Chapter 311 311 – Vivienne's Offer
The hammer and the long-range attack met each other, and the intent behind the frost covered the man in ice from toe to head.
"That's enough."
A beautiful figure with long platinum hair stood before the ice sculpture. She looked at her partner and shook her head with a sigh. They used to be friends as children, each of them was the only real friend of the other.
However, their personalities changed because of the treatment they received in the sect, and it was even harder on Anwar who turned violent and developed anger issues due to the pressure he was under as the weaker seed.
"Hello, Fairy, are you going to fight us?" Ken asked in curiosity. He was unsure if the fact she stood in his way meant that she had found a way to free herself from the slavery collar.
"Oh, that couldn't be, don't you already know it?" She smiled and casually moved her finger over her neck. While others wouldn't pick up anything strange about it, Ken knew she was pointing at the collar.
"Then why are you standing in my way?"
"I have an offer for you, will you listen to it?" The beautiful woman said mysteriously and walked toward Ken, getting closer in small steps. "But I want to tell you in secret, without letting the spectators hear it."
"Break your right arm."
"Argh!" Vivienne grunted in pain, holding the broken arm in her left hand. "What was that for?" She asked with a spiteful gaze.
"You want to get close to me, I was just ensuring my safety," Ken shrugged, unbothered by the painful expression on her face. "You may come now, what do you want to tell me?"
"You could have just ordered me not to harm you, damn it." The pain caused some of her vulgarity to come out before she gathered her act together. "Let me prevent any type of listening," she raised her arm and formed a small dome around them made of Wind Qi. It blocked all sound from exiting or entering, silencing the area entirely.
Ken could only sense a strong intent imbued in the element, probably somehow blocking the transmission of the formations. Rather than speaking, he just waited for her to tell him what she wanted. She was already dead in his eyes, so he saw it as granting a final wish to a dying woman.
"Let me join you. For real, as a companion and a friend," Vivienne said, making Ken raise his eyebrows in surprise.
"Why should I trust you?"
"You were right, I'm just a tool and a weapon in my sect. Look at Anwar – he lost his mind and became mentally unstable because of the isolation we went through there. Even those who wanted a good relationship with the seeds came to me while leaving him alone because of my superior cultivation. I don't want to end up like him."
Ken pondered on her words for a while, unsure whether to trust her or not. 'Let's try to ask her.' He believed she was still under the effect of the slavery collar due to the decisive way she broke her own arm when he told her to.
"Speak only the truth. Do you have an ulterior motive?"
"I just want to be free. I heard the Serene Lotus Sect's disciples do as they wish, and I heard you also moved there to run from your sect. I'm a promising cultivator who can be useful to the sect for sure, so this is a win-win situation." She spoke urgently, knowing that it was looking bad to both sides from the outside.
"And what is your plan if I say yes?" Ken asked, intrigued. Vivienne was indeed a good asset.
"You will surrender, and I will hold your hand when the token teleports you outside, this way, we will be both sent to the side of your sect, and I can easily cut the connection between me and my token."
Ken didn't take long to understand she wanted him to surrender in order to move out as soon as possible to be under the protection of the Serene Lotus Sect. If they delayed and the Four Seasons Sect suspected treason, they could easily intervene and capture her.
As long as they don't interfere in battles of others or harm other disciples, the other sects would let it slide. After all, there are 18 sects that hope the girl will die no matter which side she is on.
"Fine. The Four Seasons Sect is already our enemy, so the Serene Lotus Sect might take you in, however, I can't promise that they will. If they decide it's better to kill you or sell you back to your sect, there will be nothing I can do as a fifth-stage cultivator." Ken made sure to warn her about the consequences of her actions. It was a gamble that she might win, but also one she might lose.
"That's fine by me, I know the risk. However, I heard the sect accepted a few more disciples because of your demands, it means they at least respect your opinion." Vivienne displayed the long reach of her sect's intelligence, repeating some of the facts she had learned from Felix. 'Besides, aren't you going to kill me now anyway? It's better to take a gamble,' she grumbled in her mind but kept it in.
"Good, then make sure to do something that would make our elders believe you're sincere."
Tiara, who had kept silent all this time since she didn't understand what was going on or how Ken and the sect seed of the Four Seasons Sect knew each other, finally spoke.
"Then it means we are going to let her attack us? How can you be so sure she won't take this chance to kill us?" She was bothered by their agreement. The few seconds it took for the token to activate were enough for the elders of the Four Seasons Sect to intervene, which meant they'd have to do a convincing play.
lightsΝοvεl ?οm "She has to obey my words, we are safe," Ken explained shortly, "You must not use an attack that can risk our lives, cripple us, or deal any kind of long-term damage," he told the platinum-haired woman.
A spark lightened in Tiara's eyes when she remembered the day in the secret realm when they claimed the prizes in the final stage of the Labyrinth of Blood. Everything finally clicked, including Ken's confidence in dealing with the enemy's sect seeds.
One of the rewards, she recalled, was a slavery collar that allowed someone to control other cultivators, and Ken purchased it back then with the righteous words of "making sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
"I see. There is no problem then."
Their conversation took almost half a minute, and everyone outside was intrigued as to the content of it. Unluckily for them, Vivienne's technique blocked it all. The elders of both sects watched it with squinted eyes and suspicion, confused about the unexpected events.
Anwar was still frozen solid by their side, and none of the other disciples of the Four Seasons dared to come closer before their strongest representative's situation became clearer. If Anwar was strong enough to slaughter them, Vivienne could crush them like flies.
The veil of wind cast by Vivienne was reduced, and the three figures stood in a face-off.
"Are they going to fight now? Did they come to some sort of agreement? What's going on?!" Steve shouted, echoing everyone's thoughts. The suspense was so thick it could be felt in the air as if it were tangible.
"I'm sorry Ken Sue, but please die for me and for my sect," Vivienne said in a soft voice that could be heard clearly, making the elders of the Four Seasons Sect relax with a smile. They could always find out what they were talking about later when she came back.
At that moment, the woman known as the Platinum Flame Maiden disappeared from her place and reappeared in front of Ken and Tiara. Her fists, covered with Wind Qi, connected with their abdomens, sending her flying and spitting blood.
'Her speed! It's at least as fast as my One Step technique!' Ken thought in astonishment. It was the first time he witnessed someone under the seventh stage replicate his dashing speed. He practically moved so fast it could be considered teleporting, and the only weakness was the predictability of a straight line, which allowed his enemies to react to it sometimes.
"Tiara, we are leaving!" Ken shouted and the two used their tokens to get teleported outside. However, there were still a few seconds remaining until the token activated and took them away.
"You cannot escape!" Their opponent said and chased after them, sending a flashy barrage of attacks that Ken and Tiara could barely block. They were accumulating shallow wounds to their skin and flesh, bleeding from various spots in their bodies.
"We just need to hold on 3 more seconds!" Ken's voice contained resolution and determination to survive. The spectators could hear their hearts beat fast and loud in expectation. Some were biting their nails as they waited to see the final outcome.
"Our fairy must remain alive! Don't kill Kara!"
"Don't kill Ken Sue!"
"Death!"
All kinds of opinions and desires echoed from the crowd, rooting for Ken's side or just cheering for blood.
"3… 2…" Steve counted, his voice shaking. Almost no projection showed different battles. Everyone held their breaths to see the final result. The audience soon understood his intentions and counted down with him.
However, at 2, something strange happened. The battle suddenly paused, and Vivienne straightened her back, looking at the many fellow disciples surrounding her. If someone looked closely, they might have found a hint of pity in her eyes.
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A/N:
We are heading towards a long time skip. I thought to fill it with a volume about Aaron, Ken's little brother. Tell me in the comments what you think - Aaron volume, or just do the time skip and and integrate the most important parts of Aaron's story in the main story.
R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at f(r)eew𝒆bnovel.com Only