As He Li let out this low shout, everything around seemed to freeze, space captured in that moment.
Before him, He Jun still held the ethereal figure of Chamos in his grasp, and the space in front of He Jun rippled like water.
He Li, his face grim, was the first to step into the rippling space, followed by He Jun.
The next moment,
He Li stood on the rooftop of the Lan Hong Ting Hotel.
In the dark night sky, dark clouds swirled, forming countless vortexes of varying sizes.
He Li gazed at the strange dark clouds in the sky.
The wind stopped.
The clamor vanished.
The air was almost frozen.
Everything fell into a bizarre state of stillness.
The only thing that didn't stop was the swirling dark cloud vortexes in the sky.
Gradually,
A rift opened in the dense dark cloud vortexes.
At the same time,
A distortion resembling a dark cloud vortex appeared in the space not far in front of He Li, and a rift also tore open.
Immediately,
A figure emerged from the rift. It was a young man, tall and sturdy, dressed in opulent attire, with golden hair streaked with brown and light blue eyes. What was most striking was his large nose.
He was a Northman.
He Li watched him.
At the same time,
He was also being watched by the Northman.
He Li narrowed his eyes. As he looked at the Northman who had appeared before him, and after confirming that he was an Awakened, one of only thirteen true Awakened in this world, he had envisioned many scenarios for meeting other Awakened. But he had never imagined it would be like this, meeting in this manner.
Most importantly, he was being toyed with by the other party...
For a moment,
Six more people appeared behind He Li, and along with He Jun, they all stared at the Northman standing in the air before them.
Within this frozen space, two Awakened, or rather, two gods, met without any warning.
They gazed at each other in silence, each trying to discern the other, their auras exuding nobility and divinity.
Behind He Li was the water-like ripple, and behind the Northman was the spatial vortex.
The water-like ripple and the spatial vortex were distinct yet simultaneously grinding and tearing at each other. This was not their power, but the aura they emanated.
The silence did not last.
The Northman's eyes shifted slightly, changing from confrontation to scrutiny.
Suddenly,
He smiled and said, "I am glad to meet my companion, though I did not expect this way of meeting."
He Jun extended the captured ethereal figure of Chamos in his hand forward, then abruptly crushed it.
Perhaps "crushed" was not the most accurate word, as it did not explode but dissipated.
The man looked at He Li, whose expression was stern, then glanced at the slowly dissipating fragments of the ethereal figure. He did not seem to care that He Li had killed his believer, or subordinate, before him. Instead, he introduced himself, "My name is Hoss. I am your companion."
"I know you are angry, but this was a small prank..."
"Exactly!"
He Li interrupted Hoss directly, his sharp eyes fixed on Hoss's light blue eyes.
He questioned,
"Are you provoking me?"
"Of course not. Gods do not provoke gods. Battles and conflicts between gods can be without reason, but they are always fair, direct, and honorable."
Hoss was not intimidated by He Li's gaze, nor did he care about He Li's attitude. He felt it was normal; like himself, others could only earn respect, not provoke him.
"I merely wished to confirm my companion."
After saying this, Hoss laughed, the distorted spatial vortex behind him trembling, his golden-brown hair lifting.
He Li moved his lips, and the water-like ripples in the space behind him increased.
"Confirm a companion?"
He Li couldn't help but sneer, "Or... confirm an enemy?"
Hoss's smile gradually faded. The rift in space behind him suddenly widened, and he said to He Li,
"The gods' game has begun. We only need to wait for those fellows to awaken and join in."
Hoss slowly turned around, facing the dark rift. Before entering it to leave, he paused and looked back at He Li, saying,
"It's good to see you again. Compared to 4000 years ago, you are more domineering now, but I hope you won't be killed as easily as you were 4000 years ago."
As Hoss's words fell, he stepped into the spatial rift.
Then,
The sky returned to its original appearance. Compared to before, the sky was now clear and starry.
"Hoo..."
He Li slowly let out a long breath. The space around him shattered like glass.
The wind blew gently.
The surroundings returned to their noisy state.
...
"It's all Yan Ping's fault! If he hadn't held me back just now, I would have killed that blonde idiot with one sword!"
"Chen Sui, I've noticed you only brag. He Jun, He Xi, Uncle Li, none of them said anything, so why are you trying to show off!" Yan Ping didn't hold back and directly cursed Chen Sui.
"You dare curse me? I'll kill you first, you repressed man!" Chen Sui immediately drew the twin sabers at his waist.
Yan Ping frowned, his left hand slightly raised, a plain Tang saber in his grasp. He held the hilt with his right hand and drew the blade.
"You two, calm down. Don't draw your swords at the drop of a hat. What if you both die?" Jin Fang said calmly, trying to mediate.
"Alas... If you ask me, let's go to Switzerland. Build a small house on the mountainside and live a peaceful life."
Xiao Yue was stunned for a moment and said, "Hoss is Northman. If we go to Switzerland, won't we be going right to his doorstep...
...You two, stop fighting! Jin Fang, pull them apart! Xiao Xi, don't crowd forward. Uncle Li, you hold Xiao Xi."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Chen Sui and Yan Ping had already begun to clash their swords.
Jin Fang leisurely, seemingly mediating, was actually fueling the fire.
He Xi, riding on Li Qin's neck, watched the two fighting with swords and giggled.
Xiao Yue was still chattering.
A car was parked on the street not far away.
Inside the car,
Susan pursed her lips, her face etched with worry as she watched He Li, who was talking to himself on the sidewalk and walking towards them.
Is he... having an episode?
"Stop fighting, that's enough. You're all brothers, you can't really kill each other, can you? Yan Ping, Chen Sui has an opening in this move. If you shift half a body to the left, you can hit him."
"Jin Fang, shut up. I told you to break them up, not to coach them."
"Uncle Li, you knock those two away... Xiao Xi, quickly put away your gloves!"
"Xiao Yue! Shut your mouth! You're not He Jun, nor are you He Li. What right do you have to control us!"
"Exactly, exactly. Meddling in other people's business."
"Xiao Xi, quickly dismantle these three bastards!"
Susan silently picked up her phone and found Director Wang's number. "Hello, Director Wang..."