The air around the floating island solidified. The empty space became an impenetrable barrier. Qi no longer obeyed mental commands. Every independent array stopped functioning. All available fuels of artificial laws were neutralized. Nascent genesis of countless daos covered heaven and earth, making the heavenly way recoil. Overlapping Totalities were forcibly alienated. And the flow of time around the tower seemed to have been torn from the continuum and virtually slowed down.
All of it was to capture one target– a young man who exuded an aura no different from a mortal and stood with his hands behind his back in front of the white skyscraper. His eyes held one part of caution and nine parts of confidence. And his lips were stretched into a provocative sneer.
It was unknown to the crowd whether he could sense the reality-shattering eruptions of power affecting his perception, his body and mind, and his plans of self-defence. Not a silver of fear showed up on his face even as the numerous techniques of profound gravity grew stronger and cut off the way for everything that he could possibly do to fight back.
Only, he did not choose to fight back at all. Amidst the tumultuous waves of qi, laws, and heavenly phenomena, several anomalies exploded with the likeness of dying stars, overwhelming every technique employed to target the young man.
Above the white tower, space distorted and fissures formed, shrouding the sky with their pitch-black maws. Even the sunlight dimmed. The sense of loss and alienation from the real world skyrocketed in every Elder's heart, this time being the handiwork of a party other than them, targeting them instead of the boy.
But soon, they came to realize their mistake. The party targeting them did not consist of outsiders. Some of the Elders acting alongside them had suddenly shifted their focus to disperse their combined assault.
This didn't deter some of them, though. They burst through the scattered remains of the techniques and repeated their qi cycles, forming colorful, airborne seals around them that resisted the neutralizing powers suppressing their attacks.
At this moment, a person who hadn’t acted until now made his move. Elder Tong turned around, shielding Han Xuhan from the onslaught with his body.
"Fellow Elders, please disperse, ALL OF YOU!"
His roar seemed to contain an inexplicable force. The bright burning seals converging around Han Xuhan and him crumpled into tiny masses of light, shivering in the air like magnets repelling magnets.
"But Elder Tong-"
"You will be silent!" the old man pointed at the one who had protested. "You are one of the few who know what this young man truly represents. And you know what he meant by naming that technique. So shut your mouth and get out of my sight!"
None of the Elders looked pleased to hear the threat in his tone, least of all the one spoken to. While many of them appeared unsure of themselves, a few wore helpless, but understanding looks.
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Han Xuhan clapped his palms together loudly, and in the awkward silence pervading the island, that clap rang as harsh as summer's sudden thunder.
"Looks like no one else shall be tempted to stop me for a chat without my consent. Lovely! I was almost beginning to consider making a poem about the infamous Soul Shattering Puppet Refinement Technique and sending it to my friends from various sects. People love to gossip about scandals."
With those words, he flicked his sleeves pompously and walked past the heavy doors of carved stone. His back disappeared from the crowd's eyes moments later. Elder Tong stared at the crowd in a daze, the fury in his eyes slowly mellowing into sorrow.
"Mingyu, Oh Mingyu, I hope you foresaw this too, I really do. Whether we live or die now... it all depends on how much the moth hates the flame for burning its wings."
......... .......... .........
Han Xuhan's stride into the tower was confident, knowing fully well that not a soul behind him would dare block his way for the third time.
However, he was still forced to stop the moment his eyes became used to the dimly lit inner palace confined within the tall walls. Nothing about the tower outside could have prepared him for the visage around him right now.
The laws of space appeared to have been tampered with while designing the tower. The floor Han Xuhan was standing on was the core part of the disc-shaped central island. Constructed entirely out of glass, it divided the tower into two perfectly identical portions above and below. Both portions became wider with their distance from the central floor, forming a twin-cone style structure. And he was positioned at the center where both coneheads met.
The source of light here seemed brighter than the sun, perched up at the topmost point of the tower. In a hard contrast to its blinding radiance, the bottommost floor was subsumed within impenetrable shadows. Standing there, at the edge of the middle floor, Han Xuhan was strongly reminded of the Totality of Autonomy.
But perhaps this was a result of his paranoia. The symbolism of contrasting light and darkness within the confinement of symmetrical boundary was a common one, even in the mortal world. This tower could very well be a grand imitation of yin-yang harmony.
Shlink. Shlink. Shlink. Shlink.
Sounds of chains snapping in the air hit his eardrums like the whispers of a devil, soft as silk, invisible and persistent. No matter where he looked, all he saw were windows and doors on walls painted with incomprehensible art.
"Damn, those Elders outside were all just... chilling here or what?"
His marvelling tone travelled far inside the empty building, echoing way too many times to be the result of natural physics. Han Xuhan was not deterred by the unconventional atmosphere. He was growing used to the wild side of the world of cultivation, one sect at a time. He was here with serious business, hoping to meet a powerful stranger. And if this stranger truly was worth his position, this could very well be a welcoming ceremony!
Han Xuhan carefully took a step forward on the glass floor, and a very faint crack sounded below his boot. Had his physical attributes been a degree less enhanced, he would not have caught it. This floor was not meant to be treaded on.
But as he tried to retract his feet, his ears caught another sound, hidden underneath the clanking noise of metal shackles. For the briefest moment, he heard a voice.
"Welcome."
Han Xuhan put his foot back where it was and contemplated the situation for a moment before replying, "What's the warranty on this glass? I'm only 57 kilograms. Can it handle my weight?"
Nobody responded. But the sound of chains continued, its source unknown. Han Xuhan glanced up and down like a pedestrian in front of a zebra crossing, and then placed his front foot a few inches farther as a test.
Again, the cracking sound of glass reached him, accompanied by another whisper.
"I've been waiting."
"Oh? Who told you I was coming? Your prediction abilities?" Han Xuhan shouted back. But as expected, no replies came.
Han Xuhan retracted his foot fully and leaned behind on the wall. This appeared to be a test. If he wanted to meet the master of the Stardust Sect, he would have to brave the risk of walking on this fragile floor. The braver he was, the further he would dare to move into the floor, and the more substantial their communication was going to be.
Back on Earth, he loved the scenes of protagonists meeting eccentric old monsters in unusual environments, dangerous places where every move could mean death, secret realms where even conversations had to be held under layers of mystique. But now, facing the exact same situation here, he wished that he was in the old monster's shoes rather than the young prodigy... Oh wait, he wasn’t in the young prodigy's shoes either.
Yet those days had passed when he used to fear being placed in a side character's position. This world of cultivation was real. The children of destiny here were not extraordinary as the novels. He could make them dance like puppets in his palm if he wanted to. He, Han Xuhan, did not fear a mere test of boldness!
He looked down at his feet and noticed his vaguely visible reflection staring back at him with a burning gaze. But as he took a step forward, his reflection stayed where it was.