Chapter 10: The Price of Coveting a Dragon

The street had turned into chaos at the moment the Foundation Establishment cultivator made his move.

His hand had moved to grab the weapon at his waist and it had come out with an accompanying sound of tearing silk, spiritual energy twisting around the steel which caused the air around it to ripple. He had pushed forward and the sword had aimed at Ao Kuiba’s throat, a forcefull strike that could have pierced a city wall.

Ao Kuiba had tilted his head.

The blade had passed beside his cheek, a few strands of his silver hair falling to the ground.

The cultivator’s eyes had widened at this, he had moved at full power, his attack had been flawless and yet-

And yet this bastard had tilted his head.

Ao Kuiba’s hand had shot out and grabbed the cultivator’s wrist.

The cultivator had pulled away but found that he couldn’t, the grip held firm as iron bands.

CRACK!

The sound of grinding bones echoed through the street.

The cultivator’s face was one of unadulterated pain as Ao Kuiba gave his ribs a hard kick to the stomach with the force of a falling mountain.

BOOOOOOM!

The Foundation Establishment cultivator had flown backwards like a stone shot from a sling, his body crashing right through the wooden wall of a shop, the building collapsing around him in a explosion of splinters and debris.

Screams had erupted from the crowd as merchants dropped their goods and rushed away, cultivators who had stood from the safety of the shadows either ran away or stepped back to watch the scene unfold.

Ao Kuiba stood there, the same expression on his face as when he had simply smacked a fly from his path earlier.

The Qi Condensation cultivator made his move next.

He was fast, faster than anything an ordinary man could follow, appearing behind Ao Kuiba with a short blade appearing in his hand as he slashed towards Ao Kuiba’s neck.

It was made of jade, a dagger with fine spiritual energy humming along the edge, but it was fast, it was sharp and it would have split Ao Kuiba’s head open if the latter hadn’t leaned back.

The edge of the blade had passed over Ao Kuiba’s throat, the spiritual energy strong enough to slice through flesh if it had been closer.

But Ao Kuiba was not any ordinary man.

Before the cultivator could think, Ao Kuiba had grabbed hold of the man’s sleeve and thrown him forward.

Ao Kuiba’s elbow met the man’s face.

BANNNNG!

Blood erupted from the Qi Condensation cultivator’s nose and mouth as he stumbled back, his head snapping back before he flew forward with Ao Kuiba grabbing a hold of his collar to toss him on the stone pavement.

CRAAAAASH!

The ground cracked where he landed, fractures spreading in all directions as he bounced before finally coming to rest in a pile of unconsciousness.

The mortal looked on in horror as his face had turned grey.

He turned and ran.

Ao Kuiba glanced at the retreating figure before not giving chase, there was no need.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator stood up from the broken building he had landed in, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth, his right arm hanging uselessly at his side, eyes filled with a mix of anger and disbelief.

"You... you..."

Ao Kuiba stood there, his silver hair flowing in the evening breeze as his golden eyes looked at the man before him.

The cultivator gritted his teeth and raised his sword with his left hand, spiritual energy swirling around it, the air distorting around it with bursts of blue-whit lights.

"You forced me to use this," the cultivator snarled as he swung, his blade carving a crescent shape of spiritual energy which tore across the street and into the buildings behind Ao Kuiba.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Stone walls crumbled and glass shattered as a large cloud of dust and debris consumed the square.

The cultivator made his move again, cutting with one slash, then another and another, each time aiming at Ao Kuiba’s vital points, his attacks faster and more precise, each one a slash of spiritual energy in the shape of a crescent, aimed at the man’s throat, heart, head, waist- all vital points that, if cut, would end Ao Kuiba’s life.

Ao Kuiba moved through the onslaught with the grace of smoke flowing through a net, each time barely avoiding the attack, the slashes carving deep trenches into the street behind him.

The cultivator’s breathing was getting heavy, his attacks becoming faster, more desperate, his spiritual energy flickering.

Ao Kuiba’s face was impassive as he watched the man’s every move, studying his every weakness.

And then the cultivator lunged forward with all his might.

"HEAVENLY FLAME THRUST!"

His sword erupted in spiritual fire, transforming into a lance as it shot forward in Ao Kuiba’s direction.

Ao Kuiba stepped into the attack, the blade stopping right in front of him before the spiritual fire winked out of existence.

The cultivator looked on, surprised as Ao Kuiba’s hand had wrapped around his blade.

Ao Kuiba looked down at the blade before looking up at the cultivator.

"You’ve shown me all you’ve got."

His fingers tightened around the blade, cracks forming before suddenly it shattered, shards of metal and spiritual energy exploding outwards, forcing the cultivator to step back in shock.

Ao Kuiba moved forward, grabbing the cultivator’s left wrist before spinning him around, throwing him into the side of a building with such force that the stone cratered inwards.

Before the cultivator could recover, Ao Kuiba was right in his face, a fist connecting with his chest, sending a shockwave of force through the air and causing the man’s eyes to bulge out of their sockets.

Ao Kuiba grabbed the cultivator by his throat before throwing him back onto the ground, the man’s legs kicking uselessly in mid-air.

"Who sent you?"

The cultivator clenched his teeth, blood trickling down his lips but refusing to answer.

Ao Kuiba looked at him, his golden eyes cold.

"You have courage."

He tightened his grip slightly.

"But courage without strength is only inconvenience."

Ao Kuiba threw the man to the ground and the latter coughed, sputtering.

The mortal who had tried to run away had been stopped by some bystanders who had decided it would be safer if he didn’t.

Ao Kuiba looked at him.

His legs were shaking.

"Please... please, I was just... I was paid to follow..."

"I know."

Ao Kuiba walked past the man and the latter almost collapsed from relief.

Ao Kuiba stopped beside the injured Qi Condensation cultivator, the man’s face bloodied and scared.

"You."

The cultivator flinched at his stare.

"Who hired you?"

"I... I don’t know! We were just given orders from above. A representative from the Chamber-he gave us the assignment and paid us in spirit stones. I never saw his face!"

Ao Kuiba turned to look at the Foundation Establishment cultivator who was wheezing, one hand clutching the broken bones on his chest.

Ao Kuiba crouched beside him.

"You followed me for half an hour. You knew just where I would be going. You had a plan."

The cultivator said nothing.

Ao Kuiba picked up one of the broken fragments from the cultivator’s broken sword and toyed with it in his hands.

"By now, I believe you’ve understood something."

He looked up to meet the man’s eyes.

"I am not someone who can be pushed."

The cultivator finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper.

"The Black River Chamber."

Ao Kuiba’s eyes narrowed.

"The entire organization?"

"No."

The man shook his head, his voice weak.

"A branch representative. Someone with authority. He wanted to know who had purchased the Void Crystal. He wanted to know if you were connected to any major power. We were supposed to be... discreet."

"And yet you attacked me."

The cultivator’s face twisted in anger.

"You saw us following! You knew we were there. We thought-"

"You thought a Foundation Establishment cultivator and two followers could intimidate me."

The man said nothing.

Ao Kuiba stood.

"Go back."

The cultivator blinked up at him.

"Go back and tell whoever hired you that the Void Crystal is mine."

Ao Kuiba glanced over his shoulder.

"If they want it, they can come and ask me themselves."

Then he walked away, no one daring to stop him.

---

The street had grown silent as Ao Kuiba disappeared around a corner.

The three attackers lay there, broken both in mind and body.

Merchants stepped out from their hiding places, looking at the damage in their shops.

Cultivators whispered amongst themselves, their eyes wide with shock.

He had broken a Foundation Establishment cultivator with his bare hands.

No techniques, no weapon, not even spiritual energy.

Who is he?

The rumors would spread through Azure Cloud City by morning.

---

On the roof of a distant building, a woman stood, watching the incident unfold.

Her violet robes fluttered in the evening breeze as her long black hair swung behind her.

Curiosity danced in her eyes, not of fear or adoration or desire but only of simple intrigue.

She had seen many a battle in her lifetime, seen cultivators perform feats that made her wonder if they were gods themselves.

But none had fought like this, wasting no energy, no strength but striking down his enemy with raw power.

"Interesting," she murmured, glancing down at the broken fragments of the cultivator’s broken sword that littered the street.

"A dragon."

She had heard stories, tales of creatures who had scales and claws, beasts that could take the form of men, but they had all been long extinct in the Azure Heaven Realm, forgotten and only spoken of in legends.

But here was one, walking around in the Azure Cloud City like it was his own home.

"Who exactly are you?"