Lei Bao Yu and Bu Kuang Feng's faces burned red as they scrambled to their feet. The dust clung stubbornly to their dark robes, and fine gravel slid from their sleeves as they straightened themselves with forced dignity.
The two world-shaking swordsmen who were once feared across the continent now looked like schoolboys who had been dragged out of hiding by a teacher.
Their hands trembled, not visibly, but enough for those watching closely to notice.
For a fleeting second, killing intent flashed in their eyes. Pride screamed at them to draw their swords, to reclaim their honor with blood.
Yet reason crushed that impulse instantly.
A man who could tear open the void with a casual gesture… A man who could pluck two Great Masters level experts from miles away as if grabbing chickens by the neck…
That was not someone they could afford to offend.
They coughed lightly, masking their embarrassment.
The two men composed themselves and stepped forward in unison, cupping their hands respectfully.
"May we know this senior's name…?" Lei Bao Yu asked cautiously, lowering his head slightly. "We apologize if we were rude and offended Sire in any way."
The hooded man let out a low chuckle.
It was not loud, but it echoed strangely in the air, as though the sound itself carried weight.
He waved his hand dismissively and said lazily. "Forget it, the two of you are not worthy enough to know my name."
The words landed like slaps.
Lei Bao Yu and Bu Kuang Feng's expressions froze. For a moment, they truly looked as though they had swallowed something foul. Their jaws tightened, and veins pulsed faintly at their temples as rage boiled beneath the surface.
Yet neither dared move.
Because beneath that mockery, they could feel an unfathomable depth from this person.
No aura was deliberately released, yet the space around the hooded figure felt heavy, distorted like the eye of an invisible storm.
They could not see through him, not even a trace.
And that was the most terrifying part.
The silence lingered awkwardly in the surroundings.
Then, the hooded man suddenly laughed lightly as though the previous humiliation had been nothing more than a passing joke.
"It is finally beginning," He said, turning his gaze toward the distant battlefield where banners fluttered and armies shifted into formation. "Now… let's enjoy the first match."
Lei Bao Yu blinked, and Bu Kuang Feng frowned.
The abrupt shift in tone left them momentarily dumbfounded.
Lei Bao Yu cleared his throat carefully. "Senior… how will this fight proceed? And how will the victor be decided?"
The hooded figure slapped his thigh lightly.
"Ah!" He exclaimed. "Thanks for reminding me. I almost forgot about that."
He even sounded slightly embarrassed.
Several of the Great Masters exchanged strange looks.
Forgot?
How could someone who tore apart space forget the rules of a war?
The hooded man straightened slightly.
"We'll have three battles to decide the winner," He said calmly. "The legions arranged in battle formations will fight the first battle. The second battle will take place between the leaders of the groups. And the third and decisive battle will be between the apex experts."
His tone was casual, as though describing a friendly tournament.
"The Xuan Beasts will return to Tian Fa if you win," He continued. "And they will never emerge from there again."
"But…"
He paused for a moment, and the single word caused several hearts to tighten.
"I have two conditions if you lose."
The wind seemed to still.
"First," He said lightly, "no Xuan expert will be allowed to enter Tian Fa if we win. Tian Fa will take ten-thousand lives from the mainland even if one of them enters... Take twenty thousand if two enter. And annihilate their families to the ninth generation as compensation."
The words were delivered evenly without anger and excitement, as though he were reciting weather conditions.
A chill ran through the gathered experts.
"And second…" His head tilted slightly toward Li Jue Tian. "I will personally break the three legs of Li Jue Tian's son. This war was started because of him, so let it end with him as well."
Li Jue Tian's face turned purple, and for a split second, his heart felt as though it stopped.
His only son was born when he was already past eighty years of age.
He was his pride and his bloodline.
Now someone stood before him and calmly declared he would cripple the boy, destroying not only his limbs, but the continuation of his family line.
"You—!" Li Jue Tian's chest heaved violently as veins bulged across his forehead.
The hooded man did not even look at him.
"Sire, this is unfair!" Bu Kuang Feng suddenly sneered, forcing steadiness into his voice. "You only need to retreat if you lose. But we must adhere to two harsh conditions if we fail. Don't you think that is too much, Sire?"
The hooded figure turned slowly, and the air shifted.
"Too much?" He repeated softly, and a faint chuckle followed.
The hooded man did not become angry; instead, he laughed.
It was not a loud, roaring laugh. It was deep, rich, and terrifyingly carefree.
"So," He said lazily, "you think it's unfair?"
His head tilted slightly, as though he had just heard something amusing from a child.
"Then I just need to kill all the experts present here," He continued lightly, "and take the life of this old bastard's son. Do you brats think that you can… actually stop me, huh?"
The final word fell softly, but the moment it did, the sky seemed to collapse.
BOOM!
A pressure descended without warning.
The air thickened into something solid, and the space trembled violently. The ground cracked beneath their feet with sharp snapping sounds as if invisible mountains had been placed upon their shoulders.
Ka!... ka!... ka!...
Li Jue Tian's pupils shrank, and Shi Chang Xiao's breathing stopped.
Thud!
Lei Wu Bei's knees buckled first. He crashed onto one knee, blood instantly rushing to his throat.
The other Great Masters lasted only a heartbeat longer; one by one, they were forced down by sheer presence.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their bones groaned, and their meridians screamed as the blood surged wildly within their chests until all of them coughed up mouthfuls of fresh blood simultaneously.
"Puah!"
Even Lei Bao Yu and Bu Kuang Feng were no exception. They knelt hard against the ground, palms trembling as red stains spread across the dust beneath them, their eyes shook violently in shock and fear.
This was not something they could resist.
It felt like standing before the ocean during a storm.
Bu Kuang Feng's earlier sneer had long disappeared. His face turned as pale as paper, and his heart pounded wildly.
'What did I just provoke…?'
Regret struck him like lightning.
He had thought that this man was powerful, but this was beyond the concept of the Great Master.
Li Jue Tian struggled to raise his head, veins bulging on his forehead. His pride screamed in humiliation, but his body refused to obey him. His knees pressed deeper into the shattered ground.
The hooded figure stood calmly at the center of it all.
He had not moved, let alone lifted a hand.
The pressure simply radiated from him like a natural law.
For a few long breaths, no one dared speak.
And then, the pressure vanished just like that, as if it had never existed.
The air rushed back violently, and several of the experts gasped, sucking in breath greedily like drowning men pulled from deep water.
The hooded man snorted softly.
"If I wanted to," He said calmly, "I could have slaughtered the entire Xue Hun Manor and killed the trash born from the brat surnamed Li."
His voice was flat as a matter of fact.
"But," He added lazily, "I feel that it is beneath me to put my hands on that brat."
His gaze flicked briefly toward Li Teng Yun.
The young man's face had turned deathly pale. His legs trembled uncontrollably as sweat dripped down his back despite the cool wind.
"So," The hooded man continued, "I decided to give him a chance."
A faint smile curved beneath the shadow of the hood.
"Be grateful for that."
Li Jue Tian's chest rose and fell violently. The blood still stained the corner of his mouth, yet he did not dare retort.
He had realized that this man truly could kill them all right here and now, and no one present would be able to stop him.
Lei Bao Yu lowered his head even further. The arrogance from earlier had completely vanished. His voice trembled slightly when he finally spoke.
"We… understand."
Bu Kuang Feng did not even dare lift his eyes.
"That's better." The hooded figure gave a small chuckle. He turned his gaze back toward the battlefield, where banners waved, and the first movements of the legions had begun.
"Now," He said lightly, almost cheerfully, "let's watch the first match."
As though what had just happened was nothing more than a brief interruption.