Darkness receded like the tide; light surged like waves.
Between light and dark lay a distinct boundary, dividing this immortal Imperial Palace again and again.
Each step taken by the man in azure robes was a fresh affirmation of power.
The eternal Danbi Terrace had not been so far away after all, the silhouettes of the candleholders' horizontal branches jagged against the light.
In Song Wanxi's crimson eyes were reflected only several flickering candle flames... as though even they did not know which way to lean.
And the sole transcendent devil of the present age remained silent, watching that man bring heavenly light into the hall.
Heavenly light spread across the ground like a brocade road laid toward eternity. The face of the one entering the hall was indistinct amid the radiant glow, but that lengthened shadow of his... seemed like a sword thrust into the Imperial Devil Palace.
A longsword, with light as its scabbard.
Light was not his claw or fang. Rather, it concealed his edge.
Seven Hates finally smiled. Smiling, he looked at this brazen junior. "It seems you mean to grant me a fair duel, and an honorable death."
The newcomer stood in the center of the great hall, smiling as well, as though infected by the Devil Master's smile. "The first time we met was in the underground Demon Den beneath the Wuyandu Mountain Range... did you give me fairness then?"
"Tsk! You really hold a grudge..." Seven Hates remarked, his tone natural. "At least it was one-on-one."
Speaking of that first meeting, he had indeed sensed that this child was extraordinary. Before the tiger's stripes had formed, before its head had grown imposing, its unyielding will was already apparent. Back then, he had placed him on the same level as Lou Yue. Unexpectedly, even