Corrupt Creations

Qiao Xuan suddenly felt an electrifying sensation run all over his body. He was the supreme leader of the Lion's Pride Golden Palace and no one had ever dared to insult him like that. His ego and his pride were totally crushed by a single phrase and like the narrow-minded person that he was, he started to feel thoroughly enraged. 

Bang! 

His aura suddenly exploded, making all the fortune e had dropped on the ground get destroyed by the intensity of the energy he had just released. 

Qiao Xuan clenched his fists and said: "Hehehehehe... Good! Very good! Since you don't want to come with me, I'll do it my way. You may look like a goddess now, but I will make sure to tarnish and defile that appearance of yours to my heart's content!" 

Arwen narrowed her eyes, but instead of replying his comment with any more words, she decided to do it in the form of an attack. The Lion King was not worthy of her attention and time, so why waste spit talking with him? 

A poisonous mist suddenly surged around her, filling the whole space with the powerful Evergreen Essence poison, creating an area of death there. Arwen channeled her Mana into her sword and used it as a tool to control all that mist, slashing the air in front of her and making the mist mix with the wind element, generating a deadly whirlwind. 

Other than using her Evergreen Essence inheritance, Arwen was one of the strongest wind elemental masters that existed In the Elven Kingdom. Actually, even at the Human Territory, there were few cultivators that were well-versed enough on wind elemental arts and that could be considered at least at the wind elemental master level. However, an elemental master that reached her standings in that particular law, were rare to find. Maybe Elyra and the Profound Mana Realm cultivator that was the leading figure in the entire StormWind Valley. 

The only difference between them and the Elf Queen, was that Arwen's focus was her poison, her Evergreen Essence and not the wind element. But even so, she was still one of the best when it came to wind arts. 

The whirlwind danced around her, increasing its power more and more, till it had turned into a huge tornado. Controlling it with her sword, Arwen sent that tornado of poisoning winds towards Qiao Xuan, completely destroying everything everywhere it passed through. 

"Snort!" Qiao Xuan saw that the tornado was actually moving quite fast, but it was still too slow for a Mana Sovereign cultivator focused on the physical constitution, like he was. So instead of waiting for the it to come or going directly into it, he used his Mana to enhance his body, strengthening it even more than normal and together with his beast-like muscles, he shot towards the right side like an arrow. 

At first, it seemed he was escaping, but in reality, he was trying to flank the area where the tornado was wreaking havoc, rendering Arwen's skill useless. Using a skill like that against a cultivator like him, was impractical, it was almost as if she was throwing her Mana away. Those hundreds of meters of area it destroyed at every second, could be covered by a Mana Sovereign Realm cultivator faster than the speed that technique was moving. 

Qiao Xuan thought that leaving the area where the tornado was destroying everything, would nullify the threat it posed to him. However, with a single movement of Arwen's sword, those sharpy winds abruptly changed directions, going towards the area the Lion King had escaped to. 

"Snort!" Even though he saw the tornado changing directions and going after him, Qiao Xuan didn't panic. That ability was still slower than him and it would never reach his position like that. 

Taking advantage of that fact, he accelerated and redirected himself towards that elf woman. He already had a guess on who she really was, since the things and techniques she had shown so far, were all unique abilities and features that only a single individual on this whole continent had. 

Matters regarding the Mana Sovereigns, were at the same time secretive and not. Most of the powers that were at the top, would actively search information about every single other potentially dangerous individual that was still living, and even though their most important items and abilities were always kept a secret, hidden from the eyes of their enemies, the overall prowess of each individual was very well-known. 

The Elf Queen was one of those strong cultivators that the Lion's Pride Golden Palace had always tried to get some information about. That's why Qiao Xuan knew who he was dealing with. But for him, it didn't matter at all, since outside the Elven Kingdom, she was completely alone. 

If this conflict wasn't happening in the Human Territory, but in the Elven Kingdom, things were going to be totally different. He knew she had the total support of her people and they would even consider the thought of self-sacrificing just to help her. But here at the Human Territory, she was "just" a Mana Sovereign. 

That was what Qiao Xuan thought, but his prideful nature, had left out of the equation, the possibility of her being stronger than him. Even though he had seen her effortlessly dealing with one of his most deadly assassination abilities, the one he had tried to use on Seth, he still ignored that possibility, due to his pride as a beast king. 

Swoosh! 

Qiao Xuan's body turned into a beam of golden light, crossing the distance between the both of them in an instant, appearing a dozen of meters away from her only. His golden claws were already prepared to knock the Elf Queen out, but when he looked at the thin smile on her lips, he felt something wasn't right. 

Just as he went past a certain area, the whole floor suddenly changed. It started to glow in a green light and release a heavy toxic aura; however, by how fast that had happened, it seemed that it was a trap that was already previously laid down by the Elf Queen. 

The Lion King failed to notice that possibility and the fact that she already knew that he would be making that move like that on her. Actually, beast-like cultivators were very instinctual and would often take the opportunities when they were presented for them, failing to see the hidden danger it had in store. 

Qiao Xuan felt limited by the poisoning area, but just that new variable, would not stop him from advancing. He accelerated forwards and used his Mana to fly forwards with his maximum speed, turning into a golden arrow. His claws almost as if instantly, arrived right before Arwen's body, but they met the resistance of that green jade sword once again. 

Bang! 

"Heh!" Qiao Xuan was impressed she was able to accompany his speed, but he thought a simple Mana infused parry from her sword, would not be able to stop this attack of his. His claw attack was not a mere strike, but it was the culmination of many powerful techniques he has been using along the way. 

But when he tried to break through that green sword defensive parry, he felt he was trying to push an immovable mountain. Nothing he did was able to shake it off. 

Boom! 

The aura of two Mana Sovereigns directly collided, creating another shockwave that started to uproot everything around that valley they were fighting on, sending trees and boulders into the air. The pressure being generated from their clash was so great, that even the ground started to sink down. 

Not a single one of the beasts that were still storming their way towards the Lion's Pride Golden Palace, dared to approach the area they were in. Not because they feared them, but because they would be throwing their lives away and not helping the one they were serving now in any way. 

Both Sovereigns kept locked in that situation, till one of them felt it was time to act. 

At that moment, Arwen made a motion upwards with her free hand and Qiao Xuan felt forced to look downwards, because he felt a threatening energy coming from the ground. 

The poison that the Elf Queen had applied on the floor, was now rising upwards, putting the Lion King in a tight spot. He felt the pressure increasing and realized that he would have to use one of his trump cards, else things might get a bit complicated. 

Qiao Xuan's figure shone in a golden light and very quickly, golden pieces of armor started to appear around his whole body. Chest piece; leggings; brace; boots; helmet; in a single second, a complete set of golden armor covered his entire body, enveloping him in a veil of a protective light. 

The poison rising from below hit him a few seconds after he had put his armor, completely failing to penetrate it. There was a golden hue around that armor, completely delaying to corroding effects the poison had on him and allowing him to safely stay there. 

"Let's see how you're gonna deal with me now."