Chương 298: Life Realm VS Stellar Realm

Seeing my master here gave me a sense of relief that was difficult to describe in words. How long had it been since I last saw him, week or months? With all the world-walking and time loop nonsense, I couldn't be certain. All I remember, was giving him a demonstration of the blue sun energy and him abruptly entering closed door cultivation. I could still recall the look in his eyes – alarm, stress, maybe even a hint of fear. Well, whatever it was, I couldn't be happier to see him.

"Chen Yong," the City Lord frowned, his words carried a tinge of disdain.

"It isn't like you to leave the sect."

"Just happened to be in the neighborhood," my master shrugged.

"Thought I'd check up on my disciple. Imagine my surprise to not only find him being bullied by those from the elder generation, but by the City Lord himself." A look of disgust appeared on his face.

"Shameful behavior, if you ask me." The City Lord's mouth tightened almost imperceptibly but he didn't reply. Taking advantage of the younger generation was widely frowned upon in the cultivation world. News of this incident would spread and affect his reputation, and for a man like Jiang Tianhong, reputation was worth killing for.

"One face in front of the elders, and another in front of the juniors," Elder Chen Yong continued, targeting the Stellar Realm cultivator's hypocrisy.

"The way of the world, I suppose."

"That is enough," the City Lord snapped.

"I don't enjoy bullying others, Chen Yong. If it hadn't been for certain circumstances, I wouldn't need to resort to this." He then glanced at me.

"I must admit your disciple's accomplishments in obtaining the Moonlit Dew Flower is impressive, noteworthy even, but the outcome remains unchanged. The flower must come with me." The two powerful cultivators then stared at each other, neither willing to back down as the air between them charged with tension.

"Master," Azure warned silently.

"This is bad, very bad."

"What do you mean bad?" I asked mentally.

"The City Lord might be at the Peak of Stellar Realm, but he is just that - a Stellar Realm cultivator. Master is at the Life Realm." The gaps between each cultivation realm only grew as you ascend the ranks. It would take perhaps half a dozen to a dozen Peak Stellar Realm cultivators to fight on equal footing against an Early Life Realm cultivator. This was going to be a one-sided bloodbath, and I was eager to watch.

"Take a look at the ground beneath the City Lord's feet," Azure replied. I glanced down to see what Azure was referring to. From where the City Lord stood, thin lines of golden energy were spreading outwards, seeping into the earth, forming intricate patterns that reminded me of city streets viewed from above.

"He is drawing power from the city," Azure explained.

"It will likely multiply the power of his domain." That wasn't good news. A domain was one of the most powerful abilities available to high-level cultivators. It was a manifestation of their understanding of the Dao, which they were able to enforce onto reality. The stronger their comprehension, the greater their control within that space. Techniques to amplify domains were rare and usually came with their own set of limitations.

This likely explained why the City Lord rarely left his territory, and why the sects gave him respect they typically wouldn't give to a mere Stellar Realm cultivator. And it seemed that despite being so far away from the city centre, we were still within what was considered his territory. The realization made my blood run cold. Master Chen Yong wouldn't be fighting against a mere Peak Stellar Realm cultivator, but against the power of Wuqi City itself.

As if reading my thoughts, Elder Chen Yong's eyes flickered briefly to the golden lines, which continued to spread. He sighed, taking a sip from his gourd.

"I see you're still as territorial as ever, Jiang Tianhong," he murmured, making a broad gesture with his gourd that sloshed wine over the rim.

"Though, I do think you're forgetting something here. You might have the power of a Life Realm expert, but you're far from the real thing." With that, the elder flicked his sleeve towards us, sending a gust of wind to envelop me, Liu Chang and Su Yue. The world blurred, and the next moment we found ourselves standing several hundred metres away on a small hill overlooking the clearing. Mo Xing had been transported near us as well, though, there was no sign of the arrogance from before.

The City Lord's paralysis technique still held him in place, but it didn't stop him from cursing his fate. The irony didn't escape me – a cultivator whose cultivation depended on predicting fate had been unable to foresee the titanic confrontation that was about to unfold before us. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Oh, thank the heavens," Su Yue breathed beside me, her voice trembled a little.

"If your master didn't arrive when he did…" The implication hung in the air.

"How come you didn't tell us that you were the disciple of a Life Realm cultivator," Liu Chang asked, confusion evident in his expression. I understood immediately what he was asking. Usually, it was only after entering the inner sect would a Life Realm cultivator take you in as their personal disciple. While Elder Chen Yong may have taught me everything I knew about formations, he had yet to officially take me in as his personal disciple.

"The situation is…complicated," I replied carefully. Liu Chang nodded, not pressing any further.

"The question is…" he started, "would your master be able to defeat a Stellar Realm cultivator powered by a whole city…" It didn't surprise me that Liu Chang picked up on the reality of the situation, he was quite perceptive and likely had a good future ahead of him. But there was nothing for me to say, so I fixed my eyes on the two figures in the clearing below.

The golden lines that represented the City Lord's connection to the city had spread further, it now encompassed a circle that was approximately one hundred meters in diameter. As for Elder Chen Yong, he had drawn another gourd from his robes, this one much larger than the first. With a smile of genuine joy on his face, he popped the cork with his thumb and drank deeply. Some of the wine spilled down his chin and onto his robes, but that didn't seem to bother him.

"Elder Chen Yong, a master of the Drunken Immortal style," Liu Chang murmured, watching the display.

"I've heard of the style but never had the opportunity to see it in action."

"It's an extremely rare cultivation path," Su Yue agreed.

"They say the more the cultivator drinks, the stronger they become." Interesting. Despite being a student of the elder, I didn't know much about him personally. All I knew was that under the unbothered mask that the elder portrayed, there was a man who not only looked out for younger disciples, but even cared about the small motes of life that had appeared in his inner world. Elder Chen Yong was a kind soul. My thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the City Lord.

"Your actions are preventing me from reaching the Life Realm, Chen Yong," a golden light coalesced around his raised hand.

"I will make you pay for it."

"Shuch grand threatss from someone who was just caught trying to rob children." Elder Chen Yong gestured dismissively, nearly losing his balance before catching himself.

"Go home, Jiang Tian- hic -hong. You're embarrassing yourself. Even the wine spiritss are laughing at your behavior." While the elder might look like a sorry sight with his slurred speech, I knew better than to underestimate him - my master did his best work when drunk. The City Lord clearly didn't enjoy being ridiculed.

"Kneel," he commanded, his face flushed with anger, and perhaps embarrassment. The power of the word caused Elder Chen Yong to stagger slightly, his knees bending before instantly straightening again.

"Impressive!" he laughed.

"That almosst worked on this drunken old man." He took another deep swig from his gourd, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"My turn now, little City Lorrd." The elder's movements suddenly accelerated to a speed that even my qi-enhanced eyes couldn't track.

"Drunken Cloud Step," he called out, his body becoming translucent as he appeared before the City Lord. The Stellar Realm cultivator responded immediately.

"Barrier," he commanded, the air before him solidified into a shimmering golden wall. But it wasn't enough, Elder Chen Yong's misty form simply flowed around the barrier before reforming behind the City Lord. A palm, glowing with a rosy light that reminded me of fermented rice wine, struck the City Lord straight in the middle of his back.

"Drunken Immortal's Caressss," the elder whispered into Jiang Tianhong's ear. The City Lord's eyes widened as the rosy light penetrated his body.

"Reject," he countered, causing a pulse of golden energy to erupt from his body in all directions, forcing the rosy light out. The clash of lights sounded like a massive bell being struck, shockwaves ripped outwards, flattening the grass for a hundred metres in every direction. Even from our distant vantage point, I felt it wash over me, carrying with it the conflicting scents of wine and what smelled like ancient stone.

When the two cultivators parted, neither showed any signs of injury, but Elder Chen Yong's eyes narrowed, a look of contemplation on his face.

"You're able to tap into a signific-ficant amount off the city'sss essence even here," he observed.

"Im-impressive control, hic. The Jade Emperor would be proud of his little administrator."

"If we were at the city centre, there would be no question who walks away from this battle," Jiang Tianhong sneered.

"You should count yourself lucky, Chen Yong."

"It's a fine trick," the elder nodded thoughtfully, taking another drink.

"Allowws a Shhtellar Realm cultivator like yourself to fight at the level of a Life Realm expert." He wiped his mouth sloppily, leaving a red wine stain across his chin.

"Unfortunatelyy for you, this drunken immortal never hic liked fighting fair. Wine teaches many lessonss, and the firssst lesson is that the crooked path is the bessst way to hic victory." Without warning, Elder Chen Yong tossed his empty gourd into the air. As it twirled, reflecting the moonlight, it drew the City Lord's attention for a fraction of a second, which was all the elder needed to blur through a complex sequence of seals.

"Drunken Immortal'sss Breathh: Intoxxication!" He breathed out violently, and a purple wine-scented mist flew towards the City Lord. It expanded rapidly, covering him from head to toe before he could move.

"Disperse!" the City Lord countered. The mist wavered but did not dissipate entirely. Instead, it clung to him as if it were a second skin.

"What is this?" he demanded, his perfect composure slipping slightly as he tried to brush the mist from his sleeves and hair. Elder Chen grinned, retrieving yet another gourd from somewhere within his robes. If I had to guess, I would say the elder had an infinite number of gourds in his inner world.

"Jusht a little homebrew. Speshial vintage." He took a deep drink, wine dribbling down his chin as he grinned. It was then that I noticed the golden lines of the City Lord's domain begin to flicker whenever the mist touched them Ah, it made sense now. This whole time, Elder Chen Yong hadn't been trying to injure or kill the City Lord, but cut him off from his source of power. Jiang Tianhong's expression darkened as he came to the same conclusion.

"Enough games," he snarled, his hands forming a series of intricate gestures.

"Divine Authority: Heaven's Mandate!" The area above the clearing was rent asunder, revealing what appeared to be a cosmic court suspended within the night sky. On golden thrones sat spectral judges, their faces obscured by a light too bright to look at directly. The pressure continued to increase to the point where it was difficult to remain standing, even at our safe distance.

"Judgment," the City Lord announced. The ghostly judges raised their hands and rays of golden light descended towards my master. Each ray, however, was not a simple beam, but the force of absolute judgement; the kind of judgement that would erase a person from existence if it deemed them unworthy. For the first time since the battle began, Elder Chen Yong's expression turned serious.