Alaric was exhilarated. Today was the day he would finally attempt to bloom his crown chakra. The 7th chakra - Sahasrara - was the seat of divinity. Once you succeeded in fully unfolding all the petals of the crown chakra, you could merge with true divinity itself. However, in all his years as a chakra cultivator, he had not managed to unfurl a single petal of the 7th chakra.
After years of preparation - consuming the appropriate elixirs, performing the proper karmic actions, and synchronizing his subtle body with the cosmic energies of the world - he believed today was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to overcome this hurdle.
In a cave high above the ‘Titan Peaks’ - his personal cultivation chamber where a significant number of the ley lines converged - Alaric positioned himself in the lotus position, eyes closed, his hands resting gently on his laps. His pristine cultivation robe - a mix of purple and black - billowed like a sail that caught the wind, as he directed his Qi.
With unbroken concentration, he visualized all the seven chakras of his subtle body - Muladhara (Root Chakra), Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra), Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra), Anahata (Heart Chakra), Visuddha (Throat Chakra), Ajna (Third Eye chakra), and Sahasrara (Crown Chakra).
His first six chakras were in full bloom and pulsed gently to the rhythm of his heartbeat. The final chakra still remained in the bud form but he was ready to change that today. With a deep breath, Alaric cycled the Qi through his body, filtering it through the first 6 chakras and refining it to convert it into cosmic energy. It took over an hour to perform the purification ritual and stabilize the cosmic energy, which was now personalized to his own vessel.
With an effort of will, he contained the volatile energy - which demanded to be released - into his 7th chakra. Every beat of his heart amplified force, and he commanded it to open the final chakra. It was working. A burning sensation radiated from the crown of his head and rippled through his whole body. He felt his heart pounding wildly. A sheen of perspiration coated his whole body, but he was lost in the process with no sense of time. Hours went by, testing his willpower to the limits, but he retained control of the potent volatile energy.
His danger sense alerted him to the arrival of a person deep below the cave. Even with his eyes closed, his ‘True Vision’ ability allowed him to see through every obstacle in his vicinity for miles in any direction. Everybody had been strictly notified to not disturb him during this special ascension ritual. After all, it took him his whole lifetime to prepare for this, and another opportunity might never arise. So, he knew something was wrong when the leader of the ‘Iron Mountain’ sect came limping to his cultivation chamber, a hand clutching at his bleeding chest, the other one severed from the elbow.
The leader of the ‘Iron Mountain’ sect, Jiang, being one of the few Immortal-grade cultivators in the world, was the strongest cultivator in this country. Whatever calamity had befallen him that left him this gravely wounded could not be taken lightly.
A few seconds later, Jiang forced himself into the cultivation chamber, collapsing to his knees with his head pressed to the ground for breaking protocol and disobedience.
“Your Grace,” he exclaimed with passion, “forgive the intrusion but we need your help...” He hacked up a mouthful of blood before choking and fell forward unconscious. For a moment, a sliver of anger and irritation flickered in Alaric’s mind before he squashed it with his force of will. He was so close to walking the steps of divinity but it would take him several hours or perhaps, even days to bloom his crown chakra.
If he gave up this opportunity now, Alaric doubted he would ever be able to harness such a powerful cosmic alignment and resources for his advancement again. A smile spread across his face. So be it. Such is the nature of fate. I will never abandon my followers and build my power by spilling the blood of innocents.
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Ever since the monster horde’s onslaught on his village 17 years ago where he lost his family, he yearned to become stronger. It was due to a kindhearted cultivator that he and the other children in the village survived. For that, he was eternally grateful. All those years ago, in the midst of pain and anguish, he vowed to become strong to protect the weak - to never experience the same despair again. It was his whole reason for becoming a cultivator in the first place.
And now, his people needed his strength. He would seize or forge another opportunity to progress.
Alaric snapped open his eyes. With a grunt, he redirected the energy enveloping the 7th chakra centre to the energy channels of his body. He pointed a finger towards Jiang and unleashed a healing spell. A translucent green glow surged into Jiang’s body. The injury to his chest healed rapidly, and his severed elbow regrew at a visible rate. Within a few minutes, Jiang regained his vitality and consciousness.
When Jiang refocused his attention on Alaric, he averted his eyes, a look of shame crossing his face. He struggled to rise and bow again but Alaric stopped him.
“No need for formality. Which region?” Alaric prepared a teleportation spell while waiting for Jiang to recount his story.
Apparently, an Elder Dragon soared over the Northern Capital of Ennora, wreaking havoc in its path. Currently, all the capital city sects were battling the Elder Dragon, striving to minimize the devastation, while other sect members scrambled to aid city dwellers in evacuating the region. Unfortunately, even with the combined efforts of all the powerful capital city sects, they were failing to subdue an Elder Dragon. The “Iron Mountain” sect along with the ‘Golden River’ sect - two of the strongest sects in the country that had initially offered support - suffered the most damage and were almost shattered.
But that was not the most alarming part. Alaric had vanquished many Elder Dragons in the past, and he would do so again. However, an Elder Dragon never abandoned its territory or attacked “puny” human civilization unless it was provoked or it was fleeing from an even stronger enemy.
A shimmering blue portal materialized in front of Alaric. He seized Jiang and dove into it. A split second later, both of them emerged at the Northern Capital. The stench of blood, smoke, and decay assaulted Alaric’s nose. Screams and deep, reverberating explosions echoed in the air.
The once beautiful capital city was now marred with violence and death. From his vantage point a few hundred feet above the capital city, he observed thousands of wrecked houses alongside an equal number of corpses. Flames ravaged a section of the city, with thick tendrils of smoke clouding visibility.
Alaric had witnessed massacres by demon armies and monster hordes but usually, they were committed during times of war. To slaughter innocents was unforgivable. He expanded his perception and ‘True Vision’ to the limits and locked on to the large black dragon engaged with numerous cultivators in combat. A second later, he teleported next to the dragon and smacked it in the snout with an ‘Empowered Fist’.
The neck of the Elder Dragon whipped back from the force of the impact. Its massive body hurtled through the air and crashed into a mountain peak with a tremendous boom. A massive dust cloud and a cascade of dirt obscured the whole mountain, causing the ground beneath to quake.
All the cultivators from the various prestigious sects froze for a moment, their mouths agape. A second later, a unanimous roar of appreciation erupted in the air.
“The Luminous One is here…the city is saved,” somebody shouted.
“Your Grace…”“The Transcendent Emperor has emerged from seclusion…”
All around him, the cultivators erupted in joy, some shedding tears of happiness. The cultivators bowed deeply. One by one, they gathered together and withdrew from the scene of the fight, content to witness the clash between the two powerhouses from a distance. All of them realized they would only hinder Alaric if they tried to help.