"Why are you cycling your qi, General?" Liu Xing asked. "People might think you're trying to intimidate us rather than invite us. It would reflect poorly on a general of the illustrious Mirror Tide Empire to intimidate innocent people. It would make your empire look bad."

As he spoke, Liu Xing began to move his own qi, cycling it through his qi paths, ready to enhance his body or unleash a technique at a moment's notice. He also adjusted his hold on the gun in his right hand—not too tight, not too loose. Just enough for him to aim and shoot.

The general began to laugh, his voice booming across the ten ships on the wind. "Innocent people, huh? Well, if you put it like that, it does seem as if I'm acting poorly for a representative of the Mirror Tide Empire. But 'innocent' is a strong word, coming from you." He stopped laughing and sighed. "Subtlety is not my forte, so why don't we speak directly, Liu Xing of the Purple Moon Sect."

When the general stated his name and sect, the people across the vessels once again began to murmur. Although it seemed most had already guessed his identity, some let out surprised gasps. A man holding a spear shot him a hateful expression, his eyes turning red, as if he had just seen his father's murderer. A man brandishing an elegant sword that gleamed under the sun spat to the side, and a woman at her side clenched both of her hands as she sneered. Similar hateful and negative expressions were directed at him, and seeing this, he couldn't help but grit his teeth. This hostility reminded him of Blue Emerald Island, and a seed of negative emotion began to bloom within him. Still, Liu Xing reined in his emotions and spoke calmly. "I am indeed Liu Xing, and I am indeed an outer disciple of the Purple Moon Sect. Does that mean I am not innocent, even though I have done nothing?"

"How naive," the general sneered. "Imagine a man came to your house and slaughtered your daughter. Even if his son came to your house and said that he did nothing to you, would you let go of your hatred toward the man? The fact that you're a disciple of the Purple Moon Sect makes you guilty by association. You are an ally of a demonic sect."

"That's right!" a shout came from behind the general. "Guilty!"

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

"Murderer!"

"What are we waiting for? We should attack him!"

Liu Xing pressed his lips together and gripped his gun tightly, but he couldn't just attack them. It was true that they slandered him and intended to kill him, but he understood where their hatred came from. He couldn't open fire just like that. He had no reason to attack them… yet, and truth be told, he wanted to end all of this as peacefully as possible. He didn't want to spill blood unnecessarily.

"I can promise you that I'm not on the side of the Nether Lotus Sect, and I can also certainly say that my sect doesn't back them either. We're a great sect, and while we are no saints, we are not a demonic sect either," Liu Xing said.

General Zhao Ming snorted. "Then where are the rest of you? The Nether Lotus Sect is a demonic sect, and the Purple Moon Sect, as you said, is a great sect. Shouldn't your sect come here and reinforce us in the war? Or were our yearly tributes, spanning thousands of years, for nothing?"

"I have tried to notify my sect about the situation here, but something is jamming the line of communication," Liu Xing said, trying to explain his sect's inaction. But even as he said it, it sounded like a flimsy excuse. "Look," he continued, "I don't want any trouble. I'm not with the Nether Lotus Sect. To be honest, I came here to complete a mission from an elder, but I do intend to help you fight the Nether Lotus Sect. In fact, I already did so on Blue Emerald Island."

"I heard about your contributions there," the general said, "but in the end, you let one of their elders go."

"If that is the extent of the information you received, then it seems you didn't hear the full story," Liu Xing said. "General, as I said, we don't wish to intrude. If you decide I'm an enemy, I will not hesitate to retaliate," he looked around, "it would not be pretty."

At this point, Liu Xing felt that his mission in the Wild Tide Region had suddenly become much harder. It seemed his name had spread, which meant many people would be hostile to him by default. It was a mess. And all of it was because some bastard from his sect had decided to support the Nether Lotus Sect. "What a mess."

General Zhao Ming looked toward the group of women behind Liu Xing. At this, Liu Xing flared his qi, and the general's head snapped back toward him, their eyes meeting. "You're only one person, and there are nine hundred of us. Even if your cultivation is higher than most of ours, it is not higher than mine. With their support, I will definitely kill you."

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Liu Xing raised his chin slightly. "Nine hundred is nothing. As long as I can kill you first, the rest will be dead. And trust me," Liu Xing activated his Lightning Cloak Technique. The gun absorbed the energy before he drew it back into his body. Instantly, he was shrouded in lightning. "It would not be hard."

The truth was, while he was technically capable of it, he had no intention of following through on his words. Despite their hostility, it all boiled down to a misunderstanding. He was no ally of a demonic sect. If he decided to decimate them, the Mirror Tide Empire's hostility toward him would be justified.

"You're exaggerating your capabilities, but indeed, if we fight, the casualties on my side would be immense," the general said, pinching his chin. "And since we're in the middle of a war—although many people still don't think of it that way—I need to make sure there are no unnecessary deaths."

Hearing that statement, Liu Xing blinked several times, surprised. He hadn't considered that the general would back down, but it was a good decision. Liu Xing began to smile and opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the general continued. "That's why I think we can let you leave, as long as you give us the information about the heaven-defying treasure you're seeking. The Heaven Severing Pill, isn't it? Tell me what it is and where to find it, and we will let you go. Then there will be no unnecessary deaths on my side or yours," he glanced toward the women behind Liu Xing.

Liu Xing's smile instantly vanished. The good mood that had just begun to bloom was crushed like a flower under a giant rock. His eyes sharpened, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.

This was unexpected.

As far as he could remember, he hadn't told anyone about the Heaven Severing Pill. There was a small sliver of doubt since he had lost his memory, but he was quite sure a memory like that would have been regained by now. Since nothing came to mind, it meant they had gotten their information from somewhere else—perhaps from Yu Yongrui, perhaps from someone else, or perhaps the man who could transmit thoughts on Blue Emerald Island could also read his mind. Whatever the method, the outcome was the same. People knew about his mission, and they had suddenly become obstacles.

Instantly, he realized that General Zhao Ming had been after the knowledge of the Heaven Severing Pill all along, and he couldn't help but feel cheated.

"How about it? Why the silence?" the general asked. "If you tell us about it, I can report this as a token of your tribute to the Mirror Tide Empire. By doing so, I will make sure that no one harms you as long as you stay in the empire."

Liu Xing flared his Lightning Cloak Technique, arcs of electricity lashing out from him. "You're mocking me, General. Even I, who am not a cunning or scheming person, know that your offer is not sincere."

The knowledge about the Heaven Severing Pill was not something he wanted to share, because his future hung on it. He didn't actually know much about the pill. Why was it called Heaven Severing? Did it sever a connection between a cultivator and the heavens? And if that was true, why would someone want to do that? He didn't know the answers, but he knew the city where it was located, and he was unwilling to share that.

"Is that so? A shame," the general said, shaking his head as if he were disappointed. "You could have ended this peacefully, and yet, you choose violence. You truly are an ally of a demonic sect."

After he said that, the general flicked his hand, and a spear materialized in his grasp. It was pitch-black, as if it had been dipped into a well of ink that was now subsumed into its very being. It didn't shine under the sun; rather, the spear glowed with wisps of dark smoke that grew larger by the second, as if eating the light, and the tip looked blacker as time passed.

Liu Xing's eyes narrowed instantly; those wisps of darkness looked very, very familiar. "Where did you get that spear, General?"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he replied. "A year ago, a meteor fell in the backyard of my compound, and my blacksmith created this spear for me. The essence of outer space has given me an unparalleled understanding of myself. Since then, no one has been able to defeat me."

"Bullshit," Liu Xing instantly replied. That was darkness, and as far as he knew, the only people who wielded it besides him were demonic cultivators. He looked around and said calmly, "Ever since he got that spear, his cultivation has soared, right?"

When a young man's eyes suddenly widened, Liu Xing locked onto him. The man looked to be in his early twenties, and his cultivation was quite low, only at the fourth stage of the Lock Opening realm.

"Have there been any disappearances happening around the Mirror Tide Empire?"

A demonic cultivator advanced by using other people as resources, and the most prominent sign of one's existence within a city was a string of mysterious disappearances.

At his words, the young man's eyes widened further.

That was enough confirmation for Liu Xing. It seemed the general was indeed a demonic cultivator, one who wielded darkness at that.

He looked straight at the general and said, "General Zhao Ming." He opened his spatial bag and pulled out a long stone blade. "That spear of yours is wreathed in darkness, and it seems you're a demonic cultivator. I don't know whether you're an ally of the Nether Lotus Sect or not, but I promise you this," he pointed the stone blade at him. "I'll kill you."

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