Against Heaven's Will

'What do you mean? Do you know her?' Xuefeng questioned curiously only to freeze at her answer.

'We all know her. It's Thunder Goddess, my past Fate Holder…'

'But how? Wasn't she locked in the ice, waiting for us to find her?" Xuefeng asked confused. 'The only reason we joined this tournament is to buy the medicine that can cure her poison.' 

'I don't know… I guess someone must have freed her before us or she escaped on her own. What I can tell you for sure, she didn't have the Lightning Stone when we separated. She had to get it afterward,' Ling revealed. 

'I see… Well, we will ask her when we get there. It's not like I can avoid going there,' Xuefeng shrugged, petting Mona as he stood up. 'Where is that Hell Hole?'

'At the depths of the Earth Land. I can bet that's where that Dark Fate Sect has their base as well,' Ming replied with hatred. 'We have to destroy and kill every single one of them.' 

'Don't worry, we will depart there once we are done here,' Xuefeng assured. 'For now, let's focus on what's in front of us.'

He extended his hand and saw three shiny stones, giving him full control over three elements. It just happened there was no lack of Water Essence in the Water Land and he already reached the Fourth Refinement. 

Would there be anyone who can face him then?

He only needed to extend his thoughts outside to find out the whole place reacted to his call. Water Essence across the Arena vibrated, giving him full control over it. 

'Hehe, I see you all…' Xuefeng giggled, scanning the whole arena. 

By controlling Water Essence, he could imagine a three dimensional model of the whole arenas. All the empty places in the shapes of humans were naturally the other participants. 

"Let's get the party started…" Xuefeng muttered as he turned to the flying camera. "We can start the Tournament now. I'm ready!" 

As he said so, his Elemental Bracelet transformed into a golden gauntlet but this time, it didn't end at that. It spread across his body, creating a golden armor all around his body. 

"Whoa! To think Xuefeng was holding back his powers this whole time! As expected from our Xuefeng!" the Commentator called out in amazement. "With Xuefeng ready, we can finally begin our Finals! Are you all ready?!" 

'What happened?' Xuefeng wondered as he checked out his new armor. 'Did my Elemental Bracelet upgrade or something?' 

'Maybe it has something to do with the first Gate opening? I'm not sure what it means but maybe after every three Elemental Stones, the Elemental Bracelet transforms, giving you a boost in power? After all, the Elemental Stones are like energy source for it,' Ming suggested which sounded like a reasonable answer. 

He didn't bother asking the Bracelet's Spirit and instead enjoyed the transformation, actually looking cool in the new armor. He spawned his golden wings and couldn't help but get excited. He was now shining with gold from head to toe. 

Xuefeng was about to launch in the sky to return to his assigned position when he remembered Mona who watched him from the ground. 

"Right, what do I do with you?" Xuefeng wondered. 

"I will just follow you," Mona replied without hesitation and jumped on his shoulder. "I'm your problem now." 

"I doubt they will let a Celestial Stage beast join the Tournament with me. That would be an overkill," Xuefeng commented and thought of an idea. 

He pulled out his necklace where Ling created her own world and suggested, "How about I introduce you to my two lovely wives?"

"There is more?" Mona questioned surprised, causing Xuefeng to smile awkwardly. 

"Wait till we all reunite…" Xuefeng commented and placed the crystal up to Mona's nose. "Don't resist. She will bring you inside." 

'Ling, Ming, take care of her for now,' Xuefeng ordered before adding, 'and don't teach her anything stupid.' 

'Haha, yes boss!' Ming replied while laughing and Mona vanished right after, entering into Ling's space. 

Xuefeng didn't hesitate and launched to the sky before landing right where the reunion happened. He already knew two guards were still waiting for him there with Yiren and Lisa already gone. He didn't test how far could he see with his Elemental Awareness but at the very least, he saw four girls in the Platform all together. 

"Sir, use the Token once again to lock yourself in place. To make it fair for everyone, please remove any Arts as well," the Black-armored guard commanded to which he complied immediately, knowing he made everyone wait for him. 

"Let's get this party started." 

———

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

The countdown began again but two women on the stands were not really in the mood to cheer with everyone. 

"It's all over…" Jiao muttered as she stared at Xuefeng's face on the large screen. "I'm nothing compared to him…" 

Seeing him receive another boost in strength like this made Jiao realize how strong he actually was. Having the Elemental Bracelet, one of the top ten Godly Treasures, was already an overkill. Add his individual strength to the mix and you got yourself a monster. 

"Seven!"

"six!"

"Girl, chill. Don't worry about it for now and just watch," Dandan assured as she gave her a side hug. "You still have a chance to catch up to him. Just give it time and work hard."

"Two!"

"One!"

"The Finals begin now!" the Commentator finished the counting and all locks on the Participants disappeared. 

Xuefeng's golden armor returned to him the very first second and he pulled out his Dragon Edge while shouting out coolly. 

"Water Domain!!!" 

Swoosh!

Like a shockwave, the Water Domain expanded all across the Arena, locking the whole place to the maximum capacity, stopping right before the stands. Even if someone tried to escape, they couldn't. They were forced to fight inside, on their own rules. 

The Commentator was for sure hyped about it. 

"OH HEAVENS! He locked the entire Arena with his Domain!!! How big is that?! Is this the power of his Elemental Bracelet?!"

Jiao couldn't help but look at Dandan with a 'What did I tell you just now' face. She didn't even need to say anything as Xuefeng's performance just confirmed her words. 

"Okay, fair enough. Xuefeng is extremely powerful but baby, why do you worry about him? That shouldn't be your target. You should aim to beat his wives instead," Dandan suggested when Xuefeng spawned his wings and flew out like a Golden Angel. 

"He is flying towards his wife while ignoring all his opponents! That's how you know he values his wives more than the win of this Tournament! They will face all the opponents together!" the Commentator described as the screen changed, showing Tianshi instead. 

She stood still with her eyes closed before suddenly snapping them open. 

"Arise my Soldiers!!!"

Rumble!

The ground shook as massive hands pierced through the ground. Everyone already knew this from before so they already expected it. Five earth Golems fought for her but this time it was different, shocking everyone. 

Thud!

All five Golems slapped their hands together at the same time before slowly releasing them, creating five colorful swords. 

"Elemental Swords!!! She armed their Golems with Swords!" the Commentator cried out hyped. "Can anyone even face this legendary couple?!" 

Tianshi smiled at that comment, naturally hearing the Commentator just like everyone else, and cried out to everyone in the Tournament. 

"Come at me bitches! Let me show you some power!" 

Both Xuefeng and Tianshi were the main stars of the show, the screen splitting up to show both of them together. 

"…" Dandan didn't have anything to say, being a bit speechless at this point. She already had to eat her words twice in the span of just one minute. 

"From what I remember, Tianshi was one of the weakest back then. Look how strong she is? Do you think I can even compete with Xuefeng's wives? He naturally picks the best from the best," Jiao informed, causing Dandan to scratch her head. 

"Okay… You got a point, but not everything is lost," Dandan muttered. "I already told you I have a plan for you." 

"What plan?" Jiao wondered as she got closer. She was very close to giving up and Dandan's idea was the only thing that kept her hopes above the losing line. 

"Have you ever heard of the Hell Hole?" Dandan whispered an unknown place to her. 

"No, but I don't like it already," Jiao replied honestly. 

"Basically, it a hole with no end. Once you enter inside, there is very little chance you will go out. But, it's not impossible. There are many who entered inside and came out with riches beyond imagination," Dandan explained. "Besides the wealth, there was something else inside that interests many. Inheritances." 

"Inheritances…?" Jiao repeated interested. 

"That's right. Many lonely old fogies who know their lives are about to end goes into solitude at the bottom of the Hell Hole. They don't want to share their wealth and secrets with anyone so they lock themselves to die in peace. I will tell you the details later but basically, I know someone who entered inside and came back, so I know it's possible. What do you think? Are you in?" 

"And I'm sure there are many dangers inside?" Jiao guessed the obvious. 

"Oh, of course, there are, but that's what makes it interesting. Many beasts are waiting to rip you to shreds but I learned only weak beasts live close to the exit. We should be fine going inside even if we just want to train," Dandan convinced. "I will naturally go in with you."

Jiao turned her eyes to the screen, tracking Xuefeng's movements before muttering, "Let me think about it first…" 

As they chatted, the Finals were getting more and more intense. 

"This is interesting! We still didn't have any battles but it seems we will be having a group battle! Xuefeng reached Tianshi while the rest of the Participants decided to group together! They are planning on finishing the couple first!" the Commentator called out, exposing both parties' positions. "I wonder who will strike first." 

Xuefeng grinned at that as he hugged Tianshi, surrounded by five earth Golems. 

"For the lovely crowd in this Arena, let me give you some entertainment," Xuefeng announced before raising his fingers. 

Snap!