By combining Crimson Starshade’s inheritance with Obscura’s line, Hong Xia had created a trump card against the Plume Immortals.
“No wonder you chose Obscura. The Plume Immortals must have gone after you more than once, and you were able to slip away with this trick,” Lu Yin observed.
Hong Xia’s eyes were icy. “Teleportation is indeed a troublesome ability to face, but no innate gift is truly invincible. Even Plume Immortals die, and throughout history, plenty of those birds have fallen. Anyone who knows about their ability will study counters. You are no exception.”
“I should thank you for teaching me,” Lu Yin nodded.
Hong Xia sneered. “It doesn’t matter. When Obscura goes to war against the Plume Immortals, if I don’t teach you this, Ba Se will.
“Leave on your own. I won’t attack you, but you will not be able to take him with you.”
Lu Yin exchanged a look with Green Lotus.
“That’s enough,” the Greater Sancte said.
Lu Yin nodded and then released Old First, the Seven-Treasure Anura.
The moment the toad appeared, Hong Xia’s expression changed. He remembered this toad. It was an expert who resonated with two cosmic laws.
Old First looked around. He saw the Path of Dispassion and the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm both covering the cosmos. the red umbrella, the segmented sections of space, and the shattered area of frozen space off in the distance that appeared to be as large as an entire megaverse.
This battle would not be easy.
The harder the battle, the more necessary it was to fight. As that thought passed, a thick blackness shrouded Old First’s body. He swelled up, growing larger and larger. The void could not bear his weight and started to sink. Even the segment of space severed by the red umbrella and orange line started to sink.
Hong Xia stared at Old First. “I remember now. You are a Seven-Treasure Anura.”
Old First’s lips peeled back. “Human, if you don’t want to die, then scram!”
Lu Yin stood between Old First and Greater Sancte Green Lotus. He had to admit—there was an overwhelming sense of security in this position. Even if the two of them together were unable to kill Hong Xia, he was similarly unable to do much to them.
Hong Xia stared at Old First. “The legends say that the Seven-Treasure Anuras once had close ties with the Nine Ramparts, but during that war, your species didn’t help the Nine Ramparts—you fled.”
Old First’s eyes flooded with black. “How ridiculous. I wasn’t even there back then. Are we fighting or not? If not, get lost.”
Hong Xia frowned before looking upwards. No matter how they fought, karma was constantly fighting him for control over the Aevum Inch. Why? Did Green Lotus need it, or were they on guard against him?
Could they be on guard against his law?
Hong Xia recalled his conversation with Jiu Wen. There was still some hidden hand behind the scenes. That hand had told Jiu Wen about Hong Xia’s past, enabling the man to scheme against him. How much did that hidden figure truly know about Hong Xia?
He suddenly felt uneasy. If he fought these people to the death here, would that hidden figure be the one to ultimately end up profiting?
This toad and Green Lotus were already not easy opponents. Even if Hong Xia could kill them, the price that he would have to pay would be enormous.
Staring at Old First, the man remembered Ancestor Shan’s death. In Vestigium, Lu Yin had said that Ancestor Shan had not fled because something had been watching him.
The more that Hong Xia thought, the more nervous he became. He looked and stared at Lu Yin and the others before his eyes settled on Green Lotus. “Why do you keep your karma released at all times?”
Lu Yin laughed. “You think that we’d tell you? This is a fight to the death, not a friendly spar.”
“You know what my cosmic law is!” Hong Xia shouted, glaring at his three opponents.
Neither Lu Yin nor Green Lotus showed any change in expression, but Old First’s eyes rippled slightly, despite having already turned entirely black.
Seeing that, Hong Xia knew that he had guessed correctly. He turned and left without hesitation.
“Not fighting anymore?” Lu Yin provoked.
Old First glanced at Lu Yin, desperately wanting the human brat to shut up.
With a grim expression on his face, Hong Xia moved away, heading back to Crimson Starshade.
Once he was completely gone, Old First let out a breath. “We scared him off.”
Green Lotus remained concerned. “Could he have been testing us? With teleportation, if we truly were confident in being able to kill him, we would not let him escape. The fact that we did not give chase makes us look unsure.”
Lu Yin stared into the distance. “This wasn’t a test. He’s afraid of that hidden mastermind, the one that told Senior Jiu Wen about the Absolute of No Absolute.”