Right now, the mood of the Black Emperor cannot be described easily. Instead of coming to aid the White Emperor straight away, he dangled the corpse of Lorelei and allowed his opponents to read their secrets. Then to restore the face he lost, he ordered to seal the isolation barrier and trap Lord Yue, but it turned out that he caged himself instead. Moreover, both Rielon and Vouno had snuck in by then and yet no one noticed.

He can understand that the Thief King could remain undetected even for the sharp senses that the three emperors have, but who is that other man that could do so?

So far, no one could tell Vouno’s identity, but just by his ability to remain hidden, to nullify the White Emperor’s Secret Art, and the claim that he killed Syriong – a Paramount Cultivator – they had to treat him with utmost caution.

The Black Emperor felt failure like he never had before to have cut off their path of retreat against such a dangerous opponent.

He didn’t know that Vouno’s presence cannot be detected even by Soul Perception. As one who has the Chaos Sea Constitution, he can take in all sorts of energies including many forms of detection methods. His only weakness – to be found visibly – was covered by Rielon’s shadow clone technique that rendered him transparent.

Not only causing his team to be trapped with dangerous opponents, one of the weapons the Black Emperor loved most, the long blade, had been stolen from his hands in mid-swing and he did not even realise that but continued attacking as if dancing around like a jester for his opponents.

And now he can only stare at the thief, not daring to retrieve his blade despite being a Paramount Cultivator himself. Rielon’s reputation alone is enough to deter him from acting rashly.

If there is a person that would be conferred as the idiot of the year, the Black Emperor has no doubt that he will be a nominee.

He didn’t know, however, that almost every single enemy that faced Kairos had once felt this way.

The three emperors stood there with grim expressions. It understandable that they dared not act rashly.

“Looks like this fight will only end when one side is completely dead,” the White Emperor whispered, but his voice carried across the room like a bell and immediately the five Paramount Cultivators took action.

The Crimson Emperor attacked the King of Thieves, hoping that his strong physique could tie his opponent down. There’s no way he can be confident, after all his target is an ancient Cultivator that had touched the gates of the Immortal Realm and no one really knows how powerful.

His every punch caused reality to blur as if he had bent space with his fists, but otherwise there were not a strand of power that leaked out. There was no sound nor force of impact, and even though he should’ve broken the sound barrier there wasn’t a single shockwave.

The control of power he has is at a similar level to the Black Emperor. As expected, any Paramount Cultivator that had lived a couple of centuries are tough opponents.

Rielon danced just out of reach as he looked at Jim and said, “I will now impart to you your first lesson. Watch carefully.”

As he spoke, his figure continued to avoid Rurik’s fists as though he had eyes on his back.

*BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM*

At the same time, Lee Hei had been bombarding talismans after talismans at the three emperors. He had supplies that are nearly impossible to deplete and had no qualms of using these expensive items just to weaken their enemies slightly.

However, as the successor to the Dark Swords clan, he wasn’t attacking like a simple-minded practitioner. Each of his attacks were heavily calculated and struck at the best positions.

The White Emperor and the Black Emperor who had ganged up on Lord Yue suddenly felt their attacks change slightly in directions as explosive talismans hit them repeatedly.

Lord Yue did not miss the slightest opportunity and suddenly the two emperors felt their armours cracked open like eggshells as the Duke ripped off the metal plating guarding their chests.

Their irises constricted in panic. The equipment donned by emperors are undoubtedly priceless treasures that safeguarded them for countless years, but rendered useless in a single turnabout.

Reynold’s heart is bleeding from his losses. He didn’t have any powerful backgrounds. Each broken item is worse than a searing wound. At least his body will heal in time, but some of these items are irreplaceable.

“My Duke, what a waste to destroy these armours? Why not give them to me instead,” Rielon bemoaned.

As if demonstrating his words, he waved around a leather vest that had been lined with beast king fur.

Those with half a good eye could tell that this is an item of unbelievable value.

When Rielon spoke, the Crimson Emperor stared at him in complete shock. He had been attacking nonstop thus far but somehow his opponent and gone ahead and stripped him of his clothes down to his underwear and yet he did not notice.

“My new disciple,” Rielon suddenly turned towards Jim and flung the armour over, “this is just a little token as your apprenticeship gift.”

As the King of Thieves, he cannot act beneath his status.

The vest which had almost gotten Rurik killed to acquire had landed into the hands of a young boy not even half a century old.

Green veins popped up all over the Crimson Emperor’s forehead but the large man only became more cautious than before.

Jim almost fell over when the leather landed on him. It was heavier than he imagined.

The young saboteur, however, did not hesitate to put it on.

Immediately, the armour refitted itself to suit his figure as all high-ranking weapons and armours will.

Unfortunately, even if the size became perfect for Jim, the style of fashion was completely unsuitable.

Ruffled fur surrounded his face as though a giant hamster is about to give birth to him.

“Cool! This feels warm. Your camp is really too cold, and you guys went ahead to set it on top of a highland… you’re all crazy. Hey, aren’t your armour smelling rather bad? Crimson Emperor old dude, how many days you haven’t bathed? Maybe I should give it a wash first before wearing? Damn I’ve already put it on… Don’t you have any sense of personal hygiene?”

A Paramount Cultivator would’ve a purified body that had removed almost all the filth a mortal can expel and would hardly smell. Moreover, the vest is a high grade armour that naturally prevent it from stains and corrosion, otherwise it wouldn’t last being worn for centuries.

Unfortunately, the armour that prevented decay also meant that the beast smell remained fresh. The Crimson Emperor had already gotten used to it over the years but when Jim said it out loud, Rurik for the first time in his life felt incredible injustice and shamefulness, yet couldn’t find a way to explain himself.

“AHHHHHHHHH!!! Return it to me!”

*BOOM BOOM BOOM*

At the smallest sign of the Crimson Emperor losing his concentration, a series of talismans flew into his face and exploded.

At the same time, he was dragged into a killing field created by multiple formation plates. Countless razor sharp blades, long pikes, and arrows flew towards him, each with the power of an Entry Triple S ranker’s full-powered blow. Although it wouldn’t be able to take down a powerful Cultivator like him but the attacks are wearing down his Ki Barrier.

Seals fell from the sky like raindrops, each stone locking away a portion of the Crimson Emperor’s Ki. If enough gathers, even as an eight Paramount Units Cultivator he will be rendered impotent.

“Enough!”

The Crimson Emperor stomped the ground causing a shockwave of Ki to spun outwards, knocking back all the different treasures still flying towards him.

The money-burning attacks from Lee Hei had hindered even one of the top ten fighters of Frosthral.

All the formation plates and talismans flew away and he forcefully made an area of absolute vacuum with his Ki.

However, the next instant, countless seals returned. Seals are meant to handle all forms of powers, as long as there are enough seals they can overwhelm even immortals.

And, unfortunately for the three emperors, the Snowdrifts has an entire war stash of Seals.

Kairos looked at Tommy and the latter immediately caught on his intention. The two rushed forward and attacked Rurik. In an environment where all powers are sealed, one can only fight with their physical strength. At that place, having eight Paramount Unit of Cultivation is worthless, the only measurement of combat strength will be one’s physical strength.

It’s apparent that against a Titan physique, only other Titan physiques could compare. The two boys do not aim to defeat Rurik, but only to chain him down as long as possible while Lord Yue, Rielon, and Vouno takes care of the rest.

Of course, even this will be a difficult goal.

As an external practitioner and someone who put in hard work to become compatible with a pair of heavy hammers, the Crimson Emperor Rurik had become Heaven Titan Physique for centuries. Moreover, he wasn’t just a beginner who entered Heaven Grade, but someone who had long reached the peak and had been accumulating power.

His strength, relative to how internal cultivation is graded, can be considered one and the half Paramount Unit. Of course, unlike Ki which is a formless energy body that could be compressed to frightening levels, muscle strength can only improve by so much.

The amount of physical strength one has is determined by three things.

Muscle size, muscle density, and muscle type.

The first two comes from different kind of physical training, while the last one is attributed from one’s External Cultivation Method and the type of energy used to forge one’s body.

Although Kairos is also a Heaven Titan physical ranker, he merely reached this stage recently and at most can be considered a single Paramount Unit if he pull all stops.

Tommy is a step behind at Earth Grade Titan rank and couldn’t even be considered half a Paramount Unit, but his advantage lies in the unique constitution he has that makes him a fearsome fighter on the battlefield.

The three quickly went into a melee, their battle raged as though the ancient gods were warring. Now and then, someone will fly away but quickly pick himself up and return to the fight.

Above them, Lee Hei continued to rain more seals down to secure their combat zone, ensuring that no matter what the Crimson Emperor would not be able to use his Ki.

Of course, the sealing effects are centred on Rurik so that he couldn’t run off.

Meanwhile, Jim quietly went over to Rielon’s side. The King of Thieves looked pleased at his new disciple wearing the overly fluffed beast king fur.

To be a good thief, one would need to first be interested in treasures of all sorts. Being picky is fine, but one must be driven. Jim already had natural talent for being fleet-footed and nimble fingers that helped him tinker with things. His precision with flying daggers that are unmatched thus far is a testimony of his inborn dexterity and what made Rielon chose him as his protégé.

The Thief King asked Jim, “How much did you learn from watching?”

The young man thought a little, the speed which Rielon took the leather vest from Rurik is faster than his eye could see, but his Soul Perception had captured every detail, “Less than a tenth.”

The Thief King was overjoyed from hearing that. Finally, he had found a genius as his disciple.

Not just having natural talent in the art of thieving, but also great comprehension.

Sihala came over with his team to Lord Yue and offered their assistance. Of course, Edward had joined their group for this fight where the crux of the battle is.

Alucard is predictably filled with questions after all that, like what happened to the real Diao Ling and who the Black Emperor is, but he swallowed back his questions in the face of the coming battle.

The Black and White Emperors were visibly edgy. Against two opponents that could kill Paramount Cultivators and an ancient cultivator who had stolen their weapons, they did not have the initial confidence they brought to this place.

Before them are the Lord of Death and the King of Thieves. The other person had disappeared again from all their senses.

The two emperors felt their hair prick from their back. Could it be that this enemy with an unfamiliar face is actually a senior that even a cultivator with 8 Paramount Units could not sense?

One must understand that the higher grade someone’s Ki is, the harder it is for another of a lower cultivation to perceive.

At this time, Vouno is squatting at a corner of the battlefield while holding up a low-grade talisman which sole-purpose is to render someone or something invisible to sight.

It is usually used to hide unsightly things in the house because even low ranking cultivators that couldn’t make practical use of it in battle. It may be used to hide contraptions and booby traps but no sane person will fork out a hefty cost for a consumable talisman considering that covering up traps with leaves work just as well. Even those with too much money to know what to do with it will rather send goons to do the job instead of expanding the effort to stick on a talisman onto a trap.

However, in the hands of Vouno, it became a true state-of-the-art weaponry. The markets went out of stocks for a month after he discovered this wonderful talisman.

Unfortunately, the two emperors didn’t have time to analyse where Vouno went as the Duke and Thief King already attacked with the fury of a tsunami. Unable to use treasures and artefacts with Rielon around, the White and Black Emperors can only resort to Secret Arts and their best martial arts.

Rielon was especially excited to display his skills to his new protégé. He strike with an array of techniques as though a magician performing party tricks.

In an instant, he used a dozen combat arts while throwing out all kinds of talismans, formation plates, and artefacts to attack.

Flames, lightning, metal shards, and all sort of violence were unleashed in both physical and energy forms.

“A good thief should not hesitate to use the loot he stole, do you know why?”

Like a good teacher, the Thief King tried to impart his wisdom to Jim. When Jim couldn’t answer, he happily explained, “Because if you were caught, you got to return them all anyway! Hahaha! And, the more you use, the more motivation you have to steal.”

Then he added after a slight pause, “Although I have never gotten myself caught before.”

The impressionable Jim bobbed his head up and down rapidly, until Aisa’s voice entered his head.

If you learn bad things from that old man, Aisa will bite you!

Jim immediately dispersed the mental notes he were taking before the sacred dragon and shook his head repeatedly.

He had seen what happened to an immortal against the Primordial One. Aisa may be docile around them, but her draconic aura isn’t something that just anyone could withstand. Just letting out a wisp of her power and it was enough for Jim to remember for the rest of his life that she meant business.

The skills of the Thief King can be learnt, but the immoral wisdom is a speck of dust in the dragon’s eye that cannot be tolerated.

The four Paramount Cultivators fought like lions in a cage. Their terrifying strength was enough to force back Sihala and the rest. However, it doesn’t mean that the teens could not help. Now and then they will strike while cutting through the immense after waves, and they attacked viciously like young lions.

Four draconic warriors, Long, John, Silvers, and Sasha.

Two of the strongest Snowdrifts members, Special Unit Commander Alucard Angelheart and his teammate, Lan Lei of the Resounding Thunder family – a candidate of the next Great General.

Sihala the Chosen One.

Edward Alfonso, Archer Captain.

Each of them are top-class amongst cultivators of their generation.

Moreover, the Duke and Thief King were tough opponents that demanded the full attention of the two emperors and it left the younger cultivators safe.

Initially, the two emperors tried using talismans to force back the teens, but every piece of item they took out was stolen and even used against themselves. They were beyond furious yet helpless before the Thief King. Eventually, even the place they hide their storage rings was discovered and they lost everything but the clothes on their back and the shoes on their feet.

No matter the result of this battle, the emperors already lost both face and wealth. It was a landslide win for Saint Empire.

They have no choice but to risk death to kill the Duke at least. The life of a Paramount Cultivator is worth the lives of a hundred thousand.

Killing Rielon, on the other hand, isn’t necessary. His affiliation is towards the undercities of the Silent Lambs Empire. There are no kingdom on Gaia that he pay fealty yet he controls a power that even emperors must regard with respect.

The two emperors gave each other a hidden signal, and immediately both of them unleashed the strongest skill they have in the quickest time.

“Manifest and destroy, Grand Illusion: Blizzard Heart!

“The laws of heavens twisted, the Birth of all things is Death.”

At the same time when they casted their shortened incantation Secret Arts, a crushing sense of danger washed over them.

An overpowering coldness seeped into their skin as a pounding heartbeat struck their ears. Above them is the mirage of Khione.

The Black Emperor looked at Reynold with a confused expression, but the latter only returned his gaze with a wide-eye daze.

Apparently, the attack wasn’t done by the White Emperor. Using a shortened incantation it’s impossible to unleash this kind of power.

Without hesitation, the two emperors attacked again to disperse the full-strength Blizzard Heart.

Since the Secret Art belongs to Reynold, he knows how to counter it perfectly. Moreover, the Black Emperor who is much stronger is here to support him.

However, just as their Ki left their palms, it disappeared.

The Paramount Cultivators are all incredibly erudite, if not they cannot reach this far on the path of Dao. In an instant, the two already calculated all kinds of possibilities.

But just as they were determining what happened, their attacks reappeared and flew in reverse back towards themselves.

The close proximity and the suddenness was enough to take both emperors by surprise and they were struck in awkward places.

Despite cultivating for centuries, the pain still caused sweat to erupt on their backs as their hands involuntarily rushed to their groin.

With their arms down, it was too late for them when they saw the previous two shortened incantation Secret Arts have also returned.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Three resounding strikes knocked back everyone, even Lord Yue, Rielon, and the three fighters in the sealing zone.

Rielon shook his head slightly in disbelief knowing what had happened but seeing it for the first time, “That chap Vouno… I didn’t notice before… but he may be just as terrifying as the Duke!”