The Dawn of the New World

And just like that it all came together. Everything started making sense.

They couldn't just outright kill him since he was one of the protectors, and he wasn't weak enough to die to just anyone. They needed a valid reason, one that would hold up later on once they returned to the Beast World and Ryfon (the Elf Prince) would come asking questions.

'A battle to the death...is that even a real tradition? No, it doesn't matter. They can just claim it is and I can't say anything about it since I don't have enough information either way.'

Hao Xuan's mind raced as a myriad of thoughts passed through but to his surprise, Dai Zhi spoke up a moment later in his defense.

"I agree with Brother Stasa but brother Hao Xuan is neither a direct servant nor someone related to my family.. It would not be right to ask him for such a thing- No, I will not allow it even if agrees. How about a simple battle to test each other's skills instead?"

After a brief moment of silence that took everyone by surprise, the crowd erupted in cheer.

"Lord Dai Zhi's benevolence is boundless!"

"How could he still be thinking about others at such a time? Surely he is a saint!"

"Mhm. Especially if you consider something is going on between the Princess that guy. He still wants to give him a chance and won't hurt him needlessly. Truly a great man."

Even the other cultivators could not help but praise him but Hao Xuan's expression only soured at the thought. There was absolutely no reason for Dai Zhi to help him. He knew how "great" of a relationship they had. Which could mean only one thing.

'He is just covering his ass.'

Dai Zhi gestured for the crowd to calm down before continuing.

"It will not be a battle to the death. I do not want to see my brothers needlessly spilling each other's blood. Instead, it will be a simple match to test one's skills and strengths. I will even allow Brother Hao Xuan to choose any other protector to battle if he feels like brother Stasa is not an appropriate match."

Another round of applause ignited before he could even sit down. But Hao Xuan was anything but happy. In the eyes of the crowd, Dai Zhi was giving him all these options but in the end, it was still him who had to fight.

'There is more to it. There is no way this is all they have planned.'

The other protectors including Xue Meng who had shown zero interest in anything other than wine all looked in his direction. Hao Xuan could only sigh inwardly at this. He glanced towards the Abysswalker who was looking right at him with a half-smile.

It looked like he was watching TV.

'So I have to choose someone. Should I just leave now without risking anything?'

It was a very good idea at this point in time. He still had somewhere between 5-10 minutes left to use the internal gateway one more time.

But he still wanted to see what they had prepared. It gave him an uneasy feeling not knowing what they were panning.

Others aside, Xue Meng was not an option. Ensis had warned Hao Xuan to not fight him and he wasn't going to ignore such good advice.

Dima, well he seemed like the weakest among all the protectors but Hao Xuan had no problem with him. They hadn't even had a real conversation. And since he was the first protector of the Temple he probably wasn't chosen without a reason.

Hao Xuan could tell at a single glance that Feng Huang was not even human. There was occasionally a shadow behind him of a large bird of prey which was probably his true form. Hao Xuan's beastly instincts told him that he might be the worst match for him out of everyone here.

Tian Zheng was the groom so he probably wouldn't fight but even if he did, Hao Xuan knew almost nothing about his powers and abilities. Going against someone like that was absolutely stupid, not to mention he was also the first protector of the Hall.

After going through each one, Stasa did indeed appear to be the 'safest' option. Hao Xuan knew he was a sword cultivator through and through. Their powers couldn't be that far away from each other and Hao Xuan was confident in his ability to at least survive.

And yet, that uncomfortable jittery feeling resonating within his heart did not go away.

Hao Xuan took in a deep breath and decided to use his 'secret weapon'. The one ability that would guarantee his safety above all else while still allowing him to be as reckless as possible.

A surge of Qi blew through his meridians one after another and reached his head where it entered the four-leafed clover pattern on his brain. One of the leaves shrunk and the two pearls resting on it shattered, creating a bubble of yellow temporal energy. (Same ability mentioned in CH 704 and used in 753).