The Innkeeper

Chapter 1966 A bloodbath might really be in order

The marble mountain city was truly a spectacle to behold, unfortunately Lex wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it too much, not that he showed in. Vox had told him that Diyor opposed Lex, and now James – a random stranger – told Lex he was going to kill a lot of people.

He could not help but wonder who this Diyor was, and why it seemed they were destined to get into a fight. Yet there was no point in wondering, for he would find out soon enough.

Soon enough, they arrived in the upper portion of the mountain, and Lex realized why it was called Pink Top Mountain. Pink cherry blossoms had been planted everywhere, making the mountain appear beautiful.

Yet Lex was in no mood to appreciate it. They entered one of the larger buildings near the peak which was carved into the side of the mountain. The interior of the building then, naturally, was also deeper in the mountain itself. “This is the Good Fortune Mine of the mountain,” James said, clearly uncomfortable with the silence. “Anyone can enter and attempt to mine a fortunate encounter within the mountain. Most don’t get anything, but many occasionally find Blessing Stones, or other fortuitous encounters. Some have even found official positions in there.”

Lex raised an eyebrow. It seemed like Dior might be one of those people who found an official position.

The interior of the mine was actually quite complex, and it might have taken Lex a while to find the right path if he was on his own, but with James leading them directly to Diyor, they soon found themselves in a narrow, dimly lit pathway that seemed like it hadn’t received many visitors before.

Right at the end of the path sat a young human. He looked east asian, which was incongruous with what Lex expected considering his name, but that hardly mattered at all. Lex sensed Diyor’s percentage and found him to be at 14.8%, and slowly approaching 15 at that very moment.

Besides his power percentage, Lex couldn’t sense anything about him, such as his power or what his origins might be.

Ordinarily, no one would cultivate out in the open like this, but perhaps reassured by the strictness of the rules, Diyor cared little for his surroundings, and focused entirely on his task. Lex suspected that he wasn’t actually trying to get 15%. Instead, he was attempting to procure a position, and the resulting rise in power was just what accompanied that result.

Considering they were supposed to be enemies, it would have been smart to interrupt him. After all, he was already stronger than Lex, yet Lex did not do that. Instead, he patiently waited.

He could tell that at his current rate of growth, Diyor would reach 15% in around four hours. Lex didn’t mind waiting so much. However, long before

then, Diyor sensed someone watching him.

After a long period without the feeling of being watched going away, he opened his eyes and stared at him – mild surprise evident in his eyes.

“You seem to recognize me,” said Lex.

“You are quite famous,” Diyor answered. “It is only natural that I recognize someone of your reputation.”

Instead of continuing his meditation, Diyor stood up, his gaze fixed on Lex’s body.

“You’re making me blush,” said Lex as he flashed a smile. “Unfortunately, I am unable to recognize you. Have we met before?”

“Such a convenient excuse,” Diyor said, sarcasm leaking into his voice. “You show up right in front of me, but claim not to know me. Shall I guess that you were searching for something else in these caves? Perhaps you were searching for love.”

“No, it’s true,” Lex said while smiling awkwardly. He had a feeling that even if he himself wanted to resolve things peacefully. Diyor would not allow him.

“I am not here because I recognize you, but because someone sent me on a task. If we could have a chat, we might be able to resolve this situation peacefully.”

Diyor laughed mockingly, his 14.8% power flaring as he did.

“Peacefully? Why would I want to resolve things peacefully when I have the option of dealing with you once and for all?” Diyor exclaimed, his voice echoing through the tunnel.

Lex sighed and shook his head.

“Alright then, before I whoop your arse, mind telling me why you hate me so much,” Lex said as he stretched. He found it interesting that Diyor ignored Mango and James. Then again, it was probably because all fighters needed to agree beforehand, so as to avoid breaking the rules.

“I am Diyor Saliev, priest of Her holiness, Sekhmet. Is that not reason enough to slay you, vermin? Come, accept my duel if you dare. Prove to the world that you don’t only have guts while you hide behind the Henali.”

Lex’s casual smile slowly faded, and he finally understood.

“Ah,” he said, and took off his coat and began to roll up his sleeves.

“I take back my words. It seems I won’t be stopping at kicking your arse. I accept your duel.”

The mighty marble resonated with Lex’s words and a light blue projection appeared around the both of them for a few seconds, as if they were being marked by the bazaar.

As soon as the light faded, Diyor attacked.

Within Arch-Heaven, Lex hadn’t had an opportunity to test what his strength was like against an opponent, so he didn’t know how significant a difference of a few percentage points was. He was about to fight out, though. Sekhmet was not someone Lex could forget, and her subordinates did not get much love from Lex either. These people had dared to lay hands on his sister, causing her to spend decades alone, weakened, practically enslaved. For these people… a bloodbath really might be the appropriate response. Their attacks clashed, and Lex finally got the chance to understand firsthand why even Dao Lords avoided Arch-Heaven. Over here, nothing was superior to the rules of this place, and someone who had the rules on his side was stronger. For the first time in a long time, Lex fought someone stronger than him – though stronger might not be the correct term for someone who merely had a higher percentage power – and discovered that he was severely disadvantaged.