Revolt against the Heavens

Over the residence of Boss Gui, dark clouds had formed as Cao Yun had finally used the full form of 'Three Storms'. In the darkness blocking out the sun, there were powerful whirlwinds sending hail down below. Light was coming from transient lightning crossing the black expanse.

'The Wind rises in the East. The Thunder rumbles in the West. The Ice hails in the South. The Three Storms unite in the North. All is gone in the world.'

This was the full version of 'Three Storms' invented by Cao Beiwen. Cao Yun had only ever seen it performed by his father. As he wasn't too close to the Spirit Warrior realm, his technique was still a bit weak compared with Cao Guang. However, for his current cultivation, it was indeed extremely impressive. Even Boss Gui was thoroughly convinced that he was indeed an Accomplished Demon suppressing his real cultivation. Besides, his Golden Blood was shining through as his aura was full of vitality. Cao Yun's bloodline made him nobility in the eyes of any demon.

On the other hand, Mister Dai didn't let this intimidate him. His martial art was a common technique taught to most of Boss Gui's slaves, 'Shadow Over Heaven's Light'. That technique was supposed to outshine the sun in the firmament, hence the name. Event he light from heaven would be overshadowed by this art. Just like Cao Yun, Mister Dai pushed his art to the limit. His skin now looked as though it was really made out of bronze. His bloodline was inferior but he still circulated his Golden Blood. In his eyes, rivers of shining blood appeared. His club was as bright as the sun. And in the clouds above them, the sun was trying to pierce through the veil of darkness.

Unfortunately, Cao Yun was simply a better martial artist. Even if his cultivation had been even weaker, Cao Yun would have won this contest. Besides, he was both using his blood and his Qi, trying to conceal it both under his 'Ashen Feather Seal' and the vitality of his Golden Blood. No one could see through the fact that a large part of the Qi Manifestation was caused by Cao Yun's control over his Qi and not his blood. After all the end result was the same anyway.

Now that they had both unleashed their ultimate mastery of their art, they charged toward each other. Cao Yun's Spear Aura helped him a little. Even though he was using a sword, this aura was still active somehow. Besides, new Insight Writings were being formed right now in his sea of consciousness. Just like Chief Leader Baishen had told him, forming one Martial Aura would make forming new ones easier. Of course, he wouldn't give birth to his Sword Aura right away, but it would be way faster since he knew the sensations of the Spear Aura. After all, someone who had mastered a weapon could master another one with more ease than someone who was learning from scratch.

Mister Dai was like a statue of pure metal with his club ready to crush anything in his path. All around him was an intense heat making the air shimmer while spreading a blinding light. Cao Yun could not see anything at all, at least not with his physical eyes. But even without using his spiritual senses, he was able to sense Mister Dai without any problem. He could feel the movement of the air as well as the Qi in it, but he could also hear it very distinctly.

Just like his opponent, Cao Yun had decided to be very aggressive and was also charging toward him. However, he was clearly faster than his opponent. Furthermore, the winds were pressing against Mister Dai slowing him down while pushing Cao Yun forward.

'Falling Star'!

As Cao Yun reached a striking distance, Mister Dai struck first. From above, the light of the sun finally pierced through the black clouds. And his club went straight for Cao Yun's head. Even with his cultivation, he could tell that such an attack would injure him, or even kill him. Mister Dai and Cao Yun had both gotten a bit too excited and had maybe forgotten that this was just a sparring session, not a death battle.

Anyway, this time the young human felt that there was an intense pressure all around him sealing his moves. This was a mix between Mister Dai's killing intent and his martial art. However, this wasn't enough to intimidate Cao Yun. Quickly mobilizing his mind cultivation, he broke free. Unfortunately, even an instant could mean certain death in a fight. Now that the club was reaching his head, Cao Yun's sword made a large arc in the air. With a violent gust of wind, he was able to change the trajectory of the club. It grazed his face and struck his left shoulder.

Since his mastery over 'Three Storms' wasn't perfect yet, Cao Yun resorted to his 'Azure Dragon's Seven Piercing Stars'. 'The Son of Heaven's Spear and Shield'. Over his shoulder, the scales of the Azure Dragon appeared. The impact was so violent that even though they were almost material, they were crushed and some even cracked under the strength of the blow. Thankfully, since the club's trajectory was not direct due to Cao Yun's parry with his sword, it wasn't at full strength. Then, the scales moved all over Cao Yun's body to strengthen his sword.

At that moment, Cao Yun's sword was still in contact with Mister Dai's club, but now it was above it. Scraping the club, 'Scarlet Ruin' went directly toward Mister Dai's neck, following Cao Yun's circular motion. As it was scarping the club, sparks flew everywhere.

Cao Yun and Mister Dai both had the vision of the sword beheading the bronze fighter. However, at the very last moment, Cao Yun lowered his aim. His 'Scarlet Ruin' sliced through Mister Dai's chest. Despite his effort to control the force of the blow, Cao Yun cut through his muscles and even grazed his bones. Thankfully, he didn't touch his heart. For a demon, this was the most important organ, besides their brains of course. Even if they were able to recover faster than humans thanks to their blood and vitality, demons could not grow back a heart, at least not with their current cultivation. After all, even Boss Gui who was a 2nd-grade Accomplished Demon couldn't regenerate her lost eyes. But maybe poison had been responsible for this.

Now that Mister Dai was standing with a large crimson cut across his chest, the fight was over. The black clouds slowly dispersed as his light dimmed down. The colossus knelt in front of Cao Yun.

"Thank you, Lord Mo, for this exciting fight and for sparing this lowly one's meager life. It is unfortunate that this incompetent one can't make you use your full strength. But the fight would have been too fast and wouldn't have been enjoyed by anyone. Pardon my inadequacy."

Little did Mister Dai know that Cao Yun had in fact used most of his strength. Of course, with a spear, he would have been even stronger. After all, his mastery over 'Azure Dragon's Seven Piercing Stars' was better. The martial art itself was stronger. Furthermore, he had a real Spear Aura, not an unformed Sword Aura to rely on. Moreover, he had not used his mind attacks during the fight, or his stealth. In other words, although Mister Dai could fight him on an equal footing, if he really wanted to kill him, he could. Even without using all of his hidden cards, he had still won the fight. And he could tell that the both of them had taken it seriously, especially by the end.

"Thank you for letting me win. My sword thoroughly enjoyed facing you in battle."

Cao Yun was sincerely happy about this fight. First of all, he loved martial arts and fair duel like this one. It had been some time since he had not fought someone in such a manner without any ulterior motive. Technically, he had to fight to showcase his strength and keep his status in Boss Gui's eyes, but he had forgotten all of that during the fight to be honest. Besides, he had also been able to push his sword art a bit further thanks to this fight. If he succeeded in securing a contract with Boss Gui, he might use her own men to train for some time. At least, the idea crossed his mind, but he wasn't too sure how it would play out.

Looking down below, Cao Yun saw that the shining blood of Mister Dai was being sucked in by his own sword. 'Scarlet Ruin' was slick with this Golden Blood for a very short amount of time. By blinking, one would have missed the phenomenon. But now, the blade was absolutely clean. In his hand, Cao Yun could feel that the sword was brimming with vitality. It even reminded him of 'Nine Chi Black Dragon Spear'. Just like that spear, this sword had no will or spirit. However, it had a form of instinct. Even now, it wanted more blood to quench its thirst. With that sensation, Cao Yun remembered the Ebony Snake Dragon's scale he had in his spatial ring. At some point, he intended to use to forge another weapon. But even now, he was hoping on Ren Chao to forge it for him. First, he had to go back to the Hongchen Kingdom though.

"Boss Gui, this sword is indeed exquisite."

"Lord Mo, I didn't know you were such a technician. Your fight was impressive despite your suppressed cultivation."

"You're being too generous, Boss Gui. Those are just some moves I learned on the road to protect my life. Although I can boast that no one would surpass me in terms of alchemy, I wouldn't be so bold as to make that claim when it comes to a fight."

"I see that you are indeed very confident in your alchemy then..."

After sending a signal to Xixue, Cao Yun watched as she brought a small wooden plank with some characters written in blood on it. Miss Wo accepted it and gave it to Boss Gui without reading it, or even watching it at all.

"City Lord Gui, Alchemist Mo Yun officially asks for an audience about our mutual interests."

"Alchemist Mo Yun, City Lord Gui officially accepts your request."

After exchanging a few formal words and doing all the necessary rituals, the two of them walked into her office. Boss Gui had in fact two distinct halls. The first one pertained to the official affairs of Duma City. However, she brought Cao Yun in her personal office where she could discuss her private endeavors. Once again, everything in the Nalupu Kingdom seemed to adhere to very strict conventions. More often than not, they were absolutely arbitrary so they had to hide some ancient culture that people had forgotten by now. The mere fact that corruption was so rampant that it was now part of those rituals and protocols showed how low the Nalupu Kingdom had fallen. But Cao Yun wouldn't complain about it as it was a good thing for his plans.

-

Now that they were ready to talk business, Boss Gui put down the heavy pelt she had on her shoulders. All of a sudden, she almost lost half of her stature. In fact, she truly looked like a frail young woman. Despite her toned muscles Cao Yun could imagine thanks to her forearm, she was very slender. Besides, her hidden eyes that had suffered through some poison caused a desire to protect her. However, Cao Yun knew that she was stronger than he was. Furthermore, she was also able to be incredibly cruel if it was necessary. In fact, it was probably the reason behind her cruelty.

Everything about Boss Gui was seen as a weakness by other demons, her unimpressive bloodline, her small stature, the few wrinkles on her face, her blindness as well as the traces of poison she was hiding. Most likely, only a handful of people knew about the poison though. On the other hand, all the other points would naturally make her look inadequate in the eyes of most demons. Thus, she had to be intransigent and extremely brutal in order to maintain her image. The fact that Cao Yun had not heard anything about those points showed that the demons truly feared her to a great extent.

"Lord Mo, I won't beat around the bush. I heard rumors about you and City Lord Sihe. What is the truth of the matter?"

"Boss Gui, I appreciate your candor. Unfortunately, there are reasons which prevent me to delve too much into the matter. Know that City Lord Sihe is certainly not my ally in any sense of the word. In fact, this is also part of the reason why I came to you. I imagine that your business would profit from my pills and I would certainly profit from your prosperous business as well as from your protection."

When Cao Yun refused to answer Boss Gui's questions, he sensed Miss Wo's muscles tense. There was no doubt at all that she was ready to strike him down. The threat wasn't too obvious, but it was still there. In fact, she had probably already killed people who had refused her mistress in some way.

Boss Gui studied Cao Yun for some time. Although his mind cultivation could allow him to lie easily, being sincere was always a better option. After all, he could never know if the person in front of him could have some way of knowing the truth. Instead of making up lies, simply refusing to answer was the best solution. And it showcased his general honesty even more. Although she had no eye, Cao Yun felt Boss Gui's gaze on him for a long time. It was even stronger than piercing eyes. In fact, he even wondered whether she would be able to see through him. It was said that demons had stronger emotions. So they might be able to sense small variations in his mood better than most humans.

"Humph. Fine, I'll drop that matter for now. Your pills did catch my attention. On that point there is no doubt. However, in order to truly help my training of the slaves, you would certainly need to know more about said training, right?"

"Indeed. As much as I can give you very generic pills, if I had a better idea of their real training regime, the results would be better. Since I know that trust will need time to build, I can first provide you with those generic pills. Over time, I will simply adjust them to your needs."

"No need for that, walk with me."