Chapter 31: Comeback
The match was silently coming to a close after 2 stick of incense worth of time had passed, and both captains were panting for breath, bloodied by the cuts and blows they exchanged.
With the last ounce of strength in them, they ran to finish each other but stopped just before their blades touched, leaving the audience shocked, and the elders even more bewildered. A warrior with a rice hat and black robe with a mask had stopped both blades with their fingers.
"Xiao Zhao, do you see that warrior?" Wei Shaotian asked.
Zhao Hengyu nodded.
"Remember it well, he's one of the responsible for my sect's downfall and the one responsible for your father's death," he said, causing a short outburst of Zhao Hengyu's chi, then a quick condensation as he calmed his breathing.
Bai Dong was surprised at how strong Zhao Hengyu was.
"So the little cub has claws... how fascinating," he said, a menacing smile on his lips.
Zhao Hengyu casted a sharp look at Bai Dong who stood beside him. He caught the grin on his face and looked back to the screen.
"Elders, I'll be leaving with these two young men. Thank you for the gift," the soft voice echoed in the monitor, like a voice carried by the wind, leaving the crowd mesmerized for a moment.
The warrior froze the swords, breaking them with their bare hands, and lifting both captains and disappearing once again.
"Xing Meiyang, return my sect members back to me, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless." Thunderclouds gathered as the arena turned black and a louder, much deeper voice spoke up, spitting lightning at every word and dominating the soft voice of Xian Meiyang.
"Old man, what can you do? You have half your strength now that you're injured, even I am no longer your opponent," Xing Meiyang replied shortly and coldly.
"Just you wait," was all the voice said, before taking away the group members that passed out earlier and bringing them to the arena.
The clouds began clearing and the commentator announced that the competition be continued, but the crowds were still murmuring amongst themselves.
Zuo Hai and Luo Ning were still stunned by what was happening, but later came to.
"Ge'ge, where are you?" she cried out inwardly as she clutched on to her pendant.
"If that was the ancestor at his injured state, then I wonder how powerful he would be when he is at his peak," Wei Shaotian whispered.
But Bai Dong was also of the same thought, although neither of them knew that.
"Brother Hengyu, let's not keep the people waiting," he said in a discreet manner.
But Zhao Hengyu and his uncle just smiled, already seeing through this approach as it was used on them a lot of times in the past.
"I wouldn't dare to. Brother Dong, please," Zhao Hengyu repeated with a nobler approach.
"What is going on? What are they doing?" the crowd said amongst themselves.
Bai Dong was mad that Zhao Hengyu didn't even give him face and that his plan wouldn't be put to work since Tang Feng didn't show up today again, so he gritted his teeth and smiled.
"Get ready, little cub," he said, every word laced with hostility.
"Be careful, Brother Dong," Zhao Hengyu replied with a calmer tone, enraging and irritating Bai Dong even more.
"The competition begins," the commentator announced again, and then the elders raised their hands and picked the wind mountain peak, where the sect master sat quietly, watching the match as it began.
"Members of the ancient sects... interesting," he said.
The arena was a greenland which shared borders with the desert. Both Bai Dong and Zhao Hengyu were transported to the desert with their team, and immediately they landed, all hell broke loose.
The entire sand became a battlefield, with swords and fists clashing, techniques clashing and cancelling each other out, and bodies dropping. The desert began transforming into a bloody desert.
Bai Dong, Wei Shaotian, and Zhao Hengyu left their teams and went to another location where Zhao Hengyu fought with Bai Dong.
Bai Dong threw punches, launched attacks, used techniques but none of them proved effective against Zhao Hengyu.
"Brother Dong, is this all you've got? I have to go drinking with my uncle again," he said, a hint of provocation in his voice.
Bai Dong almost lost it but finally kept calm.
"Don't underestimate..." he started but couldn't finish because he was greeted with a punch to the gut which sent him flying, creating wind pressures as he ascended.
Zhao Hengyu also created his own wind pressure, flying after him.
"Brother Dong, if you won't come to me, then I'll come to you instead," Zhao Hengyu said, as he set his fist with compressed air flow and chi, releasing it with every punch he dashes out to Bai Dong.
"That's enough," Bai Dong shouted, releasing a huge burst of energy, his eyes emanating a fiery blue chi, and his hands endowed with swords made from his hands.
"Now we're talking. Come at me, Brother Dong," Zhao Hengyu said, motivating Bai Dong to come over, as he goofed around.
"Don't mess with me, you little cub," Bai Dong said, his rationality running on a fine line.
But he knew he had to keep a clear head when facing an unpredictable opponent like ancient cultivators, so he quickly calmed himself down, took control of his unstable chi, and opened his eyes, disappearing like a phantom and appearing behind Zhao Hengyu, and channeling the fiery blue chi into his palms and releasing it at Zhao Hengyu's back, sending him flying with a bloody gasp.
This caught Wei Shaotian's attention—nobody but his father and him has ever made Zhao Hengyu bleed, yet this kid did it.
As he pondered, Zhao Hengyu regained his footing and Bai Dong copied what Zhao Hengyu did when he was suspended, but instead of Zhao Hengyu blocking, he dodged it, grabbing ahold of Bai Dong's arm as he released his attack, tearing the void, forming a wide path that stretched out for kilometers.