Lan Ming fired his last arrow at his opponent before collapsing. A sword was already at his throat, poised to strike at any moment.
"Surrender, Lan Ming, you've lost!" his opponent declared. Ha Han, the Thunder God, stared sharply at his younger brother.
"No! I won't!" Lan Ming rose and attempted to stand, but his severely injured leg made it nearly impossible. Yet, fueled by his fiery spirit, Lan Ming aimed his bow at Ha Han and attempted to strike.
CRACK
Lan Ming's bow broke easily. Ha Han sighed, extending his hand towards Lan Ming, only to be pushed away.
"Let's continue our fight. I'm not defeated by you yet!" Lan Ming stubbornly insisted, seemingly disregarding his own severe injuries.
"No, Lan Ming. Enough, stop this," Ha Han tried once more to help Lan Ming stand, but Lan Ming, ever stubborn, refused and Ha Han eventually let him fall.
"I won't leave with you. I'd rather die in this fight than accept defeat," Lan Ming remained obstinate. He refused to accept his loss, even though Ha Han had decided not to continue their battle.
Ha Han knew Lan Ming was indeed too stubborn. Finally, he reluctantly decided to bring his brother back to the Sky Palace by summoning his eagle spirit. However, as he was about to recite his magic words, Lan Ming threw his broken bow towards Ha Han's face, disrupting his concentration.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING, LAN MING?!" Ha Han yelled as he saw Lan Ming daringly open a seal to the human world. The Wind God decided to flee and evade the Thunder God.
SRAAK
Lan Ming's body fell among the trees, his back scratched by branches.
"Ugh... this is truly painful," he said, trying to stand. The Wind God deliberately chose to escape his realm. To him, his current defeat was a shameful disgrace. Lan Ming didn't want to stay with Ha Han because, to him, only one god deserved to reside in the Sky Palace. He had lost and didn't want to live in the shadow of his brother.
He didn't know what he was thinking, choosing to flee to the human world. But for now, he felt that staying in the human world was far better than staying in the Sky Palace.
***
Safe, I hope Rang Hwi and Yi Wo didn't see me now, thought Je Xi. The Goddess of Voice quietly observed her surroundings, trying to escape from the Amarilis Palace, her own home.
Feeling the situation was safe, Je Xi then opened a seal to the human world. The renowned goddess of blessing for vocal artists deliberately chose to flee to the human world to follow her beloved.
Lan Ming was Je Xi's beloved and her first love. Making the goddess of beautiful voices decide to follow her beloved to the human world.
"Wait for me, Lan Ming," murmured Je Xi impatiently to meet her beloved.
***
"Help... Help... There's... a demon... Banteng!" panicked villagers cried out as the Banteng Demon appeared and wreaked havoc on their settlement.
Lan Ming, who had just emerged from the forest, headed towards the villagers' settlement upon hearing their cries for help. His conscience was automatically called to aid.
The Wind God then ran towards the Banteng Demon, silently reciting a mantra to create an invisible wall to protect the surrounding villagers.
"Stop, you Banteng Demon!" Lan Ming called out, deliberately trying to attract the attention of the troublemaking demon.
The demon was provoked by Lan Ming's voice. It was a banteng-shaped demon with eyes as red as blood and horns more resembling deer antlers, ready to charge at the god.
Lan Ming smiled thinly. The Wind God leaped as the Banteng Demon charged at him. With a somersault, Lan Ming gracefully twisted in the air, lifting one of his legs high before swiftly bringing it down with tremendous force onto the demon's head.
The Banteng Demon snorted, emitting hot steam from its mouth that even heated the surrounding air. Some villagers, despite being safe behind Lan Ming's protective wall, still felt the heat.
"Come here!" Lan Ming, who had distanced himself from the demon, prepared himself. This time, he would use the Shoubo technique, bare-handed defense. Although only fighting with bare hands, Lan Ming again recited a mantra, making his hands as hard as iron.
The Banteng Demon pulled out its antler resembling deer horns and turned them into swords. Its form slowly changed, accompanied by hot steam, until it resembled the body of an adult man but still retained its banteng head. The demon broke its antler into two parts, then turned them into swords in both hands.
The villagers, seeing the transformation of the Banteng Demon, grew even more fearful. One villager even fainted from fear.
It seemed to be a mid-level demon, Lan Ming thought. Demons were divided into three levels, each representing increasing power. Mid-level demons could almost transform into human form but still retained their original form.
Actually, defeating the Banteng Demon wasn't difficult for Lan Ming. But considering he deliberately disguised himself to not be recognized as the Wind God, he refrained from using his prominent divine power and relied almost solely on his physical strength.
The Banteng Demon stomped on the ground, then quickly lunged at Lan Ming, catching the Wind God off guard.
SLASH
The demon's horn sword struck Lan Ming's arm, causing fresh blood to flow from the god's arm.
"Urgh...." Lan Ming groaned in pain. Although he could heal himself again, he had to restrain himself from using divine power to maintain his identity in front of humans.
Seizing the opportunity, the Banteng Demon then attacked Lan Ming's neck at high speed.
"Not bad. If only you used your power for good, you would be very useful. But a demon is still a demon, unfortunately." Lan Ming blocked the Banteng Demon's sword with his bare hands, shattering it instantly.
Feeling that the fight had gone on long enough, Lan Ming decided to end it using the Taiji Quan technique.
Taiji Quan itself was a slow and harmonious movement involving coordination of body and mind. Forming a pattern with slow body movements, yet deadly.
Lan Ming's body swayed slightly, following the rhythm of the wind blowing around him. His basic element helped him concentrate his power into a single point, where he commanded the wind with his mind to focus on the demon's body.
The Banteng Demon screamed in pain as Lan Ming's hand struck right at its chest. Thick black fluid, the demon's blood, gushed out and flooded its body. The demon fell, dead on the spot after Lan Ming took its heart and crushed it with his hand.
"In your next life, may you not be born as a demon again," Lan Ming prayed for the Banteng Demon after it died in his hands.