DDD Chapter 137: The Rising Heroes Tournament Ends (Patreon)

After leaving the cave, Cultivator Byron and I continued hunting down other participants and eliminating them over the next several hours. We even used the same strategy that we used before we encountered Cultivator Jaime: pretending to fight one another to lure others into attacking us.

Most of our victi-the other participants were in mid Foundation Establishment, though a few were in late Foundation Establishment. We defeated the latter through a combination of surprise, luck, and judicious use of Soul Thorn Dagger. Even so, all of those encounters were close calls. One wrong move would have spelled our doom.

At one point, we even came across two peak Foundation Establishment cultivators who were fighting one another. Cultivator Byron and I snuck up on them. They were so focused on each other that they never noticed our presence. We waited until they were at their weakest, before eliminating them with a surprise attack.

However, as the hours passed, we encountered fewer and fewer people. That didn’t surprise me. The end of the Rising Heroes Tournament drew near. Most of the participants had been eliminated by this point. I doubted there were more than a hundred people left, if that. The hidden realm contained within the Myriad Landscapes Painting was large enough that, with so few people, encountering another participant was a matter of luck. Cultivator Byron and I even stopped with our act and just flew around.

When the black void of a sky started to lighten, we knew that dawn was approaching. We had less than an hour until the Rising Heroes Tournament ended. When I saw this, I felt frustrated. I still hadn’t found the right person to fight. Perhaps I should have picked one of the other participants we encountered earlier, the ones in late Foundation Establishment. However, none of them felt right. A fight with one of them wouldn’t have felt meaningful.

Was I being too picky?

As these thoughts plagued my mind, Cultivator Byron and I flew over a grassy windswept plain. It stretched on for miles in all directions. The sight of it filled me with a sense of peace and serenity. A part of me just wanted to lie down in the grass and relax until the end of the Rising Heroes Tournament.

The rest of me wanted to continue searching for the right opponent to fight. However, I feared that it was a futile effort at this point. With most of the participants eliminated, the chances of coming across the right opponent was close to zero. That thought filled me with bitter disappointment.

Even as I thought this, I noticed a familiar presence with my spirit sense. When I realized who it was, a smile stretched across my face. This was perfect. The heavens had rewarded my patience. This was the fight I had been looking forward to. The perfect end to the Rising Heroes Tournament.

“Cultivator Darian.” Cultivator Byron said, a warning in his voice.

“I know,” I said, “I noticed him as well.”

The person in question noticed us at the same time we noticed him. After a moment’s hesitation, he flew in our direction. I headed over to meet him. Cultivator Byron wore a tense expression on his face, but followed after me. Soon, the person we spotted came within sight. At first he was just a dot on the horizon, but became clearer as he drew closer. It was my cousin, Lucius.

As we drew closer to one another, my heart started racing and my blood boiled, as if someone had lit a fire inside me. My nerves thrummed with anticipation. I opened and clenched my fists several times.

When Cultivator Byron and I drew close enough to Lucius, we stopped. My cousin stopped as well. We were close enough to hold a conversation, but far enough away to evade any surprise attacks from the other party. Lucius wore his icy mask. Despite this, joy bubbled up inside me and I burst out into laughter.

“The heavens are smiling upon me!” I said. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Lucius.”

Cultivator Byron looked at me as I had gone crazy, and even Lucius raised an eyebrow at me.

“And why do you say that, Darian?” My cousin asked in a chilly voice.

“A fight with you is the perfect way to end the Rising Heroes Tournament.” I said.

Lucius’ eyes widened a fraction, before he let out a derisive snort.

“You’re more foolish than I expected if you think two early Foundation Establishment cultivators are enough to defeat me, Darian.” Lucius said.

Cultivator Byron drew closer to me.

“He’s right, Cultivator Darian,” he said in a low voice, “We’re lucky he hasn’t attacked us yet. Let us leave while he’s still feeling merciful.”

I ignored both of them.

“Oh, my companion here won’t be joining in.” I said instead. “I’ll be fighting you by myself.”

Lucius scoffed.

“You may be a divine demon of the Dawn and Dusk Sect, Darian,” he said, “However, that isn’t enough to surmount the gap between us. Listen to your companion and leave while I’m feeling generous. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

I chuckled.

“I’m not fighting you because I think I’ll win, Lucius.” I said. “That doesn’t matter to me, not at this point. It’s not like I’ll lose points if you eliminate me from the tournament now.” I grinned at him. “No. It is the battle itself that matters. I want to test myself against you, to see how my strength compares to yours. Growing up, I’ve always heard how much of a genius you are. I want to experience it for myself.”

Lucius narrowed his eyes at me and didn’t respond.

“Aren’t you curious as well?” I asked. “About how strong I’ve become? You might have heard about me, but that isn’t the same as facing me yourself. Besides, we’ve never sparred against one another. This would be our first time facing each other in battle.”

“That was because you were always too weak to be worth sparring with.” Lucius said.

I gestured to myself.

“Now I’m not.” I said. “We’re within the same large realm, though you’re several small realms above me. And think of it like this, fighting me gives you a chance to earn a few more points before the Rising Heroes Tournament ends. Not only that, I’m a divine demon. After the fiasco with your father, you need all the merit you can earn.”

This was an opportunity for both of us to help each other. I would get the fight I wanted, and Lucius could earn some more merit for himself. From the expression on his face, my cousin realized this as well.

“Very well,” he said after a while, “I shall indulge you, Darian. It’s not like I have anything to lose.” He gestured to the grassy plain below us. “We even have the perfect arena.”

After he finished speaking, Lucius descended towards the ground. I let out another laugh and went to follow after him, but Cultivator Byron stopped me.

“Are you sure about this, Cultivator Darian?” He asked. “What if he takes this opportunity to injure or cripple you? He is a disciple of an enemy sect. We can’t trust him.”

I shook my head.

“No,” I said, “Lucius isn’t that kind of person.”

With that, I flew down to join my cousin.

***

A few minutes later, Lucius and I stood in the grassy plain, facing one another. Above us the black void of a sky turned lighter and lighter. A constant wind blew through the area, rustling the grass. I found it peaceful and soothing. Cultivator Bryon stood off to the side, far enough away to not get caught up in our battle. Lucius studied me, still wearing that icy expression of his.

‘Are you sure about this, Darian?’ He asked through telepathy. ‘If this is about helping me, you don’t need to go this far. I already earned enough points to redeem myself in Peak Master Righteous Fury’s eyes.’

‘I’m not doing this for you, Lucius.’ I said, my amusement bleeding through our telepathic link. ‘I meant what I said. It is the battle itself that matters to me. Helping you is incidental to that.’

Lucius paused before responding.

‘I guess the rumors about you becoming a martial idiot are true.’ He said. ‘You were never like this back home.’

I gave him the mental equivalent of a shrug.

‘I was always like this,’ I said, ‘I just never had a chance to discover this side of me until I left Mt. Wind Dance.’ I grinned at him. ‘Now, enough talking. Let’s fight.’

Lucius nodded.

“Very well.” He said, speaking out loud.

Lucius drew his sword from his storage ring. It was a beautiful blade, almost as beautiful as his mother’s sword. It was also a top-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure. A part of me felt envious. I wanted a top-grade magic treasure. Well, perhaps I could buy the materials needed to turn my leather gauntlets into one using spirit enhancement.

I used my Demon Form innate ability and took a stance, one that belonged to the Dancing Fiend fighting style that I developed. Lucius noticed this and nodded, before taking a stance from the Dancing Wind Blade fighting style.

The two of us studied one another for several seconds, before we charged each other at the same time. Unlike with most of my fights, I didn’t rush in straight away. Instead, I decided to be more careful and methodical. I wanted to savor this opportunity.

Lucius and I exchanged a few blows as we probed each other's defenses. My Reading the Flow technique gave me a good idea of how my cousin fought, allowing me to predict his movements to a certain degree. His movements were graceful and nimble. Fighting him felt like fighting the wind, and hitting him proved just as difficult. There were a few times when I thought my fist connected with him, but he moved at the last second and avoided my attack.

Of course, since my fighting style was similar to his, I proved just as difficult to hit. Any blows I couldn’t dodge, I blocked with my leather gauntlets.

After testing one another, we backed off for a moment, before rushing towards another once again. This time, we fought for real. There was no more probing.

Right away, I used Cloudy Steps and activated my Wind-Fire Boots for a burst of speed, to close the distance between us. This seemingly caught Lucius off guard, leaving him wide open. I threw a punch towards him.

However, as I expected, my cousin evaded my attack at the last moment and retaliated with one of his own. Rather than dodge it, I blocked it with my leather gauntlets. Lucius’ strike hit me harder than I expected, forcing me to take a step back. His quick and nimble movements hid a surprising strength.

Lucius seized the initiative and continued to attack me, forcing me on the back foot. I dodged or blocked all of them, but he pressed me hard enough that I couldn’t retaliate. I considered my options, before I decided to force him back.

I took a deep breath and used Burning Cloud Breath. Heat washed over the area, setting the nearby grass aflame, as a cloud of fire emerged from my mouth. It threatened to envelope Lucius. He dashed backwards, but the cloud of fire chased after him. Rather than continue running, he formed a series of seals with his free hand. A wall of wind formed in front of him, blocking my flames. The two collided, creating a beautiful display.

All of a sudden, my intuition warned me of an impending threat. Reacting on instinct, I twisted my body as an arc of qi slashed through the wall of wind and the cloud of flames, before flying towards me. If I hadn’t moved in time, it would have cut me in half. Another arc followed it, forcing me to dodge once more.

Lucius dashed through the opening he created and swung his sword several times. With each swing, another arc of qi rushed towards me. They moved so fast that I activated my Wind-Fire Boots to avoid each one. I also activated my stone necklace magic treasure and my Armor of the Celestial Warrior innate ability, combining the two. I didn’t know if they would be effective against these arcs of qi, but it was better than nothing.

What were these arcs? Why were they so powerful? Was this a mystic art, or some kind of technique? No. That didn’t seem right. There was something familiar about them. However, before I could ponder it further, Lucius reached me and attacked with unrelenting fury.

The strength of the Dancing Wind Blade fighting style was on full display here. Lucius’ attacks were quick and precise. It proved difficult to evade them, and the only reason I could even try was because of my Wind-Fire Boots, my Reading the Flow technique, and my rudimentary knowledge of Dancing Wind Blade. Otherwise, I would have suffered several injuries already.

I didn’t even try to block Lucius’ attacks. I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. This was because my cousin empowered his sword with… It wasn’t sword intent. It was too powerful for that. No. If my guess was correct, this was the level beyond that: sword qi.

‘Congratulations on mastering sword qi at such a young age, Lucius.’ I said to him through telepathy.

My words were sincere. However, they were also a distraction.

‘Thank you, Darian.’ Lucius said.

As he replied, I used Corrosive Cloud to blanket the area around us with thick, gray smoke. I took this opportunity to disengage from Lucius and used my Cloak of Dusk innate ability to hide from his spirit sense. To my surprise, he didn’t chase after me.

“You’re resorting to dirty tricks now, Darian?” Lucius asked in a cold voice.

I moved around and prepared to ambush him with a surprise attack.

‘Well,’ I said, responding with telepathy, ‘I am a demon.’

Lucius let out a derisive snort.

“Let me show you the difference in strength between us.” He said.

As soon as Lucius finished speaking, a whirlwind exploded out from his position. It blew away and dispersed the gray smoke. Right. I should have known that Corrosive Cloud wouldn’t have worked on a Wind cultivator.

As soon as Lucius saw me, he dashed towards me. Once again, I found myself on the back foot. By this point, I realized that I had little chance of defeating Lucius. He was far more powerful than the other late Foundation Establishment cultivators I faced. Granted, I defeated them using ambushes and surprise attacks. However, I doubted that would have worked on Lucius. I suspected that he was powerful enough to defeat peak Foundation Establishment cultivators with ease.

Did this fill me with disappointment and despair? Absolutely not. Joy filled my entire being. This was what I had wanted, this was what I lived for. As I told Lucius before this battle began, winning or losing didn’t matter to me. It was the battle itself that mattered.

However, even if Lucius was all but guaranteed to win this fight, I was going to make him work for it.

I used Soul Thorn Dagger and attacked Lucius with my spirit sense. His complexion paled and he took a step back. While a part of me was disappointed that my attack didn’t do more damage, it gave me the opening I needed. I used Living Candle, burning my vitality to increase my physical prowess, and launched myself at Lucius.

I used the Frenzied Fiend fighting style, abandoning defense altogether and focusing entirely on offense. Lucius, still disoriented, couldn’t evade as my fist collided with his face. I attacked him over and over again, building momentum with each strike. A savage sound reached my ears and I realized that I was snarling like a beast. I gave him no time to recover. This was my only chance at seizing victory. I couldn’t let up for even a fraction of a second.

My attacks grew so frenzied and fierce, that I even forced Lucius to drop his sword. Hope blossomed in my chest. Maybe I could do it. Maybe I could actually win this fight. As long as I continued to build momentum and kept Lucius from recovering, I had a chance at winning.

However, my hopes were dashed when my intuition warned me of an impending threat. I faced a dilemma. Continue attacking, or avoid the coming threat? In the end, I chose the latter. I moved just as Lucius’ sword attacked me from behind. It was a flying sword. Of course it was. I should have known. That was why Lucius dropped it. Damned sword cultivators.

I put some distance between myself and Lucius. He didn’t attack me right away. Instead, he took a moment to catch his breath and spit out a mouthful of blood. I tried to take advantage of this, but his flying sword slashed at me and forced me back. Oh well. At least I made him bleed.

“You did well, Darian,” Lucius said. “Much better than I expected. However, it’s time to end this.”

With that, his sword split up into seven identical copies of itself. No. Lucius created six flying swords using sword qi. Each one felt as powerful as his original one. In other words, Lucius had multiplied his offensive strength by seven.

I had seen something similar to this when I dueled Cultivator Byron all those years ago. However, that had been a result of a magic treasure. The difference between those flying swords and the ones Lucius created with sword qi was like the difference between the heavens and the earth.

“Congratulations, Darian,” Lucius said, “You are the second person in the Rising Heroes Tournament to force me to use my full strength.”

I snorted.

“Just shut up and finish it.” I said, smiling despite my dire situation.

With a chuckle, I charged towards Lucius. All seven of his flying swords flew towards me. Just as they met my defenses, a flash of white light enveloped me and I moved. A moment later, I found myself back in the plaza in North King City. The Myriad Landscapes Painting hovered in the air above me.

I had been eliminated.

***

After my elimination, one of the tournament organizers brought to me to the platform where the other disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect were waiting. The Rising Heroes Tournament ended a few minutes later, just as the sun peaked over the horizon and dawn arrived. The remaining participants were teleported out of the Myriad Landscapes Painting.

I did a quick head count and saw that less than fifty people had made it all the way to the end, including Cultivator Byron. Most of them belonged to one of the Seven Great Northern Sects. The rest came from other sects, or were rogue cultivators. To my amusement, Cultivator Byron was the only one in early Foundation Establishment.

“Excellent!” The North King called out.

We all looked towards him and found him standing at the edge of his platform, looking down at the participants in the plaza down below.

“That was far more entertaining than I could have ever hoped for!” The North King said. “Congratulations to those of you who lasted until the end! Be proud of yourselves for succeeding where so many others have failed.”

All of the participants in the plaza down below saluted him.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” They shouted in unison.

The North King waved his hand. The Myriad Landscapes Painting shrunk and furled itself, before flying over and landing in the North King’s grasp. He placed it in his storage ring.

“Now that the Rising Heroes Tournament is over and done with,” he said, “Let us tally up the points and see everyone’s rankings. Stand clear of the center if you don’t want to be crushed.”

The North King then pulled a miniature jade stele out of his storage ring and tossed it towards the center of the plaza. The participants there scrambled out of the way. The jade stele grew in size until it was dozens of feet tall and almost as wide. It landed in the center of the plaza with a tremendous thud.

Hundreds of names, all written in glowing white characters, appeared on the jade stele’s surface. I realized that these belonged to the cultivators who participated in the Rising Heroes Tournament. The names were organized by the participants’ rank.

A cacophony of noise washed over the plaza as everyone reacted to the results of the Rising Heroes Tournament. Some cheered with joy, some wailed with disappointment, some yelled in anger, and so on.

I looked for my name. A smile stretched across my face when I realized that I was ranked twenty fourth. Cultivator Byron was ranked twenty fifth.

Yes! I had done it! I had achieved my goal! My happiness and excitement washed away any lingering traces of disappointment I felt from losing to Lucius. I basked in the glow for a few more seconds, before I began planning for the next Rising Heroes Tournament. Now that I had achieved one goal, I needed another one. In the next tournament, I planned on ranking within the top ten. No. That wasn’t enough. I planned on winning the next Rising Heroes Tournament.

Speaking of which, I looked at the top of the list, to see who ranked first for this Rising Heroes Tournament. My jaw dropped when I saw Lucius’ name. My cousin had won the Rising Heroes Tournament!

I wanted to rush over and embrace him, but I held myself back. Our respective sects were hostile to one another, so we needed to pretend to be on bad terms with one another. I doubt anyone believed it, but we needed to keep up the pretense. Rushing over and hugging him would ruin that.

I checked the list again, to see how everyone else fared. All of my friends and loved ones ranked within the top one hundred, such as Willow, Harlow, and Sister Jasmine, as well as Cultivator Vivian and Cultivator Aneira. Seeing this filled me with so much joy that I felt like I would burst. I was happy for them, though I also felt a little regretful. If I had run into one of them instead of Cultivator Byron, perhaps they would have ranked in the top twenty five with me.

I had no illusions about my ranking. The Rising Heroes Tournament proved more difficult than I expected. If I hadn’t teamed up with Cultivator Byron, I wouldn’t have made it that far. I resolved to rectify this in the next Rising Heroes Tournament. Perhaps it was pride and arrogance on my part, but I wanted to succeed through my own efforts instead of relying on others. Rather, I wanted to prove that I didn’t need another’s help, even if I welcomed it.

The North King gestured for silence. After everyone became quiet, he spoke up again.

“I will host a feast in my palace tonight,” he said, “To celebrate and honor those who performed well in this iteration of the Rising Heroes Tournament. All the sect leaders, elders, and other prominent cultivators in the Northern Region are invited. The participants who ranked within the top one hundred are invited as well.”

People started cheering. A feast hosted by the North King was bound to be a magnificent event. Those who ranked within the top one hundred beamed with joy, myself included, while their peers looked at them in awe and envy.

After a while, the flying barges that brought everyone to the plaza arrived to bring them back to their respective residences. In the ensuing chaos, I reunited with my friends and loved ones. Now that the tournament was over, there was no need to separate the participants from everyone else.

Ellen pulled Willow and myself into a hug. We must have made for an amusing sight, since my second wife and I were much larger than her.

“Congratulations!” Ellen said after she pulled away. “I’m proud of you both!”

My cheeks heated up at her praise, and I let out an embarrassed chuckle. I wasn’t the only one. Willow wore a bashful expression on her face.

“Let me give you a reward for your hard work.” Ellen said.

She kissed us both on the cheek. Harlow, who stood right next to us, wore an envious expression on her face.

“What about me, Big Sis Ellen?” She said, stomping her foot.

Ellen smiled at her before, pulling Harlow into a hug.

“I’m proud of you as well, Little Sis Harlow.” She said.

She went to kiss Harlow on the cheek, but I stopped her with a telepathic message. When I informed her of my intentions, a wicked grin spread across her face and she nodded.

“Here is your reward.” I said.

With that, I kissed her on the cheek. When I pulled away, Harlow gaped at me with her jaw hanging open, before her entire face turned bright red.

“Shameless lecher!” She yelled, hitting my chest over and over again.

She didn’t put any strength into strikes, so they didn’t hurt. I grinned, before I pulled her into an embrace.

“Aw, no need to be shy.” I said. “This is going to happen more often in the future, so you should get used to it.”

Harlow stiffened for a moment, before she relaxed and returned the embrace.

“You better take responsibility,” she said in a quiet voice, “Otherwise, I’ll use a poison to make you impotent.”

I kissed the top of her head.

“I promise.” I said.

The rest of the journey back to Divine Beast Palace passed by without incident. Excited chatter filled the air as everyone recounted what happened during the Rising Heroes Tournament. All in all, everyone was in a festive mood.

As my loved ones and I made our way back to my courtyard within Dragon Palace, a lot of people tried to come up and talk with us. Willow, Harlow, and myself all performed well during the Rising Heroes Tournament, so several people wanted to use this opportunity to forge a connection with us.

However, we ignored them. None of us wanted to deal with sycophants and opportunists. Was it arrogant and standoffish of us? Perhaps. However, we were tired and just wanted to get some rest before attending the feast tonight.

To my relief, the people pestering us gave up after a while and focused on the other participants who ranked within the top one hundred, especially those in the top ten. When my loved ones and I reached my courtyard in Dragon Palace, we rushed to clean ourselves before heading off to bed. Spending an entire day fighting left us dirty and grimy.

An hour later, I found myself in bed with Ellen and Willow on either side of me. Both were fast asleep. However, I remained awake. For some reason, I couldn’t fall asleep despite my exhaustion. It didn’t help that it was still morning. I found this annoying. While I could go days without sleep, I would rather not.

In the end, I decided to take a walk. Perhaps that would help with my bout of insomnia. I got out of bed, taking care not to disturb Ellen and Willow, before leaving my bedroom. However, the moment I closed the door behind me, I heard Big Sis Sidra’s voice in my head.

‘Darian,’ she said, ‘Come to my courtyard. We have an important matter to discuss.’

I frowned, before I nodded and headed over. I couldn’t sleep anyway, so I figured I might as well see what she wanted from me.