Battles between adversaries at Xiao Luo’s cultivation level were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, for they moved at such incredible speeds. Watching them fight, one could only catch a vague glimpse of their afterimage when they occasionally broke off after an exchange of strikes.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The crowd could only hear the deafening blasts that constantly boomed high in the sky and see the air distort from the energy discharged. Sensing the terrifying energy echoing between heaven and earth, they had goosebumps all over the bodies. Many buildings within the palace bore the brunt of the action, causing walls to crack and some buildings even crumbled entirely.
Everyone raised their heads and gazed up in horror. They were in so much anxiety that they felt suffocated. It was a battle unseen by the naked eye, yet the fear they were experiencing was genuine!
“So, how’s the battle? Has Handsome Luoluo won already?” Ghost asked Duck Emperor.
“Well, his victory is kinda inevitable. That Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation is undoubtedly being beaten up by that darn little brat,” said Duck Emperor.
The duck’s speed was as fast as lightning and he was long used to observing things traveling at high speeds. Hence, the battle scene which everyone could hardly follow did not pose a problem to Duck Emperor, who was observing it comfortably.
“By the way, Little One, judging by your looks, you want to woo that darn little brat, don’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked that kid to call you Baby Ling, am I right?” Duck Emperor asked.
Ghost’s pretty face immediately turned red. But instead of denying what the duck had said like what an ordinary girl would do, she responded haughtily, “Yeah, do you have an objection? I like Handsome Luoluo!”
Ghost did not know how it all started, and she just suddenly fell for Xiao Luo. Perhaps it was because Xiao Luo had taken care of her and given her his undivided attention after she unwittingly tasted the forbidden fruit. It gave her the feeling of being cared for and that made her immediately develop her feelings for Xiao Luo.
“Men like women, and women like men. This is natural. I didn’t say that you can’t like him, but I feel you have to change the way you address him,” Duck Emperor said.
Ghost was taken aback momentarily, then she said, “Isn’t Handsome Luoluo a nice nickname?”
“Nice, your foot!”
Duck Emperor responded unkindly. “People will want to vomit when they hear it, and it will make you seem like a little child—maybe even a baby.”
“Are you for real?” Ghost knitted her eyebrows.
“Questioning me will not help your case.”
Duck Emperor retorted in an authoritative tone, then added, “Heed my advice and change it. And change the way you address me too. To make it clear, I’m not asking you to do this for my sake. It’s only to make you seem more mature. A lively and adorable girl is acceptable, but not a childish and unreliable kid—no man will consider someone like that as a potential partner.”
Feeling that what Duck Emperor said made sense, Ghost asked, “Then how should I address him?”
“His name is Xiao Luo, so you may just call him ‘Luo’.”
“Luo?” Ghost lowered her head and uttered his name repeatedly.
“So? It sounds better, doesn’t it?” Duck Emperor asked.
“Yeah.”
Ghost nodded gleefully as she smiled like a flower. That nickname was a lot better. She stepped closer to Duck Emperor and said, “Thanks a lot, Duckling.”
“Look at you, once again you’re reverting to your old self. What did I tell you just now? Don’t address others with childish nicknames or it will only make you appear childish,” Duck Emperor chided.
Ghost thought for a moment before she said, “You’re right, Duckling, absolutely right. What should I call you then?”
“Call me by my name, Duck Emperor. It sounds more majestic and high class!”
Duck Emperor replied, patting himself on the chest. He initially wanted to say “Grandpa Duck Emperor,” but recalling Ghost’s reaction before, he thought better of it. He would do it step by step, starting with his name first.
“Okay, I’ll call you Duck Emperor from now on,” Ghost said, nodding with a smile.
“Good girl!”
Duck Emperor was visibly pleased for he finally got rid of that insulting nickname given by that little brat, Xiao Luo. “Why am I so smart… quack, quack!”
At this moment, the Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation hurtled from the sky. She plummeted like a meteorite, smashing into the abyss with a resounding bang. Clouds of dust and smoke billowed from the bottomless chasm.
WHOOSH!
Xiao Luo suddenly reappeared, hovering above the abyss. He exuded the confidence and self-assuredness of an ace and was an awe-inspiring sight.
“The Grand Master has fallen!”
“Just who on earth is this man? Is he so powerful that he can defeat our Grand Master?”
“He’s as powerful as a God. Why did the Grand Master provoke him?”
As the citizens of the Baiyue Nation looked upon the sight of Xiao Luo hovering in the air, they were both astonished and terrified at the same time.
Snapping out of her stupor, Funing ran down from the grandstand.
“Mommy, Mommy…”
Although she went against the Grand Master Mother’s wishes, in her heart, the grandmaster was just like her own mother. She ran to the edge of the abyss and called out to Grand Master Mother who was still somewhere at the bottom of the chasm. She desperately wanted to find out if her Grand Master Mother was alive.
Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy burst out of the abyss.
“So, she is finally going to reveal her actual form!”
Xiao Luo muttered, then immediately shouted to Duck Emperor, “Take Baby Ling away from this place at once. The further the better.”
Duck Emperor had a good idea of what was going to happen and hurriedly grabbed Ghost by her shoulders and flew off to a safe distance.
“Damn you, filthy b*stard. I want you dead!”
A hoarse voice issued from the abyss and every word was filled with hate. It sounded like an old woman wailing in fury.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground cracked as if a massive earthquake was in progress. The edge of the abyss gave way and the surrounding buildings shook frightfully. Many people from the Baiyue Nation fell through the cracks that formed in the ground and no one knew whether they survived.
Xiao Luo immediately pulled Funing and brought her to a safe location before he bounded once again into the air to confront the Grand Master Mother.
“HARGHH!”
A fearsome howl shook the sky and earth, and a behemoth emerged from the chasm.
Its body was over ten feet tall and covered in flame. It had three heads, and sharp teeth lined the mouths of each head. The beast’s three pairs of scarlet eyes glowed like the devil’s and cast fear into the bottom of the people’s hearts.
“Oh, gosh, what monster is that?”
“A three-headed fox, and so massive. Why would such a beast exist underneath the palace?”
“Is that the Grand Master? Could it be that the Grand Master is a monster?”
When citizens of the Baiyue Nation saw the three-headed demon fox in the palace, terror immediately struck them.
Funing opened her eyes wide and frozen in fear. In her mind, memories of that stormy night nine years ago emerged. It was the reason she became mute—she was frightened when she saw this ferocious beast on that stormy night.
The Grand Master told her it was a nightmare, but little did she expect her nightmare had now become a reality. At this moment, her mind was blank as she remained in a stupor.
“What the… It is no wonder that even men of high cultivation have never returned from this place alive. It turns out that the Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation is a Beast Lord that can morph into human form. Saying that she’s a beast is no exaggeration at all,” Duck Emperor muttered to himself.
