"Damn It, damn it.... Ah, cursed world…"
Sat on a rock on top of a mountain, elder Na Fengxia of the Divine Storm Sect was mumbling nervously, biting his thumb. It now had been four days since the end of the international contest, and an entire week since his great-aunt, the Nascent Soul grand elder Na Longtiao, had disappeared without any trace.
"Damnation… Aunty, please, be alive"
Originally, the Na Longtiao had been sent with two goals: killing Yaoling's genius Hanliang during the third round, and assisting her great-nephew in scheming Baotian's death in the first, as much as possible without interfering in the kings' spirit contract. However, she had never arrived and, by now, the chances of her being dead or captive had increased to a point that made Na Fengxia's heart ache:
"Aunty, after my parents' death, you were the only one who believed in me" he spoke out loud, as if she was right there. "I only managed to attain the Core Formation realm thanks to you, and I only faced the tribulation so you would be proud of me. Please, aunt, be alive"
Sighing, he got up and began descending from the mountain. In the first place, he had gotten on top to see a potential surprise attack coming more easily, and get a defendable position while he was resting, but now was the time to resume his travel and go back to the sect to report.
But just as he was halfway down, he suddenly felt something approaching at large speed through his spiritual sense. As his back was pressed against the mountain, rather than dodging, he coated his hand in spiritual energy and grabbed the projectile right before it reached his eyes: it was a blood arrow.
"This… !"
His eyes widened, and he clearly understood what was likely happening: Zhang Baotian had somehow uncovered his scheme to cause his death during the first round, and had come for revenge!
"Tssk, this little brat, thinking he can threaten this senior while being an entire realm beneath" he laughed loudly, so his enemies would be able to hear. "Courting death!"
However, under his bravado, he was actually nervous: he knew that Baotian was collaborating with Bai Zisheng and, while he was confident in victory against a Qi Building brat even with a hand tied in his back, he realized too well just how monstrous the older demonic cultivator was, barely a step below the six geniuses.
That said, the contract they had signed was also preventing them from taking any action, direct or not, against each other for a short period of time afterwards. Since Baotian had technically been schemed on by him earlier, making it legitimate defense, and attacking a cultivator of higher level was a lesser breach in the contract, the young blood demonic cultivator would probably not suffer any backlash.
Things would be different for Bai Zisheng though, who had no justification and had signed a more solid contract, especially preventing attacks on cultivators of lower or equal levels. Most likely, he wouldn't play any significant role in the attack. Even then…
'I cannot take the risk' Na Fengxia decided. 'If there is even a chance that he is there, then I must escape!'
He began flying in the opposite direction, using his Core Formation speed. However…
"Wha-"
A blood arrow once again flew towards him, this time from the other direction, the one he was facing.
"Ahh?"
Quickly using a wind spell, he deviated the arrow just enough so that it would miss him. But barely had he done that, two more ones entered his range of perception, one on his right and another on his left. He caught the former with his left hand, but the recoil stopped him from stopping the second one properly, two of his fingers being severed as a result. He focused his spiritual energy on his hand, quickly regenerating but, in the meantime, another projectile had been fired at him.
"Damnation, stop this!" he shouted, deviating it with a wind spell.
But, taking advantage of the distraction, another individual raised from the trees below, from right under Na Fengxia, clad in a mud-and-blood armor. It was none other than Baotian, using the Shooting Blood Dancing Armor to approach!
Seeing him, Na Fengxia did not hesitate, barely finishing to regenerate his hand before engaging into close combat with him. While he did not have any physical specialization, he was nonetheless a Core Formation cultivator, making his physical prowess similar to the Ye Mu whom Baotian fought in the contest. And so, despite the surprise attack, the fight was relatively equal, with neither of them gaining the upper hand.
Baotian's punch was countered by the the elder's forearm, who counter-attacked with a kick, that Baotian countered by creating a blood axe, deflecting with the flat of the blade before aiming at the elder's thigh. The latter, to avoid being injured, decided to engage in a wrestling battle instead, grappling with the demonic cultivator. The two grabbed at each other, beating one another relentlessly.
Baotian had stronger defense and harder punch thanks to the armor around his fists and body, Na Fengxia had better regeneration and physical strength, putting them at a stalemate. But there was another reason for which the wind cultivator had chosen a physical brawl: since all they had to do was pummeling each other, he could report most of his attention elsewhere, watching over the surroundings.
'Hmm, if Bai Zisheng had truly joined the ambush, wouldn't he have already attacked by now?'
Currently, he was 'struggling' with Baotian, it was the very best moment to strike him in the back and severely harm him. Yet nobody was making a move against him.
'Alright, that's enough'
Just as he was about to make a move to put distance between them…
"Senior Bai, now!" Baotian shouted, looking slightly to the right, his body showing signs of uncertainty, as if he wasn't sure someone would actually do it.
As if the person he was asking to was not trustworthy, either because of their shady nature, or because of some restriction… Na Fengxia, believing in his own deduction, immediately followed Baotian's gaze, ready to block…
… only to find nothing?
"Damn brat!" he shouted, quickly turning back around.
Baotian, taking advantage of this moment, had used his trump card: pre-installed formations! This was how he had fired the projectiles from different directions in the first place and, now, three of these launched toward the Core Formation elder at the exact same time. The latter managed to block all those at the same time using a special move, but couldn't deflect Baotian's blood axe in time, which tore into his chest-
"Wind Weightless Escape"
-but was not able to reach the Core as, at a speed faster than sound itself, his enemy disappeared and reappear a hundred feet away, panting as he held his chest, the injury already starting to close.
"Ahh, it was a good attempt, brat" he said, his eyes full of hate.
"Yes, it's a really simple trick" Baotian replied with a smug grin, his armor covered in numerous cracks. "If one tries to fool someone by plainly lying, they'll likely not fall for it, but if you add subtle clues just obvious enough for the victim to deduce what you want them to, they will much more often fall for it as they will trust their 'own' deductions. I hope I could teach senior an interesting trick today"
Na Fengxia gritted his teeth even more. Was… was that brat trying to teach him a lesson!?
No, more than that, did a brat an entire realm beneath himself just manage to almost end his life!?
At the thought of this, he couldn't help but wonder: was that what happened to his great-aunt? Had she been ambushed with a similarly elaborated plan, taken out like this? If he had been killed right now, would someone have ever learned what had happened to him or found his body?
Such a thought made him furious, more than he ever had, and he reported his wrath on Baotian
"Yes, this senior has benefited very much from your teachings" he said, almost vomiting blood out of sheer anger. "You can die happy, now!"
With bloodshot eyes, in a few seconds, he hurled dozens of spells at Baotian, and flew after him when he saw him trying to escape with the Golden Owl Bow.
"Don't even think about running away, filthy demonic brat! In one year will be the anniversary of your death!"
Baotian, seeing him rush after him with his face contorted in anger, felt his own face contort disgracefully. He had anticipated that the Divine Storm Sect elder would chase him after realizing Bai Zisheng was not there, and had even made it a part of his plan. Even then, wasn't that a bit too much!?
'Of course, the heavens couldn't let my luck last!' he complained internally.
What even were heavens? The sky? The higher part of the stratosphere? Something above that? Some kind of control freak-ish entity that thought it funny to assign everybody with such random amounts of fortune?
'Either way, fuck you, heavens!' Baotian thought, accelerating as much as he could.
His first layer of blood armor finished breaking, and the second rapidly showed numerous cracks, making him panic a bit: this was much faster than he thought!
At this rate, he would actually be the one to die!