Yan Xiu glanced at Yang Ying Feng as the boisterous disciple puffed up his chest with pride.
"Hmm..." he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. "He kinda resembles Yang Kai… and they even share the same surname… could they be related? Maybe his father?"
The idea struck him oddly. He had just been thrown back into the past by some mysterious portal—and already, he had possibly met the parent of someone.
The thought made his stomach twist.
"This is too weird..." he muttered internally. "Is this how things are going to be now?"
His gaze shifted to the quieter of the two.
Yang Bai.
Yan Xiu's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait... did Yang Ying Feng say his name was Yang Bai?!"
His thoughts slammed into him like thunder.
That name. That face.
The sharpness of his eyes. The curve of his jaw. There was something familiar about him.
And then—like a flash from a nightmare—it hit him.
"He's Yang Bai!"
A chill shot down his spine. His heart skipped a beat.
"The one who killed me… and so many others. The one who destroyed almost the entirety of the High Heaven Pavilion in my first Life Simulation!"
He clenched his fists before quickly forcing them to relax. "I died just from looking into his eyes. Not even a battle. Not a scream. Just a gaze—and then nothing."
Even some of the elders—powerful, experienced cultivators—had died like insects before him. And now, here he stood, before Yan Xiu, in the flesh.
Yan Xiu's breath caught in his throat. His palms began to sweat. He instinctively took a half step back—
"Hey…" a soft voice said, followed by a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Yan Xiu froze.
He looked up.
Yang Bai's expression was gentle. Concerned.
"Are you all right? You're sweating."
Shit.
Yan Xiu tried to control his expression. "Haa… y-yes," he said, exhaling slowly. He forced a smile. "Just a bit overwhelmed."
He took a moment to breathe, studying Yang Bai carefully now, without panic.
This didn't look like the white-haired demon from the simulation. No killing aura. No sinister smile. His hair was dark. His demeanor shy. Gentle, even. He was just a young man.
"Maybe… this is just a facade. But what if it's not?"
He wasn't sure.
Killing Yang Bai now—while tempting—was a gamble of cosmic proportions. Even if he could do it, what would happen to the timeline? Could he erase his own existence?
"The Black Tortoise Effect..." he remembered.
He couldn't risk it. For all he knew, Yang Bai could have had saved Yan Xiu's parents before he was ever born. Maybe killing him here would stop that from ever happening.
Sure, there was the possibility of this being an alternate timeline, and so whatever he was to do here, wouldn't have any consequences on his own timeline, but he couldn't be certain.
So, he bowed.
"I am Yan Xiu," he said aloud. "Also a disciple of the High Heaven Pavilion."
"Huh?" Yang Ying Feng said, scratching his head in confusion. "You're also from the High Heaven Pavilion? I've never seen you around..."
"Ehm, that's because I just joined," Yan Xiu quickly offered, giving a simple excuse.
Yang Ying Feng's expression brightened at the thought of a newcomer.
"Hahahahaha, so you're a newcomer, right?" Yang Ying Feng chuckled. "Junior brother Yan..." He leaned in close to Yan Xiu, lowering his voice in a mock whisper, though his tone could easily be heard even by Yang Bai. "Here's some advice for you... never take Brother Bai as an example for picking up girls!"
Before Yan Xiu could even begin to understand what was going on, Yang Bai's face flushed red, and his Qi erupted like a volcano. The orange energy spiraled around him in violent torrents, his expression switching from gentle concern to the intensity of a battle-hardened warrior.
"Yang Ying Feng!" Yang Bai roared, his voice vibrating with the force of the Qi that began enveloping him.
Yang Ying Feng, unfazed, roared right back with an eager grin plastered on his face, his own Yang Qi also flaring up in response.
"Yang Bai!" Yang Ying Feng shouted, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly excited for the fight. They had completely forgotten the term 'brother' in their excitement.
Yan Xiu could hardly believe what was happening. He watched in awe as the two cultivators began to square off. Their Qi pressure was palpable in the air.
Then, in perfect synchrony, the two raised their palms toward each other.
"Scorching Arts..." they roared in unison, their Yang Qi lighting up the space around them as it enveloped their hands.
"Smoldering Palm!" they bellowed, sending a massive wave of heat surging toward each other. The very air around them seemed to bend under the intensity of their strikes.
Yan Xiu felt it even from where he stood. The heat radiating from their palms was fierce enough to make his skin tingle uncomfortably. He watched, captivated by the sheer power of their attack.
But there was something else in him—a desire to fight, to see where his own strength stood. His body itched to join the fray. When he had been taking down beasts to absorb their Temporal Energy, he'd had the chance to fuse the various martial skills he'd copied into his Flowing Sword Art. He had been itching to really test them out, to see if they were truly as powerful as he imagined.
And most of all—he was dying to test his Stone Armor Art at full power. He hadn't had the chance to properly test it yet.
Without thinking, he sprang into action.
"Stone Armor Art!" he roared, his voice joining the fray as his body glowed with the stone-like transformation. He thrust his arms forward with all the strength he could muster, catching both Yang Ying Feng's and Yang Bai's incoming fists.
The moment their fists collided with his stone-encased arms, Yan Xiu felt an intense shockwave ripple through him. The pain was immediate, but so was the sense of satisfaction as his body withstood the strike. He had expected the hit to be painful, but it didn't break him—it only solidified his resolve.
"Whoa... you're strong!" Yang Ying Feng said, wide-eyed, completely caught off guard. "You're a whole realm beneath us. How did you catch both of our fists?"
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, I am trying to develop both Yang Ying Feng and Yang Bai's characters more, for now I've given them that Naruto/Sasuke rivalry, enjoyed it?
Be sure to check out my original novel Hyperborea!