Dawn broke in the east, while the full moon hung in the west.
Yang Ge stood suspended high in the air, his robes fluttering. The Cold Moon Saber floated quietly behind him, radiating snowy brilliance that framed his upright figure like an immortal descended to earth.
"Layman Yang, I trust you've been well!"
A thousand feet away, the stooped old man still wore his black Roundel Dragon Robe and Nine-Tassel Crown, dressed as a sovereign. Beneath the night sky, dazzling golden-yellow light streamed ceaselessly from his body, making him seem both a true dragon emperor enthroned in the magnificent Bright Hall and a living Buddha beyond the mortal world, seated cross-legged with pure, unsullied Buddhist radiance shining behind him.
Yang Ge looked straight at him and said softly, "Were you threatening me just now?"
Though a thousand feet separated them, they spoke as if standing face-to-face.
The stooped old man smiled faintly. "Whatever do you mean, Layman Yang? Surely inviting you out of camp for a conversation is better than having Us visit you in person."
"That much is true."
Yang Ge nodded slightly, his expression blank. "But I really don't like how you went about it!"
The stooped old man raised one palm and bowed slightly. "If you will withdraw your troops and end hostilities, We are willing to offer you an apology."
Yang Ge snorted. "Hundreds of thousands of hot-blooded men mobilized and fought across a thousand miles, and you think a casual apology can wipe the slate clean? Who the hell do you think you are?"
The stooped old man watched Yang Ge for several breaths, then suddenly smiled. "Speaking of which, had you not shamelessly bullied those weaker than yourself, the children of Eternal Heaven might not have been reduced to such a sorry state..."
Yang