31-40

Chapter 31: System Notification

Back in Water Land, Xuefeng just happened to be discussing the same matter with the girls after already refining all the Upgrade Fragments they had. Although they were both ten fragments short to reach the Second Refining, it was still a good start.

"So that's how it works. Does it matter if we refine our Qi before creating the Elemental Core or can I still refine it afterward?" Xuefeng questioned as he hugged the three beauties into his arms.

As they couldn't refine anymore due to their lack of Upgrades Fragments, they could only start their cultivation. Thanks to his Time Manipulation, they didn't need to worry about it.

"You can still refine your Qi once you reach higher stages. Refining basically changes the quality of Qi your Soul produces. It's a long process, so it's not required to finish it right away. On the other hand, you have to decide beforehand what Core you want to create before we start cultivating," Ming explained as she laid down on his chest. With Tianshi and Ling on both his sides, she managed to claim the main position in the middle.

"I don't think it's an issue, right? We are creating Gold Cores," Xuefeng decided right away to which Tianshi nodded. "I agree. I'm sure all of us aim for the best."

"Alright, then it's settled. I will start expanding your Soul using all Elements in balance. You don't need to do anything. We will handle it for you with Ling," Ming informed but then she slid down on his body, resting her head on his lower belly. "In exchange, how about paying us back with your body?"

It was a question but Ming's hands already gripped his crotch, rubbing him to awaken his desires. Ling and Tianshi didn't stay idle, already pulling his shirt upwards while beginning their assault on his neck, sucking and kissing it passionately.

"I also want it…" Tianshi whispered as she tilted his head, demanding kisses directly from his lips. "We still have time…"

With his lips taken, Ling leaned to his ear and sucked on its tip, bribing him with intense pleasure. Too bad, Xuefeng didn't have it, bringing them back to order.

Ahh!

He smacked them both on their naughty butts, causing loud moans to fill the room. Sometimes he wondered if they were a pair of masochists, liking when he was rough with them.

"We still didn't finish discussing and you are already like this. What are our future plans? Have we established everything? Did you forget we are in danger? First comes the serious talk and then we can relax," Xuefeng scolded. "Sigh, what do I have with you here."

"To think its Xuefeng of all people that is scolding us," Tianshi commented with a smirk. "You say all that but you also squeeze our butts the whole time, teasing and seducing us. Who is really at fault here?"

"Cough, I don't know what are you talking about," Xuefeng cleared his throat, feigning innocence and quickly changed the subject. "What are our plans after we escape from the City? We can't just roam randomly and we can't hide forever either. What do we do?"

Ling and Tianshi sighed, behaving for a moment but Ming acted as if she didn't hear anything, pulling his pants down.

"Ming?" Xuefeng called her name with a roll of his eyes. His arms were busy already, so he couldn't stop her.

"What? I'm not doing anything," Ming replied playfully, but her hands were still teasing him dangerously.

Knowing Ming, it was impossible to stop her, so he ignored her behavior, focusing on finishing their action plan before it was too late. He wouldn't be able to calm down three hungry wives afterward.

"How is your ID Card research?" Xuefeng questioned, busying her mind. "If you succeed, we can try joining that tournament in Water Land Capital. I don't see any better method to get a lot of Fragments in one go."

The Sect Elder they followed earlier didn't stop by this City so he guessed the only place he was heading to was the Capital. For a tournament deciding which Sect was the strongest in the Water Land, only the Capital was a suitable place to hold it.

"I'm positive I can finish the job by tomorrow. Don't worry," Ming assured. "We will leave the city before any Trade Union experts arrive and then depart to the Capital. Sounds like a solid plan to me. Are you satisfied?"

Xuefeng recognized that alluring smug she gave him. It meant she couldn't wait anymore and wanted to eat him already. Too bad, it wasn't over.

"What about the Thunder Goddess?" Xuefeng asked after recalling the other pressing issue.

"I was waiting for the right time to mention it…" Ling muttered as she rubbed her cheek against him.

Xuefeng didn't even need to ask if Ling wanted to save that lady as he already knew the answer.

Thunder Goddess was Ling's ex-Fate Holder. A peerless genius who was hunted down for her beauty. From what Ling told them, after being poisoned, Thunder Goddess froze her body before separating with Ling who was supposed to find help using Reincarnation.

Who would have thought she would become Xuefeng's wife, no longer wanting to return? Although they could still save her, Xuefeng would never give Ling back.

"Do you remember where she is now?"

"She is somewhere in the Water Land ice mountains. If we arrive there, I will recognize the place. The problem is poison. We will need to create an antidote for it before we find her and I know it's not the right time now," Ling answered. "We still have more than a year before her body gives in to poison and dies."

"We will save her, so you can keep your promise," Xuefeng cheered her up. Although he didn't care about some stranger lady, he cared for Ling.

Wanting to relax the atmosphere, he hugged both cuties tightly to which even Ming stopped playing around.

"Ah, you ruined the mood," Ming lamented, joining them in the hug.

With their goals set and plans discussed, they could finally relax.

At least that's what they wished for. Just a moment after, he heard a robotic voice in his mind.

'Your ID Card has been blocked by the System. To reactivate your ID Card and regain your privileges, please go to the nearest Central Bank. Note that you cannot leave the City without reactivating your ID Card. We are sorry for the inconvenience.'

Chapter 32: Escape - Part 1

"Wait, I think we have a problem," Ming called out in alarm as she raised her head to gaze at the door. "There are some strong individuals gathering around the inn. Some even entered inside, waiting in the restaurant downstairs. I only noticed just now as they seem to be blending in the crowd, walking back and forth the street."

"You stole my line. My ID Card just got blocked by the System," Xuefeng informed, pulling the girls up with him. There was no way they could continue their relaxation in such a situation.

"Isn't the time slowed down outside?" Tianshi questioned, fixing the clothes that Xuefeng messed up with his hands.

"It is slower but it didn't stop. They took their time to arrive here," Ming replied. "I thought it would be only those two from before, but it seems they already called for backup. They shouldn't be trouble for us. They are at most Immortal Stage."

Xuefeng already defeated one Immortal Stage Cultivator, so he wasn't particularly worried. It was always better to be cautious though.

"I can bet they were the ones who blocked my ID Card, so I can't leave the City," Xuefeng commented, pulling his pants up. "Let's depart now before it's too late."

Ming and Ling nodded, hugging into his body before entering inside him. Xuefeng quickly hopped from the bed and helped Tianshi as well, lifting her by the waist.

He didn't release her though, hugging her instead as he asked, "Can you see anything?"

Tianshi could see the near future, so it would be a shame if they didn't use her ability. She closed her eyes and placed her palms on his face without saying anything. Although the time was different for them, every second counted.

"There are a few possible futures. I can see us break through the inn and defend against five cultivators who doesn't hesitate but attack. It's a whole big mess. The inn is destroyed and people get hurt…" Tianshi shivered as she described one of the futures. "In the end, we still go out of the inn, forced to fly away under the barrage of attacks from tens of Cultivators."

"How about leaving through the window?" Xuefeng asked as he pointed at the two squares providing them last bits of sunlight.

"That's the second future. We burst out through the windows and immediately fly away. Before they realize what happens, we will already gain some precious seconds," Tianshi replied.

"Can we still leave the city without the ID Card?"

Tianshi shook her head. "I can't see that yet."

'I don't know the strength of the Safe Zone barrier but it definitely has some defensive purposes aside from invigilating ones. We should be able to create a small opening in it once we are behind the wall,' Ming informed.

'Won't that Almighty Spirit assist them?' Xuefeng wondered but Ming only snickered.

'Tsk, it's a battle between Spirits. Who do you think will win, two beauties or him?'

Xuefeng didn't need more, believing in her confidence.

Swoosh!

His Golden Wings burst out from Xuefeng's back, the mix of Fate and Air Qi looking as dominant as ever. They filled almost the whole room until he folded them.

"Shall we go?" Xuefeng suggested as he finally let go of her, gently holding her fingers with his own.

Swoosh!

Tianshi's wings spread out as an answer, ready to follow him into the fire. Gazing at her beautiful self, he couldn't help but pull her closer for one last kiss to give them both courage.

Xuefeng extended his arm to the side with their lips still locked and his Dragon Edge appeared in his palm. Its blue, scaled pattern glittered in the sunlight, announcing its readiness as well.

Mhmm…

Tianshi pulled away, yet Xuefeng suddenly pushed his tongue forward, tasting her own for one last time before finally separating. She pouted for ruining their romantic moment, but he only slid his free hand down and grasped her bottom in return.

He squeezed it firmly as he announced with a fake hero voice, "If I could, I would taste you for the last time but adventure calls. If we die now, just know that I love you and will always remember you."

Smack!

Tianshi slapped his behind in revenge for joking like this and pulled his hand away. "We will not die, now go. I will follow closely behind."

Xuefeng smiled playfully and finally turned serious. She could always bring him back to focus.

Multiple shields surrounded them as he extended his arm, swinging his sword at the wall.

Bang!

With one slash he unleashed the power of the Dragon, sending shock-wave that blasted the wall apart.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

They flew out swiftly, using the falling debris as the distraction when he received a robotic notification.

'Destruction of property. Ten thousand Credits deducted from your ID Card.'

'So when I destroy things, suddenly my ID Card isn't blocked anymore? Bullshit!' Xuefeng cursed only to be hit with another fine.

'Unauthorized flying within the Safe Zone. A thousand Credits got deducted from your ID Card.'

At that point Xuefeng already ignored the notifications, knowing very well he is not going to pay anything.

'Xuefeng, my ID Card got charged,' Tianshi called out in his mind as she followed him closely behind.

'Ignore it!'

A few seconds later after flying above the buildings, they received another fine for the same reason. It repeated every few seconds, charging them a thousand each time. It made them realize how oppressive this system was.

'You have a tail! Three Immortals, ten God Stages!' Ling reported, forcing him to turn around.

Thirteen cultivators in black leather uniforms chased after him, surprisingly keeping up with their speed. Every other second they teleported closer, gaining precious meters.

'Tianshi, go first and teleport towards the gates! I will stop them and catch up with you!' Xuefeng ordered as he folded his wings without waiting for her answer.

Xuefeng turned around mid-air and his body began to change. He grew taller and his muscles bulged, making his heavy Dragon Edge feel like a stick.

Titan Bloodline!

He could already see thirteen Cultivators had their armors activated, making his unrefined Qi useless against them.

But that wasn't his only offensive.

If he couldn't fight using his Qi, he could use brute force to push them back!

"Take this!"

Chapter 33: Escape - Part 2

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Xuefeng slashed with his sword left and right, creating multiple shock waves in his pursuers' directions. Even if they tried to dodge it, they were forced to take the attacks directly on their face.

Although Dragon Edge didn't have any special powers, its sharpness and brutal physical force were enough to disrupt anyone's advance.

But that wasn't all.

With each swing of his sword, waves of Air Qi burst out, amplifying the power of shock waves even more.

'First warning, unauthorized use of violence. Please cease fighting.'

'Unauthorized use of violence. Ten thousand Credits deducted from your ID Card.'

'Repeated offense. Twenty thousand Credits deducted from your ID Card.'

'Repeated offense. Fifty thousand Credits deducted from your ID Card.'

His pursuers halted, stopped by the excess wind, but they didn't seem to care. The wind and the shock waves were unable to do any damage to them. On the other hand, Xuefeng kept getting fines with the Almighty Spirit informing him every few seconds that his ID Card lost Credits.

'Ignore all of them. I will later clean your ID Card when I create a new identity for you,' Ming assured him which made him continue without worry.

All Flying Beasts from the sky already distanced themselves from the battle but still stayed behind to watch, creating a wide circle of viewers. The beast owners definitely didn't mind staying, probably getting a bonus pay for that.

After all, how often did a battle happen in a safe environment inside the cities? Almost never. No one was this crazy to go in debt for a little fight.

'Excessive force used. ID Card user will be detained by the City Guards. Any form of resistance will be deemed as an additional offense, adding to the sentence. Surrendering and following the Guards instructions will—'

'Shut up already!' Ming cursed, cutting short the robotic announcement. 'I'm blocking this Spirit already. It's making me annoyed. Only we can invade your mind!'

Xuefeng wanted to laugh but this time it was Tianshi's call that disturbed him.

'I'm nearing the gates! Our connections will cut soon. Are you coming?' Tianshi informed him from miles away, already reaching the limits of her ability. Although the distance improved the more she used it, there were still limits.

'Alright, let me wrap it up here,' Xuefeng replied and finally stopped attacking.

With no wind, his pursuers approached swiftly but they didn't attack right away.

"It's quite honorable that you let the girl escape first, but we were never after her," one of them called out after stepping forward. "But you should already know that as you finished the two observers."

He didn't cover his face just like his group. All of them had a buzz cut with a black "X" under their cheeks.

"Indeed, I know you are after me," Xuefeng admitted with a smile. "I also know it was Trade Union who sent you and I know exactly who. I really want to scream his name to everyone gathered here so they know who is the one that violates their rules."

The X-men immediately frowned aside from their leader who commented, "You will only make this issue even bigger, making the whole Heaven Realm hunt for you. I'm sure you don't want that to happen."

"You are right, I don't but didn't you already make it a big issue? Your Boss promised to fight fairly with me yet now he is sending people to hunt for me. I have no other choice but to make it even bigger," Xuefeng replied with a shrug.

"We don't want to hunt for you. We are only meant to catch you and bring back to the Fire Land Headquarters. I don't have any information about a promised fight but if our President promised something, he will keep it," the X-men leader explained. "If you surrender and follow us willingly, we won't fight you."

"Well, it just happens that my schedule is really packed. How about this, I will come to meet with your President in half a year when I'm done with all my stuff. What do you think?" Xuefeng questioned casually only to be flat out rejected.

"No. You are coming with us now. Either willingly or by force."

Click.

Just as the X-men leader spoke, he snapped with his hands and similar copies of him filled the sky, closing all escape routes for Xuefeng.

"Hahaha," Xuefeng laughed at that and gazed at the crowd. He already sensed that his connection with Tianshi was cut, so it was time for the final play.

"Everyone! My name is Liu Xuefeng! Make sure to remember it because you will hear about me many times in the future! I'm sorry but I won't be able to entertain you any longer. It's time for me to leave. Please, enjoy the last show!"

Xuefeng's voice resounded in the skies, making everyone confused. Did he really plan to escape from three Immortal Stage cultivators?

Just as everyone thought about it, tens of guards approached from different directions making the situation even more complicated. It would be impressive if Xuefeng actually escaped from such encirclement.

"Don't make anything stupid. We don't want to hurt you, so don't force us," the X-men leader called out, visually tensed up. He seemed like he was informed to not underestimate Xuefeng.

"Hehe, I have been making stupid decisions since I came to this world yet I'm still alive," Xuefeng giggled, already planning to make the case even bigger. His name was sure to eventually blow up and he never wanted to stay low-key anyway.

"Everyone! I'm just a simple Pseudo-God Stage Cultivator who just Ascended to the Heaven Realm, yet Trade Union is sending so many experts to hunt me down. I feel honored!" Xuefeng called out once again, crossing the X-men's line.

"Shut him, now," the X-men leader ordered while leading the assault himself.

A blinding light burst from his chest, spinning madly in four colors. A core with four elements! All of his clones copied his moves, pulling out their own cores and green lights fired from all sides in Xuefeng's direction.

They looked like vines, wanting to trap Xuefeng but he kept smiling.

"Make sure you don't blink!" Xuefeng called out to the crowd before all the Earth Qi smashed at him.

Boom!

They heard a small explosion making everyone's eyes widen. They made sure they didn't blink and everyone saw it.

A golden flash blink out of the scene right before Xuefeng got hit, flying out of the encirclement. If anyone didn't focus their eyes, they wouldn't even see it.

He was too fast!

Poof and gone!

"Chase after him!"

Chapter 34: Escape - Part 3

'I'm back~'

Xuefeng called out happily as he suddenly appeared next to Tianshi, flying together once again. The wall of the city was right in front of them while their pursuers were nowhere to be seen.

'Is everything alright?' Tianshi questioned with a smile even though there could only be one answer.

'Yeah, I trash-talked a little before slipping away using my Time Manipulation,' Xuefeng replied while showing an okay sign. 'We should get out before they catch up. I can handle a few but there are too many of them. I will end up using too much Fate Qi. Ming is already complaining about it.'

Tianshi nodded firmly. All they needed to do was break through the human barrier by the wall and then create a hole in the Safe Zone to actually escape.

It shouldn't be that hard.

As they committed to flying, they didn't need to use the gate to leave the city. All they had to do is fly over the wall. Too bad, the walls were already heavily guarded with a proper defense arranged by the Almighty Spirit.

"Stop right there! You are under arrest!"

Multiple City Guards flew up from the wall to face them while the rest sat inside a set of giant cannons, ready to fire at any moment. They were spread on all lengths of the wall with no way of bypassing them.

Xuefeng felt as if they appeared in some medieval tower defense game with all the turrets aimed at them.

'Stay behind me!' Xuefeng called out, ready to force their way out.

The Air Stone on his Elemental Bracelet lit up as Air Qi gushed out from his body, setting up his Air Domain in a blink. It followed them as they flew forward, pushing above the wall under the cover of white clouds.

The cannons finally fired.

Ratatatatatatata!

Thousands of bullets shot in their direction, yet Xuefeng and Ling quickly redirected their trajectory, making them all miss the target. They didn't plan to fight back. Escape was their main goal.

Boom! Boom!

Two loud explosions reverberated as giant metal balls, the size of a baby, broke through his Air Domain and exploded, sending metal shards everywhere. Although the shards bounced away from their shields, his domain was quickly in crumbles, his Air Qi disrupted by the explosions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three more metal grenades exploded inside, with one heading straight at Tianshi. Xuefeng didn't take any risks, rushing to defend her when Tianshi's hands moved, creating an Earth Qi wall that blocked it.

'Don't worry about me! Push forward!' Tianshi scolded, making him feel overly happy.

The stronger his wives were, the less worried he was.

'We crossed the wall! Charge through the Safe Zone Barrier and we are out!' Ming informed to which Xuefeng grinned.

He already had a perfect art for that.

Sky Drill! The first move from the seven Swords Arts of the Legendary Sword Saint!

'Tianshi! Go down!' Xuefeng called out as he suddenly dove towards the crowds while canceling his Air Domain for a better view.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Hundreds of bullets passed above them, missing the target.

"Cease fire!" the City Guards shouted. They couldn't shoot in the direction of the waiting citizens which was exactly what Xuefeng wanted.

They flew right above the ground and under everyone's gaze, Xuefeng began charging at the sky blue barrier in front of them. His Dragon Edge shone brightly from all the power gathered and its tip aimed at their goal.

'Stay behind!' Xuefeng shouted in warning but Tianshi already distanced herself from him, sending Air Qi bullets at the chasing City Guards to slow them down. She remembered very well the first time he tested this move, destroying almost the whole Training Grounds.

Boost! Boost! Boost!

All of Xuefeng's elements fused into the sword, dancing around its edge. The Safe Zone Barrier turned red as if using all of its powers to defend against the incoming attack.

"Is he trying to break through the barrier?! Madman!" The crowd cried out in shock, quickly distancing themselves from the scene.

Xuefeng didn't even hear them, focused on his job.

"BREAK!" Xuefeng yelled on top of his lungs, smashing against the Safe Zone Barrier like a meteor.

Bang!

The explosion was like a nuke, covering his body and anyone late in a hundred meters radius got either blinded or sent flying.

Crack!

A giant crack appeared at the barrier, looking like a painting of giant lightning, spread into hundred meters from the explosion. City Guards quickly paled, seeing such a crack for the first time ever but then grinned.

The crack started healing itself back without breaking.

"Huh… It didn't break…" Xuefeng was clearly disappointed, but Ming quickly assured him. 'Don't worry. They are using a Seventh Refining Spirit Qi to support the Safe Zone barrier. You already caused a crack without even refining your Qi. Imagine how strong we will be once we improve!'

"Xuefeng!"

He didn't have time to reply to her as Tianshi also called out worriedly, landing in front of him. She hugged into his chest at the first bounce off the ground with her eyes full of hope and trust in him.

"We will get out of this," Xuefeng promised as he embraced her with one hand.

Tianshi only smiled, nodding. "I know we will."

One thing Xuefeng learned over the years was to always have a plan B.

'Prepare the Judgment Vine. I will stall them,' Xuefeng ordered, his gaze staring at the incoming cultivators.

'Already working on it!'

He could already feel his reserves being depleted as Ming pumped Qi into the ground, making him more relaxed.

It was time to unleash his known art.

The Art of Bullshitting!

"Surrender now! Don't move or we will attack!"

Hundreds of City Guards surrounded them both from the sky and the ground, their weapons aimed at them but Xuefeng stood still with Tianshi in his arms. She wanted to stand by his side but he didn't let her. With his arms busy, he showed he didn't plan to attack them, creating a fake sense of security.

Just perfect for his act.

"As I citizen of Heaven Realm, I want to make use of my rights and talk to your Captain. Anyone else who comes close to me will die," Xuefeng announced confidently before shrugging, "Well, if you are stronger than the Safe Zone Barrier, then you have nothing to worry about."

Chapter 35: Escape - Part 4

It wasn't a surprise that the City Guards didn't take any unnecessary risks, knowing how powerful Xuefeng was. Not everyone could crack the Safe Zone Barrier like it was nothing.

"You want to talk to the Captain?" A familiar voice suddenly called out and the City Guards made way for the X-men squad. "How about you talk with me?"

"Welcome back, but I don't think you are the City Guards Captain? What does Trade Union have anything to do with this case?" Xuefeng called out as he aimed his sword at the X-men leader.

"Don't worry. Trade Union cooperates with all Cities. You are also on Trade Union Wanted List, so this is our case as well," X-men leader assured with a smile and turned to the City Guards. "We will take it from here. Close all escape routes and call for backup. We need all the help you have."

"Call everyone you want but are you sure you can catch us?" Xuefeng commented casually while leaving a peck on Tianshi's head. "We can leave whenever we want. We just like to chat, so we stayed behind."

"Tsk," the X-men leader snickered. "I admit you are fast, but it's over."

He pulled out a circular Artefact from his Storage Ring and immediately threw it in the sky.

Bzzz!

The ball buzzed and created another barrier which locked them all together. His crew did the same, stacking a series of barriers. One could pass inside from the outside but they couldn't leave anymore unless the barrier was deactivated.

"Unless you can break through all of them and defend against our attacks at the same time, your speed will be useless," X-men leader pointed out with a smile. "So what will it be? Will you follow us willingly or resist once again?"

Xuefeng couldn't help but admit that they came prepared, quite experienced in bounty hunting.

'Five more minutes!' Ming informed. 'I'm preparing the real one this time!'

Xuefeng immediately got excited. The last time he used the Judgment Vine it was unstoppable and it wasn't even its full form, just a pseudo one.

What were five minutes? For Xuefeng it was a piece of cake.

He pretended he was thinking about it for a few seconds and seeing the X-men leader was getting impatient, Xuefeng asked in wonder, "What about my wife? Will you let her go if I follow you?"

"We only want you, so we will not bother your wife but knowing she broke a lot of rules, she will be detained by the City Guards. We can't really influence that," the X-men leader replied honestly. "The most we can do is allow her to pay off her debts immediately instead of sentencing her."

"I have an idea. Cancel the whole debt she has and clean her off all charges. Only then I will follow you," Xuefeng proposed. "If not, this place will become a big mess."

Everyone frowned when he heard how big balls Xuefeng had. He was surrounded from all sides and backed against the Safe Zone Barrier, yet he wanted to make deals?

"I think we can all agree you don't have the negotiating powers. Either you come with us or we force you to," X-men leader presented him with an ultimatum. "You have ten seconds to choose before we proceed with the latter."

"Hahaha!" Xuefeng laughed and asked playfully, "Do I? I thought I have all the powers needed."

Ugh!

Covered by his long sleeve, the Air Elemental Stone brightened once again, and out of nowhere, multiple City Guards began gasping for air. They clutched their throats as if they couldn't breathe.

Having the Air Elemental Stone, Xuefeng was the unrivaled master of the Air Element! Whatever he wished for, the Air Element followed his orders.

How could his enemies breathe if he controlled the air they used to breathe?

"It seems like you don't understand the situation you are in. I'm not the one locked with you but instead, you are locked here with me. Now tell me, should I kill all the City Guards one by one, or all at once?" Xuefeng asked with a grin.

Thud! Thud!

Weak City Guards began quickly losing consciousness from the lack of air and dropped from the sky like eagles with their wings cut. They were caught by their companions to avoid getting hurt but they also quickly followed suit.

The way they looked at Xuefeng changed momentarily, from disdain to fear. He didn't even move yet people were suffering?

"Stop it! We agree!" One of the City Guards Captains with a red eagle on his chest gave in momentarily. "I will ask to cancel all her fines right now!"

More than half of his City Guards were already unconscious on the ground, so it wasn't like he had a choice.

Click!

Xuefeng snapped his fingers and suddenly all City Guards sighed in relief, taking a deep breath into their lungs. He then gazed at the X-men leader who stared at him with a frown and questioned playfully, "Can't you be like Mr. Captain? At least he knows what's good to him. Now, we shall wait till my wife's ID Card is cleared of all charges."

'Three more minutes!' Ming reminded, but Xuefeng was chilling.

This wasn't even his final form.

'My love, prepare for the act,' Xuefeng informed his partner in crime as he caressed her cheek. 'We have three more minutes to stall.'

She smiled in response and kissed him gently, 'You can always count on me.'

"Do you think I'm scared of you? It's obvious you only target weak Cultivators. I can bet it's useless against stronger opponents," X-men leader replied fearlessly but Xuefeng had a quick comeback.

"If you weren't scared, you would attack right away to stop me, but you have no idea what I did and that's what's scaring you the most."

So what if he figured out the truth? Without knowing the whole truth, he could only guess. Xuefeng could control Elements with the Elemental Bracelet but he couldn't touch Qi of the higher refining. Unless he refined his Air Qi, he could only control the Qi of the base level.

It was still enough to cut the airflow for the normal City Guards though.

'Oof, I just got a notification that my ID Card is clean. They were so fast!' Tianshi called out suddenly.

It was faster than expected but Xuefeng could stall them forever.

"The ID Card got cleaned now! Your wife is free to leave," the City Guard Captain announced, withdrawing with his troops as if waiting for backup first.

On the other hand, another two batches of black-clothed cultivators arrived, entering inside the barrier.

Thud!

The X-men leader threw handcuffs on the ground and ordered, "Your wife is free to go as you wanted. Now put on the handcuffs."

Xuefeng gazed at the black handcuffs on the ground and shrugged, "My wrists are too delicate to wear such heavy handcuffs. Do you have anything softer?"

"No," X-men leader replied with his eyes darkened. He seemed already fed up with Xuefeng's games. "I give you five seconds to put on the handcuffs."

"Why is he still not caught?" The other two teams wondered as they pulled out their weapons, ready to attack. "If we catch him first, we will get the reward. Let's get over with it."

They had no idea what happened before.

Xuefeng only smiled as he pulled out another ace from his sleeve or rather, a circular token with a Dragon engraved on it.

"Are you sure you want to attack us? I don't think our master would be satisfied."

Roar!

Chapter 36: Dragon Steps

Tianshi swiftly copied him and two Golden Dragons burst out from their tokens, dancing freely in the sky. Under everyone's shocked gaze, Xuefeng embraced Tianshi by the waist and they both extended their arms upwards.

Swoosh!

The Golden Dragons created a cool loop in the sky and dove with a fabulous spin, returning back to the tokens. They kept them and Xuefeng grinned, announcing confidently.

"Sect Master Liu from the House of Dragons invited us today to be his Personal Disciples. I'm sure he is still roaming somewhere in the Water Land. If he were to hear that his new Disciples were attacked even after showing his token, I'm sure the Safe Zone barrier will not stop him from destroying this City."

"S-sect Master Liu token!" The black-clothed man who was ready to pounce on them almost choked, stuttering as his weapon dropped down. Who would be so mad to attack them after knowing their identity?

Sect Master Liu's Personal Disciples!

They weren't the only once who were stupefied. The crowd outside the barrier who waited to enter the City was also going crazy.

"Look! They are House of Dragons' disciples!" Someone cried out in the crowd. "Not only that, but they are also Personal Disciples of the Sect Master! It's his Golden Dragon!"

Although they couldn't hear what happened inside the barrier, they could see it all. Anyone who didn't live under the rock would recognize the Legendary Golden Dragon who was the glory and pride of the Sect Master Liu. He was the only one who tamed a real Celestial Dragon, making it his partner.

It was a hot topic years ago when it was revealed that Sect Master Liu was in a relationship with his female dragon. Many were critical of such practice but no one dared to say that to the Sect Master Liu's face. How could they say what was right and wrong to the strongest Cultivator of the Heaven Realm? After that day, it actually became a trend for high ranked cultivators to have relationships with their Celestial Beasts.

"I guess we could have guessed it. Who would be this ballsy to create a havoc in the Safe Zone other than the famous House of Dragons' disciples? I wonder what rank they are," another cultivator commented. "Definitely in the top one thousand!"

"I don't think so. They don't seem that strong. It should be lower. Around the top five thousand I would say," his buddy corrected. "Anyone in the top one thousand would destroy the Safe Zone barrier with one strike if they wanted to. Those two only left a crack in it."

"True, true! They still look like they stepped on the Dragon Steps already!"

The Dragon Steps, the most prestigious ranking in the whole Heaven Realm. It was the only ranking that really mattered, yet only House of Dragons' disciples were included on the list.

That was the main reason why everyone's end goal was to join the House of Dragons. If you wanted to be relevant, you had to appear on the Ranking.

But how difficult that was?

Not only was it hard to enter the House of Dragons as only the greatest geniuses were invited, but it was also even harder to take a spot on the Dragon Steps. It was the list of ten thousand disciples based on their fame, strength, and accomplishments. Looking at the number of disciples which was counted in a few million, ten thousand looked extremely small.

There was also another reason why everyone couldn't help but drop by House of Dragons on their Cultivation Path.

House of Dragons had the biggest collection of Arts and Spirit Artefacts gathered over thousands of years. Only those who stepped on the Dragon Steps were allowed to enter the main Sect Grounds for the chance of training using the strongest techniques in the world. The rest of the disciples were only disciples in name, only given a chance to prove themselves.

They roamed around the world in search of their fame and hoped to enter the top ten thousand steps one day.

And Personal Disciples? They were even more special, sometimes even hated for their luck. They could directly skip everything and enter the main Sect Grounds to train under their master without any requirements. They were like Heaven Favorites but unless they proved themselves by entering the top steps, they wouldn't really receive any respect.

Naturally, it was a special case for Sect Master Liu. Anyone who caught his eye had to be a peerless genius!

Inside the barrier, everyone was still in shock, not knowing what to do with that knowledge. To attack? To pardon all of his crimes? Even if Xuefeng and Tianshi were not on the Dragon Steps, they were still Personal Disciples.

Thankfully for them, there was one person who wasn't scared of questioning Xuefeng's bluff.

"Impossible!" The X-men leader cried out in disbelief. "I was in the Spirit Land Capital just a week ago and I know for the fact that Sect Master Liu is still in the closed-door cultivation! If he left, the whole world would know about it!"

Xuefeng didn't mind the argument, even thanking the man in his mind. The more time he stalled the better.

"How could we know that? We just Ascended to the Heaven Realm earlier today and stumbled upon some Old Man. He was fishing in one of the rivers and invited us to sit with him. He saw we are new to this realm so he explained how things work in the Heaven Realm. In exchange for information, he asked us to display our most powerful Arts," Xuefeng recounted slowly, taking his time.

"As we felt bad for him, we decided to entertain him by performing our best Arts as he asked. I will skip the details but basically, he liked us so much that he gave us two tokens which we just showed you all. He invited us to the Spirit Land and told us to visit his Sect, saying all the good things about it. As we had some matters to settle, we told him to leave first and that's when we went separate ways. I'm sure he is still fishing somewhere."

Hearing his story, people blinked dumbfounded, unable to comprehend.

Did he just send the Sect Master Liu on his way, because he was busy…?

Xuefeng couldn't know what everyone was thinking and continued, "Now that I see all of your reaction, I guess we need to check it out for sure. I initially thought it's some Beast Breeding Site or something. I even called him a scammer, but he only laughed."

"…"

The City Guards and the X-men were completely speechless.

Beast Breeding Site? Scammer? Are you tired of living?! If any House of Dragons' disciple heard you, they would immediately rip you to shreds!

Rumble!

Just as the X-men leader opened his mouth to speak, the ground began to shake.

'Xuefeng, I'm ready to wreak havoc!' Ming called out excitedly as the Judgment Vine began to spurt from the ground.

Xuefeng laughed, already expecting Ming not to let go of them.

"Haha, what do you all have in your brains? Did you really believe that Sect Master Liu went out for fishing? I was just stalling to prepare my Forbidden Art," Xuefeng called out amused, patting the vine that grew to his height in the blink of an eye. "Did you think we would plead to let us go? I told you already! It's the opposite! You are locked here with us!"

Tianshi finally left Xuefeng's embrace, standing on his side and he ordered coldly while holding her hand.

"Kneel or die!"

Chapter 37: Judgment Vine

The Judgment Vine grew in size, getting thicker and taller before the X-men could even react. The overwhelming pressure coming from the vine instantly scared the City Guards. If they couldn't defeat Xuefeng before, how could they stand a chance after he unleashed his powerful ability?

The X-men leader seemed to understand the situation as his barriers swiftly disappeared, releasing them from the lockdown.

"Everyone, leave! We don't need to fight him now!" He called out as he distanced himself as well, flying away from the Judgment Vine with a cautious approach.

They had no confirmation from the higher-ups about the Sect Master Liu issue and the X-men leader didn't have the authority to make such a decision. Trade Union could only suffer greatly if the Sect Master of the most powerful Sect in the Heaven Realm got offended. Anyone in his place would make such a choice.

Another issue was the two words Xuefeng uttered, Forbidden Art. Maybe others didn't know anything about Forbidden Arts, but he did. Those who reached the Immortal Stage were tempted to learn one of the Forbidden Arts, but everyone knew it was an extremely risky business.

Why? Because they were extremely murderous and overpowered, with most of them leading you to become a notorious killer. Because of that, almost all Forbidden Arts users were hunted down with its arts forgotten. Anyone who knew a Forbidden Art by some chance wouldn't openly reveal they did, leaving it as their last defense instead.

The X-men leader got taken by surprise when Xuefeng exposed himself in front of a giant crowd like that. Although he didn't know for sure if Xuefeng's ability was for sure a Forbidden Art, it was definitely not something they could fight.

All City Guards were placed between a choice of kneeling down to surrender or running away. Naturally, they all chose the latter, escaping in the direction of the City and the crowd followed suit. No one was stupid enough to stay nearby without the safety of the barriers.

Too bad, they all chose wrong. There were only two choices.

"I said, kneel or die!" Xuefeng bellowed once again, placing his hand on the vine.

As if a living snake, the vine dove at the ground, causing another earthquake that shook the crowd, causing many to drop on their knees. They couldn't fly away like the City Guard could otherwise they would be penalized by the Almighty Spirit.

Only a second later did they realize how lucky they were.

Boom!

The earth exploded in front of the escaping experts as the Judgment Vine launched itself to the sky, overtaking their retreat. No one was faster than the vine in her natural environment underground.

Pa! Pa! Pa!

The massive body of the vine smacked three fastest Black-clothed Cultivators, killing them on the spot before they could even react.

It was too fast!

Pa! Pa!

It snapped like a whip, left and right, smashing anything on its way into pulp like a Kraken from the depth of the ocean, wiggling its tentacles to spread terror.

The red-eagled Captain was much slower which turned out to be the life-saving move. He witnessed the full power of the Judgment Vine which killed Cultivators stronger than him with no chance to defend. With Xuefeng's words still stuck in his mind, he quickly made a decision for his subordinates.

"We can't escape! Get on the ground!"

He didn't hesitate and dove at the ground, kneeling in Xuefeng's direction. Others quickly followed the order, their heads even touching the grass on the even plane. They were humans who only had one life and if simple kneeling could safe them, they would throw their shame away.

In the Heaven Realm where strength ruled over anything, having pride was useless as there was always someone stronger than you.

"Fuck!" The X-men leader cursed as he suddenly teleported away. The vine slapped at his previous position a split second later.

It almost looked as if Xuefeng was killing flies yet unfortunately for them, his vine was just too fast for them. They could only resort to dodging using Ether Qi but from their ground, only the X-men leader had it. He couldn't even warn his subordinates before the vine followed him to the new location, requiring him to teleport once again.

When he finally got to safety, reaching the top of the wall, the sky was clear with no humans left. Every single member of his team was dead, their bodies not even full anymore as they got scattered throughout the land. It was even full of holes and the flat earth was now bumped from the earthquakes.

Though, all Cultivators on the ground were still alive.

"Forbidden Art…" X-men leader muttered, convinced the Judgment Vine was a real deal. Nothing else could unleash such power.

He wanted to stay to watch move when the vine moved once again, diving into the ground.

Rumble!

The whole City Wall began to shake until the vine suddenly exploded right in front of it, surpassing its height in a blink, being almost as wide as a tree.

Poof!

X-men leader didn't bet on his luck, guessing the vine was chasing after him and pulled out a rare teleportation Artefact that instantly sent him away.

The City Guards on the walls panicked at the sight of Judgment Vine so close to the wall and ordered on instinct.

"FIRE!"

All machines attacked at once, sending bullets at the vine and even the Almighty Spirit helped, but that was exactly what Xuefeng wanted.

"Hehehe, you fools…" Xuefeng chuckled in a sinister voice. "That only makes me stronger!"

There was a reason why the Judgment Vine was one of the Forbidden Arts. It was indestructible and absorbed all Qi, feeding on all possible sources. The only disadvantage it had was its immobility, the amount of Qi, and the time it needed to set it up. The base of the vine was still next to Xuefeng, growing thicker and thicker the more Qi was absorbed.

'It's time to go.'

Ming's voice stopped all the fun he had.

************

Author Thoughts:

I don't forget about the chapters I owe. Now it's five! Don't forget to vote!

Goals stay the same as last week!

Chapter 38: Gifts

'So soon?' Xuefeng asked disappointed, wanting to play more. The power of the Judgment Vine was just too satisfying.

'It's better if we leave early before the City Lord arrives. Every City has a Celestial Stage Cultivator protecting it, but they only come out if the City is in critical danger,' Ming explained as the Judgment Vine retracted back to the original spot. 'We don't want to face any Celestial Stage Cultivators at our current stage.'

'How much Qi did we use?' Xuefeng questioned, using the time as Tianshi volunteered to collect the Storage Rings from the dead bodies. They would never pass on some free loot.

'Almost one-third of our resources, but it's not like we had a choice. You used Sect Master Liu's name in front of so many people, and even Wu's grandpa will hear about it. He will for sure visit the Spirit Land House of Dragons to ask about you. Only by showing your skills will there be a chance that Sect Master Liu won't expose you,'Ming replied.

Xuefeng was momentarily stunned by the amount of lost Qi, but something else bothered him more. 'Won't expose me?' Xuefeng repeated.

'Yes. Imagine if you learned that someone could forge your Personal Disciple tokens. Would you admit that you weren't the one who issued them and lose your face in front of everyone?' Ming questioned.

'Of course not. I would search my fake disciples in private and ask them how did they forge it,' Xuefeng replied simply, finally realizing what Ming wanted to achieve. 'I see it now. By displaying our strength, there is a chance we can receive the real invite to the House of Dragons. But I don't think I want to have another master. I have you and Ling to help me when I need anything.'

'Silly, with how things are right now, I can't really protect you. Trade Union wants to hunt you down, so we can't trust or leech resources from them. Unless you defeat Wu's Grandpa and collect another Elemental Stone, at the same time taking control of the Trade Union using Wu's influence, you will need to find someone else to depend on,' Ming struck him with the reality.

'Then House of Dragons it is. I can't see myself flying around to collect Upgrade Fragments,' Xuefeng replied, knowing how time-consuming that would be.

'You just need to get into the Dragon Steps, and we will receive the resources we need. My tokens might look the same, but they don't register you to the House of Dragons. You will need one of the insiders to register you in the database, so they can start tracking your accomplishments and measure your power.'

Ming's explanation made sense. At first, Xuefeng thought they could go by without joining any powers, but it seems it wasn't possible. Resources were scarce, so the help from powerful Sects was required to be relevant to the scene.

'I got them all!' Tianshi suddenly called out, and Xuefeng saw her come back from the sky. He smiled and extended his arms, accepting her again. She didn't hesitate and passed him one of the rings, which contained all of the loot.

They realized it was full of stuff they didn't even need with a quick scan, so Xuefeng thought of a particular idea.

"Let's finish it all with one last act," Xuefeng announced, gazing at the crowd who still laid on the ground without moving.

"Everyone! You are free to go! I, Liu Xuefeng, and my wife Xiao Tianshi deeply apologize you got involved in this conflict," Xuefeng called out loudly, his voice resounding throughout the plane. "Trade Union has a small conflict with us, but it's between them and us. I have nothing against the City Guards and the people of this City."

The affected Cultivators were a bit hesitant at first, seeing that the Vine was still active, swinging left and right next to Xuefeng, but under Xuefeng's smile, they eventually stood up one by one.

"To clear our names, we didn't do anything wrong. It's the Trade Union which suddenly decided to hunt us down," Xuefeng continued. "But don't worry. No matter who it is, anyone who goes against us will end up just like them."

Xuefeng pointed at the black-clothed bodies on the ground, showing what happened to people who went against him. No one was brave enough to deny his words. The place was in absolute silence.

Xuefeng expected it. He smiled coolly and touched the Judgment Vine once again. It came back to life, scaring everyone gathered. Contrary to their thoughts, it didn't turn on them but instead slapped at the Safe Zone Barrier.

Bang!

It pierced through the barrier with ease before ripping away a gaping hole the size of a house. The barrier immediately started regenerating, but it would take some time before it healed completely with how big it was.

"Alright! Time for us to go!" Xuefeng announced as his Golden Wings spread on his back, and he flew in the sky with Tianshi lying on his chest. She didn't seem to mind at all, hugging him to her heart content.

He leveled with the barrier's hole, ready to pass through it when he stopped, turning around.

"Oh, I almost forgot. We involved you with our fight, and I don't think apologies are enough. Please accept those gifts as a compensation for your loss," Xuefeng said apologetically and swung with his arm, throwing a Storage Ring.

Boom!

It exploded right as it reached the crowd, spilling all of its treasures: Spirit Artefacts, high-ranked pills, or Spirit Herbs. Every person received at least one of them as the gift fell from the sky into their hands.

"Thank you, Boss!" the crowd instantly burst into cheers. None of them suffered, and they even received gifts. No one complained.

"No need. It's our gift for you. We are sorry for disturbing your afternoon," Xuefeng replied humbly and turned around. "Farewell!"

Poof!

Their bodies blinked into the hole before it closed, disappearing from the place. With Xuefeng gone, the Judgment Vine quickly decomposed, entering back to the ground where it belonged.

The land returned to its calm state, but the people were still in their excited mode.

"He was so cool! Killing the Trade Union pursuers as if it was nothing and even gifting us their loot! I knew House of Dragons' disciples were awesome, but he topped them!" One of the teen ladies in the crowd commented as she gazed at the Safe Zone barrier with a loving gaze. "As expected of the Sect Master Liu Personal Disciple. Did you see his jawline? So handsome!"

"Too bad, he has a wife already. She was such a beauty as well," her friend replied with a sigh. "If only I could get such a man, I would also be stuck to him like glue."

When the men heard her, they only rolled their eyes, but not many were jealous. He was already out of their reach with such powerful Arts, stepping into the idol level instead. If they could become this strong, they would also get one of the Hidden Realm's prettiest beauties.

"What was his name again? My eyes were blankly admiring his beauty that I missed what he said."

"Liu Xuefeng and his wife's name was Tianshi!"

"Such a pretty name!" The teen nodded eagerly as if she was coding the name into her mind and called out, "I have a friend in the Spirit Land. I will send her a message tonight to check his rank for us! If he is in the Dragon Steps, she will find him."

Chapter 39: Bella&Drakos

A few miles away from the City, Xuefeng and Tianshi finally stopped running away, slowing their pace. They had to be more economical than usual with how they used almost one-third of their total Fate Qi reserves already. His Time Manipulation ability was second after the Judgment Vine when it came to the Fate Qi consumption.

Although Judgment Vine didn't require Fate Qi, he had to fill the lack of Qi using Fate Qi because he didn't have enough Earth Qi in his Soul. He would need first to expand his Soul to the limits to use the Judgment Vine without wasting any Fate Qi.

Just as they stopped, Xuefeng released Tianshi from his arms, and they pulled out a pair of black cloaks to hide their identity. Before he covered his face completely though, Tianshi suddenly leaned over and kissed him deeply while embracing his face under the cover of their hoods.

Xuefeng got confused at the suddenness of her kiss, but he would never reject such an act. They were in the middle of nowhere anyway, so they could afford to spend a few seconds on mutual pleasure.

"Thank you," Tianshi muttered as her lips hovered above his own, grazing against them just enough for them to taste each other's warm breaths.

"What did I do?" Xuefeng asked curiously, rubbing their noses together. He didn't think he did anything special, but then Tianshi enlightened him.

"Even though I didn't do anything, you still put my name out there, involving me in the whole process… I know you did it naturally, which makes me love you even more…"

She kissed him once again as the reward, their tongues entering into their special connection before Xuefeng teased, "I thought our love already filled the whole heavens and all universes. Do we even have a space for more?"

"There is always space for more love. If there is none left, we can grow it stronger instead," Tianshi replied. "You didn't have to mention me, and I would still love you, so thank you. It made me happy inside."

Xuefeng already hugged her tightly, but he still pulled her even closer after her words. "Of course I would include you. Aren't you, my wife? I want you to be part of my life forever. Your glory is my glory."

"Can I never leave your side and always support you?"

Xuefeng smiled at that silly question.

"Did I ever say you can leave me?"

He pulled away after kissing the tip of her nose and grabbed her hand, flying forward in the direction of Water Land Capital.

"Let's go beautiful."

With such a sweet invite, Tianshi couldn't reject him and flew closely next to him.

'You two are just as special to me,' Xuefeng called out in his mind, making sure his other two wives don't feel excluded.

He felt fortunate to have them all, but Ming crushed his moment of happiness with the step into reality. 'We know that, but you should think more about how to gather more Fate Qi instead. Unless you want us to disappear, we need Fate Qi to live.'

'Oof, is it that bad already?' Xuefeng asked in wonder. They gathered many Fate Stones before Ascending, which was their primary source of Fate Qi, aside from killing other Fate Holders. To think it wasn't enough to last them for a while.

'Yes. If we use Fate Qi so freely, we will drop below the minimum threshold in less than a month. We can also only use the Judgment Vine two more times before running out, so it's not good,' Ming explained worriedly. 'Let's not waste any more Fate Qi. You can use your Sword Arts for now till we find another source of Fate Stones.'

'Where can we find them? Are there any known places?' Xuefeng questioned, not knowing Heaven Realm as Ming did.

'There are no I know of that you can access right now. Unless you randomly find a mine somewhere in the Heaven Realm, you can only visit Metal Land. It is filled with various Ores and you can find Fate Stones naturally growing there. Too bad, not only it's too far away from the Water Land, directly on the other side of Heaven Realm, but also dangerous, with many high ranked beasts owning the land,' Ming replied.

'Once he masters all seven sword moves, he should be fine dealing with most cultivators,' Ling interjected. 'I can take that task while you focus on solving the ID Card issue.'

'Sounds great to me. I'm sure we can meet some Fate Holders as we travel and kill them as well,' Xuefeng added. Fate Holders were like fire and water, all ready to kill each other to consume the other's vital Fate Qi. Without Fate Qi, they wouldn't be able to survive otherwise.

Ming thought for a moment before agreeing, 'Fine, let's focus on the current problems. I should be done with the ID Card before we reach the Water Land Capital. We are still a few days away from it anyway. We are lucky we Ascended not far from it, else it would take us weeks to get there.'

Flying ahead with their plan set up, Xuefeng couldn't help but feel the lack of the dummy Drakos. Even though he was mischievous, he was good at solving problems.

'Sigh, if only Drakos was here. He definitely knows multiple places where we could get Fate Stones.'

———

Yawn.

"Are we there yet?"

A sweet but tired voice reached Drakos' ears as he flew under the cover of the clouds. His dark blue Dragon body already grew big enough to carry a few humans on his back, but this time it was only one, the most annoying one from them all.

Bella.

She was a Phoenix who turned into her humanoid form after reaching the Celestial Stage. Her flaming hair spread between Drakos' scales as she laid down on his back with a relaxed expression on her face. Her long, smooth legs moved left and right from boredom, as she yawned from time to time, already tired from seeing the same scenery this whole time.

She was relatively new to being a lady, so her legs spread wide, and her skirt rolled on her belly yet she didn't seem to care much. Bella played with a small flame on top of her palm, but there was only so much fun from looking at the dancing flame.

"If you fly next to me, you won't be as bored," Drakos replied, already tired from hearing the same sentence over and over again.

"Meh, it's troublesome to change my form," Bella replied lazily, used to being carried by Drakos. "Just tell me how long till we arrive."

"Actually, if I'm correct, we should see our destination from a distance," Drakos replied, putting Bella into excitement. "Really? Show, show!"

She sat up like a little girl who just got her present and swiftly crawled up on Drakos' head.

He could only comply and dive through the clouds to reveal the land underneath. Bella's eyes immediately widened at the view.

Whoa…

Chapter 40: Quarrel

Tall mountains looking like a group of metal giants filled the whole horizon, but that wasn't the thing that amazed Bella the most. It was one of the mountains which was clearly special.

"Is that a palace? No, it's much bigger… It must be a whole big City!" Bella called out in wonder as she scanned the enormous building in the distance.

It reflected the last rays of sunlight, making it shine with gold. It was built inside the largest mountain range in the area, surrounded by hundreds of smaller warehouses. The closer they got, the more precise look they got, making them realize it was more like a factory rather than the palace with the rest of the city hidden inside the mountain range.

"Welcome to the Dwarf Kingdom," Drakos introduced, confusing Bella.

"Didn't you say you will take me to your stash? You said you have once gathered a lot of Fate Stones and hid it in one place. Why are we visiting some Dwarf Kingdom?" Bella questioned before squeezing his horns. "You are not lying to me, right?"

Her palms burst with a colorful flame that even Dragon of his stage couldn't handle.

"No, no! I'm not lying! I promise!" Drakos cried out in panic, and thankfully, Bella stopped her flames. "You better not lie to me, or else I will burn you."

Oof…

Drakos sighed in relief, quickly regenerating the burn on his horns. Even if he was a Dragon, who was supposed to be fire-proof, Bella was a Celestial Stage Phoenix. Her flames were much stronger than what his current body could withstand.

He was once a Celestial Stage Beast just like her, but after an unavoidable accident, he was forced to abandon his old body and create a new one, entirely from Fate Qi. This move allowed him to jump stages much quicker compared to other beasts who had to slowly accumulate Qi instead.

When Bella heard about this method, she immediately forced him to help her achieve the same. Despite reaching the Celestial Stage, which allowed her to create her own Humanoid body, it was still more efficient to begin from the start once again, using the Drakos method of cultivating with Fate Qi.

"I'm not lying. There really is a massive stash of Fate Stones inside the Dwarf Kingdom that I still didn't collect. All we need to do is get inside and collect it," Drakos explained vaguely, but Bella saw through his plan right away.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Just because I'm new to this world, doesn't mean I'm dumb. You never had any stash, and those Fate Stones are not yours. What you wanted to do this whole time was rob them, am I right?"

"Cough… We are not robbing them… It's such a strong word," Drakos cleared his throat and corrected, "We are simply borrowing them… for now. When we have more Fate Stones in the future, we will return them."

Bella rolled her eyes at such insincere words. Knowing Drakos, there was no way he would return anything.

"Also, it's not just me, but you are involved too. I need your help to get the Fate Stones," Drakos added.

"Alright," Bella agreed casually. "What do I need to do?"

Drakos paused for a second.

"You are not against it?" Drakos asked confused.

"Why would I be? It's just robbing. I don't really care much about others, so I don't mind," Bella replied. "The only difference between us is I admit to what I do while you hide behind your lies, trying to act innocent. If you are a bad guy, you might as well own it pussy."

Oof…

Bella's bullet struck him hard.

He was about to counter her when she burned him harder, "I thought you are the Legendary Dragon Drakos, but it seems like you are just a spineless flying lizard. I don't know who gave you the guts to call yourself Legendary."

"…"

Drakos didn't comment at all, continuing to fly forward while lowering his altitude. A minute later, Bella couldn't stand the silence anymore and bashed him on the back.

"Hey, why are you silent? Say something."

Still no answer.

"Did you get mad or something? You can't be this sensitive, can you? It was clearly a joke," Bella tried to reach him, peeking to see his eyes, but he kept turning his head away as if he was pouting.

"Okay, okay, I admit I might have gone too far. Don't be mad. I won't burn you for a whole day in return," Bella pleaded, trying to act sincere, and Drakos finally replied.

It was a much different answer than what she expected.

"Call me a pussy or a lizard one more time, and you can forget about your Fate Qi body. If you think I'm helping you because I'm scared of you, then you are deeply wrong. If you kill me, so what? I will just create another body, and you will be left alone, struggling to cultivate forever."

His tone was stern and cold, making Bella shiver. That was the first time she saw Drakos act like this.

"I apologized already… What else do you want me to do?" Bella questioned with guilt, realizing force wasn't the right approach to tame him anymore and swiftly changed it. "Do you want me to scratch your belly later as an apology?"

Cough, cough!

Drakos almost choked at the offer.

He seemed really tempted to accept it as he hesitated for a moment, but ended up rejecting it. "Just listen to me, and we are good."

"Okay~" Bella called out sweetly, turning her attitude by one hundred and eighty degrees without any hesitation. "This good girl will listen to Daddy~."

Drakos had another series of breathing problems.

"Cough! Who taught you that…?" Drakos questioned, almost falling down the sky from the shock.

"Oh, I overheard it from Xuefeng's bedroom. Tianshi called him like that one night. Is it bad? Xuefeng seemed happy," Bella replied innocently.

"Ehem, I mean… If you want to call me that, I don't mind…" Drakos muttered, to which Bella complied immediately.

"Okay, Daddy~."

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, I take that back. Do not call me Daddy." Drakos halted that before his heart exploded, suddenly diving. "We are landing!"