The wind howled across the Far East Prairie, carrying the most primal, wildest aura of the destruction laws between heaven and earth, whipping Shiheng's and Tulilei's robes into an unending flutter.
Shiheng stood quietly amid the boundless waves of grass, gazing at the Prairie Martial Saint renowned throughout the Yulan Continent. There was not a trace of competitive fighting spirit in his eyes, only clarity and composure tempered by time.
Over the past year and more, he had traveled with Kelin Xiaoman through the mountains and lands of the O'Brien Empire, witnessing everyday life and the myriad faces of its people, tasting the warmth and coldness of the world, its joys and sorrows, its partings and reunions. He was no longer the man who knew only to bury himself in arduous cultivation, his sharpness exposed for all to see. The bustle of mortal life had worn away his aggression, and his beloved's companionship had gentled his state of mind. His understanding of "destruction" had long since escaped the shallow confines of wreckage and slaughter. He had come to understand that destruction was the final chapter of the world's cycle, the origin to which all things returned in stillness, gaining greater openness toward and insight into the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
This transformation of mind, etched into his very bones, had already, imperceptibly, laid the groundwork for his long-stagnant destruction laws to break through and attain the Dao.
"I heard long ago that an astonishing young talent had emerged on the Yulan Continent, cultivating several supreme laws at once. Now that I have the good fortune to meet you today, I would like to experience your Destruction Dao!"
Tulilei's mountainous frame stood proudly on the prairie, an ink-black aura of destruction roiling around him. His gaze was as sharp