Emperor's Reckoning

A day had gone by and the preliminaries of the tournament came to their first dawn. The various powerful cultivator was already filling up the city where it was held.

"Ah, hey, you came."

"Of course I came, I want to make some money."

The cultivators chit-chat amongst their groups as they walked. The city was as expected bustling. Many merchants had stood guard on the sides of their stands and some behind them. Their goods were on display and it was put up with a competing price.

On the second floor of an inn, a young man with red hair was seen looking at the hustle-bustle from the window.

"Hah," Zet let out a sigh. "Where is grandfather anyway?"

*Creak!

Zet raised both of his eyebrows before he turned around and watched a figure entering his room. "Father, did you find grandfather yet?"

The middle-aged man shook his head. "Maybe he forgot about it."

"Hah~ no way, that's impossible," said Zet as he narrowed his eyes against his father's sarcasm.

The middle-aged man smiled, "Well anyway, let's go for a bit of a stroll before going to the preliminaries. Maybe we found something that could help you."

"I doubt it though, Irae is the only one I need," said Zet before approaching his father. "Let's go."

The middle-aged man smiled before shaking his head. "Fine, whatever you want."

Zet left the room first before his father followed behind him. The latter had his eyes turned sharp and vigilant at all times. (Something must have happened last night, I see the hints of blood but no corpses right in front of the tower).

He contemplated as he walked. (The locals that I asked also refused to answer for some reason. However, the fright from their face was apparent, I have a bad feeling about this).

"Ah, that's big sister Ivy," muttered Zet as he caught a glimpse of the icy beauty. (Hmm, he seemed to be talking with a friend).

"Beautiful, you seem to be alone in this area, are you going to join the preliminaries too?" said the haughty man in front of her.

Ivy narrowed her eyes with a scowled face. She didn't reply before turning around and walking away.

"Tch! Don't be so mean now," said the man before he tried to reach out her hand.

*Crack!

The man suddenly found his entire hand frozen. The feeling of the cold soon turned into a burning sensation as the nerve systems inside his hand crumpled to a grotesque degree.

Ivy didn't spare a glance before the man suddenly wailed.

"Ah! You bitch! AAAH!" the man was causing a scene but the woman in question already disappeared from their eyes.

(Oof!) thought Zet as he looked at the condition of that man's hand. "That hand turned black in a matter of seconds, talk about cold."

"Hmmm, she disappeared," muttered the middle-aged man. "She has trained the Yuki art to that degree. Amazing."

"Of course father, she was eleventh in the last tournament."

"I know," answered Zet's father.

"Ah, Zet and Master Verdu, I'm glad to see you here."

Zet raised his eyebrows before his eyes dilated, "Big brother Porealus!"

The noble had arrived alone in Heaven with no elders just like Ivy.

Back in the Mortal World, they would have caused a scene just from meeting each other, but in this First Layer of Heaven, they were nothing worthy of mention.

"I'm glad to see you fine as well, Porealus," said Verdu as he smiled.

"Did you come here alone?" asked Zet.

Porealus nodded before he shrugged, "I don't know though, that old geezer might come and watch."

Verdu immediately furrowed his eyebrows but it went unnoticed.

Zet sighed, "My grandfather too."

Whilst the two of them chatted with each other. Verdu was contemplating (With the emergency meeting held after we went here, there would be a good chance that they came here together. Even the matriarch of the Yuki clan)

---

Inside a grand private lounge. An old man was sitting cross-legged with his sword resting on top of his thighs. His eyes were closed as his back was basked by the radiant sun.

Carius was sitting on a sofa with his arms crossed. One of his feet was slapping against the carpet as he crossed his arms. The impatience was apparent, even more with the click of his tongue. He was heaving up and down but the calm never came.

The matriarch of the Yuki clan looked through the view of the city from the window. Her beauty was covered by the thick veils but her mind was currently occupied by thick clouds.

(What does Hezar want?) thought the matriarch. She could vividly remember the corpses from in front of the tower.

The door to the lounge opened before a middle-aged man revealed himself. "I hope you enjoy the lunch that we provided?"

"Enough pleasantries, what is your goal?" asked Carius as he stood up and faced Hezar.

Hezar smiled in response. "What do you mean?"

"Tch!" Carius sat back down. There was no way to dig out more information if the opponent was looping the conversation over and over again.

Hezar then took a glance against the matriarch before he furrowed his eyebrows and smiled. "You seem to be the most cool-headed of the three."

Hezar took a seat opposite of hers but the matriarch kept looking at the window despite Hezar's attempt to catch her attention.

He snorted, "Well, you seem to have contemplated your situation. Let me hear it, if you guess right, I will spill my intention."

The matriarch finally turned her glance against him.

Hezar pouted his lips as he furrowed his eyebrows. He clicked his tongue before he commented, "You must be a great beauty under that veil, even for a Mortal."

The matriarch neither smiled nor nodded.

"Cold," said Hezar before he poured a drink against her empty glass.

"You killed those people, why?" asked the matriarch.

"I said that I will spill if you get it right, I won't answer a question," Hezar smirked.

"Those people are from our world, they keep guard against the tower."

"Then?" said Hezar before he snorted with a smirk.

The matriarch furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes turned sharp.

"Oo~ So scary," said Hezar with a sarcastic tone. "You killing intent is lacking lady, haha."

The matriarch was silent. She closed her eyes before she turned her glance against the city beyond the window.

"Are you holding us as a hostage?" muttered the matriarch.

"That's plain and obvious, isn't it," said Hezar.

"But for what? Why did you treat us this nicely despite being your hostages."

Hezar laughed. "Ha, hahaha!"

His laugh was reverberating as the matriarch and Carius furrowed their eyebrows.

"Hah~ the preliminaries are going to be held soon, you can get a nice view from here," said Hezar before continuing, "That disciple of yours is going to compete right? The last time she did wonderfully but not just quite the capabilities to enter the top ten."

The matriarch didn't answer him.

"Yours too, and yours too," said Hezar as he pointed against Carius and the meditating Tael.

"Does my hostage status has anything to do with that fact?" asked the matriarch.

"Hehe, you're half correct there," said Hezar.

"Then spill the beans as you said," replied the matriarch.

"Hahaha, sorry, but no," said Hezar as he shook his head.

"Figures," the matriarch snorted.

Hezar didn't mind her attitude at all. He put his hands against the table before pushing himself to a stand. "Well, enjoy the preliminaries show, though it's going to be boring I suppose. Your disciple will win no doubt, and the other two too. Really, it's that all your Mortal World could bring up?"

His demeaning words were ended with his own sigh before he turned and headed toward the door.

"Oh right, I will head on first, you can enjoy the preliminaries then I will pick you up to the real tournament."

The door was closed with a slam.

"Tch! That bastard!" muttered Carius as the veins in his forearms bulged. He knew he was powerless, he knew they were powerless. The amount of effort needed for them to destroy his loved ones was too little.

"Calm down, my friend," said Tael before he opened his narrowed eyes.

"Hmph!" Carius refused to comment as he sat back down.

The matriarch of the Yuki clan suddenly said, "He already predicted that the three of them would pass the preliminaries, he must be referring to something going on in the main one."

"Half right," answered Tael.

"Hm?" The matriarch raised one of her eyebrows. "What do you mean half?"

"He was predicting that there would only be three 'Mortals' that will be passing the preliminaries," said Tael.

The matriarch opened her eyes wide before her lips under the veil smiled. "I see, so the appearance of another one will likely hinder their goals."

Carius shook his head, "We wouldn't know how much will it shake their paths against their goal."

Tael smiled, "We wouldn't know for sure," He grinned. "But.. the fourth one will tremble their knees!"

---

"Heh," the young man smirked. "Let's go!"

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