Face-Off

IT WASN'T LONG until the fight between the two emperors of the opposing empires ended with the Holy Flood Emperor's defeat. Embarrassingly, he died with a face swollen with bruises and wounds. Moreover, his robe was smeared all over with his blood that it appeared demonic yet so contrasted with his distorted face.

While the fight between the two sides was ongoing, Yang Lujia didn't forget to collect all the blood of those who died to lend to his first disciple.

Unknowingly, the dead cultivators' bodies turned pale white after he did this. Only he knew about this phenomenon. No one could spy on what he was doing while drinking "wine" and eating some of his "candies".

When a cultivator unexpectedly went near him, Yang Lujia saw his dry face. It was as white as snow, as though he had seen the most horrible scene in his life.

As the cultivator noticed Yang Lujia's presence, he almost prostrated himself and said: "Sir, why are you still here? Won't you go away from the site?"

Yang Lujia was surprised by the cultivator's courage to ask him. After all, he would not be so normal if he could stay here for a long time. "Well, it's not every day you see strong people fight like this, right?"

"But sir, why aren't you affected the slightest bit?" the cultivator blurted out, confused by Yang Lujia's indifferent appearance. "Sir, do you happen to be a Mahayana Emperor as well?"

"Huh?" Yang Lujia reacted by stopping drinking his "wine". "You are a Mahayana Emperor. I am a Mahayana Emperor. We are all Mahayana Emperors. Isn't that exciting?"

The cultivator was full of questions in his mind. He didn't know if he was just being tricked by this man beside him, who looked so carefree. Nevertheless, he knew that the way back to the outside was now blocked. He couldn't go out, so he could only stay.

It was his fault for sleeping so soundly, completely unaware of what had already started to transpire.

Yang Lujia stared at this guy beside him. He scrutinized the guy's face. He even searched this guy's nose and ears. "You..." he trailed off. "You are so ugly and dirty."

"What?"

"Watawat?"

"Huh?"

"Yes."

This was the weirdest conversation the cultivator had ever encountered in his entire life. The man before him was not only young, he was also not afraid of what was going on.

While the explosions of auras were ongoing, the cultivator then noticed that around this seemingly ordinary man, there seemed to be an invisible barrier that kept him from getting injured. If he had not looked closely, it would not have been discovered by him.

Perhaps this ordinary young man was really a Mahayana Emperor in disguise. Then, he should hold on to his thigh to save himself from trouble or, most probably, death.

"Sir, please save me!" The cultivator kowtowed in front of Yang Lujia, pleading to save his life from this messy place. "I don't know where to go—"

"No," Yang Lujia straightforwardly rejected, with a stern face.

The cultivator lost all of the color in his face. "Why, sir?"

"Because you're ugly. I don't like you. You have so many boogers and—well, I don't need to explain everything to you, need I?" With a wave of his hand, the cultivator died and his blood was brought to the temporary space Yang Lujia created. "What a strange guy."

"Yan Long, don't act like no one can kill you here! This prince will personally end your life! Dare to hurt my puppet!" Lin Fan came out of the palace with a bearing akin to a detached immortal. His greenish robe was shining with life. His face exuded the aura of a banished god. "Do you think the emperor is the strongest in our Holy Flood Empire?"

With Lin Fan's appearance, everyone, except for the Left Minister, was shocked. It turned out that their crown prince was also a Mahayana Emperor and a stronger one than his father.

"You!" Yan Long's face changed when he heard Lin Fan's words. "The Holy Flood Empire is really deceiving!"

As Yan Long roared, the sword in his hand screamed with a very strong intent. This intent could instantly slash several mountains in halves.

"Heh," Lin Fan sneered. "Now, let's see which is stronger? Your sword or my saber?" He laughed, then a long saber flashed in front of him. Its appearance was akin to a green dragon. "Yan Long! Be prepared to taste my Indomitable Saber Art!"

"Indomitable Saber Art?" Yan Long's face blanked for a second. Then, it lost all its color when he recalled something terrifying. "You! You are that man?"

"Oh? It seems like not everyone forgot about me." Lin Fan grinned. "Nonetheless, you will die under my saber!"

Yan Long soon recovered his dignified face and stared intently at the saber in Lin Fan's hand. "No matter what, I will end your life here!"

"Dream on, Yan Long!"

"Shut up, you motherfucker!"

Watching this scene, Yang Lujia nodded in satisfaction. This was what he wanted to happen. He then noticed that the breath of Lin Fan's father seemed to have dissipated. Quickly, he absorbed the emperor's blood.

"Indomitable Saber Art! First Saber..." Lin Fan's voice reverberated throughout the whole empire. "Formidable Slash!"

With just a slash, the whole place trembled. When Yan Long saw this, he didn't remain idle and used the strongest he had created himself. "Ostrich Sword Art! First Slash: Cut the Whole World!"

When Yang Lujia heard the name of Yan Long's sword art, he nodded approvingly. Compared to Lin Fan, it was much more interesting and nice.

On the other hand, Lin Fan's lips twitched when he heard the name. What kind of name was that? What do you mean by "Cut the Whole World"?

When the two slashes collided, it rang through the air. Even Yang Lujia was surprised by the power the two demonstrated. With a solemn look on his face, he thought about his first disciple, Lin Diyu, who was yet to reach the Peak Stage of the Mahayana Emperor Realm. "It seems like I really need to level him up, so I badly need all the blood of the cultivators now!"

After harvesting all the blood of the cultivators who died, Yang Lujia disappeared from the spot and went back to his courtyard in the sect. When he saw his two disciples sleeping, Yang Lujia couldn't help but smile.

Lin Diyu was just sitting beside Long Guang's large crib. Long Guang, on the other hand, was peacefully sleeping in the crib. But the tears on Long Guang's face didn't escape from Yang Lujia's eyes.

"What the hell happened?" he muttered, and Long Guang's whole world vibrated. This simple act of his awoke his first disciple—only then Yang Lujia realized what he did and quickly asked Lin Diyu.

"I don't know, master. Second junior brother suddenly cried, and I immediately used the teleportation channel you made to comfort him. He said he was afraid of something. He said..."

"What? Don't keep me in suspense!" Yang Lujia felt agitated, his gaze at Lin Diyu getting worse by the second.

"Oh, right, it was Echinemon, I think? Does this have something to do with what happened in the second junior brother's race in Da Sishen, master?"

"That Echinemon Race! I'll surely destroy all of you to the ends of the earth!" Yang Lujia's eyes carried such murderous intent that the waters around the whole sect boiled.

Lin Diyu's eyes shrank when he felt the pressure from his master's aura. With this aura alone, he could even die.

"I'm sorry, Diyu," Yang Lujia said as he calmed down, realizing that he was reacting too much. "Anyhow, the war between the Holy Flood Empire and the Flaming Dragon Empire has already started. It was only then that I found out about Lin Fan's cultivation realm."

"What's his cultivation realm, master?" Lin Diyu's eyes contained the expectation that Yang Lujia could only heave a sigh.

"He's already at the Peak Stage of the Mahayana Emperor Realm."

Lin Diyu's eyes suddenly turned gray. It was as if he had lost all of his hope. He knew how terrifying Lin Fan was. After several years, this brother of his really grew up into a strongman.

"You also have to know that your father is now dead. Lin Fan was the one who controlled your father by some means that I don't know," Yang Lujia said. "Diyu, your brother, the crown prince, he's not that simple. It feels like when he was fighting the emperor of the other party, he was still hiding something behind the scenes. This is why..."

"Yes, master!" Lin Diyu cut him off. "This disciple will certainly work even harder—"

"That's not what I mean. It's the perfect time for you to avenge yourself. Within this period of time..." Yang Lujia raised one of his hands. Later, a blood sphere condensed. "Within this period of time, you have to cultivate and reach at least the Peak Stage of the Mahayana Emperor Realm. Only then can you defeat him. With the help of your second junior brother, I am sure you can both kill him. Don't worry. No matter what, the master will always be there for you. Revenge can only be satisfying when you do it yourself. This is why I am trying to cultivate you."

Well, in fact, Yang Lujia only wanted to avoid injuring himself. The hypocrisy.

Tears swam down Lin Diyu's eyes when he heard his master's words. He then kowtowed countless times that his forehead became sore. This made Yang Lujia speechless. Nevertheless, he was still pleased with this first disciple of his.

"Although Diyu is a bit dumb, at least, he's a loyal disciple," he thought to himself.

"This disciple is very grateful for the master's grace!"

"Just say thank you if you want to express your thanks, okay? You sound like an ancient man."

"Thank you so much, master!" Lin Diyu smiled, getting used to his master's strangeness. "By the way, master, you have to comfort the second junior brother. When he woke up, he called for your presence. I guess only you can truly comfort him. Luckily, I managed to calm him down."

"Don't worry about Long Guang anymore. You just have to go and cultivate. I'll take care of your second junior brother. I will only call you out after Lin Fan wins the fight."

"Thank you, master, for caring about my second junior brother's well-being. I don't want him to suffer at a young age like what happened to me."

Hearing Lin Diyu's words, Yang Lujia was moved. He even wanted to shed tears, but he only smiled. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Lin Fan wins, so you can kill him yourself."