Chapter 387: The grey-clad (8)

Liang Chen's grip was like a vice, the veins on the back of his hand protruding slightly. It felt as if it would only take a smidgen more force to completely crush Xiao Ping's skull. For a moment, he and Xiao Ping locked eyes between his fingers. There was a trace of shock in her eyes, but it was trumped by the calm expectation that her gaze also held. Evidently, she had not considered Liang Chen to be so weak that he'd falter at the first attack. But perhaps she had not been ready for him to handle it quite so easily.

But, even if she was caught off-guard, she was no slouch and quickly reacted. A short instant after the back of her head smashed into the stage, practically at the same time as she made eye contact with Liang Chen, she sprung into action. Her Qi moved, space around her head momentarily warping so that Liang Chen found her strangely slip out of his grasp.

It wasn't the law of space. Yan Ling used that law so he knew the general feel it gave when you applied it to the surrounding space. Of course, he didn't know everything about all the laws in the world so he couldn't entirely rule it out, but for now he came to the conclusion that she had enough strength to let her laws interact with the space around her.

Xiao Ping placed her hands on the ground and raised herself up while rolling back, doing a quick handstand to retreat back to her starting distance, her Qi surging around her in preparation. But contrary to her expectations, Liang Chen did not chase her.

He simply stood there, looking at her with those golden eyes that seemed to dredge through her soul. They had an eerie calmness to them, an emotion she wasn't sure if she should call indifference or weariness. They weren't sizing her up, they weren't appraising her, they weren't judging her. They were simply looking at her. Watching her.

She too watched him, but there was nothing. It was an odd fact, an unsettling sensation. She couldn't feel any of his Qi, couldn't detect a trace of any bloodline, couldn't smell a single element on him. Only in the moment that he unleashed a bit of power could she get a small glimpse at his cultivation, other than that he was basically completely blank.

But she was the future leader of the Sebettu, their future return to glory and prosperity rested on her shoulders. Even if it was unsettling, she had no choice but to act.

Her Qi surged and roiled, seeping out of her body and gathering around her. She had to admit, Liang Chen was fast. She had barely been able to catch his hand moving during that previous attack so it was clear that just relying on her eyes and natural instincts wouldn't cut it, they were too restricted by her body.

But her Qi had no such restrictions.

The air around her started to shimmer faintly, a dark grey color etching itself into the sky, reminiscent of a haze. Her Qi extended outward in the blink of an eye as she set up her Domain, locking up the entire stone stage so that Liang Chen could not escape her notice.

Her domain was a dark grey color, reminiscent of her eyes. It didn't manifest any elements or objects, but Liang Chen couldn't tell whether or not that was by choice or if that was just how it always was.

But what he could tell was the pressure that came with it. It felt as if he had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, a swirling pressure constantly pushing against him. There was also something beyond the pressure. If he had to describe it then it would be a deep dark abyss, a black hole waiting to swallow him the second he escaped the clutches of the swirling pressure.

"The First Step is known as the one that shatters the body. Rahu came up with it shortly before he turned 12, but only perfected it when he was 56. He named it so because the way to perfect it came to him during a moment of enlightenment while he fought against a cultivator that was trying to harvest his organs, and the resulting attack shattered said cultivator as if he was glass."

Xiao Ping's voice reached him, echoing from every part of the domain as she brandished her halberd, her energy surging. Liang Chen also knew the Dragon King's Three steps, he acquired it alongside the memories his birth parents had sealed within him. But he didn't know the history behind them, how Rahu, the Origin Beast that spawned the Sebettu, had come up with them.

Well, it wasn't as if he particularly cared much either.

"The second step is known as the one that splits the waterfall. Rahu came up with the idea for it shortly after he turned 150, but did not perfect it until he was close to 2000 years old. He named it as he perfected it and unleashed it for the first time, when he split the Heaven's Waterfall Galaxy of the Tortugara Universe in half."

The end of her sentence served as the signal of Xiao Ping's second attack. The swirling pressure within the domain intensified and gathered around her halberd, bright blue droplets scattering through the air. Water, it seemed as if the law of water was one of her laws. It could be the source of this pressure, but looking at the sharp swirling current that gathered around her halberd as she brought it down, it was equally possible that she had focused more on a sharper aspect of that particular law.

As they were currently within her domain, Xiao Ping's attack was naturally amplified, both in strength and in number. The main attack, amplified four times by the Second Step, came from the front, but several other similar attacks, albeit un-amplified by the technique, also came from around him.

It looked like a small whirlpool smashing down on him, but he could hear the faint sounds of it cutting through the air. He could also see small scratches and cuts appear on the sturdy arena as the attack came down, so it was clear that if you thought just stepping to the side to dodge was enough then you would end up entirely shredded.

But well, if just dodging wasn't enough then you just had to make it so that you didn't need to dodge at all.

"Second Step splits the waterfall."

Liang Chen matched her step, but his attack didn't unleash any great explosions or bursts of energy. It was quiet and eerie, akin to the dead silence of a city devoid of life. And then it all stopped.

The cutting sounds, the swirling whirlpools, the halberd that Xiao Ping brought down. It all became as silent as the dead city.

The Dragon King's Three Steps was a technique that amplified the strength of your attack, at least that was what it was described as. But it was a lot more flexible than that, as it actually amplified the strength of your next move, it was just a wild surge of Qi after all. It just so happened that when you wanted a trump card, it was generally so that you could quickly eviscerate your enemies.

Hells, Liang Chen himself generally only used the technique for his attacks. But in this instance, he simply used it for a wild surge of Qi to halt the flow of time. And thus, everything came to a halt as time froze. 

Xiao Ping was strong, and they were inside her domain, so trying to permanently halt her time, or even doing so for a prolonged period of time, would require a lot more than just the Second Step. But who was Liang Chen? With the Second Step, he could freeze Xiao Ping and her attack, even if amplified by her own second step, for at least three seconds. He hadn't tried halting the time of a Sovereign God yet, but he was 90% confident that he could stop them too if he just put his mind to it.

And three seconds? That was practically a death sentence against him.

He took a step forward and disappeared from sight, arriving in front of Xiao Ping. Her Qi was also frozen in this silent world so it couldn't react as he reached out with his hand. His fingers curled around her face again as time resumed, the back of her head once again slamming into the stage, with more force this time, cracking the sturdy stone.

"That's the second move."

This time, it was Liang Chen's time to talk. A calm voice, a quiet and subdued voice. There was no joy of suppressing a strong opponent, no exultation at beating down someone in a higher position. It was simply quiet and calm, like an old listing off the things he had written on his grocery list.

Xiao Ping's Qi surged again, but this time Liang Chen let go of her face before she got to slip out. He straightened his back and simply walked back to his starting point, which had been completely shredded by the attack that had landed after time resumed.

"Just go ahead with your third step. Or skip ahead to your fourth or fifth one, let us finish this already."

Calm. Quiet. Subdued. Once again, Xiao Ping was unsettled. But this time she could at least place a finger on why. He was too empty. Cultivators became strong because of desire, because there were things they wanted to achieve or do. Every time they bested a strong opponent it meant that they were a step closer, they had moved forward slightly. It inevitably became something akin to pride for most of them.

But Liang Chen had none of that. Besting her attacks like this, beating her down while proving his superiority, it meant nothing to him. It didn't add to his pride, it didn't add anything to his path. It was just… Nothing. Hollow drops of water that tried to fill a bottomless vessel.

"…"

Xiao Ping was… Curious. Not as a sibling mind you, she held no such emotions. No, she was simply curious as a strong person, as someone who had gone far in their cultivation path. How had he ended up like this, and how did he keep going? She had her reasons for going on no matter how tired she got, so what were his?

But right now was not the time for those questions.

"The third step is known as the one that shatters mortality, it is something Rahu came up with when he was somewhere between 10-30 000, he did not remember precisely. But he did not perfect it until he passed his first 100 000 years, and only did so when he ate and merged with his first Major universe. It embodies the peak of his path."

Xiao Ping did not skip to her advanced versions of the steps and instead continued on with the third step. Was it stubbornness, pride, or perhaps a need to show Liang Chen their history? Whatever the case was, Liang Chen had no idea. He simply watched as she gathered her strength.

Space around Xiao Ping warped and cracked as her energy surged, small black spots appearing within the cracks, tugging at space around them. Her first attack was just her own strength, her second attack was her law of water, and now it seemed like she was going to use her second law. The deep abyss beyond the pressure, the crushing force that swallowed even the depths of the deep sea.

"I have had the fortune of once seeing a recording of the Void King engaging in combat, and from it I managed to glean parts of the Law of Destruction, eventually forming my own comprehension. Watch yourself, Liang Chen."

Xiao Ping was not crowned as the future empress of the Sebettu purely based on her bloodline. She was someone who in her own right could be called a genius, capable of comprehending the law of Destruction while also improving on the technique of an Origin Beast. She was someone people would unanimously agree was worthy of becoming a future empress.

Her attack was launched as she spoke, the small black spots, miniature black holes that were being properly contained, shooting forward. Liang Chen could hear the domain around him groan as the space around the black holes was twisted and swallowed, disappearing without a sound. 

They didn't fly in a straight line, several of them arched so that they could catch him if he tried to flee or dodge. And this time, Xiao Ping kept an inordinate amount of Qi within her, she had probably used the Third Step a second time. But this time defensively, keeping the Qi within her so that Liang Chen hopefully couldn't freeze her time as he previously did.

As the attack shot towards him, Liang Chen could see Xiao Ping's eyes move for a moment. He understood why, he could sense them as they had gotten close. Ren Yazhu and Ren Shuren, their biological parents. They were supposedly 'not available because of important business', but look how quickly they were able to come over. Well, two of their children were currently fighting so it only made sense that they would stop going along with the scheme of the elders. Still, Liang Chen did not stop. 

"Third Step Shatters mortality."

Once again, Liang Chen matched her step, but this time the surge of energy that came from him was far more vicious. It started in his feet and rose up, the sturdy stone around his feet melting softly as thin crimson arcs danced around him. From his feet to his knees, from his knees to his waist, from his waist to his shoulders, and from his shoulders to his hands.

The make-shift spear he had created was stabbed forward, dyed an eye-piercing red as it crackled with lightning. It was unable to properly contain the Qi so it ruptured, scattering red sparks throughout Xiao Ping's domain.

With them came a deafening roar as a single thick bolt of lightning cut through the air. It couldn't be seen, but trace amounts of the Void were moving across the bolt so even the small black holes couldn't swallow it. In fact, it was the black holes that were swallowed by the lightning. Destruction was strong, but beyond Destruction was the Void, the great oblivion of nothingness.

Xiao Ping swiftly reacted, and since it was just a single bolt she was able to quite easily dodge it. But following the tail of the lightning was Liang Chen.

"No one is allowed to interfere!"

Xiao Ping shouted out as Liang Chen's hand stretched out, her eyes alight with flames. He had sensed Ren Yazhu and Ren Shuren rapidly approaching the stage when Xiao Ping dodged the lightning, clearly intent on halting the duel. But with Xiao Ping's shout, their steps halted and allowed Liang Chen's hand to reach her face again.

His fingers curled and she was once again smashed into the stage.

"Two attacks left."

His voice once again unsettled her as he let go of her face and returned to his starting point. He just strode through her domain like it was nothing, he didn't even bother trying to raise his own to combat hers. It was… painful. Different from the pain she felt from a wound, it was a sharp pain deep inside, a deep and unsettling hopelessness. But still, she got up.

She glared beyond the stage for a moment, clearly locking eyes with her parents before she spat out some sharp words, alongside a bit of blood.

"No one. And I mean no one, gets to interfere in a sacred duel."

Her voice was low and calm, but contained an inviolable tone, a certain dignity that she would not allow ignored. There was no response from beyond the stage so it seemed as if the couple had no choice but to accept the fierce decision of their daughter.

"The fourth step."

Xiao Ping's gaze returned to Liang Chen as she opened her mouth again. Her head had been smashed into the stage three times so her teeth had been stained red by blood, a mess of dust and small pebbles sticking to both her face and hair.

"Are you not tired of this already?"

Liang Chen asked in a very simple manner, preventing her from speaking further. She had launched three attacks, and he had crushed her three times. Was this not enough for this nonsensical duel, was it not enough to finally end this tiresome affair? Did she not get tired of being pummeled so blatantly? But Xiao Ping simply chuckled for a moment, spitting out a bit more blood as if to emphasize her point.

"I am the future ruler of the Sebettu, the one who will bring them back to their past glory and prosperity. The future happiness and safety of the entire race rests on my shoulders. I have chosen to bear that burden, Liang Chen. I want to bear it. So it doesn't matter if I get tired, I will keep moving forward. That's what it means to make a choice."

Of course it was tiresome. It was humiliating to get beaten down like this in front of her brother, in front of her parents, in front of her elders. It was humiliating to lose to a guy who didn't give a damn about their race and just wanted to leave. But even so, she had to keep on going. Because she had made that choice, and she would live with it.

"…"

For a moment, Liang Chen couldn't help but look at her. It wasn't the seemingly empty and weary gaze Xiao Ping had almost gotten used to, it was a proper gaze. A gaze shared between two people, man to man.

"Yeah, we made the choice so we have no choice but to keep going forward. You finally said something I can fully agree with, Xiao Ping."

Liang Chen nodded, and for some reason that simple action felt like a world of recognition to Xiao Ping. And Liang Chen truly agreed. He was tired, he was weary of this constant fighting he was going through. This constant cycle of moving about and seeing nothing but misery before he killed hundreds if not thousands of more people. It was all just death and misery wherever he went.

But still, he kept on seeking out that misery. He kept on moving to the next scene of tragedy. Why? Because he had chosen to put an end to it all, because he had chosen that he would not accept it. He had chosen it, so he kept moving, even as others failed to understand it. He just kept moving forward, staining his path with more and more blood and tragedy. Because he had chosen it.

"There will be no fifth attack."

Liang Chen made a prediction, no a statement, an inviolable fact. Xiao Ping could see it from his eyes, he wasn't joking. Finally, he was treating the duel seriously. 

"The fourth step I have come up with is mine and mine alone, the Fourth Step Shatters the Past. The past of the Sebettu's decline, the years of misery and pursuit, with this step I will start to shatter them all. Watch yourself, Liang Chen, this one will come with the intent to kill."

Xiao Ping matched Liang Chen's tone, surging with violent energy that made the space around her disintegrate. Her domain groaned and creaked as a single black hole formed behind her, a bright orange center within as it spun around without a sound. In the end, the domain was unable to contain her energy and crumbled, something Liang Chen had yet to see happen.

He could feel the strength of the black hole, which was a bit over a meter wide and continuously swallowing the surrounding space. He could feel that even the flow of time around the black hole was being warped, momentarily cracking and falling apart in some places.

Xiao Ping had not been lying, this was a proper attack, one carrying a proper killing intent. But it was not enough to stop Liang Chen.

Whoosh.

Xiao Ping felt it, a bit of wind moving across the stage, just out of the range of the black hole. And then parts of the stage cracked, exploding violently. She couldn't see all of them, but she could feel them, pillars of wind bursting with energy, each one tied to Liang Chen.

They were circulating the energy within them, moving it between Liang Chen and the various pillars, a constant flow of energy moving between them. And worst of all, it kept growing.

It reached the level of the Third Step. Then it reached the level of her Fourth Step. And then it moved beyond even that. She couldn't tell how high it rose, but it kept rising without end, the aura alone almost enough to suffocate her.

The Fourth Step, the peak she had reached at the moment, the start of her path to saving the Sebettu. Liang Chen, who came from the same race but had no interest in it, had seen that step, that path. And then he had ruthlessly stepped on it and surpassed it.

"Sixth Step Crushed Purgatory."

She heard his voice. He probably didn't need to say it out loud, did he do it out of respect for her? To show her the difference? Or was it just habit? She didn't know.

But then she saw it. A tear in the world clasped in his hand, a tear that drew a line through the air. A line that stretched beyond the range of the stadium, a line that stretched beyond the gargantuan city they were in. A line that stretched across the planet. A dull grey line, a lifeless line. A line that signified the end.

The line stretched across her too, drawing a mark across her chest. And for only a split second, just as Liang Chen took a step, the line opened. It was like a gate opening, a door to oblivion.

Through the gate, she could see it. Pale white earth, grey grass, black worms wriggling across the land, light brown trees with bright red leaves. And beyond that, bone-like white sand that stretched out as far as they eye could see, craggy mountains made of porous black stone, and a colorless sky. Beyond that gate, the Void stretched out without end, part of it Liang Chen's own. In the blink of an eye, existence around that line would cease.

But just as quickly as it opened, the gate closed, a bit of blood rising in Liang Chen's throat. He had halted the attack, but how could Xiao Ping and the others around the stage not feel it, know it? For a brief moment there, they all danced on the edge of oblivion. For a brief moment there, they faced the end of all existence.

And while they were focused on that, Liang Chen's voice reached them again.

"Can we finally get through with this chat now?"

Liang Chen's eyes had finally turned onto Ren Yazhu and Ren Shuren. Calm. Quiet. Subdued. Simply watching.