Fengli Cai had been born in the Heavenly Sword Sect. She was the daughter to one of their elders, and though her father was low in the hierarchy, she had been treated with the utmost care thanks to her talent with both cultivation and the sword. During her early years as a teenager, her cultivation had soared above her peers. It looked like she would ascend to peeks very few ever reached.

Then the decision that would change her life came in.

She was to marry.

The person she was marrying was Emperor Hou Jun of the Shang Kingdom. Their sect had a long-standing alliance with the Shang Kingdom. Her sect master had been sworn brothers with the Shang Kingdom’s first emperor. Every time a new emperor was crowned, someone from her sect was selected to marry into the family, and her lot had been drawn.

Fengli Cai understood the importance of doing her duty, and she didn’t mind marrying someone she had never met before. Marriage didn’t really matter to her to begin with. All that she really cared about was cultivating.

Unfortunately, life wasn’t that kind.

To prevent Emperor Hou Jun from feeling inferior, she had been ordered to never ascend past the Human Limit Realm. She had begged with the sect master to reconsider. If they provided Emperor Hou Jun with alchemy pills, he could surely ascend to a higher realm, and then she could continue to diligently cultivate. She felt her idea held merit. If they were both stronger, then they could strengthen the Shang Kingdom, which could only be a boon to the Heavenly Sword Sect.

She had been naive.

The Heavenly Sword Sect might have an alliance with the Shang Kingdom, but that didn’t mean they wanted their ally to become stronger. If they became too strong, the Shang Kingdom would no longer need to rely on them for protection, and they might even revoke the agreement they had since it would no longer be needed. That was when Fengli Cai realized the truth of the matter.

Those in power feared losing their power.

Fengli Cai had become very bitter after that. However, she did her duty and sired an heir. She never interacted with her husband after that unless it was needed. She’d heard Hou Jun had married another woman, but that was fine with her since their relationship had grown cold. So long as she could raise her son into a strong cultivator who could accomplish what she could not, all would be fine. It was just unfortunate that her son lacked her cultivation talent. She moved to the Saintly Sword Sect after that and promised never again to step foot inside the Shang Kingdom.

And yet here she was.

Fighting on behalf of the kingdom.

Fengli Cai’s breathing was calm as she deftly stepped back, avoiding Xao Wen’s punch by a hair’s breadth. She swung her long sword with a swiftness that belied its size. Her attack was blocked when Xao Wen raised his forearm. His wrists were covered in guards. Sparks flew as her weapon collided with his arm. The force pushed them away from each other, but it was only for a moment before they were back at it.

Xao Wen’s method of combat couldn’t have been more different from her own. Fengli Cai fought with grace and elegance. Each attack swift, graceful, and designed to maim or kill. The Martial God pavilion’s sect master, on the other hand, fought like a barbarian. He swung his fists wildly with no rhyme or reason, and yet every attack caused the air to tremble. A single punch was enough to knock her out of commission.

[Martial Palm]

Fengli Cai stepped back and to the left as Xao Wen spread his legs wide and thrust his palm out. Powerful chi shaped like a hand erupted from him and soared over her shoulder. That wasn’t the end of his assault, however, and Fengli Cai quickly swung her sword, cutting through his second palm.

“Ha ha ha! You’re really good! I never expected to find such an elegant lady on the battlefield!”

“...”

“What’s wrong? Not one for friendly banter between enemies?”

“...”

“Tch. Suit yourself, bitch.”

Fengli Cai had never understood the point of bantering with someone you were trying to kill. A lot of cultivators did it. They liked to show off their attacks and techniques and express their strength by commenting on the difference between heaven and earth and what have you. She saw no point in doing that. Were these people stupid? Why bother chatting with someone you were just going to kill in the end?

Keeping her breathing even as she waded into Xao Wen’s guard, she raised her sword to block an attack on her left, then ducked as the man tried to hit her with a haymaker. As she came up from where she crouched, she attempted to stab him in the throat, but he moved his arm to guard against it. The tip of her sword struck his forearm guard.

She leapt back.

This isn’t working. I can’t predict his attacks.

Xao Wen followed no martial arts style. Some people did that. They often called it free form style. It was inelegant, but it came with the advantage of having no set moves or patterns for enemies to follow.

I guess there’s no choice.

Fengli Cai sheathed her sword, causing Xao Wen to raise an eyebrow.

“Are you giving up? Awww. Come on. You might be a frigid bitch who’s pussy is colder than the Ice Phoenix Mountains, but I’m having fun! Don’t give up on me now!”

“...”

Fengli Cai ignored the insults. So what if she was frigid? The only thing she ever wanted had been taken from her. His words mattered little anyway. She wasn’t giving up.

“All right. If that’s how you wanna be, then I’ll just end things here. Let’s see how you deal with my strongest attack!”

Xao Wen sucked in a deep breath, his chest expanding. Cracks formed underneath him as he stomped his feet. Then he slid his dominant foot forward, placed one hand near his front, and tucked the other behind him. Chi gathered around him. A bright aura like fire burst from his poores, then gathered into his fist--the one tucked into his torso.

He took a single step forward.

Then vanished.

[Mountain Fist]

He appeared in front of Fengli Cai and swung his fist forward. So much chi had been packed into his fist that getting struck meant instant death.

Fengli Cai moved calmly, gracefully. She sidestepped his attack, ignoring the way her hair billowed from the aftermath of his punch, then leapt into the air. Her body spun as she moved around his outstretched arm. She swung her sword at his neck. Xao Wen raised his arm to block, so she switched targets. Her blade bit into his forearm at the elbow.

[Severing Blade]

Fengli Cai landed in a crouch behind Xao Wen and slowly sheathed her blade. The clicking sound of her guard touching the sheath echoed around the battlefield seconds before Xao Wen’s arm fell off in a spray of blood.

“What the… what?! What?!”

Xao Wen turned around and glared at her. He didn’t seem to mind that his arm was missing. She had noticed the scars on his arms, which traveled all the way around him. He must have been used to losing arms. What an insane man.

“How did you do that?! My body is stronger than steel!”

“What a foolish question. What makes you think I would answer you?”

“What was that?!”

Fengli Cai faced Xao Wen and pointed her sword at him. “Come. I was unable to take your head last time. I won’t miss this time.”

“You fucking bitch! You’re courting death!”

Xao Wen roared as he charged forward and the battle commenced once more.

***

Zhe Fēnglì knew he was in trouble, but he kept calm as he fended off Emperor Cì Shā, Xu Suan, and Jiang Yijun. He swung his sword faster than he ever had before. He needed to move with efficiency in mind. No wasted movements. Even moving his blade a chih more than he needed would result in his sword being too slow to defend against the onslaught.

He would have died a long time ago if Bèipàn Zhě and Húndàn Wang were not present. Their attacks were just powerful enough to distract these three. That gave him some breathing room, though not much. The emperor and his Heavenly Generals also couldn’t attack those two since, if even one of them left, it would give him the leeway to take them out.

They were at a stalemate.

[Heavenly Blades]

Zhe Fēnglì flew backward and summoned two hundred glowing golden swords, which flew forward to attack the emperor and his generals. They were forced to stop and block his attacks. They swung their weapons over and over. Sparks flew as his swords were destroyed.

[Raging Fires]

Bèipàn Zhě appeared behind Xuan Su and sent a blaze of scorching flames at him. The man was too busy defending against the swords to avoid this attack, and while the flames did little more than singe his clothes, they still pushed him back. One of Zhe Fēnglì’s blades sliced into Xuan Su’s cheek.

[Peircing Thrust]

The tip of Húndàn Wangs sword became molten orange as he thrust it at Jiang Yijun. He had packed all of his chi into that attack. Jiang Yijun must have realized that, and unlike Xuan Su, he could afford to divert his attention two ways. He blocked Húndàn Wang’s attack even as he fended off Zhe Fēnglì’s Heavenly Blades.

The only one who had to contend with just Zhe Fēnglì’s attack was Emperor Cì Shā. The man glanced around, then thrust his hand toward Húndàn Wang, unleashing a burst of chi. It wasn’t a technique. However, even pure chi could be used as an attack, and he was a Deva Realm cultivator. There was enough chi in that burst to kill or cripple the young man.

Zhe Fēnglì clicked his tongue as he raced forward and sliced through the attack, then spun around and thrust his sword forward.

[Penetrate the Earth]

Sword intent exploded from the tip of his blade and attempted to stab Emperor Cì Shā, but the man deftly moved out of the way. The other two successfully fended off the attacking swords and their opponents, then regrouped. The two sides stared at each other with consternated frowns.

This battle had been going on for some time, and while neither side appeared to gain the upperhand, it was only a matter of time before Zhe Fēnglì’s allies lost their strength. They were both only at the Human Limit Realm. They did not have the reserves to stand toe to toe with these three. Eventually, they would run out of chi, and he would lose his only means of support.

Their fight had been a stalemate thus far specifically because neither side could gain the upperhand. Emperor Cì Shā and his generals could not attack him because of Bèipàn Zhě and Húndàn Wang. At the same time, his two allies were not strong enough to deal a finishing blow. All they could do was serve as distractions. These three weren’t dumb either. They had to understand that all they needed to do was hold out until his two companions exhausted themselves.

“We can’t keep going like this,” he muttered.

Bèipàn Zhě flew toward him. “I have an idea, if you’d like to hear it.”

“I’m all ears.”

Bèipàn Zhě got close, and Zhe Fēnglì leaned over as though to listen, but then he sensed something wrong. He quickly dodged left, but he was not fast enough. Pain exploded in his torso. He grunted as he kicked Bèipàn Zhě away, then glanced down at the dagger buried in his left torso. Grimacing, he glared at Bèipàn Zhě.

“Lord Fengli!” Húndàn Wang shouted in shock.

“What… is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

“Do you really not know? Can you not guess what this looks like?” Bèipàn Zhě flew over to Emperor Cì Shā and his generals, then turned to face Zhe Fēnglì and Húndàn Wang. He spread his arms. “The Heavenly Sword Sect is a sinking ship. If the crashing waves of change don’t cause it to sink, then the people looking to claim its power for themselves will. I’m not about to risk my life for a dying sect.”

“Fucking traitor,” Zhe Fēnglì growled. Bèipàn Zhě had never been the most courteous of cultivators; he was rude, crude, and lewd, but he had at least thought the man loyal. Every cultivator underwent a strict evaluation to ensure they had no thoughts of betraying the sect. How had this one slipped through? Or had something changed in him after coming here?

“I might be a traitor, but at least I won’t be dead,” Bèipàn Zhě said with a sneer.

“You wish to join us?” asked Emperor Cì Shā.

“Of course,” said Bèipàn Zhě. “I’ve already spoken with Hou Gun and agreed to join you guys.”

“How excellent. I am most pleased to hear this. Your deeds today shall not go unrewarded,” said Emperor Cì Shā, who nodded to Jiang Yijun.

It all happened in an instant. Before Zhe Fēnglì could even shout out a warning, Jiang Yijun thrust his hand forward and punched a hole through Beipan’s Zhe’s chest. His hand came out the other side. Bèipàn Zhě’s eyes bulged as he coughed out blood, staring at the hand emerging from his chest as crimson ran down his lips.

“What… but I… I…”

Emperor Cì Shā snorted. “Fool. Do you think I would allow a traitor like you to join us? If you can betray your sect so easily, then you can betray me easily. The only interest I have in traitors is how much I can use them before their usefulness ends… and yours ended now.”

Jiang Yijun removed his hand as the light faded from Bèipàn Zhě’s eyes. The man’s indignant expression remained as he fell to the earth.

“Now then.” The emperor smiled at Zhe Fēnglì. “It seems the tables have finally turned.”

Zhe Fēnglì grimaced. The tables had turned indeed, and it was certainly for the worst.