One day, Michael got out of seclusion after failing in mixing his soul energy and physical energy. According to the ancient manual, one's soul and body were like gears that fit together.
At higher levels of cultivation, one would gain the ability to exist independently of one's body. Michael in his previous life had this ability. Even in this life, when Michael had faced his life and death calamity, despite his body's death his soul had survived. Of course, at that time, Michael would still have died had he not made the law breakthrough.
Currently, he had improved his command of the death laws and his soul cultivation was also stronger making it possible for him to bring his soul out of his body. But his soul was still not stable and could not exist for extremely long periods of time without his body - not without his dao intent.
The soul would become an independent entity after condensing the law energy. Such experts could easily take possession of another body in case their original body was destroyed. But even those experts in ancient times hardly ever did that. The reason was simple. Other's bodies would not suit oneself. It would make it difficult to bring out their full power and also make it much harder to cultivate further. This was the price to pay for continuing one's life in another body. Unless the body contained some peerless bloodline or treasures, it would never be seized - even in other planes.
This fact led the experts of soul and body cultivation to follow up and research. As the body and soul had unique compatibility, the experts were able to create a powerful technique of binding one's body and soul together - internal energy. It was the energy created once one merged their physical and soul energy together. Of course, it was easier said than done.
Soul energy was semi-ethereal while physical energy flowed through muscles and bones. Thus, it was as hard to mix them together as mixing oil and water. Due to different densities, the physical energy would simply push the soul energy away. Michael had been trying to create internal energy for some time. But it was naturally not easy for his average talent.
As he came back to his palace, he could see the huge castle from a distance. He was travelling at great speed without making a sound. After he completely grasped the second chapter of death laws, he knew that his law progress would have to stop. The third chapter of endless life scripture dealt with souls. This was something that the creator called the life-core. Michael was supposed to feel his core energy. Most likely, it would improve the vitality of his soul. This would have made Michael's powers rise a great deal. Others would only see this as a healing power when one gets injured in battle. But Michael had the perfect persona blessing. He could overdraw his soul and heal it simultaneously. This would increase his power by a whole other level. At that point, he would be able to massacre immortals with a thought. But there were two catches:
First of all, Michael was still not in the perfect-realm. He basically had no sensitivity to natural laws. Thus, while he had the guidance, he did not have the necessary means to follow it! Generally, for weaker laws, like the law of water - one could feel them if one submerged oneself in water. Or if one became so dry that they lost the feeling of water entirely As long as one had an inheritance of water laws, any level of cultivation would not hinder the progress. But life and death were different. Each time Michael made a breakthrough, he had to dance on the line of life and death. He was alive but there were very good chances of him dying both times he made law breakthroughs. And secondly, Michael's soul was cultivating the death laws! His soul contained death law signature. If he was to apply life laws to it, there would be a severe backlash. After all, life and death did not match. This was another reason Michael was focussed on internal energy.
Internal energy was a way to bind one's body and soul - it firmly bound them together. There were great benefits to it. One would be able to use the internal energy - something that contained the lightness of soul energy but the heaviness of physical might. It was a way to combine the best of both worlds. Once someone mastered internal energy, they would be unrivalled in the same realm - this was the normal understanding in myriad planes. Only internal energy experts could deal with other internal energy experts. What Michael did not know was that even in multiple super-planes, only the greatest of geniuses were able to generate internal energy and only these geniuses ever stepped into the transformation-realm of the warrior path!
Another benefit was that the body and soul after being bound would be able to reinforce each other. Thus, in the same realm, internal energy cultivators had stronger bodies and souls. But these benefits were not the reason Michael was so interested in gaining this power. It was because internal energy allowed cultivators to assimilate two different laws! As in Michael's case, he was cultivating the life and death laws. There were only two ways for these two laws to assimilate and merge together - dual cultivation or internal energy. For dual cultivation, Michael would have to find someone who cultivated death laws via their body and life laws through their soul. This was simply absurd. Thus, he had only one option to advance - internal energy.
As Michael was thinking of these things, he had unknowingly reached the throne room. He sat down on his throne sinking into his thoughts. He then called out:
> Micael : Come out Ramsus! What? Do you not want to meet your lord after so many years?
Ramsus suddenly appeared from the side as he knelt on one knee and said:
> Ramsus : My Lord, please forgive me! I was incompetent and let you down. As your knight, I did not have the power to even protect myself, much less protect you. Thus, I had to leave. I went through countless troubles, travelled amny forbidden areas and even went to the world's end. All was for me to get stronger!
>
> Michael : You fool, you could have stayed with me. When I took you in, I was not looking for a protector but a brother to share my burdens. But it is true that you have again surprised me! To think that you reached the perfect realm! That too in just 10 years, you are quite talented. You are even ahead of me.
>
> Ramsus : Lord, you jest. You have been suppressing your cultivation in case you have to leave through the teleportation formation. If you wanted, you could have reached the late-perfect-realm in a single day.
Michael smirked after hearing this. He looked in another direction and said:
> Michael : Ambrose can not keep his mouth closed, I see. But still, I am happy with your progress.
>
> Ramsus : How would he dare to keep secrets from me? I am Lord's first knight! I am his senior and even he has to acknowledge that.
At this point, Ambrose emerged with Remeus from another side.
> Ambrose : How could I possibly reject senior's orders My Lord. If you assign the position of first knight to me, I will no longer be bound to tell brother Ramsus anything!
>
> Ramsus : Haha! You are not there yet big brother. You need to reach the perfect realm before taking the position of first knight. Being so weak, don't you think that you are throwing the lord's face?
>
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>
> Ambrose : What?! You brat, you dare to disrespect me? I am older than you. Have some respect for your elders!
>
> Ramsus : Haha, could it be that the martial world now gave ranks based on one's age?
>
> Ambrose : Just you wait, I will gain the insights into illusion laws quite soon. We will see then who is stronger!
Ambrose and Ramsus had their own rivalry for a long time. Thus, every time they met, they would argue like this. Of course, they were only playing around and did not hold grudges against each other.
> Michael : Keep it down you both. In my cortege there is no first and second, it is something the people made up.
>
> Remeus : That may be true but my brother will still be the first knight. Ambrose, even I will be able to beat you. Do you dare to spar with me?
>
> Ambrose : Bring it on kid! I will show you what respecting your elders means.
>
> Michael : Enough, Ambrose. They have just returned. Come both of you, have a seat. Tell me about your adventures across the plane. I am quite interested. I naturally don't know in detail as I asked the shadow-eyes to give you space.
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More than 10 years ago, Ramsus had been in great anguish due to Michael's supposed death and then his resurrection had caused a blow to his confidence and sense of self. He had realized that while he served an extraordinary lord, he himself could not be ordinary. He would have to grow by all and any means possible. Thus, he had gone to Omar saying:
> Teacher, I am prepared to do anything but I want to get stronger. I don't want to be left behind and forgotten by history. Lord Michael is definitely going to be a great character - perhaps he would even leave the plane in future and explore the endless law ocean. At that time, I want to be by his side!
Omar had looked at his disciple with emotions in his eyes. His lifespan had been ending up. He still had some lifespan left but then, looking at his disciple's earnest wish, he asked Ramsus and Remeus to go through a blood rite ceremony. Both Ramsus and Remeus had gone through that ceremony by bathing and being baptized by the blood pool. The ceremony was hard to pass. Other people with weak willpower would turn into blood puddle. But the brothers were extremely suited to the blood arts. Thus, their bodies and souls were tampered by the ceremony to a great extent. Both of them broke into the saint realm! Ramsus reached the peak-saint-realm directly. After they came out, six months had already passed. But when they did come out, what greeted them was not their smiling master but a letter from him
> I am going to die in 30 years. Even though I am a saint, I have already lived a lot and I have many hidden injuries from the days of my adventure. Also, practising the blood arts harms one's body irreversibly. This has always been the drawback of our lineage. In my youth, I too had dreams. Dreams to go beyond the skies, dreams to explore the world and the dream to win glory. But the cruel reality of life was different from dreams. I managed to become a respected expert but I lacked backing! If I had someone influencial backing me up, I would have been able to reach higher stages - I would have been able to travel to the world's end and perhaps even become an immortal and ruled over a region. It was due to my lack of background that I was unable to achieve my dreams. But my disciples you are not the same! You have the backing of a once in a hundred thousand year genius. You have the Rageberg name - the greatest backing there is in Aterna. You have the opportunity to achieve what I could not. Thus, I am going to sacrifice my remaining longevity to create the blood pool ceremony. Our lineage is different and normal cultivation resources would not work for you both. This is my final gift to you both. With the power you gain, don't be complacant. Your lord can probably kill you both even without moving a muscle. There are many others who you can not offend. Go out, travel, and learn the the laws. My lineage is the foundation for two powerful grand laws - the law of blood and the law of fiends! If you both siblings can learn these two laws and become immortals, I will be able to show off against my teachers in death! Our lineage originates from beyond and if you can one day return to the source and become the experts of the main lineage, I will probably be smiling all the time in heavens! Go and live your life as you want!
The brothers were stunned by their teacher's letter. They felt enormous guilt but at the same time, they could feel that their teacher had died with satisfaction. They did not want to let their master's sacrifice go in vain. Thus, they travelled the entire plane and took their teacher's remains and buried them throughout the entire plane. They even went to the world's end - a place only immortals dared to venture in. Through the hardships of the journey that lasted more than nine years, both brothers grew up. Ramsus managed to gain insight into the grand law of blood and reached the early perfect realm. Remeus, on the other hand, was still in the peak-saint-realm. But both the brothers had matured.
As the brothers travelled, they both saw the changes in Aterna. They lived among the masses, thus they saw the increasing living standards of the commoners. Under Michael's rule, commoners had many more opportunities. As long as one had talent or effort, one could earn respect and resources. Many new nobles had emerged in different races. But that did not mean that the older nobles were removed. In fact, they had become even stronger. The entire plane seemed to be on a steroid boost with all the masses being empowered. The child of the plane was now a legend in the hearts of the people. Irrespective of their race, the people adored Michael. The plane was seeing the fruits of unification for the first time! Even in ancient times, the entire plane was not united. Thus, this progress had shocked even the god-beasts.
As the two brothers moved across the land, their respect for Michael grew more and more. They too were proud to be serving under the Rageberg banner. Ramsus and Remeus were with Michael since young and had spent their childhood together. Thus, they were very close - almost like brothers. They knew that they could travel freely because Michael's shadow was around them. The immortals did not dare to create problems for them and even helped them especially at the world's end. Thus, they knew that Michael was looking out for them even through all these years. This caused the love that they felt for the Ragebergs and their homes to be completely solidified. It was to the extent that they were ready to die for the Rageberg name. Of course, it was no doubt that Michael too would do the same. In his second life, Michael did not have many relations. His two women, mentors and knights along with Kandriff and his own family - these were the only ones he gave a fuck about. He was even indifferent to the Millers and Zenids. There was one reason for that - sincerity. Maria and Ashley had different goals in the beginning but they were sincere in their love for Michael. They were his women and they were prepared to die that way. Of course, it perhaps might not stay the same in future. But till they treated him sincerely, Michael would do the same. The same was true for Kandrif as well. Ambrose too had heartfelt gratitude towards Michael and his family and in the past ten years, he had regarded Michael as his younger brother. One could see how Michael's personality had changed from the time he was reborn. While once he never cared about others or even his own family, now he was ready to die for them.
After Ramsus and Remeus returned, Remeus also joined Michael's cortege as his third knight. This became new news that seemed to spread around the plane like wildfire. Michael hardly ever made public appearances. His legends were sung by all the people but he himself was much more low-key. Thus, this news made ripples for quite some time. Michael's three knights were extremely famous in Aterna - they represented Michael's will when he was not present. Even immortal-slayers could not disregard them. While their cultivation was still low from the perspective of the entire plane, they were not weak either. Most importantly, they had sufficient talent! Ramsus had already started cultivating the blood law. Ambrose was becoming more and more skilled in illusion techniques and it was only a matter of time before he would figure out the law of illusions. Remeus was focussing on the fiend law. All these were grand laws!
After a few more months passed, one day the entire plane trembled! Visual phenomena seemed to emerge from the sky and the lands started quaking. A strange power came from the ground and a huge formation appeared covering the entire plane!
As the mortals, warriors and immortals got out of their houses to look, a huge hole appeared in the sky! The hole looked like a gate! The gate seemed to pulse with a brutal aura - an aura that had never appeared in Aterna before. This aura contained boundless bloodshed and the air of conquest! This was the aura of bloodthirst and war! This was the aura that Michael knew all too well - the aura that caused him sleepless nights and constant pain. The aura he hated to the core - the aura of devils!