"Whoosh!"
Just as Ninisha's attack was about to land, a powerful aura appeared. In the blink of an eye, Leisijing and Ninisha vanished, and the terrifying power of an Asura level dissipated instantly, as if nothing had happened.
As the lingering flashes of lightning on the Battle Arena gradually faded, the million spectators around it were all left utterly confused. The two figures who had been standing in the center had vanished, and not one of them had seen what happened.
Only one figure in a black robe, hidden among the people below the arena, showed a thoughtful expression. A moment later, his face turned utterly shocked, before finally settling back to calm.
"Ninisha and Leisijing were probably taken away by a Sovereign."
The black-robed man's thoughts raced, and he quickly reached a conclusion. He looked envious and let out a helpless sigh.
If the staff of the Fiend Castle in Snowlake City had been there, they would have been utterly astonished, for this black-robed man was none other than Bradley, Prefect of Snowlake Prefecture and an Asura who cultivated the Laws of Darkness.
Bradley was the only one who had seen what happened just now. In that instant, when Ninisha's ultimate move was about to hit Leisijing, a special power had whisked them both away. Only a Sovereign could do something like that.
Although Bradley wasn't a Sovereign Envoy, he had communicated with other Prefects on the continent many times. Some of them were Sovereign Envoys, and they had explained to him how Sovereigns chose their Envoys.
Often, Sovereigns chose Envoys by chance. While traveling through the planes, they might come across a battle, spot someone suitable, and take them on as an Envoy right away.
Bradley had only heard that Ninisha, a Seven-Star Fiend from the Star Fog Sea, had come here to compete in the Hundred Victories. It seemed she wanted to challenge him, so he had quietly come to watch.
Generally speaking, the moment a Seven-Star Fiend became one, they gained the right to challenge a Prefect directly. But this right was limited by time and place.
For example, if a Seven-Star Fiend from Hell went to the Nine Nether Domain in the Netherworld, they couldn't challenge the Lord directly. They would have to win a Hundred Victories first before they could fight him.
As a Seven-Star Fiend from the Star Fog Sea, Ninisha had to win another Hundred Victories on the Battle Arena before she could challenge the Prefect of Snowlake Prefecture on the Zijing Continent.
So when Ninisha showed up, Bradley guessed that she hadn't challenged the Prefect in the Star Fog Sea because she hadn't felt confident at the time. Perhaps she'd made a new breakthrough while traveling in Snowlake Prefecture on the Zijing Continent, and had decided to test herself against him.
Bradley felt somewhat slighted, but also grew more wary. After all, a Seven-Star Fiend who had made a new breakthrough would surely have Asura-level strength, and could pose a threat to him. So he'd hidden below the arena to watch.
As an Asura who cultivated the Laws of Darkness, Bradley was confident in his ability to conceal himself. But he hadn't expected to discover a bald youth named Leisijing as well. The boy was so powerful that every move he and Ninisha exchanged in the latter part of their battle had made Bradley's heart skip.
By then, Bradley had already decided that no matter which of them won, if they challenged him for the Prefect's position, he would pretend to be away on business. He would wait until the position changed hands automatically after ten thousand years. He could worry about losing face later; staying alive mattered more.
But he hadn't expected a Sovereign to take them away. It looked as though the Sovereign wanted to recruit an Envoy. Bradley's feelings were complicated. On one hand, he was relieved that his position as Prefect was probably safe. On the other, he envied them for catching a Sovereign's eye.
Meanwhile, in a restaurant in Snowlake City.
"Whoosh!"
Leisijing and Ninisha only saw a flash before their eyes. Then the scene around them suddenly changed.
"Mother!"
Having seen his mother's methods before, Leisijing immediately realized what had happened. He quickly spotted the beautiful woman in purple robes seated at a viewing table.
"I, Ninisha, pay my respects to the Sovereign!"
With a thump, Ninisha dropped to her knees and bowed slightly, speaking in a respectful voice.
Although Ninisha was an Asura, and although she was cool and aloof by nature, accustomed to putting herself above everyone else, she still didn't dare show the slightest disrespect in front of a Sovereign.
At that moment, Ninisha felt a faint bitterness. Leisijing's cry of "Mother" had startled her. She hadn't expected him to be the child of a Sovereign.
She hadn't held back at all with that last move; she had intended to kill him. After all, holding back against an opponent of equal strength could get you killed. But he was a Sovereign's child.
According to the rules, anything went on the Battle Arena. But the rules had been set by the Sovereigns in the first place. She had attacked a Sovereign's child, and for a moment, she couldn't gauge the Sovereign's attitude.
"Mother, why did you interfere? Didn't we agree that you'd let me train on my own? Why did you break our agreement and step in? Even if you wanted to take her on as an Envoy, you shouldn't have interrupted us."
Leisijing sounded unconvinced, with a hint of displeasure in his voice. He thought his mother had taken a liking to Ninisha and wanted her as a Sovereign Envoy, so she had brought them both here.
Leisijing was very unhappy about it. Before they left, he and his mother had agreed that during this trip, the Zijing Sovereign wouldn't interfere unless absolutely necessary, and would let him train on his own.
If Leisijing ever found himself in danger and the Zijing Sovereign stepped in, that would mean his training was over, and they would return to the Amethyst Mountain Range at once.
But Leisijing didn't think Ninisha's ultimate move could kill him. So he was convinced that his mother had ended his training early because she wanted to recruit Ninisha as an Envoy. He didn't bother to hide his displeasure.
"Enough, Jingjing. You couldn't have stopped that move just now, so I didn't break our agreement."
There was a touch of indulgence and helplessness in Zijing's voice. Faced with her son's accusing tone, she could only soothe him calmly.
"Huh? Was her move really that strong? I..."
Leisijing was caught off guard. He glanced at Ninisha. He could tell her ultimate move was powerful, but he'd thought he could still withstand it.
"Enough, Leisijing. Your mother wasn't lying. You can't withstand Ninisha's attack as you are now. Ninisha, you may get up as well."
Hope's calm voice rang out, making Leisijing's eyes widen instantly.
Leisijing had noticed Zijing at first glance and hadn't paid attention to anyone else. Only now did he realize there was another Sovereign here.
"Thank you, Sovereign!"
Ninisha breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got to her feet, then looked ahead. Two ordinary-looking figures came into view.
One was a young man with short black hair, sharp brows, and bright eyes. The other was a beautiful woman in purple robes. Both looked utterly ordinary, and she couldn't sense the aura of a powerful being from either of them.
Yet that very ordinary appearance made Ninisha instinctively more wary. As far as she knew, given her current strength, the only beings whose presence she couldn't sense at all were the lofty Sovereigns.
"Ninisha, are you willing to become my Envoy?"
Hope's calm voice rang out once again, like a thunderclap striking the water.