Chapter 32
Dark Battle Angel: I Take The Stage.
Pit Of The Damned~
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The sky above the arena had taken on a blazing crimson hue. Late afternoon sunlight bled across the clouds, casting long, hellish shadows over the arena.
Lu Xie Tong stood at the center of the Pit, her ever-playful smile dancing across her face. Across from her, Yan Feitian whose usual expression was indifferent, dark and unreadable suddenly frowned, a sudden realization had dawned on him—not about the battle, but about her— Lu Xie Tong.
She wasn't even fourteen yet.
Two years younger than him.
And a head shorter.
It felt like he was about to beat up someone's younger sister. The thought made him deeply uncomfortable.
"Little girl, are you sure you want to challenge me?" he finally asked, voice low.
"Who are you calling little?!" Lu Xie Tong snapped. The word hit harder than it should have. Ever since she recovered her past memories, being called "little" stung more than ever.
'If only you knew how old I actually am…' she muttered internally.
"And what's so great about you that I can't challenge you?" she added with a huff.
But her outburst only made her seem even more like a child throwing a tantrum making Yan Feitian's brows twitch even more.
Before the situation could spiral further out of control, Yin Feiyu suddenly grabbed Xie Tong's arm, trying to pull her back. "That's enough," she muttered.
But before she could be dragged away, another hand snatched her other arm.
Yan Youmei's.
Her eyes gleamed like a predator spotting weakness.
"Well now, Yin Feiyu," she purred. "Where are you taking the star of the show?"
Her grip on Lu Xie Tong tightened.
"Let go," Yang Jiang said coldly as he pried Yan Youmei's hand away. His voice remained calm, but there was no mistaking the threat in it. "This is a family matter."
"Oh?" Yan Youmei sneered. "Forgive me, but among the four of us, I'm not the only one who isn't family." her eyes settling on Lu Xie Tong.
"YAN YOUMEI!" Yang Jiang and Yin Feiyu snapped in unison.
Youmei smirked. "Why so mad? It's no secret. Although… the little lass does have your sharp tongue, Jiang. Could she be your illegitimate daughter, perhaps?"
She said it deliberately, poisoning the air with venom.
Yin Feiyu's face turned red with rage.
Lu Xie Tong, however, just smiled and held both their hands.
"Father, Mother," she said sweetly, "you don't have to take her seriously. Just treat her words like… a fly's fart."
Yan Youmei twitched. Your whole dynasty's a fly's fart! she screamed in her heart.
But Lu Xie Tong wasn't done. "Don't worry about me. Today, I'm making the Yan clan pay for their malicious deeds. Besides, I need a good stretch. Yan Feitian's not even much of a warm-up. I've been itching for a fight after all that time in the catacombs."
Yan Feitian's face darkened. She made it sound like he was the little kid between them. Her confidence unsettled him. Where was it coming from?
Newborn calves really don't fear tigers, he thought grimly.
Yang Jiang placed a hand on her shoulder. His gaze was steady, but his voice was low. "Are you sure about this, Xitong? You may have my trust, but I can't shield you from the clan's wrath if you lose. Whatever power or confidence you gained in the catacombs… I hope it's real."
Xie Tong nodded firmly.
She had cleared the eleventh floor of the Sky Reaching Pagoda. That alone had rewarded her with a third of the pagoda's treasures—including a massive reservoir of primordial Carp's Sanguine Essence, even higher in quality than what she'd earned during the earlier trials.
Even if she lost, it wouldn't be a total defeat.
"I trust you," Yang Jiang said. "And even if you lose, the sanguine essence is yours to use as you see fit. You earned it through your hardwork after all."
Yin Feiyu tried to pull her back once again trying to talk her out of challenging Yan Feitian but Yang Jiang held her back.
Lu Xitong stepped forward.
She was eager.
In the catacombs, she'd unlocked one of four abilities granted by merging with the Goodluck Wishing Weed.Also she could now tap into the power of the Prismatic Third Eye to some extent—a formidable edge.
Her cultivation had also surged at the last minute in the catacombs allowing her breakthrough to the first order of Qi Refinement, and the energy swirling within her was still sufficient to breakthrough, possibly into the True Qi Realm.
But to attain this she had to stimulate her Qi flow.
And this was the perfect opportunity to stimulate her Qi flow by combat.
"Let's dance, pretty boy," she said, stopping before Yan Feitian. She gestured playfully, beckoning him with a finger.
His eye twitched. "Who are you calling pretty?"
"Hm… fine then. Let's dance, ugly boy," she replied, using the same taunting gesture.
His face turned black. The crowd could practically feel the tension raising in the air and it made them excited.
Still, both remained unmoving.
A full incense stick's time passed and yet no side had made a move.
The arena grew restless.
"Are you just going to stand there like a statue?" Xie Tong teased. "Come on. Make your move."
"Ladies first," Feitian replied, arms crossed. "Or in this case… kids first."
Xie Tong narrowed her eyes. "Who are you calling a kid? You better make your move now or else you wouldn't when I beat you, by then don't cry about being bullied. I'm giving you a chance now cause I'm more generous than a thug who picks on little girls." she mocked.
Feitian's brow twitched again. "I've never been bullied. And those I've beaten… deserved it."
He stepped forward.
"Let's end this quickly. And if you're going to mock me—"
He vanished mid-sentence.
A blink later, he was right in front of her.
Xie Tong instinctively leaned back, startled—but his hand caught the back of her head, supporting her.
"Next time," he said quietly, eyes gleaming with his signature amnesty-colored glow,
"do it while looking me straight in the eye."
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