A pagoda in the northeast side of Dragon Border Gate City

He could’ve walked away from this. Made an easy escape and laid low for a while. But after hearing the prince’s words, he received the confirmation he came here for.

There was no laying low from this one.

The guards rushed in at the command, weapons drawn.

Aryon reacted quicker, however, and raised his staff.

“ [Daylight]! “

The staff shone with blinding light like the sun itself. The guards stopped their tracks and averted their burning eyes from the glare.

“ [Chain Lightning]! “

At Aryon’s command, the shining light on the staff dimmed and faded away, replaced with crackling lightning. Bolts of electricity struck down the guards where they stood blinded, killing them outright.

A shadow leapt from Aryon’s side, punching towards him. Raising his hand, Aryon intoned. “[Shiel- “

The shadow, Dai Yijun, was faster than Aryon’s words. Bright runes flared up on the surface of his armour where the iron-like fist struck. Yet they could not stop Aryon from flying through the wooden wall and out the pagoda.

“ [Feather Fall]! “

Aryon’s descent slowed at the end of the arc, where he landed on a rooftop. From the dark sky came that shadow Dai Yijun, landing nearby.

He eyed the stranger warily; he could not yet discern cultivation levels, but from his magic senses he could see his power being on par with a Nascent Soul master from Green Blade Forest Sect.

“Impressive defenses.” said he in complement. “Your armour is bulky, but it will serve me well when I pry it from your corpse.”

“Come try. [Ray of Frost]. “

Dai Yijun leapt out of the way of the azure beam, zigzagging in a confusing but rapid manner towards him. Each step generated a dark after-image in its wake that moved for a split second in the opposite direction before vanishing.

‘Is this what a movement technique is?’

At a certain distance, Dai Yijun gave a leaping charge, fists out. “Shadow Veil Twelve Hits!”

“ [Wall of Stone]! “

An angled wall rose up before him to block the punches, yet such was their force that it began breaking under the assault, peppering Aryon with shards of stone. Before the wall broke completely, he tapped it with a finger.

“ [Stone Shape]! “

Sharp spikes of stone as long and wide as an arm formed in the area where Dai Yijun was punching, injuring him despite his toughened body. He leapt backwards in retreat.

Aryon didn’t let him off so easily. With a mental command, the stone dome shattered into large pieces. With a verbal one followed by a twist of his hand, the pieces floated up into the air.

“ [Telekinesis]! “

The shards flew towards Dai Yijun, who met the assault head on. With his bloodied fists, he struck at the stones and zigzagged again towards Aryon. “Die!”

He attempted another spell, but Dai Yijun was faster. He gripped Aryon’s outstretched left arm and drove his own elbow down at the joint, breaking the bone beneath and bending the arm at an awkward angle.

Yet that didn’t have the effect he wanted. Rather than scream in pain or stagger, Aryon looked at Dai Yijun and intoned some unintelligible words.

“ [Polar Ray]! “

His bent arm was angled as such that it pointed near Dai Yijun’s head. Still in control of his free hand, he shot a freezing ray directly at his defenseless face. A layer of frost coated Dai Yijun’s face and neck all the way to his chest, causing him to stumble back in pain.

As he attempted to scratch the ice off his eyes, Aryon stood up, cradling his broken arm. He set the top of the Staff of Kings on his struggling chest.

“ [Flesh to Stone] “

There was a brief struggle from Dai Yijun as the spell spread out from his chest all the way up to the ends of his body. In the end, all that was left of him was a human statue of grey stone, contorted in pain.

He took one last look at his opponent before he hurriedly sought for a way down. He had a meeting with a certain prince that couldn’t be delayed.

The situation was now desperate in Feng Yan’s eyes.

Their attack came suddenly and with great force, utilising Green Blade Forest Sect’s formation mystic art, Jade Cutting Wind, to slice apart the battling forces in the way of the litter. Those that came near their chevron-shaped ranks were quickly cut down by invisible winds, with the survivors being finished off by waiting blades.

The lead elder in their formation could not be more than fifty paces away from that litter when Guardian Ji showed up. With a speedy landing he immediately stood in the way of their approaching formation and cast Bai Clan’s Cloud Illusion mystic art.

The sect practitioners found themselves surrounded by thick clouds that obscured their vision. Then came a scream, followed by another, and another…

Master Wang Xuefeng used his spirit energy to dispel the screen and engaged Guardian Ji, who fled to the rooftops. But the damage was done; the key sect elders maintaining the Jade Cutting Wind formation were killed by his hand and the formation was dispersed.

Now the sect practitioners were embroiled in a deadly melee with the rest of the forces of the prince and the Bai Clan.

He stood side by side with Liu Wong and a few core disciples, aiming to take out Foundation Realm and weak Soul Core foes. Even with the realm divide, they were still able to take down low-level Soul Core Realm cultivators using formation techniques and mystic arts.

Moving as a group, the six or so core disciples aided their elders in clearing a path towards the litter once more, cutting down enemy after enemy in a flashing fan of bloodied steel.

They got closer and closer before another anomaly showed up in the battle.

A young man wearing black-and-gold stood at the top of a roof overlooking the road next to a thin, red-armoured man.

“Bai Clan and Green Blade Forest Sect!”

The thunderous words rang out across the chaotic streets, carrying the might of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. All fighting ceased for a moment. Even Guardian Ji and Master Xuefeng stopped their combat to listen.

“Lay down your arms and swear allegiance to me, and I will forgive you all for this chaos you’ve caused.” said the prince, smiling. “And return to me my Divine Imperial Smithing Technique as well. I have need of it to continue my quest to gain my rightful throne.”

“Heed me, and your groups will receive merit and rewards when I begin my conquests. Do not, and I will not hesitate to burn your foundations to the ground.”

The black-clothed forces of the prince and the Ye Clan regrouped, as did the Bai Clan and their Green Blade Forest Sect. Master Xuefeng returned to them as well, as did Guardian Ji to the litter.

From the window of the litter came a female voice, beautiful but not any softer than the prince’s.

“No.”

The window opened, revealing the Bai Clan mistress and her brother within. “The last time any clan bowed to you, you took from them and drained them dry without returning a single spirit stone of what you owed. Your constant battles against your siblings deprived them of their strength and loved ones. Your reign over them was so terrible that they finally conspired against you in secret, only to be denied revenge when you fled here like a coward.”

“The Bai Clan’s answer is no. We will not be cowed by you, you shameless and desperate prince. Our fate is our own!”

The Bai Clan guard gave a cheer at their mistress’s words. Even Feng Yan and his fellow sect members were stirred.

After hearing the deeds of the Eighth prince, their resolve to resist him burned bright. Their sect will never bow to any tyrant.

“Impudent!” roared the prince. “You dare-”

Before he could finish his angered words, Feng Yan saw a great ball of flame head towards the prince. Seeing the incoming danger, Tang Heng and Ye Shao jumped to another rooftop before the fiery ball struck their previous position, which was destroyed in a shower of sparks and stone.

"Who-!?"

“Over there!” cried a sect elder.

From the dark streets and into the dim light came an armoured figure, his steel dusty and dirtied. He held a white staff in one hand, and his free arm swung limply on his side.

Liu Wong gave a joyful cry, and Feng Yan felt his spirits rise when he saw that figure.