A Little Game

"Wakey, wakey." He took out the Eternal Heaven Pearl from his pocket and shook it a little. "I know you're in there, Eternal Heaven's Great Ancestor."

"You..." The Eternal Heaven Pearl shined as a voice came from it. "The Heretical Sword God... what makes you think that I would obey any one of your commands?"

"Wow... so I just reincarnated and we're getting off to a bad start already." Xiao Jiantian chuckled, recalling the scene where he had barged into the Eternal Heaven Realm. "You know, you only really have two choices; 1, be a good girl and allow me to use the Eternal Heaven Pearl whenever I require it... and 2, be a bad girl and suffer the consequences."

"Who knows... the Eternal Heaven Realm might not exist in a few more years depending on your answer."

"... What did you say?" Eternal Heaven's Great Ancestor replied, unwilling to believe that he'd do such a thing.

"You heard me loud and clear." Xiao Jiantian repeated without hesitation. "Of course, after the Eternal Heaven Realm is no more... I will purge your soul and find a more suitable host for this Eternal Heaven Pearl!

"Xuanyuan Jiantian, do you have no regard for the punishment of Heaven's Way?" She asked, threatening him.

"Hahaha... what kind of tomfoolery is that question?" Xiao Jiantian couldn't hold his laughter after hearing that 'threat'.

"Please... the heavenly law is my bitch."

"..."

"You personally witnessed that day yourself, didn't you? The Dragon Monarch in his transformed dragon state, your Eternal Heaven Realm experts, the Moon and Star Gods, Brahma's Gods and Kings, the God Realm's other countless divine masters... the Five Withered Dragons... this King trampled upon them all!"

"Remind me again, what the fuck is heavenly law compared to this King's divine might?"

"..." The Eternal Heaven's Great Ancestor was speechless for several seconds. "What if I comply with your demands?"

Xiao Jiantian smirked, as he already knew exactly what she treasured and cared about most. "I'd be willing to ensure the future of the Eternal Heaven Realm. Not just willing... I'd actually do it, too. That is the least I can promise for their gift of the Eternal Heaven Pearl, heh."

"... Very well. You may use the Eternal Heaven Pearl at will from henceforth."

"Wait... that's all?" Xiao Jiantian scratched his hair as he was expecting a bit more resistance.

"You knew precisely where to strike from the beginning... the Eternal Heaven Realm. There is another reason, of course..."

"Hmm?"

"You are a strange person, is all."

"Care to clarify further?" Xiao Jiantian frowned, not knowing if that was an insult or a compliment.

She did not answer, leaving Xiao Jiantian alone. He shrugged and put the Eternal Heaven Pearl back into his pocket. Now, he could use its divine abilities of time to shorten cultivation speed greatly. Although, at this point in time, it wasn't all that useful to him.

~

Breathless, Jin Zhihao lowered his sword as he had slain his first Emperor Profound Realm expert in the midst of battle. The sky around him was lit up by countless profound skills, though there were certainly fewer than before. Suddenly, something down below caught his eye... a simple soldier, no less.

But as he looked more closely... this soldier wasn't ordinary at all.

Armed in full black plate armour and a massive claymore, he stood out like a sore thumb. Jin Zhihao couldn't recall for the life of him recruiting such a man into his army. However, as he observed more, he was glad that the man was on his side.

"Letting your guard down in battle? The Grand Asura Nation's Crown Prince is a-"

Just as an opposing expert was attacking the back of Jin Zhihao, his royal guard appeared to shield him.

SMASH.

"Maybe if you didn't spend so long running your mouth, you would've damaged me. Also, if you didn't solely focus on me... you would've seen this coming." Jin Zhihao mocked as he watched the expert get torn to shreds. Afterwards, he asked his guard a simple question. "Sir Tai, do you recognise that strangely armed soldier?"

"No... but he's certainly putting in work. At this rate, the Black Fiend Nation's army will crumble just by his sheer presence alone."

"... Such a frightening soldier. Raise his salary afterwards, if you will."

"It will be done, Your Highness." Sir Tai nodded.

...

Meanwhile, on the battlefield.

Although average in height, the plate-armoured soldier's presence was far too terrifying. His sheer aura exerted the will of a tyrannical god-emperor who sought to conquer the entire world. With just a few swings of his sword, he had cut through fifty soldiers and continued to advance with the vanguard.

"Stop... stop him!"

"We... can't!"

BANG.

With another mighty swing, he cleaved through seven soldiers at once.

"Fuck this shit... I'm running!"

One soldier preferred to dip out rather than follow suit with his dead comrades... which was a wise decision. Not long after, the morale of the Black Fiend Nation's army completely crumbled as everyone started to retreat.

"How disappointing... they didn't even put up a proper fight." The black armoured knight sighed, resting his claymore against his right shoulder. Every Grand Asura Nation soldier looked at him with reverence and gratitude... for he had potentially saved their lives with his sheer strength.

"May you take off your helmet, soldier?" Sir Tai approached the black armoured soldier.

"No, I may not." He replied, shaking his head. "All you need to know is that I'm an ally... and I quite enjoy fighting. In truth, I'm not even part of your Grand Asura Nation."

"... Hm, then what is your name?"

"The name's... you know what, call me the Black Knight."

"The Black Knight, eh?" Sir Tai handed a pouch of money to the 'Black Knight' and floated higher afterwards. "There's more to come if you continue siding yourself with the Grand Asura Nation, in that case. His Highness has a soft spot for talented individuals."

"Thank you." The Black Knight nodded, storing the money away. After walking away from the battlefield, he jumped somewhere far away. He removed the helmet, revealing his golden hair and wonderful azure eyes.

'Chump change for the richest man in Blue Pole Star.' Xiao Jiantian chuckled, throwing the pouch in the air and catching it once it fell back into his hands. 'That reminds me, isn't the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament right about now?'

~

Blue Wind Ranking Tournament, the semifinals.

After the results of the last round, the two semifinal matches were set in stone:

Xiao Nan (EP7) vs Xiao Kuanglei (EP8)

Xia Qingyue (SP5) vs Shui Wushuang (EP8)

~

After a rather short battle, Xiao Kuanglei overpowered Xiao Nan and moved on to the finals where he thought he'd face defeat at the hands of Xia Qingyue. However, it turned out differently from what he had expected... in truth, no one saw the result of the second match coming.

"I concede." Xia Qingyue stated as she stood on the Sword Discourse Arena. Her voice was as calm as the breeze, matching the elegance of her majestic appearance.

"Young Palace Mistress... why? I wouldn't have stood a chance against you-"

"It's rather simple." Xia Qingyue smiled a little, turning away from the arena as she prepared to leave. "This act will ensure that the two lovebirds will meet in the finals..."

"Lo... lovebirds?" Shui Wushuang's cheeks reddened, acting like she didn't know what Xia Qingyue was talking about.

"There's no shame in being truthful with oneself. With the Xiao Sect and Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace both being under the Xiao Clan, such bonds are encouraged."

~

As the final battle ensued, Xiao Jiantian couldn't help but smile in his invisible state. Kuanglei had managed to take the crown of #1 after leaving everything he had on the Sword Discourse Arena, defeating Shui Wushuang... but more importantly than that, he confessed his blooming love for her during this fight. Knowing the usual temperament of those who cultivated the Frozen Heart Arts, many expected Xiao Kuanglei to be denied and left in disappointment.

However, the opposite was true.

The two had embraced once the match ended and acknowledged each other's feelings...

It was a heartfelt ending for the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament, for sure.

Even Xiao Jiantian felt an urge to show himself and return to Xia Qingyue... however, he restrained himself.

'My promise... I still haven't completed it.'

~

Later, the rest of the rankings were decided.

Individual:

1: Xiao Kuanglei

2: Shui Wushuang

3: Xia Qingyue

4: Xiao Nan

5: Xiao Zhen

6: Wu Xuexin

7: Yun Che

8: Ling Jiantian

Sect Ranking:

1: Xiao Sect (Xiao Clan)

2: Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace (Xiao Clan)

3: Blue Wind Imperial Family (Technically Xiao Clan too)

4: Heavenly Sword Villa

5: Burning Heaven Clan

One thing was clear... the Xiao Clan dominated the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament!

After the finals were decided, the top sects of the Blue Wind Empire were invited to the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. Towards its end, even Xuanyuan Wentian joined in and discovered a secret in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. It was the Heretic God's Water Seed which he harvested from a dead Tyrant Profound Realm beast... however, to him, the seed didn't seem all too special except for the fact that it sustained no damage inside of the beast's body. Nevertheless, he decided to store it just in case.

'Perhaps my uncle would know more about this object.'

~

Xiao Jiantian did not spend much longer idling in Blue Pole Star as he returned to the Brahma Monarch God Realm where the months would pass rather swiftly. Before anyone knew it, the Divine Realm Conference had begun.

Every God Emperor had been seated before even the preliminaries had begun as a sign of respect for their overlord; Xuanyuan Jiantian. Even his shadows were greatly revered to the point where entire Star Realms would willingly tribute their resources so that these shadows would continue existing. It was no secret that all of his shadows relied on an abundance of profound crystals to sustain their great strength... that is why they rarely acted and 'slept' for long periods of time in the first place.

There was an entire part of the stage dedicated the Royal Rank Star Realms, seating them above everyone else. Naturally, such an arrangement led to some discussions among the God Emperors breaking out.

"Where is the 'future' Brahma Heaven God Emperor I was hearing so much about? I was dying to see him... and he doesn't show up." Cang Shitian sighed, clearly dissapointed.

"Last I saw him, he was preoccupied with his breakthrough into the seventh stage of the Divine Sovereign Realm." Qianye Ying'er replied indifferently, not even glancing to his side as she looked at the centre of the 'Lord Trickster's Stage'.

"Wait... seventh stage of the Divine Sovereign Realm?!" Cang Shitian knitted his eyebrows in a mix of shock and confusion. Normally, one would inherit the Brahma's divine power and leap into the Divine Master Realm. But the Divine Sovereign Realm... that suggested a far more frightening possibility.

"You're telling me he progressed from the Divine Tribulation Realm to the late stages of the Divine Sovereign Realm in just a year... solely off cultivation?"

"...He is a heaven-defying individual. What else would you expect from someone who could trigger and easily endure nine stages of tribulation lightning?"

"This... if only the Eternal Heaven Pearl was still in the Eternal Heaven Realm's hands, we could capitalise on his talents and fight off the crimson calamity that is to come." When Zhou Xuzi said this, he looked into the back of Xuanyuan Jiantian's shadow.

"The Eternal Heaven Pearl is well looked after in the hands of the original, don't you worry, Eternal Heaven Emperor." The shadow turned around, smiling rather mysteriously. "This crimson calamity... if push comes to shove, I will sacrifice my existence for the world."

"Where... is he?" Long Bai, the Dragon Monarch, asked rather simply. The thought of the 'original'... Xuanyuan Jiantian... still plagued his mind.

"He will make his appearance towards the end of this conference, you can rest assured... ah." The shadow paused, acting as if its power was waning. "My apologies... let me begin this event before everyone gets sore feet."

*Ahem*.

"Welcome to the very first Divine Realm Conference, hosted by Yours Truly, a shadow of Xuanyuan Jiantian and the God Emperor of the Shadow Sun Star Realm! For the first round, all participants are to find their designated stations whereby your projections will be sent into separate battlefields. Every battlefield will have a hundred or so human participants... but the thing one should be most wary of is the environment!"

"As you've noticed, the Shadow Sun Star Realm is naturally an extremely dark world and the battlefields will all reflect this trait. Use the veil of the night to hide from other participants, mighty profound beasts and the like to ensure survival. Above all else, I assure you... charging in headfirst into this round will result in a quick death. Did I forget to mention that you only have three lives? Use them wisely."

"The terms of progressing to the second round are... to survive for a week!"

...

"The Shadow Sun Sect's way of judging winners is rather intriguing." The Blue Dragon Emperor stated. "Rather than relying on sheer strength, one must show survival skills as well as strength to pass. The obsession with such tactics naturally comes from the 'Lord Trickster'... isn't that right?"

"Isn't Lord Trickster just another name for Xuanyuan?" Xing Juekong added. "That is, before he settled down in the Brahma Monarch God Realm."

"It is." The shadow confirmed. "The original is a very cunning man when he wants to be. If he were to be the world's enemy, then the world would be in great danger and not him... it's just how things are."

Divine Realm Conference proceeded as planned, with the three most talented Shadow Sun Sect Realm disciples showing out with their extremely evasive profound arts. To most, they knew two of them... but the last was rather mysterious. He was masked and no one had even recognised him or his name. However, when they heard that Xuanyuan Jiantian's replication had chosen him to represent the Shadow Sun Sect, the suspicions all but vanished.

The first round of the Divine Realm Conference proved to be extremely unforgiving, leading to countless geniuses failing on the very first day. Having spent most of their lives meditating indoors, most of these young geniuses lacked the experienced and skills required to survive the battlefield's hazardous environment.

The number of participants dwindled to the point where only a hundred and fifty-three participants remained once the week passed!

"This first round... it's a little harsh, isn't it?" Zhou Xuzi inquired. "The spirits of these young geniuses are bound to have been devastated due to losing in such a fashion."

"They are not worthy." Xuanyuan Jiantian's shadow stated resolutely. "This first round was to weed out the survivors from the fools... and it accomplished just that."

Hearing the shadow speak, no one present dared defy its decision.

"Now for the second round... all participants will be teamed up against a single person!"

"... What?"

A ray of light landed on Li Chen, the mysterious and masked Shadow Sun Sect disciple. His profound strength was only at the seventh stage of the Divine Spirit Realm and everyone was certain of that fact... so how could he possibly face off against all other one-hundred fifty-two participants!?

"The rules are simple; if you're injured past being able to continue fighting, you're eliminated. The team going against this individual should focus on working together to overcome him... if not, I'm afraid that he will annihilate all of you before you know it. Please gather at the centre of the stage before we may begin."

"... One against one hundred and fifty-two?" Nan Wansheng laughed. "That man is a goner. I wouldn't put it past Xuanyuan Jiantian playing such a sick game... he always seemed insane to me."

"Would you care to repeat that statement of yours, Southern Sea God Emperor?" Qianye Ying'er asked in an indifferent tone, the golden eyes behind her mask scorching with fire.

"Tsk... I never understood why you cared so much for him when he has little to no regard for you. Have you already forgotten when he shoved you aside for the Northern Divine Region and the Devil Quee-"

Clang.

The shadow stopped Qianye Ying'er's sword strike which was directed towards Nan Wansheng, pushing her back.

"No infighting here." The replication turned to Nan Wansheng. "As for you... try to hide your jealousy a little better, hmm?"

"Yes, of course..." Nan Wansheng nodded, smiling a little.

As for the second round, it began soon after.

~

"This'll be fun." 'Li Chen' smiled, drawing his bow and creating several arrows of lightning.

"Fun... for us. It's one hundred and fifty-two to one!"

"Oh, I've faced worse odds, my friend."

"Second round of the Divine Realm Conference... begin!"

"Heh, let me handle this punk on my own, I got this-"

Instantly, 'Li Chen' sniped his chest and one-shotted the arrogant disciple. After the lightning arrow penetrated his chest, he was shocked into a state of unconsciousness. 'Li Chen' smiled behind his mask, preparing his other arrows.

"This... person is no joke! Attack him at once before he eliminates more of us!"

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

One by one, 'Li Chen' shot down the disciples with his arrows. Then, the moment they got close, his figure vanished into dozens of afterimages. When he reappeared, he was in a safe location ready to shoot more of them.

"What... he's there already!?"

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Almost calmly, he eliminated a hundred disciples in what was only two minutes.

'Time for the main event...'

He leapt into the air, gracefully backflipping before loading a super-charged arrow and shooting it into the ground. When the arrow hit the ground, it spread into countless beams of energy that sought after every disciple nearby.

By the time the spectator's blinked, every last participant except two ere eliminated.

Descending onto the ground, 'Li Chen' observed his last remaining opponent. He dropped his bow, drawing the sword at his side from its sheath. "Not bad, you managed to defend yourself."

"What can I say... the Lord Trickster teachings paid off."

Clothed in black-golden robes, the man standing before Li Chen was a core disciple of the Shadow Sun Sect and its greatest pride. He wasn't a Divine Spirit Realm profound practitioner... no, not at all. He was already in the Divine King Realm despite being only thirty years old!

"What is your name, junior?" Li Chen asked, his interest in the disciple growing.

"The name's Jun Tai." The disciple stated, brandishing his chain scythes. "Originally, the plan was to show off my profound strength at the next Profound God Convention... but this is fine too."

"Oh, you sound like my type of disciple." Li Chen smiled behind his mask as he took a step forward.

"Hopefully, I won't disappoint!"

"...-?"

The field around Li Chen grew dark as he felt the effects of a domain he knew all too well. Everywhere he looked, all he could see was a thick mist. It grew to the point where he couldn't see his own hands. In regards to his other senses, he heard constant laughter which would disorientate the focus of most profound practitioners. An extremely powerful smell of dried up corpses filled the domain... enough to make most inexperienced people vomit.

Slash... slash... slash.

'Li Chen' was attacked while he couldn't sense or predict Jun Tai's next movements... so he got slashed a few times.

Until he grew tired of it.

'Darkness Branch... Second Form... Devil Sword God's Dance!'

The sword in Li Chen's hands surged with darkness profound energy as he 'absorbed' the mist and unveiled Jun Tai. Shocked that he managed to get out of the predicament so swiftly, Jun Tai was caught off-guard when Li Chen teleported and stabbed him... defeating him in a single blow.

"I win." Li Chen stated rather confidently.

"Devil... he's a devil!" One of the spectators started screaming, leading to further chaos. Every person frowned and looked towards Xuanyuan Jiantian's shadow before attacking the 'devil'.

"Do as you will... I will not protect devils outside of their territory." He stated indifferently, leading to Li Chen's halo of protection disappearing. "I was not aware of his darkness profound energy prior, unfortunately."

"We've agreed not to strike their borders... but for a devil to emerge and win such a prestigious event in the God Realm... it's inconceivable!" Xing Juekong stated his opinion on the matter.

"Indeed, this is something we can agree on. The devil should be purged at once." Yue Wuya nodded.

"Let me kill him." Nan Wansheng descended onto the stage personally, facing the masked disciple.

"Isn't taking this matter into your own hands a little much?" Cang Shitian remarked. "It is true that the devil should be purged... but by the hands of a God Emperor? Are you salty over the fact that he proved you wrong?"

"..." Qianye Ying'er had long since realised something but she did not speak. Instead, she decided to watch along.

"Hmph." Nan Wansheng prepared a simple wave of profound energy, firing it off into Li Chen's body. Ideally, he'd imagined that the disciple would be instantly incinerated... but he was proven wrong.

Instead, the mask covering the disciple's face shattered and revealed a golden-haired man who was simply beautiful to the point where no other man could hope to compete. Even Nan Wansheng, a man who chased only women, was shaken for a moment. He was not gay... but damn.

The world held its breath...

Turns out that this 'Li Chen' was, in fact, Xiao Jiantian.

A devilish smile appeared on Xiao Jiantian's face, shaking Nan Wansheng to the core.

He remembered that smile... and no good memories came from it.

"This King has been wanting to play a little game... it's called 'Who Wants To Be A Devil?' Since you came up first so keenly, Nan Wansheng, you'll be the next devil!"