While contemplating what effects this little drinking and smoking session had upon Guan Zhenyan, Sage’s questions got an answer. The world around him seemed to ripple and Sage felt law energy around him vibrating as the energy of heaven and earth was rapidly drawn into the man in front of him. Not wanting to interrupt the process, but also keeping in mind their location, Sage used his Adjutor to help him adjust the Defensive Formations around the Lang Clan’s home. They quickly reshaped the barriers from a giant hemisphere to a huge funnel. Opening up the whole sky to Guan Zhenyan while also leaving a narrow path downwards into the ground. The true makeup of the energy called ‘heaven and earth’ was still not fully known to him, but he felt the name might be a clue, so he didn’t dare to completely block the path between ground and sky.
The Clan’s home was shielded together with the ring of mountains it was built against, clearing a path for all the energy to fall down into the center of the valley so it could reach Zhenyan unimpeded. No tribulation clouds formed in the air, but the normal clouds were drawn inwards, spinning and spiraling like a tornado or tsunami was on the verge of forming. It was a powerful reaction and Sage felt that it would be dangerous if he were to try and interrupt or interfere with it, yet it was also not the same as a tribulation. The energy concentration grew, and the clouds started to spin downwards, traveling along the funnel and forming a vortex in the sky. The Lang Clan’s formations came to life, activating in order to resist the suction force, but only for a few minutes before the commotion came to an end.
Guan Zhenyan had remained seated the whole time, even as the area around him was ravaged by the violent wind. The table along with his wine jar, cup, and seat had all remained completely unaffected by the spectacle. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of the room. The tree house-like building they were in had been split open from the top, cracked in half and opening a clear route to the heavens. Sage’s former chair as well as the floors and other furniture in the room were blasted into splinters, leaving Zhenyan sitting at his pristine table while the rest of the room was a pile of debris. The man took a few more puffs from his pipe and then waved it over the table, making the cups, wine jug, and dark seed disappear. Then he rose to his feet and the chair and table disappeared as well.
“You don’t mind, do you? The whole set will remind me of this moment in the future.”
“This whole building has to be rebuilt anyway. So, was that what I think it was? How much have you recovered?”
“I’m far from what I was once, but I have nothing to fear from most in this world.”
“Then, we’re even?”
“Almost. There’s one last thing to do. Transfer the Realm Core to me.”
“I still retain ownership for…”
Guan Zhenyan cut him off with a raised hand, “I’ll offer you some concessions. I don’t want to stick around here any longer than I have to, so I’ll transfer all my assets ‘up there’ to you.”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“These ‘assets’ include a bunch of debts don’t they?”
“Great guess! You’ll have to go and collect them, just like at the Tianxia Capital. Don’t worry, there’s also a bunch of real estate. Storage space is at a premium for most people, unlike you. I want to travel light.”
Zhenyan showed an uncanny ability to read Sage’s current stone face as he quickly followed up with an Oath that made the air hum, “I swear on my Soul that the assets I will give to you are more valuable to you than transferring me the Realm Core early.”
Without using an Oath Stone, or the higher level Blood Contract, Zhenyan was able to inspire a similar power to respond with just his words. Sage wasn’t sure how it worked, but he sensed that Zhenyan would suffer serious consequences if he broke his word. Considering he had little use for the Realm Core in the immediate future, Sage felt the transfer should be fine. Even if there was something he could do to benefit, he had no idea what it was or how to do it. It would be better to just pass it over early and get benefits he could make use of. Considering the wording of the oath, he was still likely missing out on a lot, but to him it was like having a gun with no ammunition, or giving a computer to a monkey. Instead of holding onto it out of greed, he should trade it for a pile of bananas and get something he could use. Putting aside the unflattering analogy, Sage brought Zhenyan into another building and they went through the slow process of transferring over the Realm Core.
Weeks later, when it was finished, Guan Zhenyan gave a short bow to Sage’s wives and then leapt into the air. He hadn’t bothered to make friends with anyone in the Lang Clan, so there were no goodbyes to be said. Despite jumping into the air, Zhenyan never came back down again. The single leap taking him up into the sky and passing through the cloud layers. With how powerful his eyes had become, Sage could track the small dot of his form for much longer than a normal human could, but with the layers of clouds in the way Sage lost track of him. He took a few steps forward to look directly up through the hole that had been punched in the clouds, and he caught just a glimpse of Zhenyan before the man swerved abruptly and disappeared. That little move was enough to confirm that Zhenyan was in control of his flight.
Unless something pulled him up there.
It was much more likely Zhenyan recovered his abilities than it was that something was pulling him into the sky. The moment of distraction ended and he was suddenly very aware that there was no longer anything holding him back. The time he’d been preparing for over the last ten years had finally arrived. He’d already spoken with the Ancestors and they’d given him free reign to go when he was ready. There had already been many years spent with his family to reminisce and also to say goodbye. He’d also prepared a contingency plan to make sure they were still around when he returned, and created a repository of the Inner World’s most important advances for the Lang Clan to make use of for many thousands of years. The five years spent with his family over the last decade had turned into a few decades on the Inner World as they took various long vacations.
The time has come.
The research team did a final checklist, making sure he’d missed nothing and passed over the most recent advancements. Then Sage kissed his family goodbye. He might be able to return in a few days or maybe decades. There was also the chance he’d never be able to come back, or that he could die at any time. There was no way he’d leave abruptly. After a short ceremony, he rose into the air. Choosing to make this flight under his own power rather than relying upon Shifting Jade Mountain. There had been discussions on whether he should leave the Artifact with the Clan, but they already had fleets of Airships, a few more traditional Flying Ships, and a whole assortment of flying vehicles designs from the Inner World. It was better for that expensive item with its eccentric item spirit to remain in Sage’s hands.
Perhaps the luxury would be useful to impress someone. There’s gotta be super vain rich folk up there. I wonder what they’d pay for it? What do they use for currency?
With a little more flair than Guan Zhenyan, Sage shot into the sky, making the clouds swirl and dance like ocean waves. A sea in the sky many layers deep, parting for his passage.