Chapter 23 – The Road Never Traveled

  Diyuan stepped through the portal rift. He felt baptized in cold water when he touched the shimmering effects. It ended when the bright light of the natural sun grazed his face. The fresh air of the outside world greeted him, to clean him of the miasma he had lived with for the past several days.

  His eyes adjusted and his ears picked up on what was happening. He made sure to have limitless Mesmer’s Echo up to snoop into private sound transmissions.

  On one side was the Lianhua clan, who were all surrounding the rescued man—a headmaster, according to Elder Meilan. Their guards stood ready as always, but Su Shuyi’s defenses were down as she had evidence of tears that had flowed past her cheeks.

  As Diyuan was about to check in on the Gu and Honglie clans, someone slammed into him.

  Ranxi. His sister. She pulled him into a tight hug.

  “Diyuan!” She hugged so tight that when she flew up and spun around in the air, he felt that he had a higher chance of his bones breaking than her accidentally dropping him. She finally let him down and looked at him. “I knew you would come out safe. As long as you didn’t do anything reckless, no one could beat you.”

  “Right. Reckless. Never me.” Diyuan smiled sheepishly.

  Father also flew in low. [Well done,] he said privately to him alone.

  Uncle Xunran zapped over to him with his unique wings spirit artifact on his back. He had his arm around Diyuan’s shoulders in a heartbeat. “It’s true. She had more faith in you than everyone else combined. Rather eerie, I think.”

  Ranxi walked up and plucked Uncle Xunran’s arm away from Diyuan. “And if any reckless ideas come to him, I imagine he would have learned it from you.”

  “A compliment!”

  The other two Grand Elders, Old Man Yifan and Venerate Grouch Huizhong, remained in the air, guarded. But they had an eye on Diyuan with their own smile.

  [Well done, lad,] Old Man Yifan said.

  [Took you near five full days to finally come out,] Venerate Grouch Huizhong said. [A real genius-boy would have finished in three.]

  Soon after, Diyuan was swarmed by the others. His family’s Yuhan Elites giving a professional greeting, but silent pride on their face. The Watchers weren’t as reserved. They pressed close to Diyuan like he was their long-lost family member, asking when he was planning to join the Watchers.

  The Gu and Honglie clans had their own private conversations through sound transmission. Diyuan was half listening, but it was mostly them asking what happened to Gu Guan and wondering how Diyuan was still alive. The Celing clan representative, Patriarch Dali, was sitting and sipping tea, keeping an eye on things.

  Eventually the Watchers asked what sort of goodies he found in the pocket world.

  “Hard to say what my total loot count is,” Diyuan answered. “I imagine most of it is stuck in the lockboxes of the Dharma cultivators.”

  And that got everyone’s attention. It was an admission that Diyuan had storage rings that did not belong to him. It was a silent understand that Diyuan was likely involved in their deaths in some way. The Gu and the Honglie clan members leaned in to listen.

  “There was a total of 40 spots for the Carcass Grotto.” Diyuan spoke loudly, ensuring everyone was listening. He held up his storage ring hand. He moved his other hand below it, like he was about to catch something. “Each clan got 8 spots. The Celing clan sold all 8 to the Gu and Honglie. I sold two more. A total of 26 cultivators from those two clans had entered.”

  Diyuan made a storage ring come out of his own. It fell to his other hand. He then made a second appear, clinking on top of the first. Then a third. A fourth. A fifth. Sixth. He continued, but slow enough so that everyone could count to themselves just how many rings he had. There eventually became too much for his one hand that some overflowed and hit the ground.

  Twenty-two. Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Twenty-five. And lastly, Gu Guan’s ring was the twenty-sixth.

  He hadn’t actually killed that many. Some of them died to other things and those rings were collected by their allies. But they were all his now. And not a single person would suggest the treaty was violated due to their prior agreement.

  He tried to balance his hand to prevent more from falling, but then they all fell when Uncle Xunran slapped him on the back. “I won! Twenty-six! Not a single person will step out. Hey, Dali, give me your eye piece.”

  While Uncle Xunran went to boast to Patriarch Dali, a woman from the Honglie clan flew forward. Nearly all Zhengyi clan members were ready to attack should she do something. Instead, she saluted Diyuan.

  “Young Master Yuhan Diyuan, if you are willing, I would like to collect my brother’s ring. It can be identified with a locket wrapped around the lockbox.”

  Diyuan blinked a few times. She wasn’t offering to buy, but simply relied on his goodwill.

  [Don’t do it,] Uncle Xunran said. [They all went in to kill you.]

  That was true. But no one knew yet that Diyuan didn’t solve his Foundation core problem. They didn’t know what he planned to do next. Diyuan had made his decision so he wanted to set things up for the Zhengyi clan as best as he could.

  Diyuan looked at the fallen storage rings and found the one she referred to. He remembered this ring in particular because it was the first one that didn’t belong to someone he killed. He held it up for her to take it with spirit control. When she got it and was ready to turn, Diyuan spoke to her with sound transmission.

  [If it’s any consolation, he did not die by my hand. This storage ring was already in someone else’s when I came to collect.]

  The Honglie woman eyes went wide in surprise to hear him use sound transmission. She turned back to him and saluted him once more before going back to her group.

  Venerate Grouch Huizhong spoke to the Zhengyi clan. [Her tribe is one that is not in favor of hunting ‘weak prey,’] he turned to look at Diyuan, which told them all who this weak prey was. [Being in the grotto to hunt for your bounty was something they were ashamed to do, but were ordered to nonetheless by her faction. She showed you respect by lowering herself and asking for the ring without compensation.]

  Uncle Xunran scoffed. [Imagine having a culture when it’s respect to you if they don’t pay you. I’d rather be disrespected.]

  [You are disrespected, teacher,] said one of the Watcher captains.

  While they were talking and laughing, another Honglie clan member flew over, but to Old Man Yifan instead. “Wise Yifan, you may recall my prior suggestion on having a student exchange take place with the academies of the Zhengyi clan and our Honglie disciples. Though the efforts failed then, I sense the winds of fate turning once more.”

  Old Man Yifan flew forward and saluted them. “Indeed. I suspect both paths will experience much illumination.”

  Diyuan would later come to learn that Xie Yanshuang was a candidate of a future tribal leader for the Honglie clan. Her and her people vanishing in the Carcass Grotto was a blow to that said faction, who would try to hurriedly consolidate new powers to stand on, but that may take some time. Therefore, for the moment, the Honglie clan and the Zhengyi clan will experience a certain level of peace.

  Su Shuyi came forth next. She greeted the three Grand Elders before turning her attention to Diyuan. “You have saved Headmaster Yan, who had been trapped in the Blood Sap Pool for the last two centuries. For that, we thank you.” She gave a deep bow in her salute and all the Lianhua clan members did the same. “Such an action demands a just reward—”

  “You saved him from where!?” Ranxi shouted, interrupting Su Shuyi. “The Blood Sap Pool? How did you do it? I said no recklessness!”

  Patriarch Dali laughed while Ranxi took Diyuan by the collar and shook him.

  [You misunderstand, warrior,] Headmaster Yan said to everyone in sound transmission. His physical voice still too weak to speak verbally. He sat on a chair someone had brought out. [It wasn’t recklessness. He had tamed the Netherwind Crane and got me out that way.]

  Everyone was silent and unmoving. The Lianhua clan that had remained outside seemed to have been told this already, but now they were eyeing to see Diyuan’s response, almost checking to confirm if it was indeed true. But he wouldn’t get the chance since Ranxi acted out first.

  “You did what!?” She began to shake him again. “You tamed who? Are you a Zhengyi member or a Honglie member?” Several members on the Honglie side laughed, taking it as a compliment. Those would be the tribes on opposite ends of Xie Yanshuang’s faction, he figured. She stopped shaking him. “If Ma was here, she’d punish you this way.” Ranxi took him by the ear and tugged it sharply.

  “Stop!” Diyuan said. “What was I supposed to do? If the Netherwind Crane wants to be my friend because I’m handsome, saying no was the same thing as saying I’m ugly. And you said I’m handsome.”

  Ranxi paused for a moment to consider his logic, then nodded. “I suppose that makes sense.”

  But Diyuan was also listening on the private sound transmissions being passed by other people. For the Yuhan Elite and the Watchers, it was a conversation of awe and deep respect. Surprise and shock, too. For the Gu and Honglie clans, it was an excuse they latched to, since dying to the Netherwind Crane was far more understandable than a Foundation cultivator killing so many higher-level cultivators. Though, some Honglie members shot back, indicating that using a demonic beast to win battles was only proper.

  Elder Meilan decided to add to the chaos for whatever reason.

  “Yes, I’m sure Yuhan Diyuan knows what he’s doing. He fought against a Giant Poison Toad by himself, after all,” Elder Meilan said with a teasing voice. “The only people I’m aware of who would solo such a creature would be Dharma cultivators. The Zhengyi clan has deep strength.”

  A small twitch struck Ranxi’s eye, much like how the Giant Poison Toad’s toxins would cause someone to twitch, but Diyuan figured it was twitching for a different reason. She held up her hands like she was about to strangle Diyuan, who raised his own in surrender.

  Fortunately, Su Shuyi came forward to continue her conversation, stating that Diyuan deserved a reward for the feat of rescuing Headmaster Yan.

  “I can’t think of anything at the moment. I would like good relations between the Lianhua and the Zhengyi clans to continue, but if I need guidance or something, I’ll be sure to stop by,” Diyuan said with a salute of his own, thankful for the distraction.

  Su Shuyi nodded. “I will be sure to mention that.” She took a step back and waited.

  Patriarch Dali finally stood and walked over. He had a monocle on one eye, which he took off and handed over to Uncle Xunran. But it wasn’t Uncle Xunran or even Diyuan he was interested in speaking with. He was looking at Ranxi.

  “Yuhan Ranxi, if we recall back to our prior conversation, your Path of the Fleeting Bloom delivers trust for your companions. It provides a protection to your heart from doubts that may arise. Yet, your reaction since he came out has made me curious. Did you trust him, or did you not?” Patriarch Dali asked.

  Ranxi saluted in respect to the patriarch. “Trust and worry are not in opposition. If he decided to fight against the Giant Poison Toad, I would trust him to win, but I would worry its toxins would melt his skin.”

  Elder Meilan’s eyes lit up like she wanted to cause more trouble, but Diyuan gave a quick look that stopped her.

  That exchange wasn’t missed by Patriarch Dali, who chuckled. Uncle Xunran spoke up next.

  “So, aren’t you going to apologize to her?” Uncle Xunran asked.

  “Of course not. How ridiculous. Everything I said then was true, just as it is it true now. Her Path would have ended should something had happened. Be that as it may, for the Path to be tested so soon after advancing to Dharma, and held firm even when her own allies doubted, would mean only one thing.” He raised a brow at Ranxi, as if to take in a new sight. “She will complete her Dharmic body faster than even your Zheng Tianhou. If that doesn’t qualify her to be the first female Grand Elder of the Zhengyi clan, then your clan is doomed to decline.”

  In a private sound transmission between just Uncle Xunran and the other two Grand Elders, Uncle asked, [Do we not allow female Grand Elders?]

  [It isn’t prohibited,] Venerate Grouch Huizhong said. [But there may be a bias as it has never happened before.]

  [If the smart-mouth is saying it, then I think we should trust him and keep an eye on Ranxi,] Uncle Xunran said.

  Patriarch Dali turned his attention next to Venerate Grouch Huizhong. “Since you’ve asked before, I will now tell you the truth of it. I sold our grotto’s spots for a singular purpose: to test the Zhengyi clan’s judgement. My formation masters wanted to collaborate with yours to learn how you accomplished what took place during…Yuhan Diyuan’s Grand Invitational, as he aptly put it. I refused, of course; why would I allow your weak-minded masters to influence my own? And if they were not weak minded, then why put up Yuhan Diyuan as a spectacle to fail?” He looked at Diyuan for the first time. “My judgement is complete. The Zhengyi clan’s masters have eyes. I will offer collaboration after all, if you’ll accept.”

  Venerate Grouch Huizhong saluted. “We will. But which clan has the greater formation masters is yet to be tested.”

  [And perchance you’ll enlighten us in how you’ve woven the array that encircles us?] Old Man Yifan asked Patriarch Dali privately.

  [Did you expect a trap set by me? Don’t worry, it won’t activate unless actual combat began. A precaution; I don’t want the Tribulation Shroud shrinking any more than it already has.] Patriarch Dali began to walk away, but added one last thing to Old Man Yifan. [Also, I have long since noticed your fiery counter to my array should it come to it. My advice is to not assume I only had one prepared.]

  Diyuan looked at Old Man Yifan to gauge his reaction. The old man looked pleasantly surprised, like he wasn’t expecting a second array.

  Lastly, everyone’s eyes were on the Gu clan.

  Diyuan had already thought on how to handle them. They had suffered humiliating defeat several times now with Diyuan at the forefront of it. They would want to reclaim some face. If not the elders, then the young cultivators in the near future. With the pocket world ban lifted, it was likely that the strife between the Zhengyi clan and the Gu clan would only escalate. Having a rival wasn’t a bad thing, as it would sharpen the cultivators that went out for experience.

  But considering what Diyuan planned next, he wouldn’t be around to counter anything they might do. He had since noticed his own Wind’s Edge spirit artifact in the hands of one of their flying guards. Diyuan walked up and saluted the Gu clan. Everyone watched.

  “I see that my spirit artifact is in your hands. I am willing to do a trade with the Gu clan that you may find favorable,” Diyuan said.

  An older man flew forward, one that had a look of permanent distaste of sour things. “What do you propose?”

  “If you will trade me my spirit artifact, I am willing to drop my title of Fel.”

  “What!?” Uncle Xunran took Diyuan by the shoulder. [Why are you giving them face? This is a great victory against the Gu clan!]

  “It seems like your elder doesn’t agree,” the Gu elder said.

  Diyuan motioned for Uncle Xunran to wait. “It is my choice to make. And not only will I be willing to drop my Fel title, I am also willing to not step into a pocket world that a Gu clan member is allocated to for the next year.”

  Diyuan’s proposal was simple. By stating he wasn’t willing to go to the same pocket world as the Gu clan, he was saying that he was willing to give up resources that could have gone to him. It implied he was willing to give the Gu clan face by giving them a higher chance at any prize. This would normally be arrogant to do, as it assumed Diyuan was a threat, but after his feats today, no one would deny that.

  The sour-faced Gu elder nodded. “Deal. We will accept.” He motioned and the Wind’s Edge dagger flew to Diyuan.

  And with that, every clan left. No one stayed to protect the portal rift as everyone believed Diyuan had killed them when he showed off the storage rings. It was time for the Zhengyi clan to leave as well, and for Diyuan to tell them what came next.

  ***

  Diyuan sat atop Old Man Yifan’s cloud artifact while everyone else flew beside him.

  [So, why did you give the Gu clan so much face?] Uncle Xunran asked.

  [As much as I would like to be here and continue our feud with the Gu clan, I won’t be sticking around. The escalating conflicts is something I would enjoy partaking in, but if I’m not here, I don’t want someone else cleaning up my mess,] Diyuan said. He was then careful with how he worded the next part. [There was no Void Grass when I entered the throne room.] His words were truthful. His vow required him to keep the Omnisbloom flower a secret.

  Ranxi looked at him sharply. [But then what about your core?]

  [Either we try the phoenix resurrection arte, or I leave through the Tribulation Shroud. I plan leave as soon as I sell off the lockboxes in these storage rings.]

  [How much time do you have left?] Ranxi asked. [You know, before you go boom?]

  Diyuan shrugged. [According to Venerate Grouch Huizhong, it’s an indefinite amount of time plus three months. As soon as the first crack appears in my core, the three-month timer starts.]

  Ranxi looked at Venerate Grouch Huizhong. The Grand Elders, Father, and Ranxi were all part of the private conversation. When the healer didn’t counter Diyuan, Ranxi’s face became grim.

  They had already looked into options to mend the Foundation core when the crack began. There were pills that assisted, but those pills assumed the core wasn’t continuously absorbing spirit energy. If there were other methods to heal the crack while in this condition, they didn’t know about it.

  As for leaving through the Tribulation Shroud, what he didn’t tell them was that his priority wasn’t to form a core using special thunder essence plants or beast or anything of that sort. His goal was still to create his Spiritweave core using the pure threads he had learned about in the Carcass Grotto. The answer would come from his Mesmer’s Echo, which he knew little about.

  But what he did know was how Lady Pagoda had once told him that the Tribulation Shroud were his prison bars. He also knew that the Holy Qilin Beast forced a vow where it was assumed Diyuan would ascend. And both of those things happened after Diyuan revealed his ability to resist their pressure using Emperor’s Rule. And as it turned out, Emperor’s Rule was only one arte in the double arte jade tablet, connected to Mesmer’s Echo.

  Mesmer’s Echo was something Diyuan had started to learn about recently. If he wanted to learn more about it, he would bring himself somewhere where only Emperor’s Rule could guide him. Then he might be able to create his pure Spiritweave core.

  And if he happened to find some plant or demonic beast that could take care of his vortex problem, he would collect it and save it in the worst-case scenario.

  Diyuan’s attempt to leave the Tribulation Shroud would be a secret from everyone else. People would be led to believe that he was in closed door meditation. Some might even think he became wounded during his trip into the Carcass Grotto. Since that was the case, they needed to end the Nether Mark on him. Just because Gu Guan was dead didn’t mean the bounty suddenly vanished. But there was a way to remove the bounty still.

  If they could present Gu Guan’s storage ring and an additional five million spirit stones to the underground groups, the Nether mark would be lifted. Diyuan didn’t have five million spirit stones yet, but he was sure to get it once he began exchanging the loot he got from the other storage rings.

  It was time for him to prepare his final things.

  ***

  Diyuan left the storage rings with Father to handle. The Dharma lockboxes would contain goods that they could keep or potentially sell back to the respective clan it came from. Since Dharma-level items were typically something Diyuan wouldn’t need, such as resources that could be used for talismans, formations, or other types of forging, most would be sold to the Spirit Forging Hall. The remaining amount would stay with him.

  When he was home, Diyuan tried to absorb Extinction, the arte that was based on the Ancient Onyx Behemoth. However, it turned out that the speed of its absorption was directly correlated to the cultivator’s spirit energy. Someone at the Dharma great realm might not need any time at all. It had no realm restriction, so a Foundation cultivator could absorb it just fine, except due to his slow spirit energy restoration, the absorption speed was horrendous.

  It was going to take him a year to complete.

  At least, that was the estimate based on his current circulation, which was still severely low due to being drained by the miasma tornado. When Diyuan tried to pop an energy restoration pill, it did nothing. He had to wait for it to return to him naturally. The amount being restored was speeding up the more it recharged, but still not at its peak yet. Diyuan would try to absorb the arte again when the time came.

  His next task was to use the leaf he got from the Immortal Stalk Three Leaf. Its purpose was to transform his eyes, allowing him to see things he wouldn’t normally be able to see. Maybe it did more, but that was the main reason why he picked it. In order to refine the leaf into a pill, he would need to find appropriate ingredients to go with it, take that and refine it into Supreme Perfect pills, then combine those pills using the new technique called Divine Supreme Perfect Pill Refinement.

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  Based on his quick study, he learned that the actual divine pill itself would be a tier two pill, something he hadn’t attempted yet. So he would save the ingredients until he was confident he could succeed. He could only try once, after all.

  News came in and he started to get estimates for the loot he obtained through the storage rings. When calculating the everything, the total value he was getting was something even he wasn’t expecting for.

  On the low end, the lowest spirit stone exchange estimate was around 300,000 spirit stones for a single storage ring. On the highest end, the richest Dharma cultivator he had taken a storage ring from had a total exchange value of 7,600,000 spirit stones. A lot of tier five pills were in that lockbox.

  Altogether, that put him slightly below fifty million spirit stones across all storage rings.

  Of course, those were pretend numbers. It would never be real spirit stones in his hand. The exchange value was what they used when it came to bartering for items of equal value. Since Diyuan needed to give five million to end the bounty on him, that was probably the only literal spirit stones that got exchanged for the time being. Everything else was on the table to trade for lower grade materials, things Diyuan would use to practice his tier two pill refinement (since he didn’t want to use his Misty Lake herbs yet; those were a bit more valuable).

  He could probably come out with even more value if he went out and found individual buyers to specific items, rather than relying on the Spirit Forging Hall. But that would take time and effort, and he intended to leave soon.

  His fame was being spread among the people. Those who had once insulted him privately now praised him. The pain of not having access to pocket worlds the past few years was offset by the amount of pride everyone felt for being part of the Zhengyi clan. Diyuan decided to add onto that by giving away a portion of his funds to aid those who had suffered the most during the ban period.

  Entrusting Old Man Yifan with that portion, that left Diyuan with twenty-five million spirit stones.

  Next up was the question of how he would deal with all the spirit artifacts he now had. A large portion of the assumed twenty-five million came from the spirit artifact value. If Diyuan intended to keep the artifacts, his twenty-five million balance would be reduced as it wouldn’t be part of the things given to the Hall.

  And he wouldn’t give it. Because spirit artifacts now served a second purpose.

  Di Guilin gained strength by breaking and eating the energy that came these special items. Under normal circumstances, losing good spirit artifacts would be considered a waste. However, after being connected to the Netherwind Crane, Diyuan learned a few things.

  Di Guilin, his white ghostly bone serpent, had been called an “Avatar Incarnation” by the Holy Qilin Beast. It had a deeper connection with the cultivator than what Diyuan originally thought. Such a connection could only be fully realized at the higher cultivation levels. Diyuan didn’t know what sort of connection that would mean with him, but he did sense what it meant for the Holy Qilin Beast. The Netherwind Crane was able to feed and cultivate the Holy Qilin Beast despite the two of them being in two separate locations.

  That sort of connection wouldn’t work for Diyuan, since he didn’t need to use that miasma to survive.

  With Di Guilin only being at the low Foundation level itself, making it stronger was the first step to gaining access to whatever benefits he might receive.

  But it wasn’t like he would lose the spirit artifact’s capabilities just because Di Guilin ate them. When Diyuan was connected to the Netherwind Crane, he had also learned that there was a chance for the Avatar Incarnation to gain the abilities of the spirit artifact it consumed. For the Netherwind Crane, all of its abilities came from spirit artifacts, including that screeching ability to disrupt artes.

  If Diyuan could make his ghostly puppet become as strong as the Netherwind Crane, and also gain a good set of abilities, then it would be a prize beyond what he was expecting from the Carcass Grotto.

  They shattered the first spirit artifact, the perception mirror. Instead of quickly absorbing the pure threads like Di Guilin had in the past, Diyuan formed it into a solid core of pure thread, much like how he would have with his own core if the vortex wasn’t causes problems with it. With that pure core floating in the air, Di Guilin absorbed it. That was how Avatar Incarnations were supposed to gain the spirit artifacts abilities.

  But, as it turned out, it was a gamble. Di Guilin did not learn any abilities as it advanced to level 3 Foundation.

  Diyuan broke another and another to feed to Di Guilin. As it advanced in strength, its body slowly transformed. Its face gained more skeletal structure, which slowly started to look more like the head of that Holy Qilin Beast, and the bumps on its head became more prominent, to eventually become horns.

  But no abilities were learned.

  Diyuan began to wonder if he had learned incorrectly during his connection with the Netherwind Crane. Di Guilin was already level 5 Foundation and had not gained any abilities yet. The next spirit artifact they broke was an orb that emitted frost energy. It made the air cool and would weaken artes used. He made the pure core with the energy that came from the spirit artifact and fed it to Di Guilin.

  And that was how the first ability was learned.

  The Avatar Incarnation’s first ability wasn’t exactly the effects of the spirit artifact. A cold aura emitted from the ghostly bone serpent, but it could turn it off if it wanted to. More importantly, it could be used as an attack. Diyuan was in his room as his slightly larger puppet flew around. It paused, charged up, and fired off a frost breath attack. Half of Diyuan’s room was covered in white frost that quickly melted.

  That attack still retained its qualities from the spirit artifact. The frost breath would weaken artes it came into contact with. The loss of the previous spirit artifacts didn’t feel so bad anymore.

  His use of the spirit artifacts would be costly. Since he decided to not sell or loan it to the clan, he would be taxed for it until the next artifact census. He paid the large sum to last him until that time came, when the census would identify he no longer had the items in question.

  Gu Guan’s invisible dagger he had obtained was broken next. The ability to go invisible mid-flight was an interesting ability, and something that his puppet could definitely use.

  And that was how his puppet got its second skill.

  Diyuan expected it to gain the exact same ability as what he had seen when Gu Guan threw the dagger at him. As a result, Diyuan expected it to allow Di Guilin to go invisible when it flew. Instead, it gained a passive ability: immunity to spirit detection. It would still be plainly visible to the eye, and even more so as it continued to evolve, but disabling detection was a good skill to have. Its power level had been so low up until now that no one had paid any attention to it in the Carcass Grotto, but once it got to the Netherwind Crane’s level, that could cause problems.

  As Diyuan continued to feed Di Guilin, he became curious if the Avatar Incarnation would advance to level 6 Foundation or if it would go straight to level 1 Spiritweave. It didn’t take long to find out. After absorbing another spirit artifact’s energy, a glow wrapped around the puppet, encasing it into a heavy egg the size of Diyuan’s torso.

  Part of Diyuan was annoyed that it was likely going to hit level 1 Spiritweave faster than him.

  He put the egg into his storage ring and prepared for his journey with the last few items. He stocked up on tier two and three pill ingredients; something to practice with while he was out on his journey. He also purchased a bunch of low and mid-grade talismans, and some life-saving high-grade talismans, which consumed another chunk of his wealth.

  He tried to purchase a flying spirit artifact, but was denied. Unfortunate.

  Diyuan still had millions of spirit stones left over. Once he finished exchanging things and paying people off, he would be left with four million. He felt so poor. But he also felt ready. He kept all the storage rings as a reminder of his accomplishments.

  After several days had passed, it was time to leave.

  It was nighttime when Diyuan was about to head out of the Yuhan estates. Mother was waiting for him. She somehow always knew. She stretched out her hands for a hug and he went to complete it.

  No words passed between them; just the comfort of each other’s presence. He wondered what she might be thinking. Did she worry that she would lose her second son? Did she have conflicted feelings of protecting him while also needing to let him go? Did she wonder when they might see each other again?

  But she said nothing. When they finished their hug, she squeezed his cheeks. Mother finally let go and Diyuan left.

  ***

  Diyuan was guided by the three Grand Elders of the Zhengyi clan. Uncle Xunran was leading the way, wanting him to leave the Shroud through a specific area on the Lianhua clan’s side. Diyuan was given a booklet.

  “This is the research of a Lianhua researcher named Deng Fuchen. He is the same researcher that went missing during our battle at the western plains four years back,” Uncle Xunran said.

  Diyuan, standing on Old Man Yifan’s cloud, flipped through it. Brief snippets revealed that it discussed the personality of the Tribulation Shroud. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  “If you find the research credible, it could be that Deng Fuchen truly is alive on the opposite side of the Shroud. What to do with that information is up to you. Speaking of which, she’s there even at this late hour.”

  Diyuan couldn’t see as far as Uncle Xunran, but the Tribulation Shroud was now in view. The night sky lit up in the distance, a permanent glow that marked the horizon. As they flew closer, the sound of continuous thunder kept rolling in without end. Diyuan finally saw the person Uncle Xunran pointed out. A woman sat staring at the lightning.

  [Idiotic. Her lifelong wish to be deaf has surely been fulfilled,] Venerate Grouch Huizhong said.

  Old Man Yifan lowered Diyuan to the ground next to the woman, who was wide eye surprised to see company. She recognized Uncle Xunran and bowed low to him.

  Uncle Xunran waved a hand and the thunderous sound came to an end with his barrier. “You mentioned your husband went missing here? A student of ours plans to step through. Who knows, maybe your husband lives yet.”

  The woman bowed to Diyuan. “I, Deng Chunhua, am grateful for your attention.”

  Diyuan simply nodded. He wasn’t going to promise anything. He stepped towards the Tribulation Shroud and decided to start testing things out.

  He had an unnatural fear grow in him as he continued to stare at the lightning. The fear was as part of the Shroud as the sound was. He carved out a tunnel in preparation to warp when he saw how it interacted with the lightning. When the Tribulation Shroud’s lightning aimed in the area where his tunnel was formed, it hit the top and redirected elsewhere—leaving the tunnel’s space void of any actual lightning strikes.

  It was as if the Tribulation Shroud respected the air under the command of Emperor’s Rule.

  Like it was a domain of its own.

  He wouldn’t need to warp through. If the lightning refused to touch the carved air, Diyuan could simply continue to carve and walk through.

  With a deep breath, Diyuan stepped into the Tribulation Shroud.

  ***

  Jia Yunya sat alone in her meditation chamber. The doors opened. Any visitor under the age of 100 would be welcome. Unfortunately, no such guest ever came.

  Teacher Tianhou stepped in, his hands behind his back and his hair flowing like there was a permanent wind following him and no one else. He had a look like he had invented something new and wanted to share it.

  “I have news on Yuhan Diyuan,” he said.

  Her eyes snapped open as she looked up.

  “On the second day of the pocket world’s opening, a Honglie cultivator came out and claimed she had killed him.”

  Uncontrolled pink energy swirled out of Yunya, lashing and cracking the ground. A wave of it flew towards Teacher Tianhou, who merely lifted a finger to make it vanish. She was losing control. She focused. Was Diyuan dead? More energy surged out. Teacher Tianhou didn’t say anything; he just watched. Yunya closed her eyes and steadied her breath, reigning in her power.

  Teacher Tianhou continued, as if the power outburst hadn’t happened. “Shortly after, someone else came out and started yelling, causing the Honglie cultivators to reenter.”

  Huh? Did that mean Diyuan was okay?

  “Days later, Diyuan came out with twenty-six storage rings. All belonging to those who entered to kill him.”

  “Really!?” Yunya’s eyes opened again, joy exerting out. “He really did it!”

  “Yes. He has indeed proven his worth to the clan several times over,” Teacher Tianhou said.

  Hearing him praise Diyuan made her feel proud as well, like she shared in the achievement somehow.

  “It’s problematic that your emotions disrupt your concentration so easily,” Teacher Tianhou said. “Once our enemies know you care for Yuhan Diyuan, what do you think they will do?”

  Yunya felt a blush creep up on her face. Yes, she cared for Diyuan, but he was also her only friend now. Her past life had been cut off completely. So of course she would want him to be safe.

  Teacher Tianhou sighed. “It seems you were listening to the wrong part. If they learned about your weakness towards Yuhan Diyuan, they will target and kill him. You will be the reason for his death should this continue.”

  Those words hit her like a splash of water.

  “I will not be around to teach you further. I will enter my own seclusion.”

  “Huh?” Her feelings were a mix of joy, for not needing to listen to his lectures anymore, and also anxiousness, worried that his words might be right. “Why would you need to seclude yourself? You’re already the strongest.”

  “Gu Guoxiong’s domain revealed my weakness. I am strong enough to resist it, but that doesn’t mean I will have the power to save everyone from it. I have come to give you one last instruction. Something of great necessity.”

  She immediately stood and saluted. “Your student is listening.”

  The weight of responsibility settled onto her. What did he expect from her? Until now, he had taught her about her powers, Zhengyi history, and what it means to be a cultivator. She struggled the most on that last part. But what was the “necessary” thing he relied on her for?

  “It is important for your capabilities to remain a secret. However, if death comes to non-cultivators by a cultivator, and no one else steps up, I would be disappointed if you do nothing.”

  “…But why are you telling me this? And not a Grand Elder?”

  “Everyone answers to someone else. They may not act. But you answer to me.”

  “Then who do you answer to?”

  “Become the strongest and find out yourself.” Teacher Tianhou turned and left her to her thoughts.

  ***

  The Gu Patriarch sat on his mat in the chamber hall. He was practicing a rather difficult arte that required the utmost concentration. Once he completed his comprehension of this arte, he would be strong enough to quell any resistance from the growing factions.

  But perhaps he was a step too slow. The doors opened and several elders entered. They should know he shouldn’t be disturbed now.

  The elders saluted. “We bring news surrounding the events of the Carcass Grotto.”

  The Gu Patriarch already began to wean down his meditation. He would punish them. No news was important enough to interrupt him. They began their report as he was about to finish when he heard the last part of the news.

  “Wait. Repeat that,” the Gu Patriarch commanded.

  “Gu Guan is dead.”

  The Gu Patriarch felt lightheaded. Gu Guan was dead? How could Gu Guan possibly die if he never entered the Carcass Grotto? Or did he actually enter despite direct commands not to? Gu Guan was far too important to die—his Dharma path, the Path of Hidden Ways, gave him the secret ability to open and close pocket worlds outside their cycle time. Not only that, he also had a roulette ability, to gain access to a random pocket world not even known to the world!

  That fool!

  The Gu Patriarch’s thoughts sent his control of his energy wild. He had not yet finished with his meditation, causing a backlash. The energy surged and struck him internally. He coughed up blood.

  “Patriarch! Let me help you!”

  One of the elders quickly ran to his back and sat, placing both hands on his torso. The Gu Patriarch felt energy enter him—but not to help. The loss of control escalated and the damage continued. He coughed up blood again.

  The Gu Patriarch looked up at the other elders and saw what was happening on their faces. They intended to end him and take control of the Gu clan.

  Those fools.

  The Gu clan would be at their weakest with the death of Gu Guan. They should be more united now than ever. Instead, greed had taken over the elders.

  “To thank it was Fel Yuhan Diyuan who gave us this opportunity. Perhaps we should thank him.”

  “He’s not a Fel anymore.”

  Idiots. They praise the boy who had single-handedly ruined the Gu clan, for there was another secret the elders weren’t aware of.

  Gu Guoxiong wasn’t missing. Their strongest immortal wanted to heal Gu Mugong until he was ready to rival Yuhan Diyuan once more. If not for Zheng Tianhou bringing Yuhan Diyuan back to life after surviving the domain, perhaps Gu Guoxiong wouldn’t be so eager to attempt the same. To accomplish such a task, Gu Guoxiong brought Gu Mugong into a roulette pocket world that Gu Guan had connected to. But with Gu Guan’s death, it was no longer possible to bring them back.

  They would be forever trapped in that unknown pocket world

  The Gu Patriarch laughed and blood spat out. The elders looked at him like he was crazy.

  My Gu clan—ruined by a Foundation boy!

  Fel Yuhan Diyuan. He would never know that his accomplishments as a Fel were unrivaled by all other Fels that had come before him.

  The Gu Patriarch closed his eyes, lamenting and wondering where things went wrong.

  ***

  “What do you think about Yuhan Diyuan?” Headmaster Yan asked, his voice raspy.

  Right now, there were three in the Main Hall. Headmaster Yan, Su Shuyi, and Wu Meilan. They were there to hand over the Omnisbloom flower so they waited for their Patriarch of Pills to come.

  Meilan had been approached multiple times as rumors about the events inside the Carcass Grotto began to spread. She didn’t lie at all and simply told them what she saw. Even then, the stories were blown out of proportion.

  And likely the same thing was happening in the other cities. Yuhan Diyuan was the topic of conversation, considering that so many Dharma cultivators had died in the same pocket world as him. The people wondered how much of a role he had in that, with thoughts to his Grand Invitational message that everyone heard.

  The story that everyone settled on was how he was secretly a higher level Spiritweave cultivator that was trained by the Three Pillars of the Zhengyi clan. It could be seen as a retaliation to the other clans that had jointly attacked them outside the Administrator’s Archive pocket world a few years ago. It was like the Zhengyi clan was saying they could create another Yuhan Diyuan anytime they wished.

  “He can only be a friend, never an enemy,” Meilan said.

  “His healing is interesting,” Headmaster Yan said. He was slightly slouched over, relying on a cane. His face appeared healthier, now that he had some treatment since his return. Many people offered gifts and pills to help his recovery, wanting to get on his good side.

  After all, everyone had assumed that Headmaster Yan would eventually become the next Patriarch of Pills. With his return, who knew what the future held now?

  “In what way?” Su Shuyi asked.

  “He is in the Foundation realm. I know you both suspected that he hid his talents and was instead in the Spiritweave realm, but that is incorrect. I sensed it as he healed me in the grotto,” Headmaster Yan said.

  “But how?” Su Shuyi asked. “How can a Foundation cultivator heal another?”

  “Yes. And how can a Foundation cultivator use sound transmission? Or tame the Netherwind Crane?” Headmaster Yan felt around his throat, his raspy voice giving him a little pain. “You may not know this, but I had greater wounds than just the damage done by the sap petrification. His healing had done something it shouldn’t be able to.”

  They didn’t have a chance to continue their conversation. The doors to the Main Hall opened and the Patriarch of Pills came up to them. He had an extra bounce to his step.

  Meilan handed over the Omnisbloom flower to the Patriarch of Pills, the leader of the Lianhua clan. His eyes widened in joy, like he was receiving the greatest gift. He was happier now than the previous time she had given him the flower. Not once did he look or speak to Headmaster Yan. Was there a grudge? Or did he really not see him?

  The Patriarch of Pills turned and left Meilan alone with Su Shuyi and Headmaster Yan in the Main Hall. However, Headmaster Yan frowned as he watched the current Patriarch of Pills leave with the Omnisbloom flower.

  [Was he always this deranged?] Headmaster Yan asked.

  Meilan was confused. [What do you mean, Headmaster? He’s excited; he now has a missing ingredient to make whatever pill he wants.]

  Su Shuyi nodded in agreement.

  Headmaster Yan slammed in cane to the ground in disapproval. The same disapproval that Meilan had felt during her academy student years. [You both have lost your edge. Or perhaps his decline was slow enough that you’ve missed it. No, he is definitely more deranged now than he was two centuries past.] Headmaster Yan narrowed his eyes and looked at her. She straightened her back, ready to receive whatever lashing he was about to give. [Meilan, did you assume that the Omnisbloom was only meant to replace one ingredient?]

  Meilan blinked in confused. [It…yes? It can only replace one, though?]

  Headmaster Yan slammed his cane again. [Yes, but multiple Omnisbloom flowers can be used at once. An entire recipe can be replaced by only using Omnisbloom.]

  [Oh,] Meilan said. She had not considered that.

  [Tell me quickly, what plants did the Omnisbloom replace up until now? Tell me every instance the past few centuries.]

  [I only know of the two that I gave, the one from this time and the one from a hundred years ago. The Celestial Ginseng Root and the Heavenly Jasper Dawn Sage.]

  Headmaster Yan’s face went dark. Meilan and Su Shuyi exchanged glances, not sure what to make of it. He started to pace. The tapping of his cane filled the room while the two of them waited like young students.

  He finally came to a stop. [Two heavenly grade ingredients would need something to ground them to make a perfect pill. There are two options: wait another century or two to obtain an Omnisbloom to fix it, or to use a single drop of one hundred blood essence.]

  [I’ve never heard of a hundred blood essence before,] Meilan said.

  Headmaster Yan gave her a gentle smile. [And for that, I am grateful. To know more would be to dabble in the evils of alchemy. You see, a single blood essence can only be extracted by a mortal who has never touched cultivation even once. And they must be under twenty years of age.]

  Meilan let her academic side think through what he said. Extracting blood wasn’t difficult, but he called it the evils of alchemy? If this were a homework assignment, her response would be something like…

  [Is it something that can only be extracted after sacrificing the mortal’s life?] Meilan guessed.

  Headmaster Yan hummed in approval. [Still bright, I see. Yes. But the death of that single mortal will only give a single blood essence. To obtain a drop of one hundred blood essence requires the death of one hundred mortals.]

  The thought disgusted Meilan. [Well, it’s a good thing then that we can just use an Omnisbloom flower to take its place.]

  Su Shuyi didn’t look as convinced. She was looking up as if considering something that Meilan wasn’t aware of.

  [Indeed, it could,] Headmaster Yan said. [But would a deranged Patriarch of Pills be patient enough?]

  [He wouldn’t really…?]

  Su Shuyi and Headmaster Yan exchanged glances. A moment of silence hung between them.

  Then Su Shuyi said something utterly insane.

  [I cannot assassinate him,] Su Shuyi said. [I made a vow, which weakens my cultivation if I turned my weapon against him, rendering me powerless.]

  Assassination!?

  [Yes, and we cannot bring others into the fold.] Headmaster Yan started pacing again. [The Patriarch of Pills can weave his lies flawlessly, I imagine. He can turn everyone against us if he gains word of our thoughts. I fear what may happen when the time comes to sacrifice the mortals. Will the Tribulation Shroud go chaotic then? Or will it wait until after the heaven defying pill is refined? Or perhaps the missing mortals becomes news, which garners the attention of the Zhengyi clan. It would not be the first time if their Patriarch Zheng Tianhou decides to wage war against a clan that mistreated their mortals.]

  Meilan’s mind was reeling. What was happening? Was that something that could really happen? Would their patriarch really not just wait a hundred years?

  Headmaster Yan continued. [This heaven defying pill must do something that would turn the tides. Either it’ll elevate him to be equal to the Zhengyi patriarch, or…] He paused for a moment, as if testing the idea that crossed his mind. [If not that, then some other pill that would profane the heavens. I cannot say for certain without knowing what the other Omnisblooms became.]

  Su Shuyi stepped forward. [I may not be able to turn my weapon against our patriarch, but I can assist in slowing down this slaughter. If we can delay the sacrifices long enough, he may be willing to just wait for the next time the Carcass Grotto opens.]

  Headmaster Yan nodded. They would soon come up with a plan to create a team that would do that, without notifying this same team of their main goal.

  Afterall, if the Zhengyi clan did come to wage war against the Lianhua clan, the Patriarch of Pills could get all the other clans to side with him by using his pills as a bartering chip. It could very well be the final war.

  ***

  We witnessed the genius-boy enter the Tribulation Shroud, unharmed. Such a daring act had been tried before, but the others had a death wish they deservedly got. The genius-boy, however, was untouched. Strange how the Tribulation Shroud’s lightning avoided him. It was as if he was a plague in its eyes. I am inclined to agree.

  Us three Grand Elders lost a gambit against the current patriarch, Zheng Tianhou. In our loss, we had to assist in the genius-boy’s growth. I helped him fully absorb the Limitless Elixir and later taught him how to control it properly. Had he failed to do that, no matter what enlightenment he received later, his potential would be limited to the same degree of a failure he was for not giving such an elixir the respect it deserved. I also gave him my own journal on alchemy insights, which he still has and should assist up to tier three pill refinement. How much he gains from it depends on the level of pretend genius he was.

  Xunran’s guidance gained the genius-boy access to the Reflections Pagoda. Such a divine artifact would be more beneficial the greater the talent was. An imbecile would still be an imbecile even if they were capable of entering it. Xunran also showed the genius-boy the best way to use the artisan’s writ, gaining him a weapon that can help fend off higher level cultivators—something all Fels would have to do.

  Yifan’s guidance was less straightforward. He involved the genius-boy’s father, the Hall Master of the Core Guard. The Hall Master was more intimately aware on where the genius-boy’s circulation failure took place, due to having multiple internal artes. Does anyone still dare to call him a genius? What an idiotic decision to recklessly add a second internal arte.

  And lastly, the decision was made to give the genius-boy the newly birthed jade table, which contained the insights of the phoenix’s rebirth. A decision was made to give it to the boy, rather than to me.

  This is the first time in history where all Grand Elders spent effort to aid in someone’s growth to this degree.

  Truthfully, I would have liked to see what his Dharma Path would be. Unfortunately, my lifespan comes to an end. I only have about a century or less left.

  I am proud to have taught Yuhan Diyuan. I will never say such a thing, of course. And that is exactly why, if the genius-boy returns before my death, I will edit this memoire of mine. All former Hall Masters are required to write something, but that doesn’t mean we can’t change our thoughts. I don’t intend to let such sappy words become permanent. When the genius-boy returns from his trip, the first thing I shall do is return here and edit my words. I’ll replace it with something more insulting, as is appropriate.

  Venerate Grouch Huizhong.

  Huizhong closed the book and added it to the Records Hall, in the section where all former Hall Masters added their musings. He clasped his arms behind his back and walked away, humming to himself. He wondered how long he would have to wait until he returned here. It was something to look forward to. Perhaps he and the genius boy could discuss some theories around alchemy by then.

  But the ink on Huizhong’s musings would remain untouched. Its final words permanent.

  ***

  Flashes of white and blue surrounded Diyuan. His footing was slippery, as the ground had turned into a clear sleek substance. He kept pressing forward through the Tribulation Shroud. Lightning struck everywhere but at him. It would curve, avoiding him at all costs. He got used to the sound, the rumbling pandemonium of the thunder.

  As he pressed forward, he felt like he just stepped through warm water. But as he examined himself, he was completely dry. How odd.

  The lightning thinned. He kept going and let his eyes adjust. The thunderous sound was no longer around him. It was now only behind him. Diyuan blinked a few times and looked up. The blue sky greeted him.

  He did it! He was on the other side of the Tribulation Shroud. He had only walked for about an hour, but here he was. He looked around. Dead ground which slowly became dry dirt, with patches of grass and weeds.

  But it was also strange. He half expected everything to be dead; scorched, even. But everything looked as normal as it was within the Tribulation Shroud.

  A realization struck Diyuan.

  The blue sky had greeted him. Blue. It was daytime.

  When Diyuan left home and entered the Tribulation Shroud, it was night.

  He had only walked an hour, and yet the sun was in the sky? Showing it was a little before noon or a little after it. How could this be? Was the sun somehow different here than inside the Shroud? Such a thought was ridiculous. But not only that, the spiritual energy in the air felt thin. He looked around, as if something would give him an answer. He froze when he saw something he shouldn’t have.

  In the far distance, far enough that it hazed, was a mountain. It peaked high enough that snow covered the top. Part of it was within the long Tribulation Shroud that had reached even over there. But the problem was the fact that Diyuan was seeing a mountain.

  There was no such mountain near their lands. Even in the original world map, before the tribulation thunder destroyed the world, the closest mountain was much further away.

  As Diyuan was questioning where he was, his Foundation core cracked.

  End of Book 1 – Tribulation Shroud