Donning the mask.

The first sight that greeted Yin Long's group as the spatial tunnel around them faded was the remains of a ruined jungle. Trees had been broken and tossed aside, jagged stumps littering the ground, at least in the places where there was still some earth left for them to seek refuge. The area hadn't looked like this when they first fled through the spatial crack so it seemed like Tao Tiankong had vented his frustration after they slipped from his grasp.

"Seems like he's not here. But I guess that's to be expected, he never was one for patience and just sitting around."

Xiao Yin Yu muttered somewhat quietly as she surveyed the area, unconsciously tracing her abdomen. The array he had engraved on her was something she couldn't forget no matter how much she tried, she wasn't even free to end her own life as long as that thing marred her body.

"There's no point in thinking about it too much. You've already made your choice, that which came before no longer matters."

Yin Long also swept the surroundings as he spoke, his senses stretching out so that he could determine which direction they should go. Jin Wang also sniffed at the air, tracing any familiar scents that may lead them somewhere useful.

Yin Yu's hand stopped tracing her abdomen, the corners of her lips curving up slightly. For such a strong and straightforward man, that was a terribly awkward way of saying that he would help her get rid of the array that plagued her. After all, he had been the one who prompted her to make her choice, he was the first one who gave her the freedom to do something so simple.

"Found anything, Goldie?"

Yin Long didn't pay any mind to the small curve of Yin Yu's lips, tilting his head towards Jin Wang. The area all around them was in shambles so he hadn't been able to find anything that could point them in any good directions, he'd have to rely on the others. But Jin Wang also shook his head, all the scents in the area were still mixed in a chaotic manner thanks to Tiankong's rampage. But luckily for them, Yin Yu had an excellent memory, despite the changes to the land.

"The landscape may have changed, but I can still retrace our steps, I had more mental leeway than you back then after all. There'll be a spatial array not far from our previous destination so we can use that to move about. But frankly, I'd recommend gathering up points so that we can head to the first arena. Quite a bit of time has already passed, and it would be a touch unfortunate if we were so unlucky that there aren't any other fighters left when we reach the first arena."

That was the minor trap hidden within the rules of the competition, you had to fight within three days or you would lose all your points and get sent back to square one. But what if you arrived too early and no one else arrived within three days? Or what if you were the last one to arrive and there was no one there to fight?

"Alright, that sounds like a good plan. I was going to catch up with Little Huo now anyway, I'm also interested in the other Swordsoul clans, but we'll have to advance if I want to spar with them."

The first Swordsoul sect had allowed him to learn a technique he was thinking about implementing in his body cultivation, it also gave him that first fragment that merged with his soul. Well, rather than say gave it would be better to say that he took it, he hadn't exactly given them much choice other than to fight him.

Yin Yu took the lead after Yin Long agreed to her proposition, quickly retracing their earlier steps. Previously, Yin Long had to give it his all and risk his very soul to buy them the 30 seconds needed to cross this distance as they fled from Tiankong, but now they could pass it with leisure and ease.

The land was devoid of beasts, Tiankong's furious aura still lingered in the land and scared them off. But how could he not have been so furious that his aura still lingered despite the passage of months? Yin Long had snatched his fiancee right in front of him and ran off, he wouldn't be surprised if Yin Long had already cuckolded him mere hours or days later.

"Here, this is where we first encountered Tiankong, the spatial array won't be much further. Well, I was rushing about a bit desperately at the time since I was carrying what may as well have been a pot of magma, but my memory shouldn't be that muddled."

Yin Yu prodded Yin Long slightly with her words when they returned to the spot where Tiankong had found them, she hadn't forgotten how she was on the verge of losing her right arm after Yin Long's unconscious body exploded with the law of Yin.

"You really do hold a grudge. I'd retaliate by dragging up some of your inconveniences from the past, but it seems like you haven't gotten the chance to accumulate any yet."

Yin Long shook his head slightly at Yin Yu's prodding, a touch helpless since there wasn't really anything he could say. And just like he said, he couldn't bring up any times she had inconvenienced him, she had picked him up and helped him every time he took things too far. Some arguments could be made for the Tiankong event, but Yin Long didn't consider it since he saw it as something he had chosen on his own, every consequence borne from it was something he would have brought on himself.

"Damn right, and don't you forget it, I'll hold you accountable for everything you owe me, even if you end up owing me your life."

Yin Yu didn't hold back in the slightest, she would make Yin Long spit up everything she had given him. Of course, if that ended up being his life then there was nothing that could be done about it, she would just have to be the bigger man and accept his company until the two turned to ash upon the wind. Well, she had to include Lan Yun so it was more correct to say that it was until the three of them turned to ash upon the wind.

The group changed course according to Yin Yu's guidance, the jungle here was also ruined so it all looked the same to Yin Long. But before long a familiar stone circle entered his senses, Yin Yu nodding in satisfaction when it entered their sight.

"Yup, my memory wasn't muddled, it really was here. Alright, Master told me that the Land of 10 000 Fireflies is one of the best places to quickly rack up points, are you fine with going there?"

She activated the array formed by the stones as she spoke, the three-dimensional map springing to life around them as she nimbly navigated it. Yin Long had no complaints so she activated the array and brought the three of them away, all of them quickly appearing on a reed-covered plain that seemed to stretch far beyond the horizon.

Countless holes dotted the plain, some only half a metre wide while others were several tens of metres wide. And as the group stood in the stone circle, Yin Long quickly learned why this was a good place to rack up points.

A low buzzing sound came from the holes shortly after they arrived, torch bug-like beasts rising up from the holes and filling the sky. But unlike normal torch bugs, these beasts had their rear ablaze with deeply orange flames, they also had two sets of wings and pincers.

"The land of the fireflies. It looks like their rear is burning, but it's actually a type of corrosive liquid, it can melt metal in seconds so be careful not to touch it. Other than that, we can go wild."

Yin Yu gave a short introduction of the beasts that swarmed around them to defend their home, her whip-like sword already in her grasp. Yin Long swept his gaze across the horde of beasts that approached them, stretching out his hand and sending out a sliver of his soul.

The peculiar fractured space that filled this land creaked and groaned as he drew it in, condensing it again and again until it formed the shape of a sword. He had yet to form a new space-based sword after his previous one broke as he fled, and it was all so that he could use the peculiar space in this land to form the new sword. This way he could study the fractured nature of the space whenever he wanted, it would be excellent for his training.

"Alright then, let's hope Little Huo isn't too far ahead."

The beasts swarmed, but in truth that only made them easier to hit. The first wave was decimated in no time, the equally large second wave rushing in after them. But they fell in droves under the attacks of the group, they couldn't even resist. It was just like Yin Yu said, this was an excellent place to rack up points, you just had to make sure that the beasts got the chance to repopulate, and that you didn't draw out their queen by killing too much.

But Yin Long and Yin Yu didn't need a lot of points, both of them were able to gather the required amount in mere minutes now that they were actively trying to gather them. And once they reached the required number of points, the silver scale embedded in their chests activated and pulled them towards the first arena, Yin Long grabbing onto Jin Wang so that he was pulled along.

The sensation was a bit more turbulent than a normal spatial array, even Yin Long felt like they were just being tossed about in a haphazard manner. But that sensation luckily didn't last long, vanishing as they reached their goal.

The place they found themselves in was a rather old-fashioned coliseum-style arena, a single large stage serving as the centre piece. The seating area was a bit different from other coliseum-style arenas, only the very lowest section was an open seating area, a railing separating the stone benches from the actual stage. Everything above that was separated into individual rooms, giving the competitors a chance to get a bit of privacy as they prepared for their own match.

A match was taking place right now, only a handful of people bothering to sit in the lower section to get a closer look. But when Yin Long and Yin Yu saw who was fighting, they were a bit dumbfounded.

"This... isn't this a beautiful coincidence?"

Yin Yu couldn't help but mutter as she looked at the swaying crimson hair and sapphire blue eyes of Lang Huo, who was fighting somewhat listlessly. They had prepared themselves for the fact that they may have to go through the second or third stage as well before they finally managed to reach her, she was ranked in the top 50 after all. But there she was, still stuck in the first arena. It seemed like a coincidence, but Yin Long immediately realized the truth.

"It's not a coincidence. She was waiting, coming back and waiting three days before she fought someone, only to return again."

You could return to the earlier arenas as many times as you wanted, but you had to follow the same rules as everyone else. She had probably been uncertain how far Yin Long would be able to get so she kept coming back, anxiously waiting for him, just like she had been when he first saw her projection when he returned to his birthplace.

"You always were an idiot, weren't you?"

What he said could be considered a bit of an insult, but the tender warmth in his voice made it so that Yin Yu couldn't think of it as an insult, it wasn't even a scolding. The two watched her battle from their vantage point, but it was clear that Lang Huo wasn't even really trying to win, she was just doing her best to drag out the fight, her heart wasn't in it at all.

She swung her fists in a nearly sluggish manner, her flames creeping about so slowly that it was closer to a snail than a ferocious fire. There was no drive or motivation, none of the fierce might she wielded in the past, none of the grandeur.

"Really...Nothing but an idiot... Yin Yu, do you have a strong robe? One that will be able to hold in my wings should I activate my bloodline?"

Yin Long shook his head slightly when he saw how Lang Huo fought, this was so far from what he had taught her in the past that it was almost insulting. His question caught Yin Yu a bit off-guard, but she still instinctively went through her interspatial ring, pulling out a deep brown robe that looked as if it was made from scales.

"I've got this one, it's a type of defensive armour that can handle even strikes from me without tearing. But even if it doesn't tear, the energy that passes through it can still hurt you, you can consider it a bit defective. But why do you need it?"

Yin Long accepted the robe and switched into it, Yin Yu sneaking a few glances at the large scar that seemed to split him in half. The robe was a bit too loose but Yin Long felt that it would do the trick, moving his limbs a bit to get used to the weight and sensation as he explained.

"She's in the top 50, everything she does gets projected to the rest of the dominion. If anyone from the Lang clan sees me with her then they'll quickly figure out what's going on, and it's not yet time to reveal the truth, she'll face too much pressure. I also don't want this traced back to me, people might get suspicious and start digging if I suddenly get close to someone I should have never interacted with."

He finished getting accustomed to the robe as he spoke, Yin Yu smiling a bit softly but also bitterly at his words. Yin Long really was willing to hide deeply for his sister, he didn't even think twice about hiding his strength just so she wasn't pressured by others.

"Alright, I'm gonna go teach her about what she's forbidden from abandoning, I'll be right back."

Yin Long didn't pay any mind to Yin Yu's expression, swiping his interspatial ring and bringing out the blue mask shaped like a grinning demon, the mask Lan Yun had given him. He donned the mask and vaulted over the railing, descending towards the stage as a weapon appeared in his grasp.

The weapon was a large crimson greatsword, the last gift their parents had given Lang Huo, the weapon she had used to kill Yin Long, as well as the weapon she had abandoned afterwards. Yin Long's Qi surged out as he grasped the weapon, the law of space coating it and turning its crimson colouring a bright silver, a final layer of deception.

And then he landed on the stage, directly between Lang Huo and the man she was fighting. His sword swept out in a broad arc, scattering the languid flames she had sent out. He straightened his back as the embers danced around him, stabbing the tip of the great weapon into the stage.

"Now, now you face me."