Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 425: What exactly are you planning?

The night had grown colder by the time Lucas and Commander Alexander left the camp.

Most of the army had settled into uneasy silence. Campfires burned low, and soldiers spoke in hushed voices, as if even sound itself carried too much weight on such a night. The valley where the battle had raged earlier still bore the scars of the fighting. Broken weapons, shattered shields, and the bodies of men and horses lay scattered across the darkened ground, their shapes barely visible under the pale glow of the moon.

Lucas walked ahead while Alexander followed beside him.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Commander Alexander eventually broke the silence.

"You are certain about this."

It was not a question.

Lucas kept walking.

"Yes."

Alexander glanced toward him.

"You are asking Ken for something he considers valuable."

Lucas nodded faintly.

"Exactly."

Alexander looked out across the valley toward the distant fires of the Usurper army.

"And if he refuses?"

Lucas’s voice remained calm.

"Then nothing changes."

Alexander gave a quiet breath through his nose.

"You always make these things sound simple."

Lucas did not respond.

They continued walking until they reached the same location where the earlier confrontation between the two sides had taken place. The battlefield still smelled faintly of smoke and iron.

Lucas stopped.

Alexander stood beside him.

For a moment they simply waited in the moonlit silence.

Then Lucas raised his voice slightly.

"Celestial Ken."

His voice carried across the valley.

It did not take long before movement stirred among the distant enemy lines. Messengers moved quickly between the Usurper soldiers, and within minutes a small group detached itself from their camp and began walking toward the center of the valley.

Alexander watched them approach.

"Efficient," he muttered.

Soon the figures became clearer beneath the moonlight.

Celestial Ken walked at the front with the same relaxed confidence he had displayed earlier, his long robes shifting lightly in the wind as though the battlefield beneath his feet meant nothing to him.

The general Lucas had fought earlier followed a short distance behind him, his severed arm now bound tightly in cloth to it’s rightful place....the work of an extremely good healer.

Ken stopped several paces away from them.

His expression already carried a faint amused smile.

"Well," he said casually, his voice smooth and almost playful. "I did not expect to see you again tonight."

His gaze shifted between Lucas and Alexander.

"Have you come to surrender early?"

Alexander’s jaw tightened slightly but he did not respond.

Ken continued, clearly enjoying himself.

"Or perhaps the two of you could not sleep."

He chuckled lightly.

"I would understand. Tomorrow is not a pleasant thought for men who know they are walking toward their own defeat."

Lucas did not react.

Ken tilted his head slightly.

"Or did the King send you to beg for mercy?"

Alexander finally spoke, his tone cold.

"Watch your words, Ken."

Ken smiled wider.

"Oh, I will watch them carefully."

His eyes returned to Lucas.

"Though I must admit I am curious."

His gaze lingered on the mask.

"You have been hiding that face all day."

Ken gestured lightly.

"Is there a reason for that?"

Lucas stepped forward slightly.

"I did not come here for jokes."

Ken’s smile sharpened.

"Then speak."

Lucas slowly reached up and removed the mask from his face.

The moonlight revealed the truth immediately.

The left side of his face was covered in harsh burn scars that twisted across his skin, dark and uneven.

Alexander had seen the scars before.

Ken had not.

For the first time since arriving, Ken’s expression changed.

His smile faded slightly as he looked more closely at Lucas.

The burn marks were unmistakable.

Ken’s eyes narrowed.

"Well now," he said quietly.

"That is... unexpected."

He stepped a little closer, studying Lucas’s face with genuine curiosity.

His gaze moved slowly across the scarred skin.

"You were burned badly by the Shadow Dragon."

Lucas did not reply.

Ken continued examining him as though studying some strange creature that had appeared where it should not exist.

The faint amusement returned to his voice, though this time it carried a trace of genuine surprise.

"How fascinating."

His eyes met Lucas’s.

"You survived that."

He tilted his head slightly, clearly intrigued now.

"Most cultivators would have died within hours after being burned that badly."

His gaze lingered on the scars again.

"The inferno’s residue alone should have consumed your meridians and crippled your cultivation long ago."

Ken’s voice lowered slightly, thoughtful now.

"And yet..."

He studied Lucas carefully beneath the pale moonlight.

"...you are still standing here."

Ken continued studying Lucas beneath the pale light of the moon, his sharp eyes lingering on the burn scars that stretched across the left side of Lucas’s face.

For a brief moment there was silence between them, the cold wind of the valley moving slowly across the battlefield where countless soldiers had fallen earlier that day.

Ken looked almost fascinated.

"The Shadow Dragon’s inferno is not ordinary fire," he continued thoughtfully. "It eats at the body long after the flames themselves have vanished. Even powerful cultivators struggle to suppress it."

His gaze remained fixed on Lucas.

"You should have died from that long ago."

Lucas had no interest in entertaining the conversation.

He raised a hand slightly.

"That is not why I came here."

Ken paused.

The faint amusement on his face returned again.

"Oh?"

Lucas stepped forward slightly.

"We are here to renegotiate the terms of tomorrow’s duel."

Ken’s brows lifted slightly in mild interest.

"Renegotiate?"

Alexander remained silent beside Lucas, though his posture stayed firm and unyielding.

Ken chuckled lightly.

"That is bold."

His eyes moved between the two men.

"You come to my side of the valley in the middle of the night to renegotiate a duel you already agreed to lose?"

Lucas ignored the mockery.

"The terms need to change."

Ken folded his arms loosely.

"And why would I agree to that?"

Lucas’s voice remained steady.

"Because the current duel is unbalanced."

Ken let out a short laugh.

"Of course it is."

He gestured casually toward himself.

"I am a Celestial cultivator."

Then his eyes drifted toward Lucas again.

"And none of you are."

Lucas did not argue.

"That is exactly the problem."

Ken tilted his head slightly.

"So?"

Lucas spoke calmly.

"Instead of one person fighting you tomorrow..."

Ken’s expression sharpened slightly.

"...it will be two."

Alexander’s gaze flicked toward Lucas briefly, though he did not interrupt.

Ken blinked once, then chuckled.

"Two against one?"

Lucas nodded.

"Because of the disparity in power."

Ken looked at him for several seconds.

Then he laughed again, this time louder.

"You came all the way out here to ask for that?"

Lucas said nothing.

Ken’s laughter slowly faded.

He waved a dismissive hand.

"Fine."

Alexander frowned slightly.

Ken shrugged casually.

"Bring two."

His voice carried complete confidence.

"It will not make any difference."

His gaze moved across the battlefield again as though already imagining the outcome.

"There is no one in your army capable of defeating me."

Lucas did not react.

Ken continued calmly.

"You could send a thousand people and the result would remain the same."

Alexander remained silent, though his eyes studied Ken carefully.

Lucas then spoke again.

"There is another condition."

Ken looked back at him.

"Of course there is."

Lucas met his gaze directly.

"If Valerion wins the duel..."

Ken’s faint smile returned.

"...the Emperor of Rus will be released and placed into our custody."

Ken’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He did not speak immediately this time.

Lucas continued.

"And Valerion’s army will be allowed to withdraw from this battlefield without being attacked."

The wind moved through the valley again, rustling faintly through the scattered debris of war.

Ken slowly tilted his head.

His relaxed posture had not changed, yet something in his eyes had.

Suspicion.

He studied Lucas more carefully now.

"You speak very confidently."

Lucas remained calm.

Ken took a few slow steps around them, his boots crunching softly against the dirt and broken fragments of armor beneath his feet.

"Two champions against me."

He glanced briefly at Alexander.

"And the release of the Empress of Rus."

Then his gaze returned to Lucas.

"And safe passage for your army."

He stopped walking.

Ken’s eyes locked onto Lucas’s face again.

"You are asking for quite a lot."

Lucas did not deny it.

Ken remained quiet for several seconds.

Then he smiled faintly.

But this smile was different from before.

His voice carried a thoughtful tone.

"You have built quite the reputation across this continent."

Alexander remained still beside him.

Ken continued.

"Every time someone believes they have cornered you, you somehow turn the situation around."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You are unpredictable."

The moonlight reflected faintly in his gaze.

"And yet tonight you stand here speaking as though tomorrow’s duel is already decided."

Ken studied him carefully.

Almost searching for something hidden.

"You sound very certain that Valerion will win." Ken slowly folded his arms. His expression turned more serious now.

"That makes me curious."

His voice lowered slightly.

"What exactly are you planning?"