Chapter Ninety-Eight: Each Displaying Their Own Means

As soon as Jasper stepped down from the arena, he was stopped by Emerald. "Jasper, you're amazing. Let's be friends."

"All right, Emerald. But I need to go back and rest now, or I won't even have the chance to be your friend," Jasper said with a pale smile.

"I know you need rest, sis. It's fine. Go rest first, but you have to tell me where you live so I can come find you." Emerald nodded eagerly.

"I’m staying at the Wind and Cloud Inn on Prosperity Street," Jasper said. No sooner had he spoken than Azure and Garrick came up to him, each taking one of his arms to support him. They shot him dissatisfied looks, clearly reproaching him for so casually revealing where he lived to Emerald.

"Hmph, two sour-faced old things. If you don’t like me, I don’t care to see you either. Jasper, I’ll come find you again in a few days." Emerald gave a soft snort, glared at Azure and Garrick, then turned back with a bright smile to say a final word to Jasper before bouncing off happily.

"Little Jasper, how could you so casually tell a member of the Flameborn clan where you live? You know, you’ve only just defeated the most gifted disciple of their generation. Right now, there are probably countless people who would like nothing better than to see you dead at once," Azure grumbled, immediately glaring at Jasper in irritation after Emerald left.

"Big Brother Azure, didn’t you say the Flameborn clan doesn’t care at all whether outsiders defeat their geniuses? Since I beat Mock, I ought to be rewarded. As long as their senior figures don’t make trouble for me, ordinary disciples, even if they resent me or hate me in their hearts, probably wouldn’t dare do anything to me. As for Emerald, I felt an instant rapport with her. I trust she won’t do anything that would harm me," Jasper replied with an innocent look.

"You trust people far too easily. Cultivators are no different from ordinary folk; there are plenty who wear a pleasant face while hiding a poisonous heart. That girl may seem naive and sheltered, but from the way she performed on the arena, you can tell she is not so easy to deal with," Azure went on and on like an old housekeeper.

"I understand, Big Brother Azure. Stop lecturing me. Hurry and take me back to the inn." As she spoke, Jasper’s vision went black and she fainted. On the arena just now, her injuries had been so severe that the only reason she had remained standing was because she knew she could not afford to collapse at that moment. She had held on with nothing but her final breath, and now that her resolve loosened, she could no longer endure it.

Azure scooped her up at once, turned, and hurried toward the Wind and Cloud Inn. He and Garrick had only just left the arena and turned a street when they were stopped by Kenneth, who seemed to appear from nowhere. The moment Azure and Garrick saw him, their nerves tightened and they stared at him warily, unsure why he had chosen to appear at such a time.

Kenneth ignored their guarded expressions. From the moment he appeared, his gaze had been fixed on Jasper in Azure’s arms. After studying her for a long while, he shifted his eyes to Azure and said, "Hand her over to me."

"Heh, Kenneth, are you talking in your sleep? She has no kin or acquaintance with you. Why should we hand her over to you? Or do you think that because you are the crown prince of the Woodstar, you can simply issue orders to the people of our great world?" Azure sneered, looking at Kenneth as though at an idiot.

Kenneth’s expression darkened slightly. He was born into nobility, and from childhood had displayed extraordinary talent. He had been named crown prince by the Emperor of Jasper at an early age. Truly, he was a favored son of heaven. Along his entire path so far, whatever he had wanted, he had never failed to obtain. Among his peers, no one had ever dared defy him in the slightest. Azure’s insolent words had already stirred murderous intent in his heart.

"Crown Prince, don’t push people too far!" Garrick snapped, brows lifting as he stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Azure.

"Hmph. Garrick, Azure, if you don’t want to die, put her down. Today, I will definitely take this girl away," Kenneth said coldly, his eyes turning sharp as a fierce killing aura swept toward them.

"Heh, Kenneth, we know you’re very strong. But no matter how strong you are, I refuse to believe that here in Redwind City you can deal with both of us at once. Besides, she just beat that brat Mock. If nothing unexpected happens, her reward will be sent to our inn before long. Are you really going to seize Jasper at a time like this?" Azure stepped out from behind Garrick, stood beside him, and grinned without retreating an inch as he stared at Kenneth.

"How ridiculous. You two are truly fools. Do you think I would appear so openly before you without confidence?" A cold smile appeared at the corner of Kenneth’s lips.

Seeing this, Garrick and Azure were instantly alarmed. Just as they were about to withdraw in haste, it was already too late. Kenneth swept his hand, and the world before their eyes darkened. In that instant, their five senses seemed to lose all perception. When their sight returned to normal, the surroundings had changed dramatically. The orderly city had become a range of towering, precipitous mountains, and they themselves were standing atop a peak that pierced the clouds, with Kenneth only about thirty feet away.

"Kenneth, what a grand display. To seize Jasper, you actually brought out the Dimensional Array. Setting up the Dimensional Array in Redwind City—are you planning to leave the two of us here?" Garrick’s eyes narrowed, and boundless fury and killing intent rose in his cold, handsome face.

It was said that the Dimensional Array had been refined by the foremost master of formations in the great world, and later came into the possession of the Emperor of Jasper from Woodstar. Though it appeared as small as a grain of millet, it contained its own independent world within. Once activated, the world inside became the domain of the one who set the array. Those outside, unless they were top-tier masters of formations, could not force their way in even if cultivators at the Harmonized Path realm arrived.

Within Redwind City, the city’s rules constrained everyone, and there was much to consider when fighting. Kenneth had little chance of taking on Garrick and Azure together. But inside the Dimensional Array, this became his own domain. Here, he could attack without the slightest restraint, and his power would be amplified many times over, while Garrick and Azure would be hampered by the array on every side. Since Kenneth was already stronger than them to begin with, and now could strike while they were suppressed, Garrick and Azure were immediately plunged into peril.

"Heh, Garrick, since you’ve all entered the Dimensional Array, I might as well tell you the truth: I must take this girl away today, and as for you two, you must die." Once inside the array, the gloom on Kenneth’s face vanished. His features regained their usual noble composure and ease, and he spoke with a faint smile.

"What exactly is her connection to you?" Azure asked grimly.

"That is not something you should concern yourselves with. Meeting this girl can only be counted as your bad luck. If in your next lives you still have a chance to be human, remember to keep your eyes open when choosing friends," Kenneth said, seemingly unwilling to waste any more time. As soon as he finished, his figure blurred and split into two phantom images, which pounced at Azure from different directions.

Garrick flickered into motion, blocking Azure’s front. A black scythe appeared in his hand out of nowhere. With a sweep of his right hand through the air, a strand of dark radiance tore through the somewhat heavy space around them and slashed toward Kenneth.

Kenneth seemed to know full well how formidable the blade was. He paused slightly, then turned his palm over. A golden square seal appeared out of thin air, transforming into a massive golden mountain that slammed toward the black streak of light.

The golden seal—no one knew what material it was made of—met Garrick’s blade aura and instantly dispersed it into nothingness. Garrick himself suffered a backlash and was sent flying backward. Seeing this, Kenneth pointed both hands in succession, and the seal changed direction once more, chasing after Garrick.

Meanwhile, Kenneth himself charged at Azure again. Azure was holding someone in his arms, making his movements far less convenient. He could only free one hand, turning his palm into a fist to meet Kenneth head-on.

Kenneth seemed surprised that Azure would dare clash with him with nothing but a fist. Yet he did not take the strike head-on. Just as he reached Azure, his body shifted sideways by several feet, dodging the blow. A faint laugh escaped him as he said, "Azure, it seems you don’t care for this girl as much as I imagined. If we truly exchanged a blow head-on, given her condition, even with a protective robe on her body, she would still be shaken to death."

"Hmph. You’ve gone to such great lengths to capture her. I don’t believe you’d only want to bring back a corpse," Azure snorted, unmoved by Kenneth’s words.

"Hm? I always thought you were nothing more than a brawny fool with a simple mind. I didn’t expect the one truly hiding his depth to be you. What a pity—inside the Dimensional Array, no amount of cunning will help you. Hand her over." Kenneth gave a soft exclamation, then spread his hand and struck at Azure.

His palm expanded with the wind until, in an instant, it became a giant five-fingered mountain several yards across, pressing down over Azure’s head. Azure was shocked and tried to evade, but found the surrounding space already sealed. Kenneth had originally been stronger than him by a margin, and now, in his own domain, Azure’s cultivation was suppressed while Kenneth’s power could be unleashed to its fullest.

Under this imbalance, Azure was no match for Kenneth at all. He could only watch helplessly as the giant palm descended, while his body refused to move. Fear and fury surged through him.

Boom.

That palm struck squarely against Azure’s forehead. His vision went black, his ears rang endlessly, and then the weight in his arms vanished. Jasper had already been snatched away.

"Give Jasper back to me!" Azure roared in fury. His body-refining had already reached the True Essence realm, so though Kenneth’s palm had inflicted serious injury, it had not been enough to kill him. In his extreme anger, however, all his power was fully driven forth.

Having seized Jasper, Kenneth, under the Emperor’s private instruction that she must not be harmed until one matter was made clear, had to avoid injuring her. As a result, his movements became constrained. Facing Azure, who had gone nearly mad, he found himself flustered and scrambling.

Just as Kenneth was busy and irritated, a strange voice suddenly rang out within the Dimensional Array: "What a lively fight you all are having. To keep this child from being harmed, why not hand her over to me for safekeeping?" As that voice sounded, Jasper—who had just been taken by Kenneth—was suddenly plucked away by an unseen force.