~~~

Cloudburst City trembles at irregular intervals, making the soldiers there even more nervous than they usually are. They stand around and fidget, adjusting their armors and polishing their weapons, flinching whenever a new tremor hits the city. The phenomenon is not caused by any sort of seismic activity. It is not even the result of all the fighting happening at the border.

No, it is all because of Xiao Nan.

He sits in the center of Cloudburst Arena. His face is set in a deep frown, and his body is doing its best approximation of a statue. Nevertheless, his Qi does not stop moving. His anxious aura grows and lashes out with enough power to make the entire arena tremble. Considering his level of cultivation, he is showing remarkable restraint.

“I should be out there,” he says.

“That is a very stupid thing to say.”

Xiao Nan looks to the side and glares at the Duke. Unlike him, the man is completely calm. Contrary to most expectations, time in Cloudstorm City has done him some good. He has cleaned himself and shaved, and his tattered robes have been traded for new ones. He finally looks like the noble he claims to be instead of just a crazy old man wandering the Dead Plains.

“My cousin just left this country!” Xiao Nan says. His Qi spikes dangerously. “Now, fights are happening all over the border! This is an invasion!”

The Duke resists the urge to sigh.

There is, unfortunately, such a thing as being too talented. The young man in front of him is living proof of it. Xiao Nan sees and senses too much. Most Renegades would be too distracted by their internal struggles to notice what is happening to this country, but Xiao Nan has not missed a single thing. His awareness is too polished, and tonight's attack has added another strong distractor.

“For the past two years, you have repeatedly claimed I should trust that child,” the Duke says, crossing his arms. “This attack is something he expected. If you trust him as much as you claim, you would realize that there is no need for us to do anything. Interrupting your own cultivation will give you momentary satisfaction, but will ultimately hinder all our goals.”

“I know!” Xiao Nan hisses. “I am not an idiot!”

And yet, he still needs to be told not to act like one. Youth is such an interesting malady.

“If you understand then-”

The Duke stops talking. They both do. The twin explosions of Qi are felt all over the country.

“Emperor!” Xiao Nan says in a low voice. Every single one of his muscles is coiled tight, as if he were an instant away from leaping into action.

“Don’t even think about it,” the Duke says, immediately putting himself in Xiao Nan’s way.

“This changes things!” Xiao Nan shouts.

“Yes,” the Duke says. “Yes, it does.”

~~~

Two Emperors stand under the storm.

General Nie Dan is an imposing man clad in black-and-gold armor. He has short black hair hidden by his helmet and long, prominent sideburns. A thin scar runs from his forehead all the way to his chin. The heavy spear in his hand is taller than his considerable height, but it does not touch the ground as he walks past Bei Hong and Serene End. His blue eyes are fixed on the invading Emperor from the Temple of the Thousand Shadows.

He is an old man with a short beard and a bald head that is hidden under a small hat. He has a soft face, and his flowing blue robes are decorated with golden clouds and sparrows. The man seems content to float in the sky with his hands folded behind his back.

He is in the Seventh Level of the Emperor Realm.

Nie Dan’s frowns grow deeper. The old man is exactly one level above him. That’s a little too convenient to be a mere coincidence, and the same can be said for the timing of this event. Had this invasion happened just a few days later, this man would have had to deal with Lady Meng Yue, and he would have immediately died at her hands.

Even on the other side, an Emperor who can defeat Lady Meng Yue should not be easy to find, and those who can should be a commodity too precious to be risked. To ensure success, they would have had to send a Divinity, which would have risked a collision with other Divinities. Furthermore, Lady Meng Yue’s death would have drawn the ire of the Great Mother of the Divine Frozen Palace, a woman whose bloodline is part of the One Hundred and Eight.

However, Lady Meng Yue is not here.

In other words, this man was sent here to kill him. He was sent to crush their morale by showing them that the Temple of the Thousand Shadows can kill the Storm Dragon Empire’s strongest in a single night.

“General Nie Dan of the Storm Dragon Empire,” the old man says. His voice is soft, yet it is still easily heard over the storm. “I am the Shadow of Dawn. I have heard much about you.”

“I have not heard of you at all,” Nie Dan replies.

The Shadow of Dawn does not react. It’s a pity. Nie Dan would rather face someone who is easily angered. Those types of people are easier to kill.

“The Death Fashioning Scripture was a blight on your country for a long time,” Shadow of Dawn says. “Why are you now defending one of its disciples?”

He feels the flinch of the woman behind him. Unlike previous times, where she acted through disposable bodies, her real self is probably somewhere among the many horse-like abominations. It would not take him long to find her and kill her.

But that’s not what he has been ordered to do.

“I am doing as I have been commanded,” Nie Dan says. “I will not take criticism from someone starting a war with us.”

“I speak common sense,” Shadow of Dawn says. “The Death Fashioning Scripture did much wrong to your country, yet the boy who sits on the throne knows the arts of one of their greatest masters. By putting yourself in front of me, you defend him and allow those who pilfered your country to benefit. Remove him, and the Temple of the Thousand Shadows will have no conflict with this country. This will all be over.”

Nie Dan does not answer right away.

Even before being told about it by His Majesty, he had not missed the similarities between the arts of the Death Fashioning Scripture and those of the young Emperor. However, those are the same arts his father used. Thus, the root remains the same.

That is all he needs to know.

“I serve one master, and no one else,” Nie Dan says, pointing his weapon at Shadow of Dawn. “Earth and Heaven will switch places before my loyalty falters. Save your breath and try to end mine if you dare.”

Shadow of Dawn sighs.

“What a pity it is to kill a man like you.”

The old man’s Qi spikes. His body bulges grotesquely, breaking his elegant robes as he more than triples in size. His skin turns black like coal, and a mane of white hair grows from his head, knocking off his hat while two golden horns break through his forehead. His kindly appearance twists into that of a monster with deadly fangs and eyes like pools of molten gold.

[Attack]

In a moment that is almost too short to measure, the two Emperors meet in the air and collide with such force that nearly everyone in the Storm Dragon Empire wakes up. Those who are not knocked out of their beds by the sudden earthquake that rocks the entire country still feel the clash of Qi that spreads throughout the land.

Nie Dan and Shadow of Dawn’s auras clash as they rise higher into the air. The general keeps his face blank as he feels the army retreating behind him, including the woman from the Death Fashioning Scripture. It’s for the best. If anything, he wishes they could all run a little faster. He would hate to accidentally kill one of his men due to collateral damage.

This battle is not one in which he can afford to hold back.

His spear slams into Shadow of Dawn’s side, but the old man’s skin is tougher than any metal. The black ogre’s fist glows with eerie light.

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[Eightfold Proclamation]

[Block]

Nie Dan grits his teeth as he blocks the fist with the shaft of his spear. It quivers under the force of the attack, threatening to break. However, Nie Dan’s resolute Qi will not allow it. He is immovable and unshakable, the Emperor’s mightiest defender.

[Push]

Roaring, Nie Dan knocks back Shadow of Dawn over a hundred yards away. However, the black ogre does not look bothered. He floats lazily in the air, his golden eyes examining him with far too much calm.

“You should understand that you are in the wrong,” Shadow of Dawn says. It feels weird hearing the kindly voice of the old man coming from such a monstrous creature. “I do not believe your Emperor has hidden the stakes involved from you. If the Death Fashioning Scripture prevails, they will swallow everything and ruin everything. We merely seek to prevent that. We merely seek to stop them. Our path and resolve are right.”

Nie Dan frowns as he feels something settling over the area. Those words were not spoken to change his mind. The old man has already realized that will not happen. Instead, he spoke to strengthen his Dao by introducing a truth to the world.

Duty? Propriety?

No, there is no point in distracting himself.

“I am a weapon,” Nie Dan says. “You do not argue with a weapon. You do not attempt to reason with it. Why does the axe fall? Because its master wills it.”

[Charge]

Another shockwave rocks the land below them. Nie Dan accelerates towards Shadow of Dawn, but the black ogre catches the spear between his hands before the blade can reach him. Nie Dan’s Qi burns fiercely, illuminating the night’s sky as he pushes back Shadow of Dawn several miles up into the sky.

“By making yourself a weapon, you have discarded your will. You have no right or wrong. No understanding. No vision. No judgment. Only orders to be followed. That’s not enough to stand before this old man.”

[Eightfold Denunciation]

Arms of Qi sprout behind the black ogre and slam into Nie Dan. The first hit clears out the thunder clouds. The second hit knocks the spear out of Nie Dan’s hands. The third sends General Nie Dan crashing into the ground with such force that another earthquake rocks the surrounding countries and creates a crater several miles deep. The remaining sixty-one make it deeper. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

[Stand]

General Nie Dan rises. The black and gold armor worn by the Heavenly Generals is made of Dragon Scale Metal and Tearful Gold, some of the hardest materials available. Even so, there are now multiple dents on it. The old man’s Dao is strong, but not stronger than his. There is something else at play. Something far simpler.

One mere level of cultivation.

Battles of high-level cultivators are battles of Dao, but if the Dao involved are equally polished, the decisive factor becomes something else. How much power can a cultivator use in every attack? How long before a cultivator tires? Different questions, yet they all point to the same thing. Pure, raw power.

Unfortunately, the old man has more.

“You damnable bore! There is a fight to be had, and you waste time thinking?! Why are you even alive?!”

“Patience. Every man has a system. Even a beast should understand that. But yes, he is quite a bore.”

“Dead people should stay dead,” Nie Dan mutters as he flies into the skies once more.

Shadow of Dawn waits for him there. It is not a sign of overconfidence. The old man has been building up his power. His aura brims with energy, waiting to be unleashed. Any attack Nie Dan tries will be countered by a greater output.

[Burn]

Nie Dan has the pleasure of seeing the shock in Shadow of Dawn’s golden eyes as his Qi suddenly flares up with even greater strength than before. Brilliant flames shine around the general’s body, burning the air and lighting up the sky. In many parts of the country, people see the night suddenly turn to day.

[Fierce God Raging Charge]

The sun that Nie Dan has become slams into the black ogre. Eyes full of molten gold glare at him.

“Have you lost your mind!?” Shadow of Dawn yells at him, gritting his teeth as his Qi arms try to hold him back and are burned by his flames. “You will burn yourself to death!”

Nie Dan grins.

If his cultivation is inferior, he simply needs to force his body past all its limits in order to surpass the old man’s output. His body will only last a few seconds like this, but if he cannot win in this state, then he never had a chance anyway. Thus, it does not matter that his body screams, that his blood is on fire, that his meridians threaten to break, or that his dantian are only in a slightly better state.

[Enjoy]

His soul strikes true.

[Eightfold Denunciation]

[Fierce God Raging Strike]

Light and dark war in the air, shaking the entire country underneath them. Day turns to night, and night turns to day. Nie Dan hits the dark ogre with such strength that his fists break, are mended, and once again strike. Defense is no longer a concern. His flesh and soul endure the attacks that seek to end him even as his armor cracks and breaks. The fires of his soul melt the pieces before they can fall.

“Fool!” Shadow of Dawn yells as he maintains his relentless attack. The ogre’s Qi arms are burned away as they keep pounding Nie Dan’s body and soul. His hair burns, and one of his fangs is broken. His skin is melting just from being near Nie Dan, but that’s not the worst of it. His very soul is being damaged by Nie Dan’s fists. Even so, Shadow of Dawn refuses to stop. “You will kill yourself before you kill me! Do you truly have no will?!”

Nie Dan laughs, and fire comes from his mouth. There is so much around him that it completely covers his flesh. Instead of a human, he looks more like a fiery demon clad in armor.

“Do you understand nothing?” Nie Dan shouts as he feels one of his dantian shuddering. It's the price for forcing so much power through his body. “A weapon has already entrusted its will! Fulfilling my master’s command is the truth proof of my own!”

[Begone - Fierce God Raging Tribulation]

[Eightfold Condemnation]

The two attacks slam into each other and explode several miles up in the sky, creating an orb of black and white energy that destroys all its touches. Despite both fighters doing their best to concentrate their energy as closely as possible so their foe can take the full brunt of it, the orb of annihilation expands for miles. Nearly a full minute passes before it fades away.

Two Emperors fall and crash into the ground. Their bodies are blackened and burned.

Even so, Shadow of Dawn stands. His size has decreased significantly, yet he remains in his monstrous form.

“Fool,” he says, looking down at General Nie Dan. “I will praise your resolve, yet lament that you chose to place it on the wrong thing.”

As he is about to deliver the finishing blow, a chain of golden lightning wraps around his wrist.

“No, his resolve was undoubtedly in the proper place.”

Shadow of Dawn turns. An aged man in fine robes has appeared on the battlefield. His aura glows with force around his body.

Renegade Realm, Level Nine.

“You believe a Renegade has a right to stand in front of me?” Shadow of Dawn asks. His body swells back to its previous size. The chain of lightning is broken with a flick of his wrist. “I do not know who you are, but I ask that you retreat.”

“I am nothing but a nameless Duke,” the Duke says. “However, that is all the reason I need to stand here.”

“If you claim to be a noble, you should realize this is what’s best for your country,” Shadow of Dawn says. “Removing your Emperor is the only safe path.”

“Perhaps what you say is right,” the Duke admits, surprising the black ogre. “Yet, you have declared war on this land, you have killed our soldiers and wounded our general. You have spat on the sovereignty of this nation and its founders. Do you believe I will simply let you get away with that?! State as many reasons as you want! This is my country! These are my people! I am here to deliver punishment for your arrogance!”

The Duke takes a step, and the world tilts.

The last breakthrough of the Renegade Realm is the quietest. Before that step stands a man like any other, wracked and tormented by all his inadequacies. Most stay like that. They cannot see themselves. They cannot accept themselves. However, the one who faces all of that and still marches on becomes something more.

After that step, there stands an Emperor.

“Admirable,” Shadow of Dawn says, “but pointless. You are a newborn Emperor. The difference between us is over half a realm. You are as threatening to me as when you were a Renegade. Not at all.”

“Maybe that was true a minute ago,” the Duke says. “But there is a reason why I waited until now to show myself. You and the General have tired yourselves out. Do you really think you can pretend to be superior?”

Shadow of Dawn frowns. There is some truth to the Duke’s words. His battle against General Nie Dan has left him far more wounded than he ever expected. He will need a long time to get back to full strength.

He needs to end this quickly.

[Eightfold Proclamation]

Shadow of Dawn speeds towards the Duke. He fully expects his foe to block the attack or counter with his own. That moment will be all that he needs to unleash his remaining power on the Duke and end him.

Thus, Shadow of Dawn is caught by surprise when the Duke simply takes his attack head-on. His arm goes right through the Duke’s chest without finding any resistance. The Duke did not even bother strengthening his body with Qi.

“What is the meaning of-Argh!”

He screams as golden lightning rages around the Duke. The man wraps his arms around him, and lightning turns into chains that bind Shadow of Dawn’s hands and feet, locking him in place. Arms of Qi grow from the black ogre, but the lightning catches those as well. Throughout it all, fierce golden lightning keeps raging around the Duke’s body, keeping Shadow of Dawn stunned.

“Is killing yourselves all that you have been taught to do in this country?!” Shadow of Dawn roars, struggling to break free, but it’s no use. For every chain he breaks, two more take its place. “Keeping me in place will not grant you victory!”

“I do not need to defeat you,” the Duke says. “I only need to keep you in place for him.”

What?

No.

Lightning ravages his body. Even so, Shadow of Dawn suddenly feels cold. He does not need to see it. He feels it. A man who should not be standing is standing. Qi that should be extinguished burns. A soul that should be broken shines. Fire rises and takes the form of a raging demon that can be seen from a mile away. Its large axe is raised high.

How can a man muster such resolve?

~~~

“General?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Win.”

~~~

The axe falls.

[Fierce God Raging Triumph]

Beyond sound. Beyond light. Beyond space. The strike of the executioner's axe is perfect beyond definition. Two halves of a blackened corpse fall. The Duke remains standing, wondering how he is even alive.

Nie Dan is victorious.

“Mission accomplished, Your Majesty.”

The first night of the war ends.

~~~