"Please, stop this!" Ming Chao pleaded, her voice almost drowned out by the rising winds. "Brother, Azmodeus, there's still time to resolve this without bloodshed!"
Neither man paid her any heed.
With a sudden burst of speed, Ling Chao closed the distance between himself and Azmodeus, his blade—a dark, serrated longsword—arcing toward his opponent's neck. Azmodeus reacted instantly, raising the Grand Pandemonium Cleaver to block the strike. The clash of their weapons sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield, uprooting trees and shattering boulders.
"You're strong," Ling Chao admitted, his tone grudgingly respectful. "Stronger than I expected. But strength alone won't save you."
Azmodeus smirked, his movements fluid as he parried another strike. "Funny," he said, his voice laced with mockery. "I was about to say the same thing to you."
Their battle intensified, each exchange of blows shaking the heavens and earth. Ling Chao's strikes were precise and unrelenting, his mastery of the Nine Evil Yin's dark techniques evident in every movement. Azmodeus, however, fought with an almost reckless abandon, his attacks brimming with raw power and ferocity. The Grand Pandemonium Cleaver cut through Ling Chao's dark energy like a hot knife through butter, forcing the traitorous cultivator to retreat time and again.
Ming Chao watched in helpless silence, her heart torn between loyalty to her brother and trust in Azmodeus. She could see the truth now—Ling Chao was not being controlled. His actions, his words, his very presence reeked of conviction. But even so, she couldn't bring herself to accept it.
"Brother..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Why?"
As the battle raged on, a sudden surge of energy drew everyone's attention. An ancient voice echoed outward, his tone filled with amusement.
"Enough games," he said, his presence growing more oppressive. "Azmodeus, Long Chao, Ming Chao—you've entertained me well, but the Nine Evil Yin's plans do not hinge on your petty squabbles. Soon, this entire realm will fall, your Immortal Lord will be dead, the Core of your Realm will be ours, and there's nothing you can do to stop any of it."
The answer, she realized, lay in the path she chose next.
Time quickly passed after the initial invasion of the Nine Evil Yin. The Nine Evil Yin Sovereign himself didn't appear to be in top much of a rush to avenge his fallen son, as he seemed to be having trouble with subduing the Immortal Realm Lord. Then again, with what little power he could use while Astral Projecting, it was no wonder someone of similar status was giving him so much trouble.
Though, it was merely a matter of time before he succeeded...
Nora was worried for the longest while, but thanks to the presence of Zara, Ana, and Azmodeus, she managed to calm her worry for her father, the Immortal Lord. Of everyone, she knew her father best, and there was no way he hadn't already predicted this. In her mind, he was simply biding his time to actually begin striking back.
Azmodeus, however, was not one to sit idly back. He took temporary leave from the Eternal Jade Academy, venturing all across the most prominent territories in the Immortal Realm. He hunted any and all Nine Evil Yin cultivators, amassed loot, and became more powerful. He also encountered many local forces that held grudges with him, some even going so far as to fabricate crimes he committed to justify them acting against him.
If they wanted to kill him for a crime, then at least let it be because of a crime he committed... Among which, there were plenty...
On a side note, Ming Chao resolved herself and gathered together coalition forces, all of whom rallied behind her because of her illustrious status. She along with many students, other residents of the Immortal Realm, and the solo slaughterer Azmodeus scoured the lands for any Nine Evil Yin Cultivators. And for a while, it seemed like they were winning.
However, that was merely on the surface...
The Nine Evil Yin Sovereign's power was rapidly growing in sync with the gap between Realms widening. It surely wouldn't be long before he could fit his entire existence through, and by then, the Immortal Lord and other Eternal Jade Immortal Realm Powerhouses would no longer be able to hold him back from killing them and taking the Core of the Immortal Realm.
If the Nine Evil Yin Sovereign got his hands on the Core and advanced the rank of his own Nine Evil Yin Immortal Realm to Rank 2, then it was all over... They would be done for...