Everything fell silent as if the entire world were holding its breath. The sound of rain gradually faded along with Wang Qiang's figure, yet the city was now covered in scars of battle and stains of blood. A faint metallic scent lingered in the air. Every townsman still carried poison within their bodies.
The atmosphere after the storm of battle remained heavy and oppressive, but the chaos that had once engulfed Heavenly Sword City was slowly beginning to settle.
Elsewhere, inside the White Dragon Chamber of Commerce, in the tightly sealed upper hall, Ming Yuan sat by a tall window, watching the entire scene through a magical glass with calm eyes. Around him, twenty four crows perched along wooden rails, pillars, and window frames, their pitch black eyes silently reflecting the events outside.
Suddenly, Zhang Wen's voice echoed in his mind, soft yet clear.
"My water clone has finished its task. Now it is your turn."
Ming Yuan slowly rose to his feet before replying in an even tone.
"Understood."
In the next instant, the shadows of Ming Yuan and all twenty four crows twisted, then vanished together.
At the same time, within the pitch black barrier of the Seven Colored Peacock Chamber of Commerce, Liu Long had just finished treating the injuries of Chen Yao and Liu Qing. The two were still resting. Though their faces were pale, their life force had stabilized considerably.
Whoosh.
The spatial ring on Liu Long's hand glowed gently as a message from Zhang Wen arrived. He swept his eyes across it quickly, his expression unchanged, then replied briefly.
"Understood."
The moment the message was sent back, the ring shone again. A drop of clear water floated out silently before shooting straight into Liu Long's body.
A strange power spread throughout him.
His outward appearance changed rapidly, turning into a state full of wounds. His clothes were torn, his body covered in blood, as if he had just come through a brutal battle.
Liu Long said nothing. He simply stepped forward once, and his figure vanished instantly.
…
…
High above the city, Liu Long slowly descended through the now vanished rain. He landed beside Kang Hao's body, which lay on the shattered stone ground.
He spoke in a teasing tone.
"You really don't look so good, City Lord."
Kang Hao slowly opened his eyes with great difficulty, looking at Liu Long, who was also covered in injuries, before giving a faint smile.
"You don't look much better than I do."
But as Liu Long turned his gaze to the side, his eyes suddenly froze when he saw a group of about four people dressed in white walking toward them in orderly steps.
He frowned slightly before asking,
"Who are you people?"
Suddenly, Kang Hao's voice sounded softly.
"They… are our allies."
At that moment, one of the four, a young woman, hurried forward, her face full of urgency and excitement.
"City Lord, I have found the antidote to the rain poison as you requested!"
She immediately handed the healing pill to Kang Hao.
Kang Hao accepted it without hesitation and swallowed it.
Before long, a gentle warmth spread throughout his body. Some of his wounds began to visibly close. The young woman then handed him another pill, this one an antidote.
Kang Hao took it and swallowed again under the watchful eyes of those nearby.
Suddenly, pitch black liquid slowly seeped out from the pores all over Kang Hao's body before evaporating into the air.
Kang Hao's eyes widened slightly before he spoke in a firm voice.
"…The poison in my body is gone."
A wave of murmurs broke out immediately. The townspeople's eyes filled with hope, though some still carried traces of suspicion because of the earlier incident with the Cloud Chamber of Commerce.
"We're saved… we're saved…"
"We… we're really going to survive, right?"
"Who are they… can we really trust them!?"
"It looks like the City Lord trusts them… so there shouldn't be a problem…"
Liu Long stepped forward slightly.
"May I examine that pill?"
The young woman handed it to him immediately without hesitation. Liu Long examined it carefully for a moment before asking in an excited tone,
"How much does this pill cost? May I purchase some?"
The young woman smiled faintly.
"The White Dragon Chamber of Commerce received orders from the City Lord to research an antidote to the rain poison. He provided a massive amount of spirit stones for the research, and it has finally succeeded. Right now, all the alchemists in the chamber are rushing production to distribute it to the townspeople under the City Lord's orders."
"So it's all free. You should try taking one."
Liu Long thanked her and immediately swallowed the pill. Soon, black liquid seeped out from his body as well, then dissipated upon contact with the air.
Liu Long burst into laughter, filled with joy and overwhelming excitement.
"It works, haha… it really works!"
The excitement of the townspeople rose once more.
"If Lord Liu Long says it works… then it should be trustworthy."
"This time we're really going to survive. Thank you, City Lord."
At that moment, a large group of men and women dressed in white began flying in from the distance.
The same young woman looked up.
"Looks like the first batch of pills has arrived."
Kang Hao smiled before speaking in a firm voice filled with emotion.
"On behalf of all the townspeople, I sincerely thank you."
The young woman quickly waved her hands.
"No… it's nothing… City Lord. This is what we should be doing."
After that, the restoration of the city began to take shape. People from the White Dragon Chamber of Commerce started helping move the injured, distribute medicine, and repair damaged areas. The hope that had once gone dark slowly began to rekindle, one light at a time.
Meanwhile, from a high vantage point unnoticed by anyone, Ming Yuan watched everything before silently sending a report back to Zhang Wen.
…
…
At another location far from Sky Sword City, the atmosphere was so tense it felt as if even the air had no room to breathe. Invisible waves of pressure weighed down the surrounding area, cracking the ground into fine lines, as if the world itself were waiting for the clash of beings beyond its laws.
Zhang Wen floated in the air, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the pure figure of light before him. The light was so bright its form was almost impossible to see clearly, only a vaguely humanoid silhouette emitting a chilling aura. The gaze directed at him carried an overwhelming sense of superiority.
Behind Zhang Wen, Lin Taiji and Long Yantian stood silently. Even without speaking, the pressure emanating from the radiant figure made tension seep deep into their souls.
Suddenly
Whoosh!!
The figure of light vanished from its original position and instantly appeared right in front of Zhang Wen at close range.
Its finger flicked toward Zhang Wen's forehead.
Tap!!
Zhang Wen's head exploded instantly. His headless body twitched slightly as blood and crimson droplets scattered silently through the air.
Long Yantian tried to move, but his body refused to respond in the slightest, as if bound by some law he could not resist.
Lin Taiji's eyes widened slightly, because in that moment, her Eyes of the Future went completely dark. She could not see a single path ahead.
Yet at that very same instant, Zhang Wen's headless body raised an arm. The Heaven-Severing Umbrella slammed toward the radiant figure with full force.
Boom!!
The impact twisted the surrounding air, but the figure of light merely raised its right arm and blocked it with ease, as if brushing away a gentle breeze.
Whoosh!
The radiant figure swung its arm violently to shake off the black wind clinging to it, but it was too late. Its arm was instantly swallowed by the umbrella. A vast amount of pure power vanished without a trace.
The figure of light paused slightly before pulling its arm back with force.
Zhang Wen's headless body shifted the umbrella again, but this time the radiant figure retreated in a split second.
It looked at the umbrella in Zhang Wen's hand before speaking in an indifferent tone.
"What a truly powerful weapon."
At that moment, Zhang Wen's head began to reform from droplets of pure water gathering rapidly, becoming the familiar pitch-black mask once more.
He rolled his neck slightly before speaking with a smile.
"That's one of the rudest greetings I've ever received in my life."
As soon as he finished speaking, a data panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Dao Tian Shi Jiu, Fate Heaven World]
[Cultivation Level: -]
[Special Physique: -]
[Fortune: ???]
[Affinity: 0]
Zhang Wen frowned slightly. The Affinity value in the panel surprised even him.
Suddenly, Shi Jiu spoke.
"You can even probe my information. Not bad at all… Now I'm curious to see your true body."
Zhang Wen smiled faintly before replying.
"Maybe next time. Let's get to the point. So what do you plan to do with me now?"
Shi Jiu fell silent for a moment before raising a hand and snapping his fingers.
Snap!!
Instantly, all of time seemed to freeze.
The passing wind halted mid-flow. Spiritual energy suspended in the air turned still. Even rippling waves of power froze like a painting.
The entire world seemed cut off from the flow of time, and within that frozen space, only Zhang Wen and Shi Jiu remained able to move.
The real conversation between the two was about to begin, with no one else able to perceive its outcome except the two of them.