Tekton roared. The gravity around the dreadnought shifted. The air grew heavy and crushing.

  ‘Force Crush.’

  Tekton didn’t just hit the shield himself; he increased the pressure in the area massively. The defensive array wasn't designed for that kind of stress. It was designed to deflect energy attacks, not to hold up against that kind of power and weight.

  Crack!

  The red dome shattered. It didn’t fade away slowly; it broke like glass and was raining shards of spiritual energy down onto the city below. Those inside were stunned, when had their array ever broken so easily? Wait, was there ever a time they had to even activate the defensive array before?

  ‘Kill them.’ Li Yu ordered Tekton. He had already accessed the Elder and those that joined him. He didn’t use his inner voice that acted as his radar. He was true to his words. They resisted and those that joined him to resist. Will be killed.

  The Elder who had spoken didn’t even have time to regret his words. Tekton opened his maw and unleashed a beam of concentrated kinetic force.

  The Elder and the fifty or so cultivators behind him, vanished. Vaporized. All that remained were their storage rings and higher quality weapons and armor that was able to withstand the blast.

  Li Yu turned back to his team.

  “Jian Xuan. Lin Xia. You two had wanted to test your new strength? The center is yours. Kael, you can go down below and reap the lives of those you recognize."

  Jian Xuan stepped forward with his sword drawn and his golden aura flaring. He had donned on his red armor and stood out like a sore thumb. On the way here Lin Xia told him to switch it to a golden armor in the future. He would still stand out anywhere he went but he would at least match his aura and Qi a bit more. Jian Xuan now looked every bit like a god of war.

  “I am ready!” Jian Xuan shouted as his voice boomed over the wind. “The Crab Champion of the Crab Cult descends to crush the wicked! You shall pay for your sins”

  Lin Xia stepped up beside him. Her blue robes fluttered in the gale force winds, but her expression was not the gentle one that Li Yu was used to. It was cold. Imperious.

  “Wait, Junior Brother.” Lin Xia said sharply as her own voice cut through his battle cry.

  Jian Xuan was slightly taken back and looked at her. “Senior Sister?”

  “Champion?” Lin Xia scoffed as she was shaking her head. “Champion is a good title. But since you have that and I am your Senior Sister. In the sect hierarchy, I technically outrank you.”

  She looked down at the chaotic city below. Her eyes were glowing with a ruthless and domineering blue light.

  “If you are the Champion, then I must be higher.”

  She took a deep breath while channeling her new Soul Formation cultivation into her voice.

  “Hear me, Crimson Fang!” She roared. Her voice was magnified by the water vapor in the air until it sounded like a crashing tidal wave.

  “I am the Crab Empress! Kneel before royalty or be washed away!” Lin Xia roared. Li Yu was stunned by her words. She wasn’t anything like what he knew of her these last three days.

  ‘Is she a different person when she is fighting? That would make some sense. She seemed much too different from Jian Xuan these last few days. She seems much more like him now. No, maybe even more domineering…’ Li Yu thought to himself.

  Jian Xuan froze. He stared at her after hearing her words. His mouth was hanging open. The title was absurd. It was arrogant. It was cheeky.

  And it was magnificent.

  “Empress?” Jian Xuan muttered.

  Lin Xia glanced at him, a dangerous and playful smirk on her lips. “Are you going to argue with your Empress, Champion?”

  Jian Xuan’s face split into a massive grin. He threw his head back and roared with laughter.

  “Hahahaha! Empress! Yes! It is perfect! All hail the Crab Empress! My Crab Empress!”

  He bowed dramatically to her in the air.

  “Your vanguard awaits your command, Your Majesty!”

  Lin Xia pointed her sword at the city below. “Clear my path, Champion.”

  “Understood!” Jian Xuan roared.

  He was dropping toward the city. Mid-air, his aura exploded.

  “Crab Descends!”

  Despite the name, a massive phantom image of a golden mountain materialized around him. He didn’t use a technique; he became the technique. He crashed into the central plaza of the sect like a meteor.

  Boom!

  The impact wave leveled the surrounding buildings. Hundreds of Inner Disciples who were preparing to attack were sent flying, their bones shattered by the earthshock. He was following Li Yu’s orders. Anyone that resists he can get rid of. Those that do not fight back can be left alone for Li Yu’s judgement later. If he was unsure what they were doing, he could attack them. Better to be safe than sorry.

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  Jian Xuan stood in the center of the small crater he created with his sword glowing with golden light.

  “Make way for the Empress!” He bellowed. He swung his sword and sent a dozen enforcers flying into a wall. He was going easy on them as they were much weaker than he was.

  Lin Xia followed him down but her descent was silent. She floated down like a feather, landing amidst the chaos with royal grace.

  “River of the Nine Cranes.”

  She waved her sleeves and a torrent of blue spiritual water erupted from the air. It wasn't normal water; it was heavy and crushing water made of Qi. It flooded the plaza and was swirling around Jian Xuan without touching him.

  The water moved with a mind of its own. It formed into the shapes of massive cranes that swooped through the enemy ranks.

  The Crimson Fang disciples tried to fight back. They launched fire techniques, blood blades and even curses.

  But their attacks were useless against the synergy of the Mountain and the River before them. Not only were their cultivation not up to par, their techniques were also lacking.

  Fire hit Jian Xuan’s red armor and fizzled out. Blades struck his defensive qi skin and shattered. He swung his sword in a simple horizontal slash and the force of the blow cleared a street of enemies.

  Meanwhile, Lin Xia displayed why she had chosen her new title. She was completely domineering.

  A group of ten Crimson Fang elites charged her. They were all at the peak of Core Formation and most likely from the main family. They saw a woman and thought her a potentially soft target.

  Lin Xia hadn’t even drawn her weapon yet since landing. She slammed her palm into the air.

  “Freeze.”

  The moisture in the air around the elites instantly solidified. They froze mid-stride and were encased in blocks of jagged ice.

  “Shatter.” Lin Xia commanded while clenching her fist.

  The ice blocks imploded. The elites were reduced to red mist as the red mist then also froze and fell to the ground. It looked beautiful but was incredibly violent. She walked through the frozen blood rain without a speck touching her robes.

  Jian Xuan had just smashed an Enforcer into the pavement and looked over at her with wide and admiring eyes.

  “Senior Sister! That was... very amazing of you!”

  “Focus, Champion!” Lin Xia ordered as she whipped a tentacle of water out to snap the neck of an attacker trying to flank him. “Do not let them harm you or more importantly me!” She said with a slight laugh.

  “Yes, Empress!” Jian Xuan laughed with a huge smile on his face. He then smashed the ground and sent enemies launching into the air for her to pick off.

  It was a massacre. But it was a controlled massacre. They only fought with those that came after them. Those kneeling or standing on the side were left alone.

  Li Yu stayed in the air and was still hovering above the chaos. He watched the interplay between the two. He saw Jian Xuan acting as the unstoppable shield and Lin Xia acting as the ruthless sword.

  ‘I think he likes it. Fighting with Lin Xia.’ Li Yu couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

  He turned his attention to the towers as he sensed some disruptions from there.

  “Why are you doing this?!” A woman screamed as she was launching crimson needles at Tekton from a high balcony. “We are the Crimson Fang! We are eternal!”

  Li Yu looked at her. She was wearing silk robes, clearly a member of the upper crust. She cultivation was pathetic, not even Core Formation. She wasn't fighting for survival; she was fighting for her privilege.

  Li Yu flicked a finger.

  An Abyssal Javelin made of void energy shot from his hand, punching a hole through the woman’s chest. She fell from the tower.

  “You were eternal.” Li Yu corrected softly while shaking his head. He was staying here to keep track of everything below. He wasn’t going to let anyone escape.

  Below, the resistance in the center was crumbling. The sheer power gap was too wide. A 5th Stage Soul Formation expert and a 2nd Stage expert were tearing through Core Formation disciples like paper.

  “Senior Sister! Combo move!” Jian Xuan yelled.

  “Must you call it that?” Lin Xia sighed but she executed the move flawlessly.

  “Yes! Tidal Crash against the Cliff!” Jian Xuan slammed his sword into the ground, creating a wall of jagged earth spikes. Lin Xia summoned a massive wave of water that crashed into the wall from behind. The resulting force shattered the earth spikes and sent the debris flying forward like shrapnel.

  The wave of rock and water decimated an entire battalion of enforcers.

  It was total domination. There was no one left behind or appeared that could stop even just Jian Xuan and Lin Xia..

  Li Yu watched for a few more minutes, ensuring that there were no hidden threats. No ancient ancestors waking up from coffins showed up. No hidden arrays that were activated last minute.

  The Crimson Fang was toothless. They had relied so heavily on Cyrus and those five Elders that without them, the remaining forces were disorganized and panicked. If there was a hidden force, they weren’t here or decided to not show up.

  ‘Alright, big guy. Let’s go down. I want to see the view from the ground.’ Li Yu communicated with Tekton.

  Tekton and Li Yu descended. They both landed in the ruins of the main plaza. The sheer wind pressure of Tekton’s landing knocked over the few remaining combatants who were still trying to stand.

  Li Yu walked through the carnage that Jian Xuan and Lin Xia created. He approached a group of surrendering disciples who were kneeling near the edge of the plaza. They were shaking so hard their teeth rattled.

  Li Yu stopped in front of them.

  “You.” Li Yu pointed to a young man who looked like he was about to faint. “Look at me.”

  The boy looked up, terror in his eyes.

  “Why are you here?” Li Yu asked.

  “I… I was conscripted, the boy stammered. My village… they took me three years ago. I clean the stables. I’ve never killed anyone. Please… I just want to go home.”

  Li Yu looked at him. He used his vague karmic sense. He didn't see the black aura of murder on the boy. He just saw fear.

  “Go.” Li Yu said. “Run to the main gate. Wait there. If you try to run away before I say so, I’ll find you. But if you wait, I’ll let you go home with some travel money and resources.”

  The boy burst into tears. “Thank you! Thank you, Lord!”

  He scrambled away toward the gate.

  Li Yu looked at the others. He didn’t ask them, he raised his hand and a few small javelins appeared around him and launched out at those that were deemed worth killing. They all quickly fell down dead.

  “Same goes for the rest of you.”

  They too moved towards the gate. That would be the area that Li Yu would collect everyone and send them on their way one way or another.

  Li Yu walked toward the main palace. The doors were smashed open. The resistance had crumbled.

  He turned back to the plaza, looking out at the burning city, the shattered array and his friends who were currently reshaping the landscape with their love-fueled violence.

  The Crimson Fang was dead. The loot inside was waiting to be grabbed.