A Gentle Poke

The Fusion Realm, a phrase so frightening it could cause kings to kneel in trepidation. It was said that a single Fusion Realm expert can topple a True Empire by himself, whether or not that is possible is unknown by most. What is known however is that it was more likely for one to fall in love with air than to see one in your lifetime.

They were as rare as they were powerful. Yet, at that very moment, right after Maita had surrendered, four such experts in grey cloaks were hovering above Yani City, looking down upon it like the gods they considered themselves to be.

"To think we would be forced to take action on such an insignificant city! How absurd!"

"Hold your tongue Brother 2, this is a task handed to us from a Minister of the Immortal Court! We should feel honored that we were chosen."

"Brother 2 is right, even if it is a job given by them, it is far too lacking for people such as us to do. Besides, any one of us can destroy this city with a wave of our palm. Going in such a roundabout way of doing it is beneath our stature!"

Three of the floating figures were having an argument when the fourth one joined in.

"Enough."

His voice alone was enough to silence the other three. Disparities in strength between Fusion Real experts were far greater than the Foundation Realm, and it was not an exaggeration to say that the last man who spoke was far stronger than the other three combined, and his status was likewise higher.

"Apologies, Senior."

Three voices rang out as the other three apologized to their leader. The so called Senior merely nodded and waved his hand. Four green cubes appeared and three of the cubes floated to one of the remaining three men, such that each man had a cube floating in front of him.

"You know what to do."

The Senior flew off in one direction while the other three bowed.

"Yes Senior."

They knew that their superior was a man who valued his words above gold so they quickly went to work. Each of the four went to a random spot within the city, often an unpopulated area like a slum or an alley.

They would then each use their own means to create a small hole in the ground and place the cube inside. After performing a few hand seals, the cube would liquefy and dissolve into the soil beneath them. After that, it was simple for them to cover up their tracks and fly back.

They were each using a method to disguise their bodies so they went undetected by almost everyone. After one more look down upon the city and having ascertained that their work was done, they floated of into the distance...

In the arena, the fight between Maita and Bastian had just finished and many people were busy chatting. Two of them however were not even talking about the fight. They were Owami and the body of a beggar Li had taken.

"Are you sure you are not going to interfere? This is quite serious."

Owami was not one to show affection for Bastian, let alone interest, so Li chuckled and said, "I don't need to interfere, so far Bastian has had things too easy. His karma is simply too high, so unless I let something like this pass by, the boy will not experience a true tribulation."

"This is not a mere tribulation, this is certain death! There is no way the city is prepared for what's to come... as far as they are concerned, the invasion is months away."

"Well, I guess you are right. Let's give them a fighting chance, shall we? Go and give the beast a poke. Anger it a bit. It should give them some time to prepare."

Owami nodded and her silhouette disappeared.

...

A celebration was being held at Shasha's mansion; food, wine and beautiful women were everywhere, as a festive mood had permeated the place. Shasha was shamelessly eating like a voracious beast while holding two beautiful women in his arms.

"I told Kai that he had potential. I could see it back then, he had demeanor of a true warrior. This prince could tell that he was destined for great things! Nom nom..."

As Shasha battled between his primordial urges and his ego, the others were all gathered at another table discussing the day's events.

"Bastian, it is not a good thing to keep secrets from your companions." said Tino with a deadpan expression. She really wanted to know what Bastian had said to make Maita quit so easily. She also knew that the two had made some sort of bet, the only question was, what were the stakes?

"I don't want to hear that from you of all people." said Bastian with a smug grin. Guy and the others all wanted to know what Bastian had discussed with Maita, but they could not argue with his logic.

"Either way, it is good-" As Guy was about to add on, an earth shattering roar suddenly shook area. To ordinary mortals the roar was only extremely loud, but to cultivators it was much more overbearing.

The cultivation bases of every cultivator in Yani City quivered in fear as the roar echoed throughout the land. Many of the weaker cultivators could not handle it and directly fainted, while some became hysterical and started shouting like madmen.

Kenshin immediately held his sword as if he was preparing for something, while Kai immediately appeared next to Shasha and looked around warily. Bastian's reaction however was slightly different from the others. While the overbearing nature was still present, there was a hint of familiarity that resonated with something deep inside Bastian. At first he could not tell what this was but after a few breathes worth of time a savage grin appeared on his face.

"Dragon!"

...

In a tavern, Li was having some wine when Owami appeared next to him. Li did not even look to his side and kept on drinking his wine while everyone else in the room was covering their ears.

"What kind of poke was that?"

"The good kind, don't worry. I was gentle."

Despite the fact that he was an immortal, Li had shivers when he heard her response.

"Also, I believe you poked the wrong beast."

"I wanted the warning to be serious."

Li shook his head with a wry smile on his face.