huanshen?" the figure sneered, his scarred face twisted in amusement.
Before another word could escape the man's mouth, Li Zhongu's fist met his face, obliterating his skull in one precise blow.
"Don't even think of trying to implant memories of a fractured timeline into someone else," Li Zhongu muttered as the figure's skull began to reform, regenerating with eerie speed.
The man, still grinning despite his injury, snickered. "I really am impressed."
Ling Feng, now wary, spoke up, "Who are you?"
The man's grin widened, his form flickering as he was about to respond. But before he could speak, Li Zhongu's fist once again obliterated his body. This time, Li Zhongu's eyes glinted with a cold warning. "If you try to actualize your illusion again, consider half your souls obliterated."
The man laughed, reforming once more. "Alright, alright."
Just then, a tremendous, earth-shaking roar echoed through the landscape.
GRRRRRRAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!
The man's expression changed, his grin widening as he turned toward the source of the roar. "Looks like it's time to move. I'll answer your questions later," he said before shooting off in the direction of the sound with unnatural speed.
Li Zhongu and Ling Feng shared a resigned glance before taking off after him, their figures vanishing into the horizon. The ashes of Shi Ma remained behind, sinking into the earth, his memory gone with the wind.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Only a bit more left," Ling Xuan thought, his gaze fixed on the shrivelled, decayed remains of the Hunter's Bow Sect Master. The task that had occupied him for so long was nearing completion. The Tiger Pathway required only five more meridians before it would be fully constructed.
As he contemplated his progress, a peculiar thought crossed his mind. "Why was it so fast? Why am I progressing so quickly? Is it just the efficiency of my technique... or something else?" Ling Xuan's brow furrowed. There was no clear answer. Perhaps one day he would uncover the reason behind his unnaturally swift advancement, or perhaps it would remain one of those mysteries that would never be answered.
His moment of introspection was interrupted abruptly. A more pressing matter pulled him back into focus. "Enough of that. The primary objective awaits," he muttered as he dispersed the domain.
The scene before him was scarcely different from before—ruined landscapes, the aftermath of combat, only now with more debris scattered across the battlefield. His mind shifted to practical matters.
"Now where are the others?" Ling Xuan wondered aloud, scanning the horizon. His eyes caught sight of something—a giant dragon made entirely of crackling lightning in the distance, surging through the sky.
"Got the location."
With that, he shot off, disappearing into the wind,leaving only silence and desolation behind.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Ling Xuan arrived, he immediately noticed Li Zhongu and Ling Feng standing alongside an unfamiliar figure. The atmosphere felt thick with tension, and the scene before him was chaotic.
"You're here," Li Zhongu remarked, his brows lifting slightly at Ling Xuan's approach.
"Yeah, my targets have been eliminated. I assume Shi Ma didn't make it, right?" Ling Xuan asked, his tone flat. Ling Feng gave a nod of confirmation.
Ling Xuan nodded back, his eyes then shifting to the man standing with them. The stranger radiated an odd, almost dangerous aura, though his expression remained somewhat casual.
"And who might you be?" Ling Xuan inquired, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
The man chuckled and smirked. "I won't introduce myself; last time I did, I got punched in the face," he said, still grinning as if amused by his own misfortune.
"Huh?" Ling Xuan was momentarily perplexed but decided to drop the subject. He could tell there were more pressing matters to attend to.
His attention was soon drawn to the battle unfolding before them. Two figures stood locked in a fierce confrontation—one missing an arm, struggling but still defiant. The other loomed above him, whole and commanding.
The two combatants: The Divine Sun Sect Master and Lei Tianzi.