The Sovereign's Ascension

Everyone, welcome to 2021!  2020 has been an absolutely horrid year for many people on many levels, and I think many (most? all?) of us are glad to leave it behind.  With that said, I wanted to give everyone a preview for some of the things that are coming up in the coming few months for Wuxiaworld.

Front-End Site Redesign - This one has been a long time coming!  Historically, we've focused more on incremental changes and feature build-out rather than overhauling the site itself, but for quite a few months now...

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Yan Tianrui’s reveal silenced the Wan Clan’s cheers instantly. Even Wan Feng’s face, who had been brimming with joy, was grim.

His hands trembled as he held onto the Clouded Ice Spear. He looked at the mask on Yan Tianrui’s face with unconcealable fear in his eyes.

The Blood Cloud Sect!

The Azure Sun County was a chaotic place due its shared border with the Great Qin Empire. The fight over interest between the two forces was extremely brutal. It was not uncommon to hear of forces being massacred.

In this chaotic region, only experts could stand strong.

Over the centuries, only three forces stood firmly in the Azure Sun County: the Radiant Pavilion, Golden Flame Sect, and Blood Cloud Sect. Among the three, the Blood Cloud Sect was the most horrifying.

Not only were they powerful, but they were also brutal. Out of all the massacres that had taken place in this region, close to 90% had been at the hands of the Blood Cloud Sect.

And one of those monsters stood before Wan Feng. He could tell Yan Tianrui was an elite disciple, too, as only those ranked among the top 100 of the inner sect were qualified to wear that mask.

The mask alone was a mid-grade profound artifact designed to guard the head. For cultivators, the head was the most vital part of the body, aside from the chest. Aside from acting as a shield for the skull, the Blood Cloud Mask could prevent the wearer’s vision and agility from being affected. It was something that could not be faked.

The youth looked at Wan Feng and grinned, “Weren’t you just taunting me a moment ago? What happened? Why are you so quiet now?”

“I apologize for that. I had no idea that you were a disciple of the Blood Cloud Sect,” Wan Feng said nervously as he struggled to swallow.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry, bud! It’s fine!” Yan Tianrui eerily laughed.

This was why Kong Yuan was so confident. Looking at Wan Qiuye, Kong Yuan asked, “What’s the matter, Brother Wan? Your complexion seems off.”

“You’re playing with fire!” Wan Qiuye gnashed his teeth.

Kong Yuan was simply insane to get an overlord force involved for a Spiritual Lake, especially the infamous Blood Cloud Sect!

The Wan Clan had never thought of getting the three overlord forces involved. They wouldn’t care about an Eighth Grade Spiritual Lake. Besides, if they participated in the battle, they would definitely take at least seven quotas with no negotiation.

Even if he had guessed Kong Yuan was willing to pay that price, Wan Qiuye never imagined that he would look to the Blood Cloud Sect!

“I know what I’m doing, so don’t worry. Young Master Yan’s father owed me a favor. He’s participating in this battle privately. You should worry about your son instead. Yan Tianrui cleared his third orifice half a month ago!” Kong Yuan snickered.

“WHAT?!”

Third Orifice of the Xiantian Realm! 

Everyone from the Wan Clan stared at the black-clothed youth in awe. To reach the third orifice at the age of 18, what kind of monster was Wan Feng up against?

Wan Qiuye’s face was unsightly. This was what he feared the most. Even if Lin Yun was strong, he stood no chance against someone in the third orifice.

“Young Master Yan, don’t bother exchanging greetings with this brat. Just end the battle,” Kong Yuan sneered.

The black-clothed youth nodded his head, as he locked eyes with Wan Feng and smiled, “This uncle of mine is always impatient. Why don’t you admit defeat?”

“Dream on!” Wan Feng gnashed his teeth and lunged his spear. He would not be looked down on, Blood Cloud Sect or not.

His spear began to bloom with chilling radiance. As the wind picked up, the dust gathered at the tip of the spear formed into an icicle. Wan Feng had managed to bring out 70% of the spear’s power.

But sadly, it was futile. Yan Tianrui maintained his devilish grin as he dodged the stab the moment Wan Feng moved.

That caught Lin Yun’s attention and sent his mind racing. His best guess was that Yan Tianrui must’ve cleared his Ear Orifice, allowing him to determine his opponent’s attacks from sound alone.

In regards to the Seven Orifices in the Xiantian Realm, clearing each one would strengthen its respective ability. Lin Yun had previously cleared up his eyes orifice, which greatly strengthened his sight.

With each new orifice that was cleared, the strength of all previously cleared orifices would multiply. This meant that while the gap between the first and second orifice might not be huge, the gap between the first and third was staggering.

Yan Tianrui also outclassed Wan Feng in cultivation. This was not a battle between equals, it was a predator toying with its prey.

Lin Yun was stunned as he watched the battle unfold. The advantage that Yan Tianrui held was too great.

“You’re not going to summon your Martial Soul? Then I guess I’ll take it away!”

Boom!

Yan Tianrui’s aura suddenly exploded. He threw his palm forth, enveloped in a crimson radiance, and held onto the spear tip.

A look of desperation came over Wan Feng when he realized what was happening. He wanted to pull his spear back, but it wouldn’t budge no matter how he tried. It was as if the spear was glued to Yan Tianrui’s hand.

Swish!

In the next second, the crimson radiance on Yan Tianrui’s hand covered the entire spear and he yanked it towards himself. Wan Feng stumbled as he desperately tried to maintain his grip until he felt a burning pain in his palms and was forced to let go of the Clouded Ice Spear.

“My…” Wan Feng started, but before he could finish the spear swept in his direction.

Boom!

Blood gushed out from Wan Feng’s throat and mouth. The immense force behind that spear had sent him flying into the air. Yan Tianrui wore a sinister smile as he twirled the spear mockingly before lunging it into the sky.

Poof!

The spear stabbed through Wan Feng’s armor. Blood poured from his wound and ran down the spear’s shaft.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

When it returned to the earth, Wan Feng’s body bounced several times before settling.

“That’s enough. We admit defeat for this round!” Wan Qiuye called out immediately upon seeing Yan Tianrui’s ruthlessness. He instructed an elder to help Wan Feng before turning his gaze to Lin Yun.

All eyes were on him. No one expected things would go south so quickly, nor had they expected that the Kong Clan would recruit an elite disciple from the Blood Cloud Sect. Wan Feng had been utterly crushed.

The mood on Wan Clan’s side was heavy. It seemed that they would have to give up half the Spiritual Lake.

Bearing the pressure, Lin Yun stepped forward.

“Are you confident?” Wan Qiuye asked when Lin Yun passed by him.

“I can’t say for certain.”

Those words cast a shadow of despair on Wan Qiuye’s heart. He interpreted that to mean Lin Yun had already given up on this battle. But that wasn’t surprising, considering his opponent.

In reality, Lin Yun simply meant he genuinely had no idea what the odds of him beating someone in the Third Orifice of the Xiantian Realm were.

But he wasn’t giving up, at least not without trying!

“So, you’re all that the Wan Clan was left to offer?” Yan Tianrui asked in a bored tone. “I’m not even warmed up yet… I wouldn’t have come if I knew that things would be so dull.”

“Return my Clouded Ice Spear,” Lin Yun replied.

“Heh! Sure, here you go!” Yan Tianrui smiled. He enveloped the Clouded Ice Spear with crimson radiance and hurled it at Lin Yun with such force it broke the sound barrier upon leaving his hand.

“What speed!” A collective gasp came from the Wan Clan. A few even staggered back, worried they would be hit by the spear if Lin Yun didn’t survive this attack.

In the next moment, the battleground was met with complete and utter silence. It was as if time itself had been stunned. In response to the spear rocketing toward him, Lin Yun had simply stretched his hand out and plucked it from the air. His movements were so casual, if they hadn’t seen the throw itself, those present would have thought the spear had been tossed to him gently.

Fwoosh!

Upon closer inspection, the spear was rotating in his hand so violently it was pulling in all the loose debris around him. Lin Yun had actually received this terrifying throw so easily.

Swish!

Lin Yun leapt into the sky with the spear. Shifting his hands to the very end of the shaft, Lin Yun brought the spear head down hard. 

Yan Tianrui could not hide his surprise as he dodged. Lin Yun’s sudden shift to being on the offensive had caught him off guard

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Lin Yun followed him closely with his spear, not giving Yan Tianrui a chance to recover. Facing Lin Yun’s relentless attack, Yan Tianrui’s face contorted. He could hear the direction that the spear was coming from, but he didn’t have enough time to dodge!

From this disadvantageous position, Yan Tianrui couldn’t find an opening. After ten moves, Yan Tianrui had no other choice but to cross his hands together to block the spear. 

When the spear struck his arms, he was shocked by the sheer force behind it.

“Are you done warming up?” Lin Yun wore a brilliant smile when Yan Tianrui raised his head.

“Blood Cloud Palm!” Yan Tianrui roared. His hand was shrouded in a crimson radiance as he drove his palm forward.

Clang!

When his palm touched the spear, Yan Tianrui grinned as he grabbed onto the tip.

“Come here!” Yan Tianrui shouted as he yanked the spear towards himself. His viscous grin faded as he realized the spear wouldn’t budge.

“It’s your turn to help me with my warm up!” Lin Yun said as he flicked his wrist, forcing Yan Tianrui to release his grasp on the spear before taking a few steps back.

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