Chapter 16: Give Me Back My Young Master!

"Blue Spring Tide!" Tuxuan yelled. Suddenly, the Earth shook, creating a massive gap between the surface.

A high and aggressive tidal wave flew up through the gap, shooting towards the group of three.

"Your Highness! Watch out!" Lu Sheng called out as he dashed before Baihu in a defensive stance.

"Let go of my Young Master," said Tuxuan threateningly, his entire being shrouded in water as he walked towards Baihu.

.....

An hour ago

A vague shadow flashed through the almost decimated forest at top speed.

"Please be OK, Young Master!" Tuxuan whispered, speeding through clusters of trees.

Suddenly, he came to an abrupt stop at a pulverized area.

All the trees around the area were razed as if an outburst had caused it, and cracks were even evident on the Earth.

That particular area was much more recessed than the rest of the forest. There was even a corpse that looked to have been mutilated in the worst possible way.

Tuxuan was having doubts about whether he was in the correct location.

Nevertheless, he hurriedly went to check the mutilated corpse. When he realized that the corpse was neither Xiao Feng nor his Young Master, he took a huge breath, not even knowing what he was keeping.

"Just what happened here? Where is the Young Master?" Tuxuan asked as he looked around the area.

When Tuxuan saw no sign of Yu Chen or Xiao Feng, he didn't know if he felt apprehension or reassurance that his Young Master was not present.

"Young Master! Young Master!" Tuxuan called out as he looked around the area.

When he heard no response, his heart rate increased as he spun in a circle, looking to see even if it was just the tiniest of clues.

When Tuxuan did not see any clue to ascertain that his Young Master escaped or died, he chose a trail to follow.

"Please be alright, Young Master!" Tuxuan said as he jumped onto a tree that survived the catastrophe. And from tree to tree, crook to cranny, he searched everywhere for the duo.

After about five minutes of searching, Tuxuan was about to change to another trail when he saw someone.

A tall, handsome, muscular, lean man with long black hair, wearing a plain dark blue robe, was seen as if scouting the area for someone or something.

As he walked about and scanned the area, his eyes stopped on a particular area.

The man in the dark blue robe walked over to that particular area and stooped down.

Because of his posture, Tuxuan cannot see what the man in the dark-blue robe is doing.

He saw subtle movements of the man in a dark blue robe going inside his robes for something, but Tuxuan could not see it.

When the dark blue robe man got up and turned his body, which is now visible to Tuxuan, Tuxuan was shocked.

'XIAO FENG!' Tuxuan yelled inwardly, not wanting to alarm the dark blue robe man.

'If Xiao Feng is here, then the Young Master is here.' Tuxuan quickly whipped his head around to see if he could spot his Young Master anywhere.

Unfortunately for him, Yu Chen was nowhere near the area.

"Should I attack and capture and then interrogate him about Young Master's whereabouts?" Tuxuan said as he watched the mysterious man closely. His eyes did not leave his being for a millisecond.

'No, I should just watch what he's up to. If he came back for Xiao Feng, that would mean the Young Master is alive!' Tuxuan thought as he analyzed the situation.

He isn't called the right-hand man of the Duke of the South for no reason.

But his thoughts soon stopped as the mysterious man, with Xiao Feng in his arms, took off at an astonishing speed.

Caught off guard, Tuxuan quickly took off after the mysterious man, trying to be at his heel.

But it was easier said than done. This man was traveling like a mini jet, whereas Tuxuan could barely keep up with him, even when he used his star power to his advantage.

'This...This is incredible! Is this man even human!' Tuxuan thought as the man stopped and started to walk to a specific area.

'Hah! Luckily, I did not attack him!' Tuxuan thought as he stared the mysterious man down.

Composing himself, Tuxuan began to look around the area, on the alert for any impending attack or a trap.

It was in much better shape than where he had previously been, where almost all trees were decimated, making it look like an open area.

As he closely followed the man, he saw two persons up ahead.

As he zeroed in on the persons, he could recognize that both were tall, but one was lean while the other looked stout.

'Who are they, and what do they want with Xiao Feng?' Tuxuan questioned himself as he devised a plan.

"Lu Sheng, you're back!" Hua Yuan said as he rushed to Lu Sheng.

"Hmm," Lu Sheng replied.

"Your Highness, I have brought back the child," Lu Sheng informed Baihu as he waited for the man's response.

'Why does this man look weird? Is a man supposed to be tall with such a huge pot belly before him?' Tuxuan thought as he tried to stifle his laughter.

But once Baihu turned to face Lu Sheng, and Tuxuan saw why such a tall man was 'stout,' the laughter that threatened to escape vanished.

'Young Master!' Tuxuan called out inwardly, his eyes blazing with fire.

'How dare! How dare he hold my Young Master! Those sullied hands! I'll...' Tuxuan thoughts were in turmoil.

Not being able to watch such a scene with his young Master being handed up by a pervert, Tuxuan decided to take action.

"Let go of my Young Master!" Tuxuan yelled as he walked out of his hiding spot, glaring straight at Baihu, who held Yu Chen as if he were a woman as fragile as a dandelion.

'Even if he is as beautiful as a woman, he should not be treated as one!' Tuxuan thought, seething his teeth.

But Baihu, being Baihu, did not look nor spare a glance at Tuxuan and kept staring at Yu Chen.

"Who are you!?" Hua Yuan enquired, his expression solemn as he dashed before Baihu in a defensive stance.

"I said, Give. Me. My. Young. Master!" Tuxuan repeated, eyes fiercely glaring at Baihu.

"And whom would this excellence be?" Stepping to the front, Lu Sheng curtly bowed as he inquired.

But Tuxuan stood his ground, glaring at Lu Sheng. The atmosphere got tense. Blue energy clashed with lighting energy.

"Blue Spring Tide!" Suddenly, Tuxuan yelled. The Earth shook, creating a massive gap between the surface.

The sun's glare became much more radiant as its circular shape was far more visible.

"Looks like there's no talking about this then," Tuxuan said as he got ready to attack, but he did not anticipate that Tuxuan was aiming for Baihu.

As if in response to the forces exerted by the sun, a high and aggressive tidal wave flew up through the gap, shooting towards the group of three.

"Your Highness! Watch out!" Lu Sheng called out as he dashed before Hua Yuan and Baihu in a defensive stance.

But Baihu paid no heed to Tuxuan nor his subordinates as he kept staring down at Yu Chen.

Tuxuan, who realized he was being ignored, immediately attacked Baihu with the Blue Spring Tide.

Like an army of soldiers, the Tide rushed towards the enemy, Baihu, giving him no leeway.

But as the Tide was about to ingurgitate Baihu, it suddenly hit an invisible barrier.

Nothing could get through to Baihu; there was no dirt, water, or anything. The barrier was like an invincible fortress.

'I forgot how powerful this man was,' Lu Sheng chuckled with a sigh at the sight of Tuxuan attacking Baihu.

Realizing that long-range attacks won't work on Baihu, Tuxuan decided to try a short attack.

'No matter what, I have to get the Young Master!' Tuxuan said inwardly with resoluteness.

"Let go of my Young Master," Tuxuan said threateningly once again as he walked towards Baihu, his entire being shrouded in water.

"Interesting. Do you know what crime you are committing?" Lu Sheng asks with a slight smile on his handsome face.

"Crime!? How dare you say crime when you're the one holding onto others!? Give me my Young Master, or you'll die suffering the consequences!" Tuxuan retorted as he stared eye-to-eye with Lu Sheng.

"Haha! Interesting. I think this will be an interesting interaction. Let's see who'll die,' Lu Sheng said, staring back at Tuxuan.

The atmosphere was like a Wild Out West Shootout where Gunslinger* had a duel shootout. An anticipating score* could be heard playing between the two.

"Water Long*!"

"Lighting Bolt!"

Lu Sheng and Tuxuan yelled simultaneously as both attacks collided, causing an outburst.

The surrounding trees were blown away from the area. The area that was once full of luscious greenery and clusters of trees was -now deforested.

"Lu Sheng!" Hua Yuan called out in apprehension.

"It's OK, Hua Yuan. I'm just playing with him," Lu Sheng responded.

Tuxuan, who heard that he was being played with, gritted his teeth as he prepared his most potent attack.

And Lu Sheng, who had just seemed to realize that Tuxuan might have heard his previous words, scratched his head in embarrassment.

'Hah, how foolish of me!' Lu Sheng thought. Instantaneously, there was a shift in the atmosphere, and the day turned dark.

The once radiant sun, with its circular shape visible, has now been covered by the moon.

Like an eclipse, the moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting the moon's shadow on Earth, creating the darkness that now shrouds the sky.

"Tidal Wave!" Tuxuan said. His eyes turned dark ocean blue, his body overwhelmed with star energy, and aggressive water waves coated his body like a pupa in a cocoon.

This interaction between the Sun, Moon, and Earth caused a gravitational effect on the tidal wave, making the Tuxuan attack much more powerful than it's ever been.

"This guy is fascinating, and he is strong too. It looks like I have to put a bit more effort into my next attack. If I get hurt, Hua Yuan will go bald," Lu Sheng said as he cast a barrier around Baihu and the rest.

'Let's see what you got!'

"Zchhh!" A cloud to ground of blue lighting flashes right before Lu Sheng.

As its lightning flashes, the thunder rolls, causing hot, humid air in the atmosphere.

If onlookers were to see this scene from a distance, they would only see cold air clashing with the hot air like steam.

As if receiving the signal from the thunder, lightning bolts instantly surrounded Lu Sheng.

His eyes clouded with blue lighting, and his entire being was transparent, with lighting running through his veins. He looked like an otherworldly being.

"Explosive Lightings," Lu Sheng said with a slight smile.

As if heeding its Master's command, it rushed toward Tuxuan as the Tidal wave rushed toward Lu Sheng.

The two energies collided, causing a massive explosion.

The cause of this contretemps was lying in someone's arm, like the sleeping beauty, dreaming about his true love's first kiss that would wake him from his slumber.

Unequivocally, that sleeping beauty is Yu Chen, whereas the true love is Baihu.