Ba Shifang watched from his seat as his main body and the true immortal from the Eight Pillar Sect stared at each other, waiting for the signal. He glanced at Monarch Pathway. "Who do you think will win?"
"That's hard to say," Sect Master Pathway said as he stroked his beard. "I don't know much about Monarch Xi, but an immortal monarch should never be underestimated. On the other hand, Young Owlsnow has improved his Concept of Snow to the point that he's just a hair's breadth away from mastering the Law of Ice. Monarch Xi undoubtedly has the advantage in terms of qi and power, but Young Owlsnow shouldn't be underestimated. Either outcome is possible."
'So fifty-fifty, huh?' Ba Shifang thought. 'However, saying an immortal lord has a fifty percent chance of defeating an immortal monarch is already a huge disgrace. An immortal monarch's body is formed from the very law of the world, and one who hasn't mastered it should never be able to even graze them.'
Ba Shifang took a closer look at Immortal Owlsnow. 'Unless he has some secrets? Could he be a protagonist candidate? No, the protagonist of the Eight Pillar Sect should be someone in the current generation or very close to it. Or maybe I'm being brainwashed by Main Body and putting too much thought into this.'
As the referee announced the start of the match, Ba Shifang expelled all extraneous thoughts from his mind. Since he was a clone created from Tianyi, watching him battle would greatly aid him in his own comprehension of the laws and execution of techniques.
Owlsnow tensed and waited for his foe, Monarch Xi, to move. After a full minute passed, he realized that his foe had no intention of attacking first. He took a deep breath. 'It's only natural. I'm the challenger, and he's in a higher realm than me."
Still, Owlsnow couldn't help but feel frustration welling up within himself. He recalled the blood, sweat, and tears from the years of hard work, yet a brat less than a tenth his age managed to accomplish what he had continuously pursued.
That tender face seemed to mock him. The smile certainly only increased the feeling of mockery.
Owlsnow took a deep breath. Whatever Monarch Xi thought, it didn't matter. He had to remember that his only enemy was himself. Feeling the frosting chill covering him and cooling his mind, he observed Monarch Xi.
Monarch Xi had an average height. He might have been on the taller side for mortals, but among immortals, he was actually below average. Coupled with his milky skin, he seemed like the child of some tycoon who never needed to work for anything in his life.
Owlsnow stopped himself before he fell into the negative thought cycle again. He focused and released his immortal senses, but frustratingly, he couldn’t detect Monarch Xi's presence at all. It was as if he didn't exist, but Owlsnow knew that was impossible. His eyes could clearly see him.
Unless Monarch Xi had used some sort of concealment technique immediately?
Owlsnow needed to confirm. He formed several hand seals, and snow began to drift down. It was a heavy snowstorm, and within a minute, a thin layer of snow had already covered the ground. Even as the terrain increased in his favor, Monarch Xi just continued to watch with his hands behind his back.
The snow had increased Owlsnow's sensory abilities, yet he still couldn't detect Monarch Xi. It was as if there was a gap that his snow couldn't fill for some reason, but that was more than enough to confirm that something was there.
Owlsnow clenched his hand, and the snow began to cling to Monarch Xi. Like little insects, they slowly covered him from bottom to top until nothing could be seen. The snow-made tomb continued to grow larger until it was no longer snow but ice.
"Ice Coffin successful," Owlsnow said. Just because he couldn't directly injure an immortal monarch didn't necessarily mean an immortal monarch had stronger attacks than him. As long as he could capture him, he won. "That's what you get for underestimating me."
Owlsnow turned toward the referee, a monarch-level elder. 'I won."
But to his surprise, the immortal monarch elder only shook his head. Owlsnow's eyes widened as he snapped toward the ice coffin. From within the ice, a red humanoid figure could be seen.
Not long later, the ice dissolved, blasting Owlsnow with the intense heat and turning all the snow in the arena into water. Even as far away as he was, Owlsnow felt his throat start to parch, and his lips cracked.
Owlsnow stared, wide-eyed, at the sheer heat emanating from his foe. Even in the midst of the heat apocalypse, Monarch Xi showed no change in his expression that would indicate the temperature around him was anything but warm spring.
Instead of retreating, Owlsnow shortened the distance between them. A white-blue aura surrounded him and covered him in a layer of ice armor. The hotter the temperature became, the stronger his armor became.
As a member of the Eight Pillar Sect, Owlsnow displayed one of the hallmark techniques of the Law of Yin-Yang, Yin-Yang Reversal. It wasn't the true technique described in the Yin-Yang Heavenly Scripture, but it was more than enough to reverse the heat to cold.
Owlsnow gritted his teeth as he saw Monarch Xi still doing nothing and just waiting. He punched forward. The chances of him injuring Monarch Xi were slim, but that didn't mean that all the force would simply disappear.
His eyes widened when he saw that Monarch Xi didn't even budge from his spot as if he had been nailed to the ground. At the very least, he forced the immortal monarch to raise his hand unless he wanted to eat a knuckle sandwich.
Monarch Xi just stared at him as if anticipating his next move, like an adult watching a child. Owlsnow gritted his teeth, but it soon transformed into a smirk.
Ice started to appear on Monarch Xi's hand, the one he used to block his punch. The problem with Owlsnow's Yin-Yang Reversal technique was that it only worked on heat and cold, and its range was limited to what he touched.
Since Monarch Xi had oh so graciously allowed him to come near without any defense, Owlsnow would show him the hubris of actions.
The ice expanded from Monarch Xi's fist and started to cover his entire body. The greater the heat, the stronger the ice coffin. And as long as Owlsnow kept in contact, Monarch Xi should give up on escaping!
Just as a smile started to appear on Owlsnow's mouth, it quickly disappeared. The ice started to melt, not from heat but from external influence, as if it hadn't possessed the ability to turn into ice in the first place. Owlsnow recognized how Monarch Xi did it.
Instead of focusing on the Law of Fire, Monarch Xi utilized the Law of Water. As an expert in the Law of Ice, Owlsnow had also peered into the mysteries of water. That's why he knew how vast the difference between him and Monarch Xi was, akin to comparing a puddle to the ocean.
Even the ice armor around Owlsnow melted and soaked into his robes. The heat had disappeared along with the chill, but he stumbled back and stared at Monarch Xi, trying to suppress his trembling.
"What other techniques do you have? I'm quite interested in your Law of Ice. Show me your best technique."
What other techniques? Owlsnow had already demonstrated his best techniques. Did Monarch Xi think it was some sort of spar? No, it was a demonstration of strength between the two forces, and he had lost terribly.
True, he had always been at a disadvantage, but Owlsnow himself never thought it that way. The worst part was that Monarch Xi seemed completely sincere in his words.
Owlsnow felt something sweet rise up in his throat. He clamped down on it and prevented the blood from spurting out of his mouth. If he spat blood now, it would forever shame him and degrade his sect. Even if he lost, he should never drag the sect down.
"Monarch Xi's abilities are worthy of respect despite your age. I willingly admit my inferiority," Owlsnow said while cupping his hand towards his opponent and in a bow.
"So quick? You don't have to worry about hurting me, I can still take a few more moves."
Owlsnow almost couldn't prevent himself from spurting out blood. 'This bastard! He's doing this on purpose. How much more do you want to humiliate me!?"
"Monarch Xi is joking," Owlsnow said through gritted teeth. "How can junior have the ability to hurt you?"
Without waiting for Monarch Xi to respond, Owlsnow left the stage and returned to his seat.
Tai Wuling clenched his hand as he felt the atmosphere turn sullen. He could hear his teeth grinding against each other. It took all his self-control not to challenge Xi Tianyi.
From the battle, he knew that Xi Tianyi had mastered at least the Law of Fire and was very close to mastering the Law of Water, if not already. It was true he was close to mastering the five elemental laws, but five incomplete laws could not compete with two complete laws.
Tai Wuling could sense Xi Tianyi sitting back down in his seat. He thought the tense atmosphere would return to normal after a few cheers, but then Xi Tianyi opened his mouth.
"Immortal Owlsnow's Law of Ice was quite interesting, I wonder which laws Immortal Owlsnow's peers specialize in."
This was an open challenge! Did Xi Tianyi really think they won't teach him a lesson just because he was invited as a guest? He wasn't even as crucial as Monarch Nine Heavens.
Tai Wuling looked at his seniors, hoping for someone to step up and take Xi Tianyi down a peg, but what he saw disappointed him. None of the former elite disciples stood up to the challenge. Even the immortal lords said something along the lines of, "we couldn't compete against an immortal monarch."
Just as he prepared to stand up, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking toward the source, Tai Wuling saw Yang Linyin shaking their head in a negative manner.
Tai Wuling swallowed the humiliation. After everyone rejected his advances, it seemed Xi Tianyi finally took a hint and didn't say anymore. Most of the time, he saw Xi Tianyi leaning into Jiang Daoyi and whispering something.
Jiang Daoyi didn't show much change in emotion and lightly replied toward Xi Tianyi, showing a distant attitude. It was then that Tai Wuling realized his understanding of the relationship between the two immortals was incomplete.
Clearly, Tianyi was deeply in love with Daoyi to the point that he forced her to marry him. With an immortal sovereign supporting him, how could a weak woman like Jiang Daoyi resist? The most resistance she could offer was her cold attitude!
Tai Wuling frowned when he felt Yang Linyin pinch him. He looked at them. "Stop staring so much. You're going to attract his attention."
Although he felt Yang Linyin's words were a bit off, Tai Wuling obeyed. The banquet finished with no problem, and everyone returned to their residence. Tai Wuling followed Yang Linyin back to their mansion.
"What do you think of Xi Tianyi's strength?" Yang Linyin asked after sitting down in the main hall.
"Powerful, he must have mastered the Law of Fire and possibly the Law of Water. Although I couldn't detect his qi, he should have fused two out of the five elements into his qi. Meaning, he's a second step monarch," Tai Wuling said.
"I saw that too," Yang Linyin said. "I'm talking about Xi Tianyi's technique."
"His technique?" Tai Wuling asked. He recalled the scene, and his eyes widened. "He seemed unused to it, as if he had no practice using it."
Yang Linyin nodded gravely. "Do you think the Buzhou Immortal Sect really has a method to produce immortal monarchs? There's no other explanation for why Xi Tianyi is so terrible at applying the law he used to enter the Seamless Immortal Realm."
Is that really the case, Tai Wuling wondered. Was that why he felt danger from Xi Tianyi? No, his gut instinct told him that Xi Tianyi was hiding a much more terrifying power than the tip of the iceberg revealed today.
