Since everyone had made up their minds,
the Great Lotus Seat immediately gave the order.
All remaining members of the Pure World Holy Church were to withdraw from the main sanctuary.
They would scatter into small groups and lie low,
waiting for the right moment to rise again.
Atop a great mountain,
two streaks of light descended from above the nine heavens.
Li Xinge stood with his hands behind his back,
gazing down at the vast land beneath his feet.
Behind him,
Ming Tianchen watched Li Xinge's back, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
Several years ago,
he had still been capable of putting up a fight against Li Xinge.
Several years later...
Bitterness filled Ming Tianchen's eyes.
After a long while,
he let out a long breath,
then cupped his hands toward Li Xinge.
"Ming Tianchen pays his respects to the King of Chu."
Li Xinge turned around.
As he looked at Ming Tianchen bowing before him,
his thoughts suddenly returned to several years ago.
That, too, had been beneath the stars beyond the heavens.
Back then, Ming Tianchen had still been the insufferably arrogant Alliance Leader of the Four Seas Alliance.
And back then, he himself had not yet been the King of Chu.
In that battle,
their fighting had shattered heaven and earth.
In the end,
Ming Tianchen had been grievously wounded by Li Xinge.
He knelt on one knee in the void,
bathed in blood, barely clinging to life.
Facing Li Xinge before him,
he raised his head.
There was no fear of death in his eyes,
only defiance.
"Do it,"
he said.
"The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit. I, Ming Tianchen, accept that."
Having said that,
he closed his eyes.
Yet
Li Xinge did not strike.
He merely watched him in silence.