Chapter 116: Come Out and Face Me!

As noon passed, the early arrivals began to grow restless, though many remained composed and unhurried, patiently waiting as time slipped by. Suddenly, the arrival of a grand yacht stirred the entire crowd into a frenzy.

A large white yacht glided over the sea, two flags fluttering atop its mast—one the flag of Huaxia, the other emblazoned with the image of a sturdy mountain crowned with a single shining star, the emblem of the National Guard Manor.

It was clear: the people of National Guard Manor had arrived. This meant one of the main figures in the upcoming battle—the demon cultivator Jiang An—had come.

Instantly, voices rose in a tumultuous roar beneath the surface.

“Lord Augustus! The demon cultivator Jiang An has arrived!”

A tall, broad-shouldered Westerner aboard a European yacht strode into a cabin and respectfully addressed an elderly man resting there with closed eyes.

The elder wore a red robe over black, his beard neatly trimmed, exuding an air of dignity. Most striking were his hands—long, pale, perfectly proportioned—hardly those of an old man.

This was Augustus, the Cardinal of the European Light Church, a supreme martial master at the third realm of mastery! Among the many masters in the church, he held considerable renown. Though not as famous as the first cardinal, Nicholas Dora, ranked second on the Divine List, his reputation was close behind.

“Good. Maintain contact with the other factions. We will wait until Mr. Jiang An is defeated before making our move. Until then, the church will not wade into this mess. After all, this is within Huaxia’s borders—we cannot be too conspicuous,” Augustus said deliberately.

“Understood!”

“Notify me once Master Shengu arrives.”

“Very well, I take my leave!”

Meanwhile, aboard the National Guard Manor’s vessel, five or six formidable masters surrounded two men at the center, like planets orbiting the sun. One was Jiang An; the other, a tall, slender figure garbed in plain blue with a darkened face—an unassuming presence, yet one who commanded deep respect from those around him.

“Enough talk. Jiang Daoist, I wish you victory in this battle, to raise the prestige of our nation! Focus solely on the fight. Should anyone dare interfere, I will be the first to eliminate them!” said the blue-robed elder to Jiang An.

“Thank you, Lord Azure Dragon,” Jiang An bowed slightly and departed.

This blue-robed, dark-faced elder was none other than the Azure Dragon Envoy, leader of the four great envoys of National Guard Manor, a supreme third-realm master of extraordinary power! Though not necessarily the strongest among the envoys in combat, he was the most righteous and broad-minded, always considering the greater good. Within the manor, his authority was second to none, and all others showed him profound reverence.

Yet when Jiang An uttered “Lord Azure Dragon,” his tone was casual and indifferent, devoid of respect. To him, those words formed a mere title, not a true honorific.

As Jiang An left, someone nearby complained, “Lord Azure Dragon, it seems this Jiang Daoist is quite aloof and shows no respect to you. How outrageous!”

The Azure Dragon smiled unfazed. “If he can defeat the long-renowned Master Shengu in this battle, his strength will surpass the common third-realm masters—he will be one of us. Such status naturally places him on equal footing with me.”

“But who knows...” someone began.

“No need to say more. Remember your purpose. You have all been stuck at the second realm’s bottleneck for a long time. This trip is to observe a third-realm master’s battle, seeking enlightenment. Can you not tell the difference in importance?” The Azure Dragon’s tone was firm.

“We understand!” the surrounding masters bowed in unison.

Jiang An leapt from the manor’s ship’s bow, gliding like a soaring roc, skimming the sea’s surface before ascending lightly into the sky. He then descended gracefully, landing with both feet on the cliff that marked the battleground—Da Gu Reef’s sheer precipice.

The cliff stood on the reef’s eastern side, towering dozens of meters above the sea, a vertical ninety-degree drop—daunting and perilous. From the platform atop the cliff, one could gaze afar under the radiant sunlight, the water shimmering like a ribbon of stars beneath a vast sky. The cries of seabirds echoed intermittently, while waves ceaselessly pounded the rocks below, sending sprays of water aloft. The scene formed a picturesque tableau, only marred by the countless yachts and large ships packed tightly around the cliff, leaving no passage. Even behind the cliff, throngs of spectators clustered.

Rumor had it the manor charged a million each for viewing rights. Now, hundreds—perhaps thousands—had gathered. Ha! Who said the manor wasn’t good at business?

Jiang An dismissed the thought and seated himself cross-legged, facing the blazing sun, patiently awaiting Master Shengu’s arrival.

His striking appearance and serene demeanor drew murmurs among the crowd, especially from the two hundred or so prominent families from across the nation. Their heads of household pointed at Jiang An, instructing their juniors with tales of his prowess, transforming Jiang An into the archetype of the “ideal child” in others’ eyes.

On an inconspicuous vessel, inside the cabin, the bald Master Shen Jiu, who had once indirectly clashed with Jiang An, faced the fiery-haired Master Shen San and asked, “Master Shen San, you’ve seen Jiang An. What do you think?”

Shen San snapped his fingers, small flames flickering from his fingertips with each snap. With a playful smirk, he replied, “Young indeed. As for strength, we’ll only know after the fight. If I had to guess, my odds of winning against him are over eighty percent! But…”

“But what?” Shen Jiu asked curiously.

“But I hate water—especially seawater! In this environment, I shouldn’t be the one rushing to the front. Let that old man, Master Shen Er, handle this!”

Shen Jiu sighed but knew better than to argue with Shen San’s reckless nature.

...

“Is that the demon cultivator Jiang An? Though his aura is restrained, I can sense his strength. How I long to duel him!” said a striking black-haired youth aboard the Huajia yacht, one of the four great clans of Huaxia, shifting his gaze from Jiang An and sighing softly.

“Want to fight him? If he wins this battle, it proves his strength surpasses an ordinary third realm master, reaching the level of Xingzi. You won’t defeat him for now,” remarked a silver-haired elder beside him, his tone calm.

“And if he loses?”

“Then he’s worthless. Remember, Dao Yi, your opponent will always be Xingzi!”

The black-haired youth bit his lip and suddenly asked, “Grandfather, do you think Xingzi will be present?”

“You’re not planning to challenge Xingzi on the spot, are you?” The elder saw through his grandson’s thoughts and sneered. “You’re barely halfway to the third realm. You can’t claim to surpass Jiang An yet, much less Xingzi, who is already a supreme third realm master. Besides, Xingzi won’t come. He doesn’t care for these events. Even the peerless geniuses atop the Heavenly List won’t show, as their sole focus now is breaking into the third realm before the year-end Divine Tournament—that’s where true transformation awaits!”

“Grandfather, I understand! Before the Divine Tournament, I will break through to the third realm!” the youth replied, though his tone betrayed stubbornness.

The elder felt helpless. This young prodigy of the Huajia clan had been hidden away, meticulously trained since youth, now on the verge of the third realm but lacking worldly experience, leading to instability—an all because of the shining star named Xingzi.

Now, with Xingzi unresolved, another prodigy, Jiang An, had appeared!

For a moment, the elder felt the bittersweet pang of rivalry and lament: “In any case, the Divine Tournament and the Primordial Energy Space are not as simple as you imagine. Only there will you find the chance to surpass everyone.”

Time slipped away like fine sand through cupped hands.

The sun’s heat waned gradually, retreating to the horizon to cast an orange glow. Beneath this light, several tardy yachts finally arrived.

“The Japanese vessel is here!”

“Master Shengu has arrived at last! Such a grand air!”

“Why is the lead ship American? And there’s a Korean ship too—no wonder they’re the tripartite alliance!”

“Otherwise, why call it the Joint Voyage?”

The once-silent crowd erupted again, venting frustrations but mostly shouting in excitement. After all, they had come from afar to witness a battle—the main players were finally assembled.

“Master Shengu—that’s the boy who killed our beloved disciple! You must kill him! No—don’t just kill him. Crush his bones inch by inch, so he suffers a fate worse than death!”

As the newly arrived ships moored, a short, stout elder leapt from the Korean ship and rushed onto the Japanese vessel, speaking to a graceful figure clad in red and white hunting robes.

This graceful figure had shoulder-length hair, androgynous, serene—a remarkable person known overseas as the great Japanese Onmyoji, Master Shengu.

The stout elder was none other than Cao Taihuan, a Korean master and mentor to Han Mincan.

“Master Shengu, why do you not speak?” Cao Taihuan asked anxiously, but Shengu did not even glance his way.

At that moment, a thin, small old man behind Shengu gently pulled Cao Taihuan aside and whispered, “Master Shengu has not spoken the entire journey. Perhaps he is cultivating some profound technique. Taihuan, you should not disturb him.”

Cao Taihuan blinked, saying, “I wasn’t aware your Divine Path had practices akin to Buddhist or Taoist silent meditation.”

The thin elder frowned, replying, “Honestly, I don’t know either. It just seemed that Master Shengu acted strangely all along. I suspect it’s a side effect of cultivating the ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’ diagram.”

Cao scratched his head and asked again, “The ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’ is your Divine Path’s supreme technique, passed down for thousands of years, never fully mastered. Nishimura, be honest, has Master Shengu completed the full hundred demons?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Master Shengu has been secluded for nearly a decade. I was surprised he agreed to emerge this time to avenge his disciple. Although Tsukamoto was gifted, Master Shengu only guided him a few times. Most of his art was taught by me. I didn’t expect Shengu’s feelings toward Tsukamoto to be so deep,” Nishimura said with puzzlement.

Before their discussion could deepen, a grand, clear voice rang out across the sky and sea:

“Shengu, Jiang has waited long enough. Since you have come, please step forth for battle!”