"KILL THEM!" Huang Yi Yi roared and the red pearl on Lo Tie's head glowed with a faint light. The beast released an earth-shattering roar before it pounced at the Hei Shen Sect members. The Heavenly Jade Pavilion members followed the beast's attack as they rejoiced. They felt absolute winning was within their grasp. They had confidence in winning over the Hei Shen Sect because of their tramp card.

The Hei Shen Sect members remained calm as they leaped forward with weapons in their hands. The shadow guards quickly jumped from the roof and a few of the Heavenly Jade Pavilion members lost their lives in a few seconds. Blood spilled on the ground; the flesh was torn and ripped apart as the metal collided. The quiet night became loud with roars from the beast and human screams.

​​

Lory watched all this from the safety of the bench protected by the array. Zhao Li Xin sat next to her watching her face. He waiting to see her close her eyes out of fear. Zhao Li Xin chose to remain by her side as he didn't want her to be scared and alone, but Lory's face remained unperturbed. She watched the bloody scene calmly and without a hint of fear. Zhao Li Xin was even suspicious Lory was calculating the enemy's movements and he was proven right when Lory pointed at the beast.

"What is on his head?" Lory asked Zhao Li Xin.

"Head?" Zhao Li Xin tilted his head to look at the beast.

"It glows every time she waves her hand…" Lory squinted at Huang Yi Yi.

"So you can see it…?" Zhao Li Xin smiled at Lory with pride. He stroked her head dotingly and chuckled, "Thank you! it's gonna be easier now."

"Hmm?" Lory tilted her head with confusion.

Jin Hao was blocking Huang Yi Yi. The dainty looking man was stronger than he seemed. His long sword was imbued with ice every time their swords collided. Huang Yi Yi got anxious when she heard her own sword crack. She threw a kick towards Jin Hao's chest but he easily dodged her. It was as if he was playing with her but what infuriated her more was Zhao Li Xin's relaxed expression. He sat leisurely on his bench while being chummy with his lover. He was not concerned about what was happening around him.

Huang Yi Yi waved her hand again and the bracelet on her hand glowed faintly. Lo Tie became more aggressive and didn't care about the number of wounds it had. The beast jumped away from its enemy and run toward Zhao Li Xin. The creature was in a frenzy with bloodshot eyes. Zhao Li Xin slowly rose from the bench to face it.

"Go get him, Tiger!" Lory smiled coquettishly. Zhao Li Xin's heart' stirred as he glanced at her with a playful smile before turning to face the beast. The only thing standing between Lory and the beast was Zhao Li Xin but she didn't look worried or frightened.

Zhao Li Xin ignited the flame from his body. The flame ran to his hand and he gradually made the flame bigger. The beast bared its teeth to intimidated Zhao Li Xin but the man's face lit up with expectation. He hoped the beast didn't disappoint him. The beast widened it jaw to eat him whole. Zhao Li Xin leaped to the sky before he dived at an incredible speed. He hit the beast with his flaming fist and the beast head sunk into the ground while Zhao Li Xin landed smoothly on the ground.

"How disappointing…" Zhao Li Xin clicked his tongue with anger. He had wanted to weigh the beast's strength as he thought the legendary Lo Tie would give him enough resistance for training but he turned out to be wrong.

Zhao Li Xin's spectacular movement stopped the fight as everyone looked in his direction with disbelief. They heard the rumor Long Ming was a Sovereign Level cultivator but…they were wrong. It was possible he had passed the Sovereign Level. How could this be? The probability of one breaking through another level after reaching the Emperor Level got slimmer and it took longer, like decades. They wondered how he did it. It seemed the information they got was false for the first time.

Wu San Bo nudged Bei Li Yan who by chance was fighting close to him. He couldn't hide his shock, "How strong is our Lord now?"

Bei Li Yan shook his head helplessly, "I don't know anymore…"

Bei Li Yan's comment made the Heavenly Jade Pavilion members shiver. Zu Gong's hands began to tremble. It seemed Long Ming's people did not even know their master's strength. What kinda monster was he?

Huang Yi Yi was shocked beyond belief as her trump card was lost. Zhao Li Xin walked calmly towards her. Her heart was beating like crazy as his empty gaze was fixed on her. Her feet became numb and she fell on her bottom as the demon Lord got closer to her. She felt like King Yama himself had come to collect her life. Tears fell down her pale face. She stuttered, "I…I…I'm sorry... I won't do it again… If you spare me…I…"

Zhao Li Xin crouched in front of her so that their faces could be on the same level. Although she was scared like crazy, she couldn't help but be bewitched by his face. Her face somehow became red she couldn't tell if her heart raced because of infatuation or fear. However, she couldn't take her eyes off him. Zhao Li Xin was not bothered by the old hag's thoughts.

He clenched Huang Yi Yi's wrist making her nervous and slightly excited. Her mind ran wild from his slight touch but before she could imagine farther, Zhao Li Xin crushed the bracelet from her hand and turned it to dust.

Only then did Huang Yi Yi understand what he had done. Her face became pale. The pearl was an amulet to control Lo Tie. There was no way the beast would listen to her without it. Huang Yi Yi stammered, "What…what… have you done…?"

Zhao Li Xin gave an eerie smile as his eyes filled with blood lust. The woman had said she wanted to make the beast shred his little savior to pieces that was his bottom line. No one could hurt his little savior, not even him. This was Huang Yi Yi's big mistake. If only she didn't say that, he would have given her a quick and clean death but not anymore….

He left Huang Yi Yi seated on the ground. The woman was too weak to move. She could only watch Zhao Li Xin as he lifted his lover from the bench and leaped to the sky. The Hei Shen Sect members followed their master and disappeared one by one without saying anything but giving them smiles of ridicule. The power difference between their sects was ridiculous. It was too wide. How could they have thought they could win against Hei Shen Sect.? They did not have much time to comprehend further as the unconscious beast moved.

Lo Tie lifted his head from the pit. The pearl on its head was crushed and without it, the beast could not be controlled. Huang Yi Yi trembled profusely as the beast glared at her. It recognized her as the person that forcefully subdued him. Huang Yi Yi's face became as white as a sheet while her back drenched with cold sweat. Zu Gong didn't care about her predicament. He used the opportunity to run and he was not the only one to think the same.

They all scattered one by one scrambling up the wall but strangely got electrocuted. They fell back on the ground and discovered the transparent shield around the manor. They gasped to see an array... They were all confined inside the array with Lo Tie!

______________________________________

Mong Ki and Mong Yi were the only ones who followed Zhao Li Xin. The others went back to their posts. Lory could hear the faint screams from the distance. She could guess what was happening and of course, she didn't feel bad about it. It reminded her of the words her father once said. 'It's fine to be soft if you are just a girl, but you cannot be soft as a leader. You can't protect anyone if you are soft!'

Zhao Li Xin was a leader and his job was to protect his people and everything else he cared for. If he were weak, the one who would be screaming would be him and his people. You sometimes had to be cruel to be kind and that's what Zhao Li Xin was doing. She believed such a decision must take a toll on him whether he noticed it or not. You couldn't take one thing without losing something in return.

Zhao Li Xin felt Lory's strong gaze as he carried her, bouncing from branch to branch. He looked down at the woman staring at him and she smiled gently at him. She placed her head on his chest and said, "I'm glad you are safe!"

Zhao Li Xin didn't know why she worried about his safety but his heart became warm and light at her words. It's weird as he never felt like that after he killed someone.

They soon arrived where Ming Yue Yin had gone to recuperate. It was a beautiful villa on the hill covered with bamboo trees and flower bush. The best thing about the place was the three-layered blue turquoise colored hot spring. Lory couldn't wait to soak herself but Zhao Li Xin asked her to rest first since it was almost morning. Lory reluctantly agreed.

____________________________________

Zhao Li Xin's private manor was not in a crowded area. A few people heard the night's commotion but they did not dare interfere. People only got curious when morning came. They reported their concerns to an officer, as they didn't know who lived inside the lavish manor. All they knew was the rumor about a rich man from a different city living there. The officer thought they did not need to be polite about raiding the place if the owner was not related to royalty or any high-ranking official.

The officer went with a few soldiers and the first thing they saw was the broken front gate. A thick pungent scent filled the air. They covered their noses, and mouths and look at each other with horror. They pulled out their weapons from their waists as they had a very bad feeling about the eerie place.

They walked deeper into the manor and saw some body parts floating on the lotus pond. There was a human head on the floor with a frightened expression. The soldiers panicked to see many corpse limbs all over the place. They wanted to run away but the high officer screamed at them to brace themselves despite also being secretly scared of the scene.

They carefully walked to avoid stepping on the body parts on the floor. They walked past the moon gate but courage failed them. They all run out of the manor frantically, as they were all scared to death. Some even kicked those in front of them blocking the exit. The high official also ran without care. The scene they had encountered was too frightening. He knew he might never forget it for the rest of his life.

What they saw was Lo Tie's corpse covered in blood and wounds and surrounded by human corpses. There was a woman's head with wide open-eyes inside the creature's mouth. Her long dark hair was scattered inside the beast's mouth.

The shocking news reached the Liangzu Emperor. He knew this was the Hei Shen Sect handiwork. None of the corpses belonged to the Hei Shen Sect. All victims were from the Heavenly Jade Pavilion. This made the Emperor realize he couldn't rely on the Heavenly Jade Pavilion anymore. The sect's end was certain. The Hei Shen's claw had claimed the Heavenly Jade pavilion.

The Emperor was not the only one in shock. Huang Si Yun, the Heavenly Jade Pavilion sect master, also trembled in his chair. They could all feel it. The demon was coming for them.