Life expectancy: 0.

As the city serving as the headquarters of the Jyushi clan, there was no way that Starfall city wasn't littered with inns and hotels of various quality. Of course, inns that allowed one to bring in their Demonic beast companions were a bit rarer, but Yin Long and Lan Yun still managed to find an inn after four hours of walking.

Lan Yun was all smiles as they entered the inn. She knew Yin Long well enough that she knew that since he was willing to leave the dojo for their safety, there was no chance of him splitting them up between two rooms. And she was quickly proven correct, Yin Long renting the largest room they had so that Jin Wang would have enough space to at least move around somewhat.

Their earlier forays into Four-Kings Valley had left them with enough funds to last them for a while, especially when they considered the fact that they didn't really spend a lot of their resources. But even so, renting a room large enough for Jin Wang wasn't too easy on the wallet, it was lucky that they wouldn't have to stay here for too long.

Of course, just sharing a room didn't mean that Lan Yun could instantly fulfil all her fantasies, this wasn't the first time they had stayed in the same room after all. But she still made sure to grasp this chance to sneak into Yin Long's bed whenever she could, fully aware of the fact that he was most likely noticing her every time, only choosing to remain silent since any protests would result in prolonged bargaining.

Yin Long didn't forget to make sure that Lan Yun ascended the stage at least once so that she could show off her power. She was at the 3rd Immortal Door, but thanks to her strong laws and highly ranked cultivation technique, she was capable of fighting people at the 5th Immortal Door. Combat strength like that might not gain her the same amount of attention as Yin Long, but it was more than enough for her to be selected as one of the 250 participants.

And just like that, four days quickly passed, the final participants for the Three-Fold Territory clash getting selected. Some were ecstatic to be selected while others were devastated that they weren't selected, this clash was directly related to the honour and glory of the entire territory. Not only were the rewards great, but just doing decently in the clash was enough to spread your fame across the entire province.

The chosen people were given a day to rest, and on the sixth day after they returned to the city, Yin Long and Lan Yun were told to gather up at the centre of the city. When they reached the centre of the city, the stone stage had yet to be removed, the 250 participants and some of the leaders of their organizations gathered around it.

Yin Long's group joined up with the 30 other people that had been chosen from the Heron's Ascension Dojo, of which he only recognized the three head disciples and Xue Qiuling. Xue Qiuling flashed him a bitter and even somewhat downtrodden smile, but he only responded with a casual nod of his head.

No one spoke up, the entire plaza covered in a tense silence, every single pair of eyes focused on the stage. And before long, Yin Long discovered why everyone was so tense right now, a crimson-robed man stepping onto the stage. The man had a rather lanky frame, his eyes as crimson as his robe and his waist-length hair a deep emerald colour. The most peculiar thing about him was that he had several strands of grass growing out from behind his ears and the back of his neck, each strand covered in fine red veins.

Yin Long didn't need anyone to introduce him, the grass growing on his body and the awe-inspiring power he radiated was more than enough to proclaim his identity. Territory Lord Bloodgrass, the ruler of the Bloodgrass Territory that the Jyushi clan was situated in. The aura he radiated made it hard to gauge his cultivation realm, but it had clearly transcended the realm of the Earthen Doors. As such, it wasn't strange that even the ruler of Heron's Ascension Dojo, Park Man, was feeling tense right now. The human-formed Demonic beast let his gaze sweep over the gathered participants, speaking briefly.

"Good, everyone's gathered. Within a few minutes, all of you will board the prepared carriages and head for Glimmer Void city. Once there, you'll engage in a competition with the participants chosen by the Ocean God's Pavilion and the Asura Soul Mountain, the results of that competition will decide the final teams you'll be split into as well as which order you'll go out in during the actual Clash. Do not dishonour our Bloodgrass territory, show the Starsong and Winged-Blood rabble what true terror is."

Just like the Lang clan had to share the Bluelord Territory with the Tao and Deshi clans, the Jyushi clan had to share this Bloodgrass Territory with the Asura Soul Mountain and Ocean God's Pavilion. Of course, whether or not the Jyushi clan could retain control of this city still remained to be seen, it might be the Heron's Ascension Dojo that would have to contest with the two other behemoths in the future.

Territory Lord Bloodgrass waved his hand after he spoke, several tens of carriages covered in his mark, three strands of blood-veined leaves, appearing on the stage. He then left without uttering another word, his body turning into countless strands of grass that seemed to simply blow away in the wind. And with him leaving the area, the current ruler of the Jyushi clan, a muscular man with slick black hair and brown eyes, stepped onto the stage.

"You all heard Territory Lord Bloodgrass, don't disgrace the name of our territory while you're out there. The list of temporary teams is posted here, find your own name and then head over to the assigned carriage to meet up with your team members."

The man, Jyushi San, waved his hand and caused a large wooden sign to shoot out from his interspatial ring, lodging itself in the ground in front of the stage. The names of all the participants had been written on the sign, neatly separated based on which team they were in. Once he threw out the sign, Jyushi San gave a short description of the upcoming competition and clash.

"Some of you know, some of you don't, and some of you have probably guessed a few things. Yes, the Three-Fold Territory Clash is a team competition, you will be divided into teams of 10, each team preferably having one person at the 1st Immortal Door, one at the 2nd, and so on and so on, with one extra person of any cultivation realm. The fights themselves will take place on a stage much like this one and will only end when either side has no more fighters, or if one of the sides agrees to surrender. Being knocked unconscious, killed, or beaten down from the stage means that you've been defeated and can't participate in that fight any longer. As you might have guessed, the difference in strength between each person in the team will be quite large at the higher and lower spectrums, so make sure you incorporate some strategy into your fights."

The Three-Fold Territory Clash had been established in ages long past and the rules were already set in stone, especially since they were so simple. All you had to do was beat the opposing team and you would win the round, moving on to the next one, in which you would face another team that had the same amount of wins as you.

You would generally only face teams who had the same amount of wins as you, the only exception to this rule was if one team was willing to challenge your team directly. This had both advantages and disadvantages, it was a rule termed the Underdog rule, and it had only been added for a bit of excitement. If the other party accepted your challenge and lost, you would gain all of their wins and instantly bolster your position.

But if you lost, not only would the winning team get all your wins, but you would also be expelled from the competition and were forbidden from ever participating in any of the territory or province competitions. The rewards and losses weren't quite even, but they were never supposed to be, that was why it was a rule only added to spice up the tournament a little, to give the weaker teams some hope and push them to the brink.

Jyushi San finished his short explanation and then waved his hand, gesturing to the participants that they were now free to check their own teams. Everyone rushed up the large sign and crowded in front of it, Yin Long waiting for a few minutes before he went up and checked his own team. And upon seeing the teams they had been placed in, Lan Yun immediately puffed out her cheeks in protest.

Yin Long had ended up on a team where he only recognized two people, the head disciple of Eagle King Hall Kuan Xiao, and Bai Mu, who served as the extra member. The rest of his team members consisted of two people from the Jyushi clan, two people from the Crag's Howl Sect, and three unaffiliated cultivators. Lan Yun ended up in a team where she only recognized Xue Shuiye from Heron Lord Hall, the rest of the members came from the other organizations in the area.

But these teams weren't something she could protest, she could only do her best and make sure that she ended up in the same team as Yin Long when they entered the actual clash. Since they were on different teams, it also meant that they were assigned to different carriages and thus had to split up.

Yin Long quickly reached the carriage marked with a '3', his other team members already gathered in front of it. Just as Jyushi San said, every member of the team had a different cultivation realm, with Bai Mu only having reached the 9th Mortal Door. The black-haired and blue-eyed Kuan Xiao was the strongest person present, having already reached the 9th Immortal Door, so he served as the de-facto leader as he greeted Yin Long.

"Junior Brother Long, it seems like our luck is rather good. One person who can use the law of space and one who can use the law of light, we would truly be bringing dishonour on our territory if we fail to make good use of these to grand laws. I've already spoken a bit with the others, and we have three people specialized in defence, two who specialize in speed, four specialized in offence, and the mostly balanced you. Our team is surprisingly balanced, so we can certainly find some decent formations that we can use in battle. It'll be a bit hard to implement them without any training, but I've already received the news that we'll be the first team to step onto the stage, so we'll just have to wing it and try out various things in the heat of battle."

As the head disciple of Eagle King Hall, Kuan Xiao had a bit of experience when it came to leading people, he also had a closer connection to the various elders and instructors, allowing him to get his hands on this information early on. The other team members weren't against Kuan Xiao taking on the role of leader, entering the carriage one by one while Bai Mu took a step closer to Yin Long.

"I was honestly starting to worry that you wouldn't return in time, Brother Long. It's good that you made it, I feel that this competition wouldn't have been the same without you."

Bai Mu was currently in his golden-haired state, his expression filled with the same innocent kindness rather than the cold callousness that he had when Yin Long saw him in his black-haired state. Yin Long's eyes couldn't help but roam over Bai Mu for a second, curious if he might see Bai Mu in his black-haired state during this competition. But Bai Mu seemed to misunderstand the meaning of his gaze, spreading his arms somewhat helplessly while laughing lightly.

"Yes yes, I still haven't entered the realm of the Immortal Doors so I'm lagging behind. But don't worry, I've learned a few tricks while you were gone, so I might actually be able to beat you now if we try to fight again."

Bai Mu may have spread his arms somewhat helplessly, but his face still carried an expression of excited confidence. He had lost to Yin Long twice already, so he was eager to reclaim some of his face in the third match. And seeing his confidence, Yin Long also grew interested, wondering just what he had come up with.

"Oh? We'll have to spar later on then, I really wanna see what sort of tricks you have."

Bai My laughed cheerfully but of course didn't reveal anything, entering the carriage. Yin Long wanted to enter the carriage, but with nine people already inside, there was no way that there would be room for Jin Wang inside the carriage. So he instead climbed onto Jin Wang's back and leaned against his neck and head, riding on Jin Wang as the carriages started to move.

All the carriages headed for the southeastern end of the city, arriving in front of a large crimson array, several guards around it already finished preparing the array. The carriages entered the array one by one and were sent away, arriving in Glimmer Void city after a quick transmission.

The moment they arrived in the city, Yin Long understood exactly how it got its name. The city was located at the bottom of a large ravine, but the walls of the ravine were perfectly smooth and polished, to the point that they were actually reflecting the sky above the ravine. Due to this, it looked like the city was surrounded by the sky, an occasional glimmer of light flashing across the reflection.

The buildings in the city were built out of rather dark material to counteract their light surroundings, each building focusing on a more angular architecture than the wavy architecture of Starfall city. The streets of Glimmer Void city were already stuffed with people when Yin Long and the various carriages arrived, everyone looking forward to the competition that was going to unfold.

Yin Long stood out somewhat due to the fact that he wasn't riding in one of the carriages, but the gazes of most people were still locked on the carriage marked with a large '1'. This carriage was the one carrying the elders who were going to oversee this competition, the various organizations weren't exactly planning on just sending out their disciples without at least one or two people to keep an eye on things.

The actual leaders themselves hadn't shown up, but their third in command or maybe even second in command had come, and they alone were more than enough to awe people. Under the gazes of countless people, the carriages made their way through the city, Yin Long casually resting his chin on top of Jin Wang's head, making for a rather odd sight alongside the crimson carriages.

After moving for a little over five hours, just as mid-afternoon started to roll around, the carriages reached the location where the battles would take place. A large stage had been erected in the plaza that had been put aside for the occasion, looking almost identical to the stage Yin Long had seen in Starfall city.

There were two separate groups of people scattered around the stage, one group occupying the northern area while the other occupied the southern side. The crimson carriages that Yin Long was following occupied the eastern section around the stage, the three different groups staring at each other while the people grouped up in the carriages dismounted.

The people gathered here were all talented and strong cultivators, who among them didn't have a competitive and proud heart? Each and every one of them desired nothing more than to crush the opposition and bask in the light of glory, to reign supreme and be adored by countless people.

Once the last person dismounted from the crimson carriages, a blood-robed person appeared on the stage, the same Bloodgrass growing from his neck. This was a direct subordinate of Territory Lord Bloodgrass and a member of the same race of plant-type Demonic beast, he would serve as the overseer and final judge should it be needed. The man swept his green eyes over the gathered disciples, not wasting any time as he called forth the first teams, not even bothering to list any rules.

"Team three of Jyushi, Team five of Asura Soul, enter the stage!"

The team from the area ruled by the Asura Soul Mountain jumped on stage the moment the overseer called them forth, they had clearly also gotten word that they would be the first fighters. Yin Long dropped down from Jin Wang's back and stepped onto the stage alongside Kuan Xiao and Bai Mu, Xue Qiuling taking this chance to beckon Lan Yun over.

"Follow me, I want to ask you something about your and his past, I need to learn how to get closer to him. And im guessing that you dont want others to learn about his past, no?"

Xue Qiuling cast a bitter glance at Yin Long as she spoke, looking like a rejected woman, a feeling that Lan Yun could easily understand. But she didn't just follow Xue Qiuling immediately, calling over a slightly reluctant Jin Wang. She stuck close to Jin Wang as they moved away from the crowd, Lan Yun stealthily swiping her interspatial ring and pulling out a small jade she could use to immediately contact Yin Long, as well as a jade that contained a small explosive array.

They already suspected that Xue Qiuling knew about their past, so she was ready to strike at a moments notice should Xue Qiuling try to threaten her. But if even Lan Yun could prepare herself, why couldn't Xue Qiuling do the same?

They had only walked a little over one kilometre away from the stage when they turned a corner, entering a large street that was more deserted since it didn't give a view of the stage. And the moment they stepped onto the street, the road lit up with intricate runes and lines, colourful chains shooting up from the runes and coiling around Lan Yun and Jin Wang.

Lan Yun acted the moment the runes appeared, letting go of the small jade bead containing an explosive array while inserting her Qi into the other orb. But Xue Qiuling reacted just as quickly, activating her secret technique to forcibly raise her strength. She broke Lan Yun's wrist and tore away the communication jade and twin rings, her other hand storing the falling jade bead into an interspatial ring. The ring cracked and shattered shortly after storing the jade, unable to bear the rampant energy of the explosion.

The chains coiling around Lan Yun and Jin Wang prevented them from even making any sounds, seeping into their bodies and sealing up their energy. The array was clearly of a rather high grade, otherwise, there was no way it would be able to even seal up their energy while preventing them from making any noise.

Jin Wang struggled somewhat, the chains seeping into his body trembling slightly as they seemed to reach a breaking point. But a large hammer crashed into the back of his head and knocked him down before he could push the chains further, several men clad in robes so dark red that they were almost black. Another man smashed his fist into the back of Lan Yun's head to knock her out, turning to Xue Qiuling while another man caught Lan Yun before she fell.

"Don't forget the agr..."

Xue Qiuling didn't even let the man finish his sentence, waving her hand in a dismissive manner, a small sneer appearing on her face.

"Yes yes, I haven't forgotten. I'll be the one to take care of Lang Yin, you don't have to worry about getting implicated by the Thousand Blades Hall. Now take her away, you can do whatever you want with her, just remember that I want to see her corpse before the day is over. And oh, prepare a recording for me, I might have to use it as a mental assault later on."

If everything went according to plan, then Yin Long would die right here and now, but in case that plan failed to bear fruit she would have to prepare a back-up. And that recording would be part of that back-up, sealing off one of Yin Long's possible escape paths. The cloaked man wasn't bothered by Xue Qiuling's tone, they were more than used to their clients being haughty.

"Hehe, don't you worry about that, we'll give you a nice treat before the sun sets."

The cloaked man spun his hand in the air, the other men he had brought along quickly removing Jin Wang and Lan Yun from the scene, one of them staying behind to remove the traces of the array. They specialized in ambushes like this, and with Xue Qiuling helping them, their chances of success had been 100% right from the start, giving Lan Yun and Jin Wang no chance to escape or call for help.

Xue Qiuling didn't linger around, immediately undoing her secret technique so that the repercussions of using it wouldn't be too large. She even swallowed a pill to minimize the repercussions, quickly returning to the stage. She hadn't been gone for long, a kilometre was quickly crossed by cultivators like them, so by the time she returned, Kuan Xiao was still in the process of positioning his team.

"Junior Brother Long, you take up a central position, that'll give you the best position to move based on the changes in the situation. Junior Cultivator Mu, you take up a rear position, just try to use your speed to trip up the weaker enemies. Also, the two of you need to be careful. See how they look at you? They're scared of your laws and what they can do, there is a real chance that they might try to focus on you first to remove the unknown variable that you are."

The team formation was quite simple, Kuan Xiao and the two others focused on defence were situated at the front, the four specialized in offence situated in the middle, and the one specializing in speed located at the sides. Bai Mu was also one of those specialized in speed, but his realm was too low so Kuan Xiao didn't want to risk placing him at the side.

And it was indeed as he said, news of Yin Long's law of space and Bai Mu's law of light had clearly already reached the opposing team, their gazes practically fully focused on the two of them. Yin Long took up position amongst the four others who specialized in offence, albeit a step ahead of them, and Bai Mu took up his position at the far back, faint strands of light already coiling around him.

The overseer only gave a light wave of his hand to signal the start of the battle when both teams had finished their organizations, everyone bursting forth with their Qi. And just as Kuan Xiao guessed, the ten members on the opposing team instantly launched all their attacks, aiming them directly at Yin Long.

They had heard about his strength, and his law was a bit more dangerous than the law of light, so he had to be the first target. Kuan Xiao and the two others managed to block the six strongest attack, but there were still four that managed to slip through thanks to the sheer number of attacks launched.

Yin Long immediately drew out his white sword and grasped it tightly, his Qi starting to surge so that he could deflect two of the attacks while blocking the last two. But a soft clinking sound distracted him as he prepared himself, his pupils momentarily drifting to the side.

And what he saw was what Xue Qiuling had tossed onto the stage, the two rings that Lan Yun had worn ever since Yin Long's mother had gifted them to her to remind her of her position. And as he saw the rings, the cold and emotionless voice of Xue Qiuling reached his ears, uttering words that immediately caused the life-expectancy of those around him to drop rapidly.

"Do you remember my familiar law, Lang Yin? That which cannot be used must be destroyed, lest it gets used against us. One has already been dealt with, but don't worry, I've made them promise to record everything. Want to watch it with me later? Who knows, you might have a cucking fetish."