Ming Yue looked at them in awe.

“Strong!” she thought.

That was her only impression of them but that was enough for her to realize the road she had to take. In her eyes, this was the level of power she longed for, her desire to for strength only grew. She watched and looked at everyone. Of the ten figures, there were 6 men and 4 women, they wielded weapons of all sorts, ranging from large clubs to fans and even a guqin. However the most terrifying one would be the man with no weapon. She felt an unprecedented amount of fear from him. Compared to his group, he felt like a giant among men.

The group approached the mysterious man slowly, ready to strike at any time.

Sky restated his words, “Come with us and if you cooperate, the emperor may let you go.”

The man smiled and laughed out loud, “Don’t think that this has changed anything? In the end, my master, the Lord of the Azure Souls, will have his revenge and destroy Red Lotus Country! AHAHAHA HAHA-heuk-huk”.

He fell to the ground and convulsed before blood dripped from his mouth.

“Che, he killed himself before we could do anything”, Sky said.

He picked up the man’s body before looking back at his team, “Our mission here is complete, I will report this to the emperor. The rest of you help kill off the remaining beast of the horde and guard the city in case of another attack. Once the coast is clear, you will meet me at our next mission location. Is that clear to all of you?”

Several groans were heard before they responded with a yes.

“Good”, Sky immediately departed and was soon out of sight.

“You heard what the leader said, let’s go finish this up”, said one of the team members.

“Earth, stay back with them and help with the wounded, the rest of us will go out and hunt the rest of the beasts. Mountain and Lotus will stay here with you to guard the city”, she said.

“Yes, Shade”, they replied.

The group immediately split up and went on their way. Earth, a thin and meek looking man asked for the location of the medical camps before heading there. As for Mountain and Lotus, they began to help clean up the city clearing debris and carrying out any who were still alive.

Ming Yue looked at them in curiosity before one of them, a large muscular man approached her with his hand out. She looked at his hand before grabbing it and getting up. It was Mountain, his counterpart Lotus carrying a pair of metal fans aided in the recovery of any injured. She was dressed pink gold robes which wrapped her petite body, her face was pretty although there was quite a bit of make up on her. She wore a calm expression and carried a serene aura.

“You’re quite the brave one”, he said, “choosing to fight an opponent that’s easily over five times your power.”

He looked at her before smiling.

“Come on then, help me clean this area up.”

Ming Yue took his hand and stood up before helping with the rescue efforts.

Days later in the emperor’s palace, Sky had reached the emperor and reported the events that occurred from the unusual horde to the mysterious man on his last breath, screaming out loud in confidence of the fate of their nation before convulsing into a bloody mess. After hearing such news, the emperor rubbed his forehead and sighed.

“After going into hiding for so long, he finally makes his move. Tell the 48 Demon Brigades to stand by their stations and be ready to be called at any moment. I want you and the 7th Brigade to stay at Luan City until further notice. This incident is only the first of many to come. I expect that it will only get worse. That is all, you may leave.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Sky left the throne room, leaving the emperor by himself.

“To think that you would attack now. This time I will personally execute you myself”, Sky muttered. He walked and left for Luan City with an abnormal degree of killing intent in his eyes.

Somewhere in a grand valley, was a house, and within it was a man drinking a cup of tea while gazing at his courtyard. It was adorned with a pond of fish and its own waterfall, surrounded by an array flowers. It was a beautiful sight. He was quite handsome and his face had a kind expression. He wore blue robes resembling a calm sea and sipped his tea without a care in the world. Without a doubt, this must be the mysterious Lord of Azure Souls.

As he continued to drink, a voice suddenly spoke yet he was the only one in this residence.

“He failed to capture the city and even died.”

“That was to be expected. he is but one man”, the man replied.

“Well, that was a waste of a tool. What did you expect to accomplish there?” the voice spoke in a angered tone.

“Do please relax,” the man said, “I’ve already accomplished my objective”.

“Hmph, would you like to elaborate?”

“Ah ah ah, not yet. It is a bit early for me to tell you all of my cards.”

A moment of silence passed, the Lord of Azure Souls looked at the courtyard with his cup of tea sitting beside him.

“Fine, you can hide your little tricks and secrets but I expect you to honor your side of the deal. I better see Red Lotus Country in flames with the head of its emperor on a stick. You have two years. If it is not done, you can consider forfeiting your own life”, after speaking, the voice spoke no more as if it was never there, leaving the Lord by himself.

He smiled and continued to drink his tea, “By then, I will have your head as well.”