“NO!…..!! YOUNG MASsstterrrr…..!”
“Did you hear anything?” Esme, standing on the deck of a flying ship that had just left the Wei family’s main peak, glanced towards Ryuk as she inquired.
‘….’ He gave her a blank look, aware that the scream was from the four sidekicks he had brought with him, who were now hanging on the four ropes of the ship.
“T-TAKE US Wiitthhh yoouuu….!” Bone Breaker, gripping a rope tightly with both hands, felt the gust of wind throwing his body here and there while he hung on the ship, which had left without even boarding them.
But due to his quick reaction, he and the other three of his comrades lashed onto the rope of the ship, tying the waists of the three horses they had brought while hanging in midair, clearly trying to show their revolt for being left behind in this place.
“Should I cut the ropes?” Esme inquired as she arched her brow slightly with her golden eyes, looking towards Ryuk.
[Yes, I allow it (~￣³￣)~ ]
“…Leave them,” Ryuk gestured with his hand before turning towards the other side of the deck where Yao Lian and Liu Wei were seated with a distance from each other. Yao Lian was seated in the lotus position at the middle of the ship while Liu Wei had fallen unconscious with his back propped against some barrels.
‘…’ Arriving near Yao Lian, Ryuk stood and kept his sight looking down, observing her as she meditated, practicing her breathing technique.
He was observing her to understand the way she was utilizing the knowledge from that book, to learn the way breathing actually worked.
Given that he had already received the notification of the Grimoire enslaving her, he wasn’t particularly concerned about her becoming stronger and creating problems for him.
[Peeping at an innocent, totally oblivious woman with your drooling eyes is a crime, Host 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 ]
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In the direction where the ship was heading, at the borders of Uppertown, several different mountain peaks rose higher, with the longest peak cut in half.
There existed a very long, flattened landmass where several individuals in different robes stood, looking towards a dense green cloud that resembled a portal, separating Uppertown from the gate of the main city of the Celestial Phoenix Order.
The plain outside the gate was filled with arriving ships and individuals riding swords as they landed and moved towards the entrance.
“Greetings to the shine of the Heme Family,” A young man, clad in a flowing blue robe, inclined his head in a respectful gesture towards anothet one who looked quite robust. His upper body was bare, showcasing a clearly defined and muscular physique, with bulging arms that could rival the thickness of thighs. He gripped an axe, which rested casually on his shoulder, as he watched the other candidates make their way in.
“Hm, why are there only kids here?” Suin Heme glanced towards everyone and felt disappointed seeing that most of the individuals present here were hardly in the nascent soul realm or golden core level, making his intent to find a deserving rival today completely wasted.
“Hehe, other heirs from the major families have yet to arrive, Young Master,” the young man rubbing his hands informed Suin, informing him that he was the only one to have just arrived, leaving behind other heirs who were delayed and had to arrive yet. This caused Suin’s face to frown before he sighed and moved towards an empty ground.
Arriving at the place while others kept looking towards him due to knowing that he was among the highest from the 18 major families, he lifted his feet before kicking the ground.
Due to the force being measured and centered towards a particular point, a big rock tearing through the ground came out, lifted a few inches before landing on the ground where he took a seat. “Hope I get someone worth considering as a rival.”
‘?!’
The other candidates, primarily from the middle town, stared in awe as they witnessed the sheer power of the force, which could focus its energy on a specific spot. Its strength was so immense that a rock shattered effortlessly, all without the wielder exhibiting any signs of tiredness or strain.
This demonstrated the accuracy, control, and precision over one’s physical strength, making everyone realize that the bulky man was none other than Suin Heme—the walking mountain.
“Will we even be able to qualify?”
“Why fear? They have more than enough seats; even if all the 18 major families took their seats, we would still be able to do something, right?”
A surge of murmurs spread among the individuals standing nearby as they began to talk about their chances of winning this competition in the presence of so many experts from the upper town.
“Woah, look! That’s the Jun family’s ship!” one of the individuals shouted as he pointed towards an arriving ship holding the flag belonging to the Jun family, causing them all to turn their eyes towards it, including Suin who narrowed his gaze, sensing the absence of any expert on the ship.
‘Are they kidding me?’ Suin inwardly frowned as he felt angered seeing how there was no strong presence coming from the Jun family’s ship, as if they had not sent anyone worth considering.
Given the age limit was less than 28 years, it was impossible for some hidden master or ancestor to arrive whose presence was impossible to sense, meaning most likely they were all young people.
And following this, Suin could clearly understand that whoever was on the ship didn’t even possess the slightest amount of Qi, making him avert his gaze, not wanting to pay attention to the weaklings.
“Huh? A-a nine tailed fox fairy!?” Suddenly, an exclamation rang out in that place, causing everyone to notice a woman slowly descending from the ship.
Before the ship could get within 10 meters of the ground, she leaped, her body kissed by the morning sunlight. Two black furry ears perked up as nine tails danced around her, and in both hands, she firmly held a long white katana. She descended gracefully, her black-robed dress swirling around her.
This sight caused some of their feet to instinctively come forward to greet that beauty but.
GASP
Before even a second had elapsed, most felt their breath hitch in their throats upon catching sight of another figure who had just landed beside the woman. Their eyes trembled under the weight of a thick, foreboding omnious energy radiating from that man.
Though they were sure it wasn’t a demonic Qi, it was even more threatening and dangerous, causing their feet to instinctively step back from the fact that just moments ago, they had seen the arrival of that beautiful woman and had instinctively moved forward.
“These bastards are eyeing me as if I’m the father they thought they’d never see again,” Lucas frowned, seeing most of the people looking in his direction. He turned towards Iliantara and added, “Shoo, they’re looking at me because of your tails.”
“….” Ignoring the watchful eyes of everyone, Iliantara was well aware that she had grown used to the attention since she first stepped into the Jade Dominion. She walked toward the massive portal, arriving while it was still shut, standing with her hands clasped, calmly biding her time.
“Hm, fuckers, turn your eyes away before I—” Lucas was on the verge of recommending to those individuals his plan to remove their eyeballs and place them in their assholes, but a large shadow interrupted him.
Bang!
Suin’s body landed just a few inches away from Lucas. Due to his size, he looked down on him while holding his huge axe. He appeared twice the size of Lucas as he firmly declared, “I challenge you to a battle, you demon.”
“….haah, idiot,” A smile crept across Lucas’s face as he caught sight of Illiantara in the distance. He recalled the promise he made to her about not harming anyone first. However, he never mentioned that he wouldn’t rise to a challenge. Clenching his fists and gazing upward at Suin, he responded with a wide grin, “Congrats, you’re the first in line to die today. I’ll make sure there’s nothing left to bury.”
