667: The Hound

The Hound

It was a single wolf's howl but it was enough to cut through the noise, grabbing everyone's attention. The crowds looked at one another both with confusion as well as anticipation. 

"What's this? Could it be some special event?" 

"A wolf's howl? Maybe there's some expert making a grand entry, a special guest even?!"

As the murmuring as whispers grew, the faces of those like the Emperor and Lord Tang Guang spoke differently. Furrowing their brows, the two of them shared a look before turning back to the others. 

Everyone in that room had the same look, confusion and perhaps even some fear. 

"What's going on? Where did that howling come from?"

The emperor stood up, immediately showing a serious expression. 

"We'll find out soon enough! The Demon Brigades should be on the move."

With the sudden commotion up there, those down below felt that something was amiss. 

Both Fei Xian and Rou'er looked to their family members in concern before turning towards the entranceway. All of the participants sensed something coming from within. 

At first, one wolf emerged, walking forward silently and then dozens followed out. From there, they heard a clinking sound as someone walked out, surrounded by them. Dressed in armor, each step had weight to them. 

Pitch black in color, it was full-plated armor and the most eye-catching part was the helmet. Shaped like the head of a black wolf, it covered their face, hiding their identity from everyone else. At the same time, it made for an intimidating appearance. 

Standing there, this strange individual looked around, gazing at the disciples. 

Seeing this person, everyone was silent, stricken with surprise. 

"That's the Hound, Langshen! Quick, we must evacuate everyone!" 

Tang Guang immediately recognized him and whistled out loud, calling for his partner. However, someone else acted first. 

Lightning suddenly struck down, crashing straight down at the armored man and his wolves. 

With such sudden commotion, the stands were suddenly in chaos as they realized that something wasn't right. 

"Are you alright?!" 

Tang Guang immediately stood in front of the Emperor just as his pet came, a giant golden-furred ape that protected the both of them. The beast was certainly larger than the last time and its saber seemed to have changed as well. 

The emperor looked up at the ape before glancing at his sworn brother. 

"That was quick", he remarked. 

But Tang Guang shook his head, looking at the billowing dust clouds. 

"That wasn't Hou Huang..." he muttered. 

Hearing this, the emperor looked at the dust, wondering just what was going to happen. 

"Is this going to be a repeat of that year? The Youth Dragon Tournament..." he thought. 

That notion made his stomach turn, that time was a mess, one that nearly made his heart stop. By the look on his face, the emperor truly did not want to go through it again. 

Within that dust cloud, Langshen was on one knee with his shield raised up. Above him was Ming Yue, whose sword had struck his shield. It seemed as if she had fallen from the sky, her body was in the air and she was directly above him. blocked by his black shield. 

"Mm, not bad."

That was all he said before standing up, and pushing her back. Doing so launched her out of the dust where she landed on the arena. 

The crowds tried to leave, scrambling for the exits only to be stopped as more wolves emerged from the shadows. Baring their fangs, they snarled at the fearful mortals, forcing them back a few steps. 

They could only turn back, staring at the lone figure in the arena. 

"To think it would the Hound, of all places, why would he be here?" 

Ming Yue stood there, looking straight at the settling dust clouds as that very figure marched forward. With a shield on one arm and a longsword in his other hand, he stepped onto the arena facing her. 

But just as he had a helmet on, the young woman wore a veiled hat, one that was white in color. It was thin enough to see her silhouette but thick enough obscure the finer features. 

With it, no one but a select few knew who she was. 

The Hound was already in a stance, putting his shield up whilst pointing his sword at her. 

"I didn't think it'd be that easy to lure you out", he said, "I figured that a massacre of the capital city would be needed but I guess not. Still, no one can leave here, try it and they will come for your flesh."

His voice wasn't very loud but it was enough for everyone to hear and for Ming Yue, she felt a trace of fear from those words. 

Perhaps it was how nonchalantly he spoke of it, as if killing thousands of innocent lives would be nothing more than a simple task. 

"He's... at the Fourth Sky."

A quick look was enough for her to discern this.

Unlike the Witch, whose strength was harder to find out the Hound did nothing to hide his strength. But unlike her, he was a warrior and that was enough to make her extremely wary. 

Silently staring at him, she changed her grip, moving Blood Moon to one hand and taking out the Black Blade with the other. Wielding both swords, the cultivator walked forward to meet his challenge. 

Neither of them said anything, causing tension in the air. They both knew that their eyes met even if their faces were covered. 

"Who is she? What's going on?! Why are they here?"

The emperor looked out from the viewing room before facing Tang Guang. The Head Administrator of the Jade Dragon Pavilion narrowed his eyes before looking behind him. His gaze landed on none other than Meng Zhao, Ming Yue's adoptive grandfather. 

The old man had his eyes glued on the battlefield, focused on her. 

Light flashed in Tang Guang's eyes before looking down at the arena. 

"It was the Hound who started it, he must've wanted to lure out the one responsible for killing off members of Redmist Sanctuary. As for her, she could be some wandering expert trying to stop him or the one responsible", he answered. 

"What should we do? it doesn't seem like we have any choice but to stay hostage like this. We could fight but doing so with all these civilians, too many lives would be lost in the fighting. I can't have that, our people have just barely recovered from the damage of the earthquakes. But... can I just rely on some stranger whose face I can't even see?"

The emperor quickly went through the possible choices, thinking of the best way to keep his people safe. 

But he could only grind his teeth, staring at the arena. 

"Damn it!" 

The emperor felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Tang Guang. 

"Come on, we've gone through so many disasters. This is not the first and it will certainly not be the last."

Hearing such words, the emperor took in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. 

"You're right, you're right, this is not the first time. We will get through this, I just don't know what to think about that stranger. Even if she is some great expert, this is the Hound! The second strongest only to the Ascetic! " 

Tang Guang breathed out, looking at her. 

"She'd have to be at the Sky Realm to be able to contend with him, I know. But we don't have much choice, we can only watch and hope."

At that point everyone was watching, what else could they do? 0

Aside from the elders from the forty sects, everyone else would probably die in a single from the Hound.

Worse still, the wolves may tear them to shreds. 

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