Chapter [B4] 23 — A Lord’s Duty
Lord Zhou had never hated the Heavens. The Heavens simply were, they were all that which governed over the world, the unseen force that guided the hand of life and brought insights and strength to those who sought to pursue its depths. And yet… in this moment he could not help but hate them a little.
Heavenly Qi poured into him, pushing him onto a pedestal that was not truly his to take. He felt the power seeping into his core, filling his soul to the brim and more kept appearing, yet there was no time to consciously consolidate any of it. Even if he survived this encounter, his cultivation would be crippled from the strain of the mantle the heaven sought to put upon his shoulders.
And yet, he grasped his blade, letting his Qi seep out. The glint of the sun shone on its edge. He had a peculiar Qi. Light Qi. Or more rightfully, solar Qi. It was not a common element to attune oneself too, but he felt it blazing inside of him now with the strength of the sun.
The heavens roared above, tribulation clouds swirling, yet they did not seem focused on him in any way. Zhou did not pay it much mind, far greater things on his mind. The demon in front of him had grown tired of waiting, of playing the games, the tides of this battle had changed without a word being spoken and though Lord Zhou felt like he would topple over with the amount of heavenly Qi flooding into his body, it also demanded a place to go, and he quite conveniently had a target right in front of him.
He stepped, slashing at the demon with his blade as he arrived in a blink, blade striking the creature’s claws. There was that sinister pulse as corruption flowed out form the creature, but Lord Zhou pulled his blade back, his own Qi and the Qi of the heavens protecting his sword.
The heavens rumbled, the first bolt striking down just as he stepped back, just barely missing him as they struck the demon who stood unphased, except for the slight burn on its skin and clothes. Lord Zeng struck this time, moving forward as the man’s flaming spear shot forward, the demon moved fast, almost too fast for Lord Zhou to see if not for his body rapidly growing in power even as he simply stood there. The other lord’s weapon crumbled in an instant against the demon’s miasma, and Lord Zhou had to rush in and block another strike that would’ve struck down Lord Zeng.
The man was powerful, but as the torrential flood of Qi told Lord Zhou, a Divinity’s power was simply in a different realm, one not so easily achieved. The man would not be able to help in this fight, the man was best served elsewhere. Lord Zhou moved with the man, gaining some distance as he spoke to him.
“Brother Zeng listen to me. I’m going to break the creature’s domain and I need you to use that moment to escape. Gather your armies and prepare your men, get them somewhere safe and retreat the front lines. This entire place is going to be left in shambles.”
Much to Lord Zhou’s credit, the man only took one look at the demon and killed the conflict inside of him. That exchange had no doubt struck at his pride, he was no lousy warrior after all, but they all knew the reality of this battle, it had been suicide from the start, and the man knew that he’d only hinder Lord Zhou as things were.