The Dawn of the New World

With the sound of hushed murmurs, Hao Xuan was brought back to the present where he found himself to be the center of attention. Ceni was staring directly at him right in front of everyone and people were beginning to talk.

Dai Zhi cleared his throat and brought the attention back to himself.

"Please help me by welcoming the bride to be!"

One person stood up as a sign of respect and others followed suit, forcing Hao Xuan to join in as well. One of the female came forward and whispered something in Princess Ceni's ears. What little light of hope she had was instantly squashed by a few sentences and from her.

With a lowered head she walked to the top row and sat down on the empty chair beside Tian Zheng.

Tian Zheng looked her up and down, his lecherous gaze undressing her on the spot thinking of all the 'fun' he was going to have with her but then his mood suddenly soured as he glanced towards Hao Xuan.

His intentions were pretty clear.. He looked over to where all the cultivators from the Hall were sitting and nodded towards one of the men in the back seat.

The man stood up and quietly walked over to one of the main staircases, disappearing within it. Dai Zhi was watching it all unfold from the corner of his eye and his smile only brightened at the thought of witnessing what he had planned.

The ceremony continued where Dai Zhi said a few customary words, gave his blessing to the 'couple' and finally introduced the Abysswalker as an 'inquisitor of the Church of the Sacred light.

The crowd of the natives sitting around the colosseum went wild when he was revealed on the hologram but many of the individuals seated within the domed hall were stricken with fear.

To the uneducated natives he might just be someone high up from the Church but most of the cultivators from the Beast World knew what kind of an existence an inquisitor really was. Even an ordinary one held a great amount of power within the Church, both personally and officially, as an agent of the Holy Light.

They all turned to him and bowed from the waist before taking their seats. But it was probably Tian Zheng that was most surprised out of everyone present. He threw a foul side-eye Dai Zhi's way before unwittingly releasing the half-nude women from his embrace.

The celebrations continued with various people standing up and saying a few words to Dai Zhi or Princess Ceni, a few even giving gifts and presents ranging from live humans and beasts to rare items they had found along the way.

But Hao Xuan was completely zoned out, lost in deep thought. What he saw, it was definitely Princess Ceni's past.

'These events, are they like turning points in a person's life? What made them into the people they are today, is that what I am seeing? If that's the case...it would certainly explain a few things.'

His gaze drifted towards Princess Ceni who was staring at her feet with an empty look in her eyes. She seemed so lost and out of place amidst the cheerful atmosphere.

And all Hao Xuan could see was that little girl sleeping in the embrace of snowmen trying to see what it felt like.

'For god sake. I thought my childhood was fucked up but...damn. And that mother of hers, talk about evil. Who says that to their own child? Fucking psychopath. No wonder she is so hell-bent on finding someone that loves her, I don't think she has ever had someone say that to her.'

The more he thought about it the more his opinion of her changed.

'To have not even met your parents until you were 9 years old and then going through all that in one night, I'm surprised she isn't more fucked up, god knows she has every right to be. And I can't even imagine what she went through after that but it couldn't possibly have been any better.'

Hao Xuan saw her in a completely different light and all of a sudden she didn't seem like such a bad person anymore.

But while he was lost in thought the fights continued on the colosseum grounds with more and more people being either thrown to hungry beasts with some broken weapons or fighting amongst themselves.

Whenever there was a loud cheer Hao Xuan would stir awake. He tried to stay relaxed as much as he could in such a situation but his nerves got the better of him as time went on. All he could think about was what Dai Zhi had planned.

Approximately ten minutes later Hao Xuan felt a surge of sharp prickling sensation aimed towards him. It only took him a single superficial glance to find who it was coming from.

Stasa was staring daggers at him from across the hall. Pangs of unconcealed killing intent were gushing out of him. When Hao Xuan met his gaze he could actually feel the cold steel of a sword resting against his throat.

This was the strongest sensation of killing intent he had ever felt, almost at the stage of physical manifestation.

Lips curled towards the sky, he stood up with a contemptuous smile while looking Hao Xuan dead in the eyes. As he raised his glass most of the crowd settled down. He directed his gaze towards Tian Zheng.

"My blessings to the couple," and raised a glass. Everyone other than Hao Xuan, the Abysswalker, and Feng Huang responded in kind and reciprocated.

The hologram suddenly turned towards him and the rest of the colosseum quietened down as well.

"This is an event worthy of all the grandeur that it deserves. But as great as the hospitality of brother Dai Zhi is, we must not forgo the traditions of our ancestors for temporary comfort. For it is customary for any ceremony such as this that there be a show of skills from both sides. To not only start their new lives with some excitement but also set a precedent for what the couple can expect in the future."

"And what better way is there to display one's skills than a good old-fashioned battle to the death!"

The crowd suddenly erupted in gaiety. The level of unparalleled acclamation was only rivaled by their own lust for blood.

Stasa looked towards Dai Zhi.

"Since brother Dai Zhi is the closest family member, it would normally fall on your shoulders to participate but since you are not only the host of the ceremony but also the leader of this expedition, someone of note under you must take your place."

"And since brother Feng Huang is not from our continent, the same rules do not apply to him. Which leaves only...one," Stasa's gaze slowly shifted towards Hao Xuan, the remains of that pleasant smile turning into a vicious grin.

"And from brother Tian Zheng's side, I volunteer."