STNS: Chapter 515 (Patreon)

Though the battle had started, neither Youmei nor Lìyǔ moved. Youmei was sizing her opponent up, trying to discover some weakness she could exploit, but Lìyǔ was smirking at her.

“Little girl, I apologize in advance for the pain you’re about to feel. Don’t hold it against me when I beat you into a bloody pulp, okay?”

Youmei furrowed her brow. “You don’t know that you’re going to win.”

“Ha! Listen to this little girl!”

Lìyǔ placed a hand on his face and leaned back in a strange pose. Youmei didn’t get it. His stance looked awkward. Didn’t it hurt for him to stand like that? Youmei’s frown deepened when Lìyǔ glared at her from between the cracks of his fingers.

“Listen well, little girl. You might be a decently powerful magical beast, but you’re still no match for me. Don’t overestimate yourself. I’ve been fighting in this arena for decades now. You could even say I’m a veteran of the arena. You don’t have a single hope of beating me, so you’d better throw away any delusions you might have.”

Youmei listened to this man’s tirade, but all she felt was confusion.

“You’ve been fighting in this arena for over a decade, but you’re only an Intermediate-rank fighter. Doesn’t that mean you’re actually really weak?”

Youmei was asking this question honestly. She was confused. He claimed to be a veteran who had been fighting in the arena for a long time, but he was still only at the second lowest rank. However, while she asked her question out of genuine curiosity, Lìyǔ’s entire face turned blistering red while the people in the stands, who could hear every word, laughed at him.

“You think that’s funny?” asked Lìyǔ.

“What?” Youmei blinked several times. If she still had her cat ears, they’d be twitching in confusion. “No. That was a serious question.”

But Lìyǔ was no longer listening. “You think you’re some kind of hotshot just because you won a few small victories against other Novices?! I’ll teach you not to talk to your betters like that!”

“But you’re not my better,” Youmei pointed out quite plainly.

“That does it. You. Are. Dead!”

Lightning burst from Lìyǔ’s body like a raging tempest, a powerful storm. It looked like he was channeling the raw power of lightning through his body, which was cracking with static electricity. His golden eyes flickered with an intense, bluish white light as the air around him became discharged with energy. Youmei felt the power as a tingle that ran along her body and caused her hair to stand on end. Despite this, she felt fairly calm.

“Thunderous Strike!”

His movement was almost instantaneous. He was standing right before Youmei within a heartbeat. It was so fast that the air was pushed aside and created an intense gust of wind that followed in his wake, blowing the air from Youmei’s face. His fist was already reared back and he was bringing it forward to punch her. Youmei saw everything happen seemingly in slow motion. Her pupils dilated as she watched the fist coming toward her face.

It never connected.

“Shadow’s Engulfing Embrace.”

Before it could even reach her, a shadow leapt from the ground and intercepted the attack. Lìyǔ’s hand sank into the shadow. His eyes widened as he jerked his hand back, as though to pull it out, but the shadow closed around him like a set of jaws.

“Shadow’s Bite.”

“AAAAAHHHHH?!”

Lìyǔ released a scream of agony as the shadows grew jagged teeth that sank into his flesh. Blood ran in rivulets down his arm and dripped to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he channeled chi to create a powerful burst of lighting that flew from his body and dispelled the shadow.

He leapt back to put some distance between him and Youmei, but she would not allow that.

“Shadow Walking.”

Youmei quickly disappeared into her own shadow, which was connected to his. Lìyǔ stopped moving when she vanished. He looked down at his own shadow warily, as though he knew where she was, and perhaps he did. Raising his hand, lightning erupted into a ball above his hand. He was prepared to slam it into his own shadow to dispel it and force her out.

She leapt out first.

“Swift Shadow Strike!”

Her hands covered in darkness that formed a set of dangerous-looking claws, Youmei swiped at Lìyǔ’s wrist, cutting it open. The lightning ball dispelled as more blood spilled from the new wound.

“DAMN YOU! TEMPEST WINGS!”

Lightning burst from Lìyǔ’s back as he channeled more chi through his meridians. The electric discharge struck the ground and created scorch marks, but the lightning soon took shape, forming a pair of brilliant bluish-white wings. He flapped them once, then took to the skies. Each flap created a strong gust of wind that threatened to blow Youmei off her feet. She avoided that by clinging to the ground via her shadow.

“Your shadow can’t reach me so long as I’m in the air! I’ll teach you not to underestimate me!!!”

Youmei didn’t understand since she had never underestimated him, but Lìyǔ was obviously not going to listen to her.

“LIGHTNING STRIKE!”

Screaming his technique loudly, moreso than was necessary, Lìyǔ raced toward her. He moved even faster in the air than he did on the ground. Youmei almost missed his attack. She just barely dodged to the side as he swung his hand, clawed talons coated in lightning extending from his fingers. Even though she had dodged the attack, she couldn’t avoid everything. Lightning struck her side. The shock was enough to numb her entire left torso.

“How do you like that?! Even if you dodge my actual attack, the electric discharge is enough to numb even the strongest of cultivators! You cannot win! Just give up now!”

***

High above the normal booths were the VIP booths, dedicated to sponsors who helped keep the Colosseum running as well as the most powerful contestants in the Colosseum.

Zhen Lian obviously had her own booth. It was the epitome of opulence and luxury, designed to match her status by being a sanctuary of comfort, power, and refinement.

Because of its location high above the arena floor, she was provided with an expansive view of the battles below. The walls were crafted from dark, polished wood with intricate, swirling designs carved into them. Gold filigree highlighted the woodwork to give it a touch of regal elegance. Silk curtains hung from the walls in rich, jewel-toned hues--crimson, deep purple, and royal blue--adding a touch of grandeur and intimacy.

In the center of the booth was a large, plush divan. It was upholstered in rich black velvet embroidered with gold thread. The cushions were filled with soft, rare feathers, making it exceptionally comfortable. Zhen Lian enjoyed lounging on it.

She sat on the divan, watching the battle as the soft, warm lighting from hanging lanterns illuminated the room and the subtle fragrance of sandalwood and jasmine filled the room.

She was not alone.

Hóngyàn stood beside her, glaring down at her with stink eyes.

“There is no need to glare at me like that,” Zhen Lian said. “Did I not help your apprentice reach the third subrealm of the Deva Realm? Should you not be thanking me?”

Despite her words, Hóngyàn did not let him. He seemed truly upset, but to Zhen Lian, he seemed more petulant, like a child who didn’t like having his toy taken away.

“I would have found a way to raise her cultivation without your help,” he muttered bitterly.

“You act like a child sometimes,” she sighed, then smiled. “But I suppose that’s cute in its own way.”

“Hmph.”

“But let us be honest here, you might have been able to find a way for Youmei to ascend to new subrealms, but you would not have been able to make her as strong as I have.” Zhen Lian’s boasting came complete with a puffed up chest. She seemed quite proud of herself. “

Hóngyàn grimaced. Zhen Lian smiled. He knew that what she said was true, but that did not mean he liked it. The way his lips curled in distaste like he had been forced to eat something sour told her as much.

“If you hadn’t stolen the Yin Ascendant Pill out from under my nose, Youmei would have ascended just fine without your interference.”

Zhen Lian smiled wily. “Perhaps, but perhaps not.”

Hóngyàn scoffed and looked away. Zhen Lian smiled. She had not invited this man into her private booth. He had barged in just a few minutes ago, but she did not mind. She had something important to talk about anyway.

Down below, the battle was continuing. Youmei was doing more than just holding her own. Even though Lìyǔ had taken to the skies, he couldn’t land a hit on her. She would vanish into her own shadow the moment he tried, then pop out mere seconds later to try and strike him. She would always miss, but the fact that she even could counterattack was a good sign.

“She’s going to win,” Zhen Lian stated as though it were obvious.

“Of course, she is. She’s my apprentice,” Hóngyàn said.

“Who I helped. You owe me,” Zhen Lian continued.

Hóngyàn growled. “I owe you nothing.”

“Really?”

Zhen Lian leaned back, turned on her side, and raised her calves on the armrest. Her elegant heeled sandals slipped off her foot, though they remained dangling by just her toes. She wiggled her feet up and down. The sandals bounced with each movement.

“You might see it that way, but I wonder if everyone else will?” she questioned. Her voice was casual and dismissive, as if she was talking about what she planned to have for dinner.

Hóngyàn knew better and narrowed his eyes. “What. Did. You. Do?”

“You’ll hear about it soon enough…” She trailed off, her smile widening when she saw his glare intensify. “But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you. I let everyone know about how you were searching for a Yin Ascendant Pill, and how I, out of the kindness of my heart, gave the one I acquired by chance to your apprentice. Rumors spread quite fast, you know? I imagine everyone will have heard about my magnimity by tomorrow. To be perfectly frank, I’m surprised you haven’t already heard the rumor, but you never were one to care for the rumormill, I suppose. That was your mistake.”

Tense silence filled the room. Zhen Lian knew she had Hóngyàn eating out of the palm of her hand when she saw the expression on his face. It was twisted, morphed into a cocktail of resignation and anger. She didn’t particular like the way he was looking at her, but for the sake of her goals, she would do whatever it took.

“What do you want?” he asked, voice seething in quiet anger.

Zhen Lian could barely contain her almost childish delight. “I want…”

***

“Raging Tempest!”

Youmei watched with eyes like a predator as Lìyǔ flew through the air, flapping wings that erupted with lightning so intense it was almost blinding, and yet she didn’t even blink.

Storm clouds gathered overhead. Lightning flashed through the sky. Several bolts struck the ground, and rather than dispersing, they gathered together as more lightning bolts descended, swirling around and around, until six tornadoes formed. Each one was large enough to engulf a full grown human and they were all converging on her location.

Youmei took a short breath.

She held it.

And then she vanished.

“Shadow Claw!”

Shadows gathered along her hands and formed long, sharp claws. This technique was nowhere near as flashy as her opponents, and yet, she swung her hand and tore through the first lightning tornado like it was made of fried tofu. Then she tore through the second one, the third, and then the fourth.

“What is going on?! How did you get so strong?!”

“I’m strong because I need to be strong,” Youmei said. However, the voice hadn’t come from the Youmei standing before him.

It came from behind him.

“WHAT?!”

“Shadow Clone.”

The Youmei in front of him was suddenly struck by one of the lightning tornadoes, but rather than being fried, her body was dispersed into wispy black shadows. Youmei had attacked the first four tornadoes to trick Lìyǔ into believing the Youmei he saw was real, the replaced herself with a Shadow Clone that she had created at the very start of the battle. She had made it when she hid in Lìyǔ’s shadow. It had been there this whole time.

“You’re finished.”

Youmei’s quiet words were followed by her shadow-claws piercing through Lìyǔ’s back and emerging out of his chest. She knew she had won even before Lìyǔ began falling toward the ground. His body was limp, though he wasn’t dead. She had simply stabbed him in place that would render his body inert.

This battle was hers.