~~~
Two Emperors face each other in Cloudburst City.
Mere seconds ago, Gentle Shadow had left Xiao Nan broken and bleeding. Now, Xiao Nan stands tall, the energy from his breakthrough flowing throughout his body and spreading in gentle waves across the land. His bones are mended. His wounds are sealed. His blue eyes glow with power,
Gentle Shadow watches it all happen with mild annoyance. His blue robes billow in the wind as Xiao Nan’s Qi crashes into him, and his short brown hair seems to merge with the lion’s pelt on his shoulders. His Qi rises, not just to match Xiao Nan, but to overpower him.
Emperor Realm, Level Two.
“I have lived in this world for nearly five hundred springs,” Gentle Shadow says, resting his large hammer over his shoulder.
“Is that meant to intimidate me?” Xiao Nan asks. “Should I be sad that I am about to embarrass an old man?”
Gentle Shadow chuckles softly.
“No, I only wish to make our positions clear. Few people overcome the Renegade Realm. Most never dare enter it. You deserve praise. However, the difference between us remains,” Gentle Shadow explains. “The realities of time are not something that can be overcome. You were simply born too late. It is the same for me. Had I been born five hundred years earlier, I would have surely been a member of the Council of the Hundred. I wasn’t, so I am here.”
“I see," Xiao Nan says. "You’re the sort who likes to make excuses for his inadequacies."
Gentle Shadow frowns.
“Do you really intend to fight me right after a breakthrough?” he asks him harshly.
Xiao Nan shrugs.
“It wouldn’t be the first time. I killed a man as I entered the Heaven Realm. I wager this will be easier."
Gentle Shadow raises an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
Xiao Nan’s Qi spikes.
“You have already gone through this, so you should understand!” Xiao Nan says as his power continues to rise. “I am finally free from the Renegade Realm! There is no more noise! No more urges! I feel at ease! Free!”
As abruptly as Xiao Nan’s power rises, it shrinks. The full power of the Emperor Realm retreats to the confines of Xiao Nan's body. There is no wasted energy. All of it is completely under his command, ready to be unleashed.
“Focused.”
“Impressive,” Gentle Shadow says, and he means it.
It is far simpler to control the power of the First Level of the Emperor Realm than it is to keep the madness of the Renegade Realm at bay. No one would deny that. However, even after being freed from the haze of madness, the power of a newly born Emperor should not be something one can get used to in less time than it takes an incense stick to burn!
For the first time, Gentle Shadow feels it is a complete waste that this person was born on this side of the Dead Plains. If even ten talents like this have been born in the past four thousand years, then they have clearly failed them by not being more active in recruiting those from this side. They should never have left so many things in the hands of the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak.
However, it’s far too late for regrets.
“I will not ask you to surrender anymore,” Gentle Shadow says as his aura grows in size. “Ready yourself. I will not hold back. If you die, it will be troublesome for both of us.”
Gentle Shadow’s Qi explodes as he dashes in. His black hammer is already swinging through the air. The sheer force behind the blow generates winds stronger than even hurricanes as it slams into Xiao Nan.
It does nothing.
“No,” Xiao Nan says, smiling as he easily holds back the hammer with the palm of his hand. “There’s no potential in that attack. You cannot hurt me with something like that.”
As though Gentle Shadow’s strength was nothing more than a summer breeze, Xiao Nan gives the hammer a gentle shove and pushes back Gentle Shadow several yards away. The disciple of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows is not given a chance to analyze the phenomenon. Xiao Nan is suddenly behind him, spinning as he delivers a kick.
Gentle Shadow raises his hammer to block. Xiao Nan's kick may be backed by the full power of someone on the First Level of the Emperor Realm, but that’s not enough to overwhelm him.
So what exactly happened earlier?
Gentle Shadow swings his hammer again, and again, Xiao Nan seems to block it without trouble. It has to be a manifestation of his Dao, but how is he supposed to overcome it if he does not understand its nature?
[Void Fist]
Gentle Shadow blurs. This time, the attack is worth dodging. Another [Void Fist] tries to take him by surprise, but he simply moves a few steps out of the way as it materializes. His eyes are fully locked on Xiao Nan.
He is gone.
Gentle Shadow suddenly feels it. The empty space behind him, where the [Void Fist] struck, is suddenly occupied. He turns just in time to lock eyes with Xiao Nan.
[Void Fist]
Pain.
Gentle Shadow moves, but not fast enough. The technique catches his arm. He immediately blurs back, but the damage is done. His arm is bent out of shape, the flesh broken, and his muscles twisted. He grunts as he puts it back in place and forces his Qi to heal it. Growing a new one may be better, but losing a limb to a newborn Emperor would be a humiliation too far.
“Curious, don’t you think?” Xiao Nan asks. “It all begins with Emptiness. First, nothing. Then everything. But the potential already existed in the emptiness.”
[Void Fist]
Xiao Nan appears in the empty space behind him. Gentle Shadow is ready for it this time, but that does not make Xiao Nan’s feat less ludicrous. Even if his Dao lends itself to it, applying it this way so quickly is not normal.
Gentle Shadow swings his hammer. Xiao Nan raises his arm to block once more.
The hammer knocks Xiao Nan several miles into the sky.
“Emptiness,” Gentle Shadow says as he flies up. He lifts up his hammer and holds it to the side so that Xiao Nan may see the small hole in it. “As long as my attack has emptiness, it can reach you. That’s what you meant earlier.”
“I feel like you are deliberately missing the point,” Xiao Nan says, looking at the tiny hole. “That's sophism at best.”
“Good enough is what it is,” Gentle Shadow says. “Words are simply another battlefield, and the meaning imposed is ever-changing. Emptiness has been satisfied, and potential has been created.”
[Shadow Step]
A path of shadow appears in front of Gentle Shadow, and his body slides across it at near instantaneous speed. Even though Xiao Nan can see exactly where Gentle Shadow is heading, he can barely react in time.
[Hammerfall]
The hammer’s shadow spreads across an area far beyond the limits of Cloudburst City. Xiao Nan is about to dodge, but his instincts warn him that is a poor idea. Instead, his aura hardens as he raises his hands to catch the hammer by the handle. His eyes go wide the instant he does. The weight is wrong. The power is wrong. The strike is far heavier than any other.
Even so, he endures. Barely.
And counterattacks.
[All Consuming Heavenly Void]
The sky collapses as light and sound twist. The resulting distortion can be seen across the Storm Dragon Empire, prompting people and animals to seek shelter. Gentle Shadow summons shadows around himself and shapes them into a sphere until the dimensions have stopped twisting.
When they do, Xiao Nan is nowhere to be seen.
Gentle Shadow turns left and right but finds no trace of him. Then, he twists his body in time to block Xiao Nan’s attack with his hammer. Just as he’s about to counterattack, Xiao Nan disappears and reappears to his right. Xiao Nan’s strike lands this time. Gentle Shadow grunts and tries to attack, only to miss. Xiao Nan is not there anymore.
Behind.
Above.
Below.
Every time Gentle Shadow attacks, Xiao Nan is not there. It is not that he is hiding his presence. Xiao Nan’s movement has become instantaneous. Gentle Shadow cannot keep up. For every hit he blocks, two more land. Then three. Xiao Nan’s momentum grows with every exchange.
That’s too much.
Gentle Shadow’s Qi rises, and the twisted colors of the sky return to their natural blue. Noise stops. The air stops blowing. Everything becomes peaceful. Tranquil.
Xiao Nan cannot disappear this time. Gentle Shadow’s hammer strike rings across the land.
“It’s the same thing you were doing earlier,” Gentle Shadow says as Xiao Nan rubs his bruised shoulder. “First, nothing. Then, everything. That big technique was never meant to defeat me. You just wanted to create a space that could be defined as empty, so you could move instantly around it.”
Simple in concept, but complex in execution. Not for the first time, Gentle Shadow has a hard time believing he is fighting someone who just entered the Emperor Realm.
That means there is no longer any reason to hold back.
“Oh?” Xiao Nan grins as he feels Gentle Shadow’s Qi spiking. “Are you finally going to turn one of those giant ogres?”
Xiao Nan is expecting many things.
Gentle Shadow sighing and shaking his head is not one of them.
“We do not turn into ogres,” Gentle Shadow says, rubbing his temple. “We summon our Shadow and become one with it. Each one is unique, a reflection of the user’s heart.”
Xiao Nan looks at him very dubiously. How can he not when all the reports he has read said every member of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows thus far has turned into a giant ogre?.
Gentle Shadow sighs yet again.
“The Hero of Shadow was a great man. I want you to understand that before I say anything else,” Gentle Shadow says. “During the war between humans and demons, entire cities and kingdoms could vanish overnight. Every day produced countless miserable people. You know what happens when a cultivator’s inner turmoil overcomes him, don’t you?”
Xiao Nan frowns.
“Heart Demons,” he says.
“The most violent and dangerous manifestation of a Shadow,” Gentle Shadow says, nodding. “People who were already in the process of giving in to their Shadow were put down or cast out. No one wanted them. All that was left for them to do was to rush at the enemy and take down as many of them as possible. However, the Hero of Shadow offered an alternative. He gathered all the outcasts and taught them how to harness their Shadow. Can you imagine that? Some people will die to keep their techniques secret, yet he freely shared all he knew to save them. He made them stronger, better. After that, what could they possibly do but follow him? What could they feel for him but reverence?”
Understanding dawns on Xiao Nan.
“So the reason your forms all look similar…”
“Is because the Hero of Shadow transformed into something similar to that,” Gentle Shadow says. “For most of us, he is the image of strength. That fact is imprinted into our very souls. However….”
Gentle Shadow’s Qi spikes. His body immediately begins growing before Xiao Nan’s eyes.
“Some of us took different inspirations…”
The lion pelt on Gentle Shadow’s back merges with his body and becomes a crimson mane. Fur that is black like obsidian grows over his skin, and his face twists, growing a snout and fangs. Not an ogre, but something more feline. A crown of shadows adorns his head, and the hammer that once seemed so large now fits easily in his hand. A guttural growl rises from his throat.
It is the roar of a lion.
The charge of the beast is sudden and merciless. Xiao Nan feels the air knocked out of his lungs as the lion man’s fist collides. His ribs crack. His vision sways. Xiao Nan tries to counterattack.
[Void Fist]
Countless distortions appear, but Gentle Shadow moves too swiftly for Xiao Nan to land a hit. The prodigy of the Xiao Sect tries to step into emptiness to catch him by surprise, but finds himself unable to.
“That will not work anymore,” Gentle Shadow says. His voice is like a roar. “This space is no longer yours!”
A claw swipe leaves Xiao Nan bleeding. The hammer comes for him next. There is only one thing left for Xiao Nan to do.
[All Consuming Heavenly Void]
Immediately, Xiao Nan notices something is wrong. His technique cannot expand. Gentle Shadow has somehow grabbed control of this space, and Xiao Nan cannot wrest it away from him. A single word lies on his path, tall and impenetrable as an iron wall.
[Tranquility]
“It is like I told you,” Gentle Shadow says as the two clash in the sky. “We fight with purpose. No matter how noble you might deem your own actions, the only thing they can cause is more chaos. Tranquility is what is necessary for the land to prosper.”
Gentle Shadow's Dao. It has to be. He has manifested it as an area where there is no room for emptiness. No space for chaos.
“Tranquility? You speak nice-sounding words, but all you want is for me to let you kill my family!” Xiao Nan yells, his cheek bleeding. “Do you expect me to smile and accept that?”
“There is nothing for you to accept,” Gentle Shadow says, catching Xiao Nan's fist. “I speak of inevitability! Emperor Qing Jin lacks the strength to stop this, just as you lack the strength to save him! You stand alone and powerless! You have nothing!”
The hammer strikes, breaking Xiao Nan’s ribs and sending him flying away.
“Wrong.”
A hand is there to catch Xiao Nan. A man in fine black robes glares at Gentle Shadow.
“He has me,” the Duke says.
~~~
“We have confirmed the Duke has made contact with Lord Xiao Nan!”
Liu Jin sighs in relief as one of his officers confirms what his senses are already telling him. The Duke made it in time. However, not everyone is happy. General Nie Dan glares at the map with growing impatience. His eyes are fixed on the spot where the shadow was last seen. The pressure of his Qi is enough to make several people in the room very uncomfortable.
“They have avoided every city so far,” he says. “That makes little sense.”
When the massive shadow broke through the border, they all feared it would soon enter a populated area and kill countless people. However, that has yet to happen. Though the shadow has already reached General Nie Dan’s territory, they seem to be deliberately avoiding cities.
“Perhaps they do not wish to attack civilian settlements?” Minister Chu suggests. His words are immediately met by dubious looks from everyone else in the room.
“As much as I wish you were right, if the destruction of our country could give them what they want, they’d do it,” Liu Jin says. “General Nie Dan is right. There is something we are not seeing.”
“What point is there in pondering about it?”
Every head turns to the woman who just walked in. Her beauty takes the breath of many, while the coldness of her Qi makes them shiver.
“Why complain about our good fortune? If they wish to come to us at full strength, then that makes it easier,” Meng Yue says, smiling. “I promise you that I will give them a proper welcome."
~~~
Gentle Shadow frowns.
Normally, he would have easily sensed another Emperor approaching. Was he so focused on fighting this man over control of this space that he completely neglected his other senses? The idea seems ridiculous, yet that must have been what happened.
“You are reckless,” the Duke says, not to him but to Xiao Nan. The man’s gaze flickers momentarily to the city miles below them, what little is left of it. “There was no need for you to try to preserve anything here.”
Xiao Nan chuckles weakly.
“You have done much for me, and this Xiao Nan is not an ungrateful person,” he says. “You might never have said it, but this place must have been-”
“Nothing,” the Duke says. “The past is not important. I’m nothing but a nameless Duke. Only the present matters, and the present demands that these invaders be excised.”
Two Emperors. Daunting as it might seem, Gentle Shadow is not too worried. They are both on the First Level of the Emperor Realm, and he is not.
That makes all the difference.
Gentle Shadow roars. Lines of shadow spread throughout the air. His body collapses into one of them and immediately reforms behind his foes. His hammer is poised to strike, but chains of golden lightning wrap around Gentle Shadow’s wrists.
The chains break.
Xiao Nan pushes the Duke out of the way, just barely saving him from the strike of Gentle Shadow’s hammer. However, his claws do not miss.
“Do not diminish the past,” Gentle Shadow says, flicking away the Duke’s blood from his claws. “We are forever beholden to the past. Events that happened four thousand years ago still have us in their grip. That cannot be ignored, and it cannot be changed.”
“If you do not have the power to change anything, that is nothing but your own fault,” Xiao Nan says, smiling. “You should take lessons from my Little Brother.”
Gentle Shadow's eyebrow twitches.
“The brat is arrogant, but that’s a fitting demeanor for a ruler,” the Duke adds. Chains of lightning glow around him. “An Emperor like yourself should be aware of it. The world does not impose its will on us. We are the ones who impose our will on the world!”
The chains of golden lightning lash out, trying to capture Gentle Shadow, but their glow dims as they travel. Gentle Shadow barely has to make an effort to break them.
“The vision I impose is one of Tranquility!” Gentle Shadow declares. Blades of shadow surge around him and fly towards his foes. “If you seek to stand against it, then you are simply noise that must be silenced!”
The lightning dims. The void stutters. Shadows rise to drown it all in their embrace.
“No!”
Xiao Nan’s Qi screams in defiance.
“You make it all sound so nice, but in the end, you are just scared of things changing for the worse. There is not a scrap of potential in your so-called purpose. You simply turned your back on change out of fear!”
[Void Fist]
The technique forms. Gentle Shadow is forced to move. His body becomes a black blur as he dashes around his foes.
“I’m trying to prevent our annihilation!” Gentle Shadow yells as he lands multiple blows on Xiao Nan. His claws leave large wounds on his body. "Do not speak to me about change!"
Chains of golden lightning wrap around his arms.
“You have closed your eyes and told yourself nothing must happen,” the Duke says, holding the chains firmly. “This space is the result of that. Nothing can be born here. However, that’s your weakness. All things must change. Someone who can only preserve what is cannot stop the onslaught of Possibility.”
[Golden Bind]
Gentle Shadow howls as the lightning assaults his body, growing in power as the hold of his Dao on the area weakens. It is not just Xiao Nan. The Duke’s Dao has joined the effort. Both of them push against his influence.
Emptiness and Possibility. What an annoyingly compatible combination.
“You both speak of change as though it were unquestionably good!” Gentle Shadow roars. His muscles bulge as he breaks the chains. “Only a fool hopes blindly!”
[Ninth Heavenly Assault]
The earth blackens as the sky turns dark. Everything becomes silent as a rain of shadows falls down on them. Each drop strikes with unimaginable power, destroying everything it touches.
[Engulfing Void]
One by one, the shadows fade away, each one swallowed by the void. Xiao Nan flies in the center of it all, rising higher as Gentle Shadow’s attack fails.
“You are not wrong,” Xiao Nan says, breathing heavily from the strain. “To be honest, I do not know what will happen. I once thought I knew what the future would be, but too many things outside my control happened, and my family chose something else. It is not what I wanted, but that does not make it worse. However, you arrogantly try to hold the present between your hands and deny its possibilities.”
“I once placed all my hopes on a man,” the Duke says, flying next to Xiao Nan. “He died, his sons turned on each other, and his country was plundered by thieves. Our hopes and visions sometimes turn to ashes. And yet, this old man feels like placing his hopes on that blood once more.”
“Madness,” Gentle Shadow says, trembling with rage. “You speak nothing but madness and ignorance!”
[Howling Shadow]
Sound and shadow surge forward and are met by void and lightning. Gentle Shadow emerges behind them, his hammer grows larger as he prepares to strike, but a chain of golden lightning yanks it out of his hand. Gentle Shadow’s claws grab the Duke's throat. Xiao Nan’s [Void Fist] strikes at his side. It cannot form properly, but it is strong enough to force him to let go.
[Raging Chain]
Chains of lightning rage, and Gentle Shadow’s influence can no longer hinder it. He screams in pain, but still manages to hit Xiao Nan with a swing of his arm. Next, he yanks on the chain, pulling the Duke towards him. His claws grow as he prepares to pierce through the Duke’s chest.
[Void Step]
Though his face bleeds and his nose is broken, Xiao Nan stands in his way. He dodges under his claws and kicks him in the stomach. Blood flows from Gentle Shadow’s mouth. He tries to counter, but the Duke increases the potency of his lightning, stunning him just long enough for Xiao Nan to land another hit.
It is breaking…His hold over this space is coming apart. With a burst of strength, he breaks the golden chain and tries to tear out Xiao Nan’s throat.
He misses.
There is nothing but an empty space.
Xiao Nan’s hand touches his back. There is no longer anything Gentle Shadow can do to stop his instantaneous movement or the formation of the technique.
[Void Fist]
The technique doesn’t just bypass his defense. It strikes the core of his very soul. Gentle Shadow tries his best to smother it, but he cannot stop it. He cannot weaken it.
Change…can never be anything other than inevitable.
A resigned smile appears on Gentle Shadow’s face as he is struck down from the skies.
~~~
Mini-Character List
Liu Jin: Our protagonist. Feeling very relieved.
Xiao Nan: Prodigy of the Xiao Sect. Prodigious.
Gentle Shadow: Member of the Temple of the Thousand Shadow. Probably is right in that he would have been a member of the Council of the Hundred had he been born earlier, but now they have closed ranks and fiercely defend their seats. GG, WP.
The Duke: Nameless Duke. Invincible S5 spoilers.
General Nie Dan: Heavenly General. A true hero kills with his eyes.
Minister Chu: Hopeful guy. Worried about his daughter.
Meng Yue: One of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Palace. Would be jumping in place if she hadn't been told not to do that by her sisters.
AN
Gentle Shadow's form is supposed to somewhat resemble those Chinese stone lions, but that's hard to get across when you can't use the word Chinese.