A voice that was calm and authoritative echoed from the heavens above. A single beam of sword light descended.

  SHING.

  The beam passed through the armored figure. It passed through the Titan. It passed through the earth itself. The armored figure froze in mid air. A thin red line appeared on his forehead and then traveled down his entire body.

  He split in half. The Titan below him split in half. A chasm, miles long and perfectly straight, opened up on the valley floor.

  “Nooooo!! The valley!” A man had fallen to his knees and was crying. It was the manager of the team that had to repair such things once the fighting was over. He was grateful but dread overwhelmed his gratefulness.

  The man sent that sword attack landed on the ground as softly as a feather. He was a middle aged human. He wore white robes embroidered with gold thread. He had a short beard and eyes that looked like polished steel. He held a simple straight sword in his hand.

  City Lord Taren.

  "Reinforcements have arrived," Taren said calmly.

  Behind him the sky filled with cultivators. Hundreds of elite cultivators charged forward. They were raining down all kinds of techniques on the disorganized demon remnants. The rout was instantaneous. The demons broke and tried to flee away. Not many if any actually made it out though.

  Li Yu stood on the rampart and was studying that sword strike that had come. He watched the City Lord.

  'That sword,' Li Yu thought. 'One strike. Clean. No wasted energy. Incredibly powerful.'

  It was the most beautiful strike that Li Yu had ever seen.

  The aftermath was a flurry of activity. Healers tended to the wounded. Grateful but grumbling people were patching the walls and valley.

  Li Yu tried to slip away. He had done enough and didn't want the spotlight. But from the instant that the City Lord had arrived, he could feel the area around him locked in. He wouldn’t be able to Void Step if he wanted to.

  "You there," a voice called out.

  Li Yu turned to meet the voice but already knew who it was. City Lord Taren was standing ten feet away.

  "The one with the staff," Taren said. His eyes scanned Li Yu. It was an intense and probing scan. The man made no effort to hide it either. "You killed the two generals."

  Li Yu bowed slightly. "I got lucky. They underestimated me."

  Taren walked closer. "Luck does not seem to have played any role here. Come with me."

  It wasn't a request. Li Yu followed Taren to the commander’s room in the center of the fortress. The soldiers saluted Taren with awe but they looked at Li Yu with confusion. They had seen him fight earlier and were impressed by him but Taren over shadowed him so much, they barely remembered.

  Inside the tent Taren dismissed his guards. He poured two cups of tea from a pot on the table. He pushed one cup to Li Yu.

  "Sit," Taren said while gesturing for him to sit down.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Li Yu sat. He kept his posture relaxed but his muscles were coiled. Taren sipped his tea. He looked at Li Yu over the rim of the cup.

  "I have looked at you with my Spirit Eyes," Taren said quietly. "Usually, I can see the cultivation base of anyone below my own realm."

  He set the cup down.

  "With you... I see fog. A dense, shifting fog. I am clearly stronger than you so why is that the case?"

  Taren’s eyes narrowed. "You are not simple. Who are you? A spy? A rogue cultivator? And don’t tell me you are just some traveler."

  Li Yu held the cup and thought briefly. He looked at Taren. His gut instinct was screaming. But it wasn't screaming danger. It was a screaming of opportunity. Taren had saved the fortress. He had fought to protect his people.

  He was a Disciple of a Savior. He exuded an aura of righteousness that was rare in this world. If Li Yu wanted answers, he had to give something first. Trust was a currency, just like merit points.

  "I am not a spy," Li Yu said. "I am... a traveler. I know you said not to say that but it is actually true. Not an ordinary traveler though, I am from very far away."

  Taren waited.

  "I arrived in this realm by accident," Li Yu continued as he was testing the waters. "I was in a spatial tunnel, dragged through by another person from this realm. Something happened within that tunnel and I ended up away from that being, on some unnamed mountain realm. After traveling around for a bit, I ended up here. In search of answers, mostly how to get back home."

  Taren’s eyebrows rose slightly. "Your own world? You are from another realm?"

  "Yes," Li Yu said.

  Taren leaned forward. "Crossing the boundary between worlds is impossible for anyone below.... Unless..."

  "Unless I was dragged through by a Demon Lord, yes." Li Yu finished.

  The air in the tent grew cold.

  "Balor came to my realm and through a series of events he was defeated. In his anger he grabbed me with him." Li Yu said quietly. "It was Demon Lord Balor."

  "Balor," Taren whispered. The name hung in the air like smoke.

  "Yes," Li Yu said. "Balor."

  Taren went rigid. His hand drifted toward his sword unconsciously. "You encountered a Demon Lord and lived? Even I would die from such an encounter."

  "I didn’t fight him at all. It was some of the guardians of my world." Li Yu corrected. "And he... he effortlessly took me here."

  Li Yu looked Taren in the eye. Li Yu leaned forward.

  "He was badly injured in the tunnel. That was when I went unconscious and ended up on that mountain range in this realm. Clearly something happened to Lord Balor or else I wouldn’t have gotten away. Perhaps his injuries were too bad or he died going through the tunnel."

  Taren stared at him. The City Lord’s composure cracked for the first time. His mouth opened slightly.

  "He’s either dead or severely injured?" Taren whispered. “No, he had to be dead. If he was that badly injured the other Demon Lords would learn about it quickly from all their spies and he would be killed.”

  "All I can confirm is that I was able to get away. When he promised to kill torture and kill me. So something must have happened to him. That is all I know." Li Yu said firmly.

  Taren sat back. He let out a long breath. He looked at the tent ceiling and it was clear his mind was racing.

  "If this is true..." Taren murmured. "If Balor is truly gone... the balance of power shifts. The Pact weakens. The other Lords will start moving."

  He looked back at Li Yu. The suspicion in his eyes was replaced by an intense curiosity and a strange relief.

  "This attack was a probe," Taren said while gesturing to the battlefield outside. "The demons are on the move. We have been noticing increased activity and you just confirmed why."

  Taren stood up. He paced the small tent.

  "This information is incredibly important," Taren said. He stopped and looked at Li Yu.

  "My teacher... Grandmaster Thorne. He needs to know this."

  Taren extended a hand.

  "Li Yu. You have done humanity a great service today. Both with your staff and your words."

  Li Yu stood and shook his hand. It was calloused and strong.

  "I just want to go home," Li Yu said honestly. "I hoped you or your teacher might know how."

  Taren nodded solemnly.

  "If anyone knows the way between worlds," Taren said, "it is the Grandmaster. Come. We return to Highland Reach. We have much to discuss."