Chapter 22 All is Not Lost, Revival of the Clan?

Today was the third day of the competition, Qin Ming had no real reason to watch the combatants weren't much. So he opted to do some light journeying. Once he was out of sight he pulled the Icedawn Pearl from the storage treasure on his finger.

"Icedawn, I think it's time!" Qin Ming proclaimed.

"You think so? Are you sure? You know that if you mess this up, death will be the least of your problems!" Lu Snow questioned.

Qin Ming sent his gaze over to Icedawn, his eyes carrying a hint of calmness and tranquility that was akin to a river trudging along peacefully.

Icedawn nodded and the two turned into blobs of smoke as they departed.

Augus slammed his fist on the table "there becoming a problem Yunshe Li!"

"What do you want me to do about it!" Yunshe Li hissed.

"Show some goddamn team spirit for one! Do you not care that Tianlong is fighting for her life or that just me!" Augus once again threw his fist on the table this time destroying it and setting it ablaze.

"I care damn it just… listen Tianlong can fend for herself, she's the strongest person I ever met, she will make it!" Yunshe Li protested,

"And you Taotie?" Augus turned his wrath to the other problem.

"When I get my hands on them I will slaughter every last one of them!" Taotie Zishan said with a cold expression.

Yunshe Li stroked his blade and gave a sorrowful glance over it.

"Where is Ryu in all this?" questioned Taotie.

Augus frowned and scanned his eyes over the doorway "no idea!" he grumbled.

Yunshe Li stormed off the first chance he was given. Augus stood up and left as well.

"Hey Xuny, uh… so um how are you feeling?" Augus's eyes were nearly on the brink of tears, the only thing he felt was complete concern.

"I'm doing fine, Augus please don't worry about me." Tianlong twiddled her thumbs as she saw Augus enter.

Augus pulled up a chair and planted himself by Tianlong's side. He held her dainty pale hands in his. Tianlong's face became a little bit more red than usual.

Yunshe Li twirled his blade, wind lifted up around him. Each movement caused more wind and pressure to swirl around him. Yunshe Li needed some way to take Tianlong off his mind so he opted to practice his Dao. After Qin Ming destroyed his Dao Realm he was sent back to the One With Everything stage. It would take some time before he could repair his Dao Realm.

The last stroke of his blade came and all the pressure leveled the ground by a centimeter. Yunshe Li sighed "why is this so hard?" he pondered to himself.

Lei Laoshi walked up behind him, he held Yunshe Li's shoulder. "Listen, forming a Dao Realm can't be rushed, that was the problem with your last one."

Lei Laoshi moved his fingers in the motion of a blade and looked as graceful as a dragon dancing in the skies. With each profound movement Yunshe Li found himself able to grasp more and more insights.

With this in mind Yunshe Li continued each step he performed. He mimicked Lei Laoshi as closely as he could. The Dao began to flow through him quite easily in fact.

Augus stayed by Tianlong's side unwilling to move even a centimeter. Augus felt nothing but guilt, after all it was him who failed to protect her. If only he was stronger, he could have saved her. "Please forgive me Xuny." he thought to himself.

The room suddenly turned black. Everything froze in place except for Augus. "So you wish to grow stronger eh?" a dark sinister voice called out to Augus.

"Who are you!" Augus stood up and pointed at this bodiless voice and demanded it revel itself.

"In due time young one, now do you wish for power beyond all your peers, I'll only ask this once more!" the voice started to become restless.

Augus stood there silent, he thought for a long time, "let's say I want this power, what must I do for you?" Augus demanded an answer for this beast.

The voice began to crackle "all I want is to be freed from this prison!" voice told

"Prison? Just who in the hell are you!" Augus became starved for an answer.

"Me, well I pioneered the western civilization. Started a war, the greatest in hand to hand combat ever, but you may know me by a different name. The name of god!" the voice made the blood in Augus's veins curl.

"You are…" Augus paused.

"That's right!" the voice continued.

Augus stepped back then took to his knees "oh great Fire lord Agni, why have you come to greet me, but a lowly member of the Huo clan?" Augus kowtowed to the mighty figure before him.

Agni revealed himself to be a six armed two headed asura. "I have recognised your talents where your clan has not!" Agni spoke in a calm manner.

"Rise child so we may speak!" Agni seemed to have lost a bit of patience.

Augus stood up just as fast and bowed before him "yes my lord."

"Listen child, I can grant you the most supreme technique I have to offer, but you must do something for me." The fire lord took Augus's hand and pulled him closer to him.

"Yes my lord, anything for you I shall complete." Augus was determined to make a name for himself.

Agni smiled "good, good" he motioned his finger closer to Augus's forehead and lightly tapped it.

"This is a spirit refinement technique that will take you all the way to the Celestial Immortal rank, once you become a Divine Mortal go join the Nine Crimson Forefathers sect, tell them Agni sent you!"

Augus was star struck, the technique that was implanted into his soul could only be described as supreme. It was definitely one of the top cultivation methods in all of the Oldjade Major world.

"Yes my lord I shall" Augus nodded his head to the mighty Agni.

Time unfroze and begin to move normally the avatar of Agni also disappeared. Augus sat back into his chair and began to laugh a little bit.

This meeting was a stroke of good fortune, his clan deity Agni actually visited him. His clan was actually fairly low in the bracket in terms of power. His clan ranked in the low millions in the Three Realms. However in the Oldjade Major world they ranked in the top ten.

In terms of those who came from Zhurong the fire deity they ranked last in both tiers. It must be understood that Zhurong was the pioneer of fire and waged countless wars and made even more offspring. The number one clan that came from Zhurong is known as the Twin Celestial Peeks clan. They are the clan built by Zhurong and thus have the most power and face within the Three Realms and the Oldjade Major world. The next clan would be the Kindle Fox clan, the one Surien built. Surien was no one to sneeze at either in terms of power he beat Zhurong to a pulp, in fact between the two Surien was the strongest.

Augus held Tianlong's hand "Xuny if you need anything you may call me anytime, in the meantime I wish to privately work on my cultivation."

"Yes I will definitely call on you at some point, go now!" Tianlong rushed him out of the room.

Augus turned into a blur as he left. He found himself face to face with a mountain side. With a quick brush of his fingers a hole was drilled deep into the center of the mountain. This was merely a quick little room he decided to make for himself so that he may train peacefully.

He sat in a lotus position in the heart of the mountain. Nine independent flames rose around him, these flames were scarlet in color. He let each of these flames cover his body, the first in the set off cultivation Augus wished to master was body refinement. This one was granted by his master Lei Laoshi.

Although the technique [Divining Rod of the Nine Heavens] was more superior to this one, he wished to become a more formidable monster in close quarters. Augus was a dual refiner, one of the body and one of Ki.

"I fear I have reached the bottleneck of the [Nine Crimson Flames] technique." Augus sighed to himself.

The manual for the technique was laid out plainly, he just simply has to manifest pure Crimson flames and let them overtake his body forming an egg of rebirth. At which point he will have reached the Xiantian stage.

Augus kept those flames swirling around him till he saw the deeper meaning, he needed to grow stronger, this was the fastest way possible.

Unlike spirit refining, body refinement was much more complex and harder to understand. Thus the reason for his confusion. Augus began to meditate on these principles.

"In order to breed Crimson flames dark and light must join, when one's heart is full light will appear. When one is at the lowest, the dark will control." Augus read that line over and over yet had no idea as to what it could possibly mean.

Yunshe Li took his midday stroll around the courtyard, he knew his time was on the rise. Any second now the next part of the tournament could happen. It was normal for him to go about his day to relax, after all this was heavy for him.

"Gah that bastard Qin Ming, leaves just before my time. Oh well when I kill him it will be all the more of a surprise." Yunshe Li whistled to himself.

It appears as though all Yunshe Li was doing was merely relaxing about, but in reality he was replaying every moment Lei Laoshi performed for him, every battle he endured. He was constantly studying the Dao. He had reached a bottleneck in trying to form his Dao Realm. He was stuck at the One With Everything Level and was indeed troubled by it.

"Yunshe Li I thought I'd find you here, care to walk with me for a bit, I'm sure you'll find this news interesting!" Naomi sprung up from behind Yunshe Li.

"Oh and what is this news huh?" he lifted an eye to her.

"I heard Qin Ming has left to go on some type of insane training. But what's really interesting is his World Level ripples." Naomi told him.

"I also saw a woman with him, she was like the Dao of Ice herself, so what comes to mind is…" Yunshe Li cut her off.

"He has acquired a Dao Relic huh? Where could he have found that?" he questioned himself.

"But that's not it, I saw him use the Dao of Storms and the Dao of the Sword, a few days ago he was a bumbling child in those aspects." Naomi continued.

"So you mean the Dao Relic is not just an Ice type?" Yunshe Li asked.

"Can't say for sure. With him reaching the Xiantian stage, it's becoming harder and harder to reach him". She shook her head.

"Thank you Naomi, I must leave this whole situation with me. Well, let's just say I'm Intrigued!" Yunshe Li turned into a blurb.

Soon after this encounter the round was set to begin. Which Yunshe Li had already arrived at.

Yunshe Li didn't bother sizing up the competition, the only real problem was when he had to go up against Daimondia. This was only because they somehow had extensive knowledge on all of them. Yunshe Li had no information on them and that put him at a great disadvantage.

After all most battles weren't fought with personal power, but on knowledge of your enemy. If one had no information their loss was already decided.

"Oh look who there sending up my lord!" Fudo pointed over at Yunshe Li.

"Hmm if it's that one then Fudo I believe you are the best one suited for the job." Akemi sent him away.

Fudo hopped up to the arena with every step he took the earth beneath him charred and burned. This was only done to spook the competition. The director of the tournament saw the last one arrive on the stage and began to call the game.

"This will be the last and final game we do before the tournament really starts. Only the top four teams will continue. This game is known as Break your aim is to destroy your opponent's item. Take the time now to choose an item then begin!" The members present scrambled to choose an item.

Yunshe Li produced a sword and chose that as his item. Then he stored it into his storage type treasure. He leapt up to the stage and waited for the combatants to come to the stage.

The next combatant reached the stage, and in that same moment his head was cut clean from his body. "How boring I expected a challenge oh well!" Yunshe Li took the man's storage treasure and shattered it.

As he was dealing with this one Fudo came to the stage, he was someone Yunshe Li wasn't quite ready to deal with. So he let him take the stage. However Fudo was able to deal with the challengers just as well as him.

For everyone Yunshe Li dealt with, Fudo was able to take two down. This battle continued for about ten minutes, until Yunshe Li and Fudo were the only ones left. Both of them revealed as little about themselves as they possibly could.

Yunshe Li turned his gaze to Fudo, Fudo did the same. Yunshe strolled forward at the same time as Fudo. Once they were face to face, spiritual energy swirled around them.

BOOOOOM!!!!

All that built up energy leveled the arena a few centimeters. Pressure built up like crazy. Yunshe Li's eyes changed to a crimson color, fangs grew from his mouth and his face became more snake-like.

"Oh ho Blood Transformation out the gate, do you fear me that much. Well I'll give you the first hit, come at me!" Fudo bellowed.

Yunshe Li swung his sword with the force that could shatter mountains, it made the heavens themselves quiver. The blade fit perfectly in Fudo's fingers.

"That all?" he tilted an eye to Yunshe Li.

"What the hell! Impossible!" Yunshe Li let go of his blade and jumped meters back.

Yunshe Li drew another sword from his storage ring, the ripples coming from this blade were much, much stronger than the last. Fudo crushed the one in his hands like it was a ball of tin foil.

Scales cascaded and painted an elegant picture over his skin. He pointed his blade at Fudo before rushing in at him. His blade wisped through the air, Fudo danced around each of Yunshe Li's attempts.

"Jussssst stay sss still already!" sword light flashed about with each of Yunshe Li's movements.

"You really expect me to let you cut me, what a fool!" sword light cuts every which way just shy of Fudo each time.

"I think I got enough from you." Fudo stopped his movements all together and a sword swipe came hurtling to him. A duck led by a blow with Fudo's elbow to Yunshe's chest.

BOOOOOMM!!

The scales on Yunshe Li blew off in under a second. Two consecutive blows shot out and caused Yunshe Li to stumble back. Fudo swung his leg and broke three ribs inside of Yunshe. "Come on now, I barely even used my Dao!"

Nine pillars of flames reached the heavens and then converged on a single point. Fwoosh boom boom!!!!

"Hehe you really think that's enough to beat me! I have trained to beat Qin Ming. Do you think I'd lose to that" Yunshe Li gripped his singed body. Half of his body was destroyed from this attack. The blood that fell from his left eye blinded him.

Yunshe Li exploded with spiritual energy almost increasing tenfold. His entire body began to look much closer to a sky snake. His fangs grew more pronounced, small wings poked out from his shoulder blades. He underwent a Half-step Transformation.

"[Dance of the Jade Rabbit- Yuèliàng]"

Clang, clang, clang, three lightning fast strikes slashed Fudo's skin. With each strike a slight insight of the moon itself was in each blow. An image of the moon shone brightly with each strike. Yunshe Li was calm and tranquil like a calm river. Even though he was a Half-step beast he was able to keep his sanity. This was a fatal flaw of before. It was the reason his Dao Realm broke.

"[Dance of the Jade Rabbit- Chang'e]"

Swish,slash, Fudo's sides gushed with blood as his body was almost sliced in half. Two Jade Rabbits danced about each of Yunshe Li's blows. A specter of the crescent moon and two rabbits came beating down.

"Final step." Yunshe Li said to himself.

"[Dance of the Jade Rabbit- Chu Chi]"

A giant crescent moon laid on the arena floor like a diagram, each sword swipe was softly dealt to Fudo, he still was unable to react. Yunshe Li danced about the diagram as though it was simplicity itself. He was like a leaf falling with the currents. Each fluid motion swiping against a vital organ.

"Goodbye my friend! You have helped me reach a new level" Yunshe Li sheathed his blade and in that same moment Fudo fell to the floor.

Although this took time to explain from start to finish it was only about two seconds time.

"You talk as though I am beaten. No you fool!" Fudo stood up and sent waves of spiritual energy and flames shot against the body of Yunshe Li.

Fudo charged at Yunshe, sending blow after blow in an unrelenting manner. Yunshe was only able to dodge and block every so often however, he still sustained major damage.

Two snake-like shadows pulled back Fudo's fist but this could only slow his blows down, that being said he was able to make ten strikes in a second.

"Yunshe Li you really thought you could beat me, WHAT SCUM!!!" Fudo grabs Yunshe Li's hand and crushes the storage ring on his finger.

With that the match was called. Fudo looked back at the unconscious Yunshe Li "if that fight carried on any longer it may have been me laying on the ground like that!"

"The last game concluded with the four teams making it into the finale: the Jade Empire, the Ruby Alliance, Diamondia, and the Crystal Kingdom. Go get your rest tomorrow and the real matches begin!"

Far away in a major world

Dark miasma poured from the dark temple. "My lord Qin Ming seems to have made it to the Xiantian level; it looks as though he is climbing at a much faster rate than expected." the messenger told the dark lord.

"Hmm excellent." the dark lord put his fingers together

In the Abyssal Region

"Only a little father, Qin Ming, can feel it around here!" Icedawn pointed over to the giant black orb.

This orb was in a hot spot for lighting attacks. The ground was slightly electric. Dark storm clouds were constant. The surrounding area was magnetic even though the air attracted metals.

Qin Ming nodded and leaped over to the orb. It was only meters away before he was flung back, a gash from shoulder to waist was his parting gift.

"What the hell was that, god I hate this place, are you sure you sensed it here!" Qin Ming questioned.

"Positive." Icedawn reassured him.

Qin Ming raised his hand to the sky and nine ice-fire crows slammed against the Qiankun barrier, each crow infused with the Dao of Space and Qiankun.

BOOOOOM BOOOOM BANG BOOOOM!!!!

The barrier shudders and wind clashes against the area, pressure bares down on them like a two ton weight. "KEEP GOING!!!"

Qin Ming infuses more Ki into each of the crows. A few cracks appear in the spatial barrier.

Icedawn frowns, Qin Ming glances over to her "what's wrong Icedawn?"

"Doesn't this presence seem familiar? Last time we faced a barrier like this it came from Macabre. Will you be able to beat him this time around?" Icedawn was visibly concerned.

"Well if we get whatever this is first I definitely will!" Qin Ming looked back at the barrier.

BOOOM!

The crows finally exploded and with it the barrier as well. "Come on, let's go!"

The two continued forth and entered the black sphere.

"Not too far now, just up ahead!" Icedawn exclaimed.

Past a couple more corridors and they found the source of the storm, Icedawn's dorje thunderbolt, the one used in the fight against Hou Deng! The very same that made Icedawn a legend.

"Here it still sees me as its master. I will bind it for you then lower its power to the first stage! I died when it was on the eighteenth stage so it stayed at the power. I first attained this when I was a Xiantian so it should be usable for you as well." Icedawn began pouring her energy into the dorje thunderbolt and rebinded it just as fast.

The never-ending storm subsided and the power ripples coming from the weapon's power became a fraction of what it was before. "Here my child take it and slay our enemies with it!" Icedawn handed him the dorje thunderbolt.

Once Qin Ming held it in his hands the Dao of Storms came flooding in. So many insights came all at once, it was as though he was able to relive its past battles. Just like that it stopped and Qin Ming was able to think again. Blood was coming out of his ears and nostrils; this profound knowledge was simply too much.

"I know it's not you again you pesky group! Why must you come, we just had a million years of peace and you came to ruin that leave now!" Chacabre roared.

"Heh you I remember you ,come face me and die!" Qin Ming floated out of the orb, dorje thunderbolt in hand.

With a simple swipe a whip of lightning came from the blade and instantly incinerated both Chacabre and the Origin beast of Qiankun. They were simply no match. This weapon far exceeded the normal weapons he fought with. Even then the bolt of lightning hadn't stopped; it continued to flush the landscape with its destruction, uprooting forests and streams. Nothing could stop it!