Sun was beyond surprised at this odd behaviour -- and face.
Hastily looking around, he noticed that none of the beasts were moving, but that didn't calm him down as he looked at the opponent above.
Their face looked feminine and masculine, with their black hair loose like a curtain spilling from their head.
Meeting their gaze, Sun noticed their eyes were devoid of light, their mouth like an abyss; as if nothing but darkness lay behind their mask-like face.
"Once again... I am merely a follower of The Spirit! Pleased to meet you~."
Sun only bared his teeth at this person, raising his halberd towards them.
"Damned scoundrel, I care not for who you are. You are Demonic, and that is all I need to know!"
"Hmph..."
The person's expression fell, their unreadable gaze looking down on Sun, which didn't ease the chills on his spine.
He was forced right in the centre of the enemy's camp.
Tens of thousands of beasts surrounded him in a great circle. This Demonic Cultivator was a Third Foundation Cultivator, while the four great beasts also seemed very powerful.
Sun was fighting against impossible odds.
Although he trembled, Sun's grip on his halberd never loosened.
"You are quite rude."
"What...?"
"Are you not willing to hear us out?"
"What are you..." Sun spat through gritted teeth, "What do you mean, hear you out!? Hear what?"
"Your demonic schemes? Your shameless attacks! You want to be heard!?"
"I think your actions are loud enough!"
"And I... I've heard enough...!"
Amused, the odd person spared a faint grin.
"That is exactly what I wanted to hear~."
"What-."
A tremor shook through his body as Sun quickly turned to the side.
The blue mass slammed into his side, barely guarded.
His armour shattered if not crushed, similar to the bones beneath his bruised muscles.
Sun bounced thirty steps along the ground, catching himself by driving his halberd into the crimson soil.
Groaning, Sun could barely lift his right arm, while his left was shaking as it held the shade of his weapon.
The impact of the blue mass shook his entire body with pain, leaving even his legs shaking.
"Don't you understand how perfect you are!"
Qi surged desperately into his legs, Sun pushed off the ground with tremendous force.
There was no need to gauge his output, for he wished to remove himself from that very spot.
The instant after he left, it exploded into a crimson cloud of dirt.
Sun tumbled on the ground for another few steps before stopping, only to be met with the blue mass once more.
However, Sun was readied this time.
Dao Art -- Golden Arc and Ribbon!
Pale gold flickered and danced, the violent stream made of Qi waved in the wind, and it also struck with precise, harmful intent.
Sun stepped to the side and narrowly evaded the blue mass's charge, swinging his halberd into its giant body.
As it collided, a terrible screech assaulted his ears; not that of a beast's pain, but that of metal on metal, like scraping an iron shield.
His halberd left not a wound, barely a scratch on its body.
A pang of unease struck Sun's mind.
"I see... I understand why they wanted you~!"
Their voice rang loudly, but Sun couldn't afford to spare any attention, for the blue mass was upon him once again.
"Stream of Scales, isn't it a magnificent beast?"
"Made in the image of the Azure Dragon of the East!"
"Don't you find it so beautiful?"
'Ugh...'
Sun questioned its supposed beauty. Considering the appearance of this Demonic Cultivator, he wasn't surprised.
They were both unsettling.
As were the other three notable beasts here.
This blue mass was made to represent the Azure Dragon. Looking at its appearance, it was indeed long.
There was a peculiar shine to its body, supposedly the nature of its scales.
However, it had no head.
'This can hardly be called a dragon, but that hardly matters.'
'What about the other three?'
'Four beasts of incredible power... they represent the Celestial Beasts of the other regions?'
Unfortunately, that thought ended there.
Sun's met the Stream of Scales with a heavy attack, to no avail.
Spinning around, he shot the halberd once more into the 'stream', to no avail.
As he dodged another attack from the beast, he used the manifested ribbons of his Dao Art to slash across the scales, of course, to no avail.
Stumbling back to regain his footing, Sun felt exasperated by this situation.
Even if this thing had Third Foundation Cultivation, he would be able to harm it, at least.
"Worried?"
For the first time since the battle, Sun's attention was stolen by the odd-looking figure.
They merely sat there and watched him.
"Don't worry. You won't die."
"I won't kill you either."
"It, nor any of these beasts, will kill you."
Sun's body felt limp, limper and heavier as they talked. He planted his halberd into the ground as his hand fell to his side.
His eyes were distant, not at all paying attention to this conversation.
The Stream of Scales stopped moving, too.
As if the world stood still for this conversation alone.
"I am a follower of The Spirit."
"And..."
"I am an envoy of The Lion."
Sun did not respond to this display, though his hand did glow a pale green.
This was not unnoticed, but simply ignored by this 'envoy'.
With a shrug, they continued to ramble on.
"We are giving you a chance to be spared from this cruelty."
They feigned benevolence.
"Take my hand and be free from this cruel fate, where you'll meet your end in the corpse-ridden soil of this mountain!"
They feigned any hint of sincerity.
"Please, don't give in to this nonsensical belief of yours, that you can -- somehow -- rise against the stream and break free~!"
Only insults laced the tone of their voice.
"So take my hand! And join our-"
"Shut it!"
Their facade dropped, as did their gaze to the gritting teeth of Sun.
His gaze was furious, as if he could incinerate someone with his eyes.
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"
With a handful of pills, Sun stuffed his mouth and choked them down.
A wicked grin twisted the envoy's lips.
"I don't want to hear any of this. Not another word from your demented lips!"
Even if he could understand whatever this person was saying, he wouldn't want to listen anyway.
Sun knew he was being toyed with, and he was driven mad.
A painful sensation tore through his battered right arm as it seemed to reassemble itself.
"Oh my~."
With his right hand no longer limp, Sun grabbed his halberd and pointed it defiantly towards the envoy.
"I'll have your head, and the corpse of every beast here, for your very transgressions!"
"How perfect~."
...