Shen had recently investigated how the Heavens and the Axioms were related to each other. Most of what he discovered matched what he had learned from Liya, but there were some slight imprecisions in what she had taught him.
The Axioms had come to exist as Energy, over Time, gained Sentience and strength to rise above the Expressions themselves. At least, they tried to surpass the Expressions. The Axioms depended on the Expressions to exist, so they couldn't be above it and their reach to define Reality.
That's where the Heavens came in. Each of the Three Heavens—True, High, and Low—was made, above all, of the reminiscent Sentience of each Axiom, which became dull and almost muted as they got so close to going above the Expressions. The True Heavens were only one and contained Axioms that affected all of Reality. Each High Heavens contained Axioms that affected a multiverse. And each Low Heavens contained Axioms that affected a universe.
The unconsciousness of each living being's Sentience under the Heavens was then mixed with the Axioms' reminiscent Sentience to form a collective Sentience that ruled over all. Those were the Heavens. Thoughts and opinions defined the rules everyone had to follow. It was as if each living being's Sentience fought for harmony like the Axioms had once fought to establish their Concepts.
The massive number of different beings and often opposing ideals in all of Reality made reaching a consensus almost impossible. Together with the fact that the True Heavens were the closest layer to surpassing the Expressions, this caused the True Heavens to be almost detached and "dumber," in a way.
A True Heavens-level Axiom, or True Axiom, affected all of Reality but didn't reach each universe in a "pure" state. They interacted with its High Axioms to reach a new equilibrium as they went through the High Heavens. The True Axioms had an edge but weren't all-powerful over the High Axioms. Then, the True and High Axioms interacted with the Low Axioms in the Low Heavens to form what each universe's living being knew.
When Shen mastered the Law of the Shaft, he became able to tell the Axioms of the Spear were at the True Heavens level. They existed in all of Reality. However, he mastered the "distorted" version of the Law of the Shaft as it manifested itself in... Well, in the Shaft, or the Tower of Seven, its official name.
The non-matter the True Axioms were made of looked more profound than the High Axioms, which looked more solid than the Low Axioms. Non-matter was the right word to use, too, because what he saw was Energy while having almost none of it, like a flavor of how Energy manifested itself. It also didn't flow perfectly with Time, manifesting themselves or disappearing almost at random. They also felt nearly absent of willpower, though he knew the Axioms fought back if you pushed them.
Every Axiom was made of the same non-matter, but the Law of the Shaft that Shen mastered was unique to his senses. The impression he got was like synesthesia. Shen tasted a specific texture, heard acrid, saw a deep sound, smelled anger, and felt red. The Law of the Shaft was a unique part of the whole Axioms of the Spear, and he could see how its ever-shifting yet perfectly stable Law fragments affected all of Reality.
Amazingly, he could comprehend exactly how Shaft interacted with every other Law. The sudden enlightenment came as soon as he mastered his expertise in the Law.
Everything turned simply... obvious.
The blindfold had been removed from his every sense. The truth had always been there, but now that he had mastered Shaft, he could recognize himself in Reality—for Shaft was part of his One Self—in a much more incredible manner.
The Law of the Shaft inside him also resonated with the Law of the Shaft in the world, solving an issue that had come with his Severing: he could feel the Law of the Shaft outside of himself again. It wasn't quite like it used to be, where his Laws were an extension of himself, but it was good enough. Any contact of anything with the Law of the Shaft outside his body was felt by him as if it was part of his One Self. The passive range was limited to a mere mile, but he guessed it would increase after he reached the Seeker level.
More importantly, the passive feedback would extend to his entire domain, however big he made it. Currently, after his path mastery increased, his domain had already reached six hundred miles.
Actually...
Shen released his domain upwards. It rose to the skies and almost instantly enveloped three thousand miles upwards.
A single mastered Law was enough to slingshot him to great power.
He could also command the Law of the Shaft with newfound authority. His One Self contained the entirety of the Law of the Shaft. The Shaft was he and his. Anything the Law of the Shaft touched that he could fell, he could command with a single thought. It required no qi expenditure at all.
His domain was also strengthened by mastering a Law. Shen could effortlessly touch every boundary inside the three spatial dimensions. His Will could affect everything. E'livia and other domain holders with mastered Laws could no longer block him. They had to fight him in the meta-battlefield instead of just using their mastery to obliterate him.
Lastly, Shen could now invade souls with no difficulty. Only someone else with a domain or a mastered Law could stop him. Before now, he had been using his Absolute Horizon to get the job done at willpower expenditure. Now, Reality itself bowed to him when he determined the Laws of the Shaft inside someone had to twist in any way.
Shen mastered the Law of the Shaft.
Understanding and power flooded Shen's veins for an instant.
Then, he found himself limited by his Law.
He didn't want to cultivate anymore. At least, not so quickly. He should be cautious. He should solidify his cultivation before moving forth. It was the obvious thing to do. E'livia could just bang someone else—
Anger flared deep within him, and he bypassed the influence of Shaft to push the next Law to mastery.
E'livia was his for as long as she wanted to be his and did nothing wrong to make him want to push her away. Shen would never, ever, give his woman to another if it depended on him. Never.
He needed some True Boundlessness to counter the sheer stupidity inside himself.
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E'livia woke up feeling as if the tip of a blade was trying to pierce her entire existence. She looked at Shen, sitting on a meditation mat beside their bed, looking through the window. Un'Re floated before him, and he stared at the world through the "lens" of the weapon's pointy end.
Shen himself looked and felt sharper. She could also tell he would be very easy to anger. True Boundlessness and Shaft more or less countered each other, leaving the newfound Extremity free to run amok in Shen's being.
The next second, the sensation he gave her shifted.
He had forced himself to move from Extreme instability to Extreme focus. He started cultivating with so much concentration that she doubted she could wake him up, no matter what she did.
E'livia smiled, proud of her man.
She made sure to hide her sadness in her every movement. She had only two months remaining, and Shen still had to master four Laws. Anyone could tell he would fail. Although he had already mastered as many Laws as she had in her Path, a Path with all Laws mastered was special and the minimum requirement for her to bond with someone.
She suppressed her emotions and left the room. A quick trip to the kitchen saw her grabbing two Conceptualizer-tier sodas. She took a deep sight and got to her rooftop.
The Doombringer was there, sitting cross-legged, looking at the skies. He hadn't moved ever since arriving in her apartment. He never overreached his welcome or even initiated a conversation.
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She passed him a soda and sat before him. Their eyes met. He nodded and got back to looking at the skies.
They had reached a silent agreement to play pretend for Shen's benefit. E'livia had learned a few things in Cylek. She could tell Shen's plans, and so could the Doombringer. Neither allowed Shen to detect that they knew what he was planning.
Neither of them would accept Shen's plans, either.
E'livia had thought long and hard about it. Did her feelings have more value than her life? No. But her sense of self did. She didn't see herself as someone who would offer her body and soul to someone just to survive.
It would be different if she didn't have anyone in her heart. She would've been open to getting to know someone. But she loved Shen with all her heart. It was a natural feeling, born out of her personal preferences and their experiences together, many of them left unanalyzed and buried in her unconsciousness. She could force herself to stop loving Shen, but it would go against her Path—against her Truth.
Most cultivators were willing to die for their Path. That was often thought of as dying because their Path made them clash against a foe whose Path opposed yours. Her situation was different yet similar.
E'livia would die happy, knowing her Path had at least allowed her to experience a brief sense of happiness she had never expected to experience. She had always thought she would marry to advance her bloodline's interests. Instead, she found Shen, and she became all the better for it. Not all Paths find glory at the end of the road. Hers did. She found glorious love and fulfillment right before her Path ended.
Shen himself didn't feel that way about her, but it was okay. In fact, dying was arguably the best ending for her. She doubted he would ever come to love her like she loved him. They would break up one day.
"You look ugly when you cry," the Doombringer said.
Surprised, she reached for her cheeks. She found blood. Indeed, she was crying.
"Your essence is deteriorating," the half-titan explained after noticing her confusion. "You'll lose control of yourself soon." He paused and looked down, through the floor, at Shen. E'livia felt her man. He was still absorbed by his cultivation. "I made some inquiries. You do know the alternative method to survive, correct?"
Her surprise increased. He had made inquiries? When? He hadn't left since he arrived, nor had he made contact with anyone. His domain was reigned in, his qi was inside him, and she hadn't detected him activating any artifact.
Yet, as much as she wanted to know his secrets, it was more urgent, paramount, for him not to reveal hers.
"Don't you dare tell him," she started, then corrected herself, "please. I beg of you, don't tell Shen. Such a method would go against everything I believe in."
He sipped his soda and nodded. "I expected as much. Your Path has a Law of Life." He stared at her pleading eyes for a moment before sighing. "Don't worry; unlike your previous stupidity, I can respect your Path in that."
She smiled relievedly. Birthing a child to save herself would be beyond evil. All sapient life should come to the world out of love, not to be used. She would rather die than birth someone who would come to exist to serve the purpose of being her crutch.
"You're not perfect," the Doombringer said, "but you're good enough. From the little I saw, you were mostly good for him despite all your mistakes and idiocies. If you want, I can kill you now to seal your essence within me. I'll try to revive you in the future."
She had asked before what essence was, as that's where her issues were. Indeed, even her domain with mastered Laws could detect something wrong, but not exactly what or where the wrongness came from. Unfortunately, the Doombringer had said it was a secret meant for Realizators, and his life would be at risk if he spilled the beans.
E'livia had yet to reveal to Shen what she had discovered just before eavesdropping on his conversation with the half-titan: the shrewdness behind willpower being linked to knowledge in the Shaft. No one knew if the Divine Mandatary had done without hidden intentions, but you could detect if some key secrets had been spilled by monitoring people's willpower. She didn't understand the process, but she had learned it was possible and even where some scanners had been hidden in Cylek.
Anyway, that someone's essence could be captured and preserved was news to her. It required her death, though. And being inside the Doombringer. She would rather die than risk whatever that was. As civilized as he had behaved, she didn't trust him that much—or at all. His desire to become friends with Shen was still way too suspicious. Her best guess was that he wanted Un'Re but didn't think he could kill Shen without a sneak attack; not before she arrived to defend Shen.
She asked, "How about letting my essence stay inside Shen instead?"
He looked at her as if she was stupid, and the obvious answer came to her: you needed a Realization to preserve someone's essence. Or, at least, knowledge about essence that he couldn't reveal to Shen.
E'livia smiled awkwardly. "Any chance I can buy that technique in my two remaining months?"
The Doombringer shook his head.
Silence stretched between them. She looked beyond him to the city outline beyond. Eventually, she asked, "What would be better for him? If I disappeared to die somewhere out of sight? Or having him hold my hand as I pass away?"
"The second. But he's in no condition to hold your hand. Nor will he be. You could die before him right now, and he would look at you as if you were a stranger. Three mastered Laws in a Path without ruling over them? I'm surprised he can focus on the fourth Law, but he won't go past five before having to fight for inner control."
"You knew he would fail," she accused, though without fire behind her words.
"You also knew. But this way, rather than having him wait before cultivating, you'll feel better about his safety after you leave. I'll tell him you felt better about it, decreasing his guilt. He'll feel better about himself for trying and failing, for having you nearby, than he would with any alternative."
"I'm surprised you're so good with human emotions, Doombringer," she stressed his monicker.
"I don't like intrigue and scheming, but I've lived for a long while. You pick some things on the way. And I don't know about holins as much as I do about humans, but some things are universal. For instance, I know I'll have to stop you from leaving this apartment when the time comes."
E'livia frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You haven't faced death, woman. Not truly. Your essence is dwindling, and your instincts will inevitably take over. You'll try to connect with someone, anyone. I'll be here to stop that in a way that isn't obvious to Shen. That's the primary reason I'm still here. That's my greatest gift to your current self."
She felt as if he had slapped her. "How dare you call me a whore in my own home?!"
"I have nothing against whores, and that's not what I called you. Time will tell who's right and who's wrong."
E'livia didn't have the self-control to stop herself from attacking the bastard if she remained there for a second longer. She harumphed and left without another word.
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Bai Yuefeng had seen many wonders in his life.
The scene in that apartment became one of the greatest moments he had ever witnessed.
E'livia hadn't left the bedroom after their last talk two months ago. She also hadn't moved an inch in the past three weeks—after she sat before Shen, looking at her loved one.
Currently, her essence unraveled inside her. Her thoughts had long stopped making sense. Her very Will failed her. Her emotions became a mess, and instincts attempted to take control of her body all the time. She trembled and cried, her soul broke down and repaired itself with imperfections.
Her Path was corrupted.
She became someone else.
Yet her love remained untouched and a bastion of absolute stability in her chaotic self.
She started being unmade before her loved one, fading into motes of light as Shen stared through her. Consumed by his cultivation, his eyes focused on the Axioms of Reality, incapable of seeing anything else. He would remember this moment later, but he wasn't there right now.
At least, he shouldn't be.
Suddenly, he said with a somber voice, "I swear to the Heavens and the Abyss. I swear on my essence and Will. I swear on my entire being. Save her, and I'll offer you undying loyalty. Be it to crush your enemies or become one of them myself, and offer you the best fight of your life."
To Bai Yuefeng's surprise, the High Heavens seemed to hold their breath briefly at that declaration. Then, they released it. The Divine Mandatary had actually considered the pledge for an instant and decided against it.
"Very well," Shen replied. "But if you want me to fight you one day, don't stop what I'm about to do, and allow the Doombringer and I to live for disobeying this one rule." He turned to Bai Yuefeng. "Transmit to me everything you can about essence."
Bai Yuefeng would never have considered doing it if the Divine Mandatary hadn't heard Shen's request. Evidently, the Mandatary was at least curious about the boy. Enough that he might kill only one of the two, Bai Yuefeng or Shen, for breaking the rule.
In fact, for the first time, Bai Yuefeng himself became curious about Shen for who Shen was, not his ancestry. What had the Mandatary seen on the boy? Or was it about the girl and her supposed connection to a Warden in Main Space, which he had heard about?
He glanced at the High Heavens. There was no movement of acknowledging the boy's second sentence.
Bai Yuefeng should've thought things through before doing anything...
...but that wasn't his style.
He sent a strand of qi to Shen, connected to the boy's mind, and shared everything he knew about essence.
That knowledge was precious and powerful. Shen's willpower increased by at least twenty percent. Bai Yuefeng learned soon after that such increase was half the reason Shen wanted to know about essence.
Shen mastered his fifth Law right then. His power peaked. His willpower had never been greater.
As Bai Yuefeng had predicted, Shen's control over himself started to break down, even with the boosted willpower. But the boost was just enough for him not to lose himself before trying something new.
Shen's domain grasped E'livia's essence and Shen used his Will of Absolute Power to throw all his willpower and, somehow, his very essence—which should be impossible, as Will and essence weren't that connected—against the very foundations of Reality.
A forbidden technique! A Subversive Decree! Using one's Will to directly change Reality!
Since when could Shen use it?! How did he even know it?! That ability shouldn't exist in the Overlord Realm! It was highly regarded and greedily protected by the peak force of the Seeker Realm!
The Doombringer immediately deployed his domain over all of Cylek as he prepared to kill all witnesses.
Meanwhile...
The Low Heavens was forced to give way as Shen Willed E'livia to be allowed to live without side effects by connecting with his current self, despite him not having mastered all his Laws.
The High Heavens resisted for a moment, but the Divine Mandatary gave way in the end instead of ordering the High Heavens to stop Shen.
Then, Shen's Will and essence reached the True Heavens—and the True Heavens pushed back, for it wouldn't allow its precious rules to be so easily bent.