Chapter 119: Following the Script

Although the Metal battle power was sharp, its strength waned significantly in such extreme cold. The leader of the black-clad men wore a grave expression. As he surveyed the scene, his heart was struck with terror; those warriors possessed at least the strength of Battle Kings. A team of dozens of Battle Kings was simply absurd.

He made his decision in an instant: retreat. Even though his own cultivation level was approaching that of a Battle Emperor, facing dozens of Battle Kings alongside an individual whose strength he could not even fathom was nothing short of suicide with his meager group.

"Shi Jie, use the Stone Dragon Break!" the lead black-clad man roared. The man next to him, seething with fury, immediately understood and slammed his fist into the ground.

The previously calm earth began to tremble violently. A massive stone dragon erupted from the soil, raising its head to glare at everyone. A thunderous roar followed as the stone dragon detonated, sending a massive cloud of debris and dust hurtling toward the black-robed figure.

The lead black-clad man shouted, and the few remaining men retreated instantly, vanishing into the distance within moments. The black-robed figure did not give chase, instead using his Ice battle power to freeze all the flying debris, completely neutralizing the threat posed by the explosion.

The black-robed figure and those dozens of others stood there, making no move to pursue. The soft moonlight shone upon the figure’s upturned face. That silhouette, those features—who could it be but Hu Mo?

Before long, the dozens of figures dissolved into faint wisps of icy mist and vanished, leaving only Hu Mo standing there with a sinister smile on his face.

"I thought these Ice Clones were useless, but the effect is actually quite good. Ice Wave Sect, Golden Soul Palace, I wonder what kind of surprises you will bring me?" Hu Mo chuckled, then shifted his focus and vanished.

However, shortly after he left, a group of masked men in black appeared on the scene. They recognized the identities of those lying on the ground at a glance, and their complexions beneath their masks turned hideous.

"Both Water and Metal battle energies remain here. This is troublesome. Is someone trying to toy with us?" An aged voice broke the silence, filled with rage.

The situation was now glaringly obvious; even a fool could see it. A battle had taken place here between the Ice Wave Sect and the Golden Soul Palace. With the Golden Soul Palace forces defeated and retreating, no amount of explaining would clear the Ice Wave Sect’s name.

"Third Elder, what should we do?"

"What should we do? How would I know what to do? Deal with these corpses first; do not let anyone from Flame City discover them. Our movements have been completely exposed, and the same goes for the Golden Soul Palace. This puppet master behind the scenes is no simpleton!" the Third Elder said coldly, his face dark and terrifying. If the plan they had prepared for so many years went awry now, he would be unable to atone for it even with his life.

The bodies were soon disposed of, and the group gathered around the Third Elder, the atmosphere heavy.

"Contact the Golden Soul Palace. We must seize the initiative; if we remain too passive..."

"And what if you remain passive? Shui Tianyi, you kill to silence witnesses and destroy the evidence, and now you want to hunt down our Golden Soul Palace? You old turtle, do you think this is your Ice Wave City?" An aged voice came from nearby, and dozens of figures leaped out from all directions, surrounding the Third Elder’s group tightly.

Under the influence of the Metal battle power, the soil within the perimeter set by these dozens of figures—previously slightly moist—began to turn metallic. The moisture in the air was frantically absorbed by the metallic earth, and in no time, the area became a sea of Metal battle power. Shui Tianyi’s expression grew exceptionally grim.

Nearby, three men walked forward slowly. One was the leader of the group that had been attacked earlier; the other two possessed imposing auras, clearly at least at the Battle Emperor level. Their faces were icy, and their eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"Jin Haonan, Jin Haobei, Jin Haoxi, I never expected to run into you three brothers here. I am truly delighted! Hahaha..." Shui Tianyi said with a laugh. The situation had reached an extreme; battle was on the verge of breaking out, and the disparity in strength was far too obvious. The Golden Soul Palace had truly gambled everything.

"Hahaha, Shui Tianyi, you old turtle really know how to joke. My third brother, Haoxi, nearly died at your hands, and now you dare speak to me like this. Who would have thought? Your skin is thicker than the ice walls of your Ice Wave Sect. I truly admire you, damn it!" Jin Haonan laughed boisterously. With a casual wave of his hand, a barrier sealed off the area within a hundred feet of him. After all, this was a battle between Battle Emperors; if he didn't set a barrier, the entire Flame City would likely sense it.

Shui Tianyi’s expression shifted drastically. Jin Haonan’s direct insults and the deployment of a large-scale barrier clearly signaled an intention to fight the Ice Wave Sect to the death. Though furious, he knew clearly that in this situation where they had been framed, he had no choice but to swallow his resentment; any explanation would be useless.

The three Jin brothers were notorious in the Ruijin Empire, and their volatile tempers were such that even fire-attribute warriors dared not claim superiority. Now that they were truly enraged, how could they let him off easily?

"Jin Haonan, do not spout baseless accusations! My disciples and I only just arrived here; how could we have killed your Golden Soul Palace men? This is all a frame-up, can’t you see that?" Shui Tianyi roared. Although he knew explanations were futile, remaining silent would be an admission of guilt. Among his group, he was the only one who had reached the Battle Emperor level, and only a third-grade one at that.

On the Golden Soul Palace side, Jin Haonan and Jin Haobei were both fourth-grade Battle Emperors, and even the "weakest," Jin Haoxi, was a peak ninth-grade Slaughter Battle King, only a step away from becoming a Battle Emperor.

Under these circumstances, fighting was equivalent to seeking death.

Jin Haonan continued his advance, a ferocious grin on his face. He spat on the ground, the saliva hitting the earth with a metallic clang.

"To hell with you! Shui Tianyi, do you take me for a fool? In the Skyfire Empire, which water-attribute warrior can go beyond the Battle King level? Even if they could, it would have everything to do with your Ice Wave Sect! Now that you see we have the upper hand, you want to act timid? Didn't you just call dozens of Battle Kings to surround my brother earlier? Hmph! Boys, take them down!" Jin Haonan roared. The Golden Soul Palace disciples surrounding Shui Tianyi let out a howl, and a rain of attacks descended upon the Ice Wave Sect disciples.

Because the Golden Soul Palace disciples had used their Metal Domain from the start, the Ice Wave Sect disciples suffered heavy casualties rapidly. Only Shui Tianyi managed to break through the encirclement by force. No sooner had he emerged than he was struck by a heavy blow from Jin Haonan, which nearly shattered his body.

Shui Tianyi watched helplessly as his disciples were slaughtered one by one. He was furious, bordering on madness, but with his third-grade Battle Emperor strength, how could he fight the Jin brothers?

The three brothers sneered as they approached him like three starving tigers eyeing a pathetic sheep. The outcome was already clear.

"When you Ice Wave Sect people killed our Golden Soul Palace disciples, you should have anticipated this end. Shui Tianyi, accept your fate. Being able to die at my hands is a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes. Farewell!" Jin Haonan sneered and charged straight at Shui Tianyi.

The Golden Soul Palace’s battle techniques focused on body refinement; when all their battle power was condensed upon their physical forms, their attack and defense reached a terrifying level. Even if Shui Tianyi unleashed his strongest attack now, he would likely fail to penetrate Jin Haonan’s skin. That was why Jin Haonan so arrogantly declared Shui Tianyi’s death sentence.

However, Shui Tianyi refused to accept this fate. As Jin Haonan’s attack neared, his body suddenly transformed into droplets of water, flowing rapidly along the ground. Jin Haobei let out an icy scoff and slammed his fist into the ground. In the blink of an eye, the soft soil turned into pure metal, leaving no gaps to slip through.

"Trying to use an escape technique? How laughable!" Jin Haobei sneered as a circle of brilliant golden light descended upon the water, intending to completely transmute Shui Tianyi’s body into metal.

Shui Tianyi understood the situation; his watery form leaped up and slammed directly into the barrier Jin Haonan had erected.

The desperate strike of a third-grade Battle Emperor produced a terrifying effect. Massive cracks appeared on the barrier and spread rapidly. Before long, the entire barrier vanished, and Shui Tianyi’s body escaped at blinding speed, disappearing before their eyes. The powerful surge of battle energy caused several elderly masters inside Flame City, who had been meditating with closed eyes, to open them simultaneously.

"Damn it, that old turtle actually used that move. It seems some of those old fossils will be coming soon. Boys, retreat!" Jin Haonan roared. His violent Metal-attribute battle power whistled through the air, and the dozens of men vanished in an instant.

On a large tree two hundred feet away, a black-robed man grinned and muttered to himself: "That’s more like it, following the script! Hehe, good, truly good."