Unlike the boisterous crowd that tagged alongside Nik, Shen Hong walked out in solitary. His appearance reduced much of the chatters in the surroundings, and even though many messengers flushed in excitement, they dared not breathe loudly. Clad in gauntlets that instantly attracted Nik's envy, Shen Hong sauntered and let his gaze fall on Xiu standing within the crowd.

A sneer touched his dry lips as he turned towards Nik—

*Bang*

A punch struck his face squarely, sending him into the gates of his estate, flying and bloodied. The trembles of Xiu stopped as she looked on with an astonished expression while the crowd was shocked skill.

Wordlessly, Nik following Shen Hong's flying figure and manipulated the gravity around the old bitch to pull him closer towards him with a twist of his foot, Nik rotated his body and bent his right hand—

*Crack*

A soul-numbing crunch rang as Nik's elbow shattered two of Shen Hong's ribs sending him into the ground, digging a 'Shen Hong'-shaped crater.

Nik exhaled softly. He was here to kick the man's ass. And while Nik predicted that the old Patriarch will be far more interested in a tasteless monologue, he may very well use that moment to land some sweet hits and heard the melodious chimes of the old bastard's bones crunching under his careful treatment. Accompanied by the sound of dust settling, a dry, wrinkled hand slowly griped on the human-shaped crater. With a maelstrom of violet and lack, the hands morphed into deadly, furry claws as a snarling Shen Hong with the real guard of his Phantom Fox emerged with his lips bloodied and chest sunk.

"That does it," He whispered in his raspy life with the taste of iron filling his mouth. Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Purple, and Black!

Six spirit rings shone behind his body, rotating with eldritch forces revolving around his body as two of his Yellow Rings and his Black Ring instantly entered his body as the surroundings turned dark, and all the spectators took a step back. They all knew that it was Shen Hong's Phantom Domain, the only domain class skill within the entire city, while the fox shaped summons emerging from the ground was a mix of Shen Hong's Phantom Construct and Phantom Summon skills.

His greyed out beard flew in its disheveled state as his spatial ring brightened, and a Crimson Whip appeared in his arms.

Wordlessly, Shen Hong swung his whip towards Nik, and strangely, Nik raised his right arm and let the infernal whip coil around his whip. With a smug smirk on his blood-soaked face, Shen Hong flooded the whip with his spiritual energy, making use of the ability of his spiritual weapon and letting its surface extend into spikes. The phantom foxes let out a clear cry and shot towards Nik while the conversion of the whip into a chain of spikes spread quickly from the base to Nik's hand.

Exhaling softly, Nik examined the whip with a calm expression and finally parted his lips to speak for the first time.

"So, this is the whip, huh?"

***

Shen Xiu entered Nik's room with a hesitant expression. As Nik closed the door behind him, Xiu sat on the bed and turned her back towards Nik while lowering her dress, revealing her entire back to Nik and instead of a creamy back that could invoke desires of men, what kissed his sight was a scarred one. Thick and long, reaching till the base of her hips as her ruined flesh mingled together and turned into unsightly and more than ghastly scars.

Nik observed her scars for a moment before inquiring softly, "Does it still hurt?"

"Every night," Xiu whispered before turning her head while her hands covered her exposed bosom. A sad smile touching her lips, "But, that night, in your arms, at least, I could forget these. Even if for a moment."

Nik breathed deeply. Shen Hong.. ah, Shen Hong, why you gotta die...

Nik scratched his chin and sat behind Xiu before raising her dress and helping her zip up as she sighed, "As expected, it is unsightly."

"I'll show you how much it turned me on," Nik whispered grimly as murder finally reached his thoughts, and he stood up, "I'll show you how much of a minx you still are, tonight."

***

"Is this that damnable Whip?"

Nik roared and instantly pulled on its leash, wrestling control out of Shen Hong's hands and using the opposite, heavier side of the whip to strike three of the snarling foxes with translucent bodies and looked at the stunned Shen Hong as his stomach started to cramp once again!

"Let me whip you into a new monster!"

Nik's eyes blazed in violence as his [Battle Arts] kicked in and even when he had never practiced the art of whipping and only studied it from the Tome of Battle, his muscles could easily extrapolate the movements, and his hand moved, and he threw up the whip before pivoting and kicking another phantom construct before extending his arm and catching the handle of the whip. For a moment, not only Shen Hong but everyone spectating Nik's action felt stunned by the beauty of the scene.

"Good whip," Nik whispered as Lilith, who was watching the battle with excitement, let out an internal snort. She is the only weapon Nik needs to praise. Ever.

"Lash a bastard for me!"

Blue Lightning coated the whip as Nik's eyes snapped open, and he instantly struck towards Shen Hong!

'Void String!"

One of three purple rings shone, and invisible threads congealed around Shen Hong's wrists as he retreated out of the whip's range while using the threads to block its way and capture the whip back!

"Hmm?" Nik fumed in anger, "I said that I am going to whip you! Do not resist!"

In a blaze of infernal energies and accompanied by more than smug chime, Lilith appeared from Nik's chest as she felt more than hot as Nik's finger coiled around her hilt and his grip tightened.

The veins of Nik's calves bulged as he shot towards the furiously retreating Shen Hong and slashed at the void strings!

While he failed to cut the strings, Shen Hong's soul shook as a brat without any spirit ring swung his martial spirit once again and really cut his Void String!

It was merely one of the many strings, but when Shen Hong observed Nik cutting on the strings obsessively, he found this as an opportunity and shot towards Nik with phantasmal maws constructing in front of him.

Void Bite!

"Look out!"

Xiu instantly screamed as Shen Hong witnessed an impudent smirk on Nik's face.

"Gravity Field, you little reincarnating bitch."

Shen Hong's eyes widened as he felt the physical pressure from Nik's gravity field and instantly collapsed on his knees while the implications of Nik's words sunk, and Shen Hong's eyes cracked.

Shen Xiu's haughty figure appeared within his consciousness, merging with a pathetic bitch only deserving of getting whipped while stripped naked!

'That little bitch wouldn't—'

Snap

Accompanied by a snapping sound, a whiplash landed on Shen Hong's pale cheeks, leaving a bloody line as his face was forced to be turned away.

Seeing the scene, Xiu's eyes widened. Years of frustrations finally felt getting countered by a bit and evaporated into gratified tears as she felt her knees weaken. A hand, at this moment, coiled around her waist as Xiu's tearful face turned towards a grinning Korra.

"I don't know what's yer story, but I know a scarred woman when I see one. Teach's expression and actions also look quite personal," Korra mused as she easily supported Xiu on her legs before grinning, "So don't go fallin' now. You're gonna beat me one day, right?"

"Heh~ I doubt a crybaby like her can defeat you," Lanruo's smug tone rang from the opposite direction as Huyan Xiong turned his head and matched eyes with an astonished Ye Zong, who had just arrived.

Lanruo, meanwhile, walked towards Xiu and continued, "I heard about you two," she whispered while locking her gaze with Xiu, "I don't think Nik would enjoy a crybaby during his first time."

The statement worked like magic as a speechless Xiu felt more than relieved at the moment.

Strangely, her scars did not hurt her at the moment.

***

A/N: I hope this scene was to your satisfaction. Actually took me some thinking tow write this one to keep the pace steady and even the emotions behind the fight!