Amid the darkness, the Holy Emperor raised his arm. On it was a devilish, yet alluring, colored spot. It was An Muda's last "gift" to him. The blood spiritual force within his body flowed to his arm area only to be resisted by an invisible force and was unable to pass through it.
The colored spot was formed from tangled five elemental rings. They were connected, head to tail, like a lock. They were like a ball of flowing bright light, constantly undergoing changes.
The Holy Emperor had been unable to break this "An Muda Ring."
Yes, the Holy Emperor named it the "An Muda Ring."
The Holy Emperor was wise, knowledgeable, and had seen all kinds of absolute arts that elementalists practiced, so he was extremely familiar with five elemental rings. He understood that these rings were a new Master's first barrier. Only those who could comprehend them could possibly progress further.
The An Muda Ring was different from those he had seen before. It had life. It could grow and change, regrouping and repairing itself. It flowed endlessly, never ever stopping.
It was breathtaking, amazing, and magnificent.
The Holy Emperor disapproved of An Muda's ways, but was exceedingly impressed by the An Muda Ring.
Breaking the An Muda Ring would allow him to heal from his injuries, but more importantly, he would be able to further advance his level.
Grandmasters reigned supreme not only because of their powers, but also due to their solitude. It was extremely cold at the top, and such was their lives as Grandmasters. This loneliness wasn't just something that few battled together against. It was also something they experienced during training.
There were fewer and fewer things they could use as references. There were also fewer people whom they could learn from and discuss matters with. Loneliness hit them the most when they pondered over their next destination.
Ever since the battle with An Muda, the Holy Emperor had stayed away from governmental affairs and spent practically every waking hour attempting to understand the An Muda Ring.
The An Muda Ring caused him to spend a lot of time and energy, but the output was worth the effort. Seeing through An Muda's ideology was priceless. The Holy Emperor looked forward to the day when he could finally solve the riddle. He was curious about the essence of the An Muda Ring.
And that day was near.
Compared to being on the front lines, he was much happier using his time to study the An Muda Ring.
Peeking into the insights of a Grandmaster was like exploring a whole new world.
He opened his eyes suddenly.
As he left his room, the sun was rather glaring, but it did not seem to affect him.
The guards were shocked to see him, but they quickly bowed. "Your Majesty!"
Ignoring them, the Holy Emperor flew up into the sky and stopped somewhere high above. He had a grave expression on his face as he kept his gaze in the direction of the Jadeite Forest.
Such an intense wave motion… Dai Gang… Who else?"
A new Grandmaster???
It was a lively scene in Skyheart City. As people rushed out from their houses, some flew up into the sky, while others stood on their roofs. They were all looking toward the Jadeite Forest. They craned their necks despite the futility.
There were mixed emotions on their faces. It was indeed hard to remain calm at this point.
The indescribable elemental wave motion had already disrupted the flow of heaven and earth.
Rays of magnificently colored, fluctuating lights appeared far away in the horizon. Bright light traces flashed across the blue dome of heaven from time to time. They were like falling meteors, caused by friction between surging elemental energy. The white, cottony clouds were crackling and burning, as if ignited by something, and producing a thick green smoke. The sun and moon were simultaneously visible as they released their radiance.
All kinds of strange phenomena were occurring.
"Grandmasters are freakishly terrifying!"
"Exactly!"
"Who's the other fellow aside from Dai Gang?"
"It has to be Senior Le Buleng! Have you forgotten that he had specially made a trip down to challenge Dai Gang to battle?"
"You're right. He's probably the only worthy opponent."
"We have to call him Grandmaster Le!"
"An Muda might've been too old. Grandmasters Dai and Le are still in their prime."
"It's hard to imagine how powerful a human can become. Even if the whole population of Skyheart City joined forces, they wouldn't be able to resist a hit from two grandmasters, would they?"
"Definitely not!"
Madam Ye held her head up high, more arrogantly and stubbornly than usual. She was the only one aware that her body was trembling uncontrollably beneath her luxurious clothes. She appeared calm, but behind her sealed lips, wisps of blood from clenching her teeth too hard leaked from her gums. A bloody smell pervaded the air as she stared in the direction of the Jadeite Forest.
Are Grandmasters really invincible?
She even felt a tinge of despair and confusion. Having seen An Muda's last strike, she had thought that that was a Grandmaster's power and had spent so much effort in establishing Master's Glory. This gave her confidence that Skyheart City would remain fearless even when facing a Grandmaster.
It was only now that she realized how naive she had been.
Those forces were of a different realm!
Even quantity wouldn't be able to compensate for the disparity in power.
Madam Ye broke out in cold sweat. Her belief that Skyheart City was impregnable had been threatened, and she felt insecure.
Le Buleng was surrounded by dark flames and looked akin to a devil rising from Hell. The curling flames were pitch-black and seemed capable of swallowing all light. The restless fire danced with a distinct rhythm, like that of a pulse. Occasionally, they would form transparent ripples that spread outward in the sky.
The ripples carried a terrifying power and might that reached far and wide.
If Le Buleng was hellfire, Dai Gang would be a gust of unfathomable wind. He was always cheerful and light-hearted.
The ripples produced by the black flames did not affect his physical body. They continued spreading into the distance, as if he was merely an illusion.
Le Buleng had battled against Dai Gang many times and was very familiar with his skills, hence he unleashed his full force immediately without any warning.
His body disappeared swiftly in midair. Instantly and out of nowhere, a flaming black fist appeared from behind Dai Gang.
Lustrous lotus flowers grew and blossomed behind Dai Gang's back just in time for the petals to roll outward and wrap around Le Buleng's flaming fist, effectively blocking it.
Whoosh. The petals turned into ashes and dust.
Dai Gang used this opportune moment to break free, a startled expression forming on his gentle face. "These flames… Yin Flames!"
"Can't hide it from you indeed!"
A cold groan sounded from far away as a sharp force appeared noiselessly by Dai Gang's ears.
His eyes lit up. "I see. Golden Crow Fire generates Yin after nonstop tempering and upgrading. Amazing stuff. These Yin Flames can even combust in a void right?"
Both moved as fast as lighting. Throughout a brief exchange of conversation, both had exchanged blows at least tens of times.
The effect produced by two colliding forces that were entirely different also differed. At times these clashes disappeared without a sound, but at other times, they were earth-shatteringly loud like thunder.
Le Buleng became excited because he could feel that their current fight was different from the previous ones.
That powerless feeling he had felt when facing Dai Gang was like a nightmare that enveloped his whole life.
He had thought that they were the shackles of fate, but he was finally going to crush them!
He burst into a laughter. "It feels good!"
Dai Gang retracted his smile and adopted a stern expression. "Brother Buleng is rebelling against destiny for sure, establishing supreme absolute arts, and passing them onto the new generations. May I ask for its name?"
Le Buleng was surprised, but after some thought he mumbled, "I forgot about naming it. Eh, let me call it [Yin Furnace]."
Dai Gang praised, "Great name! If Brother Buleng loses, I'll be sure to pass it on to the noble disciplines. If anything goes wrong, I'll entrust the gifted ones to hand it down and carry it forward, ensuring that this treasure does not collect dust."
Le Buleng laughed out loud. "I've been living life my own way, and nothing matters when I'm dead, so who cares?"
Before he finished, his body appeared beside Dai Gang as he threw another punch.
Dai Gang's eyes lit up. "There are ripples in this empty space!"
A lotus flower blossomed behind his back to block the blow.
Whoosh. The flower burned to ashes. The black flames then surged forth toward Dai Gang's head.
Nothing much could be seen, but Dai Gang's body withdrew speedily. His open hands and fingers were like blossoming flowers. It was a dazzling sight for all to see.
The bowl-sized lotus flowers spiraled rapidly toward the surging, curtain-like smoke.
Bububu…
The flower petals exploded into balls of light. Amid the light were pattering sounds generated by fine rain.
The seemingly soft rain had actually managed to disrupt the momentum of the black smoke.
Just then, a fist pierced through the rain curtain!
Dai Gang's pupils shrank. He extended his palms out and struck out. A deluge of petals fluttered in the sky as heavenly music filled the air. It was as if a deity had descended.
Boom!
The petals turned into fine powder in an instant, and the heavenly music stopped abruptly.
The light ray that blossomed between them was so dazzling that it hurt to watch, and it was accompanied by a fiery explosion of elemental wave motions.
Le Buleng only felt a burst of overwhelming force approaching. Before he could react, his body shot backward like a ball for miles before he could stabilize himself.
He looked at the criss-crossing wound on his fist and grinned. There was only madness in his eyes.
That felt good!
The ground beneath him was a long crack that was three kilometers wide and over ten kilometers long, as if it were a valley.. This was the ghastly scar, left behind by that earlier blow.
Behind Le Buleng, the accumulated soil had created a dust storm that covered the sky and still whirled in the air.
It swept far across the field, extending a thousand miles away!
Le Buleng shifted his gaze toward where Dai Gang was standing.
Dai Gang was in a worse state. His palms were missing from his lower arms and astonishingly severe wounds could be found all over his body.
Le Buleng hardened his gaze. There were no bones sticking out of Dai Gang's arms.
No bones?
"I haven't been injured in a long time. Almost forgot what it feels like," Dai Gang mumbled and raised his head up with a smile.
"You're amazing indeed, Brother Buleng. The first to ever force me to unleash my true potential. How interesting!"