With a sharp, crisp motion, Nicholas brought his hands together in a loud clap, the sound echoing through the room. His crisp jade hands stood blended in with the white of his silk robe, which flowed behind him in a gentle sway.

As he turned to face Ally, the robe brushed against her flushed cheeks, tinged with the soft pink of a plum peach.

"Um!" Ally exclaimed, nodding her head vigorously as she caught Nicholas's attention. He turned back towards her with a surprised expression, having not expected her to have any more questions after the lengthy lecture he had just given.

"What then," Nicholas queried, with one eyebrow raised.

"Master, aren't you forgetting about Deno?" Ally eventually managed to say. Frankly she almost couldn't believe that her master would forget one of the two people he adopted into the sect.

Nicholas's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized that he had almost forgotten about Deno, his future cure. A wave of embarrassment washed over him as he quickly regained his composure, his wits springing into action.

"Of course not, fool," Nicholas retorted, trying to mask his embarrassment with a composed and unbreakable posture as he shook his head in disapproval. "I was waiting for you to retrieve him."

But Ally wasn't buying his act. She couldn't help but giggle to herself as she skipped around the fire, over to her junior brother Deno. It was still dark, and her adorable junior brother's eyes were naturally closed in sleep.

With care and compassion, Ally tenderly slipped her slim pale arms under the damp blanket that was drenched in sweat and securely wrapped around Deno. She gently lifted him up, holding her breath, and brought him close to her chest, tightly embracing him.

"Let's go, come on," Nicholas urged impatiently, growing frustrated with her slow pace. He could easily meditate for many months without a break yet this was simply wasting his time.

Ally quickly shuffled over to Nicholas, keeping her movements steady and even to avoid disturbing Deno's slumber.

"Hup!" Hopping onto Nicholas's back, the trio finally began to hover into the air as Nicholas took off with a single foot gently floating higher and higher whilst taking off towards the glistening blue sphere sitting in the starry sky.

As they soared through the sky, Nicholas couldn't help but feel irked by the constant tugging on his hair by Ally. While it didn't cause him any physical harm, his pride couldn't handle it. Though he was frustrated, he had no choice but to comply with Ally's request to gradually increase their speed to avoid disturbing Deno's peaceful nap. Thankfully, with no one around to witness his discomfort, Nicholas simply let it slide and let out a sigh.

*****

At that moment, in an underground Experimental Research Facility that had been completely destroyed by a seemingly "sweet" and "innocent" boy, an elderly man emerged from the debris-strewn remains.

His surgeon scrubs, which were now tattered and torn, clung desperately to his well-muscled frame, on the brink of falling off.

The man's hair hung limply in front of his face, perfectly reflecting his dejected mood.

The cellar was a scene of utter devastation - a crushing, crushing weight of rubble and debris that had caved in upon itself, crushing all those who had been trapped inside.

The once sturdy ceiling had crumbled and fallen, crushing the weaker doctors who had been working there.

Even those with higher cultivations, who had been in close proximity to the room, had not been able to survive the explosion.

The cause of this catastrophic event was unknown to Hallow, but the sight of it filled him with a sense of terror and dread. What could have caused such destruction? The miracle had turned out to be a nightmare.

But as he looked around the rubble-strewn room, the man's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a single, overwhelming fear. He remembered the neonatal pod chamber, where the most precious and fragile of his assets were kept - the infants.

Stumbling backwards, sweat pouring down his face, he rushed past the dead bodies and dismembered limbs of those who had been crushed by the debris and as he navigated through the debris-strewn area, he encountered multiple exits that had been blocked off by large piles of rubble.

Rather than attempting to clear the obstacles manually, he simply lifted his hand inches away from the boulder, and a small blue ball of energy appeared from his palm.

With a deft flick of his wrist, he directed the energy towards the boulder, causing it to crumble and disintegrate instantly, allowing him to continue on his journey unimpeded.

Never had Hallow felt so much fear and resentment towards someone. He would find him, he had to.

What the higher-ups would do to him, Dr Hallow did not know but as long as the infants and the neonatal pod chamber were safe, his contributions thus far could protect his life.

Not having a family or any close relations with anyone really, Hallow's only priorities were his research and then his own life which was second.

"Haaah," Taking a deep sigh of relief, Hallow dropped backwards onto his butt, the tension from his body visibly dissipating.

He let out a deep breath as he looked around the neonatal pod chamber, taking in the sight of the pristine, untouched environment. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him as he realized that the chamber had not been harmed in any way.

Why was it untouched? Well, that was the least of his worries, Hallow tucked it to the back of his mind and began to recuperate the other surviving surgeons together. Grabbing them by the collar of their scrubs and pulling them out of the rubble he clenched his teeth grinding them in dismay.

He walked through the dismembered hallway from the neonatal pod chamber, a gut-wrenching aura emerging from him suddenly making the doctors that had survived pass out.

He clenched his fist so hard that blood oozed out of his grip.

If the boy wasn't dead, Hallow would get his revenge. One day but for now, he had to prioritise the clean-up of his own failure to prevent himself from losing his own life.

He had achieved the dantian transplant once, why wouldn't he be able to do it again?

*****

Nicholas flew through the air, his disciples both tucked closely behind his back. He could tell that of both children, one was awake and the other was asleep.

How could he tell? Because one of them was snoring with a passion and the other one's breathing was quiet and yet fast. They kept to themselves, at a calculated pace.

The one asleep was Ally and the one awake was Deno. He chuckled whenever he thought this since he was talking about an infant being calculative and shrewd.

Nicholas had naturally come to the conclusion that the curse was beginning to affect his strength as well as his mental state.

But fortunately, Deno's healing abilities had given him hope. If somehow Deno could learn to use his regenerative skill, he might be able to lift his curse somehow.

"Haah." The exhalation escaped Nicholas's lips as a sigh of defeat. Despite his determination and tireless efforts, he had come to the realization that finding a cure for his ailment was nothing short of a long shot. In fact, the idea of finding a cure seemed almost delusional at this point. He had scoured the immortal world, visiting countless doctors in secret, but even the most renowned and experienced medical professionals were at a loss when it came to finding a solution for his condition.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

If the sect found out that Nicholas was cursed, one of the sect's greatest prodigies, this could cause a detrimental blow to the sect and his father, the Pride Sect leader. Not that he cared much for him.

The only reason he had ventured to the mortal realm was for the slightest possibility of stumbling across a heaven-sent opportunity and in some ways he had found them.

Nicholas would mould Ally to be used as a pillar for the sect with her enormous potential replacing himself, and Deno to possibly lift his curse.

Unfortunately, Deno's Dantian was special but not in the good way.

There was no way Deno would become anything more than a 3rd rate warrior. Deno would be lucky to make it to a 3rd stage cultivation by the end of his life let alone easily reach master-stage like Ally.

In the end, things were finally beginning to look good for Nicholas, he only hoped it would continue doing so.

Pushing Ally higher onto his back he carefully slipped Deno out of her hands into his own and looked at the wonderous baby that kept its eyes shut seemingly contemplating.

'I wonder what you're thinking little Deno?'

-----

Within Deno's Consciousness.

"Please teach me," Deno pleaded. "Adriana, we're in this together, remember?"

"No! You're dreaming if you think I'd teach you the Imperial Dragon Cultivation Technique," Adriana retorted.

Adriana and Deno had been bickering for numerous hours regarding the cultivation technique. It all started when Adriana explained the fundamentals of cultivating and told Alexander that the cultivation technique is, if not the most important, a significant factor in the speed of cultivation.

She had Mentioned that he'd most likely be taught the cultivation technique of his sect that he was being taken to; if it was a greater sect he could be taught a slightly worth mentioning cultivation technique even though it was given to all their disciples; although, any sect lower in status was practically worthless in comparison to her technique.

This had been her biggest mistake as Deno relentlessly barraged her with pleads for her to teach him the technique.

Despite clearly stating that it was a sacred ancient technique that was passed down to the guardians and the dragon emperor, Deno never budged an inch on his pursuit.

Having finally had enough, Adriana furiously roared slightly shaking their entire body.

"Fine boy! I will give it to you, as long as you promise to assist me with my revenge upon the human and demon leaders of the Immortal Realm."

"Deal! I don't care much for this place's humans, let alone demons. In fact, I hate the humans just as much as you do."

Seeing that he had agreed and wasn't lying, Adriana internally sighed, realizing why he was called the unyielding fist back in his reality.

"Then we shall establish a soul bond..."

Checking over to Alexander, she realized that she had completely lost him. Nodding in understanding, she simply restated, "A contract, if you will."

"Ah. Gotcha!"

At last, grasping what she meant, Alexander came to the same consensus and concurred.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Alexander mumbled under his breath in impatience. "What's taking so long?"

"Patience. I'm almost done."

It was an extremely complicated technique, and with her sudden drop in cultivation after pushing herself time and time again, it took her a while to activate it.

All of a sudden, a bright glow formed within the souls of Deno and Adriana, shocking Deno. "Follow along now," Adriana said, nudging Deno and hinting for him to repeat her words. "In the name of the Supreme Dao, I, Adriana, will fully teach Alexander the Imperial Dragon Cultivating Technique," Adriana said in unison with Alexander. "In the name of the Supreme Dao, I, Alexander, will assist Adriana in defeating the multiple leaders of the Demon and Human Empires," Deno repeated slightly hesitantly, also in unison with Adriana.

Both the dragon and the human formed a soul brand on each of their souls. Adriana had said the words in her consciousness before starting to make sure that Deno knew what to say.

This soul bond/contract could kill them if they failed to complete their half and is something extremely difficult to learn.

"Alright then Adriana! Shall we get started?" Deno exclaimed, his voice reaching a high pitch as he struggled to contain his excitement at the thought of becoming a true immortal.

Adriana, who stood beside him, had a composed expression on her face as she spoke, "Hoho, it's not that simple. First, we must wait for your body's impurities to be cleansed by your sect. Then we can begin. You could not begin to imagine the consequence of not waiting, especially for a human with your flimsy and weak flesh; trying out the Imperial dragon technique would not only shatter every bone in your body but tear every muscle and tissue as well."

The excitement that had been radiating off of Deno's body just moments before, was quickly replaced by a feeling of deflation. He dropped his head down, internally preparing himself to begin sulking. But he knew that he could wait, as long as Adriana was by his side. He had his personal Wikipedia, and with his mountainous determination, who would dare stand in his way!

It was finally his opportunity. Hardening his determination, he decided to use every opportunity in this fantasy world to increase his power. Having seen Adriana's once immense strength through her memories, he couldn't wait to lay his hands on that type of power.

Alexander could practically feel himself walking on a staircase, every action making him take another step higher. One where by the time he reaches the top. He will hold the entire world in his two hands.

He had reached the top of one world, why couldn't he another this time, this time nothing can and will stop him.

*****

"Wake up Ally. We have arrived..." Nicholas said in a firm tone, as he roughly shook Ally awake. Without warning, he dropped her onto the snowy ground, causing her to shiver uncontrollably as goosebumps covered her pale skin.

"Brrr. I-I-I-t-t-s S-s-so c-c-cold here." Ally stammered, her voice barely audible due to the freezing temperatures. Her jaw was quivering as she struggled to speak, her breath visible in the cold air.

As she looked around, she realized that they had arrived at the top of a frosty mountain, the entire landscape blanketed in a thick layer of snow. The snow crunched under her feet as she struggled to stand, her limbs numb from the cold. The icy wind whipped through her hair, sending shivers down her spine, as she took in the breathtaking view of the snow-covered mountain range in the distance.

Snapping her head back to Nicholas who seemed unaffected by the temperature, she wailed realising her junior brother had gone missing.

Thinking the worse, she deduced that she had dropped him when she fell asleep on the flight.

Ally's heart dropped and her knees felt loose as she began to tremble.

"Hahaha, are you thinking of Deno? Even though you're practically frozen by the chilling cold, your mind drifts to others' safety, how precious." Nicholas laughed, his words causing Ally to tremble even more. She hardly registered what he was saying, her mind consumed by fear and the bitter cold. Her lips quivered, not just from the cold but also from the fear that was welling up inside of her. Tears emerged from her eyes, as she struggled to understand what he was implying.

Realizing that she hadn't understood his words, Nicholas quickly tried to reassure her, fearing that she would break down in tears.

"He's fine!"

"W-what?"

"I said he's fine, I slipped him out of your grip whilst you were sleeping so why don't you calm down?" Nicholas reassured, pointing towards where he had laid Deno, a large boulder stuck to the ground now covered in multiple blankets.

Ally took a breath of relief sniffling, attempting to recompose herself all her previous terror and dismay slowly disappearing.

-tak

-tak

As the trio stood on the snowy mountain, covered in mist and thin air, Nicholas didn't waste any more time and drew with a chalky stick, symbols on a face of a tall thin rock facing the sky.

Suddenly, multiple runes and symbols that were hidden prior appeared surrounding the boulder creating an ocean-blue portal that rapidly radiated its Saphire particles.

At the same time, Deno and Ally's eyes both sparkled mimicking the portal's texture. Both remarking to themselves on the beauty and mysteriousness of the realm portal.

"After you." Stepping to the side, Nicholas crossed his arm across his chest curtsying to make way for Ally.

Ally's heart was pounding in her chest as she held her breath, shut her eyes, and clenched her fists.

With a burst of courage, she threw herself forward and sprinted blindly into the portal. As she opened her eyes, she was momentarily stunned by the breathtaking sight that greeted her.

She felt as though she had lost her breath, even though she was still holding it in.

Meanwhile, Nicholas emerged from the portal, holding Deno in one arm. Similarly to Ally, Deno turned his head towards the most majestic and alluring place he had ever seen. He felt like a tourist arriving in a brand new country, exposed to all its different and marvellous cultures. The sights and sounds around him were overwhelming and he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder and excitement. The place was so different from what he had ever seen before and he couldn't wait to explore more.

He had never seen anything like it. The idea of teleportation was now a reality, and he couldn't help but wonder what other marvels this world held.

Deno gazed in awe at the sprawling complex that lay before him. The Pride Sect was a sight to behold, with its intricate architecture and lush gardens. Adriana's voice echoed in his mind as she spoke, "So this is what the Pride Sect looks like."

As he took in the sights, memories of his arrival in Japan flooded his mind. The similarity between the two places was striking.

The plum blossom trees that dotted the landscape reminded him of the ones he had seen in Japan.

The short rivers and fountains, with fish swimming gracefully in them, added to the serene atmosphere.

The paths that wound through the complex were bustling with activity, as disciples dressed in robes of spiralling colours walked up and down them. The colours were mesmerizing and Deno couldn't help but feel a sense of tranquillity as he watched them.

Nicholas swiftly placed a mask on his face as he couldn't afford to be recognized entering the sect having made sure everyone thought he was cultivating in the time he was gone.

As Deno was being held by the masked man, his eyes fell upon the man's mask, but he quickly dismissed it, not wanting it to affect his plans.

A sly grin began to spread across his face as he realized that he had finally arrived at a sect, marking the first step in his journey to attain absolute power.

He was determined to rise to the top of the sect, then multiple sects, and eventually conquer the empire and the entire Immortal Realm.

Everyone would fear and respect him, as he would be the unyielding fist of power. And it would all begin here, at the prestigious Pride Sect.

The smirk on his face finally took full form as his thoughts raced with ambition.

'Sure hahaha, as if you could ever conquer anything,' Adriana said in response to his declarations within himself.