Space twisted slightly, Yin Long arriving within the second arena. This arena was a bit smaller than the previous one, the seating area was also a bit more decadent, at least here the seats were covered with pillows for comfort. But Yin Long didn't pay these minor changes any mind, wrinkles filling the space above his nose as he furrowed his brows in annoyance.

"...There go those plans, thrown right into the garbage. And those eyes are just annoying."

His gaze was raised towards the sky as he muttered, a bit of discomfort washing over him. He couldn't see them, but he could feel countless gazes focusing on him, an innumerable amount of people were looking at him from all over the dominion thanks to what Lang Huo had done. Now he could forget about hiding, could forget about the plans he had originally been brewing when he learned that a multitude of great organizations were warily eyeing his sister and her rise.

A loud rumble followed by the sound of metal clashing came from the stage ahead of Yin Long, but while the sound drew his mind out of the annoyance it was sinking into it, he didn't actually turn his gaze towards the stage to check out who was fighting. He instead checked the immediate area around him, clicking his tongue when his fears were affirmed.

"Goldie's not here. Should've known he wouldn't be drawn along with me if we're not right by each other."

Yin Long had arrived in the second arena, but the same could not be said for Jin Wang. It wouldn't have been a problem if he had kept him in a Ten Thousand Beasts Pocket, but Jin Wang was a companion and not a pet so Yin Long could never bring himself to buy a pocket like that for him. Yin Long was just about to mutter a few more things when his deep blue hairpin vibrated quietly, an extremely familiar voice ringing in his ears.

"Well, that was a comical show. So, go on, tell me why you allowed yourself to be thrown around like that. Esi should have shown a good effect, and if that wasn't enough then you still have your two other moves, there is no reason for you to be so passive."

There was only one person who could contact Yin Long through his hairpin, those six deep blue droplets of water he had placed in his hair. Only those who held one such droplet could contact him, and the only person who currently had one such item was Hongzai, the one who had gifted him the hairpin to begin with. Yin Long couldn't help but grimace slightly, he hadn't expected his master to actually watch the battle.

"You actually watched the battle? Didn't think you could do that from down in the Underearth Forest."

It wasn't that private people couldn't get their hands on the arrays that projected the scenes of the top 50 competitors, it was just that he hadn't expected his master to bother with something like that. And indeed, Hongzai couldn't be bothered to acquire one such array.

"I'm not in Underearth Forest right now, I dropped by Wolfsoul City to see if my first disciple would end up showing up on one of the projections eventually. You did so faster than I expected, but the end result left a lot to be desired."

It had been just a spell of curiosity, she really hadn't expected Yin Long to show up almost instantly. He had hidden his appearance with that silly mask and thick robe, but she would be a disgrace of a master if she couldn't even recognize him through it. Especially after he started to swing his sword, she was perhaps the one who was most familiar with Yin Long's sword style, she'd recognize it in a heartbeat.

"...She's my sister, I can't exactly go around using Esi against her. As for those other moves...The defensive one would be fine, but I can't risk using the offensive version, controlling it is still too hard so I would likely inflict some irreparable wounds."

The truth had already been leaked by Lang Huo so Yin Long didn't bother trying to come up with a lie and just said it as it was. The pain of starvation was not something he wanted to force upon his own sister, and those two other moves...they were not something that could be used in a friendly sparring match. Hongzai hadn't known the entire truth earlier, but the slight revelation from Yin Long was enough for her to piece together a few things.

"Your sister, huh. So that's who you were so eager to meet up with, to the point that training possessed freak like you would call it quits before you learned everything you could. But I didn't expect you to start a fight with her the moment you met her, seems like you had some things to tell her. And looking at the reaction of the people in this city, it seems like you weren't donning that ridiculous get-up for fun either."

She brushed past it easily, but Yin Long was sure that the reaction in the city had been extreme. It had after all just been revealed that their clan leader had lied to them for quite some time, the great sinner whose name had been erased was still alive and kicking. Yin Long felt like sighing when he heard it, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, well that's all gone to waste now, really threw my future plans for a spin."

His future plans had hinged on him being unknown, on him having a masked identity he could hide behind. But now he had nothing like that, Lang Huo had torn off his mask and forced him to show his moves to the world, his skills would now always be matched with his face so he couldn't even don a new mask. He sighed, but Hongzai didn't pay much mind to it.

"Future plans? You were actually able to make plans beyond 'training and fighting'?"

He could only hear her voice through the hairpin, but Yin Long was sure that she was raising an eyebrow right now, a mixture of suspicion and disbelief on her face. But that was only to be expected, what he had shown her was nothing but the simplest of determination and single-minded drive.

"I mean, the plan was basically just that. My sister is surrounded by wolves, they're eyeing her greedily, just waiting for a chance to strike if she seems like she might grow out of control."

Yin Long was sure that Hongzai didn't know the situation so he gave her a simple explanation to get her up to speed. Too many organizations were wary of the Lang clan, worried that it might return to its prime when it ruled three Provinces. If Lang Huo showed signs of reaching such a stage, she would be taken down without mercy, no one wanted to be ruled after all, especially if there was a chance that the clan could rise higher than before.

"I won't let that happen, I refuse to let them do as they please. So I planned to give them something else to focus on, a masked demon targetting them with such zeal and terror that they're left with no choice but to ignore my sister, they'll have to focus everything on me. And by the time their gazes return to my sister, it will already be too late for them to do anything to her. Well, that was the original plan at least."

It was a simple plan that was perfectly in line with what Yin Long had done as the dark blade of the Lang clan. Draw all the attention to himself, all the fear and terror would be centred on him, all the darkness would reside beneath his feet. But now he had lost the mask he was going to wear, now everyone would know that he was technically part of the Lang clan so their attention would still be focused there.

"Okay, and where's the problem?"

Of course, Yin Long considering the current predicament a problem did not mean that everyone else would think the same, and Hongzai clearly showed that she thought about it in an entirely different manner. Yin Long wasn't quite sure what to respond with here, wasn't the answer self-evident? Hongzai understood his silence, what sounded like an exasperated sigh reaching him through the hairpin.

"Alright, so you're an over-thinker when it concerns your sister, noted. You were so much simpler when it came to your training, you should stick with that mindset, it suits you better."

Simple to the point of being scary, that was one of the things Hongzai thought about Yin Long. He just wanted a stronger sword, a sharper blade, a faster swing. He trained until he died and then trained some more, as if the rest of the world didn't matter. So simple, yet so terrifying. But it was in that simpleness that she saw the solution to his 'problem'.

"You want them to fear you so much that they put aside everything else to focus on you? Then do that. Swing your sword, scrape the world, drive a nail into existence, show them what fear and terror is. Make them fear Yin Long and his great wings so much that a mere Lang clan can't enter their eyes. And if they try to move against the Lang clan anyway? Or try to move against it to halt you? Then show them pain, show them fear, show them starvation. You are a Woehowl, the only disciple of the Snowfield Demon, show them the blade that forced a nail into the world. Is that not what I told you before you left? I decree that you have the strength to be proud, so show the world how your sword screams."

The solution to his problem was simply to do exactly as he had planned. So what if they knew that he came from the Lang clan? So what if they knew that he was Lang Yin? Once their knees grew weak with fear, none of that would matter, they would kneel all the same. His blade was pain and primordial evil, the Yin that birthed sin, he just had to show them that simple truth.

Yin Long couldn't help but fall silent after Hongzai repeated the declaration she had made before he left her. Could it really be that simple? Could he really be allowed to just do as he had originally planned? He quickly got his answer, cutting the connection with Hongzai and touching upon the communication treasure provided for the Province Championship.

"Fang Yau, can you hear me?"

The first person he contacted wasn't Xiao Yin Yu but Fang Yau, who it had already been quite some time since he last contacted. Of course, it hadn't been intentional, it was the circumstances that had led to it.

"Well would you look at that, you're still alive! You've been ignoring me for so long that I was honestly starting to worry that you died! But as long as you're fine, that's good. I'm in the fourth arena at the moment, are you nearby so that we can meet up?"

The perky voice of Fang Yau reached Yin Long through the communication treasure, his words not containing a sliver of doubt that Yin Long would have been able to reach the fourth arena already. But Yin Long didn't answer that question, his eyes were slowly sharpening as he moved directly onto the main topic.

"I need you to do something for me. I need you to send me a list of all the people in the Fang clan that you have a good relationship with, the people you don't want to be touched or harmed."

A slight bit of silence came from the communication treasure after Yin Long made his request. Fang Yau was no fool, he could read the mood thanks to the tone of Yin Long's voice.

"...Has something happened?"

Fang Yau's own voice had dropped a bit as he questioned. The Yin Long he had gotten used to was carefree and simple, he'd face any insurmountable odds to enhance his own skills. For a man like that to speak with such a voice, something monumental had clearly happened. Yin Long didn't beat around the bush and asked Fang Yau straight out, receiving a quick response.

"Your Fang clan is keeping a close eye on the matriarch of the Lang clan, isn't it?"

"Well yeah, the Great Elders haven't forgotten how the Lang clan used to rule in the past, they're terrified of it rising again so it's inevitable that they keep a close eye on the Lang clan's chance to rise again."

The Fang clan was located on the opposite side of the planet, far away from the Lang clan. But even so, they were still terrified that the Lang clan may rise again because there was no telling when they may decide to move. Or worse than all that, there was a chance that the clan could rise to new heights and take over the entire planet. So they were scared and kept a close eye on the clan, ready to move at a moments notice.

"That Matriarch, she's my sister. And I will not allow anyone to lay a hand on her. So I'll give the clans something to fear, I'll show them that there is something other than the Lang clan that requires their full attention. So if you want to designate someone as off-limits, now's the time."

Yin Long didn't bother hiding it here either, giving Fang Yau the simple truth. The ones taking part in the Province Championship couldn't see the battles of the top 50 competitors, so while the rest of the dominion had learned the truth, those inside the competition had not, at least not yet. Fang Yau's voice slowed a bit as he responded, his mind clearly working on wrapping around the new information.

"Your sister? Wouldn't that make you Lang Yin? But I thought he was executed?... No, I guess faking it isn't impossible so there is a good chance that it's true. And above all, you don't seem like the type to lie..."

A bit of silence came from the communication treasure as Fang Yau took in the information and formulated his response. Yin Long was ready for most answers, with a disbelieving one or a cautionary one being what he assumed to be the most likely response. But what he got from Fang Yau was the exact opposite.

"Give them something to fear, huh? .... HAHAHA, does that mean you're about to really run wild? You'll really run about and start fighting, is that it? That's good, good! Spread those wings and fly on winds of terror, show the world that the title I gave you isn't just for show, make their lives fall like the leaves that dance around you!"

There was no suspicion or disbelief, Fang Yau's wild laughter was filled with nothing but the utmost confidence that Yin Long would really be able to sow the fear he spoke of. But how could he know? Fang Yau had seen him up close, personally seen his growth and experienced his blade. Fang Yau knew that Yin Long could not be stopped, he was a beast in disguise just waiting to bare his fangs and spread his wings. And he wanted to see that moment, he wanted to learn from it so that he could spread his own wings.

"Life in a big clan isn't a cakewalk, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that. There's nothing but enemies around you, everyone just measures you based on your merit. Fang Xing Ya and Fang Shue Yi, my mother and childhood friend, those are the only people I ask that you leave alone. The rest can dance and fall like leaves!"

The Fang clan was large beyond belief, you'd have to count its members in the tens of millions if not more. But out of all those people, there were only two that Fang Yau actually cared for. That was the price you paid for being born in a large clan, it wasn't all golden spoons and blessed lives. Merits and achievements were all that mattered, if you lacked those then you were nothing, worth nothing.

"Yin Long, I really look forward to seeing the havoc you'll wreak, the new skills you'll unveil, so hurry and get to the fourth arena so that we can meet up, I want front-row seats so that I can learn it all."