“Immortal King…” The Starspace King nodded slowly. This king had just begun his rise when she died and he was yet to be renowned throughout the Hongmeng. She didn’t know who he was.
“Ah yes, Starspace King, Purpleclad came to fetch your body. If you recover your body, you can come back to life,” Lu Yun suddenly thought of the earlier matter.
“…let it be. Disaster descended upon Starspace Region because I sheltered the snake. How can I face the Hongmeng again? I can be dead to the realm,” sighed Starspace.
Lu Yun nodded and pursued the matter no further.
“Great dragon!” he said instead. “You do not have to repay this karmic debt, I lack not for these things. It’s none of my business if you become a blight upon the realm or massacre innocents—that is your dao.
“But if you dare swear fealty to the Immortal Region or Supplemental Dao Alliance, then I will hunt you down and scatter you to the four winds!”
The dragon listened carefully to Lu Yun’s words and nodded, committing the two names to memory. The Immortal Region and Supplemental Dao Alliance!
“In that case, we should go to Redbud Region. If my guess is correct, those of the Enforcer Alliance will soon come to clean up the battlefield and invite the great dragon to join them. You three should leave quickly as well.
“The waters are deep at the alliance. The Immortal Region and Supplemental Dao Alliance you just mentioned, even the Ten Valleys of Evil, have something to do with them.” Starspace spoke no more on this matter.
The dragon took a deep look at Lu Yun and the other two before soaring into the sky and vanishing from sight. Where it’d once occupied turned into a pitch black, underground cavern.
“Let’s go.” Lu Yun patted Qing Ting awake.
“I didn’t hear anything, I don’t know nothing!” she mumbled with a pout.
“You know best if you heard anything.” Lu Yun flicked a sideways glance at the girl. Though she’d sealed off her senses, it was still easy for her to eavesdrop if she wanted to listen in.
He didn’t care.
Qing Ting shrugged and kicked Li Zhen awake.
“You’re definitely the Immortal King’s son!” Li Zhen shouted when he woke up.
Lu Yun smacked him upside the head. “We’re leaving, the Enforcer Alliance is coming.”
“Oh,” Li Zhen grumbled and quickly followed Lu Yun out of the massive cavern.
Tranquility returned to Starspace Region after the great dragon left and endless cultivators surged in once more, wanting to pick the battlefield clean of any loot.
They were gravely disappointed to find that everything had been razed to the ground. All ghost crystals and treasures were ground to dust; even the crystal veins underground were gone.
The Enforcer Alliance swiftly sealed off the region. The great dragon had taken all of the crystal veins with it. Without the energy from the crystals, Starspace would soon wither into a desert. This was the heartland of the realm and Enforcer Alliance territory, so they would never allow that to happen.
Crystal vein after crystal vein poured into the region’s earth and slowly restored its vitality.
……
Cloudexit City was as bustling as ever. It’d vaulted to the heights of importance after the disturbance in Starspace Region—even the Immortal Pagoda and Haotian Tower had set up branches here!
Thus, many were unwilling to leave when war was concluded.
“Li Zhen!” came an explosive shout when Lu Yun and the others returned to the city. Wielding a large blade, Li Quan suddenly landed in front of Li Zhen. “Return immediately with me and hand over everything you’ve found!”
Violence rampaged through his face when he looked at his kinsman. He hadn’t thought that Li Zhen would come back alive! When Li Quan traveled through Starspace Region, a first step ghost king had strangely defeated him with one move, yet that highly inferior Li Zhen had come back in ruddy health!
It even looked like he’d gained a lot from his trip!
As long as he goes back to the clan, everything he’s found and that blade of his will have to be turned in!
The ghost-headed blade… that damned ghost-headed blade!
“Qing Ting, we should get going as well.” Azureclad appeared and took a deep look at Lu Yun before addressing his sister.
“I’ll leave my babies with you for now, give them back to me next time you see me. If I take them back now, my dad and Qing Yan will take them and leave nothing for me,” Qing Ting murmured to Lu Yun, her lips almost on his ears.
Flames ignited with a fury in Azureclad’s eyes.
“What have you taken from Qing Ting?!” he roared.
“None of your business!” Qing Ting snorted and winked at Lu Yun before running over to take her brother’s hand.
As loath as the duke was to leave matters like this, there was nothing else he could do in public view. Li Quan didn’t speak again until the brother and sister duo left. “Li Zhen, return to Azure Dragon Region with me.”
“I don’t want to.” Li Zhen shook his head.
“Oh?” Li Quan blinked, then laughed. “You don’t want to go home huh? That’s fine. You don’t have to go back if you can survive one of my hits.”
An ugly grin spread across his face and his killing intent didn’t abate in the slightest. He’d waited three days for Li Zhen. After much thought, he felt that it was better for the son of the traitor to die. He really did intend to kill his younger brother!
“Mm.” Li Zhen nodded and brought out his ghost-headed blade. “I, Ghostblade Duke Li Zhen, accept your challenge!”
“Ghostblade Duke? A mutt like you dares call himself a duke?!” Li Quan shrieked with outrage. “DIE!!”
Hummm.
His king grade blade blossomed with a greenish black radiance. It transformed into a dragon shadow and swooped down on Li Zhen.
Several months ago in Cloudexit City, Li Zhen had lost his hand and blade when Li Quan chopped off his arm with one move. The same scene repeated itself now—it wouldn’t take a second move for Li Quan to kill his kinsman.
“Die? You and I come from the same clan, so at the very least, I won’t kill you.”
Whoosh!
Li Zhen’s ghost-headed blade flew out of its scabbard and he slashed at the greenish-black dragon sword light.
Boom!
Li Quan flew backwards and smashed so heavily into a wall that he was deeply embedded into it.
“W-what?!” Agog with disbelief, Li Quan’s wits were scattered by what’d just happened.
Craaaaack.
The battle blade in his hand shuddered and shattered into pieces. He could borrow the strength inside it, but not wield it. King grade material alone wasn’t enough to withstand Li Zhen’s stroke.
“It’s you!!” Li Quan suddenly thought of what’d happened in Starspace Region. A first step ghost king had shattered his king grade weapon in the exact same way, delivering the same blow of despair! “It wasn’t a ghost king that day, it was you…”
“I, the Ghostblade Duke, will take on all challengers who think me unworthy!”
Schick!
Li Zhen slammed his blade into the ground and regarded his surroundings with a frosty look. He was the center of attention for a good portion of the city.
“That Li Quan of the Li Clan is seriously unlucky… The Champion Duke defeated him with one blow last time and proved that he has the right to be a titled duke. Now Li Zhen defeats him with one move and also proves that he has the right to be the Ghostblade Duke.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, I think I should challenge him too. I’ll probably be a titled duke as well!”
Li Quan’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted dead away.
“Since there’s no one who wants to challenge me, then I am the Ghostblade Duke.” Li Zhen picked up his blade. “All of you say that my father was a blood traitor. As the son of the traitor, I will not be returning. The debt I owe for my upbringing… Fuck it, no one ever cared about me. If it wasn’t for my master after my father went missing, I would’ve been beaten to death a long time ago. My master died because of this too!” A flicker of hatred rose in Li Zhen’s eyes.
“Forget it.” Lu Yun patted his shoulder. “They say that blood is thicker than water, so don’t leave with hate in your heart.”
“Mm.” Li Zhen nodded and promptly released the malevolence building in his being.
