Mt. Crimson. On the eastern peak.

Two figures, one tall and one short, walked slowly down a small grassy road toward where the battle was taking place.

The tall person walking up front was Dongfang Ming. The person walking strangely behind him was Huangfu Rui.

“Eh?”

Dongfang Ming went still for a moment. A hand clasped at his chest as if a stab of pain had just run across it. It was minute, but there was also a faint twitch in his facial muscles.

“Impossible…” He looked stunned as he looked up to the western skies. “Feng Mo is dead?!”

His eyes narrowed slightly, “That direction…is Bai Yunfei back?! That fast?! Did they turn back halfway from the Water School?!”

He hardened his expression to look off toward the part of the skies still lit with explosions and such. “Mo Ni brought Feng Mo and Gui Nu that direction. If Bai Yunfei is truly back…will he be able to fight them off? Feng Mo is dead, but I’m sure Bai Yunfei must’ve paid a heavy price for his victory…

“No matter, I still have this matter to take care of.”

He turned around to continue walking. Huangfu Rui followed after him like a little marionette without a single emotion on her face.

……

“Boom boom boom…”

The battle was coming to an end now. Many fighters were spent and could no longer do anything but fall back to the ground, exhausted.

Neither side were desperate enough to fight until one side was completely gone. Aside from the ones that died from the Wind Lightning School earlier, no one had yet to fall.

Because of that unwillingness to fight until the very end, the situation on the battlefield was at a stalemate. The Crafting School was only at a slight advantage due to Heavenfire’s domain, without that, they would’ve been losing.

Ouyang Hua was only able to continue fighting due to the pills he was given, but not even those were enough to bring him back to full health. He was fighting on a vastly inferior level compared to before. But with him, Zi Jin, and Kou Changkong, the three of them could fight off the mad Lin Dongxiao. Kou Changkong and Zi Jin hadn’t the strength of a Soul Emperor, but they were still on par with a Half-emperor, and Zi Jin’s spatial manipulation was not something even Lin Dongxiao could afford to be lax around.

Zi Jin had been looking wary ever since the start of the battle, no matter how many times his eyes scanned the enemies in front of him.

That was because…he hadn’t seen Dongfang Ming appear even once!

The time he took to get to find Heavenfire after running from the barrier room hadn’t been long. He had expected Dongfang Ming to enter the battle by that time, but to his surprise he had yet to see Dongfang Ming anywhere!

Given Dongfang Ming’s lack of appearance on the battlefield, Zi Jin desperately wanted to retreat from the battlefield to find him, but he couldn’t. He also didn’t have the time to warn the others of the situation, so the longer Dongfang Ming didn’t appear on the battlefield, the more concerned he became...

Now that Dongfang Ming had destroyed the barrier, it would’ve made sense for him to appear on the battlefield to fight the others. If he wasn’t here, then where else would he be? Finding hostages to use? Or was he trying to do something else deeper in the school?

The thought of either cases being true gnawed at Zi Jin’s heart throughout the entirety of his battle. 

Then suddenly…he felt something. Something from his…soul armament!

Heavenfire’s ability to strengthen all allied soul armaments had suddenly been hampered!

He swung his head toward the eastern peak in a panic—over there, he watched as a figure float up into the sky toward the battlefield!

Dongfang Ming!!

Several other people noticed the change in their soul armaments as well. Those from the Crafting School were especially aware of the changes!

Huo Zhenting and the others from the Wind Lightning School and Soul Refining School were pleasantly surprised; Heavenfire was...being suppressed!

The entire battlefield came to an abrupt stop at that. Then…the crafters began to retreat at once!

Being more sensitive to the changes of their soul armaments, the crafters were immediately made aware of the danger they were in and chose to retreat.

The tides were now extremely unpredictable on which way they would flow. Though the crafters retreated, the Wind Lightning School and Soul Refining School were hesitant to give chase. The appearance of Dongfang Ming only made them less willing to press on and chose to instead stay away.

Not even Lin Dongxiao looked like he was planning to attack the crafters. Huo Zhenting and Qi Ning both glanced at one another in recognition that they wouldn’t attack and had the others pull back. Dongfang Ming was the ‘initiator’ of the plans, so not even Huo Zhengting dared to belittle him.

It was an especially strange sight to see the battle come to an abrupt stop like this. Everyone had parted ways so that Dongfang Ming could stand in the middle of both sides.

“Who’s that?!”

Some people from the Crafting School asked one another.

“It’s…it’s Dongfang Ming!!”

Someone from the school noted at last!

“Little Rui!!”

Everyone else recognized Dongfang Ming at once, but there was one person in particular that was shocked to see someone else there, Huangfu Nan. He could see Huangfu Rui with Dongfang Ming!

Everyone else began to take notice of Huangfu Rui now too. Some went deathly pale in the face as if the gravity of the situation had finally kicked in.

Huangfu Nan flew at Dongfang Ming at once to take Huangfu Rui away from him. But when Dongfang Ming placed a hand on her head… 

He dared not move even an inch forward.

No one moved a muscle as they watched Dongfang Ming fly higher up to them. Soon, Dongfang Ming was at eye-level with everyone of the crafters.

It was with great fury that everyone glared at Dongfang Ming. How could a Soul Emperor use a small one as a hostage?!

“Dongfang Ming! What is this?! Unhand my daughter!!” Roared Huangfu Nan with angered panic.

“What is this? Haha…Huangfu Nan, your question is quite silly…” A pleased twinkle entered Dongfang Ming’s eyes. “What this is, is revenge, naturally.”

“That has nothing to do with her, release her!!”

“Nothing to do with her? I fail to see it. She is yours and Cang Yu’s daughter. Don’t you think she plays a very huge part in this?” Dongfang Ming replied.

“You!” Huangfu Nan howled, “Dongfang Ming! You failed to respond to Cang Yu’s feelings when you fell to insanity! If…if you hate me for stealing her away, then fight me! Don’t harm my daughter!”

“Fight you?” Dongfang Ming smiled, “Very well then, come here then.”

“Fine! I’ll do as you say, just don’t you hurt my daughter!!”

Then Huangfu Nan flew without hesitation toward Dongfang Ming.

“Boom!!”

When he was just a hundred meters away from Dongfang Ming, Huangfu Nan was struck down by a bolt of dark-red light!

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