The arid and cracked earth of Plain City had not been washed by such an unseasonable rain in a long time. The sky had suddenly darkened, as if reacting to the ominous Origin Heart aura settling over the city, unleashing a torrential downpour that turned the dusty streets into a sea of mud. Sheltering under the massive shutters of the auction building, Mais, Hideo, Luka, and Regal watched the surreal scene unfolding behind the hazy veil outside, holding their breath. When City Lord Uzai stepped into the rain with the pride of a monarch, the sight he encountered was not just an enemy, but a bloody ghost from the past. To be honest, he had never cared about him until today. He had merely been a tool to vent his anger. Yet today, standing before him was not an insignificant clown, but a 7th stage Origin Heart Lord.
Uzai could do many things at this moment, but he could not underestimate Ursul.
This young man was still inside that dirty clown outfit. With a wide smile on his face and an aura more violent than anyone else in Plain City had ever radiated, he was challenging a single person in the midst of the rain. Perhaps his challenge was not with words. But the sounds made by the bells at his waist, combining with his aura, slammed harshly against Uzai and provoked him. If this wasn't a challenge against the city lord, what was?
FIU!! FIU!! FIU!!
Suddenly, figures leaped from all corners of the city, gathering around their Lord in front of the auction building. Hideo looked at these names in astonishment. These were the commanders of Plain City. He had heard much about them before, but these figures rarely appeared in public. They were 3rd stage Origin Heart Lords and, under normal circumstances, the most powerful figures in the city after Uzai. Do not look at them being taken as commanders; they were like retirees in a way. They wouldn't appear unless a major event occurred. Having sensed a violent and foreign Lord aura rising in the city, the trio had rushed to the area, but they froze like stone upon seeing that clown-like figure swaying in the middle of the rain, his makeup running down his face. This person was none other than Ursul, their old friend with whom they had once shared a table, and who had won everyone's admiration with his genius despite his youth.
'Why him?!'
"Ursul..."
Ursul did not look at them. He was swaying under the rain and ringing his bells. All of this caused waves of origin energy to spread around, and because these waves were generated within his body, they were so violent that Mais, who was just a Sage, felt that even one of these energy waves could be fatal to him. Not to mention Hideo. Yet, even if these energy waves were to hit them, the origin energy waves emanating from Auction Lord Regal's body were stopping these unstable attacks. If Mais could obtain a shred of Lord Regal's origin energy, he could measure this old man's cultivation level, but the old man was excellent at controlling origin energy and did not allow Mais to examine it. If Mais could see, the old man wouldn't be able to prevent this, but since the blind Mais had to use his own origin energy to feel Lord Regal's origin energy, Regal could easily block him.
"Origin Heart Realm... You... how did you do it?"
No matter how hard the City Lord tried to hide it, he struggled to conceal his astonishment. And it wasn't just him. The 3 commanders beside him, the Sages gradually filling the area, and the denizens of the auction hall were all staring at this powerful Lord in the area. Most of them did not recognize this mad Lord dressed as a clown. But those who did know him shuddered and began to retreat under his aura.
When Ursul had reached the Sage Realm, Uzai had ripped out his core that was fused with the Tao. At that point, Ursul still had 9 ordinary cores, but his body had suffered immense damage. Technically, he was a 9th stage Core Expert, but his physical condition was terrible. It wasn't just a matter of doubt whether he could ever form a 10th core again. At the same time, he could barely maintain his strength within the Core Realm. Uzai knew that he could be nothing more than an ordinary clown. He shouldn't be. He had shattered Ursul.
"Hehehe... Do you feel regret?"
When Ursul laughed and spoke, his voice was raspy and eerie. It exuded a dread that chilled the hearts of not only ordinary cultivators but even the Lords in the distance. Uzai did not answer. He stood frozen there with a rigid expression. But Ursul did not stop.
"Haha, when you cut me, when you shattered me, and when you crushed my hopes and raped my dreams, you should have known this day would come!"
"UZAI!!"
"DO YOU FEEL REGRET?!"
As Ursul's cry rose within the rain, venting his fury, Uzai felt the surrounding pressure decrease rather than increase. When anger mingled with Ursul's emotions, the aura he radiated seemed stained. But Ursul did not care. With a smile on his face, the wind swayed the hem of his clothes in the rain as he rang his bells. Ursul was no longer dancing. Yet, the bells continued to jingle.
Luka, Regal, Hideo, Mais, Samuel, and the countless Sages, Core experts, and commander Lords in the area—everyone, at that point, pitied Ursul despite the tremendous power he radiated at the 7th stage. They felt sorry for him. A sadness that matched Ursul's rage. Mais was aware of his own emotions. He knew that Ursul stood invincibly in the center of the area with this colossal power. He was saddened by his words, but clearly, Mais was the one who felt the least pity for Ursul among them. Even though he knew his story, he could not see him. He couldn't see how broken Ursul was. He didn't understand. Yet, he could comprehend that while a powerful man stood alone in the center of the clearing, countless people felt sorry for him.
'Why?'
He asked this question with various intentions. He couldn't answer any of them.
At this point, the arrogant expression on Uzai's face had begun to crack. Uzai's command, "Bring this rebel to his knees!" caught in the throats of those loyal commanders who had once awaited his orders; no one brought their hand to their sword, they stood there waiting for someone to make the first move. The three commanders just stood there like that. Their heads bowed, facing the final struggle for their old friend's vengeance. Were they to crush his hopes once more? Were they to shatter him once more and lay him before Uzai? They managed it once. By breaking their own hearts. They couldn't do it again.
At this stage, Uzai's face was already struggling to maintain its arrogant posture. He grit his teeth. He extended his hand, and a bright blue spear began to take form in his grasp. Uzai possessed a spatial ring, and the spear appearing in his hand made it clear through the aura it radiated that it was an Origin Heart Weapon.
"You traitors!"
In the shadow of the auction house, Luka Navan hesitated for a moment, bringing his hand to his ring to intervene, but Lord Regal's heavy and icy hand descended upon his shoulder. Luka frowned and looked at the old man. Regal had a calm expression on his face.
"Stop," he said, his voice echoing like a whisper within the storm. "This is Plain City's own problem. Moreover, as a Navan, you do not yet know which side's death is more profitable for you. Yet, can you not see Uzai's intention?" Luka looked hesitantly at the large man whose hair and black-gray beard were soaked in the midst of the rain. At that moment, Regal spoke again. "He wants more for the future of Plain City."
Mais, meanwhile, maintained his silence with his dark gaze behind his mask; internally, he was weighing Ursul's uncontrolled yet colossal power, that pure pain beyond techniques. He was still lost in his thoughts, trying to comprehend. This was the mechanism that allowed Mais to understand the Tao at immense speed. Yet, something was missing. Mais couldn't see what the problem was.
Uzai's spear gleamed with a white glow under the rain. An Origin Heart weapon did not consist purely of power. To forge a weapon of this style, comprehension of the Tao was now required. Just as it was needed for alchemy pills. It was common to use certain Taos to forge the weapon, but this did not mean the weapon's user possessed comprehension in that same Tao. Uzai, like many other Lords in this regard, was not that fortunate. He hadn't had the luxury of choice. The spear, named Savage Mastery, was a low-grade Origin Heart weapon forged based on the Water Tao. This did not fall under Uzai's expertise. At least, not in a powerful way.
The tip of the spear pointed at Ursul. So did Uzai's eyes. As the bells rang in the rain and the wind scattered their hair, both looked at each other. Their emotions had never been this clear. Uzai grit his teeth.
"You will go where your father went!"
"You cannot even fathom how much I desire that."