Chapter 165: Nine Supreme Laws.
After Yao Jun explained his plans to Azemar, he sat down on the bed he had been given, taking out the painting supplies that he had requested from Leylan. He set up the canvas and prepared the paint he was going to use, slightly wetting the brush before he started to slowly paint, a concentrated look on his face. Seeing his actions, Azemar could not help but comment.
“Painting? I didn't take you for a person who enjoyed painting.”
Yao Jun did not look up from the canvas, his eyes focusing on the image in his mind as the brush slowly moved. Only after a short moment of silence did he give a short response to Azemar.
“I'm not.”
Azemar looked slightly confused at Yao Jun's response, but Yao Jun was not lying. The only experience he had with painting was watching Guo Luo paint, he himself did not really find painting too fun. Azemar slightly tilted his head, after hearing Yao Jun's response.
“You're not? Then why are you painting right now?”
He didn't like painting, yet he was painting right now? Yao Jun still did not raise his head from the canvas, intently staring at it, as if he was trying to sear the image in his mind into the canvas. But there was a gentle light in his eyes as he responded.
“To make sure that I never forget exactly what it is I am fighting for.”
Azemar gave a slight understanding nod of his head and then stopped asking questions, letting Yao Jun focus on his painting. The image he was trying to paint onto the canvas was a picture of Guo Luo and his parents, but he quickly found that while he had the image clear in his head, he was unable to paint it onto the canvas. Looking at the finished result, he could only put on a wry smile and shake his head, it didn't look anything like Guo Luo or his parents, more like an abomination.
But Yao Jun was not discouraged because of a simple failure, patience and determination was something he had in spades. He stored away the failed painting and pulled out a fresh canvas, starting over from scratch, not even noticing the passage of time as he continued to try again and again.
After he spent an unknown amount of time painting, he decided to take a short break and get some food and fresh air. He stored away the painting utensils and stepped out of the tent. He noticed that the sun had set, two small blue moons hanging high in the sky.
The smell of roasted meat and fragrant soup reached his nose, so Yao Jun swept the surroundings with a slight glance. There were several fires set up inside the circle of tents, each fire surrounded by several soldiers who were eating or chatting. There was one fire surrounded by about five people that caught Yao Jun's eye, mainly because one of the men sitting at the fire was waving him over.
Yao Jun did not see a reason to ignore them, so he started to head towards the group of people. The man who had waved Yao Jun over was the only man around the fire who was not from the same race as Leylan, he had a slightly short and stout build, his entire body bulging with muscles. He had short gray hear and thick sideburns, his eyes a deep brown in color, and his face carried a wide grin.
The other people around the fire all had the characteristic features of Leylan's race, and there were three men and a woman. The woman had long green hair and bright blue eyes, her cherry red lips carrying a faint smile. Of the three men, one had short and spiky brown hair and dull green eyes, his body slightly thin. Another had long blue hair, brown eyes, and was rather muscular. The last man had short black hair, something Yao Jun had not seen often ever since arriving at the World Tree clan, his eyes were also black in color, his face carrying a somewhat disinterested expression as he focused on the bowl of soup in his hands. When Yao Jun reached them, the short and stout man looked him up and down, speaking in a voice that carried a strange and thick accent.
“Yer the one that the General called over fer a meeting, Yasen Jipu, ain't it?”
The people around the fire carried a curious expression as they looked at him, but Yao Jun could not sense any hostility from them. Before Yao Jun had the chance to correct the man, the slightly thin man with brown hair hit the short and stout man over the head, berating him in a loud voice before turning to Yao Jun.
“You dumb-ass, it's Yao Jun. He just introduced himself two weeks ago, at least remember his name. Your gonna have to forgive this guy, he's been hit in the head a few too many times during battle. I am Hamlyn Veyron.”
Only upon hearing the words of the man who introduced himself as Hamlyn did Yao Jun learn exactly how much time he had spent painting. He could not help but gawk slightly, he had guessed that maybe a few days had passed, but it was in fact two entire weeks? Of course, what Yao Jun didn't know was that the higher a person's cultivation became, the easier and more common it became for them to spend longer periods of time focused on one task.
For someone at the 3rd Mortal Earth, spending an entire month quietly cultivating without noticing the passage of time was not uncommon or strange. Yao Jun quickly collected himself, turning towards the short man, who was currently rubbing his head after being hit.
“It's no problem, it was only a short introduction after all. But yes, I am Yao Jun, nice to meet you.”
Yao Jun sat down on the ground in front of the fire, the only woman sitting around the fire handing him a bowl of soup and introducing herself as Edelina Aliz. The short man stopped rubbing his head, introducing himself in a loud voice, even hitting his own chest.
“Nice ta meet ya, ah am Reyner Aymiet, those two silent ones are Drogo Hab and Mjoll Ihohne. So Lil' Jun, what brought ya to this army? Were ya adopted by their clan?”
Reyner used his thumb to point at Hamlyn as he spoke, indicating that he meant the World Tree clan. As he introduced the two others, he also pointed at them. Drogo was the man with black hair, while Mjoll was the man with long blue hair. Yao Jun let out a slight laugh and shook his head as he responded, telling a short version of the truth.
“Nothing special like that. I got into an accident and they helped heal me, but the reason I joined the army was because I am completely broke.”
Of course, Yao Jun avoided talking about where he came from or what type of accident he got into. Reyner gave several rapid nods of his head, his face carrying and understanding expression.
“Broke, are ye? Aye, that's a right pickle to be in, especially when ya got to provide fer the family. You look a lil young, but have ya got anyone back home waiting fer ya?”
Compared to the rest of the people sitting here, or even the rest of the army, Yao Jun was indeed quite young, only being around 17 years old. A gentle smile appeared on Yao Jun's face as he thought about Guo Luo and the others waiting for him.
“I do, a wife and a few friends, as well as my parents. They are all waiting anxiously for me to get home again.”
Upon hearing his reply and seeing his gentle smile, Hamlyn smacked his own forehead, shaking his head and speaking out in an exasperated voice. Drogo and Mjoll both copied him, patting Yao Jun as if they were feeling sympathy for him.
“Oh boy, just look at him, he is completely smitten. So young, but a woman has already sunk her claws into him. He is already beyond saving.”
Yao Jun's mouth curled into a slight smile, and Edelina let out a faint snicker when they heard how Hamlyn spoke as if his own son had been driven astray. Reyner let out a loud laugh, beating his thigh and spilling some soup.
“Gahaha, yer just jealous that the two o' us got someone waiting fer us! Ya can just drag along the others when yer going out to whore around, us faithful men will sit here and be content!”
Hamlyn's mouth twisted slightly when he heard how Reyner called his nightly actions. He stretched out his arm and hit Reyner on the back of the head, before crossing his arms in front of his chest and raising his nose, as if he was above Reyner.
“Who is jealous of you, you old bastard. Don't make me hit you again. I'd say you are the one jealous about how many women we are getting!”
Reyner did not seem to mind getting hit on the back of the head, and Yao Jun could tell that the group was just having a bit of fun with each other. Reyner let out another loud laugh, a smug yet gentle smile spreading on his face.
“Gahaha, ya can say that all ye want, but ah know yer just jealous. How can yer one night stand even compare to the warmth that a good wife and a lovely lil' son can provide?”
Reyner seemed to suddenly remember something, as he quickly dug into the pockets of the robe he was wearing beneath his armor. He pulled out a flat blue crystal, handing it to Yao Jun as he spoke with a wide grin.
“Look at this one, Lil' Jun. Ain't he just the cutest lil' thing? Do ye have on of yer own?”
There was an image engraved onto the crystal, showing a small child who looked no older than two years old. The child had round cheeks, blonde hair, and brown eyes, looking quite lovable. Yao Jun handed the crystal back and gave a slight shake of his head.
“A child? I am a bit too young to have my own child, my life is also rather hectic, so I haven't thought about having one yet. But maybe once I return.”
Where would Yao Jun even find the time to raise a child? Ever since he awakened his God Gate, he had done nothing but fighting and training so that he did not lose the next fight. Of course, he still wanted some children of his own, so depending on when he managed to return, as well as how strong he was at that point, he would have to take it up with Guo Luo. Reyner pat Yao Jun heavily on the shoulder, loudly speaking.
“Good, good! Havin a lil' one like this at home waitin for ya along with yer wife will make every battle worth fighting. Ya can just think o' them, and your entire body will be filled with strength.”
The group continued to chat and eat, the topics of their talk jumping all over the place. Sometimes they talked about Edelina's latest escapades with some of the soldiers, at other times they talked about Drogo's youth, or Mjoll's training. Once the light of dawn was starting to peek over the horizon, Hamlyn looked like he could no longer contain his curiosity, turning to Yao Jun.
“If you don't mind me asking, but what laws are you cultivating? No matter how I look at you, I find myself unable to identify them.”
After Hamlyn spoke, the others also turned towards Yao Jun. They had also sensed that they were unable to determine exactly what laws Yao Jun was practicing, so they were somewhat curious. Yao Jun let out a chuckle and spoke out a lie he had already thought of ahead of time.
“You can consider me a lightning and fire cultivator, it's just that I am using a technique to hide my laws. It helps me ambush my enemies while we battle.”
Finally hearing what laws Yao Jun cultivated, no one paid attention to the fact that he said that they could consider him a fire and lightning cultivator, not that he was a fire and lightning cultivator. Reyner put on a smug smile, raising his nose high.
“Fire an' lightning? Those are good laws, strong and powerful in a battle. But they ain't able to hold a candle to the poison laws. With poison laws, ya can easily kill anyone as long as yer given enough time and got enough Qi.”
What Reyner said was not quite true, as one would be able to completely ignore the poison laws of someone that was much weaker than you. Of course, if the gap in strength was not too large, then what he said was indeed true. Hamlyn let out a snort, his lips curling into a challenging smile.
“You're only saying that because you cultivate the poison laws, and only because we are the only ones around. Try saying that your poison laws are the strongest when you are faced with the Supreme Law of Illusions, or the Supreme Law of Defense. Little Jun, just ignore this bumbling oaf, he just likes to boast to newcomers.”
Reyner fell silent after hearing Hamlyn's words, but Yao Jun found himself getting rather interested in these Supreme Laws, quickly questioning.
“I don't mind, but what are these Supreme Laws?”
Guo Luo had the Illusion God's Gate, could it have some ties to this Supreme Law of Illusions? Hamlyn and the others looked quite shocked when they heard Yao Jun ask about the Supreme Laws. Hamlyn looked at Yao Jun with a somewhat strange gaze as he explained.
“You've never heard about the Supreme Laws? They are a legend that is spread over the entire universe, children are told about them as bed time stories. How can you never have heard about them?”
Yao Jun was rather surprised that the Supreme Laws were this common knowledge, but he merely gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, giving a short reply.
“I was never really told any legends or stories growing up, it was mostly training.”
What Yao Jun said was not a lie, even before he turned five and started training with his father, he had not been told many stories or legends. Reyner quickly stood up, hitting his own chest and speaking out in a loud voice.
“Well then, why don't ya let me enlighten ya! The Supreme Laws are a title given to the nine strongest and oldest laws, the laws that have been around since the universe itself was created! The legends say that if all nine laws were to unite, there is nothing they cannot achieve, they can even create a new universe, or completely reset this one! Can ya imagine how strong those laws gotta be?”
Reyner seemed quite used to telling this tale, so Yao Jun guessed that he might have told it to his son several times. Yao Jun's lips curled into a faint smile, his suspicion that the nine Supreme Laws were connected to the God Gates growing stronger. After all, the God Gates were also said to have been around since the creation of the universe. He slightly tilted his head, continuing to question.
“The truly do sound amazing. Which nine laws are considered Supreme Laws?”
Reyner looked a little taken aback when Yao Jun asked further. He sat down and started to raise his fingers one by one, each raised finger representing one of the nine Supreme Laws.
“Which nine? Ah believe it was the Supreme Law of Illusion, the Supreme Law of Defense, the Supreme Law of Attack, the Supreme Law of Death, and then...”
Before Reyner could finish counting the laws, Edelina hit him over the head and stopped him. She gave a shake of her head and turned to Yao Jun, quickly listing all nine of the Supreme Laws.
“If you can't even remember them, don't talk so boastfully. The nine laws are the Supreme Law of Illusions, Attack, Defense, Souls, Destruction, Elements, Life, Demons, and the Supreme Law of God. But it has already been countless years since someone cultivating a Supreme Law has appeared, so how strong they actually are is unknown.”
After hearing Edelina list all nine Supreme Laws, Yao Jun was almost completely certain that the nine Supreme Laws each represented a God Gate. He did not hear her mention the God Gates of Sword, Ghost, or Human, but he had a few guesses about that. He could guess that the Supreme Law of Souls was the Ghost God's Gate, and the Supreme Law of Life was likely the Human God's Gate, while the Supreme Law of Attack was probably the Sword God's Gate, their names were merely a bit different.
Yao Jun did not have the chance to ask anything else before a loud bell rang out. The bell was so loud that Yao Jun felt the insides of his head shake slightly. It seemed that it was not only Yao Jun who felt this, as Hamlyn and the others also looked uncomfortable. The ringing continued for half a minute before it stopped, replaced by the sounds of thousands of people moving. Hamlyn and the others also stood up, their faces grave. Hamlyn saw that Yao Jun looked somewhat lost, so he quickly explained the meaning of the bell to him.
“The bell is ringing, which means we are to prepare to head out. Little Jun, your cultivation is the lowest in this squad, so make sure you stay in the back, only there will we be able to protect you properly.”