It resumes, but probably at a slower pace. I finally got some of the names I wanted worked out.

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The group in three men in black and gold robes walked into Masa and Mune's shop. They eyed Cixi before heading in. Akiza could feel their strength. Each of them was superior to her, they were all at least in the Emperor Stage. Even though Akiza had made progress into the Lord Stage, she was barely able to start shaping her element in order to give it power.

Cixi had warned Akiza before. If there was more than one Emperor Stage opponent, they would not be able to win. The leader of the three was a much taller man with black hair and brown eyes. He was taller than the others by a significant amount. "I'm here for the Emperor Artifact," said the leader.

"Sorry, but only the one who deposited parts in the first place can retrieve them," said Mune. "Our policy is to hold them until then. If you have a problem with this, you will need to speak to the receptionist downstairs." In other words, talk to Himiko about it.

"Do you know who I am?" asked the man.

"Enlighten me," said Mune. Mune was actually provoking the man. He was much bigger and stronger than Mune yet Mune acted like he was nothing.

"I am the Fifth Pavilion Master of the Black Dragons, Master Jinlong," said the tall man.

"Never heard of you," said Mune.

Jinlong was furious. Akiza could see the veins pop out from his head as he raised his fist. "Don't do it!" shouted one of the other men who was with him.

BANG. Jinlong smashed the desk. "What are you going to do about?" asked Jinlong. "Your cultivation is so weak that I can't even feel your power."

Himiko suddenly appeared at the front entrance of the store and walked in. "Do you know the rules here?" Himiko asked.

"I don't care about your rules," said Jinlong. "I'm here to retrieve the Emperor Artifact for my clan."

Himiko stood in front of the man who towered over her. "This is your last warning," said Himiko. "Pay for the damages and walk away."

"You have no cultivation either," said Jinlong. "You can't stop me, no one here can stop me!"

Jinlong could not feel Himiko's Divine Energy. That meant that he did not stand a chance against Himiko who was an Immortal that had spent multiple lifetimes cultivating and developing her Divine Energy.

Himiko got into a fighting stance. She positioned her left arm with her palm opened. Her right hand was in a fist.

"Hah, you can't stand against me," said Jinlong. He raised his arm and threw a punch towards Himiko.

Himiko used her left arm and her palm intercepted Jinlong's fist. BOOM. The impact between their Internal Energy and their attacks shattered the glass at Masa and Mune's shop. The entire room shook and some of the swords on display on the walls even fell down. "You're paying for that too," said Himiko.

Jinlong was surprised. The woman in front of him had no Internal Energy, yet she was able to stop his attack.

Himiko used her right hand and punched Jinlong in the stomach. BOOM. Jinlong bent at a ninety degree angle and fell onto the ground. His eyes turned white and he foamed from the mouth. In a single attack, he collapsed onto the floor and fainted.

"Now, you three need to pay for this damage," said Himiko.

The other two men with Jinlong were afraid, they did not know what to do. Himiko glared that them with her arms crossed. "Did you hear what I said?" Himiko asked as she released Internal Energy.

Akiza could feel a terrifying amount of Internal Energy denser than she could ever imagine. It was like the entire world around her was trying to crush her. She looked at Cixi and saw that even Cixi, who had reacted to it by activating her Armatization was shaking at her knees. The men in front of Himiko were terrified to the point that they fell on the floor.

"I'm sorry," said the man as he took out two bags filled with coins. "Take this."

Himiko looked at the bag. "It feels a little light," she said.

"Take mine too," said the other man who took out his money too.

"That's better," said Himiko. " If I see anyone from your clan here again, I'm going to make sure they will be leaving in pieces. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," the two men said in unison.

"Now take that weak trash out of here," said Himiko as she pointed to Jinlong who was lying on the floor.

The pressure being exhibited by Himiko suddenly disappeared. The two men picked up the big man and dragged him towards the exit. This was the power of an Immortal. She kept order in the place with pure strength alone. No one could stand against her except for maybe another Immortal.

"She's so strong," said Akiza as she panted heavily on the ground.

"That's the power of an Immortal," said Cixi. "I never felt such a large amount of Internal Energy before."

"Me neither," said Akiza. "I always thought that Immortals only used Divine Energy, which is why we cannot sense them unless we have been exposed to it themselves."

It could only mean one thing. Even Immortals were still continuing to gather Internal Energy and converting it to Divine Energy. They were still becoming stronger as they grew older. Someone like Kongming who had been alive for probably a few hundred years was already extremely strong. There's no telling how long Himiko had been around, but it seemed like she has been around for longer than Kongming.

But there were going to be more problems ahead. As news that an individual Emperor Stage creature appeared, members of other schools started to appear, all with the intent of trying to acquire one for themselves. This was the beginning of an unofficial interschool competition, one between all the schools in a race to acquire Emperor Stage Artifacts.