310 - 316

Chapter 310 - Confrontation

"Huh? Is there something else you want to say? Time is of the essence here. Everyone is ready for an attack." Xiao Feng asked as he reminded what was their current situation. Xuefeng already gave Tang Family enough time to prepare with his speech so they had to act quickly

Xuefeng smiled and glanced at Pio as he said while looking at the silver-haired man's eyes, "It won't take long. I just have a message to Pio about something."

Xiao Feng frowned a bit but he didn't do anything to stop him which quietly signalled his agreement. He knew Xuefeng would have some problems with Pio after what Tianshi had been through so he could only watch for now. Pio was just a bodyguard for him so he didn't actually care what happens with him.

Pio looked indifferently at Xuefeng when he heard his name being mentioned and Xuefeng didn't spare him, calling out loud enough for everyone to hear him as he glared at him, "From today onwards, you are no longer Princess Tianshi's bodyguard." Those words didn't move Pio but it definitely moved the cultivators around them as they frowned, seeing such a powerful cultivator fired.

They have been fighting by Pio's side for a while today and they could see that he was a great fighter. Before they started to question, however, Xuefeng explained his decision to everyone so they wouldn't blame him, "Pio was supposed to protect Princess Tianshi but instead of doing that, he sent her away with the help of her Escape Talisman. Not only was she not safe but she got caught by Tang Family Cultivators who were waiting for her outside the Capital. She almost died as she used everything to escape them, but look at you, all fine and full of smiles as if nothing happened, acting like a hero."

Every Cultivator momentarily changed sides as they asked under their breaths, trying to understand the situation better, "Ah? Young Princess got caught? She is hurt?" Obviously, they all thought that Tianshi got out safely so they didn't worry and even praised Pio for his quick brains not long ago. Only then did they understand that Pio could actually save their Princess just like he saved the Princess' maid.

What pissed many off was Pio's attitude, not even looking as if he cared about their Princess' wellbeing, his face not changing expression at all. What convinced the rest was his text which he said to their future master.

Grrrrr…

Lulu growled at Pio when they saw him shrug and slowly walk away as he said indifferently, "I guess I am not needed anymore then. Good luck in the battle." After those words, not only Xuefeng and all other cultivators were mad but Xiao Feng also started losing patience.

"Fuck, to think I respected him. Not only did he fail to protect Princess but he didn't even care when he heard the news. Damn him!" One of the Sage Cultivators closer to Pio cursed at him, saying the words which represented almost everyone's thoughts. Naturally, Xuefeng did much more than just use his words.

His arm already moved as the black flames blasted at the ground in front of Pio, forcing him to stop advancing. Even Xiao Feng and Xiao Wen wanted to act to stop Pio but seeing Xuefeng in action, they let him do the honours.

When Yi saw the two were about to fight, she immediately had thoughts to stop them, but she quickly realised, it was her fault from the beginning. If Pio didn't save her and only focused on the most important person there, Tianshi wouldn't be hurt afterwards. Naturally, she wanted to survive herself, but there was still this slight bit of guilt in her.

As she took time thinking through this, Xuefeng already called out coldly to Pio, his Black Flames Slayer aimed at him just in case he tried to escape again, "Your actions almost cost the life of the person you were supposed to protect. If you don't give me a sufficient explanation, I will only let you go if you leave your head behind."

Everyone sucked in cold air, knowing the situation got really intense and Yi finally reacted as she ran up to Xuefeng and pleaded, "Young Master—" Unfortunately, Xuefeng wasn't in the forgiving mood, stopping her right away as he said calmly, "Yi, don't involve yourself in this." He knew what she wanted to say but that would only make things worse for him.

At that moment, Pio finally showed some change in his expression. It wasn't a scared or angry reaction but rather a simple smile as his hand reached out towards his forehead. He pulled out the star that was situated gently in the middle of it and finally asked with a smirk, "So you are saying that I should have just left the others to die? The beauty next to you would be dead if I didn't act."

Chapter 311 - Holy Mission

The golden-robed youth didn't like how the situation was progressing so he quickly tried to interfere, "Milady… We can't let them fight. Pio has a rare, top ten Star Shaping ability. We need his spirit to open the Fate Kingdom. This Xuefeng seems to have some powerful spirit as well. If he also happens to have one of the top ten, which has a very high chance of being true, we would only need the last three before starting our operation. Both of them should be safe else another tens of years awaits us."

Unfortunately, his Milady was supporting Xuefeng and Pio's fight more than he thought she would as the lady asked with a smile, "I know, but you think I, Liena, can't stop them before anything critical happens? We have still yet to confirm for certain that Ling is his Spirit, right? We need to see him in a battle to know more about him. If we don't have any information about him, it will harder to rope him in."

"Alright, Milady. I will assist you with anything you decide." The golden-robed youth didn't argue at all and accepted her decision but then asked worriedly, "Milady, what if they create an enmity against each other that will make them not willing to cooperate in the future? Without them, our ultimate dream can't be fulfilled."

Liena shrugged as she thought out loud, "Pio is settled so I only need to convince Xuefeng to join us. As long as we provide Pio with enough benefits, he will do what we want but Xuefeng seems to have some problems with us. I don't think benefits will work on him. If we have problems with him, we can only use some more extreme methods. He seems to love his women a lot…"

"Milady…" The youth's eyes widened when he heard her proposition and reminded her, just to be sure, "We cannot touch mortals. The rules cannot be broken or else we will be moved back to the Heaven Realm. Everyone knows how hard you worked to escape from there and continue our Holy Mission to open the Fate Kingdom. Many have already given up, deciding to simply stop trying and enjoy their lives, locked inside the Heaven Realm but not you, Milady. Your will is still strong and you really believe that you can do it. This is why I follow you, Milady, because I believe in you. We don't need to take additional risks."

At the end of his speech, the golden-robed youth took a deep breath and finally realised his milady acted weirdly, not scolding him or anything for talking so much as she usually did and instead smiled mysteriously as she asked, "Are you done?"

Naturally, Liena didn't wait for his reply as she continued, "Who told you that I am going after mortals? There is still one more person we can use if nothing else works..."

The youth opened his mouth to ask more questions but Liena shushed him, looking toward a much more interesting scene which was happening right beneath them.

...….

Hearing Pio's question, Xuefeng wasn't in a hurry to reply and instead looked at Pio's hands and asked in his mind, 'Drakos, what do you think? What are my odds to take him down? That star-shaped object he pulled from his head… This should be his ability, right? Can you restrict him?'

'Surprisingly, this thing is not made from Fate Qi… But to activate it and use it, he needs some fuel which will be Fate Qi in this case. He is not as weak as you think… I can sense another energy which is burning explosively inside of his body and it is not as calm as the one in his hand. Girls should know what ability it is. I am not a Fate Spirit so I have no idea. I can only help you fight against it.' Drakos said honestly, calling out for help from Ling and Ming.

It was then that Xuefeng heard a gentle voice calling out to him, one that he didn't hear for a while already, 'Xuefeng… I know what ability he has!' Xuefeng was momentarily surprised but quickly called back, 'Little Ming! Since when are you back?!'

Ming knew he was busy right now so they didn't talk too much about themselves and switched to the ongoing topic, her gentle voice soothing his mind, 'Don't worry about it now. That Pio is lying to you. He is a lot more powerful compared to how he acts. He wouldn't find it hard to protect both sisters and Tianshi together. Xiao Feng would also find it hard to face him. His Star Shaper ability is ranked top ten, just like yours. The only difference is that it's an attacking type and yours is a passive ability. '

Many were waiting for Xuefeng's answer, finding it strange that he was silent but then he finally spoke, completely different from his expectations, deciding to expose Pio straight away.

Looking around to gather everyone's attention, he glared at Pio and said sternly, "You seem to like pretending and lying, right? What are your motives? You are obviously strong enough to protect all of them yet you let Yu die and force Tianshi to escape alone which almost caused her to die as well. I wouldn't be surprised if you were on the same level as Master Xiao or even stronger, taking your unique ability into account." Turning to everyone Xuefeng continued as he asked, "Do you guys think Master Xiao wouldn't handle few tens of cultivators alone?"

Naturally, with such theory, a seed of doubt grew in everyone's minds. If everything that Xuefeng said was true, wouldn't that make Pio a liar? Many cultivators squinted their eyes as they looked at Pio suspiciously. They fought by his side not long ago and they knew that even though his Cultivation Stage was lower than theirs, his strength was stronger.

This was why many respected him, but at the same time, Xuefeng's words made sense. What if he purposely did all that, hoping for their Princess to be caught? Wouldn't that make him a spy? What was worse in the whole accusation was Pio's reaction to it? All he did was smile, not saying a word to defend himself.

Xiao Feng was also upset that such a young boy like Pio could be stronger than him but he didn't say anything to respond to it, confirming it to everyone. The one who was devastated the most was Yi who dropped to her knees, looking at Pio as if her soul just left her body. Knowing that her sister could live if only Pio did something was quite a shock for her.

Looking at the style and easiness at how he saved her earlier made her wonder and realised that Xuefeng wasn't wrong. She looked Pio in the eyes and asked, her heart pumping blood too fast for her to keep up, making her out of breath, "You could save her… But you didn't…?"

Unfortunately for her, Pio didn't even spare a glance at her, ignoring her completely as he knew nothing else could be done to get rid of the doubt in her heart. Her case was already closed for him.

Just as others could figure it out, Xuefeng also thought about it and stated his verdict, "Knowing all the facts, I suspect Pio to be a Tang Family spy, helping them from the inside. He could help everyone but didn't. The very first thing he did when the invasion started was sending Princess Tianshi outside the capital where she could be caught by Tang Family experts. Now that they are losing, he is acting to not expose himself."

He did not need to say anything else, as his words only confirmed everyone's thoughts and they didn't hesitate to prepare their weapons, aiming them at Pio. If he was really a spy, they were ready to pounce on him like a pack of tigers.

"Is there anything you would like to say for your defence?" Xuefeng asked right when everyone already decided what the final verdict was to be. His wings spread wide, ready to chase after Pio if he were to try escaping. He knew that even if Pio wanted, he couldn't face the entire Xiao Family's elite by himself. Even If Xuefeng only were to join forces with Xiao Wen or Xiao Feng, it was enough to face him.

Everyone awaited for Pio's response but he only chuckled while being surrounded by hundreds of opponents and replied while smiling, "Will anything I say make a difference? You all already decided." Just as he said so, his fingers crushed the crystal in his hand and the bright light spread all around them, filling the whole area with sparkle-looking little stars.

Chapter 312 - Pio vs Xuefeng

'Hah, nice acting, getting everyone to hate him.' Drakos laughed in his mind after hearing Xuefeng's act and asked, "But you know who was the one who sent him here, right?'

'I know… He was probably sent by this Fate Organisation to lure me in. What better method is there than using someone I love to bring me into the Central Region? Fuck… I want to kill that bastard so badly…' Xuefeng cursed whenever he thought of Pio's despicable move.

When Pio released his Star Ability, he didn't move, waiting for Xuefeng to act first which allowed them to strategize a bit.

Everything happened because of this mysterious organization and Xuefeng was already fed up with it, wanting to have nothing to do with them. His Tianshi was hurt just because they wanted to meet him which boiled his blood every second he thought about it.

'If you tell everyone to attack him, those two in the sky will definitely interfere in the fight.' Drakos advised after analyzing the scene. As Liena still continued to stay, it was easy to guess that she wanted something.

Knowing the situation, Xuefeng could make only one decision, 'I will fight alone then...' Not only because he wanted to vent his anger but also because he wanted to test his skills without holding back.

If he were to fight against Xiao Wen, it was obvious he couldn't use his ultimate moves but against someone he wanted to kill badly, this wasn't an issue.

Drakos naturally liked that attitude, wanting nothing more but a badass Fate Holder as he called out in laughter, 'Haha, you finally grew some balls! I doubt they would stop you two as they would want to test your abilities for sure. Listen, just as I thought, his stars are not made from the Fate Qi, but he has to use it to move it around! If you touch it, I will be able to absorb the Fate Qi from the inside.'

Xuefeng didn't wait to long to test it and reached out, trying to touch one little star hovering next to him and just as it landed on his palm, Pio's face turned ugly. He quickly recalled all of his stars away from Xuefeng, gathering them around him.

Naturally, the plan turned out to be successful as he heard Drakos laugh which put a smile on Xuefeng's face. He glanced at Pio with a smirk and commented, "Oh, how cute. You thought you can defeat me? Are you scared now?"

Pio didn't reply, returning to his calm face and instead looked into the sky, right at the spot where Liena was hovering, expecting her to do something but even after a long time, he didn't see any reaction from her.

"Milady…? Should we act? Xuefeng seems to really have Drakos with him. If he uses his full power, Pio doesn't stand a chance…" The golden-robed man asked worriedly, being more sure of their previous theory after seeing Xuefeng's act.

Liena was watching the battle and didn't even look at him as she replied, "I don't think Drakos has his original power in him. If he was as powerful as in his prime, he wouldn't hide in the bracelet for so long. I suspect he is injured and needs a lot of Fate Qi to heal. Pio should be able to hold on for a little while if he uses his Darkness attribute as well. Don't you want to see it?"

Before the golden-robed youth could argue more, she added, "Stay put. We still didn't see Xuefeng in action. He is much more interesting than Pio... My desire to have him increases the more I know about him..." She glanced at Xuefeng and licked her lips, feeling like to eat him alive.

The youth could only sigh, getting ready to help if there was a need. He knew that once his Milady set her mind on something, she wouldn't stop until she gets it.

Seeing no movement above from the sky, Pio realised he had to act alone as they didn't plan to help him and finally got serious, his eyes locking on Xuefeng. He knew that there was no way he can face all of the top experts at the same time and even the closest trio to him was enough to fight him.

He glanced for a second at Xiao Wen who was already prepared to battle and said provocatively at Xuefeng, "You seem pretty confident. How about fighting me yourself if you are so strong then?" He knew that even with his ability, he would quickly use up his Fate Qi if he was attacked by everyone so there was no other choice for him.

"Hahahahaha!" When the cultivators around them heard him, they immediately burst out laughing. This was the phrase that only someone who was scared would say. They were obviously not dumb and no one would accept it. Why would they fight him alone when they could attack him all together and get an easy kill? It was a common mentality within cultivators.

With his actions and words, Pio was already guilty for them and in their eyes, he was a spy they needed to kill. Their weapons were already sharpened and ready to attack. Only Xiao Wen and her father were more in favour of duels but at this situation, they also knew it was smarter to just finish the battle fast, knowing the bigger battle was about to start.

Unfortunately, against every cultivator thoughts, Xuefeng only smiled and granted Pio this last wish, "I agree! Everyone give us some space!" Xiao Feng wasn't actually surprised Xuefeng would make such a decision as he himself would do the same. As a future leader, he had to show everyone what he can do. It was only natural that the leader was the most powerful of the group.

Many didn't understand it but hearing no comment from their Master, they simply compiled, creating a small arena for Xuefeng and Pio. Some found it dumb but who would voice out their opinions like that.

Just then, as the two were having a stare down, Ling warned him tenderly, 'Xuefeng, remember it might not be his only ability. Aside from the light in a Star Shaping ability, there is also darkness which not many seem to remember. Not everyone can tame it but it seems like Pio has his own under control. I have never seen how it looks like so I can't help you with that. Just be carefull. We will all assist you so don't think you are alone.'

Ming also followed up with her own encouragement, 'Mhmm, we will! My ability is not good against males… But I can lend you some Fate Qi if there is a need! I will work together with Ling.' He could feel a bit of embarrassment in her voice but before he could ask what was that about, he saw Xiao Feng throwing something onto the ground right in front of them.

Bzzzt! A big light exploded from it, covering the two of them.

Just to be sure that Pio doesn't escape, Xiao Feng placed a thick barrier around them which isolated them from others. This move surprised Pio, not because he was locked but because Xiao Feng actually left his son-in-law to battle with him solo. This could only mean he was sure Xuefeng would handle him.

"Father! What are you doing?!" On the other hand, Xiao Wen called out right away in objection as she didn't like that. She wanted to be ready to help at any time. It was Xuefeng's safety they were talking about!

Xiao Feng could only shrug as he explained, "He said he can do it then trust him. A leader needs to be responsible for his actions. We can still help him when we are sure he can't win." Xiao Wen could only pout as she looked through the translucent barrier, watching her lover fight.

Inside the barrier which was about thirty meters in diameter, Xuefeng body was already shining with sparkling Lightning Armour as his wings this time acted like a weapon, the edges modified to be sharp like spears.

"Your Father-in-law seems to be as confident in you as you are in yourself." Pio commented with a smile as he also pulled out his sword but he was quickly stopped by Xuefeng as he called out, "Stop the bullshit. We both know your friends in the sky don't want to help you. We are here to fight!"

He didn't wait for any words back from Pio's filthy mouth and slashed with his Black Flames Slayer, sending an arc of black flames which were tinted with gold.

Chapter 313 - Xuefeng's Strength

"It's starting!" Liena called out excitedly when she saw that the battle was about to start. If she could, she would jump like a little kid getting his favourite ice-cream but they were hovering in the air which made it impossible.

"I think he will begin slowly, trying to feel what are Pio's abilities before finally showing his true colours." The golden-robed youth thought out loud as he watched the black flames reaching Pio but then they saw them doubling and tripling until the whole area was filled with flames.

At the same time, Xuefeng momentarily disappeared from the spot he was standing at and only the youth could see him after using his Fate Perception but Xuefeng completely vanished from Liena's radar.

They both looked at each other and exclaimed, "He has Thousand Blades abilities!"

Pio's body was quickly covered by black flames but just as they expected, nothing serious happened to him after a second look. When the flames vanished, Pio's skin was burned black but there was still a smile on his face.

At that very second, fragments of Pio's skin which were still burning with black flames started falling to the ground, showing clear skin without any injuries underneath. Surprisingly, the burned fragments began turning into bright, star-shaped lights upon touching the ground before quickly joining the rest which was still bravely flying around Pio's body.

Liena looked at the spot where Xuefeng was just a moment and commented with a realisation, "So he was the one who killed him… Ah, we should pay more attention to such matters. I guess Thousand Blades accepted a mission to kill Xuefeng and died in the process. This whole situation could have been avoided if we just accepted the help from the Trade Union…"

Liena already got a proposition to work closer with them but she didn't think there was a need. This would expose many secrets of her Fate Organization to the public which she didn't want to do.

As Pio looked around, not able to find the hidden Xuefeng, he waved with his hands and all his stars spread all around the area, trying to feel out Xuefeng's position. With his sword prepared, Pio pretended to act relaxed and shouted, "Are you going to hide like a coward in front of everyone or fight me like a man!?"

His spread stars couldn't seem to locate Xuefeng even after it reached every corner which only left Pio with one choice and that was a provocation. At first, he thought it wouldn't be that hard of a fight but seeing Xuefeng spamming his abilities without care for Fate Qi made him quite anxious.

He could already spot one main disadvantage he had despite having a really strong assault ability. Xuefeng's ability pool was just bigger and more diversified which forced Pio to be careful despite having the same cultivation stage as him. Fortunately, there was one thing Pio was sure he was stronger with. His swordsmanship!

As if an answer to Pio's provocation, Xuefeng voice sounded at one spot of the area as he laughed, "Haha, even if I show myself, you can't beat me!" Before the last word was even spoken, Pio's body suddenly burst into stardust, his sword disappearing together with him and he reformed himself right behind the spot where the voice was coming from, slashing with his sword across the place without any warning.

Clang!

Two swords clashed against one another as Xuefeng's body left the void, the Black Flames Slayer burning as strong as ever but that didn't help as Pio's sword moved quickly, not losing its momentum as it cut in another spot, this time aiming at Xuefeng's waist.

Xiao Wen wasn't worried much, having faith in Xuefeng's swordsmanship but then her heart sank, seeing three-star blades appearing from each side of Xuefeng's body out of nowhere and passing right through his Lightning Armour.

Even Liena eyes widened as her mind froze, not expecting Xuefeng to die this fast but then she found something was off. She didn't need to wait too long to confirm her thought as another Xuefeng appeared right behind Pio, his sword cutting him in half with one clean slice before Pio could even react.

To make it worse for Pio, the edges of his cut belly with star fragments sipping out of it quickly started dimming and losing their lustre as if the power was sucked out of them. The moment Pio's body tried to reconnect, the blackened elements this time didn't listen to him as if there was no one controlling them.

Pio didn't wait for what comes next as he immediately exploded his body, a curse coming out from his lips at the same time, "Fuck." It turned out to be a good decision as both wings with feathered like blades pierced through the body right after, consuming as many Star fragments as possible.

'Hahaha! So yummy! Little star, little star, come to papa!' Drakos laughed after getting a huge chunk of Fate Qi as a present from Pio. Xuefeng shamelessly expected for this Fate Qi to go into his resources but even when that didn't happen, with Drakos keeping everything for himself, Xuefeng didn't complain. Having such an ability was really handy.

Thanks to Ling and Little Ming, Xuefeng could burn Fate Qi as he wished so he wasn't worried about his stock like Pio would. Xuefeng already figured out that Pio didn't lose a lot of Fate Qi during battles as his ability it worked similarly to his Air Qi Wings. The only way to waste it for him was by simply absorbing it with Drakos help.

Pio didn't display any other abilities so far which could indicate that the amount of Fate Qi in his possession wasn't that enormous. He did earn a lot of Fate Stones with his first arena battle but most of them were not yet consumed by him. He didn't have a space similar to Ling's where she could store all the Fate Stones and use them whenever she wanted so everything had to be done manually by him.

With Pio disappearing, the fake clone which Xuefeng used to trick Pio was absorbed back by him, making everyone outside the barrier sigh in relief. Even Xiao Feng was impressed seeing the power Xuefeng displayed, forcing him to evaluate his future son-in-law's strength.

Xuefeng didn't wait for too long, immediately sending burning flames towards the place Pio tried to reform himself. This time, Xuefeng didn't hesitate and filled the whole barrier with his flames, multiplying them without break. As the flames didn't work on him, the whole space was soon black, no one being able to see anything from the outside.

When the golden-robed youth saw what was going on and how big of a trashing Pio was receiving, he couldn't help but want to stop it, turning to the side to advise his Milady. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm quickly faltered when he saw how excited Liena was, smiling from ear to ear while her hair flipped from one side to another as she moved around, trying to get the best angle to watch.

He still called out with a warning, "Milady… Xuefeng is stronger than we thought… How about we stop the battle here and play it safe?" He already expected a certain answer but it was always better to give it a try.

Just as he thought, Liena didn't seem to even think about it as she replied, not liking that idea at all, "What do you mean? Pio still didn't use his darkness attribute. Don't worry, he can still put up a fight. Xuefeng's passion to kill Pio will allow us to learn much more about him. I want to know how will he fight against Pio's second form, we can't just stop them now."

"Milady… The more they fight, the bigger the hatred against one another. We need them to work together in the future…" The youth still tried to convince her but Liena shut him off, saying without leaving him any space for discussion, "Don't say anything anymore. The more they hate each other, the bigger the motivation to increase their strength. They are boys after they battle for a while, they will quickly forget their previous issues."

Even if the golden-robed youth wanted to continue, he couldn't gather his words as Pio finally had enough of it. Xuefeng was flying all around, absorbing Pio's Fate Qi whenever he met with any grouped Star fragments and his only option was to fight back fully.

The flames for some reason lost their lustre as the already black area turned even darker and suddenly all flames began disappearing, all darkness being absorbed by Pio before finally exploding it outward.

Bang!

Chapter 314 - Where Are You Going?

"Damn!" Xuefeng cursed as he was blasted away by the shock wave, his wing force not enough to stop himself midair. He didn't have much time to react it such small space and his back quickly smashed against the barrier.

Crack!

The barrier was really sturdy, but even with that, cracks began forming on the outside due to the impact. Xuefeng dropped to the ground with a thud but he quickly lifted himself up, wiping the blood from the corner of his lips. Ling was very quick in her actions and his injuries healed momentarily. As Ming was providing her with her own Fate Qi, the effects were even stronger than normal.

"See!? I told you Pio will be fine. The real fight will start now. Let's see how is Xuefeng going to defend against him. They should be even in power now. Darkness Attribute in Pio's ability was purely for the offence. Xuefeng will need something extra to defeat him. Haha, this is so exciting!" Liena called out excitedly as she laughed, seeing that everything was happening just as she predicted.

The youth next to her could only sigh quietly, hoping that nothing bad would happen. Their whole organization's success was dependent on this battle and his Milady was taking it too lightly. Their only way to enter the Fate Kingdom, their promised paradise, was through gathering top ten Fate Spirits and passing all the trials set by the Fate Kingdom King.

If only one was missing, their mission would fail. They were only Fate Holders after all. None of their Fate Spirits knew the reason for the Fate Kingdom's closure so they could only depend on the information they had.

When Xuefeng looked at Pio, he didn't spot a silver-haired boy anywhere and instead Pio was replaced with a black-clad character. His whole appearance changed. His hair and second eye both turned black while his body began oozing black mist. Both his arms and legs were covered with it, looking like a black armour. If there were two horns added on top of his head, Pio would look exactly like a demon. His white sword also turned into a black one with similar mist dripping out of it.

Ling was the first one who jumped in to give out a warning, 'Xuefeng, watch out! We still don't know it's abilities. I have never seen this second form. Most of the previous Star Shaper Fate Holders were loners. They rarely showcased their abilities, especially this second form. He seems to have a similar absorption ability that turns everything into darkness before consuming it and using it against his opponent.'

Naturally, Xuefeng already knew that, not rushing straight into battle without thinking and Pio also stood behind, observing Xuefeng from the other side of the arena. Xuefeng tried to figure out his next moves as he commented in his mind, 'He is not attacking me right away. Maybe he just wants to absorb all my attacks with his ability and use it against me. Let me test him out a bit.'

Xuefeng planned to strike while the iron was hot and find a way to defeat him with his actions but Drakos stopped him, giving him a proposition, 'Your flames are impressive but I doubt they will work on him anymore. How about you give me one thousand Fate Stones and I will end Pio for you?"

'Huh? How?' Xuefeng got quickly confused but before Drakos could reply, Pio finally moved, dashing towards Xuefeng in a blink of an eye. The speed he showed was double or even triple compared to how he was before his transformation, and Xuefeng could only respond with a quick burst of flames in Pio's direction together with activating his invisibility.

Bang! The ground got smashed as Pio's sword hit the spot Xuefeng was just a moment ago, the flames no longer dealing any damage to him, burning on the black armour before being quickly consumed. Just like Drakos said, it didn't have any effect on Pio whatsoever.

"So strong… Xuefeng, what are you going to do now?" Liena's eyes brightened when she saw the strength finally got balanced, even more excited for what will happen next.

At that moment, Pio didn't bother to find him and sent three black arcs of darkness in random directions, hoping to snipe Xuefeng with luck but that didn't happen. For some reason, Pio's eyelid twitched as he called out frustrated, "Stop hiding coward!" His voice sounded as if he had a sore throat but he didn't seem to care, staring into the emptiness on the arena.

Fortunately for him, Xuefeng didn't make him wait for too long as two of his copies suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rushing towards Pio a meter above the ground with their Air Qi Wings working wonders. They were both identical, this time forgetting the Black Flame Slayer as they moved swiftly from two sides with double Lightning and Air Qi bombs in their hands.

"I won't fall for it twice!" Pio called out with a smirk as he already prepared himself to defend against the third opponent, the real Xuefeng, who was hiding in the shadows.

Unfortunately, he didn't expect that Xuefeng wasn't even attacking at that moment, standing on the other side of the barrier and was focused on his talk with Drakos while Ling and Ming were the two making Pio busy on his stead.

'What were you talking about earlier?' Xuefeng asked, curious how would Drakos help him kill Pio for one thousand Fate Stones. It wasn't that low of an amount for him, but if he could kill Pio before he was saved by the two members of that Fate Organization, it was a worthy trade for him.

'You might not believe it but this mighty Drakos is actually injured… I know, I know it is unbelievable, but sometimes even the best make bad decisions… Like stealing underwear from a hundred beauties from the Nagoa Race— cough, cough! Let's leave that conversation for later… After getting injured by their Queen, I lost a lot of my Fate Qi. Only by gathering a lot of Fate Qi can I repair my body.' Drakos explained, sidetracking from his path a bit but Xuefeng managed to understand what is going on with him.

He earlier learnt that only by reaching a certain stage in Fate Cultivation, could a Spirit be able to materialize in the outside world and form their own body. The only thing he didn't know was the number of stones needed to achieve that.

'So you're telling me if I give you one thousand Fate Stones, you will rebuild your body and help me kill Pio?' Xuefeng asked directly, not planning to let Pio slip away this time even if he had to use external help.

'Haha, not exactly that but—" Drakos laughed, thinking how good it would be if that was the truth and just as he was about to explain more, Ling suddenly cried out, 'Maybe make it a little bit quicker?! We can't stall for much longer! His body is absorbing every Qi that comes in contact with him so we can't do much. Only brute force will work on him now.'

Drakos couldn't be more than happy when he heard it as he called out right after, 'Perfect! That's my speciality! Give me one thousand Fate Stones. I won't be able to recreate my whole body but one limb is enough to crush him.' This many Fate Stones wasn't Xuefeng's entire stock but at least a big chunk of it but Xuefeng still believed it was worth it.

"Fuck you!" At that moment, Pio had finally exploded, cursing at the two clones which were dancing around him while bombarding him with different spells. He was naturally mad that Xuefeng was playing with him and his transformation didn't help him much with containing his emotions, strengthening them even more for some reason.

After the curse, he gripped his dark sword with both of his hands and suddenly smashed it against the ground, sending a wave of darkness all around him which consumed both Ling and Ming's clones before absorbing them both as the matter returned into his body.

'Oof, we were able to retract Fate Qi out of the clones before he gobbled us up else we would just feed him unnecessarily.' Ming sighed in relief, fortunately being able to predict that move earlier.

Seeing what just happened, Xuefeng didn't hesitate more and said as he decided, 'Ling, pass Drakos the Fate Stones he wants. For some reason, I think the battle will be stopped very soon. If we don't act fast, he might escape today. His transformation seems to have a toll on his body.'

It wasn't hard to notice the change in Pio's behaviour and appearance as his eyes were already having black veins, darkness slowly filling Pio's body. He didn't seem to mind any of it which could force the Fate Organization to act in order to save him.

Just as if Xuefeng could read the future, this time it was Liena who decided to end the battle earlier, seeing the same symptoms which Xuefeng pointed out. If she ignored it anymore, Pio would be taken over by darkness as he clearly didn't learn how to control it properly yet.

"Let's go stop them. Nothing good will happen anymore." Liena called out to the youth next to her as she finally moved. She couldn't say she was disappointed by Xuefeng not showing anything that would shock her before the crucial moment but she couldn't blame him. Her expectations were just too high in the sky.

The youth naturally didn't complain about such decision, wanting it from the start. Fortunately, his Milady returned back to her senses before anything major happened. Just then, Xuefeng reappeared as they were heading down from the sky and cried out in laughter, "Haha! Did you want to fight? Let's do it like men! I can't believe your swordsmanship is better!"

He didn't wait for Pio's reply and immediately rushed towards Pio with confidence planted on his face. To the youth's surprise, Liena halted and decided to watch the scene which almost boiled his blood.

"Milady…?" The youth tried to remind Liena the seriousness of the situation but she just shushed him, changing her mind once again, "Shhh, this one should be good, I feel it!"

'Damn it!' The youth cursed in his mind but naturally, he couldn't say anything out loud. Normally he was the oasis of peace but today the current situation was triggering him.

When Pio who saw Xuefeng charging at him, he naturally smiled evilly and quickly accepted the challenge, preparing his sword in an offensive position before dashing forward himself, trying to gather similar momentum.

Unfortunately, Pio didn't expect that Xuefeng would have the help from the inside and just as they closed in on each other, there was a sweet surprise waiting for him.

Xuefeng lied about the swordsmanship battle as just before they clashed, Xuefeng returned the Black Flames Slayer back into his Dantain and in its place, something different appeared. Xuefeng swung his arm just as Drakos instructed him and only after Pio was blasted away did he saw what had happened.

His hand turned into a giant, almost four meters long and one-meter thick claw! It wasn't a surprise for Pio but also for Xuefeng. Wasn't it supposed to be a fist instead? Drakos wasn't a human? Xuefeng had many questions he wanted to ask but couldn't as he fell to the ground under the pure weight of the claw. Only after his hand returned to normal was he able to regain his balance.

'What the hell Drakos?! You are not human?' Xuefeng finally called out in his mind which made Drakos laugh as he revealed, 'Haha! Who told you I was human? I'm the Legendary Drakos! I naturally have to be a mighty beast!'

Thud! Thud! Bang!

Pio wasn't blasted far into the sky but instead, he bounced two times from the ground with a dull sound before finally crushing against the barrier, completely smashing it with his body. His dark armour quickly dimmed as it dropped on the ground outside the barrier before also disappearing, together with his transformation which reverted his appearance back to normal.

When the cultivators saw Xuefeng's beast claw skill that shattered the barrier with Pio's body, they naturally cheered loudly, "Young Master!" To know that their future master was this strong when he was at such an age was obviously huge news and a blessing for them.

On the other side, Liena, although not surprised with the Drakos's strength, she was satisfied with the show, commenting, "The dragon's power is truly too powerful… Let's go pick up Pio, he should be done for today." She didn't wait for the youth, activating her teleportation as now they didn't have any other choice but to bring Pio back.

"What the…" To her surprise, even after she tried to do it, nothing happened, their bodies not moving for even a centimeter. Liena could feel like something was blocking them but they were not held in a mystery for too long as they suddenly heard an aged voice coming from behind of them, "And where do you think you are going?"

Chapter 315 - Pio's Fate

Liena and the golden-robbed youth tried to move their heads out of instinct to see the person talking to them but they were frozen, not able to move any parts of their bodies aside from their eyes and mouth.

"Who are you…?" Liena wasn't scared but she naturally acted cautiously, her voice turning soft and kind. There shouldn't be anyone in this world who could match her in strength but the old man behind her was able to freeze her movements as if it was nothing. Liena would be lying if she said she was not anxious at all.

The old man chuckled as he asked her back, "Hehe, does the council tell you anything?"

When Liena heard the question, her heart sank, shock quickly filling her expression. 'Impossible…' She couldn't believe the man but when she analysed the situation, it was really the most likely option as no other than the Council members could reign such power.

When she confirmed it in her mind, the anxiousness swiftly turned into panic. Wouldn't the presence of the Council inside the lower Realm mean that they were after her? She knew about the rule of not interfering with humans and they had to abide by it as well. The only reason they would stop her would be to punish her for something.

Knowing all that, Liena felt like crying but somehow partially collected herself, replying while stuttering, "S-sir… I-if this servant did anything wrong… I b-beg for forgiveness…" She knew that their lives were at stake here, so if she could, Liena would drop to her knees and apologize for anything she did wrong. Everyone in her circle knew one shouldn't mess with those responsible for your reincarnation and afterlife.

To her surprise, she didn't hear the reply she expected, stating her sins and instead another male voice joined them as he called out, blaming the old man, "Gosh, look what you did to this little beauty. You scared her so much she can't even speak properly."

It turned out the two men that appeared out of nowhere were the duo of an old and the middle-aged men who were protecting Xuefeng from the shadows for a while already.

Seeing the kind approach of his partner, the old man rolled his eyes as he justified himself, "Oh come on, she would figure out anyway. She is from the Heaven Realm after all. Maybe she is panicking because she has something on her conscience? She must have been a bad little girl recently."

Liena could almost feel the penetrating gaze of the old man behind her and quickly denied, "N-no no I would never. I have been a very good little girl…" She was a grown-up woman but she didn't mind to call herself a little girl in front of the members of the Council.

Suddenly, Liena and the youth regained the power in their body and she felt the middle-aged man voice next to her ear as he leaned on her shoulder, saying warmly, "Ah, don't listen to him. We don't have any bad intentions. I wouldn't let anything happen to such a beauty like you."

Liena saw the somewhat handsome but mature face as she turned her head to the side and answered with a shy smile, "Thank you, Sir… Is there anything I can help then?" Knowing that they were not after them, she calmed down, feeling more relaxed but the cautiousness didn't disappear yet.

The middle-aged man's eyes brightened when he saw her shy expression and he blinked at her, his hunting mode turning on as he said with a flirtatious smile, "I got actually lost in your beautiful eyes and I need you to help me find my way to your heart."

Smack. The old man couldn't help but slap his forehead upon hearing his words as he already knew how his partner's hunt will end. He already saw many failed attempts of his and this one was just another one to the collection.

Just as the old man expected, Liena smiled embarrassedly, not knowing how to reply and finally said while bowing slightly, "Sir, this little girl wouldn't dare… Sir is so smart and should definitely find a way out, right…?"

"Haha, of course! I wouldn't find I way out? I am not scared of any challenge." The middle-aged man laughed as he naturally accepted the compliment she gave him and only after a second did he realised that he was actually rejected.

Fortunately for Liena, the old man pulled his partner away for small talk, trying to talk some sense into him and the golden-robbed youth used that moment to warn her, seeing that Xuefeng was getting closer to Pio with each moment, "Milady, Pio is in danger…"

Liena looked at the direction of the battlefield and saw Xuefeng almost reaching Pio with the flaming sword inside of his hand, prepared to land the last strike. This time she didn't hesitate and asked kindly, "Sir, would it be alright if I excuse myself for a second? I would like to save one junior of mine before he is in mortal danger."

The old man patted his partner on the shoulder as they returned back to the conversation and said seriously, "Actually, we came to talk with that matter in our minds."

"Oh! I will try to help with anything If I can," Liena quickly exclaimed and expressed her eagerness to help. They didn't have much time left but she, of course, couldn't just ignore them and leave.

Without wasting time for explanation, the old man went straight into the nub of the problem and stated while looking all serious, "We don't want you to interfere with that battle, so let Xuefeng decide what he wants to do."

That was naturally a shock for Liena, knowing that it would probably mean another sixteen years of waiting for them as Pio had high chances of dying in the very near future. Just as she was about to try and convince them to reconsider this, explaining how important it was for her, the old man assured her, "We know your organization's mission so don't worry, we will secure the Fate Spirit and gift it to Xuefeng to distribute it to someone else. Nothing much will change, just the holder of the Fate Spirit will."

Naturally, Liena couldn't be happier about such turn of events as everything she was worried about was settled just like that and she immediately bowed, accepting it wholeheartedly, "Thank you, Sir. I'm really happy with such a solution. I will not interfere then." Pio as a person wasn't what she was interested in but she needed his ability. If that were to be taken care of, nothing else mattered.

She was also glad that the Council didn't meddle in her mission. If they knew what she was planning to do and they didn't disagree, they technically allowed her to continue and open the Fate Kingdom which was technically the Council's old home.

"That's good. I guess we—" The old man nodded, knowing they secured what they wanted but before he could finish his goodbyes, his partner added, already fine after his rejection, "Xuefeng and his close ones are untouchable. Make sure not to get on his bad side."

"Untouchable?" This was the first time she was met with someone of such status so she asked instinctively, wanting him to hopefully elaborate. For her, there was always someone stronger so no one was untouchable.

Seeing her gentle smile, the middle-aged man quickly gave in as he advised for the last time, "Let's say he has someone above always watching over him. It would not be smart to offend that person. Even we wouldn't dare to offend her."

A drop of sweat appeared in Liena's forehead, knowing she almost brought a catastrophe onto herself with her actions and she quickly thanked for the warning with an embarrassed smile, "Thank you, Sir. I knew I could count on Sir."

Even though she saw the middle-aged man wanting to reply, she wasn't blessed by other words from him as the two suddenly disappeared, the old man only leaving the last sentence, "We will be always watching, so don't disappoint us."

With them gone, the sky was left only for them but Liena didn't move anywhere, looking as if she was thinking of what to do next with her plans. The youth already knew what they will do but still asked to confirm his thoughts, "Milady? What should we do?"

She touched her lips as she looked at Pio, thinking that she wasted her power for nothing and sighed, deciding to follow what was already planned for them, knowing they didn't have any other choice, "Let's just play with what cards we have. We will follow what the two men suggested." The two men were probably watching over Xuefeng so there was nothing else she could do.

The appearance of the duo did not go completely unnoticed. They were spotted by both Drakos and Little Ming as soon as they appeared. Drakos didn't know them so he commented out loud, 'Huh? What is the Council doing here?'

'Haha, so good. One strike and he is done for. I actually didn't expect—" Xuefeng was in the midst of praising Drakos for his strength when he was disturbed by his question and asked, 'Council?' As he never heard of it before, it got him interested.

Just as Drakos wanted to explain, Little Ming preceded him and called out sweetly, 'They are on our side. Xuefeng, focus on killing Pio now. That Fate Organization won't stop you. I took care of them.'

It would be a lie if Xuefeng said he wasn't surprised as he quickly followed up with questions, 'Really? How did you do it?'

Little Ming giggled as she explained, 'Hihi, let's say I have a friend whom I sent a message not long ago, asking for help in restricting them. Unfortunately, it can be only considered one-off favour as they are not supposed to help in such matters at all. Are you going to use it or not? Pio will soon run away if we waste time talking.'

She felt bad for lying but she couldn't tell Xuefeng that he had two bodyguards who would save him in most life and death situations. If he knew, his growth would definitely change. He wouldn't worry when going out to battle, thinking that he will be saved anyway which she didn't want to happen.

'Ah, you have to thank them then.' Xuefeng was a bit disappointed that it was only this time and he would have to bother with them later on but he couldn't complain about what he got.

Finally reaching Pio who was still struggling to stand up, Xuefeng didn't hesitate to plunge his sword straight into Pio's chest, pinning him to the ground. It was the first time that they heard Pio's scream, "Aaaaagh!"

Drakos was contemplating about Little Ming's words, knowing that she definitely didn't send any signal to anyone but when he felt the fresh Fate Qi to absorb, he put that aside for now, focusing on their prey.

"Young Master!" The Cultivators around them cheered the moment Xuefeng's sword sealed Pio's demise but Xuefeng wasn't bothered by them, focused on Pio's face as he twisted with his sword, wanting to see his painful expression.

"How does it feel to be burned alive? Do you like it? This is what Tianshi had to go through!" Xuefeng yelled into his face as he suddenly increased the flames, burning his heart from the inside. Pio's hand tried to grab the sword to maybe pull it out of his chest but he only burned his hands, scowling in pain.

As Pio was knocked back to his first form, he could technically use his Star Shaper ability but because Drakos kept sucking his Fate Qi off him, he couldn't use any of it. The flames this time were doing real damage to his body.

His body was burning alive as Pio screamed continuously but Xuefeng did not hold back with his torture. Pio had a strong will to live but even he couldn't withstand this much. As his face finally got covered by the black flames, they didn't hear his screams anymore.

Just to be sure he was dead, Xuefeng pulled out the sword from his heart and swung it across his neck, separating his head from the rest of his burned body. He expected to get his promised relief after finally venting his anger on him but he didn't feel anything. He couldn't go back in time and save Tianshi from the pain she already had to go through.

Just as the body and the head burned, a sudden bright light shot into the sky from Pio's head, looking like a little star. It wanted to escape as far as it could but then for some reason it halted, calming down before slowly falling down towards Xuefeng. He reached out with his hand to catch the light and it landed gently on top of his palm, feeling kind of warm.

It turned out it was the Star-shaped crystal that was situated inside of Pio's hands. Just as he turned it around to look at it, he heard a sad female voice coming from the crystal, 'You are not suitable... Your life is filled with too much happiness… The light and darkness are not balanced in your body… Find me another host…'

Chapter 316 - Fate Spirit

'What?! Fate Spirit? How come it's not an ability instead? I kind of wanted that one...' Xuefeng naturally exclaimed in his mind, finding that quite surprising as the Spirit would always disappear, leaving only the ability behind.

He was also quite disappointed as he was quite looking forward to having it, finding the Star concept pretty cool. But, at the same time, wasn't it exactly what he wanted? Xuefeng had two Fate Spirits already with an additional Drakos. He wanted to turn all of his women into Fate Holders so this was a nice opportunity to start.

'Xuefeng! It's the Star Shaper Fate Spirit! Little Ming exclaimed as she also found it very surprising before sighing as she realised they couldn't use it for themselves, 'Sigh, too bad we can't get her ability now. She is too weak now. If we try to kill her to reclaim the ability, it will probably be lost in the process.'

Finding it perfect in this situation, Xuefeng asked as he proposed, 'But isn't it good this way? I can give it to someone else. Only Xiao Wen is a Fate Holder but the other girls are not. This way there will be three of us.'

'That's a good idea. You can't accept her anyway as you already have me and Ling. She is hurt after forcefully breaking the connection with Pio so only by connecting with a Fate Holder's spirit will she recover. With another Fate Holder in the group, our overall strength will improve greatly so it's a good opportunity.' Little Ming approved Xuefeng's plan, knowing that the Spirit was probably the duo's present for Xuefeng. Getting the whole Fate Spirit who was actually experienced with her own ability was much better than just taking the ability itself.

Just then, the crystal in Xuefeng's hands dimmed as the Fate Spirit called out to him weakly, 'Help… Need... Host…' The sound was so weak that they barely heard her which made them worried right away.

Drakos who was the one who caused this could only laugh embarrassedly as he proposed, 'Hehe, oops. I guess I sucked her dry… I didn't think she will survive. Try giving her some Fate Qi to recover.'

Little Ming naturally tried it just as he suggested but it didn't seem to work as she called out a moment after, 'Ah, she is weakening quickly and doesn't even absorb the Fate Qi I give her. We need to quickly find her a host else she will soon return to the reincarnation circle.'

'How much time do we have?' Xuefeng thought as he acted quickly, looking around the area in search for the possible host. It would be a huge waste to lose a Fate Spirit of such calibre.

Little Ming calculated it and gave an estimate, 'I should be able to keep her alive for a few minutes tops so going back to the Eastern Region is out of the question.' To reach the other girls, they would have to travel back to the lake before going through double transportation. It was obvious that the weak spirit wouldn't make it.

Knowing he had limited time, his first choice was naturally his love, Xiao Wen and Xuefeng reached her in the blink of an eye, leaving the burning Pio, who was already unrecognizable, to himself. Xiao Wen already had her own spirit but if there was a way she could have two, he wouldn't mind.

Seeing him approaching her so hurriedly, Xiao Wen asked anxiously, "Xuefeng, is something wrong?" Her gaze locked on his hand and the shiny crystal he was holding as she realised it could be the reason for such rush. Everyone could see how the crystal launched into the air and fell onto his palm.

Xuefeng did not have much time to explain so he simply grabbed her hand and placed the crystal on her palm and asked out loud, "Is she suitable?" Earlier Xuefeng received the information from the Fate Spirit that he is not fulfilling her requirements so he asked to confirm with her and also inform Xiao Wen what was going on. He couldn't say anything related to Fate Spirits out loud.

Xiao Wen didn't know what Xuefeng meant but then her eyes widened as she looked at him and the star-shaped crystal in shock, suddenly creating a soundproof barrier around them. It was also her first time seeing the whole Spirit being retrieved after Fate Holder's death so it was normal for her to get a bit amazed.

Her reaction was really similar to that of Little Ming as she exclaimed "Xuefeng, its a Fate Spirit! How did you get it from that Pio? She sounds so weak…" The Fate Spirit just said she was also not suitable but just the sheer voice was enough to impress Xiao Wen.

Knowing that they were isolated now, Xuefeng didn't beat around the bush and asked swiftly, not wasting any more time, "Can you take that Spirit for yourself? It won't survive for long if no one takes her. My Fate Spirit said it is impossible to get the ability without connecting with it."

Xiao Wen actually liked the idea of having double spirits but it was already too late for her. She could only reject the offer as she returned the crystal to Xuefeng and explained, "I would if I could but… I'm already fully connected with my Lang." For some reason, she felt embarrassed when she said so in front of Xuefeng, feeling as if she was cheating on him.

Xuefeng naturally didn't mind as he wouldn't overthink like her and cursed, not knowing what to do now, "Damn, we are running out of time… I won't be able to reach the girls this quickly, we are left with little options..." He wanted to give the Fate Spirit to one of his women but it seemed like his plan would have to be delayed a bit.

"How about Yi then…?" Xiao Wen proposed after looking around and spotting Yi not far away from them and explained her choice, "She is a good girl. She won't betray us."

To make his choice harder, Little Ming suddenly shouted in the midst of his thought process, 'I can't hold it for much longer! We are losing her!' Xuefeng already spend more than a minute of their precious time so he had to hurry.

Hearing Little Ming's warning and seeing the crystal's luster decreasing with each second, Xuefeng made a quick decision, calling out, "Alright! Yi it is then." He didn't have much problem with her, but with this decision, she would be permanently in his group so he didn't want to be rash. Too bad the situation didn't allow him for more thinking.

Xiao Wen quickly opened the barrier and Xuefeng dashed towards the Yi who already woke up from her daze the moment Pio died, not feeling much when he left this world.

"Xuef—" Seeing Xuefeng suddenly appearing in front of her, she tried to congratulate him for winning the battle but he didn't let her, interrupting her, "Do you trust me?!" There was too much of an explanation to be done for her so Xuefeng skipped it.

She was confused by the sudden question but nodded right after, "I do!" Xuefeng never gave her the reason for her to lose her trust so she would agree to anything he says.

"Then don't resist it." Xuefeng said after hearing her reply. He reached out and suddenly lifted her head by her chin as if he was about to kiss her and fixed her hair, uncovering her forehead. For some reason, she suddenly felt nervous, thinking Xuefeng will kiss her but instead of that, he placed a familiar looking star-shaped crystal near her forehead.

'Will this work?' Xuefeng asked himself as the moment the crystal touched Yi's forehead, nothing really happened. They were waiting for it to work but to no avail.

'I can barely feel the Spirit inside of the crystal… It feels like it's too weak to react anymore…' Little Ming commented after some moment, feeling like they were losing her.

'Come on…' Xuefeng urged the Fate Spirit, not willing to accept that they would actually lost such a powerful Spirit. Just then, Xuefeng saw Yi closing her eyes and suddenly the crystal stopped losing its lustre.

Xuefeng had to let go of it as it gradually started moving on its own, entering into Yi's forehead for about half of the crystal's depth. Xuefeng couldn't help but smile, knowing that their efforts worked, the spirit able to slowly connect with Yi.

It was finally at that moment when Xiao Feng came up to them and asked, "What happened?" He didn't see that just as he finished his question, Yi's eyes snapped open her pupils undergoing transformation.