To cultivate is to nurture the truth.

What truth? The Truth of the Heavens, the Truth of the World, and the Truth of the Self.

Two statements and a question this Sovereign had replayed in mind countless times, ones he still did not dare to claim he wholly understood. These words belonged to Fifth Brother Di Zi, spoken countless times over the years they spent together, but this Sovereign remembered two occasions in particular. The first being the day they met, shortly after this Sovereign’s Ascension to Nascent Immortality which brought them together for the first time, and the second during their final exchange just moments before Fifth Brother Di Zi’s consciousness retreated inwards into his soul in order to conserve what little Prana he still had left. The same words used as both introduction and warning, and though nothing had come of it in the millennia since, this Sovereign was loathe to let his guard down against his enigmatic fifth Brother just yet. Not without reason, for though the foreign outlander was a man of peace who abhorred bloodshed and never joined in their sparring matches, this Sovereign suspected the portly man capable of far more than he ever let on.

Even when it came time for their final battle, it always felt like fifth brother Di Zi was holding something back, though it would have done nothing to change his inevitable fate. Were he to somehow have miraculously struck this Sovereign down, then Fifth Brother would not have been long for this world either, his soul cast into the cycle of reincarnation to be born anew again.

Unfounded suspicions aside, Fifth Brother Di Zi possessed a unique role within their brotherhood, one not of rival written friend, but that of a teacher and mentor. This was only possible due to his high affinity and control over the Energy of the Heavens, skills which enabled him to carry out all manner of complex experiments and exercises the others could only dream about. Then there was his gifted mind, one capable of making the complex seem simple and the simple complex as needed, a brilliant Cultivator who bestowed logic to the Dao in a way none could ever match. It was Fifth Brother who took this Sovereign’s words regarding his experiences along his Path and translated them into something the others could use to Ascend in turn, and he who designed the Royal College’s curriculum which taught mortals how to become Cultivators and guided them to the Dao. During the Warring States Era, an army would be considered blessed to contain more than one Cultivator, and most had none to their name, for experts of such calibre were as rare as qilin horns and phoenix feathers. Hence why this Sovereign was able to dominate his opponents on the battlefield with relative ease, though as time passed, even the armies with multiple Cultivators were unable to prove much of a challenge. Upon founding the Empire, there were perhaps two dozen Cultivators this Sovereign could call upon, a number which dwindled after a hundred years of peace and prosperity, yet fifty years after the first outlanders invaded and the founding of the Royal College, this Sovereign had an army of ten-thousand Cultivators at his beck and call.

All of which was made possible by Fifth Brother’s shining brilliance, a rare genius of the Dao who found his own Path without relying on guidance from the Heavens above.

Even though the foundations laid by Fifth Brother’s teachings were inherently flawed, it was not because he’d erred in his interpretation of the Dao. No, the error lay in the fact that his teachings were based on this Sovereign’s perspective of the Dao, and therefore unsuitable for the masses. To follow in his footsteps was akin to asking a fish to fly using wings they did not possess, an impossible feat to accomplish without undergoing a staggering and impossible transformation. Though a fish was capable of flapping its fins in close approximation of a bird, there were fundamental differences between the two that would prevent any further progress, an issue which remained hidden until the first batch of new-age Cultivators reached the pinnacle of their flawed Path and were unable to Ascend to Nascent Immortality.

This Sovereign remembered those days well, of sitting in on the lessons with Fifth Brother’s students in hopes of uncovering a method to help these Cultivators Ascend. Every spoken word made perfect sense and adhered to his Dao, so he knew not why the others could not find the Path forward. Alas, several centuries passed before this Sovereign realized the error of Fifth Brother’s ways, and by then, the outland threat had long since resolved itself and he’d fallen out with his sworn brothers to boot. Despite all this, Fifth Brother’s teachings were only flawed when viewed from a perspective that was not this Sovereign’s, and thus were still wholly applicable to his Dao, so he often referred to those lessons rather than his own memories and testimonials because Fifth Brother often said it better.

The Truth of the Heavens was the first step, an ineffable Truth words could never do justice. It was a Truth one had to discover for oneself, else you would forever be denied the chance to Ascend to Nascent Immortality. Once you stumbled across the Truth however, then it was possible to become One with the Heavens and discover the Truth of the World, at which point a Cultivator would open themselves up to Heavens and harmonize their breathing with the World in order to lay the groundwork necessary to become a Cultivator. At first glance, these two steps appeared to take place simultaneously, or at worst in quick succession, but this was not the case. The Truth of the Heavens could simply be distilled down to the awareness of Heavenly Energy, the ability to perceive this power and affect its flow with your Will alone, yet this alone was not enough, for one’s perception of their personal Dao played a large role in what would come next.

Once you uncovered the Truth of the Heavens and the Truth of the World, you could then become One with the Heavens and One with the World, beginning the long and arduous process of Cleansing one’s physique. This was a crucial step, and a different step from Refining the body, mind, and soul, which was akin to gathering all the required materials and building a seven-story pagoda, while Cleansing one’s physique comparable to redecorating and realigning said pagoda in accordance with the Heavens and the World. Fifth Brother Di Zi called this Cleansing step Foundation Establishing, for it was here one would establish the foundation upon which one would build their Inner Core during their Ascension to Nascent Immortality, but much like ears or fingerprints, there were no two foundations which were wholly alike. The Cultivators who took up Fifth Brother’s teachings possessed only a superficial understanding of the Truth of the Heavens, and thus were destined to fail from the very first step, as they went on to Refine their bodies, minds, and souls and Cleanse their physiques in accordance with this Sovereign’s Path rather than their own, resulting in a flawed foundation incompatible with their personal perspectives of the Dao. This differed from the error this Sovereign’s sworn brothers made, wherein they erred in the step thereafter, Forming their Cores based on information gleaned from this Sovereign’s foundation rather than matching it to their own. Though the flaws were not obvious at first glance, there would eventually come a time when their mismatched Cores would prove more hindrance than boon as the misalignment caused impurities to build up within their Cleansed physiques creating blockages and interfering with the flow of Heavenly Energy through them. For this reason alone, this Sovereign had long since considered himself the only True Nascent Immortal in all of history, while his five sworn brothers were False Core Immortals at best, ones who would eventually have been forced to remake their Cores and start anew in order to progress any further, had they not fallen in battle first.

But from the looks of things, the world would welcome in a second True Nascent Immortal today, albeit a short-lived one if this Sovereign had anything to say about Falling Rain’s success.

Third, came the internal retort, a stubborn and subdued reminder of his Natal Soul’s success, but this Sovereign would remain skeptical until he had time enough to review those memories. It wasn’t that he was looking down on his Natal Soul, for even a cursory study of the scattered memories available showed that there was much to be gleaned from his Natal Soul’s experiences, but it also revealed a plethora of pitfalls to avoid. What’s more, this Sovereign’s Natal Soul had clearly embarked along a different Path, meaning its chances of successfully Ascending to become a True Nascent Immortal were miniscule at best, given how it had forced itself to pursue a different Dao in order to experience a different perspective. Lastly, the results spoke for themselves, and they were not promising, for how could a True Nascent Immortal have fallen to the machinations of one Falling Rain who had yet to even Ascend himself?

These thoughts stirred up a storm of bitter resentment and contrary belligerence, but with no logical argument to counter it, this Sovereign’s Natal Soul could only keep silent and accept the Truth.

Falling Rain however was a man wholly in accordance with the Truth of the Heavens, one unique to him and him alone. An impossible accomplishment, given what this Sovereign knew of the transmigrator’s Dao of Freedom and the inherent paradox ingrained within, but there was no denying the veracity of Falling Rain’s Ascension. The inviolability of space was merely the beginning, and not indicative of the legitimacy of his Ascension at all, for even the birth of a Transcendent could accomplish as much, since this was merely a side effect of merging one’s body, mind, and soul with the Heavens. According to the memories of this Sovereign’s Natal Soul, Falling Rain had begun this process in Meng Sha, only to stop before proceeding down the dead-end path all the so-called Divinities stumbled across, a sign that the transmigrator understood the fallacies of the Martial Path and had since made the proper adjustments. What those adjustments might be was impossible for this Sovereign to glean, nor could he even begin to guess at how the transmigrator had known to stop himself before making his mistake, but his competence made him all the more dangerous and reassured this Sovereign of his decision to eliminate the threat before he grew too strong to easily manage.

For despite having only just achieved One with the Heavens and One with the World in their entirety, Falling Rain started and finished establishing his foundation in less time than it took to blink an eye.

An unprecedented achievement for a human cultivator, and something this Sovereign would have believed impossible had he not witnessed the birth of an Ancestral Beast first-hand. Since that fateful day amidst the rivers and hills of his birthplace, this Sovereign had spent the better part of eight decades slowly establishing his foundation, allowing the Energy of the Heavens to surge through him and seep into every last crook and crevice of his very being to temper his body, mind, and soul while widening his meridians and acupoints. This was akin to smelting iron to remove the impurities before refining it into steel, except rather than an ingot, you were working with an iron sword that had already been forged and needed to keep in working order. Thus the need for painstaking care and effort, a slow and gradual process that improved one’s physique bit by bit, like removing one plank from a ship and replacing it before removing the next plank, until all the original planks had been replaced.

This was not the case with Falling Rain’s Refinement, if it could even be called such a thing. Rather than improve upon what was there, this was analogous to a rebirth as the Energy of the Heavens surged through and around the transmigrator until it thickened like molasses, a womb within which he would be reborn anew. The Energy of the Heavens was still formless and colourless, but this Sovereign’s Spiritual Senses were no longer able to pierce through the solid curtain, leaving him with only his physical senses to parse through what came next. A cycle of Destruction and Creation, one in which every fibre of Falling Rain’s body was destroyed and formed anew in the blink of an eye, so fast that it appeared as if nothing had happened save for a healthy sheen cast over his closed-eyed expression, yet so complete there could be no other way to describe it. The solid curtain of Heavenly Energy dissipated into nothingness, consumed in the process of nourishing his Refined physique, which was then Cleansed of impurities by the first revolution of Heavenly Energy surging through him.

Which was exactly how Ancestral Beasts were born, albeit as False Core Immortals who had yet to determine their Dao, and never would due to the conflict between their human and bestial instincts.

Physically, Falling Rain’s appearance had not changed from the diminutive, unremarkable youth whose only saving grace was his distinctive amber eyes. His hair was half-brushed and in disarray, a half-bun coming apart at the seams, while his plain black robes hung loosely from his gaunt, angular frame, largely due to the poor tailoring and his refusal to tighten his sash as decorum demanded. Add in his slack expression, eyes closed and mouth half open in complete relaxation, and he possessed the air of a disgraceful young noble returning from an exhausting visit to the local brothel, half-drunk with no regard for face whatsoever. This Sovereign’s Spiritual Senses told an entirely different story however, determining that Falling Rain’s physical form had been improved in a myriad of subtle and not so subtle ways. His pale, unmarked skin was still soft and supple, yet tougher than even the thickest of bestial hides without affecting his sensation of touch. Steel swords would find it difficult to break skin, and impossible to cleave through his solid, sturdy bones, assuming they could even carve through his dense yet surprisingly elastic muscles, but this was merely scratching the surface. He wasn’t just stronger and more durable, but he would have more stamina as well, his blood and lungs so efficient that he could likely run for hours before breaking a sweat or losing his breath, and poisons might as well be water where he was concerned, broken down by his organs before they would have a chance to act.

It had been quite some time since this Sovereign had possessed a wholly Refined Physique, as there was no point putting in all the effort to lead a borrowed body to the Peak of the Dao, but as far as he could tell, even his original body might not be a match for Falling Rain’s, which hid a myriad of improvements that were not obvious at first, second, or even third glance. First Brother’s physique was the strongest out of all six sworn brothers, as befitting of the Martial God of the Warring States Era. His comprehension of the hidden complexities of the human body surpassed even that of Fifth Brother Di Zi’s, even if his understanding fell far short, yet Falling Rain’s wholly Refined Physique seemed every bit as flawless, if not superior to First Brother Wushen’s, though this Sovereign lacked the ability to tell which one was truly better.

A most unsettling discovery indeed, but there was still more to come. The body was but one part of the whole, and the spirit another, yet Falling Rain’s meridians were a veritable work of art. While unable to visually map them, this Sovereign was more than capable of perceiving the flow of Heavenly Energy moving through them and drawing conclusions from there, but he soon became lost in the vast network of meridians that were wider and more complex than anything this Sovereign had ever experienced before. If his own meridian network was comparable to a single towering tree, a living, breathing organism capable of infinite growth and advancement with branches and roots spreading out in all directions, then Falling Rain had raised himself a veritable forest, a complex ecosystem of various flora and fauna that existed in perfect harmony and possessed no discernable limits or shortcomings. In this, he easily surpassed Second Brother Liang Bo, whose innate understanding of flow, rhythm and harmony was second to none thanks to his attainments in the Dao of Music. That was what most failed to understand, how the flow of Heavenly Energy was not just about speed and direction, for there was an artistry to the timing, movement, and changes that went beyond the concepts of measured motion and shaped patterns to step foot into the realm of abstract conceptualization.

In short, this meant Falling Rain’s comprehension of the Dao likely surpassed this Sovereign’s by no small margin, while in practice, it was difficult to say what changes this might bring, for even Fifth Brother Di Zi had yet to wholly unravel the mystery of meridians. Suffice it to say that this Sovereign was most displeased to have been outdone by a mere child, even one who possessed memories of a different world with a different Dao and the widened perspective that came with it. Luckily, comprehension did not equate to strength, and Falling Rain would need time and practice to familiarize himself with his newly acquired power, luxuries he could ill afford. Gathering even more power into his fist, this Sovereign readied his most powerful strike in lieu of the casual attack he’d intended to deliver, for he could no longer look down on Falling Rain, who would soon be a Nascent Immortal in truth.

The Energy of the Heavens slackened for all of an instant before returning with more intensity than ever, like the drawing of a deep breath as Falling Rain readied to form his Inner Core. The first step was to extend one’s Domain to its utmost limits, though for what reason was difficult to say, for despite having each extended their Domains to different lengths, there was no discernable difference between the Inner Cores of this Sovereign and his sworn brothers. While this Sovereign had not thought to measure the range of his Domain during his Ascension to Nascent Immortality, Fifth Brother Di Zi was two kilometres away from the palace when this Sovereign’s Domain encompassed him and attracted his attention before continuing beyond the limits of his Spiritual Senses. This meant this Sovereign’s Domain had measured three kilometres in radius at the very least, though to maintain such a sizable Domain for any amount of time was still beyond his abilities. In comparison, none of his Sworn Brothers were able to push their Domains beyond a single kilometre, save for Third Brother Yang Kai whose Domain stretched so far this Sovereign was unable to find its limits even after Cloud-Stepping fifteen kilometres away. As for Fourth Brother Tian Yi, his Domain barely even measured a single metre at the time of his Core Formation, which prompted the rest of them to tease him incessantly, even though there was no real correlation between strength and size of Domain.

But even so, this Sovereign inadvertently let out a sigh of relief when he discovered Falling Rain’s Domain had barely gone past his skin before sinking back down to Form his Golden Core. At least now he knew the transmigrator was still fallible and flawed, yet to uncover all the secrets of Heaven and reach the pinnacle of the Dao to challenge this Sovereign for ultimate Authority.

A truth made all the more evident as Falling Rain’s gathered momentum came to a crashing halt.

The Energy of the Heavens continued its turbulent flow, yet it was clear Falling Rain had arrived at an impasse, a moment of hesitation in the wake of his narrow success as he struggled to uncover the next step. A step which had thus far eluded even this Sovereign, so how could this stranger from a foreign world succeed? For all his strength and progress, Falling Rain’s accumulations were still meagre at best, a mere two decades of experience following what was largely a flawed Path, one of division and separation rather than unity and harmony. With the formation of his Golden Core, he had touched upon the limits of the Heavens, and they would no longer guide him, for if he were to proceed forward from here, then he would touch upon the pinnacle of the Dao and challenge the Heavens themselves, which they would not allow. This Sovereign had struggled with this next step since Ascending to Nascent Immortality himself, unsure what direction to go next. The Truth of the Heavens referred to Foundation Establishment, the Truth of the World paired with Essence Cleansing, but what of the Truth of the Self? At first, this Sovereign believed it referred to Core Formation, but the Core was merely the natural culmination of Essence Cleansing, for once one’s meridians were cleansed and acupoints condensed, one finally possessed the qualifications to perceive the existence of Immortal Energy within this world, like a faint, distant scent or a barely audible tune just at the edge of one’s perception.

What was the Truth of the Self? Fifth Brother Di Zi had never gotten that far in his lessons, for the Cultivators were never able to succeed at Core Formation, and this Sovereign had never thought to ask until after their final exchange. There was a small part of him that had hoped Falling Rain would provide the answer, a quiet longing for an alternate Path to the one he’d only just decided on, a Path of life which would allow this Sovereign to preserve the Empire he’d created and maintained for all these millennia, but this was not to be. The Heavens would brook no challenge to their supremacy, and thus would never provide their subjects with so easy a Path to Ascend, leaving no choice for this Sovereign but to pave his Path in blood and suffering so that he might uncover the secrets of life and death.

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That was the key to Ascension, this he wholeheartedly believed, for despite having deemed himself worthy of the lofty ambition nestled within the term, ‘Nascent Immortal’, this Sovereign had yet to wholly free himself from the shackles of mortality. True Immortality would only be his when he possessed an eternal body, mind, and soul, one capable of withstanding the pressure associated with charging past the barrier beyond the Void which separated this world from the next without succumbing to the cycle of reincarnation. Falling Rain’s soul had somehow traversed through this barrier intact, but not unscathed, for it was clear he behaved more like a youth of twenty than the erudite master of culture and the arts that his memories made him out to be. This was not the Ascension this Sovereign sought, a partial and imperfect expedition that would leave him fractured and incomplete, for what purpose was there in Ascending if he was no longer the Eternal Emperor he’d always been?

No matter though, for the answer was so close at hand, the missing pieces of the puzzle no doubt hiding within the accumulations of his Natal Soul or the memories of Falling Rain.

All this and more took effect in an instant, yet as the end drew near, the moment stretched on into eternity as this Sovereign waited with bated breath. Not to say he stood idle all this time, for the Transcendent Divinities under his control were positioned to intercept Falling Rain should he attempt to flee, assuming he survived the initial barrage of attacks of course. Otherwise, capturing his errant soul would be easy as turning a hand once his body was destroyed, for even a refined body, mind, and soul required a vessel to inhabit. As the Energy of the Heavens dwindled away to nothingness, this Sovereign readied to give the order to attack, only to stop short as the Energy of the Heavens surged once more and Falling Rain rallied as if to charge ahead along his Path. The moment of Insight had come and gone, but his Ascension had yet to complete, and this Sovereign’s stomach churned in abject denial as the boy further Refined his Physique to even loftier heights. Though this Sovereign yearned for answers, in truth, he was unwilling to see someone else succeed in his place, for he was the Eternal Emperor, the only True Nascent Immortal for untold millennia and a man second to none.

And yet, despite not knowing what the Path ahead might be, he saw a glimpse of it in Falling Rain as the transmigrator cast his gaze over the army before him and solidified his Will, one so firm and fixed this Sovereign was almost able to catch a glimpse of his foe’s Dao forming around him. A Dharmic Icon, of sorts, but different in a fundamental and significant way, for this was not a Rune meant to convey his Intent to the Heavens above, but one which embodied it in body, mind, and soul. A Dao Icon then, one representative of his perspective, and should he successfully wholly Materialize in reality and the Void both, this Sovereign suspected this it would empower Falling Rain with the ability to overturn the Laws of Heaven, for the Authority contained within seemed to supersede the Authority of this plane of existence itself, one which might well enable him to wield the Energy of Immortals itself.

This was the culmination of Falling Rain’s Dao, the very pinnacle he could reach without breaking free of the confines of this realm, and this Sovereign marvelled to gaze upon it. Thankfully however, Falling Rain’s Dao Icon was still vague and indistinct, a hazy, ill-defined blob of black and white. From this, this Sovereign could infer that his foe’s Dao consisted of two opposing forces in contention, so similar to this Sovereign’s Dragon and Phoenix sigil, which he had long since used as a Dharmic Icon of his Authority. The Dragon on the right, the Phoenix on the left, circling one another in a counter-clockwise fashion with a single dot of gold in the centre to represent his throne. This same sigil was emblazoned upon his Imperial Seals, golden robes of office, and the back of his jade throne, to say nothing of its ubiquity in the seals of countless Imperial Officials all across the Empire, ones who wielded their authority in his name, and his alone. From this one, singular glance, this Sovereign could see the Path to True Divinity unfolding before, and his spirits soared at the prospect of progress after so much time spent in preparation, even as his heart faltered at the thought of seeing someone else Ascend before him.

But the Heavens were not blind as they led Falling Rain astray. Rather than focus on the Path before him, he was too fixated on the battle below, a stupid child bound by chains of sentiment which he even now refused to sever. Instead, he mutilated a portion of his Refined body, mind, and soul to create a veritable horde of Natal Souls imbued with the tiniest slivers of Immortal Energy, whom he then dispatched to lend aid to his struggling allies. A fool’s errand, for he could have used this power to attack this Sovereign or the Transcendent Divinities encircling him whilst still guarded by the inviolability of the Heavens, but instead, he wasted his one chance of survival on what might well be the most inefficient use of power in history. With Immortal Energy at his beck and call, he could have destroyed the entire army of Ascended Transcendents with a wave of his hand, but instead he split it up to share with so many unworthy mortals, like a man dying of thirst sharing his last cup of water with the masses one drop at a time in the futile hopes of staving off their collective, inevitable death.

Contempt and disdain flowed through this Sovereign as he gave the order to attack, timed perfectly so the barrage of strikes would land just as Falling Rain’s cloak of inviolability fell off. So lost in his insignificant concern for the mortals below, he failed to notice the impending danger until it was far too late to defend, though he had time enough for a brief show of surprise and denial before this Sovereign’s billowing Domain-Plated Fist Intent slammed home. The attacks from the Transcendent Divinities followed immediately after, and this Sovereign set his Spiritual Senses to locate the transmigrator’s soul. A moment passed, then another, and another, until almost a half-second had gone by without success, only for the dust and turbulent energies to settle and reveal an unscathed Falling Rain hiding behind a sphere of flowing Water Manifested into reality, a Barrier comprised of interwoven currents sliding around one another in perfect harmony and encapsulated him from head to toe. Surprise flitted throughout every fibre of this Sovereign’s being, a sentiment echoed upon his foe’s youthful features as he stood there with arms raised and head tucked in what should have been a futile defense, one which instead somehow blocked a volley of attacks which even this Sovereign would have struggled to defend against.

As their gazes met through the shimmering aqueous barrier, one visible to the naked eye yet imperceptible to his Spiritual Senses, they shared a moment of confusion and lacking comprehension before the boy’s amber eyes lit up with unfathomable comprehension, only to raise his arms over his head and let loose a whoop of pure joy. “Whoooooooooooo! Power of Friendship! Fuck yea!”

A baying howl of glee and gluttony rose up in response as the battle between Divinities resumed forthwith, the hound leading the charge with the old wolf at his heels and throwing this Sovereign’s Transcendent Divinities into disarray. Even with a sliver of his Will firmly holding onto their reins, their fear of the Predator was too deeply ingrained for this Sovereign to wholly control them, and they scattered before the floppy-eared dog like a brainless flock of birds. As for Falling Rain, he wasted no time charging headlong at this Sovereign with glaive in hand, appearing instantly before him with a thrust. One which pierced through the Manifested Water Barrier as if it didn’t exist, while his sword and shield plummeted down from the skies above where they’d been lying in wait all this time. Reacting on instinct in spite of his surprise, this Sovereign parried the glaive with a hand and side-stepped the shield and sword both, utilizing his Domain Deflection in all three cases to ensure success. No longer did he dare meet the boy’s attacks head on, for not only was his physical strength far more formidable than before, this Sovereign sensed danger lurking within the Sword Intent, though he knew not if it was truly there or if his fear was playing tricks on his imagination.

Nothing could be left for chance, not after what he just witnessed. How was it possible for this child to enact so powerful a defense at a moment’s notice, and maintain it even now as he fought?

As Falling Rain unleashed a flurry of strikes, the Barrier of flowing water proved no hindrance to his attacks, flowing harmlessly around the metal weapon and at times even lending strength to it. In contrast, this Sovereign’s counterattacks were unable to find purchase and glanced harmlessly off the surface of the surging defense. Honed chops infused with Sword Intent, Amplified Reverberations delivering ambient Death Energy, Reinforced punches infused with merged Fist and Palm Intent, borrowed Elemental Essences from the various Transcendent Divinities around him, all of this Sovereign’s efforts to pierce through the Barrier proved wholly ineffective, and he was unable to determine why. Despair took root in his heart as he lamented the inevitability of defeat, for the secrets hidden within this impervious aegis of flowing Water were so profound and fathomless this Sovereign could only speculate as to how it was possible, making wild guesses which threw his mind into disarray as his foundation of knowledge and experienced came apart around him.

For long millennia now, this Sovereign saw Elemental Blessings as a mere Conceptualization of the basic forces, a necessary crutch for the frail human mind to wield the power inherent to nature and the world around them. A Blessing was merely a different form of Authority granted by the Heavens above, one which granted the recipient Insight and dominion over a Primal Dao. The Blessing of Fire for example was an amalgamation of a multitude of fundamental forces which came together to form the Primal Dao of Fire, yet if one could master those fundamental forces, then one could theoretically incorporate the Primal Dao of Fire into their own Dao without any Blessing from Heaven. In other words, even though this Sovereign was incapable of summoning flames himself, this Sovereign was able to Manifest the Energy of the Heavens to behave in a similar destructive manner as easily as turning a hand, and he was able to do the same with the other Elements, to some extent. There were limits of course, since this method relied on one’s comprehension of the natural forces and how they all come together to form the four Primal Elements, but this Sovereign saw little reason to pursue this line of study. There was no benefit to be had in emulating the Elements, because more often than not, this method lacked efficiency, adding an extra step where none was needed. Take the destructive Wind Blades delivered by the aged Warrior below, one fighting with a sabre and battle-fan in each hand. Powerful though his attacks might be, this Sovereign could easily do the same by Materializing his Domain and infusing it with Sword, Sabre, or Axe Intent, among many others. A far simpler method to achieve the same effect, and with a large enough effort of Will, he could even Plate his Materialized Domain to wield his Weapon Intents like a weapon in hand, so why bother going to all the extra effort of mimicking the properties of Air beforehand just to obtain an arguably inferior outcome?

Except now, he saw that his vision had been far too narrow, a frog in a well unable to see how vast the Heavens truly were. The same could be said of every other Elementally Blessed individual he’d ever come across, save for Falling Rain standing here before him. Much of this transmigrator’s success could be attributed to his memories of a past life, one lived in a different world with a different Dao that enabled him to see further than most, yet nothing in those shared memories revealed a reason for his unmatched attainments in the realm of Water. The shimmering sphere of Manifested Water hinted at a mastery of Water beyond the concept of a Blessing, one which had crossed over into the realm of Intent, one of Tides, Density, Tension, and other various concepts which this Sovereign dared not even try to put a name to, Intents brought out in full force thanks to a natural and intrinsic Materialization that went beyond anything this Sovereign could match.

Because as far as he could tell, this flowing barrier was not comprised of Heavenly Energy behaving like water, but was instead made of pure, natural, plain water created by the Heavens themselves, which was then controlled by the Will of a Cultivator. A difference without a distinction, one might think, but this was a difference of night and day, for the former relied on an understanding of the Concept of Water to bestow the properties of such upon the Energy of the Heavens, while the latter required a consummate mastery of the Dao of Water to Materialize it into existence. Though Cultivators and Martial Warriors were able to accomplish seemingly Heaven defying feats using the Energy of the Heavens and Chi, the truth was that none of it would be possible without the Authority granted unto them by the Heavens above. All was within the scope of the Heavens, which would brook no transgression against Natural Law, meaning everything cultivators and Martial Warriors were capable of had to remain within the constraints of this purview. As such, even after obtaining the Authority of the Heavens to Develop a Domain, Manifesting one into reality would always be seen as a minor trespass of Natural Law. Not enough to break it, but bend it at the very least, an infraction the Heavens were willing to overlook so long as one kept to reasonable limits and paid the appropriate price.

What that price might be, whether it was Prana, emotion, soul, or whatnot, even this Sovereign was unable to determine, not beyond the shadow of a doubt at least. However, this water barrier before him was so in accordance with Natural Law that the Heavens and the World itself mistook the water as part and parcel of their own. This was more than just Manifestation, the Water melding seamlessly with reality and the Void both by mimicking a natural force with near flawless perfection, and the price required to circumvent Natural Law and bring this barrier into existence was likely as close to negligible as one could get. This lent the barrier more presence and mass, made it more real and substantial to the point where this Sovereign suspected a third party could sustain themselves by drinking this Water, a feat so infinitely close to an act of pure Creation, a genesis and inception of matter out of nothingness, an act which stood in stark defiance of Natural Law as this Sovereign understood it. The only way this could even theoretically be possible was if one had Ascended beyond the limits of Nascent Immortality and become something akin to a True Deity, a Transcendent being capable of breaking free from the shackles of this world to soar into the next.

And this was merely scratching the surface, for there was so much hidden within this demonstration of what this Sovereign considered the basic concept of Water, so much to study and glean, it opened up a whole host of new possibilities which he’d never considered before today.

And yet… this depth and profundity of attainment was utterly inconsistent with Falling Rain’s martial abilities, his Sword Intent so shallow and basic it was surpassed by this Sovereign’s latest addition to his court of souls. Solitary Sword Zhang Jun Bao’s Sword Intent was fierce and unyielding, a deadly blade scintillating with lethal threat and hostility, whereas Falling Rain’s Sword Intent was calm and serene, which amounted to the difference between a swordsman chopping off heads and a chef slicing onions. Technically the same general principle, yet wholly different in almost every conceivable way, a disparity that only grew as Falling Rain’s offensive faltered for lack of momentum and harmony.

Talented? Undoubtedly so. Dangerous? Absolutely. Capable of enacting this deeply profound impenetrable defense? Impossible.

A fact further supported by Falling Rain’s lackluster and uninspired attempts to utilize Materialized currents and tendrils of Water to limit this Sovereign’s movements. The transmigrator’s attainments in the Dao of Water were so pitifully shallow that this Sovereign barely had to exert any effort to counter them, meaning there was no possible way Falling Rain possessed the ability to Manifest this Water Barrier protecting him. The boy was formidable, but he needed time to acclimate to his new physique and assimilate his attainments before he could grow into a real threat, which was the only reason this Sovereign had yet to take injury in his confused distraction.

Once again in accordance with his Dao, he held firm to unfailing logic and extricated himself from the pits of despair, the result of a subtle and pervasive Aura that he only now just noticed. This combined with the boy’s words meant there was another combatant present here, a powerful presence this Sovereign had overlooked all this time and even now was unable to uncover, for his suspicions had yet to be proven. Unnerving as the prospect of a hidden third party might be, this Sovereign was able to regain his composure now that he’d made sense of the madness, even going so far as to comb through his memories to find even more evidence of this interloper’s ingenious intervention. The billowing barrier of Water was the easiest clue to seize upon, one which had defended Falling Rain before, but had not been so complete so as to make it seem as if the boy had enacted it himself. The pervasive Aura was another thing, for Falling Rain was incapable of such subtlety, his every attempt to use Aura akin to hammering this Sovereign with emotion, which made it all the easier to guard against it. What other strengths had this Sovereign attributed to Falling Rain but in truth belonged to this third individual? Difficult to say, but this Sovereign was much relieved to know that he had not been surpassed by another in a mere two decades.

There was a weight of accomplishment and attainment to these subtle Aural attacks and forthright Water defenses that made it obvious this was a seasoned foe, but there was no need to fear an opponent so cowardly that they refused to even reveal their own presence and make a move themselves. Since he was unable to directly break through the defenses, this Sovereign set his mind to seeking out his true opponent in this battle to put an end to this once and for all, but despite possessing the knowledge of Fourth Brother Tian Yi’s unparalleled comprehension of Concealment, he was still unable to find this hidden foe. This Sovereign’s Spiritual Senses swept across all of Shi Bei and its surroundings, searching through every shadow and crevice someone could conceivably hide in, yet no matter how many times he checked and rechecked, he found no hidden expert lying in wait. Frustrated by his lack of success, this Sovereign tried a different tack and offered Falling Rain a smirk instead. “Your cowardly ally will not save you here today,” he began, and the boy’s obvious surprise and chagrin all but confirmed this Sovereign’s suspicions. “Not while hiding in the shadows, too afraid to show themselves. Come, let this Sovereign gaze upon the face of the consummate expert standing behind you, and perhaps an accord can be made.”

“You want to meet him?” The boy’s lips quirked in a smile, amused by the demand for some inconceivable reason. “Sit down, have a nice talk, and maybe come terms?”

“There are no eternal allies or perpetual enemies,” this Sovereign replied, “Only eternal and perpetual interests. You yourself are unworthy to stand with this Sovereign as equals, but your hidden ally might well possess qualifications enough. We Nascent Immortals are a rare breed, three when this morning, this Sovereign believed he stood alone, so why not see if we can come to an accord, one that will benefit us all in the end?”

An offer made in genuine honesty, one this Sovereign only belatedly realized, for he had stood alone for far too long and truly desired a peer to discuss the Dao with. Falling Rain was unworthy, a fool who refused to divest himself of the red dust of the mortal world, but the Nascent Immortal protecting him was undoubtedly someone worth befriending. Perhaps this mysterious expert was only aiding Falling Rain in hopes of obtaining a peer as well, so why go to all that effort if this Sovereign was already available?

“No eternal allies or perpetual enemies,” the boy repeated, still grinning like the fool he was. “Only eternal and perpetual interests. Well said, but alas, I don’t think you have the capacity to provide my ‘hidden ally’ with what he desires.”

“This Sovereign is Emperor of the Azure Sea, the ultimate authority under Heaven.” Bristling with indignation at Falling Rain’s implication, this Sovereign drew himself up to full height whilst still avoiding the boy’s flying sword and shield. “With one wave of this hand, this Sovereign can call the winds and summon the rain. With one finger, the entire Empire will kneel before me, one command and they will strive to meet my demands. What have you to offer that this Sovereign is lacking?”

“In a word?” The hateful sneer showed itself once more as the boy looked down his nose at this Sovereign, so full of disdain for the power and authority he’d amassed in all his years of existence. “Friendship. Bitch.”

The fact that he answered with two words notwithstanding, Falling Rain’s tone was one of complete contempt and condescension. When was the last time this Sovereign had been disrespected so? Even in his bid to seize the throne, Liang Wu Di knew to give face to one such as he, for he was the Eternal Emperor who’d united the Warring States and held the ultimate Authority under Heaven. In this moment of rage and indignation, this Sovereign’s Natal Soul rose up to seize control, and in a most calamitous twist of fate, Falling Rain chose this moment to act, raising his rifle to his shoulder to deliver yet another Chi projectile. A single moment of hesitation, that was all it took, as this Sovereign wavered between suppressing his Natal Soul or avoiding the boy’s attack, and in the end, he made the wrong decision. His Natal Soul was the more dangerous threat, this he wholeheartedly believed, until Falling Rain’s projectile emerged from the tip of the hollow shaft and exploded with power and deadly Intent. There was nothing calm and serene about this, so utterly unlike his Sword Intent, for this was a projectile crafted with the express purpose of claiming this Sovereign’s life and nothing else. The Destructive properties of this unnamed Intent surpassed even this Sovereign’s merged Weapon Intents, an Intent that came infinitely close to becoming pure Destruction and Death while falling just slightly short in both realms.

The projectile pulsed with lethal purpose as it passed through the Water barrier, so antithetical to life and nature that it disrupted the flow of the hidden expert’s efforts to bring down the Water barrier in an instant, a portent which boded poorly for this Sovereign’s hastily raised defenses. The projectile arrived before his Domain could even Materialize, much less become Plated to offer any protection, whereupon it passed through the barrier encasing this Sovereign’s entire body by Unravelling the Runes of his Robes of Office without even touching them. Pain was too simplistic a word to describe the sensation as the projectile pulped flesh, fractured bone, and left a crater the size of fist on this Sovereign’s face, but the physical damage was merely the least of it. The agony this projectile delivered radiated through his mind and soul both, ravaging the landscape within the Natal Palace of his host’s soul, and in doing so rending apart the vast majority of this Sovereign’s soul contained within. Only his vast accumulations and willingness to bear the brunt of this damage at all costs kept his court of souls untouched, for they represented countless lifetimes of achievements and a vast range of perceptions he required to maintain and advance along his Path.

But through the agony of this attack, this Sovereign saw an opportunity and seized it in hand, launching a counterattack infused with all the combined Intents he could muster. A force erupted from his closed fist and slipped through the opening created by Falling Rain’s projectile to land home against his chest, and this Sovereign was rewarded with the sensation of broken bone and punctured flesh. An eye for an eye, and if the boy survived, then his hidden ally would be hard pressed to keep him alive, buying this Sovereign the precious moments needed to curb the destructive energies running rampant through his body, mind, and soul before putting an end to this conflict once and for all.

No matter the odds against him, this Sovereign would emerge victorious, for Falling Rain was a foreign interloper and his ally a coward to boot, while this Sovereign was the Chosen of Heaven, whom would not allow him to fall. If the Heavens should abandon him, then in his rage, he would destroy the Heavens, one final act of defiance which no one would survive, which was why they would not allow him to die.

Such was life, trials and tribulations, but for better or worse, this trial would soon come to an end.

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2

Chapter Meme 3