ã€ŠThe Abandoned Discipleã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Crash

    A blurred figure hurled through the air, crashing into several trees before limping onto the ground.

    ¡°You despicable coward, I regret ever saving you all those years ago!¡± A mature looking woman yelled at the man who was sent flying through the air. Her face was flushed red and her veins were visibly throbbing by her neck.

    ¡°Master¡­ I¡­¡± The man attempted to speak but was cut off by the woman.

    ¡°You dare still see me as your master?¡± She pointed her finger towards the man and sent out the pressure of her cultivation.

    The man felt as if a mountain was sitting on his back, crushing him. He let out a cough of blood before completely going motionless.

    His body slowly sunk into the ground as she continued to apply pressure. However, just as the woman was about to finish off the man, a handsome youth who was previously standing behind the woman reached for her hand to stop her from continuing.

    ¡°Master, what¡¯s done is done. Killing him will not undo anything which has already happened.¡± The handsome youth said softly.

    ¡°No, he ignored my order and chose to selfishly keep his life instead of giving it for the sect. He must die!¡± She retorted.

    ¡°He was your first disciple. I¡¯m afraid once master kills him, it will develop a shadow in your heart and affect your progression in cultivation.¡±

    The woman thought for a moment before finally calming down and smiled.

    ¡°Good disciple, I¡¯m so happy to have found someone as talented and thoughtful as you.¡± Her countenance turned a full 180 degree, and her face now showed a cold ravishing beauty. ¡°You are right, this scum would indeed have a negative effect on me, but he had disobeyed my orders and must be punished.¡±

    ¡°If disciple may suggest, why not take back everything you have given him?¡± The implications of the handsome youth were clear. He was telling her to destroy the man¡¯s cultivation, making him a cripple.

    ¡°Mn, I will do exactly that.¡± She nodded in agreement

    She went up to the collapsed man and kicked him in the stomach with her foot. The kick did not send him flying but a deep reverberating sound was heard from his abdominal area. The man spat out a chunk of blood and began to age at a visible rate.

    ¡°You are no longer my disciple, and from this day forth, you are kicked out of the Thunder storm sect.¡± She spoke with a calm voice, but anyone who heard it would hear an underlying murderous intent from it.

    The man continued to lie in his own pool of blood without replying or moving a muscle.

    Just as she was about to stand up, her eyes landed on the spatial ring on his finger. With a wave of her hand, his finger which wore the spatial ring snapped off his hand and flew towards her hand.

    ¡°With this, you no longer have any relations to our sect; never show your face in front of me again.¡±

    She walked towards the handsome youth and together they flew off into the sky.

    Night came and went; the first crack of light began to light up the horizon.

    Clop, Clop, Clop

    The sound of horses pulling a carriage sounded from the distance.

    ¡°Daddy, why are we going to the capital sooooooo eaaaaarrrrlllly, I need sleep to keep up my beauty!¡± a 12 year old girl was pouting to the side of the window inside the carriage.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Hahaha, you are becoming more like your mother every day.¡± A scholarly looking man was sitting opposite of the little girl and laughing heartily at his daughter¡¯s banter. ¡°Now, now, you know the king of this country had begged me for months to take a look at his son¡¯s condition and I¡¯ve already promised I would. It would be inappropriate for me to delay any longer in seeing his son¡¯s condition. ¡±

    ¡°Mn, I know, I just wish he would have brought his son to us instead of us going¡­.to¡­.him¡­.¡± the little girl dozed off as she finished off her sentence.

    ¡°Careful!¡± the carriage driver suddenly shouted.

    The carriage came to an abrupt stop and the little girl flew towards her dad.

    Thump

    Two heads bumped in a full on collision.

    The disoriented girl got up, patted the dust off her clothes, and sat back down while looking away from her father. It was evident from the water in her eyes that she was trying to hold back her tears. The little bump on her head didn¡¯t help mask the situation though.

    The man could only give a light laugh seeing his cute daughter attempt to save face.

    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked the driver as he rubbed the new lump on his head.

    ¡°Apologies, there is a dead body in front of us and I was unable to see it until I got too close. Please hold on one second while I clear it from the road.¡± The driver answered as if it was normal to see dead bodies on the road.

    ¡°En, alright¡±

    The driver went towards the body which was lying in a pool of blood. Just as he was about to touch the body, the seemingly dead body coughed out a puddle of blood.

    ¡°What the F*ck!¡± the driver jumped in fright. The body he saw was completely soaked in blood and the face on the man was death white. If he wasn¡¯t dead didn¡¯t that mean he was an undead?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The man had gotten out of the carriage with the little girl following right behind.

    ¡°S-s-sir, t-this dead body has just r-r-risen from the dead, we must leave!¡± The driver spoke franticly as he tried to make his way back to the carriage.

    ¡°Hold, this man is not dead.¡± He was able to tell from just a glance. ¡°However, it seems like someone has left him for dead.¡±

    The little girl was visibly shaking as she asked her dad, ¡°I-is he alright?¡± If any regular person lost this amount of blood, it would be nothing short of a miracle if they survived.

    As if hearing her voice, the man who was still lying in a pool of his own blood began to move. He got up and looked at the little girl with his soulless eyes.

    The girl trembled at the sight and the father moved in front of his daughter as if to shield her from the scene that was currently happening.

    He was just about to ask the dead looking man a question when suddenly the man kowtowed towards him and his daughter.

    This man then began to speak weakly, ¡°M-Master, this disciple has failed you and lost you face at the competition.¡±

    He pathetically crawled to the shoes of the old man and held on tight to his ankle as if he was afraid the person he was holding would disappear. ¡°It was selfish of me to deny your order and I take full responsibility for it. I was just scared about leaving master. ¡°

    Clouds began to draw near and a light drizzle poured down on the people below. ¡°To die for master would be my greatest honour but to die for the sake of the sect, I would never do. My life is only for you, I will not die for anyone else! ¡± His voice, though weak, jolted everyone at the scene awake.

    Tears were flowing down the man¡¯s face. Ordinary people may not be able to see, but the scholarly man was able to differentiate the bloodied man¡¯s tears from the water of the rain. Those tears carried deep emotion and sadness.

    ¡°I will receive any punishment¡­ but¡­. please¡­. master¡­ don¡¯t abandon me. I can¡¯t live without¡­ you¡­.¡± With that final sentence, the man once more collapsed, showing no further movement.

    Everyone was shocked by the statements made by this man. Especially the last one, it was as if a child speaking to a parent who was about to abandon him.

    The only sound remaining came from the rain as it hit the ground. The silence lasted a good while until a small whimper was heard.

    ¡°Daaaad, this is so sad, who would do such a thing to this person.¡± The girl had broken the long silence as she could not bottle up the feelings she was feeling towards the pitiful man.

    The girl¡¯s father was a traveling doctor who was hailed as a genius doctor, capable of healing anyone. Of course this was not the case and he had to reject his fair share of incurable people. Everyone had their own stories on how they got injured or sick and the little girl would listen to those stories to broaden her horizons.

    The saddest of those stories were ones given by those who were eventually rejected by her father for being ¡®untreatable¡¯. However, over time, she had grown accustomed to sad stories and rarely did she ever show emotions when listening to them. Thus, it was truly rare for her to shed a tear for this stranger she had just met.

    ¡°You¡¯ll help this man, right?¡± the girl asked teary eyed

    ¡°Yes, it is my duty as a doctor to help those in need.¡± He replied sternly.

    The old man picked up the bloody man and returned to the carriage with his daughter. ¡°Please continue the trip.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± With a ¡®hiyaa¡¯ the carriage continued on its way to the capital of Wayward Country.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The man awoke in cold sweat and screaming. He was in a daze, unsure of what was going on. Scanning the empty room, he saw only the bed he was on and a small but exquisite table.

    This man¡¯s name is Relic Astor. When he was picked up by the travelling doctor, he was quickly healed of all external and internal wounds he had suffered on that day. However, his dantian was completely shattered, and no one would be able to fix that.

    Despite having his mortal wounds healed, he continued to stay unconscious even after the doctor and his daughter were finished with their business. As days turned to weeks, the pair decided to take Relic back to their home out of pity and continued to look after him.

    At this moment, Relic was holding his head in confusion.

    ¡°Who¡­.wait, where is master?¡± he said in a panicky expression.

    Suddenly the room door swung open. A stunningly beautiful girl with blonde hair and black eyes entered into his room and stared him down.

    His eyes widened as his eyes lay on the girl. Of the many girls he had ever seen, this girl was by far the most beautiful he had ever seen.

    Quickly regaining his senses, he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Ren, my dad is the one who saved you when you had only half of breath left. Who are you?¡± She spoke in an almost angelic voice

    Questiones began to swirl in his mind. What had he been doing that required someone to save him? His mind felt a bit jumbled but he decided to answer the girl¡¯s question first.

    ¡°My name is Relic, a disciple of the Thunder storm sect. I-I do not seem to understand how I came here. Could you tell me where I am and how I got here?

    She frowned at his response. Was it possible he did not realize he was previously injured?

    ¡°What is the last thing you remember?¡± she quickly asked

    ¡°I¡­.arggggggg¡± He held his hands against his head. He felt his head was splitting in pain.

    ¡°Are you ok!¡± she hurriedly arrived to his side.

    Suddenly a memory resurfaced. ¡°Yes, the last thing I remember was walking with my master around a city when suddenly light encompassed the sky. After that¡­. I don¡¯t know. That is all I seem to be able to remember¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Light in the sky? How was it possible he could not remember the things he said as he bled on the ground?

    She quickly understood that he probably had repressed memories. She felt a bit of pity for this man as his speech had affected her on an emotional level. The event that must have been so terrible his mind decided to lock it up.

    She pondered for a moment, deciding whether she should tell him what he had said on that fateful day or not. It was quite possible a person with repressed memory to have a mental break down when faced with the reality of the situation.

    ¡°The truth is always better than ignorance.¡± She muttered to herself.

    She began to narrate the event of that day to Relic, starting from when they first saw him, all the way to the end of his speech, just before he lost consciousness.

    She had expected Relic to be stunned and possibly even reject what she said after some contemplation. Yet, his expression was one of immediate anger. It was as if he didn¡¯t believe her at all.

    ¡°Miss, I do not know if what you told me is true, and if you and your father really have saved me, then thank you.¡± Relic did not hesitate to give a bow. ¡°However, I will not forgive anyone who smears the name of my master!¡± his voice was sharp with a tone of anger in it. It was as if what she said was not something even possible!This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Without further speaking, he got out of bed and passed her by without a single glance. She was no longer even worth looking at.

    Exiting the building, he was met with an extravagant garden filled with flowers representing every colour imaginable. Despite being in the season of heavy rainfall, the smell of these flowers made Relic feel like he was basking in the warmth of the most perfect day. As the wind caressed the waving flowers, it created a scene of tranquility. They danced in perfect harmony which mesmerized his entire being and made him feel weightless.

    Relic was so entranced by the scene he had not noticed a scholarly man was currently standing right behind him.

    ¡°I see you are feeling better¡±

    Relic snapped out of his trance and turned around to see a black haired man. This man wore a simple blue robe which matched his blue spectacles hanging low on his nose. His expression was gentle and his voice was soft. Relic felt his heart completely at ease In front of this man.

    ¡°Pardon the intrusion. My name is Relic Astor, are you the one who saved me?¡±.

    ¡°Indeed I¡¯ am, and it seems you are fully recovered. That¡¯s good!¡± The man gave a heartfelt smile.

    ¡°Dad!¡± Just then, Ren came out and hugged her dad.

    ¡°So this is where you were sweetie.¡±

    The man gave a kiss on the little girl¡¯s head.

    The girl saw Relic but she only gave an angry ¡®hmpf¡¯ before facing away from him.

    Relicgave a wry smile while scratching his head. Looking back on it, he may have acted irrationally when he was talking to her. He didn¡¯t even know the girl, why would she purposefully say such negative things about his master? He quickly surmised there must have been a misunderstanding.

    The spectacle wearing man was surprised by his daughter¡¯s expression towards the man they had saved.

    ¡°Did something happen between the two of you?¡± He asked

    ¡°Uh, that is my fault; I was confused and may have reacted too strongly to her questions. I hope you two can forgive me.¡± Relic did not hesitate to give another bow. He was an upright character. He definitely would not repay generosity with hostility.

    The man gave a hearty laugh

    ¡°Hahaha, no problem. If I know little Ren, she probably said something insensitive to you without thinking about it. I hope you don¡¯t take any offense to her banter. ¡±

    The little girl felt wronged and became red faced. She pouted at her dad before storming off in another direction.

    Relic turned to the scholarly man who was smiling at the sight of his daughter walking angrily.

    ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t even know your name, I¡¯m indebted to you for your kindness.¡±

    The man gave a soft smile. ¡°My name is Kubo, a travelling doctor. You do not owe me anything. As a doctor I have a duty to save a dyeing man¡¯s life.

    Relic shook his head. ¡°Although I do not know how I got here, I will definitely repay your generosity.¡±

    Kubo was slightly stunned. Didn¡¯t this man remember he was injured on the streets before they found him? Now that he thought about it, the man standing in front of him was a little too upbeat all things considered.

    He quickly came to the same conclusion as his daughter.

    ¡°What is the last thing you remember?¡± he asked

    Relic gave a confused look as he was asked the same question as before. However his answer did not change as what he said before.

    ¡°It is possible you have missing memories.¡± Kubo stated.

    Having two people confirm his situation instantly made his hair stand. Was it possible for the little girl to have said the truth? Did the words of abandonment really come out of his mouth?

    Kubo saw Relic¡¯s countenance turn serious. He asked, ¡°Has my daughter already told you what had happened.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­.But that couldn¡¯t have happened!¡± His voice carried a lot of emotion.

    Seeing Relic¡¯s worried expression he only gave a sigh. ¡°We can only say what we saw, what really happened may be entirely different from what it actually was.¡±

    Kubo spoke the truth. He had no way of knowing of what had happened. He didn¡¯t want Relic to worry over something that may not actually have happened.

    Relic¡¯s countenance instantly brightened and a smile came on his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I know master would never abandon me! Something must have happened, I must return!¡±

    Relic clasped his hand and bowed to Kubo before he made his way towards to exit of the garden.

    However he quickly realized something was wrong.

    No matter what he tried he could not activate his movement ability. In fact he was feeling rather¡­mortal.

    ¡°My cultivation¡­. It¡¯s gone! MY CULTIVATION IS GONE!!¡±

    His dantian was shattered, he had no Qi running anywhere in his body.

    He tried to circulate his Qi

    ¡°Nothing!¡±

    He tried to feel the energy in the air

    ¡°Nothing!¡±

    He tried to sense the energy in his body

    ¡°Nothing!¡±

    Relic turned crazy as he inspected his body. He couldn¡¯t sense anything or feel any Qi flowing in his body. Memories of his life before his master came surfacing to him in an instant.

    ¡°MASTER! MASTER! WHERE ARE YOU?!¡± He felt his mind splitting as if it was being forcibly torn in half.

    Kubo ran up to Relic and upon assessing the situation, he knocked him out with a needle. The scream was heard all around, many people on the streets came to see what happened but upon seeing that it came from the doctor¡¯s house, their interest waned and they went on their way. Kubo was a famous doctor and it was not strange to have screaming patients once in a while.

    However, there was still one girl that came to see a man lying on the ground.

    ¡°Dad, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Ren¡­. this man¡­ is mentally unstable. Something must have happened to him prior to this incident that made him like this.¡±

    He sighed as he carried Relic back to the room he was recovering in.

 chapter 3

    Relic awoke just as the sun began to retire. His dim eyes looked on to a familiar room and to a familiar girl was who was sleeping on a chair in the corner.

    He was drenched in sweat. His eyes wandered aimless around the room before settling down onto his hands. Would his master still want him now that he became useless? That thought would not leave his mind.

    As he got up, the little girl also awoke.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± she asked

    ¡°I¡­I do not know¡­¡± he said in a lifeless monotone

    She could feel his sadness and didn¡¯t know what to do. She didn¡¯t particularly care about him, but as long as he was her dad¡¯s patient she would try her best to help.

    ¡°You¡¯re sweating you should go take a bath first.¡±

    ¡°Yea¡­.¡±

    His body swayed as he followed her out of the room and to a bath house located on the other side of the garden. Inside was a large wooden tub filled with water, large enough to fit 20 people inside. Ren ignited the fire under the bath and then ran out.

    Relic showed no emotions. He carelessly toke off his clothes and dawned on a bath robe.

    Before long, Ren returned with a small ball in her hand. She tossed it into the bath and then looked at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to you to make you feel the way you do right now, but you¡¯ll feel better after a bath. Take as long as you need.¡± She did not dawdle and quickly left.

    As if he didn¡¯t listen, Relic expressionlessly made his way towards the bath undisturbed. However, just as he was about to enter the bath he saw a reflection. A reflection of his face appeared in the water. It was a man in his mid-20s.

    ¡°Is-is that me?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. In his mind he was supposed to be 17 this year, but the man he saw was almost a decade older. He reached to touch his face when he noticed something missing. His index finger was missing along with his spatial ring.

    ¡°Dammit! Who did this to me!¡± he shouted

    Relic couldn¡¯t even describe what he was feeling. He was now sure he was missing some memories, but by the looks of it, it seems like he was missing at least half a decade or so of it. There was also the fact that he was a now a mortal. He would never be able to go back to his sect and maybe his master might not be willing to see him.

    And now¡­ even his spatial ring was gone. Spatial rings weren¡¯t actually that expensive. In fact his spatial ring wasn¡¯t even that high of a grade, and the items he kept in there wouldn¡¯t really make anyone salivate for them. However, the ring held special meaning to him as it was the first gift his master gave him after she took him in as her disciple.

    His mood drastically fell and he felt even more helpless than before.

    He stood over the warm water as he let gravity drag him down. The water splashed out as his entire body submerged to the bottom of the bath tub. His thoughts wandered in a helpless spiral, he wasn¡¯t sure if he even wanted to get out. Maybe it would be better to just lay here forever.

    As the last few air bubbles escaped from his mouth his vision began to go blurry. Darkness began to enclose on him. However, just as he was about to close his eyes for the last time, he managed to lay his sight on a trembling ball.

    This was the same ball Ren had thrown previously. The ball looked like it was ready to burst open. A few seconds later, light burst forth filling the entire bath with motes of light.

    The sudden burst of light jolted Relic awake and made him fling himself upward and out of the water.

    Relic took an enormous breath of air. His panting was heavy as his body inhaled the sweet nectar of life. He soon realized the air smelled a bit sweet, almost familiar. The smell was similar to the smell the flowers in the garden gave off. Except it was much richer here than it was before.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    HIs body became warm. As he continued to breathe in the scent of the flower ball. He felt like his worries were fading away. Soon a distant memory began to play.

    ¡­¡­

    16 years ago ---

    ¡°Master will I ever be as strong as you?¡± a little boy looked towards his master with awe and admiration.

    ¡°Perhaps, but you will have to work very hard. Your talent is less than others and the possibility of you ever reaching the pinnacle of cultivation is almost non-existent.¡± A woman was carrying an injured boy on her back as they flew, and said to the little boy.

    The boy looked a bit discouraged and bit his lips, trying to hold in his emotions.

    ¡°But¡­..¡± she continued, ¡°Master doesn¡¯t need you to be the best. As long as you are by master side, I will be happy.¡± She said smiling.

    The boy held her tightly as he nodded his head. Slowly closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

    ¡­¡­

    After the memory replayed in his head, Relic seemed to be more at peace. Then something unlocked in his mind. His repressed memory began to resurface as he began to replay the last few years of his life. His loving master, someone whom he would die for, changed as time went on. She became colder, more distant from everyone. Eventually she picked up another disciple and began to groom this new disciple extensively.

    This disciple had a rare constitution which made him one of the chosen within the sect. He was praised throughout the sect for his upright attitude and talent. Everyone thought he was destined to be the next sect leader and would raise the sect to the next level. Of course Relic knew his junior¡¯s real personality; he was an arrogant and an egotistical person. However, he carried his master¡¯s hopes and dreams and so Relic never spoke of it.

    But the confusion that swirled in his head kept increasing. Was the change of his master¡¯s attitude really because she wanted to elevate this disciple to the position of sect master? Was that really the reason why his master asked him to sacrifice himself for the sect? Was this the reason why his master destroyed his cultivation and abandoned him?

    Relic couldn¡¯t accept it! Even as the scene of his master crushing him played in his mind, he dismissed himself from seeing anymore.

    Suddenly, his eye snapped open. His eyes lit up, a flame replaced the dim, desolate look he had previously worn.

    He had to know. Even if his master were to really kill him, he had to know why!

    With new determination, he dressed himself and sought out Kubo.

    At this moment Kubo was lying in the middle of a sea of flowers. The flowers were wet from the frequent rain but it did not bother him. Everything was still; the air was permeated with the sweet aromatic smell of the flowers. He was completely immersed in an aura of peace.

    Then he spoke, ¡°Aside from our daughter, these flowers were my wife¡¯s favorite thing in the entire world. Everywhere we went she would always have a bunch of these flowers near her. Her favorite flower was the Ren flower which we named our daughter after.¡±

    He opened his eyes.

    ¡°Only these flowers bring me peace now. Mr. Astor, have you found your peace?¡±

    Relic stood at the edge of the flower garden. His eyes lit with new found determination as he opened his mouth.

    ¡°You and your daughter treated a stranger with nothing but generosity. I do not know how I could ever repay the both of you.¡± A third bow was now given to his savior. However, this time his head did not rise up.

    ¡°I have no place to ask you this after all you have done¡­.. But I have a request I hope you can help me with!¡±

    ¡°Oh, lets hear it.¡± Kubo remained motionless and did not seem disturbed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve relied on Qi for so long I no longer know how to live the life of a mortal. I hope that you can help me return to my sect. In return, I will do anything you ask!¡±

    ¡°The Thunder Storm sect¡­. that is a 3 day travel from here.¡±

    Kubo seemed to give a deep thought to it before calling out to his daughter.

    Ren came walking out with a basket full of freshly picked vegetables.

    ¡°Dad, It¡¯s time for me to prepare dinner. What do you want?¡± Her tone had a hint of displeasure.

    ¡°Oh nothing much, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to Red Sky City.¡±

    The basket in Ren¡¯s hands dropped and a glimmer of light flashed from her eyes. She dived towards her dad giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

    ¡°Yay, I knew dad cared for Ren.¡±

    It should be known that Ren had been asking her dad to bring her there for months now.

    Why?

    That was because that city was the only city that happened to cultivate a certain fruit. Rumor has it that this fruit could make a middle age women look 10 years younger and her beauty intensified by 2 times. Ren was nowhere near the age which would make her need one. But even still, she was enticed but such a rumor. Perhaps she would become even more beautiful. What women wouldn¡¯t want to look younger and more beautiful?

    Kubo and Relic both looked at the excited little girl jumping up and down before giving a quick chuckle.

    ¡°Ok, Ok, settle down. We have to first deliver Mr. Astor to his sect first, then we can go.¡±

    ¡°OK!¡± she replied. Not even looking at the vegetables that were littered on the ground, she raced to her room to pack for the trip.

    ¡°Thank You! I will never forget this debt!¡± Relic finally rose up and clasped his hand.

    Kubo gave a smile as he turned to his room to pack as well.

    Relic seemingly turned to the direction of the Thunder Strom sect and inwardly made a promise to himself. ¡±I will accept whatever reasoning master gives me¡­.But if you still needs me, then I will spend my entire life to fulfill her wish! ¡±

 Chapter 4

    They left the morning after.

    Over the trip, Relic learned that Kubo was a wandering doctor who performed unorthodox medical treatment catered towards the masses. His treatments were strange but they interested Relic very much. Before long, he was shooting questions left and right at Kubo which Kubo himself seemed happy to answer them.

    The only unhappy person was little Ren who was combing her hair repeatedly as she stared outside the window. Her days were long and her boredom was reaching an all-time high.

    Finally, on the third day, they reached the gates of Red Sky City.

    ¡°Well Mr. Astor, this is where we depart. I wish you luck in your matters.¡± Kubo extended his hand out

    ¡°Thank You.¡± Relic was deeply grateful to this father- daughter pair for all they have done and shook Kubo¡¯s hand.

    ¡°If I ever get the chance to, I hope I can repay back everything you have both done for me.¡±

    They both waved good bye and departed their separate ways.

    Relic walked for about half an hour before reaching the gates of the Thunder Storm Sect.

    There were currently two people standing guard at the entrance of the sect.

    ¡­..

    ¡°Did you see senior Yu Lin yesterday? She just happened to have finished her secluded cultivation section while I was patrolling the cave areas.¡±

    ¡°You lucky dog! I think in my entire time since joining, I¡¯ve only seen here three times!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, prepare to be even more envious.¡± One of the guards suddenly took out a small grey crystal. Sending in a little of his qi, the crystal lit up and a holographic image appeared.

    ¡°Oh my gosh! You managed to get an image of senior Yu Lin! How Much! Quickly tell me how much!¡±

    The guard who had the crystal in his hand quickly closed his hand and the image disappeared.

    ¡°You think you have enough to purchase this image crystal from me with your beggar money; maybe in your dreams!¡± the guard snorted. ¡°Even if I¡¯m offered 5 ¡­no 10 lightning essence stones I would still not sell it!¡±

    The envious guard could only clench his fist. He definitely did not have that amount of money. In fact, maybe only core disciple would be able to afford such wealth. ¡°Then¡­. May I still have a look?¡± He asked respectfully.

    The other guard laughed. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think I¡¯m stingy! We are both good brothers, of course I will share.¡± He quickly produced the image once more and the two were drawn to the image of a girl who could not be described less than a goddess on earth.

    The two guards were so immersed on this photo they did not notice a 20 odd year old man standing just a couple of meters away from them.

    ¡°Kiba! Wen!¡±

    The two guards were startled and looked to see who called for them. A familiar person appeared before them, but they both stood there in disbelief.

    This man before them had become infamous within the sect. He was the person who was ordered to sacrifice himself so that the chosen, Kiro , could take victory in the Legacy tournament between the powerful sects.

    ¡°Brother Relic!¡± they both shouted.

    Kiba, who was the closest, gave a brotherly hug to Relic, while Wen had an excited look on his face.

    ¡°Brother Relic, I thought you died from your master¡¯s hands!¡± Kiba exclaimed.

    ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s right. No one thought your master would ask you to sacrifice yourself, but even less people thought you would refuse! After you were gone, we brothers all feared the worse!¡± Wen also questioned.

    Seeing their worried faces, Relic felt their genuine feelings and couldn¡¯t help but feel warm about it.

    Actually, many people within the sect admired Relic.

    His standing within the sect was very strange with half of the sect who greatly admires the conduct of this young man while the other half thought of him with ridicule and contempt.

    He was the disciple of an elder which garnered him high status within the sect. Normally, direct disciples of elders were arrogant and many thought themselves above regular sect members. However, Relic always treated everyone with respect and friendship. He would guide those who were confused on the Dao and would even be considered a better teacher than some of the official teachers. The people who truly knew Relic could not help but admire and befriend him.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    On the other hand, there were also many who were scornful of him as well. The fact that his talent in cultivation was on the lower end was no secret to anyone. In the legacy tournament, only those with the qualifications to enter may participate. If Relic had not worked three times as hard as the others, he probably would not have been able to get in. Many wondered why the beautiful elder, Pascal Isa, would even accept someone like him.

    In fact, the master-disciple relationship was extremely weird. Relic was seen to always be next to or close to the vicinity of his master. He would never go out of the sect unless his master was with him nor did he go on any sect missions. It almost seemed like he could not go anywhere without his master. Many proposed this master-disciple pair had an illicit relationship. Though, no one would actually say anything in the open. After all, this elder was the daughter of the current sect master. Thus, there were many who thought that Relic did not deserve his position.

    Relic stood silently, unsure how to answer the question.

    Both Kiba and Wen understood that something was a bit off. They were unclear of the situation but knew something big must have happened.

    Finally, Kiba broke the silence.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer if you¡­..¡±

    ¡°I need to see my master!¡± Relic cut in before Kiba could finish his sentence.

    However Kiba and Wen both looked at each other with a sour expression.

    ¡°Brother Relic, you see¡­¡±

    Wen explained to him that after he had disappeared with his master and Kiro, the two both returned to the sect shortly after. Upon returning, his master, elder Pscal Isa, made an announcement that Relic was no longer a disciple of the sect. She continued to say that he was most likely dead but if he wasn¡¯t and chose to return, then anyone who sees him are instructed to get rid of him by any means necessary!

    Relic¡¯s hands were clenched tightly. His face contorted as he thought to himself, ¡°Master¡­.What have I done wrong?!¡±

    His body was physically shaking, however he soon calmed himself. His eyes showed calm neither Wen nor Kiba could explain.

    Relic prostrated himself towards both of them.

    ¡°Please, I know I¡¯m asking a lot, but please let me see my master.¡±

    Kiba and Wen quickly tried to pick up Relic off the floor, but he remained determined. They felt heartbroken seeing their senior who they admired so much, to be in such a state.

    ¡°Brother Relic, please don¡¯t be like this!¡±

    However, nothing they did could deter his spirit. Soon a couple of people noticed a man was prostrating in front of the gate and wanted to check what was happening. Seeing this, Kiba clenched his teeth and took out a mask.

    ¡°Brother Relic, please stand, I will take you inside but you must wear this mask.¡±

    Relic¡¯s eyes glimmered as he took the mask from Kiba¡¯s hands, covering his face.

    ¡°Kiba, who is this man?¡± one of the curious sect members asked.

    He gave a helpless sigh, ¡°This is my cousin Wang Kano, he is just a normal person. He always admired cultivators and was begging me to show him around.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then why the mask?¡± The man asked curiously.

    ¡°Aside from having no talent in cultivation, he was also terribly disfigured since birth. I thought I would do everyone a favor by covering him up.¡±

    ¡°Oh I see¡± Turning to Relic he said, ¡°Well I hope you will treasure this experience. This will probably be the greatest highlight of your entire life.¡± The man wasn¡¯t the least bit suspicious. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for cultivators to take family around to see the sect. There also wasn¡¯t any reason for Kiba to lie so the man had no problem believing him.

    ¡°Thank You,¡± Relic said in a hoarse voice.

    The man and the others seemed to not have heard the thanks Relic gave and had already turned away without caring anymore.

    After they were gone both Kiba and Wen let out a breath of relief.

    ¡°Damn those nosy people! If they knew you were back they would not have hesitated to kill you just so that they could receive favor from elder Pascal.¡± The two brothers were obviously not happy at their own sect members. However, Relic looked unmoved as ever.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Relic hurried them.

    Having already given their promise they could only reluctantly agree. Wen would stay at the gate and continue to act as guard while Kiba would lead Relic to Elder Pascal¡¯s courtyard. Actually, he would only lead him to a half way point from her yard; he honestly did not dare to get to close for fear of incurring her wrath.

    Elder Pascal was not very liked by the disciples of the Thunder Storm Sect. She was cold, unfriendly and really defensive towards people who talked about her. Sure she was beautiful but she was venomous like a snake.

    Newer disciples didn¡¯t know but a long time ago, this elder was actually very kind and everyone respected her greatly. However, over time she changed and many people did not know why. Several years ago there was an incident where a couple of new disciples were comparing the beauty of Elder Pascal Isa with Elder Iris Isa, her sister. Having overheard their conversation, Elder Pascal Isa went berserk and crippled both disciples and kicked them out of the sect. No one knew what they had specifically said but from that day on, no one dared to mess with her.

    Not even Relic, the person closest to Pascal, understood why his master turned out this way. After she accepted Kiro as a disciple, her communication with Relic almost completely stopped.

    The two walked around many different mountains before arriving at the one belonging to Relic¡¯s master, stopping a mile or two from her court yard. Although the mask caught the glances of a few people, no one attempted to ask him about it.

    ¡°Brother Relic, this is as far as I¡¯m willing to go.¡± Kiba tried to keep his composure but even he was a little nervous around this elder.

    ¡°Thank you, brother, I promise to repay you for what you have done.¡± Relic said with a smile.

    ¡°No such thing is needed. You have always treated me and my brothers with respect we never hoped to gain. Honestly, I feel ashamed to have hesitated at your request in the first place.¡± He quickly gave a bow.

    ¡°But brother Relic, are you really going to just walk in?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I need an answer even if I die, I must know why master did what she did.¡± Relic had a resolute look on his face.

    ¡°I hope you get your answer.¡± Kiba could only give a sigh

    He quickly gave Relic a hug before departing. He wasn¡¯t too enthusiastic on Relic¡¯s chances of living after seeing his master.

    Relic stayed in the same spot as he stared at Kiba¡¯s ever disappearing figure. Without further hesitation, he walked straight into the court yard that belonged to his master.

    Step by step, Relic could hear his heart beating more intensely.

    Before he knew it, he stood in the center, alone. The yard was a separate area from his master¡¯s immortal cave. It was beautifully kept with exquisite flowers spearing in pairs. Although it was no match for the flower garden in Kubo¡¯s residence, it was still beautiful in its own right.

    As if remembering a past memory, Relic stared at the exquisite flowers with a smile on his face.

    Suddenly a loud boom was heard.

 Chapter 5

    A woman laid inside a crater spanning several meters in size. Her mouth oozed out blood and by her side was a broken sword.

    ¡°Father, I do not even know what there is to talk about. Sister is weak and does not hold the power to train Kiro effectively. Have her transfer him to me and I can guarantee that within a few hundred years, our sect will definitely be feared even among the top powerhouse sects!¡±

    Two people were currently hovering in the air. One was a woman whose beauty rivaled that of the women in the crater. The only difference was that she gave off a more sinister aura than her sister who others describe as being cold. The other was an old looking man. His face was like that of a decrepit old man, yet his body bulged with the muscles of someone in their prime. The contrasting body made it seem like someone had sewed an old man¡¯s head onto a young man¡¯s body.

    Right now the old man was looking at his younger daughter who was bleeding from the mouth.

    He did not attempt to hide his disappointment as he gave a long deep sigh.

    ¡°Daughter, your sister is right. You have always been the weaker between the two of you and Kiro¡¯s constitution is too rare to be left in your hands. Although you found him first, his talent will be wasted if he continues to be left in your hands.¡±

    Father I.....¡±

    With only a stare, he completely preventedPascal from talking. She also knew there wasn¡¯t anything she could say that could change her father¡¯s mind. She lived her entire life in her sister''s shadow and everyone, including her father, knew she could never measure up to her sister. She clenched her fist so tightly blood began to flow out.

    As Pascal began to give up hope the sound of heavy steps could be heard.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sect master, but I, Kiro Koga, will not change my master even if I were beaten like a dog and dragged through a forest of needles!¡±

    A handsome youth walked out of the shadows and appeared before everyone. Thishandsome youth, known as Kiro, had suddenly shown up at his master¡¯s most desperate of time.

    The two people still hovering in air were slightly shocked at his presence. Despite being in the Golden world realm, they had not detected his presence until he had spoken.

    But the shock was quickly replaced with displeasure upon hearing what He had just said.

    ¡°Disciple Kiro, what makes you think you have a right to discuss this matter? We are discussing the future of the sect and that means allocating you to someone who can actually help utilize your talents!¡± The women hovering in the air gave a cold stare at him.

    Kiro was not disturbed and gave a smile.

    ¡°Elder Iris, master found me three years ago. Back then I lived the life of a regular young master. I had everything I ever wanted and more, but eventually life became dull and boring. When master had found me and introduced me to the life of cultivation my seemingly boring life became one of excitement and wonder! ¡±

    Tears ran across his cheek but an exaggerated smile crept up on his face.

    ¡°Without master, I would not be here today and I would probably still be living a mundane life. To me, I owe master everything and to even think about leaving master¡­.I would rather kill myself!¡±

    Silence

    No one knew what to say. Never had they seen a disciple so loyal to their master and without any hesitation, he disregarded another elder!

    It was at this point Pascal had tears running down her cheek. Iris could only make a clicking sound from her mouth.

    The Sect master thought for a moment before sighing once more.

    ¡°Daughter, you have found a worthy disciple, treat him well. Whatever cultivation resources he needs, we will provide it all!¡±

    Without caring anymore, he turned and left. Iris bitterly followed her father.

    ¡°Master!¡± Kiro helped her out of the crater.

    ¡°Good Disciple, you have made your master very proud.¡± Her face was that like a delicate swan, exquisite and elegant. She was a beauty capable of capturing the hearts of countless men.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say anymore master, what I said are my true feelings! As long as master wants me I will never leave you, even until the end of time!¡±

    Although it was very faint, Pascal¡¯s face blushed a light pink and her heart fluttered slightly.

    If Kiro wanted right now, even if he were to make a brazen move on his master right now, she would probably not mind.

    However, he did nothing of the sort and instead asked a question.

    ¡°Master I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking at this time, but I¡¯ve had a burning question in my mind for a long time now.¡±

    ¡°What is it my good disciple?¡±

    ¡°It is about your first disciple, disciple Relic. I¡¯ve talked to many people regarding him. Although we never got along, many fellow disciples have told me they admire him greatly. Even more, they even said that he and master¡¯s relationship was something that could never be broken. Thus, disciple is confused as to why master had originally asked him to sacrifice himself?¡±

    Her face suddenly became serious upon hearing about Relic.

    ¡°It is because¡­ he is weak!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡± He had a look of surprise

    She sighed slightly as she began to recount her time with Relic.

    ¡°I originally found him after his town was massacred by evil cultivators. At the time, I was still young, and when I saw his crying face, I stupidly accepted him as a disciple. He constantly cried and would be scared if I left his sight for even a moment. He was truly weak¡­¡­¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    For a brief moment her thought trailed off as she remembered the little boy who used to follow her around. He wasn¡¯t remarkable nor was he special. He was just a normal mortal boy. But even so, those memories warmed a portion of her heart. Not even her family would be able to warm her cold heart.

    ¡°Master?¡± Seeing his dazed master, Kiro quickly snapped her out of it.

    Pascal suddenly escaped the trance and continued, ¡°However, the weak has no place in this world! As sect master always says, ¡®The weak are merely the stepping stone of the strong. Whether it is friends, siblings, or even parents, if they are weak they are merely tools to be used to reach the apex!¡¯¡±

    She continued, ¡°When I was young I was foolish. Only these past few years I realized that the weak can only be used as tools for the strong. When he chose to reject my order he sealed his own fate!¡±

    ¡°Haha, right so! Senior disciple Relic was truly too weak. To think he had the audacity to betray master¡¯s goodwill. If he had self-destructed he would¡¯ve at least been able to repay some of the kindness master had shown him all those years ago. Alas, this world is filled with unappreciative degenerates! ¡± He proceeded to shake his head in a helpless fashion. ¡°If he had done what he was told then I could probably have won against that freak of a genius from the Azure Branch Sect. Truly, truly a pity!¡±

    She nodded her head in agreement. ¡°I thank the heavens every day for allowing me to find you on that fateful day and allowing me to become your master.¡±

    Her hand reached out to the side of his handsome face.

    ¡°You are my greatest pride, and someday when you take the position of sect master, my life will finally have finally have found meaning.¡± Her eye¡¯s sparkled like the stars on the darkest night.

    Kiro smiled and grabbed her hand ¡°Master you should get some rest. I will come find master later after I¡¯m done my cultivation section.¡±

    ¡°En¡± She nodded.

    She flew up towards her immortal cave. Upon entering, an array formation appeared which prevented others from coming in.

    At this moment Kiro was snickering to himself. It wasn¡¯t too loud, only he and the person hiding in the bush behind him could hear it.

    He walked towards that bush with a deranged smile, seemingly trying to hold in a laughter which was ready to burst out.

    ¡°Senior Relic, how much longer are you going to continue to hide like a rat?!¡±

    The bush shook slightly as a man wearing a mask came walking out.

    This masked man was obviously Relic who had hid upon seeing the confrontation

    ¡°Damn you!¡± lifting his fist in the air, Rrelic rushed towards Kiro, aiming to strike his face.

    Yet, with just a single step from Kiro, he completely missed and fell face first into the dirt.

    Not willing to give up, he got up and charged for Kiro once more. However, every time he would be met with nothing but empty air. His efforts as a mortal were a fruitless one.

    Seeing the struggle on Relic¡¯s face, Kiro could not help but chuckle to himself. The struggle of his senior brother brought him great pleasure.

    Kiro did not particularly dislike his senior brother. In fact he had quite a good impression of him. Those who knew his real personality would always choose to run away upon seeing him. Those scared of him would mock him behind his back. Those were the actions of the boring and mediocre. However, Relic never did any of that. His only obsession was his master and nothing outside of that bothered him.

    Which was why, Kiro took such delight to see his senior brother losing everything. He could feel it, taste it. The anguish Relic felt!

    Although the mask hid his facial features, Kiro could feel the despair Relic was feeling.

    ¡°Senior Relic, why are you attacking this junior? Did I do something wrong.¡± Kiro asked sarcastically.

    ¡°Why do you treat master in such a way! You meant nothing you said to master!¡±

    What disturbed Relic was not what Kiro said, but that nothing he said was honest. Relic¡¯s relationship with his master was one in the same as a parent and their child. He loved his master as much a child can for their parent and only wished the best for her.

    But knowing Kiro, he knew what he said was nothing but lies. His master would end up heart broken in the end and the thought of such a thing happening made Relic lose all rationale.

    He continued to attack, not resting even though his body was hurting all over.

    Chuckling, Kiro said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what senior is talking about. I definitely meant every word I said to master. She came into my life when I was trapped in the world of the mundane and brought me to an exciting life. I really am thankful. ¡±

    ¡°I do not know why master has changed so much over the years but right now she relies on you! Why do you tease her with words you don¡¯t mean!¡± tear droplets began to fall from the mask.

    ¡°tsk, tsk¡­. Despite having been with her so long, I¡¯m surprised you still don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°About what?!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how her sister and master were treating her? Don¡¯t you think it is weird how master never talks or even communicates with her family?¡±

    Relic stared blankly at Kiro. As if a thought suddenly struck his mind, Relic came to a realization.

    ¡°Do you mean¡­.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, she has an inferiority complex towards her sister. I imagine her father dotes highly on the elder sister and constantly berates the younger one for not being good enough. In my opinion, it would be weird if she hadn¡¯t become the way she is.¡±

    ¡°If you know then why do you¡­¡±

    ¡°Because it is interesting! I did not lie when I said I lived the life of the mundane. Even the world of cultivation is nothing but meditation and betrayal. To me, the futility of the human endeavor is much more interesting!¡±

    Relic only stood silently, unmoving.

    ¡°Still, I would say her abrupt change in her personality cam about by her family. She was probably in a situation where abandoning you was the best option and her already low self-image also boosted her decision.¡± He then gestured for them to look at the cave and pointed ¡°She is already in my grasp, if I wanted to, I could probably take her right now! ¡± He laughed manically but still glaring at Relic¡¯s expression.

    Kiro continued, ¡°In fact, I think you should be thanking me. If not for my magical treasure, they would have immediately sensed you and killed you on the spot. You also would not have known why master asked you to self-destruct, which I assume probably, bothered you immensely.¡± He sighed, ¡°Even I¡¯m amazed at how nice I am. Though, I did get a good laugh out of it so I guess it equates out.¡±

    Kiro showed no signs of stopping his talking. However, it was then Relic who turned away and began to walk away.

    ¡°Hey¡­where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Kiro, you won¡¯t hurt master, right?¡± Relic stopped without turning to talk..

    ¡°I don¡¯t know I do what I like. Perhaps I will cop out a feel for master this afternoon just for the fun of it.¡± He licked his lips and stared at Relic menacingly.

    Relic did not bat an eye and only sighed. ¡°She relies on you, please don¡¯t let her down¡­..¡±

    Without another word, Relic headed towards the exit.

    Kiro was surprised by Relic¡¯s reaction. He thought he would collapse from despair, or rush towards his master¡¯s immortal cave to beg for forgiveness. What a show that would have been!

    ¡°Tsk, how boring, seems like their bond isn¡¯t as great as I thought.¡± Kiro muttered to himself

    Perhaps if Relic had come here before visiting Kubo¡¯s place, things would have exactly developed that way. Yet, despite now knowing the truth, he felt resolve.

    ¡°As long as master does not hate me, then that is good enough.¡± He murmured to himself.

    Relic believed there must have been something that made his master this way. There was absolutely no way his master, who had taken him in when he was younger, would suddenly turn so merciless to her own disciple!

    He walked undisturbed by anyone and soon reached the gate of the sect. There he saw both Kiba and Wen with surprised looks on their faces.

    ¡°Brother Relic!¡± They both exclaimed.

    ¡°Wen, Kiba, thank you for allowing me in.¡± He gave a bow.

    ¡°No need, did you find out the answer to your question?¡± Wen quickly asked

    ¡°Yes, and I will be leaving to travel. This will be my last time here for a long time.¡±

    Kiba and Wen both had sad looks on their faces but they knew that it was for the best. They didn¡¯t know what answer Relic received but they did not want to pry.

    They said their good byes and Relic headed out.

    It wasn¡¯t until the sect became barely visible did Relic look back with a look of determination. ¡°I will return master, and when I do, I will be strong enough for you to hold your head high!¡± This was the solemn oath Relic made in his heart. Despite having a broken cultivation, he would never give up this dream.

    He would continue to walk for a continuous period of 10 days before reaching a familiar residence which housed an unruly little girl and a genius wandering doctor.

 Chapter 6

    It was an early morning.

    Sounds of grunting could be heard from a courtyard.

    A man stood in the center of the yard, swinging a wooden pole ferociously but also with grace and precision. He had a robust body with rippling abs which showed years of dedication. He had a fairly handsome face which was further accentuated by his jet black hair and large brown eyes.

    ¡°Relic, come have breakfast with us.¡±

    A man¡¯s voice suddenly rang throughout the yard.

    Upon hearing this, Relic stopped his training and proceeded towards a small but quaint building.

    ¡°Teacher, little Ren, good morning.¡± He greeted the two people sitting around a table of food.

    After Relic left the Thunder Storm Sect, he walked for 10 days until he reached Kubo¡¯s residence. When he arrived he begged Kubo to take him as a student. He was prepared to do anything it took in order to find a way to repair his dantian.

    Kubo had initially wanted to deny Relic¡¯s request but he saw his resolute eyes. It was the look of a desperate man who would go through any lengths to achieve their goals. It reminded Kubo of a time long past, when he himself carried those same very eyes.

    Thus, Kubo relented and took Relic as a student. There they spent 3 years getting to know each other and helping the sick, wherever they came from.

    The three gave quick thanks for the food and began to pick the variety of food that was set out.

    ¡°Uncle Liu, why must you always train so early, I always end up waking up early because of your grunting. A defined woman like my-self needs all the sleep I can get so that I will one day marry a martial hero of legends!¡± As she spoke her hair flowed effortlessly and her eyes sparkled like a bright sapphire.

    ¡°Excuse me, but I believe just three days ago, little Ren was snoring so loudly that people walking on the street thought we had gotten a new exotic animal! Are you sure you didn¡¯t wake yourself up by mistake?¡± Relic chuckled.

    Ren blushed slightly before showing a haughty pout at his response, while her dad only laughed heartily.

    The three chatted joyously throughout their meal, and continued till the morning sun reached its peak in the sky.

    Suddenly, Kubo countenance turned solemn as he asked Relic a question.

    ¡°Are you really leaving today?¡±

    The room was instantly filled with silence.

    ¡°Y-yea¡­¡± Relic stuttered.

    Ren began to visibly shake having heard his answer. Tears welled up in her eyes and she slammed her hand against the table.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it! Why would you risk your life for someone who tried to kill you! ¡± .

    ¡°Ren! You do not have the right to say such things!¡± Kubo gave an angry shout at his daughter.

    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make sense! Even if she saved him when he was smaller, she also abandoned him in his time of need. If not for us he would already be dead! Why can¡¯t he just stay here and live as a doctor? He would be able to save thousands of lives!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± her father raised his voice.

    "....."

    ¡°No, It¡¯s fine, I understand where she is coming from¡± Relic tone was very soft.

    ¡°Ren¡­. Although it is true master had abandoned me 3 years ago, but I do not blame her. Without her I would have died a long time ago and although our time was short, those were the happiest times in my life.¡± He would never blame his master for what happened because he knew the person who took care of him, guided him, and protected him was real. Although she had changed, nothing could change the memories he shared with his master.

    ¡°Fine, go die then, I don¡¯t care!¡± She dashed out of the building leaving behind drops of tears.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Teacher¡­.this is my fault.¡±

    ¡°No, she is too young and she doesn¡¯t have any friends because of our background. Outside of me, you were her only friend. She will definitely miss you¡­.¡±

    ¡°Teacher¡­¡±

    Relic dropped on the floor and kowtowed three times to Kubo. Although Kubo was not his master, he definitely deserved the respect equal to his master.

    ¡°Although you have told me you don¡¯t need any repayment, I promise I¡¯m not human if I never repay the enormous debt I owe to you and your daughter.¡±

    Kubo stayed silent for a few moments before finally giving a sigh.

    ¡°Very well, when you get stronger you can come back and repay your debt. I wish you luck on your travels, Relic.¡±

    The two men stood at the gate and waved each other good bye. Relic Liu felt a bit sad that Ren did not see him off, but she was upset at him for something he could not control. He had to get stronger in order to fulfill his promise, and so, he could only leave sorrowfully. He looked back at the residence he had taken up for 3 years. These memories were not one bit less memorable to him than when his master first picked him up.

    ¡°I hope I will return soon¡­.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Time flowed and he would not return for many years

    ¡­¡­

    60 years later~

    ¡°Ah, Sir, you really saved me back there. If it weren¡¯t for you all my valuables and even my life would have been stolen by those bandits!¡±

    At this moment a handsome man with brown eyes and black hair and a local merchant were travelling together in a carriage.

    The two met coincidentally on the road as the merchant was being attacked by bandits.

    ¡°I know you said that you only needed a ride to Purple Heart city, but are you sure you don¡¯t need anything else? I may only be a local merchant but I do have connections to several powerful families. Perhaps I could introduce you to some of them?¡±

    The merchant had a very favorable impression of this man who had saved him. He knew that he must be an expert as he dealt with the bandits in a split second. If he could be an acquaintance to such a man, the benefits would just be unimaginable!

    However, the man simply waved his hand.

    ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions but I only wish to travel to the city. I¡¯m merely going to visit someone.¡±

    The merchant was slightly disappointed but there was nothing he could do about it. He changed the subject and began talking to the man about many things. Interestingly, the man seemed to want to talk about things regarding the past few decades. The merchant was in his 40¡¯s and didn¡¯t expect the man to be interested about things he experienced even when he was in his youth.

    However, as weird as the subject matter was, the man made him feel comfortable to talk around, and so they talked unceasingly until they reached the city.

    They gave their farewells and the two departed. Amazingly, upon bidding farewell, the handsome man disappeared into thin air which made the merchant so shocked he dropped to the ground.

    ¡°Truly an expert!¡± he exclaimed.

    The brown eyed man quickly found himself upon an unkempt courtyard. The grass was dead and nothing but brown patches could be seen. The buildings showed signs of decay and the entire area seemed to be abandoned,

    ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m sorry it took me so long to return.¡±

    The man kowtowed towards the abandoned place and left.

    This man was obviously Relic who had finally returned from his travels. It has been 60 years since he last been here and he knew that his teacher and his daughter must have left a long time ago.

    Sighing, he lept into the air and began to head towards Red Sky city, the location of the Thunder Storm Sect!

    At this moment, in a town between Purple Heart City and Red Sky City, a crowd was gathering near a local inn.

    Baaaang!

    An old woman flew out of the local inn.

    ¡°Crazy coot! I told you not to come here again!¡± A burly man waived his butcher knife as he shouted at the elderly women on the floor.

    ¡°B-but I gave y-you the money. It s-s-should be enough for the ch-cheapest glass of alcohol¡­. ¡± The women stammered as she retorted

    ¡°I won¡¯t accept your dirty money here.¡±

    He threw loose change at the women.

    Seeing the coins flying all over she quickly scrambled to pick them up. These coins truly represented her entire wealth. Yet, even though it was all she had, she still chose to spend it on alcohol.

    ¡°How sad¡±

    ¡°See children, this is what happens if you don¡¯t study.¡±

    ¡°To see someone fall so low¡­.It¡¯s truly depressing.¡±

    There was a crowd surrounding her. They mocked and ridiculed her as she picked up the loose change around their feet.

    Suddenly, a handsome young man walked out of the crowd and stood in front of the old women.

    ¡°Oh my goodness, it¡¯s young master Xiu of the Jin clan. What is he doing is this part of town?¡±

    ¡°My, he is so handsome¡­. Will he look over here?¡±

    The clamors of the group grew louder with the appearance of this prestigious young master.

    Jin Xiu bent down to look at the old women.

    ¡°So pitiful¡­. It is my duty as the mayor¡¯s son to help the less fortunate. You like alcohol right?¡±

    He snapped his fingers and 2 guards brought with them four bottles of spirit wine.

    ¡°My goodness! He isn¡¯t actually thinking of giving spirit wine is he? Such rare wines are usually only affordable by the higher elites. How could he be thinking of giving that used up wench such expensive wines!? ¡±

    The spectators were all giving their own guesses as to why this young master would be willing to give such rare wine to this poor women.

    The look on the old women¡¯s face was one of delight and happiness. It has been so long since anyone has truly helped her or giving her anything to help.

    She was just about to thank this young master until she saw a sneer on his face.

    ¡°Let her have it!¡±

    The guards uncorked the wines and poured the contents all over the elderly women¡¯s body. The smell was intense and even made some people in the crowd go woozy just from taking a whiff.

    Jin Xiu suddenly opened up his palm and a small flame danced around it.

    ¡°It is my duty to clear the trash in this town so no UNFORTUNATEsoul need lay their eyes on such filth.¡±

    The crowds began to cheer and even the small kids seemed to be excited. Being doused in such heavily concentrated alcohol meant the flames would easily engulf her entire body.

    The woman was scared, her body trembled and she lost any function to move. A puddle of yellow liquid expanded beneath her.

    Laughter and jeers came loudly from the crowds and even the two guards were not exempt from the laughter.

    ¡°Time to end this!¡±

    Jin Xiu was just about to toss the flame when suddenly; he felt a cold hand touch his shoulder. The flame instantly extinguished and Jin Xiu stood there stupidly at what just happened.

    It wasn¡¯t just Jin Xiu, everyone is the crowd was shocked at what just happened. A strange man had suddenly just appeared behind young master Jin Xiu without so much as a sound.

    The man standing behind Jin Xiulooked towards the old women covered in wine and urine. She had lost consciousness just moments before, presumably from fear.

    ¡°Master¡­.¡±

    He walked towards the fainted old women. Her face wrinkled with age and liver spots and scars covered her face. Her hair was all but gone and he mouth was blackening from decay.

    Even though she looked like this, he could tell with certainty that this old woman was his master.

    Relic didn¡¯t show any emotion. He picked up his master without any magic and with only his bare hands. The liquid dripped onto his clothes but he didn¡¯t seem to care, and even held her tightly. Without further delay he shot to the sky with his master in his arms and headed towards a certain direction.

    The crowd of people all breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure exerted by that person scared them witless and made it so that they were incapable of making a sound.

    "Heh, maybe that expert wanted to privately torture that old woman." A man suddenly joked

    Suddenly a cracking sound was heard.

    Everyone looked towards the sound of the cracking to see Jin Xiu still motionless. Cracks suddenly formed all over his body and then it shattered. Bits and pieces of his body littered the floor and everyone immediately screamed.

    They all wanted to run away but to their shock, no one was able to go anywhere. It felt like their feet were frozen to the ground.

    ¡°I can¡¯t move! Someone get help!¡±

    ¡°My legs, they¡¯re disabled!¡±

    ¡°Mommy, I can¡¯t move!¡±

    The cries of those affected were heard by many. Almost instantly, a larger, denser crowd surrounded the frozen people.

    Even the mayor heard the cries and came out to see what happened. Seeing the panicked expressions, he quickly went towards one of the screaming people.

    It was a child who could no longer move his arms. Snot was running down his nose and he continued to cry in pain and fright. The freeze was inching up the body of everyone affected.

    The mayor sent his Qi into the boy¡¯s body only to have his face become ashen. He immediately distanced himself from the boy and breathed heavily. His hand became cold and numb, and despite what he tried, it only got colder. Without hesitation, he chopped off his own arm and the severed arm which then fell onto the ground, shattering.

    ¡°This is impossible, such pure Cold QI!¡±

    The last of the cries sounded out. The people affected were frozen like statues, completely unmoving. Then cracks were formed, and one by one, they shattered.

    The entire town was in a panic and frantically ran towards their home. The mayor did not know what to do. Did they somehow provoke a powerful expert? All this time the mayor never once thought about his own son who had been the first to die.

 Chapter 7

    The elderly women, Relic¡¯s master, Pascal Isa, woke up confused and dazed. She looked to her surrounding and saw that she was inside a wooden hut. It was fairly empty consisting of only one bed and an exquisite table.

    As her gaze wandered around, it was then that the smell hit her, the scent of the wine pervaded her nose and she remembered she was about to be set on fire. Her body shivered at the thought when suddenly she heard the footsteps of another person.

    Relic came in and seeing his master awake, a smile crept up on his face.

    ¡°Master, do you still remember this disciple?¡±

    Relic did not look very different than he did from the past. His adventures bore fruit and he once again walked the path of the immortal. Thus, his face remained relatively the same, though his body was a bit more sturdy compared to the past.

    However, Pascal looked very confused.

    ¡°M-Master? I don¡¯t k-know who y-you are.¡±

    Relic frowned.

    ¡°I d-don¡¯t have m-much, p-please d-don¡¯t kill m-me.¡± Her arm stretched to reveal several coins in her hand.

    Apparently, she thought Relic was planning to kill her himself. Her life was full of misery and despair, who would ever help a person like her?

    Relic hesitated for a moment before reaching his hands towards the coin.

    ¡°I will accept these, and in return, I will take care of you from now on.¡±

    He picked up Pascal with both his hands and headed outside. The hut was located on top a hill over seeing a town. Next to the hut was a small bathhouse which housed a heated bath. Flowers floated on top of the bath and the smell coming from this bath gave off a heavenly scent.

    Any cultivator from a decent sect would recognize that this was a medicinal bath. However, medicinal baths were reserved only for those with outstanding talent. To use such a bath for a mortal would be like throwing money into a volcano.

    Yet, Relic did not care. He carried her towards the bath and began to take off her clothes.

    His movements were natural and his hands were steady. The worn out articles of clothing were removed to reveal a broken down body. Her spine was bent unnaturally, scars were found all over her body. Large splotches covered large portions of her body and everything else was either wrinkled or deformed. Yet the sight did not cause Relic to waiver even a little.

    ¡°Master, let me help you in.¡±

    He once more carried her and slowly dropped her into the bath. The entire time she made no sound. Every movement Relic made was another possibility for him to hurt her, so she kept to herself. Yet, contrary to her belief, nothing had happened nor could she feel any malice from him.

    Warmth immediately penetrated into her skin. The sensation of the bath seemed to trigger a familiar sensation, one she had experienced before. However, she was unable to remember any of her past memories. Her despaired life is all she had ever known and could remember.

    The bath made her relax and forget her worries about Relic. Right now was the most comfortable feeling she had experienced in her entire life. It was like sitting on clouds of fluff. Her pain was gone, and she was not thinking about anything. She was at peace.

    With a sponge in his hand, Relic began to gently clean the filth off Pascal¡¯s body. He started with the hands, then the face, and eventually, the rest of the body. No area was left unwashed and Pascal felt as if her old skin had been removed. Serenity pervaded her mind as she became entranced in this new feeling.

    When she awoke from her trance Relic was gone, but a fresh gown was placed near the bath. The water was still warm but had turned brown and murky.

    Pascal decided to get out and dressed herself in those clothes beside her. Walking out, she noticed Relic was mediating.

    He opened his eyes upon sensing Pascal coming out and turned to her with a smile. Her outlook was a lot better and she could probably blend in as just a regular albeit older grandma.

    She wanted to thank Relic but was unsure if she should speak first of after.

    It was Relic who took the initiative. ¡°Master, let¡¯s go eat.¡±

    He took her hand and guided her back to the hut where upon her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Inside was a banquet of food. There was roasted pig, roasted duck, steamed fish, and many other sorts of delicacy.

    Her stomach growled but she did not move. She didn¡¯t dare to.

    Seeing this, he guided her down to a seat at the exquisite table. He filled a bowl with rice and handed it to her before giving himself a bowl and sitting right beside her.

    ¡°Master, please eat.¡±

    Pascal began to shake. Was it really true? Was there really a person who cared for her?

    Her stomach continued to growl. No longer caring, she stuffed several pieces of meat and several spoonful of rice into her mouth.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Her body instantly shivered with excitement and she even went absentminded for a few moments. Years of eating rotten food from people¡¯s left overs had trained her to not taste anything. She ate to survive, but despite her years of tasting nothing, it could not mask the taste of the meat.

    Tears began to fall as she continued to eat, not even noticing the smile of Ba Liu¡¯s face.

    Eventually, she ate slower as her belly began to feel the sensation of being full. It was something she had not experienced in a long time and it was a gratifying sensation.

    ¡°T-Thank You¡± she turned to Relic and said. She then began the process of a kowtow but Relic stopped her before that happened.

    ¡°You have already paid me with your money and I have accepted it. In exchange I promised to take care of you from now on so there is no need for thanks. I do not want to see you do this again!¡± Surprisingly, Relic had a somewhat angry tone.

    Not daring to reject, Pascal nodded her head in agreement.

    His face again had a smile on his face. ¡°I think it is time to go to bed.¡±

    He waved his arms and all the dishes vanished in an instant

    He guided her once more to the bed she awoke from, which now had freshly cleaned sheets. However, she carried a worried face. ¡°Y-you want m-me t-to sleep h-here? W-what about y-you?¡± Looking around, there really was only one bed and one table. She thought maybe he was one of those people who liked to sleep outside

    ¡°Obviously I will be sleeping in this bed with you.¡±

    ¡°N-no, y-you can¡¯t. I¡¯m f-f-filthy!¡±

    This man, who she didn¡¯t even know the name off, had treated her so well. She couldn¡¯t even remember the last time someone had treated her even remotely this well. So, she couldn¡¯t bear the idea of such a young and handsome man sharing the same bed as her.

    However, she was unexpectedly carried in both his arms and gently dropped onto the bed. He too, leapt into bed and they were both soon under the same blanket.

    Despite her age, her heart pounded slightly from the brazen action of this young man.

    The lights went out and only silence remained in the room.

    Not bearing to look at the young man¡¯s face while in bed, she turned to her side to face away from him. However, suddenly two hands wrapped around her!

    Her heart suddenly pounded even greater and her face flushed slightly red. Did this young man have a special preference for old ladies, she thought. Suddenly, she felt a warm feeling around her abdominal area. It calmed her body and mind and she soon drifted off into deep sleep.

    On Relic¡¯s side, he was in deep concentration. Using his divine sense, he was able to see the state of his master¡¯s dantian. It was broken, shattered by an external force. In fact, it was in a similar state that he had been in when his master destroyed his dantian.

    Her dantian was shattered years ago and it would be impossible for him to guess when. However, his mind was not disturbed.

    His divine sense suddenly protruded outward in the shape of tentacle like feelers. They touched upon the broken pieces of her shattered dantian and attempted to piece it back together. Doing so required immense concentration and many would be hard pressed to do such a thing as it required accurate precision to do so. A single mistake would cause a backlash to the person performing this and so not many would choose to perform such an act

    The feelers would connect matching pieces together and then he would send some of his Qi to fuse them together. The process was lengthy and by the time he fused 4 pieces together it was already morning. There were still over 10,000 pieces of the dantian and it will take years for Relic to completely restore Pascal¡¯s dantian.

    Sensing the morning sun, he retracted his feelers and Pascal slowly woke up. She awoke energized and, in a sense, happy. She felt born anew and her past now seemed very distant. However, she suddenly realized there were two hands wrapped around her. She turned to see Relic¡¯s handsome face staring at her with a smile.

    ¡°Good morning.¡±

    ¡°G-good Morning¡± She said with a slightly red face.

    The two walked out of the hut as Relic had suggested they go get breakfast in the town. His hand held hers and they slowly tread down the hill. As they reached the entrance of the town, Relic suddenly felt a tug from Pascal.

    ¡°Master, what is wrong?¡±

    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t n-need t-to hold m-my hand, P-people w-will see.¡± Her insecurities flared back up and she again thought it was not right for such a handsome young man to walk with a broken old lady like her.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to enter this town, then we can go to another. But if you are asking me to let go of your hand then you better forget it!¡± Relic obviously understood what his master was feeling. His understanding of people had increased greatly from his travels, and the hesitation from his master is because of how she had been treated for years.

    He tugged her along, and although there was a slight resistance coming from her, she still went along with him.

    They entered a fairly popular restaurant within the town and ordered the deluxe breakfast edition. They ate silently but Relic sensed a slight tension in the air. In order to relieve it he began to recount his adventures over the past 60 years to his master. Although she already old and didn¡¯t have many years left of life left in her, she took interest in his story as they were exciting and novel to her.

    His recount of his adventures attracted surrounding customers who overheard the story and also began to grow excited with every passing word. Soon there was a crowd around their table listening in. Pascal was a bit anxious with the surrounding people but Relic ignored everyone and was only looking at her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue the story tomorrow¡­¡± He wrapped up the story and called for the check.

    Many of the surrounding people, especially the children moaned in displeasure. They all asked their parents if they could come back tomorrow. This restaurant was in no way a cheap place to eat and they only ate here every so often as a treat. However, everyone listening to the stories was so affected that there weren¡¯t many who declined.

    Relic helped Pascal up and held her hands as they made their way to the exit. The people seeing this all thought this was a very sweet scene.

    ¡°That is how a grandchild should treat their grandparents!¡± is what many of the elderly thought before shooting a glance at their grandchildren. Many of the children felt their hairs stand at the fierce glares.

    The two walked around, hand in hand, around town. Although she was slow, he always matched her pace and everything felt natural. Few words were exchanged between the two but there were no air of anxiety anymore between them.

    Finally, they returned to their hut just as the sun was about to fall. They sat down on the hill looking at the sun set.

    ¡°W-why do y-you t-treat m-me so well?¡± The question she had been burning to ask since yesterday finally escaped her mouth.

    Relic thought for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°You may not remember, but you were once someone who saved my life. Back then, I was weak and had nothing but you still took me in. Those years, even though I was useless, you still treated me with the love and care of any loving parent.¡±

    He then looked into her dull eyes and clasped her hands ¡°Master, I came late, but I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure every new day will be a life worth living!¡±

    His determination echoed into her soul. His words were like a thunder storm in her mind. Her memory could not stretch back to her earlier days but she felt like he was telling the truth. She unconsciously nodded and any lingering doubts were let go. Her heart unbuckled and she began to feel more than she had ever felt

    The day ended with dinner. They slept in the same bed, under the same cover, and with Relic wrapping his hands around her. She felt warm and easily drifted to sleep. His determination set on fixing the shattered dantian of his master.

 Chapter 8

    The two were in a blissful routine where the two enjoyed the company of each other every day. In the morning they would eat breakfast and Relic would continue where he left off in the story. After, they would do some activities they found enjoyable such as talking to the folks of the town, or going fishing in a nearby lake, or even going around picking fresh fruits. When they returned to the hut, she would take a medicinal bath before eating dinner, and then retiring to bed after.

    Like this, years quickly passed. Relic became more proficient in fixing the dantian and his speed of piecing the shattered pieces increased.

    The constant medicinal baths, plus the fact that she used to be a cultivator who had absorbed many cultivation resources over the years, made it so that even though her actual age was now greater than the average human, she looked to only be around 80.

    By now, her dantian was now 95% complete. However, there was now a bigger problem.

    Looking at her dantian, Relic could not find any more pieces to piece together. With no pieces, the dantian would never be fixed! It was possible the attack which initially shattered her dantian was powerful enough to completely destroy the pieces.

    ¡°Dammit!¡± He was furious. Whoever did this to his master, he would definitely take revenge! However, right now, he was not willing to leave his master even for a second. Revenge could only come later.

    Relic spent the next few days coming up with ideas on what he could do in order to repair the dantian. After many days of pondering he thought to himself, ¡°The spiritual root is the foundation of the body and mind. It connects the dantian to the body and allows the flow of Qi within the body. Is it possible to use it as a substitute to fix master¡¯s dantian?

    Relic¡¯s hypothesis was an extremely dangerous one. He was planning to use bits of his spiritual root to fix her dantian. If even a bit of his spiritual root is damaged, the whole system stops functioning and he would never be able to cultivate again.

    He thought about it carefully but that only lasted for a few moments. He already knew what his answer was.¡°What is the point of cultivating if there isn¡¯t anyone to be there along the way?¡±

    He didn¡¯t even think about using her own spiritual root to fix her dantian. If he did, she would never be able to cultivate and the whole point of fixing her dantian would all become useless.

    During the following night, Relic began to try out his plan. He carefully used his feelers to remove a section of his spiritual root and added to her dantian.

    His face instantly paled when a part of his spiritual root was removed and almost immediately, he felt like he wanted to throw up. The world looked like it was spinning but he quickly clamed himself. Everything he did, he did with purpose!

    Upon coming into contact with the dantian, the piece seemingly melted, fusing itself to the dantian. Before long, it molded itself, making it indistinguishable to any other part of the dantian.

    ¡°Success!¡± He thought.

    He continued take parts from his spiritual root and added to her dantian. The process of fixing her dantian was now extremely fast as he did not have to carefully place each piece accordingly.

    Before long, he only had one more section left before the dantian was completely fixed. Relic himself now looked older and weak. Although taking the pieces from his spiritual root did not affect his current cultivation, it basically crippled his potential future cultivation. Damage to his body also seems to have taken effect but he did not hesitate if it meant he could heal his master.

    ¡°Master, I have never forgotten the kindness you showed me when I was younger. Although those days were short, they filled me with the happiness that have lasted me a life time. Now, even when you can¡¯t remember me, my days are still filled with happiness.¡± He was whispering to the sleeping Pascal.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I still have the opportunity to help master in your time of need.¡± He stretched over and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he moved the final piece to the empty spot of the dantian.

    BOOOOOM!

    A booming sound echoed out upon the completion of the dantian. What was once shattered now stood in its place, a completed dantian.

    Pascal did not seem to have noticed and only continued to sleep.

    Relic was very tired. The years of concentration had finally bore fruit and a smile slowly crept up on his face. Cultivators, especially strong ones, did not need much sleep as they were able to get everything they need from the heavens. Yet, at this moment, his eye lids felt heavy and he couldn¡¯t keep them up anymore. Following, he fell into a deep slumber.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡­.

    Relic was the first to wake up, astonishingly it was already mid-day. He glanced to his side to find Pascal still asleep.

    He quickly became worried. It was reasonable for him to sleep for a long time since he was recovering but she should have woke up at the same regular time.

    He used his divine sense to check her body but found nothing wrong. He concluded that the body must be readjusting her body to the newly constructed dantian and so it needed time.

    He walked outside and saw a blistering sun shining down of the town.

    This was his first time in years where you did not spend time with Pascal. With nothing to do he began meditate. The day passed and soon night came and Pascal still had not woken up. He again checked her body to see if everything was still fine. Amazingly, her body did not seem to deteriorating from the lack of food or water.

    The next day, Relic continued to mediate, only stopping every few hours to check on things.

    Finally, on the third day, while Relic was outside meditating, he heard the door creek open.

    He excitedly turned to see Pascal opening the door cautiously.

    Instantly, Relic knew something was wrong.

    She was cautiously looking around. Her stance was like a scared little girl, unsure of what was going on . Seeing Relic, she spoke in an almost childish voice, ¡°M-mister, do you know where this is?¡±

    Relic¡¯s mind instantly reeled. ¡°Did something happen to her memory when I fixed her dantian?!¡±

    He was shocked and confused but he chose not to show it.

    ¡°Yes, this is swallow tail town. You are Pascal Isa right?¡±

    Pascal, who was now acting as a girl, instantly became less cautious ¡°Yes! Does mister know me?¡±

    Hearing her question, Relic decided to probe her. If her memories were messed up, he wanted to know how far back they went.

    Instead of answering the question, he asked his own question. ¡°How old are you?¡±

    ¡°I just turned 5 one week ago! Mister, why am I here? And where is my dad?¡±

    ¡°5¡­.¡± He was flabbergasted. Her memory actually regressed to that of a young child!

    He was in deep thought as the young girl continued to stare at him. Noticing she wanted an answer he quickly came up with a story.

    ¡¯You see¡­. You were poisoned!¡±

    ¡°Poisoned!¡± She was shocked

    ¡°Yes, you were secretly poisoned by people who wanted to harm you. When your dad found you, you were untreatable and so he brought you to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh mister is helping me, thank you so much!¡± She gave a quick bow.

    ¡°No, no, your dad and I are friends you see, it is only natural.¡± He tried to wave it off as if it was nothing.

    ¡°What is mister¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°Relic Astor!¡±

    ¡°Thank you Uncle Relic.¡± she gave another bow

    He gave an affirmative nod

    ¡°Then, is my poison cured?¡± she asked politely

    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head, ¡°The person who poisoned you used a very strange poison. So far I¡¯m uncertain of all the effects it causes and I also do not have a cure.¡±

    Her face suddenly seemed to grow pale.

    ¡°HOWEVER, it is not life threatening and you shouldn¡¯t worry about it yet!¡± he quickly answered.

    Seeing her face gain back a little color he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Pascal, are you hungry?¡±

    Her eyes brightened to the question. ¡°En!¡± she nodded

    However, the next moment she looked towards her hands.

    ¡°My hands¡­.. why are they so big and wrinkly!¡±

    ¡°Shiet!¡±

    Relic disappeared from his spot and reappeared behind her before knocking her unconscious.

    Pascal fell into his arms where he then proceeded to carry her to the bed.

    At the moment, visible sweat was running down his face. Maybe he could have told her that her hands were like that because of the poison, but sooner or later she will see how the rest of her body looks and then he wouldn¡¯t know what he could say.

    He quickly performed various incantation gestures. Light condensed on his finger tip and he drew a magic symbol on her forehead.

    Seeing the complete symbol he let out a breath of relief.

    She woke up a couple hour later in a bit of a daze. She instinctively looked towards her hands which now resembled that of a young girl.

    ¡°What a weird dream¡­.¡± She thought.

    The magic he inscribed on her was an illusion type magic. It allowed her to perceive things through one¡¯s own heart. If she believed a tree looked like a rock, then all trees would then look like rocks. If she thought rocks looked like trees, then all rocks would then look like trees. Thus, in her heart she was a 5 year old girl, so she would see herself as a 5 year old girl.

    She suddenly noticed Relic who was sitting next to her, smiling.

    ¡°ah, uncle, did I fall asleep?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the poison must have made you tired; you slept for a couple of hours.¡± He wryly smiled. ¡°Come, let us eat!¡± he proceeded to the table.

    Without Relic blocking her sight, she now saw an exquisite table brimming with food. There were dishes of assorted meats and vegetables and when the smell finally hit her, drool unconsciously fell from her mouth.

    ¡°Wah, so much food! Is there someone else who is joining us?¡±

    ¡°Nope, just us.¡±

    He scooped a cup of rice into a bowl and gestured for her to come eat.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal!¡±

    Without further consideration, she wolfed down the food like she hadn¡¯t eaten for days.

    ¡°So this is what master was like when she was young.¡± He smiled at the cute ¡®girl¡¯ stuffing her face. This was completely different to his previous image of her, where everything she did was refined and elegant.

    Not long after, almost all the food was gone.

    ¡°Fuwaaaa, so full!¡±

    ¡°Haha, you are a very messy eater.¡± He chuckled

    Her face was smeared with food bits and her clothes were greasy from where she had wiped her hands.

    ¡°Come with me, you need to take a bath.¡±

    He led her to the bath house where he proceeded to mix in medicinal properties into the bath water.

    ¡°Wow, this bath smells very nice! It¡¯s even better than the bath at our place!¡±

    She was the daughter of the sect leader of the Thunder storm sect. Since a young age, she had already experienced bathing in medicinal baths for a long time. Naturally she knew this was a medicinal bath with strong properties.

    ¡°I will leave a fresh pair of clothes on the side, take as long as you need.¡± He then proceeded outside the bathhouse and began to meditate outside.

    As she went in the bath, she caught her own reflection on the water. It was a girl, no older than 5, with dark blue hair and brown eyes. She had a bit of a round face and dimples, but it only made her look very cute.

    She looked out the window where moonlight shined through and gave a worried sigh. ¡°I hope sister and father are alright.¡± Even though she was the one poisoned, she didn¡¯t know if her family was targeted as well and could only worry.

 Chapter 9

    ¡°What a great bath!¡±

    She came out refreshed and happy. She breathed in the cool night air outside and stretched out her limbs.

    Relic saw the happy smile on the ¡®girl¡¯s¡¯ face and it instantly warmed his heart.

    ¡°Was the bath enjoyable?¡± he asked

    .¡±En!¡± she nodded.

    ¡°Your father is busy right now, so I¡¯m unable to communicate with him at this moment. I will try again in the morning and we will see how things will be handled then.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ok¡± She did not even suspect Relic was lying and took it as the truth. Nothing he has done so far made her think of him as anything less than what he said he was.

    ¡°I think it is time for bed, come, I will lead you to your bed.¡±

    Pascal followed Relic back to the house towards the only bed.

    ¡°Uncle, there is only one bed here!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this bed will be yours.¡±

    ¡°What about you, uncle?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on the floor right next to you.¡±

    Hearing that, she made a worried expression.

    ¡°Uncle, I can¡¯t possible take this bed. This is your home and I¡¯m only a guest, you are also very old, I can¡¯t possible let you sleep on the floor.¡±

    Relic¡¯s countenance instantly fell. ¡°Old! In terms of average mortals I¡¯m definitely old, but my image should only be that of the average 20 year old! ¡°

    ¡°Pascal, you should know this uncle is only 26 this year. I¡¯m definitely not old!¡±

    ¡°But that is still 20 years older than me, if that is not old, then are you young?¡±

    His expression got worse. ¡°What kind of logic is that!¡±

    ¡°To a 5 year old, a 26 year time period was definitely a very long time. To her, he was already alive for a very long time, and her dad always told her she must respect her elders.

    ¡°But I¡­.¡±

    ¡°You see¡­.¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­.¡±

    Relic couldn¡¯t think of anything to refute her as he couldn¡¯t apply regular logic to her statement.

    ¡°Good, good, even though your table manners are atrocious, I see your father still taught you to at least respect your elders.¡± He spoke in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

    Pascal instantly became embarrassed. Her eating was definitely without any manners or etiquette. If her dad had been here, he would definitely punish her.

    ¡°Uncle, that¡¯s¡­..¡±

    He saw her face turn slightly red and gave a hearty laugh. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m just teasing. You are only a child, what manners do you need? Although uncle is a lot older than you, I¡¯m still very sturdy. You are very young, and have also been poisoned; the only person suited for this bed is you.¡±

    She was too embarrassed to refute and nodded in agreement.

    Entering the bed,she fell into a deep slumber almost immediately.

    Relic laid on the floor, pondering on what his next steps were. ¡°What should I say? I can¡¯t keep her here forever, she will miss her family. And what if she asks to speak to her father, I have no reason to deny her.¡±

    He was worried on what his next steps were. Although she was just a child, one slip up could mean exposing the entire lie.

    The night passed by fast and the sun had already been up for a couple of hours.

    She woke up stretching her limbs and basked her body in the sun light shining through the window.

    ¡°Good morning Pascal.¡± She turned to see Relic who was sitting on the table drinking tea.

    ¡°Good morning uncle Relic.¡± She happily replied. ¡°Has my father contacted you?¡±

    ¡°He has, and we have discussed that it would be too dangerous for you to return right now.¡± He gave her a very solemn look. ¡°Your father has a lot of enemies. However, he is very powerful and they are unable to harm him. That is why they targeted you instead. Thankfully, your father was able to get to you before they made off with you, but at that point you were already poisoned. Currently, your father is still unsure who it was that poisoned you and so we both agreed it would be better for you to stay here, just until we are sure your poison has no major negative effects.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­. Is my sister safe at least?¡± She asked worriedly.

    ¡°This girl¡­.¡±

    Relic hated her older sister as she was part of the reason why Pascal eventually turned her back on him. Yet, at this age she still cared for her sister like they were the best of friends.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Yes¡­. Your father said it was only you that was targeted.¡±

    She felt relieved.

    ¡°Your father also said that it would be best if you both do no keep in contact. He is worried enemies may employ a tracking treasure to pin point our location.¡±

    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t see or be able to speak with father or sister for a very long time?¡± Her eye¡¯s seemed to carry a lonely expression.

    ¡°Yes, but this town we are located at is a pretty fun place. Everyone here is very friendly and the food here is great!¡±

    ¡°En!¡± She loved her dad but he was a bit strict and would tell her to only focus on cultivation. In her entire 5 years of life, she had stayed in the sect. Now she could go to a new place to meet new people!

    ¡°Come, let us go for breakfast.¡± He took Pascal¡¯s hands and together they treaded down the hill.

    Walking through town, many people greeted Bao Liu and Pascal.

    ¡°My, my, Pascal, is that you? You are looking great!¡± A middle aged lady came over from her food cart and stared at her.

    ¡°Umm, hello auntie.¡± Pascal didn¡¯t know why this lady knew her but she tried to be polite.

    ¡°Auntie?¡± Now the middle age lady was confused. Pascal was obviously a lot older than her, why did she call her auntie? However, the middle aged lady did not take it to heart as Pascal was very old and no one would fault her for misplacing words..

    ¡°Pascal, I don¡¯t know what changed since yesterday, but you look 5 years younger! Tell me your secret, okay?¡±

    It was Pascal¡¯s turn to be shocked. Wasn¡¯t she just 5? If she was 5 years younger, that would mean she was 0! Just as she was about to open her mouth, Relic suddenly shouted.

    ¡°Miss Hou, do you mind if I have a few words in private?¡± He dragged the middle aged lady forcefully to the side while Pascal stood in the middle of the street confused.

    ¡°Mister Astor, is there a problem?¡± she was slightly frightened as this was the first time she had seen him be so forceful.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid my grandmother has had an accident and lost some of her memory.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear! How serious is it?¡± She had a genuinely worried expression.

    ¡°Her body is fine but her mind is not. She currently believes that she is a child of 5 years and does not remember anyone.¡±

    The middle aged lady was shaken. She turned to Pascal and gave her a sad looking expression.

    Pascal tilted her head in confusion. Seeing that, the lady confirmed what Relic had said.

    ¡°Very sad, how can I help?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I would appreciate it if you can treat her as if it was the first time you have met. Also, it would be helpful if you think of her as no more than just 5 years old.¡± He was just about to turn away when he suddenly remembered something important. ¡°Ah, also please act as if I¡¯m her uncle.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± She nodded sternly.

    ¡°Ah, sweetie, auntie here was just playing a joke! Your uncle has already mentioned you to me and I thought it would be funny to mess around a little, please don¡¯t take auntie¡¯s joke too serious.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    ¡°Good girl, here, have a chicken skewer.¡± She handed Pascal a skewer from her cart.

    ¡°Wah, thank you!¡± Pascal happily accepted.

    The lady smiled wryly at the old grandmother acting like a 5 year old child.

    The two soon waved good bye to the lady but not before Relic whispered something to the Lady.

    ¡°Please help me spread this message around town.¡±

    The lady nodded in agreement.

    The town wasn¡¯t too big, maybe only 10 thousand people lived here. Thus, news of Pascal spread very quickly.

    The two soon reached the restaurant Relic and Pascal had eaten at every morning for the past few years.

    Inside, there were a mass of children who were looking at Relic.

    ¡°Uncle Relic, are you going to continue the story of how you saved the people of Ice back Mountain or the one where you robbed the hidden treasure from the king of the woods?¡± asked one of the little boys.

    Relic gave a smile to the children surrounding him and told them to wait and see. However, just as he was about to sit down at their regular table the manager of the restaurant shouted at them.

    ¡°Relic, Granny Pascal! You guys are here late, all the kids have been waiting for a long time!¡° The manager was pleasantly walking towards them but Relic quickly dragged him to the side.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the two returned and the manager stared at Pascal and said, ¡°Ah little Pascal, it¡¯s truly been a long time. I think I haven¡¯t seen you since you were but a baby.¡±

    ¡°Uncle knows me?¡± She asked surprisingly.

    ¡°Indeed, back then, your uncle Relic brought you here to eat while your father was dealing with other issues. Naturally, when I saw you, you were the cutest baby I have ever seen! Truly, you turned out to be a beautiful girl.¡±

    ¡°En, Thanks Uncle!¡± She was quite happy. Although she was 5, her dad made her and her sister focus of cultivation, so she never was able to talk to many people. However, now she was getting to meet a lot of people and they were always complementing her. She couldn¡¯t help but put on a bright smile.

    At the same time, Relic was going through the crowds explaining the situation to the parents who would then restrain their kids from speaking out.

    Relic let out a breath of relief as he finally sat down at the table. They ordered their usual breakfast which Pascal enjoyed very much, and Relic continued to tell his stories. Her eye glowed intensely from the amazing adventures Relic had experienced, and before long, Relic stopped his story and all the kids¡¯ moaned displeasure.

    The two walked through the town where Pascal continued to meet new and interesting people. Ever since they walked out of the restaurant, he no longer needed to explain the situation as everyone had already heard about it. They all knew Relic and Pascal over the years and had no problem adjusting themselves to the new situation.

    By the time they walked back up the hill the sun had already begun to set.

    Their routine finished up and soon, Pascal was in bed.

    ¡°Pascal, we will begin your cultivation training tomorrow. Your poison is undetectable and I have no real way to cure it. Thus, it would be better if we can make you strong enough to resist the poison by yourself. ¡±

    ¡°En, okay.¡° Her face suddenly had an expression as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

    ¡°Pascal, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯ve been thinking about Uncle¡¯s story from this morning. I was wondering if you could finish it.¡± She asked shyly.

    ¡°Haha, of course, I only stop the story because if I didn¡¯t, the children would never let me go. If it is for Little Pascal then I can finish it completely.¡±

    ¡°Yay! Daddy never reads me stories, and mommy hasn¡¯t read me stories since she left.¡±

    ¡°Left?¡±

    Relic just realized that he didn¡¯t know anything about her mother as she never told him about it. However, it was a secondary issue and so he ignored it.

    Relic recounted his story from the beginning and Pascal slowly drifted to sleep.

    He stared at her sleeping face. Although to others, it was old and unpleasing to look at, he stared at her as if she was the most important person in the world.

    ¡°Master, I will find out who did this to you and I will destroy their entire clan and anyone who was involved!¡±

    His eye¡¯s beamed with rage. This entire time, he forced the thought of revenge to the back of his mind. His greatest concern was his master, and he was not willing to leave her even for a second. However, now that her dantian was fixed and she would be cultivating more regularly, he would be able to go find clues on what truly happened while he was gone.

    His head shifted towards the direction of the Thunder Storm sect. Murderous intent radiated outwards from the hut. Spirit beasts with sensitive sense all whimpered in fear and ran away as fast as possible. Those who did not sense it still felt a chilling aura down their spine and shivered.

 Chapter 10

    There were two reasons why Relic wanted to restore his master''s dantian. The first was that he wanted to help strengthen her body.Years of neglect had left her with a broken body, which without the help of the medicinal baths, caused her pain everyday.

    The second reason was that he wanted her to live a longer life. As long as she had a completed dantian she could always cultivate again even if she was old. They could then continue to live together for a long time and enjoy each other''s company.

    ¡°Pascal, can you show me your cultivation method?¡±

    ¡°En¡±

    She cultivated a fairly advanced cultivatipon method called the 7 divine lightning manual. It consisted of seven stances, which when done quick enough, flows like a streak of lightning. Although it was not an exclusive method within the the Thunder storm sect, it was only permitted to those who contributed great merit within the sect.

    She stood still as the breeze on top of the hill passed through her hair. Her face was tranquil and serene like an undisturbed pond. Slowly, she began to move from one stance to the next. Faster and faster, until the movement looked like a flow of lightning. Energy began to swirl around her. Every stance increased the swirl of energy surrounding her. As she entered a meditative state a resounding sound rang out.

    Booom!

    ¡°Wah!¡±

    Pascal jumped in surprise.

    The inital stage of cultivation in a person''s journey to cultivation is called the Qi gathering realm. To truly begin ones journey, one had to grasp an etheral thread from the heavens. These threads dangled from the heavens and attached themselves to everything around the world from rocks, trees, people, the sky, almost everywhere.

    As one cultivates they will begin to be able to sense these threads and grasp them. When a cultivator grasps onto a thread they must guide it towards their dantian which then forms a bridge, connecting the individual to the heavens. Cultivation allows the energy from the heavens to flow into your body and towards your dantian.

    With good talent, one would naturally be able to draw in the energy of the heavens faster than others. Cultivation methods allowed one to begin their journey by allowing them to see the heavenly threads. However, after that, different methods allowed cultivators to draw in different types of energies from the heavens.

    Cultivating the 7 divine lightning manual will allow cultivators to draw in energy essence of lightning and connects the cultivator to the Dao of Lightning.

    This is why it is very important to choose the correct sect to enter at a young age so that their talents and affinity will be maximized.

    Pascal had already grasped the heavenly thread and is considered to be in the Qi gather realm. In the Qi gathering realm she would then continuously absorb the energy from the heavens until it fills up her dantian entirely.

    Back in the sect, she had always cultivated diligently but was always merely at the Qi gathering realm. The process was long and boring and at times it seemed like it would take months for her to break through. Thus she did not expect to break through almost immediately after she began cultivating.

    ¡°How did this happen?¡±she said in disbelief.

    She had just broken through to the Soulless warrior realm!

    Even Relic was quite surprised. A large reason for her fast cultivation should be because she originally had an above average talent in cultivation, coupled with the fact that she had constant medicinal baths. It would be no suprise if she was capable of cultivating faster than regular people. However, even if it was that, Relic thought it was too fast. In fact her old age should have counteracted some of the effect of the medicinal bath, making her cultivation slower.

    "Is it because I used my spiritual root to supplement her dantian?"

    ¡°Continue.¡± He spoke quickly.

    Pascal continued to cultivate once more. After a few moments a second boom happened breaking into stage two of the soulless warrior realm.

    This time they both jumped in surprise at the rate of her explosive cultivation.

    ¡°Uncle¡­. Am I a genius?¡± She turned and asked Relic. Her eyes radiating with happiness.

    ¡°O-of course, I would say you are a genius that comes along every hundred¡­ no, every thousand years.¡± He spoke proudly.

    ¡°Really!¡± Her eyes sparkled

    ¡°Yes, when you return to the sect, you will probably be the center of envy of everyone!¡±

    Her smile radiated an aura that could make anyone happy. Her body also seemed to have rejuvenated slightly. Her back straightened out slightly, her skin was tighter than before. She still looked like an average elderly grandma but it was undeniable she was on the more youthful side.

    At this moment Pascal was jumping for joy. To her, every sect had their own group of geniuses. However, she was now a genius among geniuses. No one could bully her and she would receive all the attention from her father.

    ¡°Now father will be proud of me just like sister!¡± she was genuinely elated.

    ¡°Pascal!¡± His shout made her stop her spouts of excitement.

    ¡°Although you are a genius, you must remember to continue to cultivate hard. I have traveled very far and have seen countless geniuses waste their talents because they lacked the resolve to cultivate diligently. It is fine to be excited of your progress but you must never lose yourself in it.¡± His reprimand resonated with her soul. She took in the words spoken by Relic seriously and calmed herself.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Her position shifted back to her beginning stance and she continued cultivating the 7 divine lightning manual.

    In mere minutes she broke through to the third stage, however, this time she continued to cultivate without stopping.

    At half of the hour, she broke through the fourth stage.

    After two hours the fifth stage was broken through.

    As night came, she broke through the sixth stage.

    At this time she opened her eyes and a big grin was smeared on her face.

    ¡°Uncle, I just broke through the sixth stage!¡±

    ¡°Mn, you did well.¡± He said so calmly but in his heart he was shocked beyond words. "At this rate, reaching master¡¯s old rank will probably take less than 15 years!."

    He was excited about her progress. As her cultivation raised so too did her longevity. His greatest wish was for his master to live a long and happy life, and with a powerful cultivation, she could do exactly that!

    ¡°Okay, Okay, you have been cultivating all day. Go take a bath and then join me for dinner.¡±

    Pascal nodded and only now noticed that she was covered in layers upon layers of black sticky substance. This black substance was the result of the many years of harmful substances put in her body. It would be hard to pinpoint exactly what contributed to this great amount of black substance, but at this point, neither Pascal nor Relic cared.

    The soulless warrior realm used to be called the cleansing realm. It has 9 stages with each stage, the Qi in her body will flush out her body of harmful substances. It was also called the 9 heavenly rotations as every stage she broke through will result in her body being cleansed on a deeper level. The reason the realm was now called the soulless warrior realm was because of the sheer number of people in this realm. Those in this realm were not incredibly powerful and were only slightly stronger than regular people. If enough mortals surrounded a cultivator in this realm, they could still win over the cultivator.

    That was why instead of being called cultivators, they were sometimes regarded as cannon fodder. When war broke out between countries or sects, these people will almost surely be in the front lines.

    She rushed into the bath house, ripping her clothes off instead of taking them off.

    The sound of the caked on clothes made heavy sounds as they dropped on the floor. Undoubtedly, her body had great amounts of impurities and after cultivating, these impurities were finally ejected out of her body.

    She jumped into the water where a huge splash was made. The water almost instantly turned black and continued to turn darker as she rubbed off the impurities off her skin.

    Relic chuckled at the scene as he cleared out remnants of the clothes and left out a new set of clothes.

    ....

    ¡°Fuwaa, what a great bath!¡± Pascal felt like her body had under gone a complete transformation.

    Her outward appearance had changed drastically. Her liver spots were almost gone, her scars were faint, her skin no longer sagged excessively. Even her hair was now shoulder length. If one were to look at her now, they would probably guess her age was around the 60s. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say she would get quite a bit attention from elderly gentlemen.

    Without a pause, she sat down at the dinner table and began to pig out.

    Seeing her like this made Relic''s heart became quite warm and her genuine smile has been a consistent uplift to his mood.

    ¡°Pascal, you have worked quite hard today and have exceeded even my expectations! I will let you decide any reward you want.¡±

    She immediately stopped eating and her eyes glistened as she turned to face Relic. If it were her father, he would probably made her continue cultivating endlessly and without rest.

    ¡±Really! Any?!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Then, will uncle buy me a spirit beast dog?¡±

    Hethought for a moment. A spirit beast dog was quite popular with families. They were loyal and they loved to play with kids. Most parents will have at least once in their parenthood, been begged for one by their children.

    ¡°Mn, alright! We will go buy one tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Yay, Uncle is the best!¡± She jumped up and gave him a hug. Their meeting had been very brief, but for Pascal, she felt extremely close to Relic despite not knowing him for long. In fact, her trust in him was probably only a little less than that of her father.

    They finished their dinner and slept but not before Relic recounted one of his adventures.

    ....

    Morning came and the two treaded down the hill as they have always done.

    ¡°Mister Astor, Pasc¡­¡­.¡± The middle aged lady standing by her chicken skewer cart called out to the two people she normally sees walking through town. However, she cut her greeting short as soon as she saw Pascal.

    ¡°Ah, hello Miss Hou¡­.. wait what?¡± This time it was the middle aged lady that dragged Relic to the side.

    ¡°Pascal, sweetie, be a dear and wait for us grownups to finish talking." She said as she dragged Relic to the side.

    ¡°Mister Astor, why does Pascal look so young?! She looks 15 years younger!¡±

    ¡°Ah, well you see¡­.¡± Relic began to sweat. It seemed he was constantly making up stories left and right.

    ¡°You see, granny had a very fortuitous encounter!¡±

    ¡°What kind of Fortuitous encounter?! ¡± She asked intently.

    ¡°A couple days ago, as we were having dinner, we heard a knock at the door. At the door was wanderer who was asking for some food. At the time, I thought I would do a good deed and invited him in to have dinner with us. Who would have guessed he was a mighty cultivator!¡±

    She nodded fiercely as he told his story.

    ¡°After dinner, he said that he saw granny had potential in cultivation he had not seen in the hundred years that he has been cultivating. Thus, he decided to take her in as a disciple and began to teach her cultivation. Within a few hours, grandma Pascal broke through several ranks, and increased her longevity which is why she looks so much younger now!¡±

    The middle aged lady looked in surprise but also disappointment.

    ¡°Ah, I see, I thought you were able to find some beauty cream that makes old ladies young again.¡±

    She walked towards Pascal. ¡°Pascal, I¡¯m very happy for you.¡± She proceeded to give her a hug.

    Pascal was kind of confused as why this chicken auntie gave her a hug. Maybe she heard of her great advancements through cultivation? She decided to accept the compliment and said, ¡°En, Thanks Auntie!¡±

    The two waved the lady good bye as they headed towards their favourite restaurant to eat breakfast. Upon entering, everyone was stunned to see Pascal. The changes of her outer appearance were too different for people not to notice.

    Almost immediately, women of all ages were rushing to ask Pascal on how she achieved such miraculous results!

    ¡°OH, I FORGOT, WE SHOULD GET TO THE SPIRIT BEAST SHOP EARLY SO THAT WE CAN GET THE BEST DOG!¡±

    Relic grabbed Pascal¡¯s hands and rushed out without saying anything to the charging women. The two ran so fast many of the spectators were stunned to see such an old lady out running a group of younger women.

    Of course, that had a lot to do with the fact she was now at the sixth stage of the soulless warrior realm.

    ¡°Uncle Astor, why are the people here always acting so strange?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­. It¡¯s because everyone wants to be Pascal¡¯s friend!¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± her mood shifted upwards

    ¡°Really!¡± he said with an awkward smile.

    ¡°Come, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to get a beast dog?¡±

    Her eye¡¯s glistened as she took Relic''s hands and headed towards the spirit beast shop.

    At the shop there were a variety of spirit beasts. Red-eyed demon monkey, spirit jaded turtle, crystal apocalypse peacock, many of which would make newer cultivators drool. However, Relic did not recommend any of these to Pascal. He kept completely silentand allowed her to pick whatever she wanted.

 Chapter 11

    ¡°Uncle, I want this one.¡± She was holding a weak looking baby red mastiff. Its movements were slow and it seemed to barely have its eyes open, but it managed to give several licks to Pascal¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you wait outside while I pay for it.¡± He took the dog and rubbed her head.

    ¡°Ok!¡±

    Outside, Pascal waited patiently in front of the shop when a red ball happened to roll by her feet. She picked up the ball and saw a small boy coming towards her.

    ¡°May I have the ball back?¡± he asked.

    She stared across the street to see a group of children playing on the streets.

    ¡°Can I play?¡± She asked

    ¡°How can you play with us when you are so old.¡±

    ¡°What! I¡¯m not old, I¡¯m only 5!¡±

    ¡°Maybe 500, even my grandma looks younger than you!¡± Without explaining any further he took the ball from Pascal¡¯s hands and returned to the group of kids.

    ¡­.

    ¡­.

    "Woo...Woo"

    "Woo...Woo"

    Relic heard Pascal crying and instantly appeared in front of her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong! What happened!¡± He frantically searched her body to see if she was injured. Upon seeing there were no injuries he breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Uncle¡­. A¡­.ball¡­..rolled¡­towards¡­me....and¡­.I...asked¡­if¡­I could¡­ play¡­ with¡­them¡­and¡­one¡­of¡­the¡­boys¡­said...I¡­.can¡¯t¡­because....I¡¯m¡­too¡­old, older¡­than¡­his¡­grandma!¡±

    Pascal cried after every word.

    Relic glared at the kids playing on the street. As the ball was being tossed it suddenly popped and all the kids screamed in shock.

    ¡°Pascal, I was going to wait until you¡¯re a little older to tell you this, but I guess I should tell it to you now.¡±

    She held back her crying, hoping to hear words of comfort from her uncle

    ¡°You see, when a boy likes a girl or when they think a girl is very cute, they can¡¯t help themselves but to tease them. When they are young they do not know how to be direct which is why you see many girls frustrated at boys at times.¡±

    ¡°Then he called me old because he thinks I¡¯m cute?¡± Her tears seemed to stop as she gave a pitiful stare at Relic.

    ¡°Of course! There is no other answer but that!¡±

    ¡°Does uncle think I''m cute?¡±

    ¡°The cutest girl I have ever seen even in all my life! But, if you continue to cry I may find you to be only the second cutest girl I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    She immediately wiped her tears and gave him a hug.

    Thump...Thump...

    His heart raced and his face redened.

    "What is this...Why do I suddenly feel different...¡°

    He felt infinitely closer to his master now than when he had ever been. Before, he knew her as an strong, kind, and elegant women. Never had he seen her depend on others or get too close to others.

    Now, this was her true and unrestrained self, and he found that it made her all the more precious.

    He quickly shook his head.

    "If you ever want to play, you should come to uncle. Unless... you don¡¯t want to play with me¡­¡± he gave a seemingly sad face.

    ¡°No! Uncle is the best, I will always choose uncle first!¡± a grin appeared on his face when he heard her words.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure this little guy also really wants to play with you.¡± He suddenly took out the small mastiff he had just bought.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Her eye lit up and immediately cuddled with the dog.

    They returned to the restaurant where Relic was quick to explain the situation. The women all sighed dejectedly and returned to their seats. Thankfully, these women did not know the difficulties for cultivators to even have break throughs in such a short amount of time.

    As time went on, Pascal continued enjoying life as a happy little girl. She would cultivate for around a quarter of the day before spending the rest of the day either playing with the dog and Relic, or doing things in the town.`

    ....

    Two weeks went by in a flash. At this moment Relic was giving Pascal congratulatory words.

    ¡°You truly are a genius among geniuses! Within two weeks you broke into the Foundation realm! Congratulations! ¡°

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a big celebration tonight. What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Actually, Uncle, I¡¯m feeling a bit tired. I think I want to just go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Oh..., Ok, have a good sleep.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s odd, shouldn¡¯t she have been jumping with joy having broken through so fast?¡±

    Her going to bed so early was definitely an odd change from her usual excited self. However, he shook the thought out of his head. In truth, breaking through so fast wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. There were bound to be negative side effects and he quickly sumised that this was one of them.

    No longer thinking about it, he began to mediate while facing towards the town on the small hill.

    Night passed and the morning came and went and during the afternoon, Relic began to grow worried. He checked her vitals but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

    A day passed and he checked in on her in intervals. There were no signs that she would wake up but everything else was still fine. He decided to wait a couple more days before deciding to take any drastic measures.

    The second day passed uneventufully.

    On the third day, Pascal opened her eyes. Relic, who was sitting beside her bed was ecstatic.

    ¡°Pascal, How are you feeling?¡±

    She blinked confusedly at Relic.

    ¡°U-Uncle? Are you my Uncle Astor???¡±

    Relic''s mind reeled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me her memories have shifted again!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, it is me. Pascal,how are you?¡±

    He made sure to ask questions that wouldn¡¯t make her confused.

    ¡°My head¡­. I feel a bit dizzy.¡±

    Her speech no longer sounded like a kid, but that of a young woman.¡±

    She looked around to see an empty hut which carried nothing more than a bed and an exquisite table.

    ¡°Uncle, did my poison act up again?¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me what you last remember?¡±

    She didn¡¯t think this was a weird question. She was positive she was in the city a moment ago, but now she was here.

    ¡°I was participating in the legacy tournament. I think my name was called to fight and then suddenly nothing. Then I woke up here.¡±

    ¡°Her memories are returning! Does this mean that every time she breaks through a new realm she will get back a portion of her memories?!¡±

    His heart began to race. This was one of the most exciting news he had heard in a very long time. Didn¡¯t this mean his master will return soon?

    However, Relic suddenly thought of a problem. How could she remember him but also have a set of her past memories? Wouldn¡¯t the two memories contradict each other?

    ¡°I want to ask you a question and I want you to answer my question first.¡±

    Although she was still in a daze she nodded affirmatively.

    ¡°You remember our time together right?¡±

    ¡°Of course! My times with Uncle are one of my happiest moments in my life.¡±

    ¡°What about after? Do you remember how you returned to your sect?¡±

    She thought for a moment before she said, ¡°I don¡¯t really remember how I got back to my sect. My earliest memory would probably be when I was 9 and people were congratulating me for breaking through the Foundation realm. ¡±

    Suddenly she titled her head in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s weird, why would they congratulate me at the age of 9 when I was able to break through when I was 5?¡±

    ¡°Ah, It¡¯s the poison!¡± He quickly said. ¡°It seems this poison is more deadly than we thought. It activates randomly and makes you forget moments in your life!¡±

    Her face instantly paled.

    ¡°Such deadly poison! Uncle, have you been able to find a cure?!¡± she asked panicky

    Relic gave a defeated shake.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, although I¡¯m known as a genius doctor, the poison is beyond my understanding.¡±

    Pascal gripped her bed sheets and tears began to fall.

    ¡°This poison¡­. Will I ever be rid of it?!¡±

    ¡°You will! I believe as long as you continue to cultivate hard you will eventually rid this poison yourself!¡± He tried to comfort her.

    ¡°¡­¡­.En, thank you, uncle¡± She gave a half-hearted smile.

    Suddenly she heard a sound from the outside.

    Woof¡­Woof

    A small dog came rushing in. Although it was very young, it was able to jump onto the bed and licked Pascal¡¯s face.

    ¡°Shiro!¡±

    The dog happily licked her face as if it wanted to make up for the days she had been unconscious.

    ¡°How can this be... shiro why are you still so tiny?¡±

    The tiny dog did not understand what his master was saying and only continued to lick her face.

    ¡°Pascal,¡± Relic suddenly became solemn. ¡°There is a secret I must tell you which you must never tell anyone else. If you do, you will put many people in danger!¡±

    ¡°Uncle¡­..¡± she took a gulp.

    ¡°This town that you lived when you were little. You see, this is a magical town that is protected by a very powerful cultivator!¡±

    She let out a gasp.

    ¡°Yes, this cultivator had set up a powerful formation which allows its inhabitants to age at a vastly slower rate than those outside of this town. As for the reason why he did this, even I do not know.¡±

    Hesaid as calmly as he could but inside he was sweating by the buckets. Her mind was now older than her na?ve 5 year old self, and he wasn¡¯t sure if she would continue to fall for his lies.

    ¡°Wow, amazing!¡± she exclaimed

    ¡°Success!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already talked to your father. We¡¯ve agreed that you will stay here until you break through into the next realm.¡±

    ¡°OK!¡±

    She became unusually happy. Her time with her uncle was vastly different from when she is spending time in the sect with her family. She cares for her father but she knew he only really cared for her sister. Her sister had extraordinary talent and unparalleled affinity to cultivate the sect¡¯s secret arts. While her sister received praise, she would receive criticism.

    However, suddenly she gaped in shock.

    ¡°My cultivation! Why is it at the initial level of the Foundation realm?!¡±

 Chapter 12

    Her head spun and she felt as if she wanted to puke. It had been drilled in her that cultivation was the most important thing in the world. Those who cannot cultivate might as well be useless trash.

    ¡°Pascal!¡±

    Just as tears were about to burst out, Relic suddenly called for her.

    ¡°Uncle¡­..¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to sad about? I¡¯m guessing the poison must have lowered your cultivation, but who cares? You are a genius among geniuses! Not even your father can call himself a genius in front of you! You will be able to get back to where you were in no time!¡± His words carried a sense of confidence and reassurance.

    Her heart slightly calmed, but her face did not let up.

    ¡°Uncle¡­.I¡¯m not a genius! I don¡¯t know how I advanced so fast when I was small but when I returned back to the sect my rate of cultivation became a lot slower. At most, I was only moderately faster than those of the same age.¡±

    ¡°Bullshi*t, if you are not a genius then I must a cripple incapable of even cultivating! Pascal, right now you are at the Initial stage of the foundation realm. I can guarantee if you were to cultivate right now, you can reach the second stage of the foundation realm within a couple of days!¡±

    His words of encouragement gave her a sense of security. She knew he was only saying such things to make her feel better, but the odd thing was, it worked.

    ¡°En, Thank you Uncle Astor.¡±

    ¡°Good, we should go eat, you must be hungry.¡±

    She nodded as her stomach suddenly growled and her face turned slightly red.

    The two treaded down the hill with a small pup in her arms.

    ¡°Uncle, I was curious about something.¡±

    ¡°Hm, what is it?¡±

    ¡°When I was back at the sect, I realized that my father never talks about you or even asked about you to me. Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Do you know who your father¡¯s master is?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t talk to me about those things.¡±

    ¡°Well, you see, we were both disciples of a great master back when we were youths. Your father was the second disciple of our master while I was the third. Our master¡¯s first disciple was a person of great strength and unrivaled in the heavens. We both admired him greatly. Eventually, he left us in search of adventure and chose to travel the world.¡±

    Relic gave a look as if he was reminiscing of the past. Though, he was actually utilizing his brain as fast as possible in order to make up the next portion of his story.

    ¡°As the second disciple, your father thought he would inherit master¡¯s legacy before following the same path as first brother. Unfortunately for him, I showed much greater talent in training in master¡¯s legacy and so master passed on the legacy to me. After that, we split ways and I believe he has held a grudge for me since then.

    However, even though he feels that way, he cannot deny that I¡¯m a genius doctor capable of healing any illness in the world! This is why he left you with me.¡±

    He gave a smile to Pascal.

    ¡°Wow, so you are even stronger than father?!¡± Her tone suddenly turned to one of admiration.

    ¡°Well, if we were to have a battle to the death I could not guarantee who would win, but in terms of general strengths, I would say I come out at top!¡± He then stopped walking and turned to Pascal and said, ¡°Pascal, you are even greater than your father. One day you will have no problems surpassing him at all.¡±

    Her heart felt warm. Although, there were many people in the sect that would praise her for her cultivation feats, it always felt hollow to her. Her father, on the other hand, never truly praised her and only compared her to her sister. The praise she received from Relic was something new to her and made her indescribably happy.

    ¡°En.¡± She nodded shyly

    The two continued on their usual path to eat breakfast at their favourite restaurant.

    ¡°Paassccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalll!¡± a loud roar could be heard in front of them. A middle aged lady came running toPascal with sparkles in her eyes.

    ¡°Honey¡­ your skin, your hair, your body! You look at least 25 years younger!¡±

    ¡°Dammit, Dammit, Dammit, why are these ladies so obsessed with beauty?!¡± Relic was cursing in his heart. He kept under estimating the loud mouths of these women and thought they were going to only give a small greeting.

    ¡°Hello, auntie, you are looking very young yourself.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to mind the statement the middle aged lady made. As she recalled, everyone in this town had a very odd way of speaking and now that she was older, she just accepted it as being such.

    ¡°I always knew cultivation could increase your longevity and keep a person young, but to do so to this extent.¡± She gave a dejected sigh. ¡°You even seem to be a lot more mature now! Hmm, do you think an old lady like me is suited for cultivation as well?¡± She laughed knowing that her question was to be rejected.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Of course, cultivation is not reserved for the young, it is for everyone. Anyone who seeks out the truth of the universe is capable of cultivation!¡±

    The old lady suddenly had an excited look on her face. ¡°Then how would someone like me learn?!¡±

    ¡°All you need is diligence and hard work, as well as a basic cultivation manual which can be found anywhere. Actually, I think I carry one with me¡­..¡±

    She looked at her bare finger which no longer carried a spatial ring.

    Seeing this, Relic suddenly panicked.

    ¡°Ah, I also have a copy, Miss Hou, please take this!¡± He quickly took out a Manuel from his spatial ring and gave it to the excited lady.

    ¡°We mustn¡¯t keep the kids waiting, until next time.¡± Relic took Pascal¡¯s hands and then walked fast as they waved good bye to the lady.

    ¡°Uncle, what happened to my spatial ring?¡±

    ¡°Your father was worried the people who originally targeted you would be able to find you if you carried a ring of the Thunder storm sect. So we decided that the ring will be left at the sect while you lived as a normal girl here.¡± Relic was becoming increasing good at coming up with stories on the spot.

    ¡°Oh, ok¡±

    Thankfully, she still believed his stories.

    At this moment, Relic was feeling rather regretful.

    ¡°ah, the legacy left by the heaven sunder sect¡­..¡±

    There were many different training manuals one could study to begin their journey on the path of cultivation. Obviously, some were better than others, while some were required to be learnt first so that secret techniques could be learned.

    The Heaven sunder manual was something Relic had found in the ruins of an ancient sect. Although he could not learn from it, it was essentially a priceless manual that linked one to the ancient sect¡¯s secret arts. Not even top tier sects would necessarily be able to afford it if he sold it!

    However, he had just given such a manual to a mortal lady! If the ancestors of the Heaven sunder sect knew about this they would be turning in their graves!

    They walked to the restaurant, where all the kids were waiting impatiently to hear Relic¡¯s stories. Pascal saw the many familiar faces and felt warm inside.

    However, suddenly a barrage of women came out to speak with Pascal.

    ¡°Pascal, how did you become so young?!¡±

    ¡°You look younger than even my mom!¡±

    ¡°If people didn¡¯t know better, they would probably think we were sisters!¡±

    Middle aged women surrounded the two, and bombarded the now younger looking Pascal with constant questions and praise.

    ¡°Ah, aunties, this is just the result of my cultivation, as long as one meditates daily you can all achieve the same result.¡± She gave an awkward smile. In her memories, these ladies were exactly the same as she remembered. For some reason they always praised her for her looks so she naturally attributed it to her cultivation.

    Finally there was one question that made all these aunties stay silent.

    ¡°Pascal, do you think you would be willing to teach us cultivation?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    After she agreed, the women all returned to their seats with smiles on their faces while the kids gathered around Relic.

    He could only give a sigh at the events that transpired. They were just supposed to go for breakfast, how did it turn into a promise to teach cultivation?

    The two exited the restaurant and spent half a day walking through the town and recounting the days past of when she was 5. This was only a couple of days ago for Relic but with his superb acting skills, she did not suspect a thing.

    Back on the hill¡­.

    ¡°Pascal, why don¡¯t you take a bath first and then we can have dinner.¡±

    Like always, he set the bath and added medicinal ingredients to it.

    Seeing him set up the medicinal bath, she suddenly gaped in shock.

    ¡°Uncle Astor!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Pascal, what is it?¡± he asked as he continued to add in ingredients.

    ¡°1000 year old blood ginseng¡­, jade gilded chrysanthemum¡­, Bone marrow of an arcane divine beast¡­, SKIN OF THE IMMORTAL GOLD-EYED SERPENT, UNCLE STOOOOOOP!!!¡±

    She rushed forward trying to recover the ingredients that were thrown into the bath.

    ¡°Hahaha, what are you doing?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her frantic actions.

    ¡°Uncle, how could you waste such precious ingredients?! The costs of these ingredients are worth more than 500 divine lighting essence stones! That could cover the cost of using a medicinal bath every day for 10 years in our sect!¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± His tone was that of a mischievous child pretending they didn¡¯t know what they just did.

    Pascal¡¯s clothes were now soaked and in her arms were a pile of ingredients she fetched from the bath.

    ¡°Uncle, I can¡¯t let you waste such precious ingredients on a single bath for me! I...¡±

    Suddenly a thought occurred which made her shiver.

    ¡°Uncle, be honest¡­.. Did you use these ingredients when I was 5?¡±

    ¡°No¡±

    A breath of relief seemed to escape her body.

    ¡°At that time your body was too weak, so instead I used a 500 year old ginseng and substituted the bone marrow with that of a regular divine beast, as well as only using the skin of an immortal red-eyed serpent.¡±

    As if struck by lightning, she stood in place, dumb struck.

    He smiled and said, ¡°Pascal, these things are meaningless to me, mere items. To me, your health is more important to me than these items. Even if they were worth a hundred times more, I would still not hesitate to throw them in if I knew they would help you even a little. ¡±

    Tears welled up in her eyes.

    No one had ever treated her this kindly before. Not her friends, not her sister, especially not her father. It was at this moment, she placed Relic above everyone else in her heart.

    The items dropped from her hands as she dived towards Relic to give him a hug.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said weeping.

    His body froze but his heart rate accelerated. A familiar feeling arose in him as when he was hugged by her when she was still in the mind of a 5 year old.

    The two stayed silent as they hugged each other, only departing a couple moments later.

    Cough

    ¡°Anyways, you should not worry about the items used. This uncle is a genius doctor you know, and what¡¯s more, exceedingly wealthy! If I want to eat immortal beast meat then I shall have it! If I want to buy a kingdom, then, who could stop me?¡± Relic¡¯s sudden bragging immediately lightened the mood and the two began to laugh.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you at dinner.¡±

    Relic left and Pascal no longer hesitated to enter the bath.

    Outside, Relic saw the little mastiff running around, chasing its tail.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m going to need you to stay small for a while.¡± He walked up to Shiro and performed an incantation gesture. Light completely encompassed the dog who was just happily waving his tail.

    He then turned to prepare dinner.

    After she finished her bath she headed towards the hut. When she saw the meal on the table, she began to reminisce the time she ate dinner with her uncle and the meals they had.

    ¡°Uncle Astor, you always make the best food!¡±

    ¡°Mn, eat up, I made lots.¡±

    ¡°En!¡±

    Seeing her heartily eat the food he prepared was always a great scene for him to watch. Suddenly, he remembered there was a question he forgot to ask.

    ¡°Pascal, uncle¡¯s memory is bad, could you tell me how old you are now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m 15 now.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve grown to be a very beautiful lady.¡±

    Her face blushed slightly as she gave a small nod. If anyone else were to see this scene they would see a borderline middle age ¨C granny women blushing to the words of a young and handsome man.

    Night came and went the same as it always has been. The only difference was that now she was too embarrassed to have ¡®story time¡¯. She also felt a bit nervous sleeping in the same room as Relic. Back in the sect she always slept alone in her room.Though, she was secretly happy to have Relic sleep so close to her.

 Chapter 13

    The next morning came and they headed towards the restaurant like always. They did not see the chicken lady like usual so they headed straight to the restaurant.

    Inside, they were greeted by the many children who came for Relic''s stories while the parents also gave quick greetings.

    It was a nice change of pace for Relic who thought the hectic days were over.

    What they didn¡¯t realise was that at this time news was spreading about Pascal teaching cultivation.

    Soon, the whole town learned that their own Pascal would be teaching cultivation and that she wouldn''t even charge anything to learn!

    The two exited the restaurant to find a group of 60 or so people gathered outside the restaurant.

    ¡°Uncle, should I not have said anything?¡± although in her heart she was now a young women, she was still a bit nervous when she saw this huge group.

    Relicsighed.

    ¡°Pascal, even though you just came back, a promise made must be kept.¡±

    Suddenly, a middle aged lady stepped forward.

    ¡°Ai ya, Pascal, I didn¡¯t realise you were planning to teach cultivation classes. Since that¡¯s the case, I will return to you the manual you gave me and I will instead attend every single class!¡± She passed the manual to Pascal.

    She saw the strange manual and flipped through its contents with shocked eyes. ¡°What a unique manual, this method should on par if not greater than what we have at our Thunder Storm Sect!¡±

    ¡°Uncle, is it okay if I teach them this cultivation method?¡± She asked

    This was actually for the best as she was not allowed to teach what she learnt from the sect. first class sects would never release their cultivation techniques to the public and made their disciples swear to never reveal it.

    ¡°o-ok¡­.¡± He replied

    ¡°Teaching a bunch of random mortals the legacy of the heavens sunder sect? Well¡­. I guess at least this way their legacy will live on.¡± He shrugged helplessly

    The people in this town lived in a relatively unknown and peaceful town. There was nothing extraordinary in this town so there were few cultivators here that would come by for a rest along their journey. Thus, there were no sects or branches of sects that were stationed here and children who wanted to learn cultivation would have to walk great distances to major cities in order to learn.

    To learn cultivation for anyone outside a sect was truly hard. Of course, one could try their luck with buying manuals on cultivation but more often than not, those would be duds.

    The group that came to Pascal¡¯s lessons were largely formed by women and the children who they brought to accompany them. She was nervous at first but she soon found that these women were very intent on learning and did not cause her any problems.

    She would perform certain stances and moved slowly for the women to follow. Before long, morning transitioned to the afternoon and many crowds were now gathered to see a small group of women and children moving in a similar fashion.

    ¡°Ah, is this the cultivation class I¡¯ve been hearing about?¡± a voice was heard in one of the gathering crowds.

    ¡°A free class on cultivation... tsk, tsk, probably just a scam.¡± A wandering cultivator said with a sneer

    There were many criticisms coming from those who were observing this group but it wasn¡¯t filled with hostility. They lived in a world where the strong ate the weak, where secrets were closely guarded and you could only look after yourself. They just couldn¡¯t help but be doubtful that an elderly woman would be teaching any real cultivation technique.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    However, as the women and children finished their cultivation section many of them had a smile on their faces.

    ¡°Amazing, I feel like I have an endless amount of energy!¡±

    ¡°Yea, it feels like I could do anything!¡±

    ¡°Does my skin look smoother to you?¡±

    Almost instantly, the group of women were happily chatting with each other on what they were feeling. Even the children were affected and began to happily run around.

    The crowds surrounding the group became curious and began questioning the women on how they felt and were met with only positive response.

    Relic had been standing at a corner while Pascal was teaching and was thoroughly astonished at what he saw from this group.

    Others probably could not tell as they were not strong enough, but Relic was a top class expert and saw how the heavens moved and circulated around the women and children. As soon as they entered the meditative state, they were all able to quickly grasp onto a heavenly thread. None of these women had any particular talent towards cultivation yet it was as if the energy from the heaven and earth were drawn to them.

    ¡°Such a tyrannical cultivation technique! If they continue to practice they should have no problem breaking through the Qi gathering stage within a week!¡± he murmured to himself.

    It should be noted that when Pascal had taught Relic as a kid, it took him over a year to break through the Qi gathering realm. Yet, he saw it was possible for these women to advance within a week! If any sect got wind of this there would definitely going to be trouble.

    The women all surrounded Pascal and thanked her for teaching them.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you all were able to learn, but remember, cultivation is not a simple thing and requires hard work and dedication to truly benefit a person.¡± she said sternly

    ¡°Pascal, will you continue to teach classes, next time I will bring my husband as well!¡±

    ¡°Yea, yea, me too. I will also bring my brother and younger sister!¡±

    Seeing the group of excited aunties, she somewhat felt a sense of belonging and agreed to continue to teach.

    Thus, three times a week, Pascalwould begin teaching in an open space within the town and anyone was free to join in..

    Before long, news spread to the four corners of the town and even more people joined in. Wandering cultivator¡¯s thought this was a scam at first or at the very least, a very entry level cultivation technique. However, out of curiosity, some joined the class and were shocked beyond words. The cultivation technique taught was actually something much higher than what they were learning themselves. These wandering cultivators immediately abandoned their own cultivation method and began learning from Pascal as well.

    Even with teaching now in her schedule, she became extremely motivated every time she saw the happy faces on everyone¡¯s faces. People treated her with respect and gratefulness which was a new sensation to her. It felt real and completely different from the compliments she received in the sect.

    She met new people every day and felt genuine friendship with the people in this town. Alongside with Relic and Shiro, everyday felt like a perfect day to her.

    Like this, three weeks passed by and everyone in this town became connected to the cultivation technique one way or another.

    ¡­¡­

    Elsewhere, there was currently a commotion brewing between the elders and the sect master of a first class sect.

    ¡°This¡­.how can this be! We only have records of a few stances from the Ancient Sect, the Heavens sunder sect, and yet it is being practiced fully, right in front of us!¡±

    A group of elders were currently sitting around a projection crystal. The crystal was showcasing a group of people practicing the full stance of the heavens sundering sect.

    ¡°Quickly, have someone record the stances and copy it into a training manual. With this cultivation method, we will rise above any sect!¡± an elder was franticly issuing orders.

    ¡°How can we rise when everyone knows about this technique?¡± another berated.

    ¡°You, how long ago did this cultivation class start?¡± The sect master spoke to a man who was bowing on the floor.

    ¡°Sect master, this little one became aware of this because I was contacted by my cousin who was resting for his travels. He told me it was a recent development, probably only going on for less than a month.¡±

    ¡°There is still time, and it is almost certain the women teaching these classes holds the actual manual. That manual probably contains the complimentary secret technique of the heaven¡¯s sunder sect!¡±

    Instantly, all the elders were roused and their eye¡¯s turned red with greed.

    An order was spread to the inner most sect members to take on a mission. Core disciples as well as half of the elders all journeyed towards the small peaceful town.

    ¡­..

    At this moment, in a small hut, two people and a dog were eating their routine dinner.

    ¡°One month and already at the third stage of the foundation realm. At this rate, you will surpass even me, within 20 years.¡± Relic sighed.

    ¡°Uncle is so strong, how could I ever surpass you?¡± she said cutely

    ¡°Hmph, you think your compliments will always work? I see you eyeing my celestial fin tuna!¡± His chopsticks disappeared in one instant before appearing again with the beautifully sliced fillet. Without hesitation, he gobbled it up in front of the teary eyed Pascal.

    ¡°Ah, uncle is so mean!¡±

    ¡°Fooling me so many times, if I kept getting fooled, I would never eat a tasty meal again in my life!¡±

    Anyone could tell that these two had a very close relationship and the bond they created was no longer something anyone could deny.

    Suddenly, Pascal¡¯s eyes became solemn as she stared at Relic.

    ¡°Uncle, I was thinking...¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, I could stay here perman¡­..¡±

    ¡°EVERYONE LINE UP AGAINST THE WALL, ANYONE WHO DISOBEYS WILL DIE!¡±

 Chapter 14

    Her speech was cut short when suddenly a loud shout could be heard from the town.

    Screams of fear could be heard from the inhabitants to the town.

    ¡°Xi Bu, have you found that women yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet elder, but this is a pretty small town, we will find her soon.¡±

    The elder nodded. He scanned the citizens and was shocked to find a majority of them were in the soulless warrior realm. Young or old, it didn¡¯t matter, they were now all considered cultivators.

    ¡°Amazing, the lost legacy of an ancient sect is truly astounding. Thankfully we came here first. If any other sect were to obtain this cultivation technique, they would undoubtedly rise to be one of the top sects in the continent!¡±

    His amazement was not unfounded, normal mortals could never dream of breaking through the first realm without the help of a sect. Even regular sect members would take a year or two to breakthrough to this realm.

    There were people screaming and crying. The sect members were not soft in their approach and forcibly pressured people into submission.

    ¡°We are from the Raging heavens sect! We require your cooperation to find the individual who taught you how to cultivate. After that, we will release you and your town without any further damage!¡± A youth from the sect spoke.

    The citizens of this town all looked at each other and were unsure what to do.

    ¡°What do you want to do with Pascal?¡± a middle age women asked.

    ¡°Oh, so her name is Pascal? Well, after we find her we will take her back to our sect. What happens after is none of your concern."

    ¡±NO, you just want to hurt granny. Go away!¡± one of the children bravely shouted at the youth.

    The youth smiled and walked towards the child. Without hesitation he drew his sword and sliced down. The child was split perfectly in the middle. His eyes showed more anger than fear, but that was because the sword came too fast and he didn¡¯t have enough time to react.

    Instantly, others who saw this cried out. Specifically, the mother of the child, who was now holding both half¡¯s of her son.

    Tears welled in the eyes of the citizens but they all gritted their teeth. Pascal had become a part of their lives for many years now. They would not betray her so easily.

    The core disciples and the elders of the sect did not even flinch. They were going to kill everyone here anyways. Any person left alive could potentially leak out the technique of the Heavens sunder sect and they were not willing to risk that.

    ¡°Wait, wait, I know. The person who taught us this method lives on the top of that hill with her grandson!¡± A voice came out from one of the lined people.

    This person was a wandering cultivator and although he was taught the cultivation method by Pascal, he still cared for his life more.

    The hill he referred to was a green hill that over saw the entire town.

    All of the people next to the person who exposed the location stared at him with intense hate and anger. However, he looked as if he wasn¡¯t even fazed.

    The youth gave him a thanking nod and was just about to head over to that hill when sudden, a shout came from the distance.

    ¡°Stop what you are doing! This town is protected by the Thunder Storm Sect!¡± An elderly lady¡¯s voice was heard from across the town.

    All of the elder¡¯s frowned

    ¡°The Thunder storm sect¡­. although they are now an auxiliary branch, they are still a bit troublesome.¡± The elders all looked at each other.

    ¡°Who are you and what your position in the Thunder Storm Sect is!¡± one of the elders shouted.

    They didn¡¯t actually believe her. She was teaching an ancient cultivation technique that any sect would go crazy for. How could it be that the Thunder Storm Sect would allow one of its own to do such a thing?This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Pascal was now standing in front of the group of elders.

    ¡°I¡¯m the second daughter of the Sect master of the Thunder Storm Sect, Botan Isa. My name is Pascal Isa!¡±

    Everyone stilled, silence was all that remained.

    It wasn¡¯t long until laughter erupted amongst the elders.

    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s the funniest joke I have heard in a long time!¡±

    ¡°Granny, if you are going to use the name of someone from a powerful sect, you should at least do your research first!¡±

    They laughed hysterically

    ¡°ah, but that sure does back memories. Her body was like that of a goddess. I will always be thankful to that young master of that ancient clan for giving us the opportunity to enjoy her body.¡±

    Almost all the elders nodded in agreement.

    However, their eyes suddenly popped and their jaws dropped at the scene in front of them. Their surrounding was silent, and the people did not move. Not far from the town, a bird was stuck in the air, as if it was frozen mid-flight. The entire town stood still, nothing moved, nothing made a sound.

    ¡°DOMAIN!¡± they all shouted. They tried to escape but they suddenly realized their bodies would not move. Only their mouths, eye¡¯s and brain still functioned.

    ¡°I heard you have taken some liberties with my master. I wonder if you would be so kind as to share with me how that came to be.¡± A person walked through mid-air. His face was calm, and his eyes carried a calming blue colour, yet they were also like that of a demon. A murderous aura shrouded over the elders. Their entire body trembled violently. It was as if every cell in their body was screaming to run away.

    Although they screamed no one outside of their group could hear them.

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m the second daughter of the Sect master of the Thunder Storm Sect, Botan Isa. My name is Pascal Isa!¡±

    Pascalshouted, only to suddenly blink in confusion at the missing people. Before, there were cultivators all over the sky, but now they were all gone. The citizens of the town also confusingly stared at the spots where there were cultivators just a second ago.

    ¡°Pascal,¡± a voice suddenly sounded behind her.

    ¡°Uncle Astor, what happened?¡±

    ¡°The protector of the city must have acted.¡±

    ¡°ah, you mean that strong expert you mentioned before?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he spoke softly. He looked at Pascal with a look of sadness in his eyes. ¡°Pascal, I have an errand to run. Do you mind having dinner by yourself tonight?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­.ok, please take care.¡± This was the first time the two were going to be separated and they both had a sense of not wanting to be a part of each other.

    However, Relic kept his feelings in check. This attack woke him from his dream like life where he happily spent his days with his master.

    He realized his peaceful days were coming to an end because he allowed this cultivation technique to go public.

    He had to first deal with the leak of information regarding the cultivation technique of the Heavens sunder sect.

    Secondly, it was time to find out how and why his master ended up the way she did. He extracted some information from those elders but he needed confirmation.

    Without speaking any further, he waved good bye and shot off towards the Raging Heavens sect.

    Shestared at the departing figure before turning to the women crying over her lost child. She walked over to the women and tried to comfort her.

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°Sect master, everyone is dead!¡± A disciple burst through the door of the sect master¡¯s room and shouted.

    ¡°¡±Dead? What do you mean dead?

    ¡°All their jade slips are shattered!¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    The sect master rushed out of his room and proceeded towards the room which housed the jade slips. Every jade slip represented a life. When one shattered it meant the corresponding person had died.

    He saw over a 100 jade slip were shattered and instantly paled.

    ¡°Not good!¡±

    Like a flash of light, he raced outside and flew into the sky.

    He realized they had made a mistake and had provoked an expert. Although their sect was a top tier sect within their region, it definitely did not mean they could compare to those supreme and ancient sects which control several kingdoms and empires. An elder from such sects could easily destroy a sect like theirs.

    ¡°Who is it, who did we provoke!¡± He muttered to himself as he flew in the sky.

    He knew their sect was doomed and decided to just abandon it so that he could live.

    However, it was too late

    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry?¡±

    A voice echoed into his ear. His hairs stood up in fright and his teeth began to chatter.

    He was suddenly enveloped into a blue world which rendered him immobile.

    Silence once again permeated the world.

    ¡°H-How can a domain be so strong?!¡± His eyes now blood shot from fear.

    ¡°Senior, I¡¯m willing to be your servant! I promise on my life that I will never tell a living soul about the Heaven Sundering sect¡¯s legacy. Please, just spare my life.¡± He pleaded, though he could not yet see the person who activated this terrifying domain.

    ¡°Who else knows about it?¡± the terrifying voice rang out.

    ¡°Just me and the other elders left in the sect everyone else has already died by my lord''s strength.¡±

    Relic frowned unhappily. "I can''t take any chances.."

    Suddenly, mist began to form and congeal into multiple frozen spears that shot at the sect master with incredible speed.

    The spears penetrated the sect master''s body with ease and left multiple bloody holes in his body.

    His eyes popped with disbelief. Not at the fact that he was killed, but at the frozen spears which manifested out of thin air. At his last second before death he understood why this domain was so powerful and why he could not make the most minimal of struggles.

    ¡°D..ao¡­se..ee¡­ed,¡± he muttered with his last breath as his body began to freeze and subsequently shatter.

    Relicstood there momentarily. The shattered pieces of the body did not remain and evaporated into nothing. No one would be able to tell there was even a struggle was here.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to see how my old sect is doing.¡± He made quick work of the Raging Heavens Sect and then shot towards the destination he was planning to go after returning to this country, the Thunder Storm sect.

 Chapter 15

    The journey was not long and he soon stood in front of a gate. On top of the gate there was a sign which said, ¡®Auxiliary Branch, Roaring Thunder Storm sect.¡¯

    An auxiliary branch could be said to be a regular branch of a main sect. Usually, supreme sects sought to increase their area of control and would consume smaller sects rather than outright destroy them. This made it easier to gain influence in foreign ground. One could determine an auxiliary branch by the prefix they use. In this case the Roaring prefix was seen clear as day.

    He walked towards two disciples which were guarding the main gate.

    ¡°Halt, what business do you have here?¡± One of the disciples asked.

    ¡°I wish to meet someone, Kiro. Is he currently here?¡±

    ¡°Kiro?¡± they both had a confused look.

    Relic frowned. Was Kiro not the current leader of this branch? Was it possible something had happened in which he did not succeed the position from the old sect master?

    ¡°Is Iris Isa here?¡±

    ¡°That name belongs to our Sect master. Unless you can provide adequate qualification, we will not pass on any message you may have for her!¡±

    Relic was a bit troubled. During his travels he stayed away from Sects as much as possible. He definetly did not possess any qualifications which would garner him the ability to see the current Sect master.

    ¡°Should I just threaten them?¡± he thought to himself.

    Suddenly he remembered he could ask about the names of his brothers. There was still a chance one or two of them remained in the sect.

    ¡°Is there anyone in this sect with the name Wen Kano or Kiba Kano?¡±

    ¡°I have not heard of a Wen Kano but elder Kiba Kano is currently in the sect. If you have a message, we can relay it but you are required to leave it in note form and with a payment of 5 spirit stones.¡±

    Relic''s heart thumped loudly when he heard Kiba was still here and was an elder. He didn''t really have any high hopes for those two to have any high positions in the sect. Yet, one of them turned out to be an elder!

    Suddenly, pressure surrounded the two disciples who quickly fell to the floor.

    ¡°I would like to meet Elder Kiba right now, could you guide the way?¡± He said calmly.

    The two disciples were scared witless but managed to stand as one of them began to guide Relic through the sect.

    As one of them guided Relic, the other made an emergency call to the sect protectors. However, He did not care, he did not even give it a glance.

    The two continued through the sect until they reached a small mountain which read, ¡®Residence of Kiba Kano.¡¯

    It was at that moment, several figures in the air descended, surrounding Relic.

    ¡°Audacious, you think my Thunder Storm Sect is so weak that you can threaten our disciples and barge in here?¡±

    ¡°You will be arrested and judged before a group of elders, give yourself up peacefully.¡± A chubby looking man took the lead and spoke. It could be seen from his red outfit, distinct from the silver outfit worn by the others, that he was the leader of the group.

    Relic did not pay attention to him and instead shouted, ¡°Kiba, an old friend is here to pay you a visit!¡±

    The red leader was enraged from being ignored and ordered the silver protectors to attack.

    However, just as they closed in on Relic, a hoarse voice sounded.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    The formation array around the mountain disappeared and a middle aged man appeared.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, Relic, Brother, you are still alive.¡± The middle aged man gave a big hug to Relic.

    The surrounding group stood there stupidly and unsure what to do.

    ¡°E-elder, he¡­¡±

    ¡°Go away; he is my friend, return to your post.¡± The middle aged man waved his sleeve and the group quickly disappeared.

    The two friends entered into the immortal cave situated high on the mountain.

    ¡°Brother Relic, it¡¯s been over 70 years since I¡¯ve last seen you. You also got your cultivation back! What have you been doing all that time?¡± He asked

    A young girl was currently in the home of Kiba and brought the two some tea.

    Relic looked at the girl before looking back at Kiba.

    ¡°Kiba, I came here today for two reason. First I want to know where Kiro is, and then I want to know what happened to my master! Was Kiro the reason master left this sect?¡±

    Kiba''s countenance froze before he gave a long sigh.

    ¡°Brother¡­ a lot has changed since you were last here. It will be difficult for you to hear all of it¡­¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± he insisted.

    ¡°After you left, fellow disciple, Kiro, became weird and distant. He stopped cultivating and instead, began to frequent Red Sky city. Three years later, he stood in the center of the sect and screamed out, ¡®THIS IS SO BORING!¡¯ and immediately left the sect.¡±

    ¡°Your master tried to find him after but was unable to. She became so devastated she no longer journeyed out and people began to forget she even exists.¡±

    Relic''s hands clenched into a fist as he heard Kiba talk but did not show any anger on his face.

    He continued, ¡°6 years after, tragedy struck our sect. An army of cultivators coming from an ancient sect known as the Roaring Dragon Sect, came and demanded full submission of our sect. Of course we denied at first and fought to defend ourselves. However, it was a useless endeavour and many of our brothers died, including Wen....¡± Kiba¡¯s eyes grew moist upon mentioning his lost brother''s name.

    ¡°Just as the army of cultivators pushed through our sect¡¯s final defence, a young man wearing golden armour appeared and waved them to stop.¡± His eyes reminisced of the past long gone¡­.

    70 years ago....

    A young man draped in gold stood in front of the army of cultivators, looking down at the half destroyed sect.

    ¡°Sect master of the Thunder Storm Sect, this does not have to end in any more bloodshed, just submit yourself to us and your sect will receive countless resources to use!¡± the young man smugly said.

    ¡°I¡­The Thunder Storm Sect surrender¡­¡± Botan bowed his head.

    Like that the war was over. The remaining disciples dropped their weapons and dropped their head.

    ¡°Good, sect master Botan, you are a very wise man and should be properly rewarded. If I recall, I believe there is an elder position within our clan that is open and I think you would be perfect for that role. ¡±

    Botan''s face suddenly seemed to be elated. To be an elder of a supreme sect was countless times better than to be a leader of a powerful sect in a small country like theirs.

    ¡°Thank you, young master, for your generosity!¡± He gave another bow.

    ¡°But I also have a problem right now that I was hoping you could help me resolve.¡±

    ¡°Anything, as long as it is within my ability, I will do it!¡±

    ¡°You see, I seem to be missing a beautiful women to warm my bed on these cold nights. I wonder if elderBotanhappens to know where I can find such a lady?¡± He said with a emphasis to the elder title.

    Botan stood there expressionless. To his side were his two daughters, how could he not know what this young master wanted?

    He looked to Pascal and spoke softly, ¡°Daughter, from now on you will be the women of this young master, serve him to the best of your abilities.¡±

    ¡°No, father! I..¡±

    Slap

    Her father slapped her before she could even finish.

    ¡°Do not be selfish daughter, do you not see this god given opportunity that has been given to you!¡± his eyes seethed with anger at his daughter.

    ¡°Hmm, while your daughter does match my criteria, she seems to be a bit disobedient. My strength has not yet reached the strength she possesses. If she suddenly turned on me, I would not be able to do a thing. Elder Botan, is there a way we could solve this problem?¡± He shot a fierce glance.

    Without hesitation, her father used a powerful punch and aimed it at his daughter¡¯s abdominal area, instantly shattering her dantian. She screamed before losing cautiousness. She began to age slightly but she remained just as beautiful.

    ¡°Young Master, I gift to you my daughter!¡±

    ¡°Very good, elder Botan, welcome to the Roaring Dragon Sect!¡±

    ¡­¡­..

    Kibasighed once more.

    ¡°After that, I heard rumours that Elder Pascal was subjected to humiliating acts. Finally, the young master was bored with her, but because she wasn¡¯t always obedient to him he decided to punish her. He sent her to a brothel and made a statement to all that elder Pascal was there as a service companion. Anyone who attempted to help her would be punished with death. Countless man went to that brothel but after a couple of years, she had disappeared and I do not know what happened after.¡±

    Relic''s countenance remained the same but his heart was in a mess. The air in the cave was heavy and the temperature suddenly dropped as frost began to cover the entire mountain.

    Relicstood and turned towards the exit.

    ¡°Kiba, I will return someday, at that time I suggest you leave this sect and go far away.¡±

    Before he left, he turned to look one more time around Kiba¡¯s cave and spoke, ¡°You have a beautiful home.¡± This last sentence sent shivers to Kiba''s spine.

    Relic disappeared without anyone outside noticing.

    He now knew the truth. The pains his master dealt with, he would repay it all! He once owed a debt to Kiba for allowing him to see his master when he was mortal; but now, he considered his warning as debt paid.

    Kiba had turned rotten and that could not escape Relic¡¯s eyes. To him, everyone who is a part of the current Thunder Storm Sect was guilty and he would deliver punishment!

 Chapter 16

    The first light had just broke through the horizon when Relic arrived back ontop of the hut on a green hill.

    Pascal was inside the hut but was not sleeping on the bed. Her head lied on the table, and there were food underneath a glass cover to keep in the freshness.

    His hearts soften at the scene and a smile broke out on his face.

    As if she felt his presence, Pascal opened her eyes and turned to see Relic was standing behind her.

    ¡°Uncle Astor, how did your¡­¡­¡±

    Relic suddenly grabbed her and gave her a hug. The two stood there in silence with Pascal in a dazed state. He held onto her tightly, as if he was scared that she would not feel the embrace of his love.

    ¡°Pascal, I promise I will always be here for you. Even if the world abandons you, I will always be here.¡± Tears fell from his eyes.

    She did not understand what had caused her uncle to behave like this but his feelings touched her. She felt like these were his true feelings and that he would definitely keep what he said. At this point her heart was entirely warm. Before, because of her family and the way they treated her, she always carried a small blockade around her heart. Now, it was completely gone as her heart now lied completely in Relic¡¯s hands.

    ¡°En, thank you uncle.¡± She nodded

    The next morning, Relic told Pascal about the situation regarding the Heavens Sunder manual and the problem it had caused. Having experienced the attack which happened just yesterday, she agreed it was too dangerous for her to continue to teach it and for the citizens to continue to cultivate it.

    He flew up into the sky and took out a flute. With everyone unaware, he pressed his lips on the flute and began to play.

    The melody coming from the flute was beautiful and divine. The whole town heard it and they all felt like they were in bliss, and everyone, even the wandering cultivators, soon fell into deep slumber.

    He then switched over to a different melody. This time, the sound was a bit more elegant and refined. Those affected would have their memories slowly wiped away. The divine sound echoed in their minds and pushed away any thoughts. He played for a few hours which wiped out the memories of those who heard it, by about one month.

    When the people of the town woke up, they were all confused and scared. Memories were misplaced; people could not make heads or tails of what had happened. How did this building suddenly appear when it was still in construction? Why did our calendar say it is one month further than what it is supposed to be?

    Questions rained from the people of the town and many were initially frightened. However, nothing was drastically different and no one was hurt. This event soon became a phenomenon the citizens of the town accepted and discussed to anyone interested to listen.

    There were two people Relic decided to have altered memories. One was the women who lost her son from the cultivator who killed the boy.

    He peered into her memories and saw that she was a single mother and was raising her son by herself. After the father left, her world consisted only of her son, and without him, she was nothing.

    He then looked at the local orphanage and scanned the orphans. There was a boy. His parents abandoned him when he was a toddler, but he did not carry any hate in his heart. He wanted to be loved but he also loved others more.

    He saw that these two were in a place where they needed another. He did not erase the memory of her first son and she would remember that he was killed by a cultivator. But, he altered her memory so that there was now a second son. This son was loved by his mom and was obedient but shy. She had adopted him merely a year ago from the orphanage.

    To the boy, he altered his memory in which he was adopted by a loving mother. He had a brother that was tragically struck by a cultivator. Although he was sad, he had to stay strong for his now grieving mother.

    The dazed mother and son woke and cried in each other arms.

    ¡°Dominic, why did fate allow you to be killed!¡± tears cried out of her eyes. Her wails were heard by many and quickly she gained looks of sympathy.

    ¡°Mother don¡¯t cry, I¡¯m still here.¡± A little boy grabbed his mother¡¯s hand and held it tight. Although there were tears in his eyes he showed a strong front.

    ¡°David, my son, I hope you will be strong someday. Strong enough so that you will never be bullied by others.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry mother, I will work hard to be a cultivator someday, and then I will give you the best life possible!¡±

    The two cried in each others arms. But in their hearts the process of healing had already begun.

    Pascal saw the scene and tears welled up In her eyes. Only now did she realize how truly powerful this uncle of hers was.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let us not bother these people anymore.¡± He gestured for her to leave

    Three years passed and the town had long recovered from this event. Luckily, no other sect was able to get a hold of any information regarding the Heavens sunder sect¡¯s technique, so there were no more trouble after Relic had erased everyone¡¯s mind. The two returned to their blissful days of routine.

    ...

    Today, Relic was a bit more anxious than normal. That was because today was the day Pascal would break through to the Spirit realm.

    Energy undulations were pulsating around Pascal.

    Boom

    An explosive sound could be heard from her body..

    ¡°I did it, I broke through!¡±

    ¡°Mn, congratulations.¡±

    ¡°En, Thanks!¡±

    ¡°Will she become an older version of herself when she next wakes up?¡± He was anxious and a bit fearful.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    With every new break through, she became closer to her original self.

    ¡°Will master accept me as I¡¯m now?¡±

    ¡°Uncle, I¡¯m a bit tired, I think I will go to sleep now.¡±

    He snapped out of his daze

    ¡°Alright, Good night.¡± He waved her good night.

    The time passed the same as usual and Relicwaited for the 3 days until she would wake up.

    On the third day she finally awoke.

    Their eyes met instantly and without any notice, her body leapt forth as she hugged around Relic''sneck.

    He stood there, stunned. Was this reunion really that impactful to her? The thought crossed his mind. However, it did not deter him from returning the hug.

    ¡°Welcome Back, Pascal¡±

    ¡°Uncle, I want to live here with you forever!¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I will quit the Thunder Storm Sect and live here with you.¡±

    ¡°What about your friends and family? I should have told you this before, but it is not so easy to come here you know. The protection of the powerful cultivator prohibits those at the golden world realm from entering into this town you know. Your father would not be able to come and see you.¡± He explained.

    She smiled playfully.

    ¡°Uncle, I¡¯m a grown women now, you don¡¯t need to lie anymore.¡±

    She performed an incantation gesture and erased the illusion spell which had allowed her to see herself with her own perception. After having broken through to the Spirit realm, she now looked to be that of a middle aged woman. There were still visible signs of aging, but her skin was still tight enough that it there was still buoyancy. There were no more visible liver spots and her scars were also gone. Her body also looked to be of a very healthy woman of that age.

    ¡°I must have looked like a granny when I was 5!¡± She smiled

    She focused her energy, and her entire body began to glow. She was visibly getting younger and younger until she looked exactly the same as how she did in the past. She had dark blue hair and perfect hazelnut coloured eyes. Her skin was flawless and her body oozed with the aura of youth.

    Relic became shocked and stunned. He tried to speak but no words couldescape his mouth.

    Seeing the shocked look on Relic¡¯s face, she gave a light chuckle.

    ¡°Uncle¡­..no, Mister Astor, it is nothing to be shocked about.¡±

    When one reaches the Spirit realm, their life span extends to around 300 years. Along with a long longevity, they are also able to manually adjust their appearance. It would not be hard for a fully grown man to look like that of a small child boy.

    What confusedRelic was not that she was able to do such things, but how did she know that he was lying.

    ¡°You know, when I remember my life back in the Thunder Storm Sect, I realize that a huge chunk of my memories were gone. I could only remember the time after I advanced and broke through to the Spirit realm. People were congratulating me on reaching the Spirit Realm, but I had already broke through when I was 19. How could that be, I wondered. Now, that I¡¯ve woken up, I realized there was something incredibly weird since the time I first came here.¡±

    Relic stumbled onto a chair, unsure of what to do.

    She continued, ¡°When I was 5 people treated me like an old granny, at age 15 people could not help but praise me on looking younger. That is very strange in of itself. There is also the fact that everyone ages so slowly despite there being a supposed 11 year gap between my 5 year old self and my 15 year old self. There is no time formation here is there, mister Astor? And the extreme expert that lives here, it is only you, right?¡±

    Relicsighed. ¡°Yes, you are correct.¡±

    ¡°Great, now that the lies are out of the way, I want to know, what happened to me? I can tell, my age should already be passed the century mark.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ I-I can¡¯t say.¡± Relictrembled at the question. Could he tell her what she had gone through? No, he couldn¡¯t! The women standing across from him had yet to be tainted. She was smart, but no one could relax upon hearing a horrific past as bad as hers.

    Seeing the troubled look on Relic''s face, she decided to give up on the question.

    ¡°Never mind, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She walked towardsRelic and slowly got close him until they were only a hair apart. Her lips parted seductively.

    ¡°Do you remember when I was ¡®16¡¯, you told me you will always be there for me even if the world abandoned me. Was what you said true?¡±

    ¡°O-Of course!¡± His mind was beginning to break down.

    ¡°What happened to master?! This couldn¡¯t be her real personality, right?¡± Even when he was with her during her younger days, he never witnessed this side of her.

    It was as if an entirely new personality had completely taken over. In truth, this was indeed her real personality which no one had ever seen before. The years of verbal abuse she received from her father and sister had barred her heart which made her a cold and quiet woman. However, ever since this ¡®uncle¡¯ of hers, entered her life, those bars were completely lifted and she was free to exhibit whatever she felt.

    ¡°Then, there is no reason for you this deny my request. I will stay here with you from now on!¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I know every time I break through a realm, more memories resurface. I will eventually know the truth of what happened to me and the Thunder Storm Sect. Heck, I''m not even sure if the Sect is still around! But, as long as I¡¯m with you, it doesn¡¯t matter what my past reveals.¡± She smiled

    ¡°Master¡­.¡± He muttered to himself.

    The Person in front of him was vastly different to the person he remembered. She was now a bright star brimming with confidence and happiness. As oppose to the cold and lonely women of the past. Even when he was with her in the past, she never truly opened up to him, so he only got to know a small side of her then.

    ¡°You have taken care of me when no one else did, thank you.¡± She gave him a kiss on the cheek before moving away.

    His heart pounded loudly and his face grew a little red.

    Cough...Cough...

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­.. You are probably hungry, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Heimmediately set out several dishes of food. The fragrance dispersed the awkward tension he felt and they both sat down to eat.

    He scooped out some rice into their usual bowl and handed it to her which she accepted with a smile.

    ¡°Maybe this is for the best.¡± He sighed to himself.

    As he picked up some of the food he could feel an intense stare looking at him. It was obviously coming fromPascal who was solely focused at looking at his face.

    ¡°Uh, what is the matter, Pascal?¡±

    ¡°You know, recently, or to say, a long time ago, I picked up a young child and took him in as a disciple.¡±

    It was at this point Relic began to sweat internally and outwardly as well.

    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± he tried to reply calmly.

    ¡°In a way, you and he look quite similar.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, there are only so many ways a person can look. I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t too hard to find a person who looks like yourself if you really searched.¡± He laughed awkwardly.

    She held her chopsticks to the side and dropped it on the floor.

    ¡°Oh dear, mister Astor, do you mind picking up my chopsticks.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Pascal, you are so close to them yourself. It is not appropriate to ask others to do such things for you.¡± He said as he scratched his nose.

    Her eye suddenly became sharp and solemn. ¡°You dare oppose master¡¯s orders!¡± she spoke in an aloof manner.

    ¡°Disciple does not dare!¡± He got on the floor and gave a bow.

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡± It was too late.

    ¡°So you are my Little Relic.¡± She dived towards him and gave him a big hug.

    Her now supple breasts pressed against his face.

    His face was red as a rose.

    ¡°M-master¡­..¡±

    ¡°Ah, who would have known I picked up such a good disciple back then. Truly, a blessing from the heavens!¡±

    The reason she had not immediately asked who he was, was because she had already guessed his identity when she woke up.

    That little boy back then and the young handsome man standing before her. How could she not have guessed?

    ¡°Master does not know the misfortune that befallen her, but knowing that disciple had not giving up on me has already made me extremely proud! You are so strong now too!¡±

    Those words shook his soul. Those words were the only thing he ever wanted to hear. At this moment, tears welled up and for the first time in over 70 years. Tears flowed down from his eyes. The pain and suffering he had gone through, made it all now worth it.

    ¡°Let it out, little disciple, master is here.¡± It was as if a mother was comforting her child.

    After everything calmed down, she did not ask about what happened to her. Instead, she asked about him and about his adventures. Although she heard them as a child and teenager, she now wanted to hear it fully and not just the interesting parts.

    Of course he excluded the part where she abandoned him and only said that he was involved in an accident which forced him to go out adventuring. The two chatted and laughed through the night.

    When it was time for the two to sleep, she suggested that they should just sleep in the same bed. They were now both adults, nothing was going to happen unless they wanted to.

    Relic,of course, refused and was not comfortable to even sleep next to her anymore. He decided to go outside and meditate through the night.

 Chapter 17

    During the morning, the two headed towards their favourite restaurant to get breakfast.

    The chicken lady waved to the two people walking down the road.

    ¡°Mister Astor, Good Morning! And Pasc¡­.¡±

    ¡°Miss Hao, good morning¡± he smiled back

    ¡°Good morning¡± Pascal also replied.

    ¡°Ah, yes good morning, mister Astor, who is this?¡± the lady queried.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°My name is Ambrosia, his fianc¨¦e.¡± She grabbed his arm and began to act all lovey dovely.

    ¡°Congratulations, mister Astor! I always thought it was such a pity such a handsome man like you was still single. All of us began to think you weren¡¯t looking for a companion because you were taking care of your grandmother. Now, you have found such a beautiful wife. I¡¯m very happy for you.¡± The middle aged lady gave both of them a heartfelt smile.

    Relic, on the other hand, felt dizzy.

    ¡°But, where is Pascal?¡± she asked

    ¡°Granny has gone into secluded cultivation and won¡¯t be appearing for a while. Her master had told her she must spend many years grasping the secrets of their school.¡± Relic practically blurted.

    ¡°I see, well I will miss seeing her.¡± She replied

    They waved good bye and Relic and Pascal continued on their way to the restaurant.

    ¡°Master, why did you say that!¡± he exploded.

    ¡°Haha, lighten up, it is funnier this way.¡± She tightened her grip around his arms.

    His heart trembled before he gave a long sigh.

    ¡°Is everything going to be alright?¡± he whispered to himself.

    The rest of the day went by fairly uneventful aside from a few congratulatory words given to him.. Many people were astounded to find that Relic had found such a beautiful finance. Many were happy for him and even fairly envious.

    Like that, the two continued on their routine life. Sometimes she would play pranks on him while other times she would put on flirtatious acts with him in public. It caused him quite a few headaches, but at the end of the day, he was happy just being with her.

    On an especially peaceful day, the two were sitting on the hill, enjoying the wind.

    ¡°Disciple, I¡¯m bored, tell me something interesting!¡±

    ¡°Well, master already knows almost everything about me.¡± He thought for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered there was something he forgot to mention. ¡°I¡¯m fairly proficient in making wine.¡±

    Her hair practically perked up in excitement upon hearing that. ¡°Wine, that¡¯s is something I¡¯ve not had in a long time! Quickly, make me some!¡± She shook his head back and forth.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had some saved up, I¡¯ll let master try out my collection.¡±

    Instantly, a hundred jars of win appeared. Each carried a different type of wine he had produced in his life time.

    Her eyes glistened at the sight. She wanted to try them all immediately, but she noticed one jar was different.

    There were letters on it which wrote the name, Ren.

    ¡°Who is Ren?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Oh, that, it¡¯s a gift to a friend.¡± He looked at it with a slight bitterness in his eyes. This was a gift he wanted to give Ren in hopes of patching things up where they last left off. He was always regretful at the way he left things back then.

    ¡±Oh, a lost girlfriend? She said with a teasing tone

    ¡°She was just a friend which I owe an enormous debt to. In the future I hope to repay it. If master likes, you can try it first.¡±

    She was not polite and immediately opened the lid. The air immediately became aromatic. It smelled like a field of flowers on the first day of spring with a slight sweetness to it.

    She involuntarily gulped at the smell and slowly took a small ladle to scope up the wine. The wine went down her throat and immediately, she felt like she was standing in the center of a beautiful medow. There were flowers all around her radiating the different colours of the rainbow. In the next moment, an immense sweet tasting fruit could be tasted which threw her senses all over. Upon fully entering her stomach, her skin tightened and hair became glossy. Energy circulated through her veins, strengthening her body and spirit.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°What a miraculous wine!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°How did you make this?¡±

    ¡°I learnt wine making from an old hermit I helped along in my travels. This wine in particular, I was inspired by my teacher to make. When I first made this, I tried to capture the essence of just the flowers, but in the end I decided to add in a particular fruit which gives it certain sweetness.¡± The fruit he was talking about was exactly the fruit Ren had wanted all those years ago.

    ¡°I see, well they match very well and the effects are astounding. This wine does not just strengthen the body and spirit, it¡¯s also very effective for beauty. If you were to sell it you could probably be the richest man within several kingdoms!¡± She praised

    ¡°But of course, someone like you who is a genius doctor and can already buy several kingdoms at the snap of a finger probably doesn¡¯t need any money, right?¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­., yea¡± He scratched his head in embarrassment.

    Without further a due, she engaged in a day of drinking. No, jar was left undrunk.

    Night arrived.

    ¡°d-d-d-iciiiiiiple, c-c-come here¡± she wobbly gestured Relic to come towards her.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re drunk, I think it is time to sleep.¡± He helped hold up her body as he guided her towards the hut.

    ¡°I do-do-don¡¯t ned shreeeep!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± He ignored her and continued to guide her to the bed.

    He lifted her up with both his arms and slowly placed her down on the bed. Her body could not much less be described as anything but perfect. The amount of men who would not be affect by this scene were far and few between. Yet, He looked as if he was unaware at this perfect sculpture like body. His eyes laid only on her face. Her joyous smile brought happiness to him. All his troubles could be washed away if all he saw was a smile on her face. Just as he was about to leave, she suddenly sprang up and reached around his neck.

    Her body wrapped him up completely, preventing his escape..

    ¡°M-m-master, what are you doing!¡± He struggled slightly

    ¡°Master is a handful isn¡¯t she?¡± she said softly

    ¡°Never!¡±

    She smiled at his quick reply.

    ¡°You know, back in the sect, I had always wondered why I was born. Why did mother and father give birth to me if they were just going to ignore me.¡±

    Relic gulped down his saliva. This was a new face of his master he had never seen and he was desperate to know her troubles.

    ¡°My sister received the entirety of father¡¯s attention while I was always reprimanded for not doing as well as she did.¡±

    ¡°Before I found you, I thought maybe I should just go away. No one needed me, no one cared for me, why would anyone even miss me if I disappeared? ¡±

    ¡°Then I found you, a tiny boy who cried if I left his sight for even a second. You were actually quite a handful to be honest.¡± She chuckled

    ¡°But, being with you at that time gave me meaning. I thought if life could continue like that, then life wouldn¡¯t be so bad.¡±

    He stayed silent as he listened to her story. Yet his heart beat rapidly, knowing that all this time, she needed him as much as he needed her.

    After a few moments he suddenly realised that she did not have any more to say.

    ¡°But what happened to her after? There has to have been something that happened which pushed her into being like that afterwards.¡± His heart burned to know.

    Yet he did not ask her. He knew her memories did not reach far enough which she knew what happened after.

    ¡°To see that little boy all grown up, even master¡¯s heart flutter when she sees you.¡± She said flirtatiously.

    He did not say a word and his face did not show any emotion.

    ¡°Okay, master won¡¯t tease anymore.¡± She released her grip on him.

    However, he grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Do you mind if I sleep next to you tonight?¡±

    ¡°s-sure¡­¡±

    The two did not talk anymore and did not even look at each other. Yet, their hands were held tightly together, and remained so, for the rest of the night.

    ¡­¡­

    Eight years quickly flashed by.

    Their relationship was now inseparable. During these 8 years, they no longer stayed in the small town which they lived in for many years. They journeyed around to the surrounding countries to experience the many joys of life. They would not go out to fight spirit beasts or take part in conflicts between sects. Their only concern was to enjoy life to the fullest and in the comfort of each other¡¯s presence.

    At this moment, a man and women was currently enjoying an afternoon tea break at a fairly popular restaurant.

    ¡°Tonight will be the night I break through!¡±

    ¡°Yes, congratulations, master.¡±

    ¡°What congratulations, I haven¡¯t even done it yet.¡±

    The two chatted happily, but inside, they were both quite fearful. These 8 years of travel were like a blissful dream. However, they both knew this next break through will reawake most if not all her past memories. The things she would remember, will she even be the same person afterwards?

    ¡°Disciple, I imagine the reason you¡¯ve been keeping your mouth shut for such a long period of time is because the past I went through must have been extremely terrible. I hope that after I break through¡­, even if my personality turns a little bad, you will still be there with me.¡± She said with a tinge of fear.

    She held his hands but even they were a bit shaky. Perhaps it was due to her youthful days where she felt no one wanted her. Would he leave as well if she suddenly turned into too much of a burden?

    ¡°Master, I will always be here. Even if you someday abandon me I will never disappear.¡± He said resolutely.

    She smiled, ¡°How could master ever abandon you?¡±

    His heart almost shattered upon hearing her say that.

    The two left the city they were in and returned to their home on the top of the hill that oversaw the small town.

    Shelooked around one last time and took one huge breath. After today, the truth will be revealed.She calmed her self and began to cultivate the 7 divine lightning manual.

    4 hours later a boom was heard coming inside of her. Energy was released and her strength increased several fold. Breaking through was not too exiting for her. It was as if her body had already been at this stage a long time ago. The feeling was nothing new.

    This time, she stood up and was about to say something when she suddenly collapsed.

    ¡°Master!¡± Relic caught her and lifted her to the bed. The exhaustion hit hard this time and she immediately fell unconscious.

    He proceeded to wait three days for her to wake up. However, on the third day she did not wake up.

    She did not wake up on the forth, or the fifth.

    On the sixth day, her body began to spasm out of control and blood trickled down her mouth.

    Relicsummoned all the resources he had to stabilize her body. His heart was filled with anxiety and he did not take his eyes off of her for even a second.

    ¡°Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up! Master will wake up!¡±

    He could only find solace in those words.

    The 7<sup>th</sup> day passed with nothing of interest happening, as did the 8<sup>th</sup>.

    Finally, on the ninth day,Pascal opened her eyes.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    He tried to reach out to her, but in the next instant¡­..

    Slap...

 Chapter 18

    Slap¡­

    His hands were brushed away.

    ¡°What are you doing here¡­¡± Her voice was cold and the aura of despair surrounded her.

    ¡°M-master, It is me, your disciple, R-Relic¡± he stuttered.

    ¡°I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!¡± She shouted without looking at him. ¡°I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME EVER AGAIN!¡±

    ¡°Master I¡­.¡±

    ¡°GET OUT!¡±

    ¡°I will never abandon master.¡± He said before he turned and left.

    Inside the hut, Pascal broke into tears. ¡°Why do you care for a broken woman like me?¡± she sadly muttered to herself. Her anguish seemed to affect many of the people living in the town. Without reason, many felt just a slight gloomier.

    Relic did not say or do anything. He sat in front of the hut as he meditated.

    Over the next few days, Pascal did not come out.

    Days passed and only after a whole week passed did she finally emerge.

    The door creaked open and Relic stood up and turned to face his master.

    She slowly walked towards him, her face turning darker with every step. As their faces neared she stopped in front of him, then¡­

    Slap

    A fierce hand slammed across Relic¡¯s face.

    ¡°That¡¯s for disobeying my direct order.¡± Her voice soft yet filled for grief.

    Slap

    And again

    ¡°That¡¯s for lying to me.¡±

    Slap

    And again

    ¡°That¡¯s for¡­¡­ ¡±

    Although her slaps were fierce they did not carry the power of cultivation behind them. Relic could easily dodge these slaps but he did not.

    As her final slap ended she dropped to the floor.

    ¡°Why did you come back¡­.?¡± She softly asked.

    The two were silent and unmoving.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°Because I need you.¡±

    ¡°What¡­¡± Her head shifted up to look at his face.

    ¡°After I became mortal, I traveled throughout the regions in order to find a way to fix my dantian so that I could become strong enough to make your proud.¡±

    Her mood turned extremely gloomy.

    He continued, ¡°Those stories I told you about my adventures. What I told you was the truth, but every day I spend traveling felt like¡­. like I was living in hell! I would trade it all, my cultivation, my fortuitous encounters, if I could only remain with master! Even when I found you like that, I was still happy because I was finally reunited with you.¡± Tears dropped from his eyes.

    ¡°But¡­But¡­¡± she tried to say something but it was like her throat had something stuck in it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care you abandoned me or destroyed my dantian, as long as you still exist, I will never let you go!¡±

    He dropped to the floor and kowtowed. ¡°Master, disciple has returned!¡±

    ¡­¡­.

    Night came and went. Light stretched from the horizon. There was a man and women sitting in each other¡¯s embrace under a large oak tree.

    The two looked towards the sun rise over the horizon.

    ¡°I wish we could escape all of this.¡± Her voice was soft and tranquil

    He waited a short while before replying, ¡°Anywhere master wishes to go, disciple will follow.¡±

    ¡°Disciple¡­.I want to live a new life. One unfettered by the past and one that looks on to the future with clear eyes.¡±

    He looked at her with eyes of sadness. ¡°Disciple will follow.¡±

    ¡°En.¡± She nodded.

    ¡­¡­

    The two remained under the oak tree for several weeks before Relic carried her with both his hands and shot into the sky.

    He carried her towards one of the 7 desolate beast regions of this continent and traveled towards it''s center. A gargantuan golden eyed snake stretching over several hundred kilometers long laid in the center. Its scales reflected blinding light from the sun and each scale could cut stone as easily as butter.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Humans, you dare trespass onto the territory of the Heavenly serpent clan!¡± Several red eyed serpents roared at the two humans. Their colours alternating between silver and black, and their eyes glared with deep red.

    Pressure fell onto Relic and Pascal with the aura of several immortal ascension realm beasts. However, Relic only snorted as a blue world encapsulated the entire area. The raging snakes all stopped moving and their mouths gaped open.

    ¡°How could a domain be so powerful!¡± they all exclaimed. They tried to struggle but no matter what they did they could not move at all. These snakes were all practically in the apex of power within this world, yet right now they were basically lambs on a chopping board.

    ¡°Release my subordinates! We have a treaty with the human Kingdoms!¡± A large roar could be heard as a giant golden eyed snake transverse the sky in a domineering manner.

    It released pressure which could scare even the most powerful of experts. It was at the true apex of power, comparable to those ancient powers in the immortal ascension realm. The number of people who were in the half step ascension could not be said to be few and could practically do whatever they wanted. Then there were those who are actually in the immortal ascension realm. In the entire continent they lived in, there were less than 100! Of those 100, maybe only the top 15 could fight with this golden eyed snake!

    Immediately after saying that, the wold surrounding it suddenly went silent and cold.

    ¡°Domain!¡± it screamed in terror. It tried to move but no matter what, it could not even make the tiniest of struggles. It was as if it was completely frozen!

    Its eyes immediately began to shine and a golden light shrouded its body. ¡°Blood of the Primordial Golden eye serpent!¡± It shouted. The golden aura dispelled the effects of the blue world and broke free.

    ¡°Our king will save us!¡±

    ¡°Long live our primordial King!¡±

    All of the frozen snakes were cheering for joy.

    However, there was one who was not happy. The golden eyed snake had a gloomy look as it stared at Relic and Pascal.

    ¡°We have a treaty with the human kingdoms; if you break it you will face the wrath of all 7 beast kings!¡± It tried to sound imposing but anyone could see it was slightly frightened. Having broken out of Relic''s domain, it realised that it''s movements were still a bit sluggish.

    Domains were something only cultivators could use. While the beasts had something similar in which they called upon the blood power of their ancestors. It was easier for cultivator''s to gain a domain than it was for a beast to call upon the power of their bloodlines.

    This golden eyed snake had fought its fair share of powerful cultivators and never in its life had it been confronted with such a powerful domain. It was honestly fearful for its life.

    ¡°I need you as a mount and protector for a single day. After that, you will be released.¡±

    The snake gulped.

    ¡°You despicable humans! You dare ask our king to be a mount! We would rather die than to suffer such humiliation!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the immortal snakes shouting, but also many of the other creatures living in this desolate region.

    ¡°Shut up all of you!¡± The golden eyed serpent roared. All the creatures immediate stopped talking. The serpent couldn¡¯t tell what realm Relic was in but it knew he was definitely more powerful than it.

    ¡°Just a day?¡± it asked cautiously

    ¡°Yes¡±

    ¡°Very well, let this junior be your mount.¡± It did not hesitate to bow its head.

    All the creatures widened their eyes and their mouths gaped open. Was it possible this human was more powerful than their king? Many of the weaker creatures began to flee as fast as they could.

    Relic ignored these creatures and simply carried over Pascal to the top of the snake¡¯s head. He then directed it to go to the thunder storm sect. With the speed of the snake, it was like a flash of light traveling across thousands of kilometers within a few seconds.

    Upon crossing the human territory, the supreme experts who were either meditating or were hidden, all gasped. The spirit beast race and the human race both had a treaty of non-aggression. Breaking the treaty could cause a war that would break out a full scale war between the 7 desolate beast regions and the human kingdoms surrounding it.

    ¡°Vile beast stop! You dare break the treaty?¡± a person in the half a step of immmortal ascension realm yelled in front of the incoming snake. Although he had a lower cultivation base than the snake, they were in the human territory, and he was not afraid of the snake doing anything.

    ¡°Lowly human, get out of my way, I have no interest in breaking the treaty, I¡¯m merely a mount and have done nothing wrong!¡± The snake did not think it was embarrassing to serve as a mount for such a supreme individual.

    The man now noticed there was a woman who was surprisingly beautiful but had dull eyes sitting on top of the head of the snake. He gaped in surprise. Not because of the fact she sat of such a terrifying beast, but because he knew her.

    ¡°Pascal ¡­.Isa¡± the name escaped his throat.

    She turned to look at him, in which her head immediately retreated.

    ¡°I see¡­.¡±

    Relic summoned a frozen spear which shot at light speed, penetrating the man like he was paper. He dropped dead just like that.

    ¡°Continue.¡±

    Even the snake was left agape and shivered at his words. Nonetheless, it continued on his way.

    The experts who had not come out yet thanked the heavens they were not as quick as the first guy.

    It wasn¡¯t long until the snake flew over purple sky city. Screams sounded throughout the city and mortals and cultivators alike, were panic stricken.

    Several elderly and youthful figures rose up in the air to confront the snake. The amount of experts in this city was not small and the sky soon had over a hundred experts all ranging from the golden world realm to half a step to immortal ascension. Immediately, a cold and icy domain shrouded all of them. They were all shocked and fear began to take hold.

    Relic had an expressionless face. His eyes were dull with no hint of life in them yet they were calm like the blue sea. Relic and Pascal both carried an aura of death, as if they were already had one foot in the grave.

    Although the pressure coming from the golden eyed snake was immense, many felt more fear towards the two individuals.

    One particular person saw the deep blue eyes Relic had and began chattering his teeth and stuttered the words, ¡°D-D-Dao Seed!¡± All of their minds reeled upon hearing the word. It was as if they saw an impossibility becoming possible, right in front of their eyes.

    ¡°It really is the Dao seed!¡±

    ¡°It is mine!¡±

    The one to say that was a person who was half a step to immortal ascension. His own domain shrouded himself and allowed him to move, though with some difficulty, through the domain which locked space.

    He unleashed a torrent of magical swords, all infused with the essence of flames. The swords spiraled into a tornado, with Relic as the focal point.

    Relic casually threw a frozen spear towards him which traveled at light speed. The swords that were passed by the spear immediately froze and shattered.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± was the man¡¯s last words before the spear penetrated through his head.

    Those without domains were incapable of moving and the ones who did have domains were frozen with fear. They all regretted trying to confront the snake. They thought that the snake had gone mad and travelled to the human territories by itself. If that was the case, it was basically handing over its treasured body to them.

    Now they knew they were mistaken.

    Next, Pascal began pointing towards certain individuals. Whoever she pointed to, Relic would chuck a spear at. It was like she was a judge and he was the executioner.

    Some of them recognized this woman. She was once one of the most beautiful women in the country and when she was made available, there was almost no man who could resist the call.

    They all saw the correlation between the attacks and knew she was specifically choosing who to kill. Seeing this, all the women experts breathed a sigh of relief.

    76 bodies dropped from the sky and shattered before the snake continued on its way. The remaining cultivators cautiously retreated a safe distance away; for fear that they would be caught up to whatever this expert wanted to do.

 Chapter 19

    ¡°Emergency! Emergency! A Golden Eyed snake beast is attacking the sect!¡± An alarm rang out notifying the entire sect.

    ¡°What! This is impossible!¡±

    ¡°Hurry, summon all the elders!¡±

    The appearance of such a beast affected the entire sect. Many of the junior disciples were scared witless and attempted to run. However, it was already too late.

    Snow began to descend from the sky.

    This phenomenon made everyone stop. Many of the cultivators were astounded by the event while the elders were completely terrified.

    To be able to affect the composition of the water in the air to affect the entire sect, how powerful must one be?

    ¡°Ahhhh, sister Pao shattered!¡± a female scream was heard.

    ¡°NO! Hel¡­¡± a young boy cultivator tried to cry out for help but froze solid before he could finish.

    Blood curdling screams ran through out the sect.

    All around, young and old, the weaker cultivators who were touched by the snow froze solid before shattering.

    The elders and sect master who saw this scene all had ashen faces.

    ¡°Senior, please tell me how we have offended you! Whatever it is, we will make amends!¡± The voice resounded throughout the sect. It came from the current sect leader, Iris Isa.

    The giant snake descended and came before the group of elders and the current sect leader.

    Immediately, almost all of the elders were shocked to see the second daughter of the previous sect leader, Pascal. There were even a few who recognized Relic.

    Some of the elders present had been with the sect for many years and have even seen Pascal grow up as a kid. Naturally, there would be a few who recognized the kid who had followed her for many years.

    ¡°H-how can this be.¡± One of them stumbled as he spoke.

    Kiba saw Relic and immediately felt a little relieved. Without worrying anymore, he made a run for it, thinking he was going to live through this ordeal.

    Yet, Pascal then raised her arm and pointed towards him.

    A deep sigh could be heard from Relic.

    whoosh

    A frost spear penetrated Kiba¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Why¡­ I thought you said I could liv¡­..¡± He left the world with an expression of unwillingness

    ¡°How is this possible? Pascal can you still be alive?!¡± Iris asked.

    ¡°You all, I thought I knew you back then, but then¡­.¡± Her tears began to fall. Many of these elders immediately showed expressions of guilt. A beautiful woman like Pascal was not something that easily comes by.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry master, disciple will take care of it.¡±

    He waved his arm and mist blotches began to appear throughout the sky. These blotches then congealed to form frost spears. Tens of thousands of frost spears pointed towards the group of elders and the sect master.

    Their faces instantly paled in fright.

    ¡°Pascal, what do you think you are doing! Call off your disciple! Do you want to completely exterminate our family sect? You can still salvage this; we can rule this sect together!¡± Iris cried out desperately.

    She knew the chances of her and the elders winning against Relic was very slim. Maybe if her father were her, there would be a chance but the current situation was bleak.

    Pascal looked at he sister, memories played through her head. Out of all the years they had known each other, there was perhaps maybe a year or two which it was positive while the rest were filled with anxiety and grief brought on by her and their father.

    ¡°Sister, I¡¯ve always looked up to you and always wanted to be like you. Why did have you always treat me with such contempt?¡± The question she had long ago buried in her heart finally had the opportunity to surface.

    ¡°Why¡­..¡± Iris¡¯s face had an awkward expression.

    ¡°IT¡¯S BECAUSE YOU ARE BORN FROM THE BLOOD OF TRASH!¡± her face contorted as she pointed to Pascal. ¡°IF IT WASN¡¯T FOR YOUR SLUT OF A MOTHER, FATHER WOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT MY MOTHER AND WE COULD HAVE LIVED HAPPILY.¡± Now that things had gone this far, she let out everything she thought.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°YOU ARE JUST A MISTAKE AND YOU NEEDED TO BE PUNISHED LIKE YOUR MOTHER!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean!¡± Pascal creased her eye brows. Her mother had suddenly disappeared one day without saying a word and this had always confused her. She always thought it was because she didn¡¯t want her so she left and never came back.

    ¡°Since you already came this far I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if I say it. After your whore mother seduced father away, my mother pulled some strings to kidnap and cripple your mother. After that, she sent her to a brothel far away where she spent all her time servicing men. ¡°Iris laughed manically.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite funny that the daughter would follow the same path as her mother.¡± She then turned to Relic.

    ¡°You guys did it right? You both are already less than the lowest of creatures. Your illicit master ¨C disciple relationship is truly disgusting. ¡± She spat on the ground before proceeding into a smile.

    ¡°How¡¯s it feel Relic, having a broken women which slept with countless men. She was used merely as a toy for fat and disgusting mortal men. Was that used up hole to your liking?¡±

    The temperature was already cold when they arrived, but at this moment, it felt like they were in the middle of a cold storm. Even some of the elders began to chatter their teeth.

    ¡°There is no way out of this, we must kill to live!¡± Iris instantly summoned out her domain in which streaks of lightning radiated from her body. It radiated to the other elders, letting everyone feel energized.

    ¡°Kill!¡± They all shouted

    Iris threw out 108 purple needles at Relic.

    ¡°Lightning serpent!¡± The needles transformed into miniature serpents as they flew through the air.

    The other elders also did not hold back.

    Five of the elders immediately broke their jade slips. The entire sect shook and a giant mountain split. A bronze shaped creature arose. It looked to be a cross of a dragon and a ferocious wolf.

    The bronze creature let out an ear piercing roar and jetted towards Relic. Every step it took shook the ground and split the earth.

    Everyone else used their various treasures and magical attacks and released them towards Relic.

    ¡°Freeze.¡± Everything stopped.

    The falling snow stopped in place. The attacks aimed at Relic remained motionless in front of him. Everyone stood still like lifeless statues.

    No one was aware of time freezing except for two people. One was Relic while the other was Iris.

    ¡°Wha-what is this! How can a domain be this strong?¡± She was barely able to move with the help of her own domain.

    Relic slowly walked passed the onslaught of attacks and made his way in front of Iris. His eyes radiated a deep blue colour which stared down at her.

    ¡°You have the Dao seed!¡± She could not believe her eyes.

    His hand moved faster than what she could see. Instantly his hand grabbed onto her face.

    ¡°Whash yush fink yur dewing?¡± she tried to cry out.

    He took out a small pill and shoved it into her mouth. Under the forceful guidance of his hand she was forced to swallow the pill.

    Instantly a warm feeling radiated from her body and golden light surrounded her body. She immediately felt like she was invincible, as if she was eternal and would never die.

    The pill she swallowed was none other than the pill of immortality. It allowed one to transcend the 5 elements and would no longer be under the influence of death. Natural laws could no longer affect her. If not for the existence of the Dao seed, it would likely be rated as the number one heavenly divine item.

    Even if all she had was a single drop of blood, she would still be alive and could recreate her entire body.

    She did not know why Relic made her swallow the seed but she now felt invincible and was no longer scared of him.

    However, she suddenly saw him curve up a sinister smile.

    Her expression suddenly froze as she imagined what he would do to her.

    He took out a blood red spear and forced opened her mouth. The spear lifted up in the air and was shoved down her throat.

    Her eyes widened in disbelief and gurgling sounds could be heard. Her body spasmed out of control as the spear slowly went down her throat.

    ¡°K¡­.ill m..eee¡± Her face writhed with pain.

    The spear did not go down fast. It inched down her body, slowly destroying her organs in the process.

    Sploosh

    The final sound rang out as the spear made it through her body out the end. Her body was fully impaled in the worst way imaginable. Suddenly, the spear began to glow. Blood drained from her face and body as the blood rushed towards the spear.

    Her blood was forcefully extracted from her, making the process unimaginably painful. She tried to scream and let out wails of pain but the pain was too much for her to even make a sound. She wanted to collapse and faint but her body was now that of an immortal and did not allow her to do so.

    The spear continually absorbed her blood which her body would then produce more of. The process would continue until her blood ran out, but with an immortal body, it would consistently produce blood. She was left no with strength to even pull out the spear.

    Her eyes filled with despair, seemingly pleading to Relic to let her go.

    His countenance remained the same as he unfroze the area.

    Every attack passed through the space Relic had stood in moments ago.

    Everyone blinked in confusion. However, they all gasped and shivered in fear when they saw Iris who was impaled by the spear yet still twitching. Her eyes rolled up to the back of her head and gurgling sounds could constantly be heard.

    Distracted by the scene, the frost spears came crashing down. Within the domain, no one was able to dodge and even their protective treasures could only shatter. Holes littered the bodies of the elders and all left this world with an expression of unwillingness.

    The bronze creature now stood in front of Relic. It raised its paw to send out an earth shattering strike. However, without even shooting it a glance, a cone shaped ice pillar rose beneath the creature, impaling it through the stomach. The light in its eye went dim and its body went limp.

    Snow gently descended from the sky, covering the sect in a blanket of snow. Aside from the noise from Iris, the entire sect was deathly silent.

    Pascal was completely shocked. In one moment she saw Relic facing against 15 people and a giant creature. In the next, everyone was dead and her own sister had been impaled. She looked to her own sister who was gesturing her to help her. However, Pascal did not even give her a second glance.

    There was nothing left to be said and their goals had not changed. Relic jumped onto the snake¡¯s head and embraced his master. ¡°Did you wait long?¡±

    ¡°No, and thank you.¡± She returned the hug as the giant snake ascended and traveled to their next destination.

    The aura of death around them remained the same, only now, he had several streaks of white in his hair.

    Snow continued to fall, encasing Iris within it. Ice slowly formed around her and encased her in a coffin of ice in which she was alive to continuously feel pain. Those who had not ascended to an immortal would find it hard to break her out of this coffin.

 Chapter 20

    The next destination was the Raging Heavens sect. This sect has 128 auxiliary branches they had consumed in efforts to expand their territory. The sect controls massive amounts of land and is considered a supreme power which has existed since ancient times. Only a few of the other supreme sects within other faraway regions could stand up against its might.

    The golden eyed snake traveled for half an hour at full speed before they reached the border of the Roaring kingdom¡¯s region.

    As they reached the border , the golden eyed snake suddenly roared in pain and fell toward the ground.

    ¡°Filthy humans, you dare use a beast supressing formation on me?!¡±

    ¡°Vile creature, why have you trespassed onto our territory?!¡±

    Three elderly individuals confronted the giant snake. Two of them were in the peak of the golden world realm while the one leading them was a half-step to immortal ascension. They were one of the many sects protecting the borders of the main region of the Roaring kingdom.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­.¡±

    Upon seeing the women, one of them seem to have recognized her.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the daughter of elder Botan. Her name was¡­Pascal?¡±

    The other two immediately frowned.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be possible, her cultivation was smashed, she couldn¡¯t have lived for so long.¡± the half step individual said.

    When the Roaring Heavens Sect attacked the Thunder Storm sect, no one expected the young master to offer up a illustrious position of elder to some sect master of a ''weak sect''. However, when they saw how beautiful the daughter of Botan was, no one could really say they didn¡¯t understand why.

    There was also the fact the young master was as malicious as to sell the daughter just a few years later and to even announce it to everyone. There were many of the elder generation who knew Pascal.

    As they were in deep thought, the world suddenly turned blue, and white breath could be seen as they breathed out.

    Before they could even say anything, all three had their chests penetrated by frozen spears. The three had expressions of terror before they shattered.

    The Beast supressing formation quickly dissipated and the snake continued on its way.

    Everywhere they passed snow would began to fall. Those who saw the giant snake tried to run away but as it passed them they all felt relief. Then snow began to fall which triggered the curiosity of many. However, as people began to see others freeze and shatter from touching the snow, the terror stricken citizens could not help but cry and run in fear.

    It wasn¡¯t long until the group made it to the inner regions of the Roaring Heavens sect. Many had tried to stop them only to be pierced by an unimaginably fast frozen spear.

    At the moment, they were confronted by 6 elders who were all at half the step to immortal ascension.

    All the elders were in disbelief that this group had been able to make it this far this quickly. One of them stood dumb struck when he saw the women on top the head of the spider.

    This elder was the father of that woman, Botan Isa!

    ¡°Daughter¡­. Is that you?¡± he asked

    ¡°Father, it is me.¡± She replied coldly.

    He also recognized Relic, the little kid who stuck to his daughter for over 15 years.

    ¡°This¡­. How can this be?!¡±

    ¡°Father, I want to know, why you always treated me so poorly compared to my sister?¡± her voice was soft and calm.

    ¡°Enough of your foolish questions, quickly surrender yourselves. You two have already caused a mess in the kingdom, if you give yourselves up now you can still redeem yourself.¡± He gave her a stern look.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Pascal had a look of sadness when she heard his words.

    Finally, she rose up and summoned an immaculate white sword. The instance it was summoned, all of the elders stared in disbelief at the aura the sword was putting out. All of them knew exactly what kind of sword this was.

    ¡°Transcendence weapon!¡± they all shouted.

    In the next instant a blue world surrounded them all. Every one of them felt as if their movements were restrained and could hardly move. They all quickly summoned their own domains which counteracted the blue world. However, within the blue world, Relic reigned supreme. Frost spears traveled at a speed they could not dodge and all of them were penetrated by these spears. None, of them knew what hit them as they dropped out of the sky and shattering upon hitting the ground.

    Botan stood there stupidly for a few moments before he fully grasped what had just occurred. He looked at Relic¡¯s deep blue eyes and began to chatter his teeth.

    ¡°D-dao s-s-seed!¡±

    ¡°Good Luck, Master.¡± Relic sat back down of the snake. He did not retract his blue world as he was purposefully restraining Botan¡¯s fighting capabilities to that of a golden world cultivator.

    ¡°Father, this will be our last time seeing each other.¡±

    She took up her sword and charged towards her father. Botan also summoned his own sword which paled compared the white sword in Pascal¡¯s hands.

    Sparks flew with every clash of the sword. With the restriction of the blue world, his speed could only match that of his daughters.

    Botan was slightly shocked his daughter could keep up with him. Even with his restrictions, he was more experienced and should have been able to overwhelm her. Lightning danced around them as the father and daughter fired magical attacks at each other.

    Sword light would occasionally slip by leaving cuts on both their bodies. Thunder roared across the sky as many mortals ran away in fear.

    ¡°Daughter, it seems you are a lot stronger than I gave you credit for. I will admit, as a father I was not the best and could even be considered as a terrible one for giving you up. But that is why, you cannot defeat me!¡±

    He had a plan. If he could take Pascal as a hostage, then Relic would not be able to harm him and he may even get him to surrender. The benefits he would receive for capturing a person with a Dao seed would be limitless.

    His eyes flashed with greed as he casted an incantation gestures.

    ¡°With the essence of lightning, greater than the world, come forth, the force of the Lightning Dao!¡±

    A black streak of lightning stretched across the sky and hit Botan. He groaned in pain and spat out blood but had a smile on his face.

    ¡°This is a technique I spent many years to gain enlightenment on. The only other person I taught it to was your sister. Although you are my daughter, I have always seen you as a disappointment. The birth of your sister was like that of a deity. On the day of her birth, 7 streaks of lightning raced the crossed the sky and the birds sang harmonious songs. The day you were born was also the day famine struck our lands and all our plants were plagued by a disease. I knew at that moment you were fated to be a thorn at my side.¡± His face suddenly turned ugly.

    ¡°I only regret my soft personality for your mother. Otherwise I would have gotten rid of you a long time ago!¡±

    Her face darkened upon hearing these words coming from her father.

    ¡°Do you understand? You were always fated to live the life of the ordinary! How could I waste my time on someone like you and pass on my legacy? The only good thing you have ever brought me was this position as an elder! You have already surpassed your usefulness, please die for father!¡±

    His body suddenly flashed and his sword chopped down towards her. She barely held up her sword in time to defend, but she still flew off from the impact.

    Seeing that Relic did not make a move Botan let out a breath of relief as he chased after Pascal.

    ¡°A couple more hits and I will be able to take her hostage.¡± He murmured to himself.

    The black lightning strengthened his body, allowing him to move faster and hit harder.

    He struck the mountain Pascal landed in and the mountain instantly fell apart. She used her sword to block the attack but still coughed up blood.

    He attacked furiously, swinging left and right in a continuous fashion.

    She barely blocked every attack. Her hands were numbs from the successive attacks and her organs were all shaken from the continuous beating.

    They both panted heavily from exhaustion.

    ¡°Daughter, this is the end! I will commend you on finding a good disciple like Relic. Even I didn¡¯t think he would make it this far. Here is my last attack!¡±

    Lightning flashed from his sword as he pierced the sword towards her shoulder.

    His sword pierced directly through and blood spurted outwards. Her body flew back wards however he quickly caught up and held his sword against her throat.

    ¡°Relic, if you don¡¯t want your master to die you will remove your domain and surrender yourself to the Roaring Heavens sect!¡± He shouted.

    However, Relic¡¯s eyes did not change nor did his expression waiver.

    Seeing this, Botan¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°Do you not care if your master di¡­.¡±

    He suddenly coughed up blood.

    His eyes lowered to Pascal who had her own sword pierce through her chest and into his, striking his heart.

    ¡°You¡­.¡± Blood dripped from his mouth as his consciousness blanked to black. His body fell from the sky along with Pascal who was too tired to hold herself up.

    ¡°Good Job, master.¡± Relic appeared and carried the immobile Pascal back to the snake.

    He looked at the blade thin hole where her sword went through. He quickly gave her medicine to close up the wound.

    ¡°It is all thanks to you, disciple. Without your guidance I don¡¯t think I could have defeated him even with your sword.¡± She smiled back at Him.

    The two rested on top of the snake to catch their breath. Their next battle will probably be their last.

    At this moment, the entire inner sanctum was in pandemonium.

 Chapter 21

    ¡°Half a million dead, 15 elders at the half step of the immortal ascension killed. Who did it?! Was it another supreme sect?¡±

    ¡°Elder, I have a projection crystal transmitted by another disciple¡±

    ¡°Show me!¡±

    A gray crystal lay in the hands of a messenger. He sent in his qi and a recording of what just transpired appeared.

    ¡°That¡­that is the daughter of elder Botan! Also that person¡­. He has A DAO SEED! QUICKLY INFORM THE SECT MASTER!¡± Everyone scrambled to notify the sect master. This news was just too big not to say anything.

    As the Roaring Dragons Sect was busy informing and making plans, Relic and Pascal were saying good bye to the Snake.

    ¡°You have done your duty, you may now leave.¡± Relic tossed the snake several rare cultivation resources.

    The eye of the snake bulged wide open upon seeing the reward

    ¡°Senior¡­..this is too much.¡±

    It really was too much as all it did was act as a mount for not even a day. It didn''t even have to fight!

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I will not be needing it anymore. Good luck in your cultivation.¡±

    The snake was taken by surprise and could not help but feel admiration to this senior. He bowed his head to both Relic and Pascal before leaving.

    Relic looked around him and activated his divine sense. Instantly, he scanned through the entire region of the Roaring Heavens Sect. Generally, only those ascended as an immortal could achieve such a thing.

    At the same time he felt an intense glare looking back at him. His divine sense was detected by several powerful individuals who sent their divine sense back at him..

    ¡°Master, it is time for the final battle.¡±

    ¡°En.¡± She nodded.

    Currently four speeding individuals headed towards Relic and Pascal. Within a few moments they all appeared before the two.

    ¡°We were thinking of a plan to deal with you two, but since you wanted to scope us out, it seems you want to fight now.¡± The sect master looked coldly at the two.

    When his eyes landed on Pascal he let out a sigh. ¡°Pascal, my son caused you a lot of trouble. Although it may not seem like much, I offer you an apology.¡± He bowed his head. ¡°We only want the one with the Dao seed. If you surrender now, I will offer you whatever you want to make up for the troubles my son caused.¡±

    Pascal did not respond and only looked coldly at the sect master.

    He could not help but sigh a second time. He then turned to Relic.

    ¡°You have killed many and there is no way to atone for your crimes. We will kill you but I promise as long as Pascal does not get in our way, we will not kill her.¡± he said in a soft voice.

    He summoned out a red great sword. It radiated tyrannical aura that seemed to supress the heavens. This was undoubtedly a transcendent weapon used by immortals.

    The other three also summoned transcendent weapons which did not lose out to the great sword. All four were ascended immortals who chosen to stay in their sect instead of going out to adventure.

    Relic similarly summoned his own weapon. These were not opponents he could mindlessly slaughter.

    ¡°Blue world¡±

    Instantly, Relic¡¯s domain encompassed a region stretching out thousands of kilometers. The area of its reach quickly astonished the immortals.

    ¡°So this is the power of the Dao seed.¡± Their own domain¡¯s protected them from the effect of Relic¡¯s domain.

    With a wave of his hands hundreds of thousands of mist blotches appeared within the domain which then congealed into frozen spears. With a flick of his wrists all the spears headed towards the immortals.

    ¡°With the essence of Fire, Transcending the world, come forth, the flames of the fire Dao!¡±

    ¡°With the essence of Fire, Transcending the world, come forth, the Strength of the fire Dao!¡±

    ¡°With the essence of wind, transcending the world, come forth, the blades of the wind Dao!¡±

    ¡°With the essence of lightning, transcending the world, come forth, the Strength of the Lightning Dao!¡±

    They met the frozen spears with their own magical techniques.

    Half of them used magical attacks to meet the frozen spears while the others strengthened their bodies with the essence of Dao.

    The frozen spears crumbled away at the might of these immortals. However, as if they were endless, more frozen spears showed up and continued to attack the immortals.

    At that moment, Relic disappeared and reappeared in front of the women immortal.

    ¡°So fast!¡±

    His spear lunged 60,000 times in a single second towards the immortal. Her dual wielded blue fans tried to meet the insane speed of the spear. However, the speed of the spears was too fast and several attacks punctured holes in her body.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    A second immortal appeared to his side, and with a giant flaming hammer, aimed at Relic¡¯s head. Relic quickly retreated and vanished from their sight.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Yea¡­. He really is too fast.¡± She said as blood dripped from her mouth

    Their quick conversation ended as more frozen spears chased them

    ¡°Quickly, we need to summon the guardian!¡± The sect master sound rang out and all the immortals headed towards him.

    The four looked at each other and nodded their heads. They locked arms as they spoke the words of enchantment.

    ¡°With the essence of wind, transcending the world, come forth, the immortal giant!¡±

    ¡°With the essence of fire, transcending the world, come forth, the immortal giant!¡±

    ¡°With the essence of fire, transcending the world, come forth, the immortal giant!¡±

    ¡°With the essence of lightning, transcending the world, come forth, the immortal giant!¡±

    The pressure of the air suddenly increased. A force surround the four immortals which not even the frozen spears could penetrate. A rift suddenly opened in front of them and an almighty being emerged. Its body was made of flames. Circular wind disks appeared behind its back and a mighty Chakaram, radiating with lightning, was held in its hands.

    ¡°Guardian, destroy that man!¡± The sect master said as he pointed to Relic in the distance.

    ¡°You think that can stop me?¡± Relic sneered.

    His hair suddenly turned increasingly turned white as he made an incantation gesture.

    ¡°With the essence of ice, With the Dao in my name, come forth, the frozen army of hell!¡±

    Another rift opened. Thousands of red eyes peered through the rift. Cackling laughs could be heard coming from the other side as small imps stepped out of the rift.

    ¡°Destroy that giant!¡±Relic commanded.

    The small imps wielded up their pitch forks and charged towards the giant. Their speed surpassed even Relic and instantly appeared in front of the giant. Their pitchforks landed on every part of the giant who tried miserably to attack them. However, its efforts could only be met with one or two imps being crushed. Its body slowly turned to ice and chipped away.

    ¡°I-impossible, even the guardian is unable to best him.¡± One of the immortals stared at what was happening with bulging eyes.

    ¡°We still have time, we must kill him before the giant is finished!¡± the sect leader said.

    The four immortals joined together to attack Relic.

    Frozen spears came at their group but the immortal were coordinated and covered each other¡¯s weak spots.

    Relic was now fighting against all four immortals. His speed allowed him to quickly dodge the incoming attacks but every time he dodged a second attack would come, leaving him with no time to relax.

    Outside the radius of the battle stood many members of the Roaring Dragons sect who were watching with fear and awe. This was something they had never seen. It was a battle between gods!

    Every attack sent chills down their spines.

    ¡°This is simply amazing!¡± one of the people in the group said

    ¡°Should we be helping, it doesn¡¯t seem like the four immortals are unable to get the upper hand?¡± another said

    ¡°How could we help? Our attacks would not even tickle the intruder.¡±

    Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

    ¡°Hmph, that intruder is already dead. To be so arrogant as to journey to the center of my Roaring Dragons Sect, how does he expect to live?¡± This was spoken out of the lips of a young man. He wore extravagant golden armour and exuded an aura of intelligence.

    This is the same young man who humiliated Pascal; only, he now seemed different than he once did.

    While everyone was focused on the battle, no one noticed a women staring at them in the distance. Pascal saw the golden armoured young master who had made her suffer countless humiliations. For the first time this trip, her eyes were red with hatred.

    She carefully and quickly went into hiding so that no one could detect her.

    She hid silently and stealthily, before long, she was in an attacking position of the young master.

    With a quick burst of speed, she held a sword at the throat of the young master and restricted his every movement.

    ¡°Who¡­¡­you! Pascal¡­.¡± The young master gasped in shock at the person who now held his life in her palm.

    ¡°Let the young master go!¡± She was quickly encircled by the members of the Roaring Dragons Sect. None of them dared to get to close as she could kill him with a single swipe.

    ¡°Young Master, Bu Mou, I¡¯m glad you remember me.¡± Her tone was cold and full of hatred.

    ¡°Pascal, you are surrounded, you don¡¯t have any possible retreat. Release me!¡± He gnashed his teeth.

    ¡°Why would I release you when I just caught you? Don¡¯t you think you are being a bit too idiotic?¡±

    The sound of battle suddenly stopped as the group fighting noticed the situation that happened.

    ¡°Stop, do not hurt my son!¡± the sect master screamed.

    He charged towards her only to be stopped by Relic.

    ¡°Your son has caused many atrocious acts which have affected many people. Do you not think it is time for his retribution?¡± His voice was similarly cold and murderous as he talked to the sect master.

    ¡°Wait, I know what my son has done to you is inexcusable, but he has changed.¡± He looked worriedly at Pascal. ¡°He has grown up and no longer does those sorts of things.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­.. It was my fault. I was young and impulsive at that time and I thought it was my right to do whatever I wanted. I know I have wronged you, but if you release me I will do anything I can to right my wrong.¡± His tone made it sound genuine and also carried an air of maturity.

    ¡°If I had not shown up today how would you have made it up to me? You forced me to live a life of misery and humiliation. If not for my disciple finding me, I would already be dead. How could you possibly make it up to me?¡± tears welled up in her eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Bu Mou had no retort, as he really didn¡¯t know what to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, this life has already been taken by you. I¡¯m merely living on borrowed time.¡± She looked to her disciple and smiled.

    Swiiish

    The blade slit across Bu Mou¡¯s throat, instantly killing him.

    ¡°You¡­. I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± The sect master¡¯s face was completely red as he pointed to Relic.

    Instantly, she was attacked by all those around her who cried out their young master¡¯s name. Their attacks were met with a protective barrier which shattered after a couple of attacks. An attack managed to slip through and hit her in the chest, sending her flying.

    Relic appeared behind her and caught her.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to end this battle.¡± He said.

    The surrounding people all backed away but the four immortals flew towards him in a rage.

    He took out a completely black pill. The pill disintegrated in his hand and black mist expanded outwards towards all direction.

    ¡°Poison?¡± the immortals were all apprehensive of this poison as it was used by the person with the Dao seed. He would not use such a thing if it didn¡¯t have any effect.

    However, there was still one person who charged mindlessly into the cloud of black mist. This was the sect master who was currently enthralled with rage over the death of his son.

    At first contact, the sect master was sent in a shock at the changes in his body.

    ¡°My¡­how can this be! My Qi is disappearing!¡±

    As soon as the mist was close enough to sect master, it instantly begun to eat and drain the Qi within and around his body. Within moments his cultivation realm dropped from the immortal to the golden world realm. It continued to drop through the realms until he was no more than a mortal man.

    ¡°How can¡­. this be¡­..!¡± He dropped to the floor, unconscious.

    As if giving new life, the black mist suddenly increased in mass and shot outwards in even greater speeds!

    The sect members all tried to run but they could not escape the mist. One by one they fell unconscious as their cultivation vanished from their body. The Qi the black mist ate only fueled itself and continued to spread.

    The remaining three immortals all fled in terror at the scene. They shot through the air at their greatest speed, disappearing from the area within seconds.

    As the mist expands, it continues to engulf any cultivators¡¯ unluckily enough to come across it. The expansion will slow down as it gets larger, but so long as there was cultivators to supply it energy it would continue to expand.

    From this day, the Roaring Dragons sect will be no more!

 Chapter 22

    Within the center of the black mist there were two people. One was a man holding a woman in his arms.

    ¡°Master, there is a beautiful ocean not far from here. I believe we can catch the sun set if we go now. Would you like to go?¡±

    ¡°The women was weak but gave a light nod.¡±

    The man, seemingly unaffected by the black mist, shot out of the black mist and headed towards the vast ocean.

    Relic flew with sadness in his eyes. His veins throbbed with black blood which could be visible seen across his body. His hair was now as white as snow. In his arms, was Pascal who also had black throbbing veins across her body. Although no one could notice, there was a thin layer of energy surrounding her which protected her from the mist.

    The two made their way towards the vast blue ocean. Pascal, who laid in his arms, remained motionless. Her eyes barely opened. If not for her will power, they would have shut down a long time ago.

    ¡°Master is very selfish, even to ask you to join her in death.¡± She spoke weakly.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Anywhere where master goes, disciple will follow.¡± He said unhesitant.

    The two watched the sun set across the horizon.

    At this moment his feet had frost on them that was slowly inching up his body.

    The two remained silent during the entire scene.

    With the remaining of her strength, she opened her mouth once more.

    ¡°Will you listen to master¡¯s last request?¡±

    ¡°Anything¡±

    ¡°If we meet in the next life and I am still a women and you are still a man, will you come and find me and marry me?¡± Every word turned softer and softer.

    ¡°Of Course¡±

    ¡°¡­.Thank¡­you¡­¡± her hands dropped as the last remaining life force disappeared.

    ¡° Master, where ever I am¡­. I will watch over you for all eternity!¡± tears fell from his eyes as he stared passionately at her face.

    He turned his head to the direction of a city in which a wandering doctor and his unruly daughter had once taken up residence.

    ¡°Teacher¡­Ren¡­ I will leave this life less than a man who could not pay back his debts.¡±

    He then turned to face back his master.

    ¡°But even so¡­I would rather die a dog¡¯s death next to master than live even a day without her.¡±

    The frost was now up to his neck and continued to slowly climb towards his face. However, he did not waiver and kept the same position so that he could stare at his master for all eternity.

    The frost slowly encompassed them both and like that, the two would remain as immortal statues, forever entombed in ice.

    The two ice statues dropped into the ocean where they slowly sank into the depths of the dark abyss.

 Chapter 23

    10 years later¡­

    News of the Roaring Dragon Sect had spread throughout the continent. Those who were affected by the black mist now lived their lives as mortals and told the story of what had transpired. Those who heard, immediately went into action to find the man who held the Dao Seed. However, no matter where they looked they could not find him. Eventually, they gave up and the supreme sects began dividing up the territory that used to belong to the Roaring Dragon Sect.

    The legend of the black mist eventually faded and was now rarely talked about.

    At this moment, a young woman was buying groceries for dinner from the local market.

    ¡°Granny, give me 10 pounds of pork!¡±

    ¡°Coming right up!¡±

    A smiling granny took down a roasting pig and began to chop and package it.

    ¡°So much meat, are you two having a celebration?¡±

    ¡°Yes, actually¡­¡­¡±

    The young women whispered something into the granny¡¯s ears.

    ¡°My, my, a baby, how wonderful!¡± The granny grinned from ear to ear.

    ¡°Shhhh, I haven¡¯t told him yet. I want it to be a surprise tonight!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sure he will be happy. Congratulations Mulin!¡±

    The two waved good bye as Mulin continued to shop around the market.

    This young woman is called Mulin and is the daughter of an elder from a powerful sect. At the age of 19 she eloped with her true love against the wishes of her parents. She, and her now husband, now resided in a small town far away from that sect.

    ¡°I should also get some vegetables, but¡­. I¡¯m too exited! I want to tell him now, he can just eat meat!¡± She happily skipped back to her home which they had built together.

    She was just about to burst open the door when she suddenly heard the moan of a women.

    ¡°It¡­It can¡¯t be¡­.¡± Her heart raced, but she quickly calmed herself. ¡°I must be hearing things; my husband would never do such things to me.¡±

    However, a second moan could be heard.

    Her heart suddenly accelerated. She silently opened the door and made her way to their bedroom. A small opening was made which allowed her to peer into the room.

    Her eyes instantly constricted as her bag of groceries fell on the floor.

    The thump scared the man and women who were currently in the embrace of each other in the bed.

    The door opened to show a crying Mulin.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°You¡­.how could you¡­?¡±

    The man sighed as he got up.

    ¡°Mulin I¡­.¡±

    A slap aimed towards his face but he caught it before it hit him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be childish Mulin, let¡¯s just talk this out.¡±

    ¡°You said you loved me¡­.. you said we would be together forever¡­..¡± She did not even look at his face and stared at the floor.

    ¡°Sigh¡­. Mulin, love is not so easy that you can merely put it into words. Yes, I loved you at the time but after we moved in together I realised that my love for you was merely for the moment. We just aren¡¯t compatible and lately, I find that it is hard for us to live together.¡±

    Her heart felt like it was breaking. Her panting became heavier with every breath.

    ¡°I think we should split up.¡±

    Everything seemed to go dark.

    ¡°I¡­I¡­I gave up everything for you. I abandoned my parents, my sect, and my best friend just to be with you. Go...GO DIE!!!¡± She turned and ran away, leaving a trail of tears.

    She ran into the forest and did not stop. She continued to run until she made it to a cliff.

    She stood at the edge as she let out a piercing scream. Her tears flowed endlessly and before she knew it night came.

    Her tears had run out and her throat was hoarse.

    She stood at the edge of the cliff and looked down to see where the ocean met the cliff. There were a few jagged rocks down there which would kill anyone instantly if they were to jump off the cliff.

    She looked at her belly and patted it softly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you would probably have grown up to be a splendid person who everyone would want to be friends with. But I¡­.I¡¯m just not strong enough¡­¡± her face was dull and looked as if there was no more life in them.

    She stood at the very edge of the Cliff. If she even took one step, her whole body would drop down.

    She began to think back to all the people she had left.

    ¡°Mom, Dad, Shion¡­¡­¡± Her face was full of regret. ¡°I wish I had chosen you at that time.¡±

    Suddenly thunder raged all across the sky. As if time suddenly stopped, everything around her stood motionless and silent.

    A rift appeared from the sky as large ancient black dragon slowly descended.

    Mulin was frightend and took several steps back, tripping and landing on her butt.

    The black dragon looked around to see Mulin. It shrank down to a smaller size so that it was more convenient for them to talk.

    ¡°Do you want a second chance?¡± The black dragon asked. His mouth did not move but his voice still resounded in her ears.

    It took her a moment to grasp what was happening.

    ¡°I-Is senior talking to me?¡± she asked cautiously.

    ¡°Yes¡­..¡±

    ¡°W-What second chance do you mean?¡± from her tone one could tell she was still a bit scared.

    ¡°A second chance to do things over, to choose the right path, and to not regret the choices you make.¡±

    Her eyes instantly widened by his statement.

    ¡°You mean¡­. Go back in time?¡±

    ¡°In a way¡­¡±

    ¡°Please, I would do anything for a second chance.¡± She kowtowed towards the dragons with new tears falling.¡±

    ¡°Get on.¡±

    He gestured for her to get on his back. Mulin, who was ready to give up her life, quickly jumped on this dragon¡¯s back. Although it all seemed so fantastical, even if it was a dream, she still wanted to get on.

    ¡°Hold on¡­.¡± He warned her.

    His ginormous body rose into the sky before it dived down into the ocean.

    His speed was incredible, reaching a speed where he could probably cross half the world in several seconds. Although his speed was incredible, Mulin was protected and was not affected by any external factors.

    The dragon passed through the ocean in an astounding way. Soon it reached an enormous ice berg which seemed like it would last for all of eternity. However, the dragon did not change its course and smashed through this ice berg, breaking it into many pieces.

    Its eyes suddenly glowed bright and it let out a fearsome roar. A spatial rift suddenly opened and the dragon and Mulin went through it. Ripples of space and time echoed out and caused great tremors throughout the world.

    After the dragon left, the rift began to slowly close.

    The water current left from the speeding dragon was incredible and it dragged many things involuntarily towards it.

    One such item was a pair of ice statues which depicted the face of a man lovingly looking at a woman in his arms.

    As the rift was closing, the ice statues were swept up by the currents and made its way towards the rift and passed through just as it closed.

    Just like the rift, the current settled and everything returned back to normal.

 Chapter 24(old)

    It was an early morning. Blue sky and white clouds encompassed the sky. Spirit beast birds soared across the sky and chirped happily as flapped their majestic wings.

    Light shined through a window and landed directly on the eyes of a little boy.

    ¡°So¡­. bright¡­¡± the little boy sleepily said.

    He shifted his head slightly away from the light so that he could continue sleeping.

    ¡° Bwaaaaaah!¡± He jolted awake, screaming. He breathed heavily trying to piece together what was happening. ¡°This¡­.Where am I?¡± He looked around the room which gave him a sense of familiarity.

    ¡°You are awake? Do you need to go to the washroom? Sister will go with you.¡±

    Beside the little boy was a little girl who had been sleeping by his side. Her hand had been holding onto his tightly the entire time. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, and yawned very softly. She had jet black hair in a bobbed hair style. Her eyes were fairly large and had a chestnut color to them.

    ¡°Who is this girl?¡±

    He looked at her confusedly. Yet, he could not take his eyes off of her. For some reason she looked extremely familiar to him as if he had known her in the past¡­.

    As he continued to think about it, he suddenly remembered something. His eyes instantly widened and his mouth dropped in shock.

    ¡°S-s-sister...?¡±

    ¡°Yea?¡± she said as she tilted her head.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Seeing as her brother did not have any follow up question, she pulled him out of bed. They walked out of the room and headed down a small hall.

    This confused little boy was obviously Relic who managed to come back to a time when he was a little boy.

    The entire time he could not even process what was happening. Right in front of him was a person he had not seen in many, many years. In fact, he would have a hard time recalling much of anything prior to his meeting his master. All he knew was that his village was destroyed by a group of cultivators and that he was the only survivor.

    ¡°How could this be, have I travelled back in time?¡± He felt like he was in a daze.

    ¡°Okay, you can go first.¡±

    They stopped in front of a washroom with a toilet right in the middle.

    ¡°Ah, ok.¡± He unconsciously replied

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Well, it is a bit hard to go if you are holding my hand.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? We have been doing this for four years now. Little brother, are you still sleeping?¡± she had a queer look on her face

    ¡°Well I¡­. I believe I can handle going to washroom myself.¡±

    The girl instantly had an expression of shock. ¡°Are you sure? This will be the first time in four years that you have done something like this.¡±

    ¡°four years since I ¡®ve gone to the washroom by myself? I don¡¯t remember much of my childhood but surely this wasn¡¯t how I was, right?¡± He could not help questioning himself.

    The little girl let go of his hand as slowly as possible, as if she was scared he would regret his decision. He saw the weird expression on this girl. It was as if she could not believe this was actually happening.

    ¡°Is it that weird for me to go to the washroom by myself?¡± he thought.

    He went inside the washroom and closed the door behind him.

    He suddenly reminisced about his younger days when his master first picked him up. Sure he had asked his master to go with him to the washroom on several occasions. However, it wasn¡¯t too long until he was able to go himself.

    As he finished up he saw there was a mirror hanging on one of the walls in which he saw a small boy.

    ¡°This is me?!¡±

    He slowly touched his face in surprise. In the mirror was a fairly cute little boy which looked an awful lot like the little girl standing outside the washroom. He had black hair and brown eyes much like the girl. Even their hair styles matched! If not for his sister being distinctly cuter, people probably could not even tell the difference.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­. I have a twin sister¡­.¡±

    He took a few moments to process everything before deciding to finish up. Opening the door, he found the little girl crying in tears.

    ¡°Little brother, you are finally getting better!¡±

    She embraced him as her tears fell.

    Relic was dumbstruck. Since when did going to the washroom require the tears of others?

    ¡°Sister, what are you crying for? Someone of my age is surely capable of going to the washroom by themselves, right?¡± he smiled wryly

    ¡°En!¡± she nodded her head happily.

    She took his hands and dragged him to the dining room. Inside, sat two people. These two were the parents of the twin siblings.

    ¡±Mom, dad, little brother is finally able to go to the washroom all by himself!¡±

    Her excitement made Relic instantly flush red.

    ¡°I just went to the washroom! Why are you the one so excited?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good news, son, you are finally recovering.¡± The mother walked over to the kids and gave them both a hug. Paying close attention, one could see tears start to well up in her eyes.

    The mother had long brown hair and looked like the adult version of what his sister would look like when she grew up, albeit some color differences. She was beautiful to a certain degree.

    The father gave out a small nod. He had short straight black hair and a fairly rough face. His body was also a bit fat from the looks of things.

    Relic felt a bit weird but returned the hug back to this woman.

    As he sat down at the table, Relic finally had time to organize his thoughts.

    ¡°Have I really travelled back to the past, and if so, how did this happen?¡± He slowly chewed on his food as he questioned his circumstances.

    He then seemed to remember something important. ¡°What happened to master?! Did she also return to the past with her memories?! Will I be able to meet her again!?¡±

    His head swirled with questions which increasing made his heart thump harder. Excitement soon over took his confusion. Right now, he had been given a heaven sent opportunity to help his master before any bad things happened to her.

    ¡°A second life, a second chance. I can do it! I can save master!¡±

    Suddenly, he felt as if he could hear a faint voice in his head.

    ~If we meet in the next life and I am still a women and you are still a man, will you come and find me and marry me? ~

    ¡°Master¡­.¡± He murmured to himself. Tears welled up in his eyes.

    His sister became worried when she saw Relic suddenly tear up. She quickly grasped his hand with hers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry little brother, big sister is here, there is nothing to worry about.¡± She looked at him resolutely and gave a reassuring smile.

    ¡°No I¡­. En, thanks¡± he smiled back.

    He assessed the situation and tried to recall his past. The area they lived in was called Heaven¡¯s peak. Contrary to the impressive name, this was actually just a village located in an encirclement of mountains. The mountains protected the village from the various spirit beasts who wished to do them harm. Although the place was labeled as a village it was actually vibrant and filled with an abundance of food. It was more accurate to call this place an agricultural zone as two-thirds of the family here dealt with the business of farming and all own some part of land. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say every one living here had some sort of connection to farming.

    Relic¡¯s family owned a small restaurant which did fairly well and was actually popular among wanderers and tourists. Though, no matter how he tried to remember, he could not remember much about his family and their personalities.

    ¡°Ah well, it doesn¡¯t really matter if I don¡¯t remember my family. I can just reacquaint myself with them with time. The important thing is to quickly get strength and power so that I can help master!¡± There was nothing that could sour his mood right now.

    His sister continued to look at him with confusion. For some reason her brother had been acting very weird all morning.

    After eating breakfast, his sister dragged him through the village to play with the other kids.

    The two children were old enough to help in their parent¡¯s restaurant but because of Relic¡¯s condition and the responsibility of his sister to look after him, they were not required to do so.

    ¡°Sophie!¡± his sister shouted to a girl who was currently with a group of small kids.

    ¡°Ah, Hana and Little Relic, glad to see you two.¡± The little girl smiled back. ¡°You¡¯re just in time, we are about to play hide and seek!¡±

    ¡°Hide and seek, great, little brother we finally have a game we can play together!¡±

    Relic saw the look of excitement on his sister¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but have an awkward expression.

    ¡°Sister, actually I have something to do. I will meet you later in the afternoon.¡± He said as he smiled.

    He tried to walk away only to be pulled back. His sister¡¯s hand never once let go of his since this morning.

    ¡°Little brother, you seem to have developed a sense of humor overnight. It seems like you want to leave sister¡¯s side.¡± She said sarcastically.

    ¡°Uh, well, sister I really do have things I have to do.¡±

    He really did have many things he needed to prepare for. He needed to start earning money so that he could fund himself to get stronger. He also needed to make the appropriate preparations for when he meets his master as well as a way to deal with the cultivators that would eventually destroy his village. To waste time on playing games was just something he could not afford to do.

    She sighed and said, ¡°I guess I have no choice, I will see you next time Sophie.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s really is ok, I can go myself!¡± he quickly tried explain.

    However, it was already too late as she waved good bye to her friend and began to walk away with Relic.

    ¡°She is too stubborn! I don¡¯t even understand why she keeps holding my hand! I¡¯m practically a hundred years old!¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she asked.

    Relic stopped for a moment and began to debate with himself over what he should do.

    At the rate things were going, she was never going to leave him. He couldn¡¯t tell her to just leave either as he isn¡¯t too sure of her temperament. He didn¡¯t want to strain their relationship. However, if she continued to bother him, he would never get anything done.

    Finally, he decided to do the most logical thing.

    ¡°Sister, can we go somewhere private, I would like to discuss something with you.¡±

    ¡°Ok¡±

    Seeing her brother act so serious was a first for her. In fact, ever since he woke up it was like he was a different person. Usually he was a cowardly boy who always hid behind her. If she tried to let go of his hand he would use every ounce of strength he had to hold on.

    They made their way back home which was currently empty. Their parents had already left for work.

    He looked in her eye and spoke solemnly: ¡°This will come as a shock, but the truth is, I¡¯m from the future and for some reason, my mind had travelled back into the past and into the mind of my 8 year old self.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 24 (cont)

    Within a vast green forest, miles away from any other settlements, stood a lone but grand mountain. It towered over all and seemed to stretch towards the clouds in the sky. On top of this grand mountain was an unassuming town which was getting ready to start the new day.

    This town was currently bustling with activity. While the adults worked, children could be seen playing in an open area on the streets. Their laughter echoed out and smiles could be seen by the nearby adults who continued on with their hard working day.

    Underneath a large brown tree, were two kids who sat as they gazed at the other children playing with each other.

    These two were twins, a boy and a girl, almost identical in appearance. They both had short jet black hair with chestnut brown eyes. There wasn¡¯t anything unique about them; if anyone were to look at them they would think they were only ordinary little children.

    As they continued to watch the other children playing, a small girl walked over and stood in front of them.

    ¡°Hana, you should play with us instead of sitting under this tree all day.¡± The small girl said.

    When the small girl appeared in front of them the twin brother instantly hid his face in his sister¡¯s clothes and began shivering in fright.

    ¡°Sophie,¡± Hana, the twin sister, gave the girl a smile. She was elated to see her friend but she then turned her head to her shivering brother.

    Hana patted her brother''s head and said, ¡°Thank you, Sophie, but I have to take care of my little brother. Maybe when he is a bit better I can come join you. ¡± she gave an apologetic smile.

    ¡°V-very well¡± Sophie sighed before glaring at the brother. For some reason she had a slight look of disgust on her face when she looked at the little boy who hung so closely to his sister.

    After Sophie left, Hana took out two box lunches. ¡°Brother, are you hungry?¡±

    The brother nodded.

    She opened up the boxes to reveal a variety of ingredients which she prepared early in the morning. She picked up her chopsticks and lifted a piece of fish towards her brother. He opened his mouth and began to chew the food.

    She caressed his hair as he ate and gave him a smile. When they finished their lunch, the boy laid down on his sister''s lap and went to sleep as she kept watch over him.

    As the day went on the sky grew darker and gray clouds suddenly began to form. A roar of thunder was suddenly heard and droplets of rain dropped from the clouds. People slowly packed up whatever they were doing and began head back to their homes.

    ¡°Brother, it is time to wake up, it is raining.¡± Hana gently nudged her brother awake.

    The boy slowly opened his eyes and blinked in confusion. ¡°Where am I?¡± the boy suddenly asked.

    The girl instantly gasped in shock. ¡°B-brother¡­you are able to speak again?¡± tears fell as she hugged him.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The girl froze and looked at him with concern. ¡°B-brother, it¡¯s me, Hana, are you feeling okay?¡±

    The boy tilted his head in confusion. He turned his head to see houses surrounding them in the distance. ¡°We are¡­in a town?¡± He then looked up to the darken clouds drizzling down rain.

    ¡°How am I still alive?¡± he muttered to himself sorrowfully.

    Hana was speechless as she saw tears well up in her brother¡¯s eyes. She had been with her brother all her life, yet she had never seen her brother like this. This was also the first time he had spoken something to her in years and she just couldn¡¯t get over her shock

    Unsure what to do she embraced her brother. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t be sad, sister is here.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­¡± The boy seemed to suddenly snap out of whatever thought was holding his mind. He stared at the girl he saw when he first awoke. As he continued to stare at her he suddenly seemed to feel as if he had seen her somewhere before.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Just as he was going to ask her a question she grasped his hand. ¡°We should probably head home before the rain gets heavier.¡± She dragged him behind her and ran towards their home which was at the corner of the town.

    They entered into a cozy little home located near the edge of the town. Inside, the home gave the feeling of a very common household.

    The girl continued to hold his hands and dragged him towards the back of the home, towards a room housing a bath. She quickly set a fire underneath the wooden tub and the water soon began to boil.

    The boy was still within his thoughts when she suddenly began to unbutton her clothes.  His eyes bulged out and he staggered back a step, slamming the door.

    The girl suddenly looked at her brother and knocked herself on her head as if she forgot something. ¡°Ah, sorry, you must be cold, you should go in first.¡± She said.

    With a swift motion she unbuckled his clothes. She then bent down and ¡­

    ¡°S-stop! What are you doing!¡± he yelled. If the boy was still drowsy before he was awake now. He held up his pants and clasped the girl by the shoulders before shoving her out of the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯ll be going in first!¡± the boy shouted behind the closed door. The entire time the girl stood stupefied by just what happened, unable to utter a sound.

    With the Hana gone, the boy sighed and slowly entered into the heated waters as he processed everything that was happening. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what is happening, why does that girl keep calling me brother?¡± He instinctively looked to his hands which were now smaller than how he remembered. He had been pondering a thought since he first opened his eyes in this place. ¡°Has my soul moved into another body?¡± However, even as the thought of a second life crossed his mind he didn¡¯t smile. ¡°Will I never see master again¡­¡±His mood began to sour once more.

    After a while he got out of the bath and opened the door to a sobbing girl. She leaped forth and embraced him as she cried out tears of joy. ¡°You really are getting better!¡±

    The boy was unsure how to react. He didn¡¯t know what the story between this girl and whoever¡¯s body his soul currently inhabited was. He could only nod and return the hug to the strange little girl.

    ¡°Sister, brother is really getting better. I wish to discuss somethings with you.¡± The boy suddenly said.

    The girl¡¯s tears seemed to flow even harder when she heard him and nodded.

    They sat down around a wooden table. Based on the way his sister acted towards him and the way she kept acting surprised by the simplest things he does, he surmised that her brother must have been in a dysfunctional state which required her constant supervision. ¡°The original owner of this body must have been sick prior to me inhabiting it.¡±  He contemplated.

    He quickly thought of a simple lie for him to extract information. ¡°I feel like my head has suddenly become less hazy and I can now think clearly. However, I cannot remember much about these past few years, not even about you.¡± He said concerned.

    ¡°You mean you can¡¯t remember anything?¡± she asked astonished.

    He nodded in response.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± she had a worried expression but as she thought about it, a smile appeared on her face. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, as long as brother is better now.¡±

    ¡°Mn, since you can¡¯t remember me I can tell you, I¡¯m your big sister. We were both born on the same day, though I was actually born a few minutes before you.¡±

    ¡°So we are twins¡­¡± the boy nodded.

    ¡°My name is Hana, and our family names are the Astor¡¯s. We live with our parents who run a small restaurant in a town called Heaven¡¯s Peak.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­Heaven¡¯s peak.... and the Astors?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Heaven¡¯s peak¡­isn¡¯t that the place master first picked me up when I was by myself? And we are called the Astor¡¯s?! No¡­It can¡¯t be.¡± He shook the thought out of his head. ¡°It has to be a coincidence!¡±

    ¡°Do you at least remember your name?¡± Hana suddenly asked

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Your full name is Relic Moofu Astor.¡±

    Relic felt like a strike of lightning coursed through his body. His body jolted upwards and he ran out of the house.

    ¡°Brother, where are you going!¡± Hana frantically chased after him.

    Relic did not stop and continued outside in the pouring rain. Even though there were many houses in his vision, he could see an open space which showed an endless green forest.

    ¡°Have I...¡±  He ran towards the scene of endless forest.

    When Hana told him his name something clicked in Relic¡¯s mind. His exact name, the familiar feelings he has been having, and the name of this town.  He remembered something his master had told him long ago. When he was but a child, his entire town was destroyed and everyone was killed, everyone but a little boy. His master found him shortly after and took him in as her disciple. She taught him many things and led him down the road of immortality.

    At some point in his life, Relic had completely forgotten his time before his master had taken him in. For him, his time with his master was his entire life. However, on one occasion he asked his master where he had come from.

    ~¡±I found you on top a large mountain town within one of the desolate regions. When I arrived the entire town was destroyed but I was still able to find you underneath some rubble. I suppose if the town was still around, you would be able to see a grand scene, with lush green forest all around as you stood high in the sky.¡±~

    Those words were what jolted Relic to run, to see what lied beyond this town.

    Relic panted as he soon stood in front of a brown fence, stopping just at the edge of the mountain¡¯s ledge. His eyes shined when he saw a sea of green all around. At the same time, the rain happened to stop and a rainbow appeared, displaying an exquisite scene.

    His sister shortly caught up, also catching her breath. ¡°W-why¡­did you run.¡± She panted. However, she quickly became speechless when she saw Relic with a smile while also having tears fall from his eyes.

    ¡°Master¡­ I will see you soon.¡± He dropped to his knees and kowtowed to the heavens.

 Chapter 25

    Hana had followed closely behind her brother as they walked back home. He carried a soft smile on his face the entire way back. She pondered what could have happened to her brother to cause this abrupt change but she could not think of anything.

    Unable to take it, she finally asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± he spoke in a tranquil manner.

    Just then, the front door opened and two voices could be heard.

    ¡°I wonder why it had suddenly started to rain out of nowhere.¡±

    ¡°Mn, we¡¯ve had weeks of sunshine, that sudden down pour is a bit weird.¡±

    The voices belonged to a man and woman. When Hana heard the voices she became extremely excited and ran towards two figures in front of the door.

    ¡°Mom, dad!¡± Hana went up to the two and gave them a hug.

    ¡°Hana, did you two have fun today?¡± the mother asked. The mother had a soft looking face and a slender figure. Her long silky brown hair reached all the way down her waist which made her look enchanting.

    ¡°You won¡¯t believe this, but brother has recovered!¡±

    ¡°What!¡± they both exclaimed

    ¡°Son, I-is this true?¡± the father was shaken. He had a burly type figure with jet black hair. His steps caused creaking noise on the wooden floors wherever he stepped.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you both.¡± Relic gave a slight bow. His eyes were sharp like that of an adult and he spoke with confidence.

    The two couldn¡¯t contain their emotions. The mother, with tears in her eyes, covered her mouth with her hands while the father rushed up and gave Relic a hug.

    ¡°My son, you are back.¡± Soon tears also fell down from the father.

    Relic was speechless; the memories of his family were almost non-existent to him. It was as if he suddenly gained a family out of nowhere and he couldn¡¯t quite explain what it was that he was feeling. However, he was sure of one thing, it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± he returned the hug.

    ...

    The family immediately had a celebration and set out a feast. While eating, Relic learned much about his family and the place they resided in.

    Their parents were owners of a small restaurant within this town. The mother was called Marie while his father was known as Lavender. They were childhood friends who married at a young age and have lived in this town their whole lives.

    The place they lived in was called heaven¡¯s peak, residing in the desolate region of the Primordial Snake King. Countless species of spirit beasts roamed the forest below, any of which could easily rip regular mortals to shreds. However, thanks to the height of the mountain this town rested on, it provided a natural barrier against the spirit beasts who sought to attack the humans.

    He also learned that there lived an extremely powerful cultivator here. This cultivator took up the position of mayor and took care of the affairs of this town. Thanks to him, there were rarely any disturbances from unruly wanderers who came to this town to rest.

    Relic continued to listen to the things his family was saying, not ignoring a single word. By the time they were finished it was already late in night and they all retired to their rooms.

    His parents hugged both their children good night and headed to their rooms.

    Relic and Hana had long shared a single room and retreated to their own room. Inside was a single bed which Hana immediately went into.

    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong? Come to bed quick, it is nice and warm.¡±  Noticing Relic stood still, she patted the bedside next to her.

    ¡°Thank you, but I think I will just sleep on the floor.¡±

    She tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯ve been sleeping together since we were born. Why would you sleep on the floor?¡±

    Relic smiled and asked, ¡°Hana, how old are you now?¡±

    ¡°Eight.¡±

    ¡°Mn, you are practically a young lady now. The bed is for the young, us old folks must make way for the young.¡± He said undisturbed.

    ¡°Old¡­ brother, you are younger than me¡­ have you already forgotten?¡±

    Relic paused and quickly realised his mistake. With a panicked face, he said, ¡°T-that¡¯s right! HoHoHo, it seems I¡¯m still recovering.¡± He gave an awkward laugh. It had only been a short time since he awoke and he still had the mind of a century old cultivator. Comparing to other cultivators, Relic was still considered a youngling in the world of cultivators. However, Relic lived life as a mortal for most of his years and he would always treat those younger than him with care.

    ¡°Brother...you have such an old man¡¯s laugh...¡±

    Cough...Cough...

    Relic tried to disperse the awkward tension.

    ¡°Ah, it seems I still need time to clear my mind. I think I will meditate through the night, so you can just have the bed.¡± He quickly sat against a wall and entered into a lotus position. Within moments he carried a serene expression and stopped moving.

    Hana stared blankly at how quickly her brother changed the subject.

    She continued to stare at him for a good 10 minutes before giving up and settled into the bed. ¡°When did brother ever learn how to meditate?¡± She wondered to herself.

    As she lay on the bed, she tussled around, unable to find a comfortable position. They had slept together since as long as she could remember. Now sleeping by herself for the first time, she found herself feeling like the bed was empty. ¡°Has the bed always been this large?¡± she muttered before slowly drifting off to sleep.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡­

    Morning arrived and the Astor family had breakfast as they always had except it was now noticeably more cheery. Marie and Lavender were astounded by their son¡¯s ability to speak with such clarity and sophistication. It was as if they were talking to an adult version of their son.

    ¡°Son, since you have forgotten so much about our town, why don¡¯t you go with your sister and reacquaint yourself with the people in this town. When you are ready, you can come visit us at our restaurant.¡± Marie said.

    ¡°Mn, that sounds like a plan!¡± he replied.

    They soon finished their breakfast and the parents headed off to work, leaving their kids by themselves.

    Hana quickly grasped his hand and said, ¡°Leave it to sister to guide you around.¡± She puffed up her chest.

    ¡°Mn, I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±

    The two twins toured around town. They went to the market place, the stores, and even around the edges of the mountains where agricultural farming was taking place. Relic praised the usage of the land and set up of this town. In the many cities and towns he had traveled in the past, there weren''t many who utilized their space as efficiently as this town did.

    Hana eventually led Relic towards the center of the town where a large blue crystal stood in clear daylight. It sparkled with a radiance which brought about a calming manner to all those who witnessed its beauty. Yet when Relic¡¯s eyes fell upon that crystal his jaw immediately dropped in shock.

    Hana saw the astonished look on Relic¡¯s face and laughed. ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it? The mayor has said that this crystal is used to notify others that we are a sovereign state. I¡¯ve asked Father about it before and he told me that it means we are separate from the kingdoms and the sects who rule the large areas of lands. ¡±

    ¡°This mayor¡­ who is he?¡± Relic could not contain the surprise in his voice.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°You are only partially right.¡± he spoke in a solemn manner. ¡°This blue crystal is used not merely to notify other human settlements of its sovereignty, but also as a beacon for certain spirit beasts to stay away.¡±

    ¡°But how could a mayor from a small town like this possibly get their hands on a sovereign crystal¡­¡± His countenance grew more serious as various questions popped up in his mind.

    ¡°What? H-how do you know?¡± she asked, astonished.

    Hana had taken care of her brother for the last four years, never leaving his side. The reason was because her brother was involved in an accident when he was younger which rendered him incapable of communicating with anyone else. When he had suddenly recovered she was overcome with joy. Even though her brother now seemed like a completely different person, she had assumed it was just a side effect from his sudden recovery.

    Yet, Relic was now saying things he should have no clue about. How could he possible understand these things?

    Relic snapped out of his contemplation and turned to the worried looking Hana.

    ¡°Hana, that¡­¡±

    Suddenly, a deafening beast roar sounded out followed by loud screams of terror. Crowds of people heard the noise and begun to walk towards the origin of the sound.

    Hana and Relic also quickly headed towards the sound. What they saw would make any children cry and adults to shiver.

    Bodies were littered across the ground. Several men were collapsed on the floor as they laid unconscious. There were children who were completely frozen in fear that they didn¡¯t even notice a small yellow puddle expanding beneath them. You could see several cuts and bruises on their body, but none were as injured as a little girl who was currently unconscious and being circled by a large spirit bird beast.

    ¡°Sophie!¡± Hana cried out. She took a step forward but was quickly held back by her brother.

    ¡°Is she your friend?¡± he asked.

    Hana nodded with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go it is too dangerous.¡±

    Hana turned to the motionless body of the ground. A large gash on the girl¡¯s head could be seen with blood flowing out endlessly. Hana bit her lips, hoping someone would jump in and save her friend.

    The spirit beast continued to circle around the little girl and was not even paying attention to the others. Some of the spectators were able to help some of the injured men and children but none of them dared to get too close to the spirit beast.

    The beast itself was the size of three adult men. It had the alternating colours of a raging flame, intertwining both deep red and orange. Its ornate tail was the most eye catching. If one were to look at it they would be drawn in from the divinity of its appearance.  As the beast strutted around the girl, it carried a look of superiority, as if it looked down on all creatures.

    ¡°A Divine Paradise Peacock¡­ how could there be one here?¡± Relic felt more and more confused ever since he had woken up. The sovereign crystal was something so rare you would have better chances finding 3000 year old spirit plants. Yet, here it was, in an average town filled with mostly mortals. Now there was a Divine Paradise Peacock which was ever rarely seen in the human territories in this same town!

    ¡°Just what is going on?!¡± Relic muttered.

    Suddenly, a jeering voice could be heard coming behind the Spirit beast.

    ¡°Ah...brat, haven''t your parents taught you to look where you are going?¡± a young man spoke as he looked at a brown stain on his clothes. To his side were two well-built men wearing matching robes. They stood behind the young man in a manner which would indicate that they were his guards.

    ¡°Bad children need to be punished. A broken leg should do.¡± He snapped his finger.

    The spirit bird beast turned its head and glared angrily at the young man.

    ¡°What, do you want to disobey me again?¡± A ring on his finger suddenly glowed and the beast roared in pain. It fell down to the ground and shook violently as it let out pained cry.

    ¡°Beast, you have already been in my possession for several months now. If you just listen to my commands you wouldn¡¯t have to feel any pain. Now, you can either follow my orders or you can go through another session of pain.¡±

    The bird beast coughed up a mouthful of blood before slowly getting up and walked towards the unmoving girl.

    ¡°Good, now crush her left leg!¡± the young man said with a sinister smile.

    It raised its one of its legs; ready to strike down, when suddenly a middle aged woman came rushing in.

    ¡°Sir, please spare my daughter!¡± the women who came embraced her bloodied daughter in her arms.

    ¡°Oh you are the mother of that girl? That¡¯s good; your daughter did not look where she was going and bumped into my clothes, staining it. Do you know how much these clothes are worth?!¡± he angrily shouted.

    ¡°We¡¯ll compensate, please just spare my daughter!¡± she cried out.

    The young man thought about it and then shook his head in a helpless fashion. ¡°Very well, I¡¯m not totally cruel.¡±

    The mother bowed repeatedly, thanking the young man for his kindness.

    ¡°Since you are here now, you can take responsibility on her behalf. Break both her legs.¡± he pointed at her. Her face immediately paled when she heard his words.

    This time the bird beast did not hesitate and instantly lifted up its legs and struck down on the woman''s legs. Sounds of bones breaking could be heard before a piercing scream came out of the women. The crowd cried out in shock and many of the children hid in their parents clothes.

    ¡°S-stop, our mayor will not stand for this!¡± a person from the crowd shouted

    ¡°Yea, once he catches you, you will regret what you are doing!¡± another said

    Once the mayor was mentioned, the crowd instantly became riled up.

    ¡°Ha...haa...Hahahahahaaa¡± the young man held his stomach in laughter.

    ¡°You people really are from a backwaters area. Do you people even know who I am?¡± he snickered. ¡°Let me enlighten you folks, I¡¯m from the prestigious Yan family of the Rain Fall region. My family is one of the three major powers within that region, owning land masses several hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Do you really think I would be scared of a mayor from a tiny town like this?¡±

    He walked towards the mother who was still wailing in pain and stomped down on her stomach. She spat out some fluids which happened to land on the young man¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you people be a little more sanitary.¡± he sighed, ¡°Break all of her limbs!¡±

    The spirit beast complied and once more lifted up its leg.

    The crowds of people wanted to help but they all knew none of them could do anything to help. The spirit bird beast was menacing and powerful. Several men who tried to confront it earlier laid on the ground and were still unconscious.

    Just as the spirit bird beasts was about to strike towards the women¡¯s other leg, a rock came flying through the air and struck its eye. The bird beast flinched slightly and stumbled a step back. It shook its head and turned to see where the rock came from. It saw a girl who was panting with an ashen look on her face.

 Chapter 26

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Sophie and auntie!¡± Hana yelled as she threw a jagged rock towards the bird beast.

    The projectile flew in a straight line, successfully hitting the Divine Peacock in the eye. It staggered back a step before gazing at Hana with murderous eyes.

    Hana dropped to the floor exhausted. It was clear she had mustered all her courage and strength in that throw.

    Silence¡­

    The entire area was void of movement; even the crying children stopped crying. At the moment, you could only hear Hana still panting.

    The young master was the first to show any signs of movement. A bulging vein could be seen across his head as he said, ¡°Good¡­very good!¡± He then began to clap. ¡°Come, everyone, we must commend her on her bravery!¡± the two guards by his side also began to clap, but everyone else had ashen faces. ¡°Even here, there are still brave souls. Beast, give her what she deserves.¡± he put on a malicious grin.

    The beast roared out, causing many people to cover their ears. It burst from its spot, charging towards the still panting Hana.

    ¡°Oh no!¡± She turned her head to her brother who was looking at her with a shocked expression. When she saw her one and only friend and her mother about to be injured, her body reacted before she knew it.

    ¡°Brother, I¡¯m sorry.¡± she pushed Relic away, and ran away from him, hoping the beast would only chase her.

    Relic staggered backwards, staring at his sister fleeing figure. A smile suddenly appeared on his face. ¡°You are a very brave girl.¡± he mumbled. He felt proud to have a sister who didn¡¯t need to think in order to help others. It was a rare trait Relic did not see often in others, even in his past life.

    Without hesitating, he ran towards the raging peacock who was charging towards his sister. Immediately, the peacock caught sight of Relic and switched its target to him. At that same moment, Hana turned her head and saw that her brother was running towards the spirit beast.

    ¡°NO!¡± she screamed

    Despite the screams from the surrounding people, Relic only increased his speed. He threw out a punch which seemed incapable of hurting anyone. The beast responded by extending its long neck, aiming its beak towards Relic¡¯s head.

    The spectator''s closed their eyes from the gore that was about to happen. Relic eye¡¯s showed no fear, even as the beast¡¯s sharp beak closed in. Relic continued forward until its beak was only a few inches from his eye. Suddenly, he shifted his entire body to the right and spun a full 360 degrees.

    The Peacock¡¯s attack just barely grazed Relic¡¯s cheek as its momentum carried it forward. It seemed shocked the little boy was able to dodge its attack. It tried to quickly retract its neck but suddenly felt a sharp jab down on its neck.

    In the brief time where it missed its attack, its entire neck was exposed. Relic used that opportunity to carry forth his body¡¯s momentum and jabbed his elbow downwards in between two small, almost unnoticeable, bumps on the beast''s neck.

    Crack¡­

    Sounds of bone cracking could be heard as soon as the attack landed. Relic¡¯s eyes twitched slightly from the pain. He could tell his elbow bone was slightly cracked. The Peacock felt an electric shock course through its body and became slightly dazed.

    Relic did not stop nor did he shriek from the pain. He thrusted down his elbow once more on the exact same spot, a second time, a third¡­.

    The Divine Paradise Peacock tried to move but the consecutive hits from Relic made its whole body feel numb and sluggish.

    Finally, after the 5th blow, a different sound was heard and the Peacock''s neck dropped onto the ground.

    The crowd of people, as well as the young man, stood in disbelief. Their jaws were left agape and eyes bulging.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Hana came rushing in, practically jumping onto Relic, and embracing him tightly.

    ¡°Y-you could¡¯ve been killed, because of m-me...I¡¯m s-so s-s-orry.¡± her tears soaked his clothes.

    Relic patted her on the head. ¡°You did what you thought was right, there is no need to apologize. However, it is also quite foolish to let your emotions to take control like that. You must always be aware of what is happening and think of the best situation to take care of it.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He then gave her a light knock on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again, okay?¡± he gave her a light smile.

    ¡°Brother...¡± her entire view of her brother seemed to change completely at that one moment. It was as if she suddenly gained an older brother; someone who would look after her.

    ¡°But¡­your arm¡­¡±

    His left arm was swollen and bleeding.

    ¡°Hana, please move away, there is still trouble.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Y-you!¡± Young master Yan Mu stammered angrily as he pointed at Relic. ¡°You dare do that to my spirit beast?! Kill him!¡± he commanded.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The two men by his side summoned out their swords and charged towards Relic.

    Relic frowned and pushed Hana away. The two guards were fast, much faster than the bird beast he had just downed. Within moments they were within striking distance of Relic. Relic gritted his teeth and focused on the movements of their attacks.

    They lifted up their swords and slashed downwards with murderous intent. At the same time their arms moved down, Relic had already begun to move his body downwards. He rolled in front of them, quickly extending his two feet and struck hard between their legs which were spread apart.

    Instantly, the two guards grimaced in pain and dropped their swords as they held onto their family jewels. They staggered backwards and made contorted faces.

    The crowd of people busted out in laughter looking at the faces the two guards were making. Even the more elderly of the people could not hold in their laughter. After the humiliation the young master had brought to their people, everyone felt this scene was a bit comical.

    Yan Mu popped a vein on his head and was red faced. ¡°What are you imbeciles doing?! You are both in the foundation realm, how are you incapable of handling a small mortal boy?! If you don¡¯t catch him in the next minute you two can forget about coming back to the Yan family.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes!¡± The two guards paled when they heard their young master¡¯s words and picked up their weapons. However, when they looked up, Relic had already made his way towards the houses in the distance. He quickly went to an area where there was coverage.

    Relic was someone who was battle hardened through his adventures, and for the most part of his life, he had to fight as a regular mortal against those in the soulless warrior realm as well as the foundation realm. He knew how to handle stronger opponents but right now, he was currently a weak and injured little boy.

    He chose to use the coverage of the homes to slow down his opponents while he made his way towards the center of this town. His only choice was to make enough noise so that the mayor of this town notices and comes stop these people.

    The two guards summoned out two large and broad swords. The swords immediately grew in size and they both hopped onto these levitating swords.

    ¡°My god¡­they are immortal cultivators!¡±

    ¡°Please forgive us of our insolence.¡±

    Some of the people immediately began to grovel on the ground. Despite living in an area surrounded by spirit beasts, the people in this town lived in relatively peaceful and ignorant lives. Spirit Beasts were dangerous creatures and cultivators were gods among men. This was something most of the residents living here thought.

    The guards ignored the commotion and hoped onto their flying swords, flying towards Relic with incredible speeds.

    The flying swords they were on immediately tore through several homes as if they were made of mud.

    However, even seeing this did not discourage Relic who continued to weave between homes. ¡°Just a bit more¡­¡± he could see the blue crystal in the distance. There was no chance that the sovereign crystal had no protection surrounding it. If he could just get there, then the mayor will definitely show up.

    Relic was gasping for breath and he could feel his body screaming in pain.

    Whoosh!

    Relic bent backwards and saw the hovering sword just barely miss him.

    ¡°Che¡­¡± the man grunted.

    Relic immediately jumped to the left just as a sword slashed downwards. The other guard seemed to raise an eye brow as he sent a flurry of slashes against Relic.

    Although Relic was just a small child, he was capable of reading his enemies movements and dodging just in the nick of time.

    The man sent out fourteen slashes against Relic before he stopped.

    ¡°Amazing!¡± he exclaimed. This man was older than the other guard and the scars on his face would give the impression he was quite an experienced warrior.

    ¡°Young boy, what is your name?¡± he suddenly asked.

    Relic quickly saw the other guard was already behind him, blocking his retreat. With no other option he decided to catch his breath and replied: ¡°My name is Relic.¡±

    ¡°Mn, Relic, you have monstrous talent in martial arts. The fact that you were able to dodge all my attacks tells me that. If you were a cultivator of the same rank as me I would not doubt you would win 100% of the time if we fought.¡± He sighed. ¡°If it was up to me, I would take you back to the Yan family and have you enter it. Unfortunately, I¡¯m just a lowly member in that family. And because you and your sister interfered with our young master¡¯s affairs, I¡¯m afraid you will never be able to realise your talent.¡±

    The old guard then lifted his sword as his countenance turned solemn. ¡°Essence Endowment!¡±

    The sword in his hand immediately glowed with energy before bursting into flames. The flames enshrouded the sword and radiated immense heat.

    Relic immediately had an ashen look on his face. ¡°A mid rank foundation realm¡­dammit.¡± He quickly changed his stance and prepared for the attack.

    However¡­

    ¡°Stop!¡± Yan Mu suddenly shouted.

    The two guards were shocked. Was their young master planning on sparing this boy? This was something they didn¡¯t dare believe.

    ¡°Kill the girl!¡± he pointed at Hana. Hana had been looking in awe and shock as she saw her brother continuously dodge those blows. When she heard Yan Mu''s words, she quickly paled and staggered a step back.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The two guards quickly ignored Relic and flew towards Hana with their swords in Hand. Hana felt her legs were like jelly and she dropped onto the floor.

    ¡°NO!¡± Relic shouted. He couldn¡¯t have imagined the Yan Mu would still have been focused on his sister. He reached out and tried to run towards them but he was too slow.

    The younger guard was the first to arrive as he prepared to slash down at Hana. It was at that moment a powerful pressure was felt by everyone. The two guards were slammed down onto the ground by an invisible pressure and their face buried in dirtt.

    ¡°What do you two think you are doing attacking my people?!" an enraged voice could be heard by everyone.

 chapter 27

    ¡°I-it¡¯s the mayor!¡±

    ¡°Thank the heavens the mayor is here!¡±

    The entire crowd went into an uproar when they heard the mayor¡¯s voice.

    Out of nowhere, two men suddenly appeared within the center of the conflict. They both had shocked looks on their faces as they scanned the area. Buildings were destroyed, people were hurt, and a pitiful looking spirit beast was struggling to stay up right.

    One of the men immediately became enraged.

    ¡°Mr Yan, Please explain to me why your nephew has attacked my people when I have treated you two as honoured guests!¡± The man said. It was quite evident by the way he was speaking; he cared deeply for the people injured. This man was obviously the mayor of Heaven¡¯s peak.

    ¡°You are right, I also would like an explanation, Yan Mu, come here!¡± the other man said sternly. His tone seemed serious yet it carried no real underlying tone. It was as if he could care less about what had happened and only asked Yan Mu to come over in order to satisfy the mayor¡¯s question.

    ¡°Uncle, Mayor of Heaven¡¯s Peak.¡± Yan Mu did not hesitate to give a small bow to the two.

    ¡°Tell me what happened!¡± The uncle demanded. He simply stroked his grey beard with uncaring eyes as he listened to the story.

    ¡°Yes, while I was strolling around, a little girl bumped into me and stained my clothes. I demanded an adequate apology but her mother intervened so I demanded one from her. At the same time, my spirit beast became a little rowdy and before I knew it, a little girl threw a rock out of nowhere!¡± he said in a confused and angry tone. ¡°My spirit beast then became enraged and hurt the mother and child and then charged at the little girl. I don¡¯t know how but her brother managed to subdue my spirit beast and now my spirit beast has become a cripple! ¡± crocodile tears began falling down his face.

    ¡°Mayor, won¡¯t you seek justice for me?¡± he pleaded.

    The crowd of people who heard this were infuriated! The blatant lies seemed to stir a fury within everyone and they all began to surround the mayor, shouting out exactly what had happened.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± the bearded man shouted.

    His voice carried a power which terrified everyone and made them zip their lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think there needs to be further investigation, it is quite clear that this boy had crippled my nephews Spirit beast.¡± he pointed at Relic.

    ¡°Although it seems my nephew had a somewhat ¡­ rough approach, it definitely is not appropriate for his spirit beast to suffer. Mayor of Heaven¡¯s Peak, we both know what kind of spirit beast this is. It¡¯s part of one of the major families within the Primordial Bird King¡¯s Region, the Divine Paradise Peacock. The mere rarity of finding this beast makes it worth several thousand divine essence stones.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°However, for the betterment of the relationship between Heaven¡¯s peak and our Yan family, I believe we can just waive it off. Isn¡¯t that right, nephew?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please think nothing of it mayor, I think severing both of that boy¡¯s arms will be enough.¡± his tone was still malicious as ever.

    The entire crowd was speechless. With one fell swoop the young and old man seemingly placed all the fault of Relic and even offered an easy solution out. Some of them wanted to shout at the old man, but even with the mayor here, they felt an invisible pressure, rendering them incapable of speaking.

    ¡°Why did you order your goons to go after the girl?¡± The mayor gave a deep glare which made Yan Mu take a step back.

    ¡°T-that was a misjudgement on my part. I was overcome with emotions seeing my spirit beast in such a way. ¡± He then turned to the Divine Paradise Peacock who was currently struggling to stand up. ¡°Although I can forgive for what had happened, surely my spirit beast deserves some justice.¡± His acting was very convincing. Had the people around here not seen everything with their own eyes, perhaps some would even feel sympathy for Yan Mu.

    ¡°N-no!¡± a young girl''s voice interjected. Everyone looked to the young girl who had her arms out in front of her brother. ¡°He only did it to protect me; if you need to punish someone you can punish me!¡± She said resolutely. She tried to hold in her tears but anyone could see she was ready to burst down.

    The mayor walked towards Hana and placed his hand on top of her head. ¡°You must really care for your brother a lot.¡± he spoke softly.

    Hana nodded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there will be no more tears today.¡± he petted her on the head. He then looked at Relic¡¯s bruised and bloodied arm and tossed him a pill. ¡°Swallow that, it will help heal you arm.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Relic caught the pill only to have a surprised look on his face.

    ¡°Mr Yan, do you mind releasing the pressure from my citizens? I do not believe it is necessary.¡±

    The old man glared at the frightened crowd once more before releasing the pressure. The entire crowd felt as if a huge pressure was taken off their shoulders and let out a breath of relief.

    The mayor then walked towards the woman who was still on the ground holding her daughter. Her foot had swelled to the point that it looked like it was ready to burst with blood.

    The mayor bent down and asked: ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°My daughter...¡±

    They mayor quickly place his hand on the unconscious girl and scanned her body. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s just unconscious. Will you tell me what happened?¡±

    ¡°Mayor, I do not believe this is necessary!¡±  The bearded man interjected but a cold sweat suddenly formed as he felt a terrifying pressure descend on him. The pressure prevented him from speaking any further, much like the way he had stopped the regular mortals from speaking. The only difference was that he could feel the vast difference in power. ¡°He is actually such a high level...¡± His face darkened.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m talking to my people, I hope you understand.¡±  A murderous underlying tone could be heard from the mayor¡¯s words.

    ¡°O-of course¡­¡± Although it was just a few words, the bearded old man was shivering inside.

    They had been previously conversing with each other regarding a potential deal between this town and his Yan family. This mountain produced high quality spirit water which could be used in medicine, drinks, food, practically everything. Spirit water was merely regular water which had been exposed long enough to high concentration of qi. The exposure transforms the water into spirit water which carries many benefits if consumed.

    The bearded man came from an illustrious family and the mayor had treated them as honoured guests when they arrived. The bearded man knew the mayor was powerful as he could not sense what realm the mayor was at. However, as the mayor treated them with such courtesy, he had believed that his family was still greater than this mayor. Now that he truly felt the mayor¡¯s power, he couldn¡¯t help but take a step back and reassess the situation.

    The middle-aged women began to re-tell exactly what happened and by the time she was done, the mayor turned to the Yan Mu and his uncle with murderous intent. ¡°I have treated you two as guests of my town and yet you dare treat my people like this?!¡±

    The murderous intent washed over the two and Yan Mu staggered back, frightened. ¡°U-uncle!¡± He quickly stood behind his uncle.

    ¡°Yan Mu, it seems this time you have gone too far. You have to make an amends to the people you have hurt.¡± He spoke solemnly.

    Yan Mu couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. His uncle had always dotted on him, letting him do whatever he want. No matter what he did, his uncle would always have his back. Although he was quite shock, seeing the hardened face of his uncle, he had no choice but to accept it.

    ¡°I-I apologize...¡± he stuttered, his face red with embarrassment. The young man always felt apologising was for the weak not the wrong.

    The crowd of people were disgusted by Yan Mu¡¯s apology. Not only did it sound insincere, it was as if he was mocking them. His expression showed no signs of remorse and instead, looked as if he wanted to beat someone up!

    The mayor frowned before giving a sigh. ¡°Since the young master of the Yan family apologized I suppose we can resolve this issue.¡±

    Both the bearded man and the Yan Mu exhaled a breath of relief.

    ¡°However, there is still the issue of compensation!¡± the mayor continued. ¡°Whether your spirit beast acted with or without your instructions, you have injured several of my people. Not only that, you also acted against Mrs. Wan and her child too severely!¡± The middle aged women looked at the handsome mayor with sparkling eyes. ¡°You must pay adequate compensation to all of these people you have hurt!¡± he demanded.

    Yan Mu looked at the pitiful state his spirit beast was in and gritted his teeth. He removed the ring he had used to control it and threw it on the floor before crushing it under his foot. As soon as the ring was crushed, transparent chains could be seen on the Divine Paradise Peacock which then subsequently broke apart.

    The beast was now free but with its neck injured, it could not move.

    ¡°I offer my spirit beast as compensation. Although it is now useless you can still harvest its body for material.¡± With that, the young man turned and began to leave with his guards.

    The bearded man sighed and then waved his hand out. A small lumpy sack suddenly appeared in his hands. ¡°Here are 200 spirit coins as compensation to those my nephew hurt. I believe this much should cover the injuries and expenses.¡± He threw the sack to the mayor and continued: ¡°I hope this ordeal with not damage the relations between us. Please come by later and we can have a relaxing afternoon tea session.¡± He said before turning away and followed the direction Yan Mu headed.

    ¡°Is this enough?¡± the mayor asked.

    ¡°Yes, thank you very much¡­.But, my daughter...¡± She looked over at the still unconscious girl in her arms.

    He placed his hand on top of the little girl''s head and slowly a green light enveloped her body. The small gash on her head slowly closed up and the girl opened her eyes. ¡°M-mother?¡± she looked up at women holding her.

    The women immediately embraced the little girl with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± The mother couldn¡¯t hold back her emotions.

    The mayor nodded and then placed his hand on her foot.

    The same green light enveloped her injured foot. Within seconds the swelling was gone and the foot looked like it was never injured!

    ¡°Wah...¡± the mother gasped in shocked.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± he asked

    ¡°It...it doesn¡¯t even hurt!¡± she jumped up excitedly.

    ¡°Mn.¡± he smiled back. He proceeded to heal everyone who was injured by the Peacock. The unconscious men found themselves waking up feeling refreshed. The children who only sustained minor injuries no longer felt any pain.

    He then turned and walked back to Relic. ¡°I want to have a word with you, please come with me.¡±

    Hana quickly stood in front of her brother.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not going to punish him are you?¡± she asked worriedly

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a chat, you will have him back in a few minutes.¡± he gave her a smile

    ¡°Just wait for me.¡± Relic reassured her. The two made their way towards a tree, a couple meters away from the crowd of people.

    The mayor then spoke an incantation and although people could see them talk, no one could hear a thing.

 chapter 28

    ¡°How is your injury?¡± The mayor asked as he continued to gaze at his people who were still discussing the events which transpired.

    ¡°Ah, that pill you gave me really helped, thank you.¡± Relic gave a bow and answered in an almost childish voice.

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Relic, sir.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ve seen you and your sister around before. You two normally sit under the brown oak tree and gaze at the other children playing.¡±

    The mayor turned to Relic and spoke solemnly: ¡°Ok, let¡¯s not beat around the bushes. Mrs, Wan and young master Yan Mu, both said you were the person who downed that Spirit Beast. The others also confirmed that you displayed exquisite movement abilities when the two guards of the Yan family attacked you. ¡±

    They mayor moved his hands with unavoidable speed and clasped onto Relic¡¯s wrist. He immediately sent in his divine sense throughout Relics body, scanning every inch of it as well as his soul.

    ¡°His body is definitely of a regular mortal child. And there are no signs that a foreign soul has entered into this child¡¯s body¡­¡± The mayor contemplated.

    Soul possession definitely existed in this world and was practiced by few evil cultivators. Using soul possession allowed one to take over another¡¯s body and input their own soul in a new body, essentially lengthening their lives. The problem with soul possession was that it required a terrible amount of sacrifices and the victim¡¯s body must also be in resonance with the person performing the ritual.

    Even with everything successful, a foreign soul will never fully resonate with another person¡¯s body and powerful cultivators are capable of detecting that. However, the mayor could see that Relic was truly the owner of his own body.

    ¡°¡­¡± Relic could not sense that the mayor had used his divine sense to scan him but he definitely could guess the mayor had done so. He knew the Mayor was skeptical of his identity after he had taken on such powerful enemies. The pill the mayor had given him was nothing more than a beginner level healing pill anyone could get with a few coins. It was expensive goods to mortals, but to cultivators, it was nothing.

    Satisfied he could not find anything suspicious about Relic. The mayor let go of Relics wrists.

    ¡°I want you tell me the truth. How were you able to fight against that Spirit beast and dodge those attacks from those people? Who exactly are you?¡±

    Relic thought for a moment before shaking his head. He wasn¡¯t confident enough to believe the mayor would believe anything he said other than the truth. However, to tell someone he didn¡¯t know, that he came from the future could potentially jeopardize his plans and goals.

    ¡°Master¡­I will definitely return to you and keep my promise!¡± The promise he made with his master just before they dropped into the ocean was already etched in his very soul. He would do whatever it takes in order to fulfill that promise.

    Relic tilted his head in confusion and continued to speak in a childish voice: ¡°I already said I¡¯m Relic! I don¡¯t really understand, I was just hitting and running away so the bad men would leave my sister. Does mayor want to know why Relic is so strong? Obviously it is because I¡¯m the greatest!¡± Relic puffed up his chest and beat it several times to show his confidence.

    When the mayor heard Relic¡¯s answer he simply sighed and began to walk away.

    He stopped several steps away and without turning his head, he said ¡°The people of this town are my family. I thank you for stepping in and helping them but¡­If you bring any harm to them I will not show you any mercy.¡± Relic could feel the murderous intent in the mayor¡¯s voice which made his hairs stand up.

    The mayor walked away and spoke briefly to the crowd of people. Many were reassured that their homes would be fixed and let out breaths of relief. After settling everything, he turned towards the Divine Paradise Peacock. A look of pity could be seen in his eyes as he took out a knife to put the beast out of its misery. However, as he got closer the beast growled menacingly at him. The peacock was still struggling for life and thought of the mayor as a threat.

    He sighed once more and put his knife away before disappearing all together.

    ¡°Brother, are you okay? Did you get into trouble?¡± Hana rushed over and asked with a worried look on her face.

    ¡°No, he just wanted to ask me something.¡± He smiled.

    ¡°What about your arm? How come he didn¡¯t heal your arm like he did for everyone else?¡± She could see that his arm was still injured despite the swelling coming down slightly. ¡®

    ¡°Ah, he actually ran out of energy and was not able to heal me. Besides, it is not as bad as it looks.¡± He moved his arm slightly and rubbed her head.

    Hana felt weird having her brother rub her head. Although the mayor had done the same thing, it felt slightly different coming from her younger brother.

    ¡°Hana!¡±

    Hana turned to see Sophie waving at her as she and her mother came over.

    ¡°Sophie!¡± the two ran towards each other and clasped their hands together. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Mn, a lot better. When the mayor was healing me, my entire body felt warm and comfortable! It''s a good thing the mayor saved us! ¡± Sophie spoke with great enthusiasm.

    ¡°Actually, the one who saved us was Hana¡¯s brother.¡± a woman''s voice was suddenly heard. Sophie¡¯s mother appeared and walked towards Relic. ¡°Thank you very much for saving us.¡± she looked at Relic.

    She didn¡¯t know much about Relic, only that he was her daughter¡¯s friend¡¯s brother. She had heard that he was a mentally ill child but after seeing it for herself, she thought it was just a lie.

    ¡°Hana¡¯s brother...¡± Sophie turned her head slightly and saw the small boy behind Hana. His stance was one of confidence and he had sharp eyes. Was this the same boy she had seen for the past few years?

    ¡°Auntie, you are not correct.¡± Relic stood forward. ¡°The one who saved you was my sister. I only helped stop the enraged beast. If you want to thank anyone it should be directed to my sister.¡±

    Ah, I see, thank you, Hana.¡± she gave a slight smile.

    Hana only nodded shyly

    Sophie was dumbstruck when she heard Relic¡¯s voice. Unlike other people, she actually knew how Relic was really like. She had been friends with Hana for many years and had seen Relic in such a state where he could not even speak. She couldn¡¯t even process how that frightened little boy was capable of doing anything, little lone fight off a spirit beast.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°H-how...¡±

    Hana saw the shocked look on her friends face and laughed. ¡°Sophie, you might not believe this, but my brother has just recently gotten better.¡±

    ¡°What!¡±

    ¡°It''s true, ever since yesterday he suddenly seemed to snap out of his trauma and was able to do things by himself. I mean...he is still a little weird at times but he is better for the most part.¡±

    ¡°A little weird...¡± Relic internally sighed.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m happy for you.¡± Sophie said.

    Suddenly, loud thumping could be heard. The divine paradise peacock beast had been trying to stand up but no matter what its neck would not move an inch. It would quickly became disoriented and drop back onto the floor. Some of the people even began to pity the beast.

    ¡°Excuse me miss.¡± a strange burly man suddenly appeared.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Sophie¡¯s mother replied.

    ¡°My name is Jack Cornwell, a merchant, and I was here to witness the entire ordeal. It must have been a frightening ordeal. Are you alright?¡± he asked concerned.

    ¡°Yes, thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Actually, I was hoping to speak to you about that spirit beast.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm?¡± she tilted her head.

    ¡°Since the mayor had that young master gift you the spirit beast it is naturally yours. However, now that the beast is injured to this extent it is practically useless and can only be sold for its materials.¡±

    ¡°Mister Cornwell, what are you suggesting?¡± she slanted her eyes as if knowing what he was about to ask.

    ¡°I would like to buy that Spirit beast off you.¡±

    ¡°That...¡±

    ¡°Of Course I will offer a generous price. How does 2000 gold coins sound? I will take care of hauling it away as well so there is no heavy lifting on your part. I will take care of everything.¡±

    The average income of a family in this town was around 10 gold coins every week. This sum was definitely not little and within this town you would even be considered pretty well off with this amount.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really need money, but I also don¡¯t know what to do with this spirit beast.¡± She continued to look at the pitiful creature who was still struggling to stand up. She had already been healed and she didn¡¯t want to deal with the spirit beast. She was just about to accept the man¡¯s offer when Relic suddenly spoke.

    ¡°Auntie, if you don¡¯t want your spirit beast, do you mind selling it to me?¡±

    ¡°Hm, you want the spirit beast?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Miss, this boy probably doesn¡¯t have the money to buy such an exquisite spirit beast from you.¡± the man interjected quickly.

    ¡°Yes, I will pay any price. It¡¯s true I don¡¯t have money right now, but I will definitely make some money soon and I can pay you back.¡±

    ¡°But what do you want to do with this spirit beast? Its neck is broken and it can¡¯t even stand up.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I have met a mentor recently and he would probably be able to fix its neck. I believe this spirit beast will make a good beast for my mentor.¡±

    Hana stood there confused. ¡°When did brother get a mentor?¡±

    Everyone who heard that suddenly seemed to have a simultaneous clarity. "Right, of course, he must have been taught by an immortal cultivator! No wonder he could do all of that!" They all thought. Even Sophie''s mother had the exact same thought.

    ¡°Oh... since that is the case, you can have... ¡± before she could finish what she was saying the man yelled out.

    ¡°5000 GOLD COINS! Miss, I hope you understand I¡¯m taking a huge risk here. This is all I can offer but I assure you that it is the best price you will be able to get. This kid would never be able to pay you back.¡± sweat poured down.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry mister Cornwell, but this boy is the one who defeated the spirit beast. I think it is only proper to give it to him. As for the money¡­.¡± she turned to Relic. ¡°You do not have to pay me anything, I will gift you this spirit beast.¡± She gave a smile and then took her daughter by the hand.

    ¡°Relic, Hana, if you two ever have the time please come by and play with Sophie. We will welcome you two with open arms.¡± The two then left

    The man looked at Relic murderously. ¡°Kid if you know what¡¯s good for you, you better sell it to me!¡± he gritted his teeth. He looked at the beaten down boy and did not believe he was actually a student of an immortal cultivator. He was a traveling merchant and had seen all sorts of cultivators. If Relic was truly a student of an immortal cultivator then he would have had some life saving treasures on him.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Relic grabbed Hana by the hand and walked towards the spirit beast, ignoring the man.

    Veins appeared on the man¡¯s head. He wanted to strangle the boy but at the moment they were in a crowded area. If he laid his hands on the boy, he would be in a lot of trouble. ¡°Kid¡­ this is not over.¡± he turned and walked away angrily.

    ¡°Brother, why do you want the spirit beast? Also when did you get a mentor?¡± Hana suddenly spoke. In fact, she had not even asked how he was capable of such amazing feats in dealing with the spirit beast and those cultivators.

    ¡°That¡­ Please wait a little, I will tell you everything later.¡± He said.

    Hana saw the solemn look on his face and nodded.

    They made their way closer to the spirit beast. Immediately, the peacock glared at them with hateful eyes.

    ¡°Please stay here.¡± Relic made Hana stay behind him as he got closer.

    The Peacock seemed to only glare at Relic and made no movement. However, as soon as relic took another step, a glimmer in its eye shined and it extended its foot to attack.

    However, it was so disoriented it may as well have been attacking blind. No matter what it did none of its attacks hit Relic.

    ¡°Stop, I want to make a deal.¡±

    The divine peacock ignored what he said and continued its fruitless attacks.

    ¡°You can understand me, right? I can fix your neck¡±

    When the beast heard that it seemed to calm down.

    ¡°I only require one thing. I want you to summon out your spirit contract.¡±

    The spirit beast riled itself once more, growling as if to say ¡®No¡¯.

    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to enslave you. I merely want us to be partners.¡±

    The spirit beast continued to growl. It obviously did not trust what Relic was saying.

    ¡°You only have two choices, you can take my offer or you can live life like this. If you don¡¯t like the conditions I set out, you can simply decline. Nothing will change and you can live the remainder of your life with a broken neck.¡± Relic said in an uncaring manner

    The Peacock thought for a moment. It was definitely true if it didn¡¯t like the conditions set forth from the spirit contract he could just decline it. It let out a low growl and its body suddenly began to radiate light. A small dot of light exited its body and appeared in front of Relic.

    The dot of light expanded into a white blank slate with three lines stretching across.

    The people around all stopped and stared, intrigued by what was going on. Many of the locals living here had not seen such a thing occur before. Some of the wandering cultivators had a confused expression on their faces.

    ¡°Why does that kid want to form a contract with a broken spirit beast? It is rare but definitely not worth it.¡±

    ¡°Who knows, maybe he just wants a spirit beast, no matter how damaged.¡±

    Clamours of voices could be heard.

    Relic placed his hands on the blank slate and spoke, ¡°Here are my Three Conditions.¡±

    The blank slate glowed brightly.

    ¡°Condition 1: Neither party may harm the other without justifiable reasons or harm the other cares about¡±

    ¡°Condition 2: Innate physical abilities and physique will be shared equally between the two contracted¡±

    ¡°Condition 3: Death of one party will terminate the contract

    The peacock''s eyes widened when he heard the conditions. It had been expecting incredibly harsh conditions which would limit its freedom.

    ¡°Do you accept these conditions?¡± Relic asked.

    The peacock momentarily stalled before slowly moving its feet towards the contract. Upon touching the blank slate, it suddenly lit up and burst into flames, encompassing both Relic and the beast.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Hana suddenly cried out but Relic held out his hands.

    ¡°Don¡¯t come close!¡±

    Within moments, the flames disappeared and the two stood unharmed. Only, Relic was now a bit taller, his features were a bit more defined, and his body no longer looked like that of a scrawny eight year old.

    ¡°My name is Relic, what is yours?¡± A voice was heard by the peacock within its mind.

    ¡°Why did you provide such lenient conditions?¡± the peacock''s eyes still showed signs of mistrust.

    ¡°If I made them too stringent, would you have accepted the terms?¡±

    ¡°....¡± of course the peacock would not have accepted. ¡°My name is Jiro...¡±

    ¡°I hope we can help each other out.¡± He gave a smile.

    The peacock looked suspiciously at Relic before turning his gaze away.

    ¡°You should fix my neck first before you say things like that.¡±

    ¡°Hana, can you help me?¡± Relic lifted up the peacock''s neck effortlessly with his uninjured hand.

    ¡°A-are you sure¡­?¡± Hana was still a bit apprehensive to the peacock. The previous scene was still fresh in her mind.

    ¡°Mn, it is fine now, he has become my partner.¡±

    ¡°O-okay...¡± Hana nodded and propped up the neck of the peacock. When she picked it up she was immediately shocked by how heavy it was. It was taking her most of her strength and both her hands just to keep it at the same level with where Relic was holding it. Questions popped into her head when she suddenly glanced at her brother¡¯s back. ¡°Did brother always have such a broad back?¡± However she quickly shook the thought out of her head and followed Relic as they began to walk. With its neck now up, the peacock was able to move functionally.

    The three of them went on their way, leaving behind an intrigued crowd.

 Chapter 29

    Located in the far edges of Heaven¡¯s Peak, rested a beautifully kept mansion. Exquisite and enchanting flowers decorated the front and back gardens of this home. If not for a sign on top of this mansion writing ¡®Guests of Heaven¡¯s Peak¡¯, most would have originally guessed this home belonged to the mayor.

    Within the walls of this mansion, were three people currently enjoying an afternoon tea session.

    ¡°I hope you two will forgive my tone today. I care deeply for my people and I may have reacted a bit strongly when I saw some of them were injured. ¡± the mayor gave an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about it. It is my nephew who should be feeling remorseful for not handling the situation correctly.¡± The bearded old man gave an awkward laugh.

    ¡°Yes, I hope we can put all of this behind us.¡± Yan Mu had a forced smile on his face.

    ¡°Definitely, I believe both my Heaven¡¯s Peak and your Yan family will benefit from this deal.¡± The mayor proceeded to stand up, ¡°I must be going now. Please try some our famous local confectionaries before you leave, they are absolutely delicious!¡± he smiled before disappearing.

    When the two could no longer sense the mayor¡¯s presence, both of their countenance turned ugly.

    ¡°F*ck that guy!¡± Yan Mu smashed the table. The shards of wood flew towards the servants but none of them chose to move.

    ¡°Yan Mu, calm yourself.¡±

    ¡°Uncle, you must seek justice for me. That mayor has really gone too far! He does not put our Yan family in his eyes at all!¡± You could almost see a tear forming in his eyes.

    ¡°The circumstances have changed. We must not do anything rash at this moment.¡±

    ¡°B-but¡­¡± Yan Mu was dumbstruck. He was planning to take revenge on Relic and Hana for crippling his spirit beast. Was his uncle really going to let the mayor and those kids get away with this? ¡°We have already taken such liberties to his people and yet he has not acted against us. He is obviously afraid of our Family!¡±

    ¡°You understand nothing!¡±

    ¡°Uncle¡­¡±

    The bearded old man sighed.

    ¡°Yan Mu, you know I think of you as my own son. However, there are some things which you are lacking compared to others. For example, you lack the necessary senses to survive in this world. If you were suddenly thrown out of this family I¡¯m afraid you would not be able to survive on your own.¡±

    Yan Mu didn¡¯t know how to respond to his uncle. Wasn¡¯t he suddenly getting berated?

    He continued: ¡°That man is not simple¡­ He is many times more powerful than me.¡± He could still remember the over powering pressure wash over him. It was enough to cause him shivers even thinking about it.

    ¡°But, in front of our Family¡­¡±

    ¡°He is even stronger than your father!¡± The uncle shouted. ¡°It would take all our elite members as well as 30% of our family¡¯s foundation in order to take down this mayor.¡±

    Yan Mu seemed to pale in that moment. His father was his ideal and the strongest person he knew. He was the current patriarch of their family and stood above all as a peak golden world realm expert. With his father as support, Yan Mu did not feel any fear towards anyone. Yet, he was now being told that not only would his father lose in a fight against the mayor of Heaven¡¯s peak; but also that their Yan family would have to make huge sacrifices in order to take him down!

    ¡°I-is he an immortal?!¡± Yan Mu was now fully frightened that even his legs were shaking.

    ¡°No, if he was we would not be able to even harm a single hair on his head even if we threw everything at him. He is definitely in the golden world realm, but I would wager he would be capable of handling even those in the half a step of immortal ascension.¡±

    The bearded man walked towards an open window and gazed towards the active streets filled with people. Yet, his gaze stretched farther than that, as if he was trying to look towards the center of this town. ¡°Yan Mu, in the future you must learn to restrain yourself when you are outside of our territories. You have been too sheltered and you must understand that there are powers which could easily wipe out our family.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Yes Uncle. I will not make such mistakes in the future.¡± Yan Mu calmed himself. Despite being a spoiled young master, everything his uncle said made sense to him. He took the lesson as something that will save his life in the future.

    ¡°Mn, that¡¯s good.¡± He nodded. ¡°However, something good did come from your transgressions today.¡±

    ¡°What is it uncle?¡±

    ¡°There is a powerful illusion formation in the center of this place. When we first arrived I had completely missed it. But after your guard endowed his essence into his weapon, I could sense small ripples coming from the center of this town. I will have to make a report about this to your father.¡±

    Knock, Knock, Knock

    Sounds of knocking suddenly came from the closed dining room floor. Without waiting for either Yan Mu or the bearded man to answer it, a man burst through and immediately dropped to his knees.

    ¡°E-elder Feng, Y-y-young Master Yan M-mu¡­.¡± The man who came in was panting heavily and stuttered his words. Sweat was practically pouring down from him and had already formed a small puddle beneath him.

    ¡°Catch your breath first!¡± Yan Mu angrily shouted.

    ¡°Y-yes!¡±

    After a moment of rest, the man once again repeated his words. ¡°Elder, Young Master, I¡¯ve just finished my inspection on the northern region of Heaven¡¯s Peak.¡±

    ¡°Good. How were the results?¡±

    The man immediately took out 24 lumpy black objects and laid them evenly spaced on the floor.

    Both Yan Mu and Elder Wu immediately had a glimmer in their eyes and rushed to inspect these lumps. ¡°These are excellent quality!¡± Yan Mu quickly said.

    Yan Feng nodded in satisfaction as well. ¡°How many did you have to go through?¡± he asked.

    ¡°30!¡±

    The entire room went silent.

    ¡°Are you Sure?!?!¡± Yan Feng grasped onto the kneeling man and shook him hard. ¡°DID YOU REALLY ONLY GO THROUGH 30 TREES?!¡±

    However, before the man could even say a word, a women¡¯s voice could be heard outside the room.

    ¡°Elder, requesting permission to enter.¡± The voice carried a hint of excitement.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Yan Feng saw the women come in with a smile on her face. ¡°How were the results of the eastern side?¡± he asked.

    Without speaking, the women laid out 23 of the same black lumps as the previous man. ¡°Reporting, this is the result of going through 25 Blackwood Oaks.¡± She quickly said.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°A-a gold mine! Even within our own territories, the chances of finding one of these are 1 in 36!¡± Yan Mu couldn¡¯t keep in his excitement as he caressed the black lumps in his hands. He had completely forgotten about what they were previously even talking about and continued: ¡°If we take control of Heaven¡¯s peak and offer some of the land to the Red Star Alliance trading group; we will be able to raise our standing to a core member!¡±

    Yan Feng stroked his beard and nodded. ¡°It seems this trip was a fruitful one. I will inform your father of our findings and also ¡­ about this mayor.¡± He quickly collected the black lumps and exited the room.

    After his uncle left the room, Yan Mu sat around the table calmly sipping a cup of tea with a smirk on his face. ¡°You acted so arrogant against me, you better enjoy the last moments here. The next time we meet you will be kneeling in front of me begging for mercy! ¡±

    ...

    On the other side of Heaven¡¯s Peak, an unusual trio were currently walking along the road as they made their way back home.

    Relic waved his injured arm in the air and broke into a smile. ¡°The physique of a divine spirit beast is amazing! My bones have already healed to the point where my arm only feels slightly numb!¡±

    ¡°(So pitiful¡­ I¡¯m now weaker than before! I probably can¡¯t even handle a new foundation realm cultivator anymore.)¡± Jiro could only give a sigh.

    Having shared their innate physique, Relic had benefited greatly from Jiro¡¯s natural physique. Spirit beasts naturally had stronger bodies, many times greater than those of mortals and cultivators. This, including the astounding healing abilities all spirit beasts had, meant Relic was now vastly stronger than the regular adult male. If Relic were to face those two guards again, he would be confident enough to handle them both without retreating.

    Jiro, on the other hand, benefited absolutely nothing from Relic¡¯s garbage physique and was now sulking as he continued to walk.

    Although it seemed as if Relic had easily and effortlessly grown stronger; under any other circumstances, Jiro would have rather die than to give in to Relic¡¯s demands. However, Jiro still held onto life, and with the promise of having his neck fixed, he just couldn¡¯t refuse. The spirit contract was also negligible as it didn¡¯t prohibit his movement in anyway and was a small price to pay.

    ¡°(You¡¯ll be changing your tone soon, I will tread on the path of immortality and then you will see how lucky you actually are!)¡± Relic smugly replied.

    Jiro only rolled his eyes in response.

    As the two continued to converse with each other, there was still a little girl who was silently walking in-between these two. Hana had been trying to make sense of everything her brother had done and said since this morning. Was it possible he really did meet a master when she wasn¡¯t looking? Did he somehow chance upon a fortuitous encounter unbeknownst to everyone around him?

    Biting her lips, Hana stopped and Relic turned to see a complicated look on Hana¡¯s face.

    ¡°You can¡¯t keep secrets from your sister. You said you would tell me what was going on. How do you know the things you know and how were you able to perform such incredible feats.¡± She spoke in a solemn manner.

    Relic paused briefly before turning around to face her. ¡°Hana, the truth is¡­ I¡¯m not your brother.¡±

 Chapter 30

    ¡°What?!¡± she staggered a few steps back.

    ¡°No! I mean, I¡¯m not the version of your brother you know!¡± Relic panicked when he saw Hana¡¯s expression. Quickly calming himself, he continued: ¡°I¡¯ve already lived here once.¡± An air of melancholy suddenly surrounded him. ¡°Only, that was many years ago¡­¡±

    Relic began to reminisce about the days when his master first picked him up. His master, who found the crying little boy buried underneath some rubble.

    ¡°W-what are you trying to say?¡± she asked, a bit frightened.

    Relic snapped back to reality and said, ¡°I¡¯ve lived for over a hundred years, and for those last few years of my life, I was together with my master. The last thing we saw was the sun setting over the horizon before we took our last breaths over the calming sea. Hana¡­I¡¯m not the brother you know because that version of me has already grown up and died.¡±

    ¡°....¡± her mind was in a wreck. She couldn¡¯t understand a thing her brother was saying.

    Relic could see Hana was still confused.

    ¡°What I mean is, after my death I was somehow able to come back into the body of my younger self. I¡¯m from the future.¡±

    Hana released her grip on the peacock. She was shaken by this new information. She had contemplated many ideas on how her brother could have done so many miraculous things but never would she have guessed he was actually an older version of himself.

    ¡°H-how is that possible?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d like to believe the heavens had taken pity on me and allowed me to fix the unresolved issues in my past.¡±

    Hana was speechless. She couldn¡¯t dispute what her brother was saying as everything he had done so far were already out of the ordinary. If she accepted his reasoning then everything would fall into place. His ability to predict and counter his opponents, as well as knowing things he shouldn¡¯t. Yet, although they lived in a world where cultivators could slice a mountain in a single swing, or separate the ocean with a simple breath, she couldn¡¯t help but feel doubt in her heart.

    ¡°Hana¡­¡±

    Hana snapped out of her daze.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to believe me right now, I¡¯m sure you will either learn to eventually accept what I¡¯ve said or you will learn to ignore it.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me all of this?¡±  She finally asked.

    ¡°Honestly, I wasn¡¯t planning to. However, after seeing you today, I see you are someone who has a good heart and great virtue. You are someone who would put themselves in harm¡¯s way in order to save others. Also¡­¡±

    Relic put down Jiro¡¯s head and proceeded to bow his head towards Hana. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me when I was young.¡±

    Hana stepped up and tried to get Relic to stop bowing. Only she knew the sacrifices she had made in taking care of her brother, but never did she expect any type of gratitude from him. ¡°Brother, please don¡¯t be like this.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t remember much about my time in this place but I can see that you must have sacrificed much in order to take care of me. Honestly, thank you.¡±

    It didn¡¯t escape Relic¡¯s eyes the way Hana carried herself. She didn¡¯t have many friends, spends most of her time with her brother, and was willing to go beyond the duties of a sister in order to take care of him.  Relic could imagine most of her childhood was ruined because of him.

    Hana felt warmth come over her heart and she nodded shyly.

    Relic straightened his back and said, ¡°I owe you a debt for taking care of me for all these years. So I want to give you a choice. I can give you the option to live a life unfettered by the restraints of this world. You will be able to do things regular people could only dream of. If you wish to fly through the skies then all you have to do is will it. I will guide you down the road of immortality and all the truths of this world will be yours!¡±

    Hana couldn¡¯t help but make a gulping sound.

    ¡°I will also offer you a second choice. If you choose this, we can forget everything we had been talking about. After I leave this town, I will visit you all periodically and bestow onto you wealth, land, and protection from any dangers. You will live each and every day in comfort for the rest of your natural life.¡±

    Relic¡¯s demeanor had not changed the entire time he was talking.  It was as if he truly believed what he was saying and that he would keep whatever promise he was making. At least, that was what Hana was thinking.

    With every passing moment, she became more and more confused. In all her years on life, she had never fallen into such a situation. Although she tried to speak, no words came out.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to make the decision now.¡± Relic patted Hana on her head gave her a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get him home first, if we wait too long I won¡¯t be able to fix his neck.¡± When Jiro heard that he immediately began to sweat and even growled lightly as if to tell them to hurry.

    Hana silently nodded and the three of them continued walking until they were back at their home. Their parents were still at work and no one was around.

    Relic had Hana stand back as he took a hold of Jiro¡¯s neck.

    ¡°This might sting a little.¡±

    ¡°(It doesn¡¯t matter, if you can...)¡± Before Jiro could finish his sentence, Relic had suddenly kneed him in the neck! Jolts of pain ran throughout Jiro¡¯s body and he let out a high pitched shriek.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Relic was fast and merciless; with his new found strength Relic was able to grasp Jiro¡¯s neck and bend it into impossible angles. At one point, it looked like Jiro¡¯s neck was bent into the shape of the letter Z!

    Hana¡¯s face paled when she saw Jiro¡¯s neck bending and cracking. She quickly covered her ears from the miserable shrieks and turned away.

    ¡°This should be it!¡± Relic moved his hands along Jiro¡¯s neck until he touched upon a small bump. Using all of his strength, he slammed down his palm on this bump.

    Jiro let out one last ferocious shriek. He was beginning to think Relic was never going to fix his neck and was just going to torture him for fun. However, before he knew it, he realized that his neck was off the ground and he was capable of moving it himself. Aside from a little numbing sensation, there was no pain at all!

    Jiro unfurled its wings and strutted around in happiness.

    It took him a good few moments before he noticed the two children looking at him. Feeling a little embarrassed, he furled back its wings and pretended to look uncaring.

    ¡°(Looks like you can keep a promise).¡± He said and then turned his head away.

    Hana could only stare in shock. She was sure her brother was just making random movements, but in almost an instant, the spirit beast''s neck was miraculously fixed.

    ¡°Hana, I want to formally introduce you to my partner. Come greet.¡± Relic extended his hand. Hana felt a little more distant from Relic after he revealed everything but she still slowly took his hand. Relic slowly guided her hand to Jiro¡¯s body.

    Jiro gave Hana an indifferent stare. He could see what Relic was trying to do so he did not move, allowing Relic¡¯s sister to touch him as repayment for fixing his neck.

    She was still slightly scared of Jiro, having seen the damage he could do to those kids, she tugged away slightly. However, Relic was insistent and continued to inch her closer.

    As soon as her hands touched Jiro¡¯s fur, a glimmer of light could be seen in her eyes. ¡°So Soft!¡± she instantly used both her hands and touched all over Jiro. It had a different feel to it than when she had grabbed hold of his neck.

    Jiro quickly felt somewhat embarrassed and shook slightly as the little girl touched all over him.

    ¡°His name is Jiro. From now on, you do not need to worry about him anymore.¡± Relic assured her, but at this point, she wasn¡¯t even listening anymore.

    Hana continued to brush her hand across Jiro¡¯s body with a smile on her face. Jiro on the other hand, felt quite uncomfortable having this tiny human keep touching him. He really didn¡¯t have that great of an opinion of humans and so he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to act in front of this girl.

    ¡°(You humans are strange!)¡± Jiro got up and left, leaving a saddened Hana.

    Relic couldn¡¯t help but chuckle seeing the expression from his sister.

    .¡°Now that your neck is healed I hope we can work together and help each other. L...¡±

    Jiro looked over with a smirk on his face as if to mock Relic. ¡°(Why should I help you? Did you think I would be emotionally inclined to help you because you helped fix my neck? Or that because the terms of my spirit contract were so lenient that I would be thankful? While it is true because of you I¡¯m now free and capable of movement, that does not mean I trust you humans or feel obliged to you!)¡±

    Jiro unfurled his wings once more but this time in a more menacing way.

    ¡°(I¡¯m a Divine Paradise Peacock, my family are the Rulers of the 5th desolate Region, the Divine Skylight!)¡± Jiro began to flap his wings, lifting himself into the air. ¡°(I won¡¯t kill you or your sister as we have formed a spirit contract. But understand this, humans and spirit beasts will never get along. We are destined to be eternal enemies.) ¡± Having said that, Jiro no longer cared of the two children and was just about to fly away when Relic suddenly spoke

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Relic spoke calmly. ¡°Well if you have to go then I suppose there is nothing I can do.¡± Relic turned and began to walk towards the house, stopping just before the door. ¡°Of course, I do applaud your bravery in returning to your home in that state.¡±

    Jiro immediately furrowed his brow. ¡°(What do you mean?)¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡± Relic turned around with a surprised expression. ¡°Weren''t you leaving?¡± he asked surprised.

    Jiro was not stupid enough not to understand Relic was mocking him.

    ¡°(You know about my injury?)¡± Jiro slanted his eyes and asked.

    Relic smiled, ¡°Do you mean the fact that your beast core is cracked? Of course I know about it. You are an arcane spirit beast, a beast capable of handling even expert level foundation realm cultivators despite being several levels lower. Based on your species, you should be three times your current size.¡± Relic then smirked back at Jiro. ¡°That¡¯s why I applaud you for going back to your home. Based on your state not only are you smaller and weaker than those in the same realm, you have also lost any opportunity to unlock your ancestral bloodline. To go back home in that state is something not even I would dare do.¡±

    Relic proceeded to sigh. ¡°If you had stayed with me I may have been able to help you fix it but alas¡­ I suppose it wasn¡¯t meant to be.¡± he shook his head in a helpless fashion and then entered into his home.

    Jiro continued to hover in the air, unsure how to respond.

    Finally, after a few moments, Jiro landed back onto the ground. ¡°(C-can you help fix my core?)¡±

    ¡°....¡± There was no response.

    ¡°(Please...)¡± Jiro said in a desperate tone.

    ¡°(There are no certainties in life.)¡± Relic came back out. ¡°(But there exist a sect that may be able to help you with your problem. The cost to attain that method will not be cheap, but if you stick with me I¡¯m sure I can find a way!)¡± Relic spoke as if he was certain he would be able to heal Jiro.

    Jiro couldn¡¯t quite explain it, but he felt like Relic was telling the truth and that if he didn¡¯t stay with relic he would regret it for the rest of his life.

    ¡°(W-what do you want me to do?)¡± Jiro lowered his head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s look out for each other.¡± Relic smiled and extended his hands

    Jiro looked at the extended hand. He couldn¡¯t understand why Relic continued to treat him with the respect of another human. He had grown up hating humans, more specifically, cultivators.

    ¡°(Hmph, let¡¯s see how long you can keep this up.)¡± Jiro thought to himself

    Jiro extended his legs and they shook on it, indicating they had an understanding.

    ¡°B-brother, what happened?¡± Hana asked with a curious expression.

    Hana understood they were able to communicate in a way which they could understand each other. However, to Hana, it just seemed like her Brother was speaking and acting randomly.

    Relic laughed and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing; we just had a small conversation.¡±

    She tilted her head in confusion.

    After communicating some more, Jiro lowered his head and Relic got on.

    ¡°Shall we?¡± He extended a hand to Hana.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she queried.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go exploring!¡±

    Hana¡¯s eyes seem to light up when she heard those words. Her entire life had been confined in this town on top of this great mountain. Since they were children she had to mature a lot in order to take care of her brother who was incapable of taking care of himself. The result was that she really did not experience much of her childhood or do anything she wanted. The moment Relic extended his hand a seed for adventure seemed to blossom within her.

    She took his hands and he hoisted her up onto Jiro. Jiro unfurled his wings once more and took to the sky, carrying the two children towards the edge of the mountain before diving towards the forest below.

    Elsewhere, on top of an unassuming roof top, sat a handsome man with two dog beasts next to him. The dog beasts lazily slept next to the handsome man as he rubbed their heads. This man was the mayor who had spoken to Relic prior. ¡°Just who are you...¡± He slanted his eyes.

    He had kept a close eye on Relic after he had left and was stunned to now see that crippled spirit beast flying normally. His suspicion seemed to grow stronger than before. He would never believe a regular eight year old boy would be capable of downing a divine spirit beast, but now, he had just witnessed that same spirit beast flying as if it had no problems. In his eyes, even the Yan family were less of a threat than the boy who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

 Chapter 31

    Hana wrapped her arms around Relic. She was excited to finally explore the forest. It had been such a long time since she had left her town. Thinking back it wasn¡¯t since¡­

    ¡°NO!¡± Hana grasped tightly onto Relic

    ¡°Wait!¡± Relic said.

    Jiro immediately stopped diving and began gliding over the forest.

    ¡°What is the matter?¡± He turned his head to his sister was slightly pale.

    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t go there...¡± she spoke softly.

    Relic saw the strange way Hana was acting and seemed to already understand what was happening. ¡°You mentioned to Sophie something regarding a trauma I had. Does my trauma occur in this forest?¡±

    Hana nodded.

    ¡°Will you tell me about it?¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Okay¡­ since you want to hear about it...¡± Hana seemed to struggle with her words.

    ¡°Back when we were four, mom was discussing with a local peddler around the forest about the delivery of fresh fruits to our restaurant. We were playing hide and seek and it was your turn to hide. I went looking for you but as the day went on, I realized I could not find you.¡± A painful expression appeared on her face.

    ¡°We looked for you for many hours and eventually we did find you. Luckily, a cultivator had found you and brought you back to us. He said that you were surrounded by wolves and that you were so scared you were huddled beneath the roots of a large tree. Thankfully he was able to save you at that time. However, when you returned to us, you became frightened of anyone who got close to you. Even the man who had saved you had to knock you out before bringing you to us. Once we got home you were still screaming and running away and that¡¯s when you ran towards me. For some reason you didn¡¯t mind being around me. I was the one that suggested we play in the forest, so I decided I would take care of you until you got better.¡±

    She looked with deep sorrow to her brother. To her, she had essentially caused her brother to be an outcast that couldn¡¯t live like a normal person. If one day he couldn¡¯t live happily and find himself a wife¡­she could not bear the thought.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Relic busted out in laughter. ¡°So that¡¯s it!¡±

    Relic had always believed himself to be a needy child since he was born. When his master had first picked him up, he immediately stuck to her like sap on a tree. Wherever his master went he would follow without fail. It was so bad that he wasn¡¯t even able to go to the washroom without his master in his direct vision.

    Now that he knew the truth, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at all the times his master berated him for being so annoying. ¡°To think it all started from that...¡± he shook his head helplessly.

    ¡°B-brother¡­¡± Hana stammered

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he wiped a tear from his eye, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I have long since recovered from my trauma. You do not have to worry about anything.¡±

    ¡°Mn¡± she nodded. Seeing the unaffected expression from Relic, she could only believe him

    ¡°(You¡¯re not really from the future, right)?¡± Jiro voice suddenly sounded in Relic¡¯s mind.

    Relic noticed Jiro¡¯s slight uncertainty in his voice. ¡°(Do you doubt me?)¡±

    ¡°(Of course, your sister might believe you since she is young but I¡¯m almost twice her age. I would be an idiot if I believed in such things.)¡±

    ¡°(Then why are you asking?)¡± Relic smirked.

    Jiro twitched his eyes slightly before shutting up.

    The trio descended once more and entered into the forest. Many of the spirit beasts below immediately scurried away when they saw Jiro fly down. They could all sense the presence of a divine spirit beast and immediately became frightened.

    Spirit beasts were a general term used to encompass all non-humanoid creatures. There were millions of different species which fell under this category. However, most cultivators divided these spirit beasts into three classes; which were the regular spirit beasts, the divine spirit beasts, and the spirit essence beasts.

    Regular spirit beasts were the most common type of spirit beast. They were usually the most aggressive of all the spirit beasts as they moved purely on instinct. They were generally of low intelligence and incapable of understanding humans.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Divine Spirit Beasts, on the other hand, were just the opposite. At birth, the possessed intelligence akin to regular human children. They were several times stronger than regular spirit beasts and cultivators at the same level.

    The reason why some spirit beasts were regarded as divine spirit beasts was because of their blood line. Just like all cultivators cultivated to find the Dao, all spirit beasts cultivated in order to seek out their primordial bloodline. The primordial bloodline was the ancestral blood which once flowed through the primordial beast, the first rulers under the heavens. It was said their power was so mighty; every step would shake the very foundation of the heavens.

    The chances of awakening the primordial blood line was nigh impossible for most spirit beasts. They could spend their whole lives cultivating, even to the rank of an immortal spirit beast and never having actually awaken their blood line. Divine spirit beasts were said to be blessed by the heavens; having not just a powerful body, magic, and talent, but also a noble bloodline which allows them a higher chance to unlock their primordial bloodline.

    Jiro carried that very same blood line and every spirit beast within that vicinity could sense it.

    They landed onto a patch of grass and Relic immediately began to scour the area. A variety of trees made up most of what he could see. It couldn¡¯t be said to be any more intriguing than any other commonplace forest. However, very quickly, Relic could determine the type of tree that was most prevalent.

    ¡°Black Oakwood trees.¡± Relic muttered. He quickly stood in front of a black tree and began digging around the base of the tree.

    Hana and Jiro stood confused as they stared at what Relic was doing.

    Relic continued to dig at the ground until he reached the roots of the tree. He gave a disappointed sigh and filled in the hole before moving to the next tree where he began to dig once more.

    After a few moments, Relic had a large grin on his face. ¡°Yes, found one!¡± He held in his hands a large black lump almost the size of a fist. It was dirty and looked a bit rough.

    Hana¡¯s eyes constricted the moment she saw the lump in Relic¡¯s hand and swatted it away.

    ¡°Hana?¡±

    "Brother, those are truffles! Don¡¯t you know the ones found in the wild are poisonous?!¡± She shouted. She was the daughter of restaurateurs and had read books on dangerous foods unavailable for consumption. On one of the pages in a book, it stated to never injest this type of food.

    Relic thought for a moment before remembering something. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a lie.¡±

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°Do you know who sells the truffles people eat?¡± he asked

    She shook her head. ¡°Father only said the most successful restaurants are able to get their hands on truffles. Restaurateurs can only be invited by a group in order to buy the truffles that are safe to eat. Truffles found in the wild are poisonous to people.¡±

    ¡°Mn, well you are half right. Some truffles found in the wild are poisonous but that is only a small percentage. In truth it is very hard to tell if it is poisonous or not.¡±

    Relic walked towards the truffle that was swatted away and picked it up. He proceeded to rip off a piece and held it up to his nose. ¡°Here, tell me what you smell.¡± He handed a piece to Hana.

    She was a bit scared, she had heard stories of people eating the truffles and some either went blind or grew horrible warts.

    However, she trusted Relic and held it up towards her nose. When she inhaled the aroma of the freshly ripped truffle, her entire body shivered with excitement. It was as if she was transferred into another world and was caressed by the sweet air.

    Hana involuntarily gulped and before she knew it, she put the piece in her mouth. The piece seemly melted in her mouth. ¡°D-delicious!¡±

    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± he chuckled and then also ripped off a piece, eating it as well. He also ripped off a piece and gave it to Jiro who immediately spat it out.

    ¡°(Disgusting! Are you trying to poison me?!)¡± Jiro gagged.

    Hama continued, ¡°But¡­ in the book they said...¡±

    Relic shook his head.

    ¡°This world is truly large. If you take me on my offer, I can show the true colours of this world. ¡±

    Relic proceeded towards another black tree in order to continue digging and then continued, ¡°The truth is that there are people who would benefit greatly from keeping the knowledge of these truffles a secret. Certain trading groups hold onto and enforce monopolies over certain items and techniques. They are backed by powerful Sects and even kingdoms which allow them to do whatever they want. They have enough resources to influence the entire continent. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for them to trick people into believing lies like all wild truffles are poisonous.¡±

    Hana felt like her mind expanded. She lived on Heaven¡¯s peak all her life and only knew so little.

    Relic took out another truffle from the ground and had a surprised look on his face. ¡°This place is a trove of truffles. Hana, help me dig some!¡±

    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± she walked towards another tree and began digging around the base. Hana had already unknowingly accepted the fact that her brother really was from the future. His actions and explanations had already convinced her that he was telling the truth. At the moment, she truly thought of Relic as her older brother and followed his orders.

    The two spent around 5 minutes on every tree, and another 2 minutes to fill in the hole. Their tiny hands were roughed by the dirt and made it painfully slow to extract the truffles hidden underneath. Added to the fact that not every tree carried a truffle, the process was long and boring.

    Jiro who was just resting on the side eventually grew impatient looking at the slow work the kids were doing.

    Finally, he lost his patient and joined in as well. He drilled into the ground like it was mush, unearthing the truffles in a matter of seconds.

    ¡°Wow so cool!¡± Hana said, her eyes glimmered with excitement.

    Jiro heard her praise and seeming dug even faster. By the end of it, there were 42 pieces of truffles in front of them.

    ¡°Are you going to sell them? Hana asked.

    ¡°Yea¡± Relic replied.

    ¡°What about mom and dad¡¯s restaurant?¡±

    ¡°That may not be a good idea. If people knew a small restaurant was able to get their hands on edible truffles, then that would cause more trouble to them than good.¡± he explained.

    Hana nodded, and under the directions of her brother, the two children stuffed the truffles inside their shirts.

    They then headed up back to Heaven¡¯s Peak and Relic had Hana lead them to the number one restaurant in this town.

 Chapter 32

    The Flowing River restaurant was the most famous restaurant within the town of Heaven¡¯s Peak. Every morning there would be a long line of customers just waiting to get in. Although their prices were on the more pricy side, no one complained because the food was just that good.

    Relic, Hana, and Jiro appeared in front of the restaurant.

    ¡°(You wait out here; you are too big to fit the door.)¡± Relic told Jiro.

    ¡°(Whatever.)¡± Jiro walked towards a tree and sat underneath the shade. Heaven¡¯s Peak actually had quite the number of spirit beasts which roamed the streets. Most were domesticated and were used to help around as labour. The people of Heaven¡¯s peak didn¡¯t think much about the spirit beasts in their town. So long as they didn¡¯t attack anyone, no one would question it. Thus, although Jiro caught a few glares, no one bothered him.

    Relic and Hana headed inside and saw a densely packed restaurant. Chatter and noise filled the room and there were plenty of drunken laughter. The whole building had three floors with the more affluent customers on the higher floors.

    A Beautiful women hostess had just finished seating some of her guests and returned to the front of the restaurant where two dirty and bulging children were standing.

    ¡°Excuse me, miss, we were wondering if we could speak with the owner of this establishment.¡± Relic spoke politely. ¡°We have some things we thought they might be interested in.¡±

    ¡°Brats, get lost, we don¡¯t want anything to do with your kind here.¡± The hostess immediately directed her finger and pointed it out the door. She did nothing to hide the disgust she had on her face.

    Relic could see the strong animosity coming from the women. ¡°Excuse us.¡± He took Hana¡¯s hand and they left.

    Once outside he asked, ¡°Are there any other well-known restaurants here?¡±

    ¡°There are but none of them comes even close to this one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay; please lead me to the next one.¡±

    They walked for a while before they reached another restaurant. On top read, ¡®Moon lit dining Hall¡¯. It was quite apparent this restaurant was not as classy as the first one they went to but it was still quite clean and inviting.

    They walked inside and while the restaurant had a good number of customers, many tables and chairs remained empty.

    At the front was a woman even more beautiful than the last. Her silky hair was braided in a beautiful braid which ran down her slender back.

    ¡°Beautiful miss, may we see your manager? We have somethings to sell.¡± Relic said.

    ¡°Oh, what sort of things do you have?¡± She carried a bored expression and did not seem to mind what the children looked like at all.

    Relic reached under his shirt and took out a lumpy truffle. ¡°We found these mushrooms¡±

    When the woman saw the truffle in Relic¡¯s hands, her eyes instantly widened and without hesitation, she lifted the two kids by the collar and headed towards one of the rooms in the back.

    She glared intently at the truffles in his hands. ¡°These¡­ they must be the poisonous ones, right?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but think. ¡°Only the ¡®Sun and Moon trading group¡¯ has non- poisonous ones, but what if...¡±

    She grabbed the piece away from Relic and ripped off a piece. The aroma from the truffle invigorated her entire body. Without hesitation she threw the piece into her mouth. The piece of truffle seemed to melt in her mouth as her countenance turned dazed.

    The Moon lit dining hall was not actually some second rate restaurant. It was actually a branch of a much bigger and more successful restaurant outside of Heaven¡¯s Peak. This lady moved from the main restaurant to set up a branch here and was much more experienced than Hana. She had dealt with truffles before as well as the group that provided them. She didn¡¯t know where good truffles came from but she could definitely tell the difference between the two.

    ¡°Miss?¡± Relic suddenly spoke

    The woman suddenly snapped out of her daze and looked at Relic with fervor eyes.

    ¡°Little children, what are your names?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Relic and this is my sister, Hana¡± He politely introduced them both.

    ¡°My name is Chelsi. I would like to purchase these mushrooms from you. Judging from your bulging clothes it seems like you have found quite a bit. How does 50 gold coins for everything you have sound? It is quite a lot you know.¡± Her tone was calm but her eyes were blazing like a fiery sun.

    Relic stared at her for a second before giving a quick bow.

    ¡°Sorry for wasting your time.¡± He took the truffle from her hands and began to make his way out the door.

    ¡°NO WAIT!¡± She flung her entire body in a panicked manner and blocked the door with her body.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was my bad. I should have offered you a competitive price. How does 100 gold for everything sound?¡± Her heart was palpitating

    Relic frowned in response.

    ¡°Last I checked, a single truffle can be sold for 8 gold coins per piece, and that is for the lowest of quality of truffles. The truffles I have brought are all fairly high quality and all fist sized. How could I accept such a low price?¡±

    The prices he was referring to was based off his own experience in dealing with them when he was out adventuring.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Chelsi suddenly felt like she wasn¡¯t talking to a kid but an adult. She had thought the reason Relic had turned down her offer initially was because even kids knew that truffles were an expensive good. Now she realized that this kid wasn¡¯t ordinary and actually knew his mushrooms.

    ¡°Y-your right¡­ I was greedy and thought you were just kids who got lucky finding them. I will offer you 11 gold coins per piece.¡±

    Relic¡¯s brow had a slight frown upon hearing that.

    She quickly explained, ¡°Of course, if we were in a big city I would not hesitate to offer 25 gold coins per piece. But in the end we are still in a small town. Even the richest person living here would not match even 10% of the wealth of a random wealthy noble living in a major city. The people in our village would not be able to afford the cost if we bought your truffles at such a high price.¡±

    What she said was definitely reasonable. He thought for a moment before deciding to agree. In the end, these truffles were not going to be his main source of income. He merely needed enough to start buying some supplies.

    He gestured to Hana and they both displayed 42 pieces of truffles on a table. Chelsi¡¯s eyes sparkled like gold at the scene.

    She quickly went out of the room and returned with a 5 golden paper note, each worth a 100 gold coins.. ¡°A little extra for ya.¡± She gave him a wink.

    He looked as if he didn¡¯t notice and quickly stored them in his clothes.

    ¡°If you ever find anymore truffles you will remember this sister, right?¡± Her tone suddenly became seductive. She crossed her arms and pushed them towards her chest, leaning ever closer to Relic.

    Relic did not even pay attention and took his sister¡¯s hands as they made their way towards the door. ¡°If you continue to give us a competitive price, I do not see why not.¡±

    After the two were gone, she continued to stand inside her room. ¡°I know he is just a kid but¡­ my charm should still have affected him a little, right?¡± looking defeated, she slowly made her way to the kitchen in preparation of the restaurant¡¯s new dish.

    Hana followed closely behind as Relic began leading her out. To her, his personality was like night and day compared to how he was before. In her heart, she could no longer doubt what Relic had said. He was truly from the future and was in fact, an older version of himself. However, she was now struggling with the choices Relic had given her.

    Next, Relic had Hana lead them to a trading Hub. Trading Hubs were by far the most popular place in any town or city. They would regularly carry everything cultivators would need, whether it is for pill refining, weapons, medicinal plants, seals, or anything else.

    The place Hana had led Relic to was large building called Heaven¡¯s Treasures. It was by far the largest building in the entire town, taking up 3 blocks worth of space. People were coming in and out of the store in droves. Many of them were actually wearing different styles of clothes which would indicate they came from outside of this town.

    ¡°How original¡­¡± Relic couldn¡¯t help but mutter under his breath.

    The two soon entered the large building but very quickly Relic found himself with a problem.

    ¡°Excuse me miss¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir, can I get some service¡­.¡±

    The building was full of people and its employees were scrambling on their feet to meet the needs of its customers. A frown quickly appeared on Relic¡¯s face as he was being completely ignored.

    ¡°Hey you, come here.¡± amidst the crowd, a teenage girl with purple hair gestured for Relic and Hana to come over.

    Relic saw the girl and pondered for a moment before deciding to head towards her. She then led the two siblings under the service counter and into a room.

    ¡°Phew, very hectic isn¡¯t it. Now, how can I help you two?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You work here?¡± He asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Well no, but I¡¯m capable of selling anything here. My grandfather owns this place and I have full authority on anything within this place.¡± She puffed up her chest.

    ¡°Oh, okay, in that case do you have any fire and ice lotuses? ¡° It didn¡¯t really matter to him whether she was telling the truth or not. If she was able to give him what he wanted, he wouldn¡¯t ask any unnecessary questions.

    ¡°Ah, you must be new cultivators, fire and ice lotuses carry small amounts of spiritual energy that is useful for very new cultivators. We sell each fire and ice lotuses for 50 silver coins each. How many would you like? ¡± She asked respectfully.

    ¡°Could you get me 200 Fire and Water lotuses?¡±

    ¡°200... are you sure you have the money for it?¡± She asked cautiously.

    Relic took out one golden paper note and handed it to the girl. She immediately inspected it and told him to wait.

    A couple of minutes later, she was carrying two large bags.

    ¡°Here are two bags consisting of 200 fire and ice lotuses. Would you like to count them?¡±

    ¡°No, it is fine, thank you. I¡¯m also looking for spirit beast blood with the essence of water.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you two getting ready for a blood cleansing? If you are looking for spirit beast blood with water affinity, I guess you both must have affinity to the Dao of water.¡± She spoke with confidence.

    ¡°In terms of blood with water affinity, we sell the blood of the rain mink, the rainbow feathered swallow tail bird, and the mirage ape king. Please keep in mind; these are common type blood extracted from beasts below the arcane realm.¡± She said.

    ¡°How much per liter?¡±

    ¡°They are all around 35 gold coins per liter.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Do you sell any more water affinity blood?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± She suddenly became curious. The beast blood she had mentioned were the most popular blood they had in their store. She didn¡¯t understand why Relic was asking about other ones.

    ¡°Yes, we do, but those beast bloods are normally unfit for blood baths and are bought by those interested in studying beast bloodlines.¡±

    A cultivator¡¯s first blood bath was not something a cultivator would take likely. The beast blood bath was capable of strengthening the cultivator¡¯s body and may even allow their body to be more attuned to certain essences depending on which beast blood they chose. If a regular cultivator was able to find the blood of a divine spirit beast and bathe in it, they could essentially turn into a genius overnight! However, this was only true for a cultivator¡¯s first bath; any subsequent baths carry almost no real benefit to the cultivator.

    She looked at Relic¡¯s attire and could not peg him as one of those scholars who were interested in studying blood lines. A thought suddenly occurred and she immediately spoke with concern, ¡°Please do not consider mixing the blood!¡± Her appearance had turned frantic.

    She continued: ¡°Most new cultivators are unable to obtain high class beast blood and are forced to settle for some of the lower class ones. Thus, sometimes newer cultivators will try to mix beast blood in hopes of getting some beneficial outcome. However¡­ ¡± Her face turned increasingly solemn. ¡°Almost 100% of the time they will get blood poisoning which not only decreases their life span, but also makes it impossible for them to continue cultivation. Once it enters your body, your body becomes like a furnace as the beast blood boils in your body and decays the person form the inside out.¡±

    Hana shook from the words and became pale. She had limited knowledge in the world of cultivation and never even heard of such a thing!

    Relic only waved his hand ¡°Please do not worry. I have no intention of mixing the beast blood in order to take a blood bath. I actually need them for a different reason.¡±

    ¡°What kind of reason.¡±

    ¡°I¡­My teacher, you see, he is one of those old eccentrics who love to study blood talents of many beasts. This time, he told me to fetch beast blood with water affinity.¡±

    Relic was confident he could stick to this lie whenever someone asked him some questions he couldn¡¯t answer. It was the simplest answer he could think of and most would choose to believe him.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± She had a sigh of relief. ¡°In that case, let me show you around.¡±

    The girl showed him around, and he ended up buying 26 bottles of blood from different beasts at half a liter each.

    By the end of it, he had only a few silver coins left.

    Relic thanked the purple haired girl and left together with Hana.

    As soon as they left, the little girl burst into excitement and took out the money she had gotten.

    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to show grandpa my first sale! A couple more sales and he will have to let me go!¡± She happily skipped around the room and sang herself a little tune.

 Chapter 33

    Relic sighed and dangled a small coin pouch in front of him. ¡°Hmm, it seems we will need to go for another truffle run.¡±

    ¡°Brother, what are you going to do with all of those?¡± Hana suddenly asked. She had been trailing behind Relic the entire time and had not once bothered him about what he was doing.

    ¡°Oh, right, you probably don¡¯t know this but before I came back, I made most of my living money through making alcohol.¡±

    ¡°You mean like wine?¡±

    ¡°Right, the one I¡¯m specifically making is something I was able to create after many trial and errors. The key ingredients are those Fires and Water lotuses I bought which, aside from tasting good, also helps in curing colds.¡±

    There was also the ability that such a wine was capable of increasing the spiritual energy of those with the affinity to the water and fire Dao, but Relic didn¡¯t think it was important for Hana to know that.

    ¡°Wow that Is amazing! I bet you were really rich back then, selling such miraculous wine!¡±

    ¡°Indeed I was!¡± Relic laughed loudly and patted Hana on her head.

    She still felt it a bit weird having her younger brother act like he was older. She pouted slightly before changing the subject.

    ¡°Oh, right, since you are from the future can you tell me a bit of your previous life?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden questions?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your big sister; of course I would like to know what my little brother has done.¡±

    ¡°Big sister¡­ well you should know that your little brother has already lived over a hundred years!¡±

    ¡°Wah¡­You¡¯re so old!¡± She jumped in surprise.

    ¡°indeed¡­¡± he felt a little down

    Relic began slowly narrating his adventures he had embarked back in his youth. He purposefully skipped the destruction of their home town as well as any other parts he thought was unnecessary for her to hear.

    Hana seemed to be completely enamoured in Relic¡¯s story. His stories were full of risk and action. Finding priceless treasures and defeating amazing beasts. It was almost like it was a fairy tale.

    The seed of adventures within Hana began to sprout and her desire for adventure seemed to increase exponentially.

    ¡°Then, can I really become a cultivator?¡± She asked.

    Relic smiled and just as he was about to speak, he countenance shifted completely. His eyes darted to the left as he saw some movements in the shadow.

    ¡°(It sure took you a while to notice them. They have been following us since we left that building.)¡± Jiro sneered. Despite now requiring Relic¡¯s help in helping fix his beast core, Jiro did not show any improvement in his attitude.

    Relic had suddenly realised they were near the edge of the mountain, and in an almost empty street.

    ¡°(Protect Hana)¡±

    ¡°(Hmph¡­)¡±

    Jiro stood closely behind Hana and covered Hana under his wing.

    Hana felt the sudden shift of mood and saw both Jiro and Relic turn solemn. ¡°Brother, what¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Hana, stay next to Jiro.¡± He took a few steps forward. ¡°Who are you people?¡± He spoke to the empty street.

    The empty street remained silent but both Jiro and Relic did not let up their guard.

    Finally, after a few more moments a deep sigh could be heard.

    ¡°Even little kids are able to sense us¡­ It seems my wolf claw gang will need to start training again.¡± A large robust man was the first to come out. His ugly mug was very distinct, causing even Hana to look on in fright. He carried a large grin and licked his lips when he saw Hana.

    ¡°Eh, boss, don¡¯t blame all of us, it was definitely Greg¡¯s fault!¡± a second voice was heard in the shadows.

    ¡°No way! It was definitely Derrek¡¯s. He was the slowest among us.¡± Another said.

    One by one, hardened faced men came out of the shadows and poured onto the streets. They laughed at one another as they made their way through and surrounded the two children and one spirit beast. In total, 20 men had completely surrounded them.

    ¡°Tell me kid, how did you find out we were here?¡± The robust man, who was obviously the leader, asked.

    ¡°You are all radiating blood lust. We would be idiots if we didn¡¯t notice.¡± Relic replied as he continued to monitor their situation.

    Although he said that, regular people would probably have not picked up on it. It was only because he had been in so many battles and had developed a kind of sixth sense in sensing blood lust. Of course, it also helped that this group was a bunch of amateurs and was sloppy in their movements.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°You¡­ha¡­hahaha¡­ Indeed, it is our fault! But who cares? You are going to die anyways! Of course, if you want to surrender, we won¡¯t make it hard on you.¡±

    The robust man snapped his fingers and the men all took out their weapons. They carried malicious grins on their faces and some of them even had lustful eyes when their gaze fell upon the little girl.

    ¡°Err, Boss, that money bags didn¡¯t say anything about the girl, right?¡±

    ¡°Haha, the boy doesn¡¯t look too bad either.¡±

    The leader rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Do what you want but the spirit beast must stay alive.¡±

    ¡°Huzzaah!¡± Multiple men cheered and raised their swords in the air.

    However, before they even realized, Relic had already made his move. A skinny sickly man was standing a few steps in front of the others in a completely relaxed manner. His sword carelessly waved in the air and did not even focus on the little children in front.

    Relic dashed towards this man, his right hand tightened and a piercing intent surrounded it.

    By the time the skinny man realized Relic was charging towards him, it was already too late. He panicked and tried to slash down his sword but Relic was a step faster and pierced upwards. His hands were like a spear and aimed towards the bottom of the man¡¯s lower jaw.

    Puchi!

    Relic¡¯s hands pierced the man¡¯s skin and into his flesh. Blood spurted out and the man¡¯s entire body fell into a state of shock. His sword dropped from his hands and landed into Relic¡¯s who then immediately slashed across the man¡¯s neck.

    The man¡¯s head dropped and rolled onto the cold dirt ground.

    The time taken to kill this man did not even take 3 seconds. The laughter had immediately stopped and what was replaced were bulging eyes and dropped jaws.

    ¡°I-impos¡­¡± A man tried to speak, however, before he could finish Relic had already kicked the fallen head towards the next person.

    The head was sent flying and hit another man¡¯s face.

    The man hit staggered a step back and before he could adjust himself, a sword pierced a vital area on his neck and he died instantly.

    A wave of fear immediately swept across the men. Relic wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation.

    He held nothing back and dashed towards his next person. This time, the men were much more prepared and were battle ready. Yet, they would soon realize that it didn¡¯t even matter. Despite anticipating it, they were much less skilled than the little boy.

    Relic was able to easily dodge any of their attacks and would immediately counter attack with a single piercing attack on a vital spot. The men who attacked would immediately drop dead and Relic would move on to the next.

    Relic was able to down 3 more men before finally, the leader shouted: ¡°Regroup!¡±

    The men all began to run towards their leader. Their pale faces and shaking legs indicating they were all just about to run away.

    ¡°B-boss¡­ w-what are we suppose t-t-to do??¡± A frightened man asked.

    ¡°MERCHANT CORNWELL! YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY US TRIPLE FOR THIS!¡± The robust leader gritted his teeth.

    ¡­

    Relic casually kept a calm demeanor as he picked up a second sword for his empty hand. He saw the bandit group whispering with one another but did not seem worried.

    ¡°Hana!¡± He suddenly shouted.

    Hana was currently buried in Jiro¡¯s feathers. As soon as she saw Relic make that first gruesome kill, her countenance immediately turned white and she hid herself in Jiro¡¯s body. Her body shook as the image replayed in her mind.

    When Hana heard her brother¡¯s voice she turned with tears ready to burst out. Yet, Relic did not seem to care at all.

    ¡°You must not turn away!¡±

    ¡°B-but.¡±

    ¡°You must not turn away! The road to immortality is paved with the death of many. The world is filled with evils and you will have no choice but to take a sword against their neck. If you cannot even watch this then you might as well give up on trying being a cultivator!¡±

    Relic turned his back to Hana and spoke to her no more.

    Hana felt like something was caught in her throat. She didn¡¯t know how to reply back. She was still just a little girl after all. How could he ask her to witness something so terrible?

    ¡­

    The bandit group looked at each other and nodded.

    ¡°Hey kid, I got to say you really gave us a spook.¡± The leader was the first to speak. ¡°Our employer didn¡¯t say we would have to deal with such a monster of a kid. However, now that we know what you are capable of, your luck has run out!¡± He ripped off his shirt to show his bronzed body. He then took out his battle axe which was twice the size of Relic. ¡°My name is Isaac of the Wolf Claw Gang. I¡¯m at the cusp of the Soulless warrior realm, see if you can withstand my blows! ¡±

    Isaac let out a ferocious yell and charged towards Relic. He swung his battle axe over his head and aimed to kill Relic in a single stroke.

    Relic was capable of dodging attacks from foundation realm experts, and so the attacks from this man didn¡¯t mean much to him. The axe missed Relic entirely and hit the ground. Chunks of dirt and gravel sprang from the attack and a small dust cloud surrounded the two people.

    ¡°Now!¡± Isaac yelled.

    Immediately 5 people dashed in and all aimed their weapons towards Relic.

    Geniuses among men¡­ Isaac was once part of an average sect and has seen many times, those who were unfairly born with above average strength or talent. He saw many people who were younger than him soar within the sect while he stayed at the same bottle neck for years.

    Unable to take the constant reminder of his mediocrity, he left the sect and became the leader of a small bandit group. Now, while facing Relic, he was not so shocked by Relic¡¯s strength that he was unable to think rationally. No matter how much a genius Relic was he was still a mortal! It was impossible for Relic to defeat all of them by himself!

    Sounds of metal clashing sounded inside the dust cloud. Multiple bloody wounds could be seen on Relic¡¯s body. The 5 men were relentless in their attacks and gave Relic little room to breathe. They swung their swords randomly, leaving many openings, but another attack would come before he had a chance to counter it.

    Isaac had a slight smile on his face as he saw Relic growing weaker and weaker. The idea of a genius fallen by his hands actually brought him great pleasure. Isaac closed his eyes and began to focus the Qi within his body. Perspiration fell from his forehead as he slowly imbued Qi onto his weapon.

    After a few moments, his qi had completely encased over his weapon, making it look incredibly sharp and capable of complete destruction.

    ¡°It¡¯s the end¡­ of the line, Kid. Try¡­ to receive¡­ my blow!¡± He said, panting. He lifted his Axe once more and struck down towards Relic.

    Seeing their boss was about to strike, the 5 men immediately began to retreat.

    However¡­

    Swish!

    One of the men was too slow and Relic slit his ankle.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± the man struck tripped and fell onto the ground, screaming. Relic immediately took him by the collar and lifted the man in front of him.

    ¡°N-nooo, boss, stop!¡±

    It was too late.

    Isaac¡¯s axe came crashing down and split the man in half. It then clashed onto Relic¡¯s two swords. Relic was immediately flung several meters, crashing into the dirt every few feet until his body crashed against a tree. His body fell onto the ground and remained motionless.

    ¡°Ha¡­hahaha, I did it! I took down a genius from this world!¡± Isaac screamed to the Heavens. A deep sense of accomplishment swept over his entire body and he had completely forgotten about his mission.

    He continued to laugh until he saw Relic¡¯s small body slowly arise.

 Chapter 34

    Isaac¡¯s eye¡¯s constricted as he watched Relic slowly rise. ¡°I-impossible! That was my strongest attack, how did you survive?!¡±

    ¡°You shrouded your weapon with Qi, making it unstable.¡± Relic got up. Aside from some blood falling from his mouth, it seemed like he was not injured at all. ¡°When you hit your goon, the Qi had already dispersed into his body and was only able to cause superficial damage on me. Had you had an actual cultivator weapon and was capable on directly interjecting your Qi into it, then I may have been greatly injured.¡±

    Isaac grinded his teeth and red veins could be seen in his eyes.

    ¡°WHAT DO YOU KNOW. YOU¡¯RE JUST A MORTAL!!!¡±

    Rage was seething out of his teeth but relic look unconcerned.

    Isaac quickly calmed his demeanor as he just remembered something. A malicious smile suddenly crept upon his face.

    ¡°Little boy, aren¡¯t you wondering why I didn¡¯t order all of my men to attack you?¡± he said with a sneer.

    Relic only ignored him as he assessed the state of his weapons. They were practically shattered and had just barely able to maintain the shape of the sword.

    A bulging vein appeared on top of Isaacs head as he snapped his finger. ¡°Bring out the girl. Let¡¯s make this brat regret having ever been born.¡±

    However, as he snapped his finger he realized there was no response. He looked behind him where his 10 men should have dealt with the girl and the spirit beast while he distracted Relic.

    What he saw was all 10 of his men lying of the floor with large giant holes in their chests. A sudden smell of blood pervaded his nose which made all his hairs stand up.

    Isaacs shook violently, trying to process everything that happened. Wasn¡¯t this spirit beast supposed to have an injured neck?  He looked into Jiro¡¯s eyes which showed the face of his men¡¯s murderer. It was the face of a spirit beast that cared not for any humans and merely looked at them as food.

    Isaac staggered a few steps back, unsure what to do.

    Jiro moved forward a bit and came before a bloodied spear. He picked it up with his feet claws and, using all of his strength, threw it at Relic. The spear blew right past Isaac, so fast that Isaac couldn¡¯t even react quick enough to dodge it. Had the spear been aimed at him he would have died right then and there.

    Relic took a step to the right and caught the spear in his hands. He looked on at the spear in his hands and shook his head in disappointment. ¡°This will have to do.¡± He muttered.

    He practiced piercing through the air, showing the elegance and movement of a true spear master, before stopping and looking at Isaac.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for round two.¡± Relic charged towards the pale looking Isaac.

    ¡°K-Kill Him!¡± Isaac ordered.

    The remaining 4 men didn¡¯t know what to do. On one side was the ferocious spirit beast which took out 10 of their men without making a sound. On the other hand was an insane kid which had the strength to parry against 5 men attacking him all at once.

    ¡°If it¡¯s between that beast and the kid, I rather go for the kid!¡± one of them shouted. They nodded in agreement and took up their weapons, charging towards Relic.

    Relic made no attempt to dodge any of their attacks like before. He extended his spear and shouted: ¡°Three prong cascading strike.¡±

    His spear shot through the air so fast it looked like there were three spears striking at the same time.

    In an instant, three men all had a hole in their neck. Blood spurted out as they collapsed to the floor dead.

    The last man looked into Relic¡¯s cold piercing eyes. He immediately dropped his weapon and ran to the right, away from both Relic and Jiro. However, Jiro quickly took to the skies and disposed of him quickly before returning to Hana¡¯s side.

    Relic casually walked towards Isaac. Every step Relic took made Isaac¡¯s heart beat faster.

    Isaac was truly frightened. He had done many evil deeds in his life but never had he expected things to turn out like this. Cultivators were generally too busy to take care of lowly criminals like him and regular mortals just couldn¡¯t do anything to him. It was truly a perfect life. Yet, as he looked at the boy walking towards him, it was as if he saw the grim reaper himself.

    The intense pressure he felt coming from Relic made him momentarily insane and he took his weapon up as he screamed to the top of his lungs. ¡°YOUR JUST A MORTAL, YOU CAN¡¯T KILL ME!!!¡±

    He lifted his weapon up only to have it casually swatted away by Relic¡¯s spear.

    Puchi!

    Next, his legs were pierced and he dropped to the floor.

    Finally, Relic held the spear to the neck of Isaac.

    ¡°N-no, please, I will do anything. I¡¯ll follow you around, you can order me like a dog if you want!¡±

    Isaac was immediately reduced to less than a human as he barked for his life.Stolen novel; please report.

    Relic remained unresponsive, merely keeping his spear at Isaac¡¯s throat.

    After a few moments, Relic finally spoke: ¡°Who sent you?¡±

    ¡°M-master, we were approached by a merchant while we were performing our daily robberies. He told us there were a couple of kids and an injured spirit peacock beast in this town and that he would pay us top dollar if we would give him the Spirit beast. He even offered us a 1000 gold coin advance.¡± He responded respectfully.

    ¡°What was his name?¡±

    ¡°He called himself, Merchant Jack Cornwell!¡±

    ¡°I see¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Isaac felt like he just may live through this. However, his hopes were quickly shattered.

    Puchi!

    The spear immediately pierced through his throat and he died in an instant.

    ¡­

    By the end of it, only three figures remained standing on the corpse ridden street.

    Relic made his way to Hana. His clothes were stained in blood and he reeked of death. His eyes showed a calm which shouldn¡¯t exist having killed so many people.

    Tears ran like an endless stream down her face. Her hands were firmly clenched onto her clothes and her lips were quivering as she bit down. Her entire body shook violently, barely able to even stand up straight. It looked as if a simple gust of wind would knock her to the ground with ease.

    The little boy in front of her did not seem like her brother, but a demon.

    ¡°Did you see all of that?¡± Relic spoke solemnly.

    She nodded slowly.

    ¡°And?¡±

    Her lips quivered as she spoke, ¡°I-I know¡­ cultivator¡¯s risk their lives every day. The lives of others are meaningless when pursuing the path of immortality and power.¡± It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand that Relic was trying to test her. Even at such a young age, Hana understood the differences between cultivators and regular mortals. Once someone became a cultivator, regular laws no longer applied and they would do anything in order to reach their goals.

    Hearing the answer Relic carried a soft smile and returned back to his normal self. ¡°No, life is a precious thing and when you have the power to do so, you should try your best to help those in need.¡±

    Hana looked at her brother in confusion.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to witness what I did in order for you to think life was an unimportant concept when it comes to cultivation. In fact, I believe life is one of the most precious miracles that have ever existed in this world. This world runs through the lives of everyone and everything that inhabits it.¡±

    Relic placed his hands on Hana¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Hana, I was worried you wanted to enter the world of cultivation for the wrong reasons. Cultivation is not just adventures and fighting to be stronger. It is a way of life and you are constantly putting your life at risk. If all you want from cultivating is adventure then I can give you that, but there is no reason for you to step onto the jagged path of cultivation. The road of immortality is paved with the death of many. Many have aspired to reach the apex but instead were used as stepping stones for the truly strong.¡±

    Relic words seemed to throw her mind in a state of confusion.

    Did she really want to be a cultivator merely because she wanted to go out on adventures? If it was, would she then turn into her brother, a merciless killer?

    As an internal struggle was raging in Hana¡¯s mind, she suddenly saw a small red winged spirit beast flying through the sky. It flew high in the sky, through the pure white clouds and chirped happily as it went on its way.

    She suddenly remembered her days of past, where she was taking care of her brother. She loved her brother but in the end, it felt like she was chained here. If her brother never recovered would she have stayed here forever?

    As the red winged spirit beast left her vision, she stopped trembling and she gained a look of determination. At that moment, she truly knew what she wished for.

    ¡°Hana, I will ask you this one last time. Do you really want to be a cultivator?¡±

    ¡°YES!¡±

    ¡­.

    After the battle, the three cleaned up the bodies on the street. Relic had Jiro take care of the bodies by disposing them off the mountain. As for the blood stain ground, there was nothing they could do about it.

    As much as Relic wanted to take care of that merchant who hired the thugs to attack them, he decided against it. The mayor was probably keeping a close eye on him and if he did something as outrageous as killing someone in broad daylight, he would probably be punished. He could only sigh and wait for a more opportune time to get his revenge.

    Shortly after, they headed off to a bath house to clean off. Unfortunately, there was no  place for spirit beasts to clean off so Jiro was forced find a water source somewhere else to groom himself.

    Once they were clean, they all met back up and Hana got on top of Jiro where she immediately dived into his feathers. Jiro could only shiver when he felt her tiny hands grabbing all over him. However, she soon fell asleep on top of his body with a smile on her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long day.¡± Relic stroked her head as she slept soundlessly.

    The sun began to set as they made their way back to the Astor¡¯s residence.

    ¡­.

    Relic and Jiro walked side by side on a dimly lit street. There were few people left on the street as most have already gone back home.

    ¡°(I want to know¡­)¡± Jiro suddenly spoke.

    ¡°(What is it?)¡± Relic replied.

    ¡°(Does the treaty ever break between the beast and human territories?)¡±

    Relic had a gleam in his eyes. (Does this mean you believe what I¡¯ve said?)¡±

    Jiro nodded, ¡°(If I don¡¯t then I don¡¯t know how else to explain everything you have done and known.)¡±

    ¡°(Mn, but why are asking such a random question?)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s just¡­)¡± Jiro had a harden look on his face.  ¡°(I¡¯m just curious)¡±

    Relic thought for a moment before suddenly remembering a story he heard. ¡°(I wasn¡¯t here at the time, but I did hear about a time when all a war between The spirit beast kings and the human cultivators almost erupted.) ¡±

    He thought it was weird for Jiro to bring up such a question, but as he was his partner now, he decided to tell him what he wanted to know.

    Relic began narrating a story, in which, one day, one of the seven beast kings attacked a city which resided at the border of the human territories.  The lives of millions were instantly gone and that beast king burned the entire city to the ground.

    The beast king had planned to continue on his rampage but was quickly stopped by the other 6 beast kings. A battle ensued and the rogue beast king and his generals all fell in battle.

    Shortly after, immortal cultivators arrived and the beast kings were forced to pay remunerations if they didn¡¯t want an all-out war¡­.

    ¡°(In the end, every desolate region suffered tremendous losses because of that one beast king. However, thankfully they were able to resolve the issue before a full out war between the two sides.)¡± Relic praised.

    Jiro¡¯s blood began to boil as he heard Relic¡¯s tale.

    ¡°T-Those traitors!  They would sell out their own kind in order to stay in the graces of these pathetic humans?!¡±   Jiro was infuriated. He knew exactly which beast king it was that started out that attack. His hatred for humans seemed to have ignited in that moment and a murderous intent radiated out.

    ¡°(Humans and Spirit beasts¡­ they¡¯re not so different in the end. We all yearn for the same things and we all live for the sake of our own goals. I hope someday, we can all live together without the prejudice we have for one another. Don¡¯t you agree, Jiro?)¡± Relic smiled.

    Jiro murderous intent suddenly vanished and he became a loss for words.  Those few words had utterly made Jiro stump for words.

    Jiro didn¡¯t reply, and only followed the odd little boy as they made their way back home on this dimly lit street.

 chapter 35

    The trio soon arrived to their home at the corner of Heaven¡¯s peak.

    As soon as Relic and Hana entered into their home, a sobbing woman came rushing towards them and embraced them.

    ¡°Are you two okay?! Where have you been?! Are you hurt?!¡± Marie scanned her children frantically.

    ¡°Mom we¡¯re fine.¡± Hana said.

    ¡°What happened today? We heard many rumours about a spirit beast attacking some people today, when a pair of twins suddenly stepped up and defeated it.¡° A manly voice came from behind. It was Lavender, their father. He continued, ¡°IT was said, the male twin was able to take on two immortal cultivators at once! You two are the only twins in this town so it had to be you two, right?!¡± he asked, concerned.

    ¡°Yes, it was us.¡± Relic replied. Seeing the astonished look his parents had, Relic spoke: ¡°The truth is a cultivator has taken me as their disciple to learn cultivation.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± They were both shocked. Cultivation was only accessible to those within large cities and towns. There were no schools or sects set up here so many would have to travel in order to learn cultivation. Of course, one could hope a wandering cultivator would be willing to teach them cultivation but the chances of that happening were close to none.

    ¡°Who is this this teacher?!¡± Marie quickly asked. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for nefarious individuals to take advantage of unsuspecting victims who dreamt of being cultivators. She was immediately worried that Relic was being had.

    ¡°A couple of days ago,¡± Relic began narrating, ¡°In my dreams, I met an old man. This old man was sitting on a lily pad on top of a calm lake and was meditating. At the time, I didn¡¯t realize what was going on and walked towards him. As I got closer he opened his eyes and spoke: ¡®Your mind is clouded and your soul is in shambles. Let me clear it up for you.¡¯ He placed his hands on top of my head and spoke some words of incantation. Next thing I knew, my head was no longer muddled and I could think more clearly than I had for years!¡±

    Marie and Lavender looked at each other with extreme shock.

    ¡°After that, the old man said I had talent in cultivation and took me as his disciple. Since then I have become a cultivator and have been able to do many amazing things!¡± He spoke with great enthusiasm.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why!¡± Both of them immediately gained a sense of clarity. They were accepting of the fact that Relic had gotten better out of nowhere, but now, he was able to take on spirit beasts and immortal cultivators? It was just too fantastical and they couldn¡¯t believe it.

    However, hearing that a powerful cultivator had visited their son in a dream, made everything fall into place.

    ¡°Son, make sure to keep up in your teacher¡¯s graces. You have truly gained heaven¡¯s blessing.¡± Lavender said.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Relic nodded.

    Thankfully, Relic¡¯s parents were just a bunch of regular mortals and believed his story outright. In reality, invading dreams was not something any one could do. Relic had only heard stories and never had actually met any cultivator who could enter another person¡¯s dream. To do so would be breaking a natural law and even immortals would not be able to so easily break it.

    Hana was the only other person in the room that understood that Relic was just lying so that he wouldn¡¯t worry their parents. He had already told her that it would be best if their parents didn¡¯t know he was from the future as it could cause them problems in the future.

    A cool breeze suddenly entered the home through the open door which sent shivers down Hana¡¯s back. She turned her head and saw a couple of feathers sticking out and she immediately went back outside.

    ¡°Come on, Jiro, it¡¯s getting cold. Don¡¯t be shy.¡± Hana was tugging some large shadowy figure. The figure was reluctant and squawked softly at her but she was determined.

    That large figure entered into the home and the room immediately went silent.

    ¡°H-Hana, t-this spirit beast¡­¡± Marie was utterly shocked. Lavender only looked on with bulging eyes and a dropped jaw.

    ¡°This is Jiro, our new friend!¡± Hana happily said. She proceeded to stuff her face into his soft feathers and rubbed all over. ¡°Mother, he is very soft and warm!¡±

    Jiro could only shiver at Hana¡¯s actions.

    She was no longer afraid of Jiro and had no longer held him accountable for what had happened before. Relic had explained to her that it was actually that young master before who was ordering Jiro to do all of those things and Jiro had no choice but to comply. After she heard that, Hana immediately felt guilty of being so apprehensive of Jiro before, especially after he had done so much to protect her when all those men charged towards them. She now treated him like he was a family pet.

    ¡°B-but¡­¡± Lavender stuttered. Jiro¡¯s figure towered over his own. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same spirit beast which harmed so many people today?¡± They had heard the spirit beast was a peacock variant. They were both afraid that Jiro would attack their children and they would not be able to do a thing.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry,¡± Relic suddenly interjected, ¡°This is definitely the same spirit beast from today. However, my teacher had already tamed it and now he serves as our guardians.¡±

    The two parents looked at each other and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± They both said.

    ¡­.

    Under the terms of the contract, Jiro could not do anything to harm this family. He remained docile as they touched all over him. Jiro could only internally pity himself for falling to such a state. The two were soon convinced this spirit beast really was tamed by that powerful cultivator and no longer worried.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    They had dinner and the parents retired to their rooms feeling satisfied so many fortuitous things have happened for their son.

    Relic and Hana soon found themselves in their own room.

    ¡°Hana, I will be sleeping on the floor, you can continue to take the bed from now on.¡±

    ¡°But why? Even if you are an old grandpa we can still sleep on the same bed.¡± She asked confused.

    ¡°Ekk, an old grandpa¡­.¡± That was a first for Relic. Even when his master was in a mindset of a child she had never called him an old grandpa.

    ¡°Hana, please¡­ just think of me as your older brother¡­.¡± Relic pleaded

    ¡°Oh, okay¡­ but why do you want to sleep on the floor?¡±

    Relic shook his head ¡°A young lady should only share a bed with someone they love. I may be your brother but I¡¯m still old enough to be your great grandfather¡± He said painfully. ¡°Besides, I won¡¯t always be with you. When you are out adventuring you will find your own path and at times, it will be very lonely. You must try to be by yourself so you are more prepared in the future. ¡±

    Hana knew what Relic was saying made sense and nodded in agreement.

    Seeing his sister understand, Relic closed his eyes. A wave of tiredness washed over him and he fell asleep instantly.

    As the night dragged on, Hana tussled through the bed as she did the previous night. She was still unaccustomed to sleeping by herself and what¡¯s more, images of the fight before still sprang up in her mind. Although she accepted the fact these men deserved everything they had coming to them, she was still but a child. It would take some time for her to fully get used to it.

    Time slowly passed.

    Hana lifted herself up. It was reaching mid night and the entire house was silent. The only sound she could hear was the chirping of the moon crickets singing their song.

    She turned to Relic who was sleeping peacefully on the ground. Her hand stretched slightly towards him when it suddenly stopped. ¡°No¡­¡± She retracted her hand and sighed.

    She exited the room and planned to go get a drink of water from a water jug outside when she suddenly caught a glance of Jiro.

    Jiro was too large to fit in their room so he had no choice but to reside in the dining room to sleep.

    He slept in an almost unbelievable posture. His neck was bent backwards and the top of his head touched his back, forming a large arch.

    Hana giggled slightly from the scene and walked closer to Jiro. She began to touch his soft feathers once more and soon found her-self fully immersed in it. Before she knew it, she had already climbed on top of his body. Her small arms clung around Jiro¡¯s neck and her small body shifted into his fur. With a smile on her face, she fell into a deep sleep.

    ¡­.

    Morning quickly arrived.

    ¡°(Y-you dare!)¡± Relic suddenly shouted

    Jiro sleepily opened his eyes. He saw Relic was furiously pointing a finger towards him which made him immediately confused.

    Jiro was just about to respond when he suddenly felt some weight around his neck. He immediately panicked. ¡°Oh no, is my neck acting up again?!¡±

    He then heard a light breathing sound coming from his back. He turned his gaze slightly to see Hana sleeping soundly on his back as she held tightly around his neck. Her clothes were rolled up as she moved around in her sleep. Much of her skin was showing as it came into contact with his feathers.

    ¡°(Dammit, I should have taken this into consideration before forming that spirit contract with you!)¡± Relic gnashed his teeth. ¡°(I should¡¯ve known you could be this kind of beast! Come! Summon out your contract so we can cancel it! You and I will fight to the death!)¡±

    Jiro¡¯s eyes immediately widened his eyes and looked fearfully at Relic. ¡°(It wasn¡¯t me! I didn¡¯t do anything!)¡± He tried to defend himself. Jiro didn¡¯t even know what was going on, but the situation definitely made him look bad.

    Relic didn¡¯t seem to hear a word he said and took up a stance. He couldn¡¯t kill Jiro but he could definitely harm him. Spirit contracts were incredibly imprecise and ambiguous. The spirit contract does not judge based on the facts, but rather the persons own meaning. If a cultivator set out specific terms for both parties to adhere to and one of them thought it meant something else, the spirit contract would still believe both parties are correct.

    That is why spirit contracts were rarely used between strangers. The possibilities for a loop hole could put a person in a precarious situation.

    Relic had purposefully left the first condition open to interpretation as a fall back plan. If he could never harm Jiro, that may put him in a difficult situation as even if he had to harm him in order to save his life, the spirit contract would still have activated and killed him.

    The first condition stated: Neither party may harm the other without justifiable reasons or harm anyone the other cares about.

    In his heart, Relic truly believed he had a justifiable reason to do harm to Jiro in order to save his sister from this lustful beast!

    Just as Relic was about to make a move, Hana also awoke. She rubbed her eyes and said, ¡°Oh, Brother, Jiro, good morning.¡±

    ¡°Hana, why are you on Jiro¡¯s back? Did Jiro do anything to you?¡± Relic frantically spoke.

    She gave a slight blush

    Jiro¡¯s eyes immediately constricted seeing Hana¡¯s reaction while Relic¡¯s eyes seemed to be burning with fury!

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say, but I woke up in the middle of the night and I wanted to get a drink of water. I noticed Jiro sleeping and thought about giving him a pet on the head before going back to sleep. However, as I touched him, his feathers were so soft and before I knew it, I climbed up on to his body and drifted to sleep.¡±

    Both Jiro and Relic seemed to give a deep sigh of relief at the same time.

    Hana felt the tension between them and asked what was wrong.

    Nothing, just a misunderstanding, hahaha¡­¡± Relic made an award laugh as he scratched his head.

    ¡°(Sorry¡­)¡± Relic apologized.

    ¡°(Hmph!)¡± Jiro ignored Relic¡¯s apology and looked as if he was offended.

    The kids parents soon awoke and they all had breakfast together.

    ¡°We may not have enough food for your spirit beast.¡± Marie said as she looked at Jiro.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. He will be hunting his own food.¡± Relic said.

    The Astors definitely would not be able to feed Jiro with the large appetites divine spirit beasts had.

    Jiro quickly exited the home and dived down the mountain as he began to look for fresh meat on the forest floor.

    Marie and Lavender were still amazed their kids were able to get such a large spirit beast to follow them. They both felt proud and especially happy. They use to worry about their kids constantly and would stay up at night thinking about their future. However, not only was Relic now better, he also was being taught cultivation! Their children were also protected by a strong spirit beast where ever they went. Heaven¡¯s peak was safe, but this extra measure brought peace to their minds.

    After breakfast, they soon separated ways. Their parents would return to their jobs in the restaurant and the twins would have extra days exploring this town.

    Relic and Hana walked out and saw Jiro pecking at his feathers. He had a slight smell of blood on him.

    ¡°What are we going to do today?¡± Hana asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ll head to a general shop first and purchase some large bags. Then we will go back to the forest to dig up some more truffles.¡±

    ¡°Wow, your wine making is really expensive. Even with all that gold you made yesterday you still need more!¡± Hana asked, astounded.

    ¡°Of course, I only make the best quality of wines otherwise I would be bringing shame to my teacher who taught me this profession.¡± Relic smiled. ¡°We will also begin your cultivation learning. I hope you take everything seriously.¡± He patted her head.

    ¡°Mn!¡± She nodded before proceeding to get on top of Jiro. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Both Jiro and Relic were stunned for words. Jiro especially, began to question what his future was going to be like now that this girl no longer feared him.

    They made their way towards the market place when they suddenly saw a long line stretching all the way to a faint restaurant.  On top of that restaurant was a sign which read ¡®Moon Lit Dinning Hall.

 Chapter 36

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the restaurant we visited yesterday?¡± Hana asked.

    ¡°Yea, it seems like wasted no time in adding those truffles into the menu.¡± Relic replied.

    ¡°I wonder what they taste like cooked.¡± She remembered the heavenly taste of the truffle she had. It had already tasted so good by itself; she couldn¡¯t imagine what it was like with other ingredients.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take some back tonight and I will cook our family some dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Hana gave a big smile. She already begun imagining the delicious dishes she would get to eat tonight.

    They were just about to leave when Hana happened to get a glance of a little girl waiting in line.

    She immediately jumped off Jiro and ran towards that little girl.

    ¡°Sophie!¡±

    The little girl turned her head and was also ecstatic to see Hana who was running towards her.

    ¡°Hana!¡±

    ¡°(Go hide.)¡± Relic told Jiro.

    Jiro quickly disappeared from the area before Sophie even saw him.  Some wounds take longer to heal than others and Relic thought it was better this way.

    Behind Sophie was a middle aged women as well as a tall balding man.

    ¡°Relic is here too!¡± The middle aged women waved to him excited. After they last met, she developed quite an impression of this little boy who was capable of downing such a strong spirit beast.

    Relic gave an exaggerated grin and waved back as he made his way to them.

    ¡°Auntie, Uncle, good morning!¡± Relic spoke politely. He turned to Sophie and also said, ¡°Good morning, Sophie.¡±

    Sophie nodded with an unusual face. She just couldn¡¯t get over how much Relic had changed. His entire demeanour had changed and his speech was as fluent as someone who had spoken for years.

    ¡°Relic¡­¡± The bald man suddenly spoke sternly. His face had a natural unfriendly face and when he spoke, people would become intimidated.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Relic asked.

    ¡°Thank you for saving my wife and daughter.¡± He bowed his head.

    ¡°Ah, of course, the spirit beast was terrorizing everyone including my sister. It was only natural for me to do such a thing!¡± Relic assured him.

    The man shook his head. ¡°I do not know many who would have done the same as you did. I was on a business trip at that time and I wasn¡¯t here for the whole incident. You have my gratitude.¡± He lifted his head.  ¡°Are you two here alone? Why don¡¯t you join us for breakfast? Apparently, they started to serve truffle seasoning in their meal. It is a once in a life time experience!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is the least we can do.¡± The women also agreed.

    Relic turned and saw Hana happily chatting with Sophie and nodded.

    The two joined this family in the line and began to chat about a various things.

    Just then a loud shout sounded which silenced the entire line.

    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± A young man exited out the Moon Lit Dining Hall in a rage.

    ¡°P-pleas c-come a-a-again.¡± A beautiful young lady stuttered behind him.

    This young man was young master Yan Mu. His countenance was terrible as he shoved the people in his way on to the floor.

    ¡°Young master, we can¡¯t make a scene here. Please calm yourself!¡± one of his guards whispered to him

    Slap!

    ¡°Shut up! I know! I need to discuss with uncle¡­¡± Yan Mu and the two guards next to him quickly hurried on their way.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Relics witnessed the entire scene. His eyes suddenly turned sharp ¡°(Jiro!)¡±

    ¡°(What is it?)¡± Jiro was hiding in a dark alley way and responded unhappily.

    ¡°(Why did the Yan family come to this remote place anyways?)¡± He asked.

    ¡°(I don¡¯t know, I was within his beast ring most of the time. When he let me out I was already here. )¡± Jiro spoke solemnly.

    ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Ever since he first saw the Yan family, he was quite confused why they were even here. Based on what Relic could see, there was no reason for any one from a venerable family to have come to such a place.

    Venerable families were traditional households which still practiced the old ways. In particular, they believed in the importance of continuing their blood lines and still referred to the old naming systems. For example, the household of the Yan family still used the last name to first name system. Yan Mu and his uncle, Yan Wen were perfect examples for this. Average families like the Astors seldom use this type of naming system when they decide names for their children.

    The roots of Venerable families usually stretched from a few hundred to thousands of years and generally held the same power as top tier sects like the Thunder Storm Sect.

    Within this ordinary town filled with regular mortals. Relic could only think of one reason why the Yan family would possibly come here. ¡°The truffles¡­¡±

    ¡°Brother¡­¡±

    ¡°Brother¡­.¡±

    ¡°Brother!¡± Hana shouted in Relic¡¯s ear.

    Relic immediately snapped out of his contemplation and looked at Hana. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You suddenly stopped moving and looked all serious. Are you okay?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Mn, no problem, I was just thinking of something.¡± He gave a smile.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the man who harmed my family.¡± The bald man gritted his teeth and a grinding noise could be heard coming from his mouth. His entire countenance was red with rage as he looked at Yan Mu¡¯s fleeting figure.

    ¡°Dear, it is already over. Mr Mayor already healed us both and even made him apologise. We should truly be counting our blessings nothing more had happened.¡± The middle aged woman embraced her husband and said.

    The embrace was effective and the man immediately calmed down. One could easily see the love this man had for his wife.

    ¡°Mn¡± he nodded.

    ¡°ah, that reminds me, Hana, Relic, you two should come visit us soon. Some of the children are still recovering from yesterday¡¯s incident and so Sophie has been quite lonely. ¡± The woman said. She then proceeded to turn to Relic. ¡°Actually, ever since that incident, Sophie has been quite interested in you and seems to spend her time staring out the window as she spoke your name.¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡± Sophie cried and blushed red. ¡°I was just thinking about how different you are compared to before. Don¡¯t think I feel anything for you!¡± She squealed at Relic.

    ¡°Y-yea.¡±  Relic stuttered. He then looked at the mother. ¡°We would be happy to come for a visit. I¡¯m sure my sister and Sophie have a lot to catch up on. We currently have a few errands to run, but we will definitely come over soon.¡± He said. Relic was like a parent, setting play dates for his daughter. There were still a lot Relic wanted to do in order to repay Hana for taking care of him in his younger years. One such thing was definitely to reconnect her with her friends.

    .¡°Mn, I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± She smiled.

    The line slowly moved and they eventually got a seat within the packed restaurant. A delightful mood could be seen as everyone was salivating waiting for the dishes to arrive to their tables. Relic and their group ordered as soon as they sat down.

    At the same time this was happening, a more sinister conversation was currently being held in one of the mayor¡¯s guest houses.

    ¡­.

    ¡°Uncle, what are we going to do? That restaurant selling those truffles means that someone has discovered where they are grown! If this information is leaked, we will completely lose our monopoly and the organization may even blame it on us!¡± Yan Mu began biting his nails. The Sun and Moon trading group was the sole distributors of truffles and only those with direct connections with them understood how terrifying their foundation was. Even a prestigious family like the Yan family was merely an ant in front of them.

    Yan Wen remained silent. His face was hardened in thought.

    ¡°It is likely the owner of the restaurant bought the truffles from someone else, otherwise they would have men scavenge through the forest in search of these truffles. Also it doesn¡¯t seem whoever is supplying these truffles want to let others know where to find these truffles either.¡± He spoke solemnly.

    ¡°Should we threaten her to release the information of who sold her the truffles?¡± Yan Mu asked

    ¡°No, ever since that incident, the mayor has been sending out his divine sense periodically. He is too darn precautious. If we do anything suspicious he will find out and we may end up actually being the one revealing the secret.

    ¡°Then what¡­¡±

    ¡°For now, we should have some of our men stationed outside several restaurants and see if anyone is bringing in anything suspicious into the restaurants. As for the mayor, we will continue with our plan!¡± A sinister smile appeared of Yan Wen¡¯s face.

    ¡­..

    Back at the Moon Lit Dining Hall, Relic and Hana were saying good bye to Sophie and her family.

    ¡°Remember to come visit us soon!¡± The mother waved the kids good bye and the family departed.

    Hana and Relic had a smile as they waved good bye.

    As they left, Relic¡¯s expression turned solemn.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hana, we are in a hurry.¡±

    Hana saw the serious expression on Relic¡¯s face and was immediately surprised. It was the same face he made when he had killed those men.

    She tried to speak up but ended up nodding and following him towards the market place to buy several large bags. They met back with Jiro and the trio quickly took off and headed down to the base of the mountain to once more collect truffles.

    As they glided down, Relic countenance turned worse and worse.  The appearance of the Yan family and the gold mine of truffles, brought forth images of Heaven¡¯s Peak destruction within Relic¡¯s mind. ¡°I have to hurry!¡±

 Chapter 37

    Relic and Hana immediately began digging for truffles. Even Jiro, much to his dismay, was forced to help in the extraction.

    Their extraction speed was quick and it seemed like truffles were popping out from the ground at lightning speed.

    It would only be a matter of moments before their two large bags were completely filled!

    As they were digging, Hana turned to look at her brother. Relic still had that solemn look he had ever since they were at the town. She was beginning to worry about him.

    Suddenly, the sound of a branch snapping was heard behind them.

    They all stopped and turned their heads to a familiar figure.

    ¡°I had imagined it would have been quite hard to kill you children seeing as you were protected in that town. I had hoped to have those street urchins kill you and have them take all the blame. Who would¡¯ve thought they couldn¡¯t even defeat a bunch of children and a broken spirit beast!¡± A fat burly man was grinning ear to ear in front of them. It was the same man as the one who hired those thugs who had attacked them, Jack Cornwell! ¡°But who would have thought you kids would choose to come down the mountain yourselves!¡± Merchant Cornwell laughed heartily.

    Relic countenance turned increasingly dark. He was already in a bad mood and now that this jerk was here made Relic feel even worse.

    Relic made his way to Jiro and retrieved a spear which was tied to Jiro¡¯s back.

    ¡°Oh, you want to fight? Sure, but it won¡¯t be with me.¡±

    Suddenly, a robed man stepped out behind a tree and showed his face. An aura of danger could be felt coming from this man.

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, you are quite an extraordinary boy. Not only were you able to down a divine spirit beast, you were also able to survive the attacks of two middle ranked foundation realm cultivators. You also killed all of those thugs! Although Isaac wasn¡¯t anyone worth anything, he was still someone regular mortals could never dream of defeating.  That¡¯s why I¡¯ve used my extensive connections and brought a disciple from the immortal sword sect here to kill you!¡±

    The robed man sighed. ¡°Mister Cornwell, you are talking too much, I would like to finish up my assignment and return to my sect.¡±

    ¡°Right, right, excuse me. I have a slight grudge against this child.¡± He gave an awkward laugh. ¡°Anyways, cultivator Tang Wu, please dispose of the children but keep the spirit beast alive.¡±

    Tang Wu walked towards the little children when his gaze happened to meet with Jiro¡¯s piercing cold eyes. ¡°Mister Cornwell, you are sure this spirit beast is injured, correct?¡± a single sweat droplet ran down his face.

    Tang Wu could recognize a divine spirit beast when he saw one. Spirit beasts were generally several times stronger than cultivators of the same level and divine spirit beasts were even more so.

    ¡°Yes, please do not worry. Originally, I had assumed its neck was broken but it seems I had misjudged the extent of its injury as it looks fine now. However, I¡¯m 100% sure it will not be able to bring you any harm as a middle ranked foundation realm cultivator. The beast showed no signs of being able to use any of its innate techniques.¡± Merchant Cornwell was also somewhat knowledgeable on the spirit beast trade and knew somethings about spirit beasts.

    Tang Wu gave a sigh of relief and waved his hand.  An elegant white sword appeared in his hands and a beautifully crafted broad sword appeared below his feet. He looked at Relic with a casual expression.

    ¡°I have no qualms with you, but you have made a powerful enemy. Perhaps in your next life, you should try not to be so outstanding.¡± Tang Wu flew through the air on his flying sword at incredible speed.

    He really did not put Relic in his eye and so he slashed down in an uncaring manner. The only one he was a little bit afraid of was Jiro but as Jiro couldn¡¯t use any of his innate beast techniques, he really wasn¡¯t really bothered by him either. In fact, he had heard of the story of Relic downing this spirit beast. If a mortal kid could take care of this spirit beast what fear should he have?

    He quickly appeared in front of Relic and slashed down his sword at Relic¡¯s head. He expected to easily slice Relic¡¯s body in half like mud. However, what he didn¡¯t expect was for Relic to be able to dodge his attack.

    Relic immediately ducked and swung his long spear horizontally, smashing the side of the spear against the Tang Wu¡¯s legs.

    Tang Wu was flung off his flying sword and smashed against a black Oakwood tree. He laid on the floor in a daze. ¡°H-how¡­¡±

    ¡°Three prong cascading strike!¡±

    The spear pierced out, aiming towards Tang Wu¡¯s head.

    Tang Wu quickly went pale and summoned out a jade tortoise shell. A green barrier with an image of a tortoise shell appeared, blocking the spear¡¯s attacks.

    Relic immediately distanced himself from him and took up a battle stance.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Tang Wu was completely shaken. He had just used up his most precious lifesaving treasure in order to block Relic¡¯s attack. That lifesaving treasure was capable of blocking any attack under the spirit realm and yet he had just used it against a regular mortal!

    He slowly got up and clenched his teeth, unable to accept what just happened.

    ¡°Die!¡± He charged towards Relic.

    Relic remained unchanged and was even less worried about this man than before.

    ¡°Try this! Rising Dragon Slash!¡± Teng Wu infused tremendous Qi into his weapon and slashed upwards in a tyrannical fashion.

    Relic quickly struck down his long reaching spear at Tang Wu''s foot.

    Puchi!

    The spear penetrated the Teng Wu¡¯s foot, immediately disrupting his attack and causing him to miss Relic entirely.

    Seeing this, Merchant Cornwell looked in disbelief and fright. ¡°A-are you o-okay?¡± he yelled out.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± The man¡¯s face contorted from the pain. He took out a medicinal pill and swallowed it.

    ¡°How¡­HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!¡± He screamed while pointing at Relic.

    ¡°Is this your first battle?¡±  Relic asked in a monotone voice.

    ¡°Of course not! How would I have reached the mid rank of the foundation realm without having fought any battles?!!! ¡± Rage was seething through his teeth, thinking Relic was mocking him.

    ¡°Is that so¡­. Then as a mid-rank foundation realm cultivator you lack any semblance of formal training. You leave yourself opened to counter attacks every time you raise your blade. When you focus on your target you ignore any attacks that may come from places besides where you focus at. ¡±

    Relic spoke like an instructor teaching his students.

    ¡°The current you is vastly weaker than others in the same realm. In fact, you are even less powerful than the man I battled before who was merely at the cusp of the soulless warrior realm.¡± Relic shook his head.

    In the eyes of mortals, those in the foundation realm were gods among men. They were capable of miraculous things not capable by man or woman. On the other hand, powerful cultivators considered the foundation realm as the true starting point of a cultivator¡¯s journey. It was a transitioning point for all true cultivators.

    However, to Relic, it was a realm he could still handle!

    ¡°Are you looking down on me¡­¡± the man¡¯s expression turned ugly.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just stating a fact. You should leave now. Your cultivation journey does not have to end here.¡± Relic said. ¡°I only have grievances with that man.¡± He glared at the fat burly merchant.

    Merchant Cornwell felt a shiver down his spine.

    A vein bulged on top Tang Wu¡¯s head when he heard Relic¡¯s answer.

    Tang Wu¡¯s character was that of a typical young master. He was born within the venerable Tang family. His family spent great amounts of money in order to buy him cultivation resources as well as using their connections to get him into the immortal sword sect. Having everything handed to him, his cultivation rose to a point many cultivators could only salivate for. If his arrogance could be measured it would surely reach to the skies.

    ¡°Those who look down on me¡­ Will die! ¡±

    Sparks of purple lightning suddenly radiated from his body and an electrifying popping sound could be heard.

    His sword, which was shrouded in Qi, began to change. A streak of lightning shot from the white sword and onto the ground, leaving a blacking mark.

    ¡°Essence endowment!¡± he shouted.

    Immediately, a bright light encompassed the entire sword. As the light faded, an aura of lightning now encompassed the white sword.

    Tang Wu looked at his weapon and broke into a large smile. ¡°Ha¡­hahaha¡­¡± He laughed wildly. ¡°I should thank you. Up until this point, I had never been able to transmute the essence of lightning on to my weapon. Who would have thought a mortal boy would be the key to my power up!¡±

    He casually brushed his sword against the nearest tree. The trunk of the tree was immediately destroyed and chunks of burnt wood crashed on to the floor.

    Tang Wu just couldn¡¯t stop smiling at his new found ability.

    Merchant Cornwell also had a large smile on his face. ¡°Congratulations Tang Wu, you are definitely a genius not seen within a hundred years!¡±

    ¡°Indeed!¡± He accepted the praise without blinking an eye.

    He lifted his sword and pointed towards Relic.

    ¡°Although it seems wrong to kill my benefactor, for you, I will make an exception!¡±

    Tang Wu charged towards Relic once more, carrying a sinister smile. His body invigorated with new power.

    The destructive sword flashed in the air and sliced down on Relic.

    At the same time, Relic¡¯s spear pierced through the air towards Tang Wu¡¯s throat.

    In a battle of lengths, it looked as if the spear would reach first.

    Yet, Tang Wu looked even more excited as a smirk crept up on his face. ¡°You told I leave myself opened when I attack? That I lack the ability to see things outside where I focus? How¡¯s this then?!¡±

    He immediately grabbed on to relic¡¯s spear with his hand and swung his sword at the spear, chopping it in half.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?! Anything to say now?!¡±

    Tang Wu¡¯s senses had heightened, making Relic¡¯s attack look like it was moving extremely slowly.

    He saw Relic¡¯s frightened expression and immediately felt great pleasure wash over his body. He didn¡¯t want it to end; he wanted to take things slow.

    Tang Wu walked slowly towards Relic. With every step He took, Relic took a shaken step back.

    Suddenly, Relic¡¯s foot tripped over a black lump on the ground and he fell on his butt.

    ¡°Hmph, in the end a mortal is a mortal!¡± He stood over Relic like a giant over an ant. He lifted his sword over his head, preparing to end Relic¡¯s life in one strike.

    As his sword began to descend he suddenly saw Relic¡¯s expression return to him calm demeanor.

    ¡°Mr. Tang, Look out!¡± Jack Cornwell suddenly shouted.

    Puchi!

    Tang Wu¡¯s sword abruptly stopped mid-air and started to shake. He looked down to find there was now a bloody hole in his chest. He then turned his head behind and saw the spirit beast he had ignored, now covered in his blood.

    Relic grabbed a branch near him and causally stood up.

    ¡°No... You have not learned anything.¡± Relic said.

    Puchi!

    The branch in Relic¡¯s hand penetrated Tang Wu¡¯s neck and he immediately dropped dead.

    Relic then turned his head to where the fat burly merchant was; but that figure was already gone.

    ¡­.

    Merchant Cornwell immediately ran for his life as soon as he saw Tang Wu¡¯s body fell on to the ground.

    ¡°Dammit, Dammit, Dammit! Why did I mess with this kid?!¡± He was regretting his decision to try to kill Relic. ¡°Why are you so stupid! He was able to down a divine arcane spirit beast; of course he wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with!¡± He berated himself. If only he could go back in time, he would have never involved himself with this kid!

    However, there was no cure for regret, and soon, a large shadow overtook him.

    ¡°No! Please, I¡¯ll do anything!¡± He pleaded on his knees.

    But the large figure in the sky ignored him and swooped down at Merchant Cornwell. The figure extended its claws out and ripped him to shreds!

    ¡­.

    ¡°(It¡¯s done).¡± Jiro said as he flew back down to the two little kids.

 Chapter 38

    Hana had been standing behind a tree as soon as the conflict started.

    She saw her brother win over that cultivator as if he was invincible. He hadn¡¯t even broken into a sweat and yet was able to force the cultivator into a corner.

    The cultivator then suddenly became extremely powerful and pushed her brother back. She saw the frightened expression her brother had and wanted to jump out and help but was quickly held back by Jiro who shook his head.

    She could tell Jiro wanted her to stay behind this tree. Jiro then carefully moved in the shadows and quickly got in position behind the cultivator. Just as the cultivator was about to strike, Jiro appeared and shot his beak through the cultivator¡¯s chest!

    Relic then took a branch and finished the cultivator in a single move.

    This all happened within a few minutes. She witnessed neither Relic nor Jiro even flinch when they took a life. It was as if they lived in a world of slaughter and was no longer fazed by the death of others.

    As she looked at her hand she saw she was only shaking a little. The death of that cultivator did not faze her as much as her first time seeing death. It occurred to her that with every death she sees, she will be start to grow numb to the presence of death and will also someday be able to kill without blinking an eye.

    ¡­

    ¡°Hana, were you scared?¡± Relic asked.

    Hana shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Relic nodded. He proceeded to take the spatial ring off of Tang Wu¡¯s corpse and stuffed it into his chest pocket. He didn¡¯t even try to look at the contents of the ring.

    Spatial rings were operated by injecting small amounts of qi by the owner of the ring. This allows them to takes things in and out of their rings. However, as Relic was still a mortal he could not use it at all so he didn¡¯t even bother.

    He then retrieved the broad flying sword as well as the white sword that Tang Wu dropped and tied them to Jiro.

    The trio quickly packed up their large bags and flew back up to Heaven¡¯s Peak.

    ¡­

    Relic and Hana made their way through town on top of Jiro. Behind them were all the items they retrieved all neatly tied behind them making them look like a pair of travelling merchants.

    They quickly made their way towards the Moon Lit Dining Hall.

    As they approached the restaurant to sell more truffles, Jiro suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

    ¡°(What is it?)¡± Relic asked.

    ¡°(In Front, two people, they are the Yan family.¡±)

    In front of the restaurant were a women and man pair. They looked as if they were enjoying an afternoon tea outside. However, if you were to look closely, you would see their gazes shifted every time someone entered into the establishment.

    Relic immediately frowned. ¡°(So¡­they really are here for the truffles.)¡±

    ¡°Are they really the ones¡­.¡± Relic could no longer deny the facts. In the past he did not think much of it; but now that he was here, he knew there had to have been a reason Heaven¡¯s Peak was destroyed. The Yan family was definitely powerful enough to destroy this place and, understanding the true value of this place, Relic could see why they would.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let this place get destroyed again!¡± Relic said to himself.

    The trio quickly began to move towards different first class restaurants through the town.. However, no matter where they went, Jiro would always spot one or two members of the Yan family around the restaurant they went to.

    ¡°(They really want to catch the guy selling these truffles, don¡¯t they.)¡± Jiro scoffed.

    ¡°(Let¡¯s go to Heaven¡¯s Treasure.)¡±

    This wasn¡¯t a place Relic really wanted to go to sell these truffles as they may try to investigate him on where he got them; but he no longer had any choice.

    The three quickly headed off to Heaven¡¯s Peak.

    At this moment, inside one of Heaven¡¯s Treasures buildings, there was a purple haired girl at the counter putting up a smile as a rough looking man was screaming at the top of his lungs.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir; at most I can offer you 34 spirit coins for your 10 years old flame sprite fruit.¡±

    A vein bulged from his head. ¡°I already told you this is a phoenix life fruit!¡± The man screamed back, ¡°Any major city to be begging me to buy this. The price of such an item reaches into the thousands! Yet you dare only offer me 34 spirit coins?!¡±

    ¡°Of course, if this truly was a phoenix life fruit then we would be happy to pay such a price, unfortunately, as I¡¯ve said, what you have brought to me is merely a 10 year old flame sprite fruit.¡± The purple hair girl politely replied.

    Many of the other staff members were all shaking their heads at the scene. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to see rift rafts try to pull a stunt like this. All of them knew that what the man brought in was a 10 year old flame sprite fruit. The only reason this man thought to try out this stunt was because the current boss was out and would not return until later.

    The purpled hair girl was the granddaughter of the boss of this place and was put in charge while he was away. Most of them treated her with great respect while he was here but seeing her suffer now, they couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her. Whenever her grandfather was here she always acted carefree without any worries of the world. Many were actually happy to see her suffer like this once in a while.

    ¡°Hmph, let¡¯s see how you handle this without your grandfather supporting you.¡± They all sneered.

    The rough looking man did not let up. ¡°I only brought such a treasure here because the next city from here is too far and I need spirit coins to make my next break through right now! If you make me miss my breakthrough I can promise you there will be hell for this place!¡± He happened to show off the hilt of his sword by his waist.

    The girl went pale. If the man really did start destroying the place then what can she do? She looked for help from the others but they all feigned ignorance and were instead helping their own customers.

    ¡°If grandfather finds this man caused trouble while I was in charge he will blame me, then I will never get out!¡±

    The girl bit her lips. She had played it cautiously the entire time. She picked customers which looked friendly and easy to deal with. She only needed one more sale and she would have won her bet with her grandfather but she got impatient in the end and was now in this situation.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She was just about to agree to give the man what he wanted when a little boy¡¯s voice was heard.

    ¡°Excuse me sir, if you aren¡¯t planning to sell your flame sprite fruit right now could you please move aside so I can talk to this miss?¡±

    The purple hair girl let out a gasp as she recognized who this little boy was.

    The rough looking man was instantly enraged. He had a large grin as he saw the purple hair girl about to give in when someone stupidly butted in.

    ¡°Listen here you bra-¡± He turned his head and stopped mid-sentence.

    A small boy stood in front of a menacing Spirit Beast which looked at him with indifferent eyes. The man felt small and fragile in front of this spirit beast. Its eyes looked at him with cold piercing eyes and he couldn¡¯t help but shiver.

    He quickly composed himself. The mayor of this city was the law in this town and he would never allow public killings go unpunished. No wandering cultivators would dare to act arrogantly while the mayor kept watch over this town.

    A bulging vein surfaced and he yelled: ¡°What non-sense are you trying to spew here kid?! Can¡¯t you see that this a rare phoenix life fruit? Go back to your mommy; I¡¯m sure she is worried her brat has wondered off!¡± He quickly turned back to the purpled hair girl. ¡°Those spirit coins will help me breakthrough to the sixth rank of the soulless warrior realm. I can already feel my chances slipping away with every minute passing. I don¡¯t have time to bicker with you on price, just give me 300 spirit coins for this fruit and I will leave! ¡±

    Relic walked up to the counter and picked up a three coloured fruit on the counter.

    ¡°Hey, put that down!¡± the man screamed.

    ¡°This is definitely a flame sprite fruit. The phoenix life fruit is a rare fruit which grows under extremely harsh conditions. Its name is derived from the fact it is used in the phoenix life pill and has three radiant colours which can be seen overlapping like flames making it look like phoenix fire. If one were to eat it raw, they would experience a complete rejuvenation of the body and gain increased insight.¡±

    Relic proceeded to hold up the flame sprite fruit. ¡°The flame sprite fruit, on the other hand, also has three alternating colours but it is much darker. Not to mention it is a pear shape while the phoenix life fruit is an oval like an egg. The effects of eating such a fruit merely increase sensitivity to fire essence for those with affinity to the dao of the fire.¡± He placed the fruit back down.

    ¡°This type of information is readily available in most pill making manuals. I would suggest you look it up before saying things with such certainty.¡± Relic looked at the man with indifference.

    The man looked at Relic with a darken face. ¡°Look kid, how do I know you aren¡¯t pulling these facts out of your ass? I doubt you have even touched the phoenix life fruit and yet you are suddenly an expert on it? You go to be kidding?!¡± He turned back to the lady in the counter. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think this boy works for you. Are you trying to trick your customers in order to cheat them out of spirit coins? Is this really how this place runs?! ¡±

    ¡°Hey, yea, now that I think about it I brought in some water essence sage grass the other day but I only go 60% of what I would get from any other towns.¡±

    ¡°Me too, I only got 30% of what I would have gotten for the frost gilded flower I brought in.¡±

    Two men suddenly said.

    The purple hair girl did not recognize either one of them. ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡± She became a loss for words. She was taught many things by her grandfather when she was young and knew some of the tricks people would try to pull in order to scam their establishment. These two men were probably here to support the man in case she wouldn¡¯t budge on the price. They were waiting for the most opportune time to jump in.

    ¡°Yea, me too, actually I brought in several heart calming pills and the price they bought it at is ridiculous!¡±

    ¡°I bought some black earth metal here and it costed me 15 more spirit coins than if I bought it somewhere else!¡±

    Soon, people who were not even part of the three men also joined in, hoping of gaining something extra.

    They all began to crowd over the counter demanding she repay them for the full price. If this happened anywhere else this sort of thing would never happen as the place would have a powerful backing. However, in a town like this, the only backing they had was her grandfather who was currently away.

    The purple hair girl went pale. She couldn¡¯t possible reimburse all these people. They were all demanding too much!

    The man sneered to himself. ¡°Bitch, serves your right! You only had to give me what I wanted. Now look at you! ¡±

    Squuaaaak! Jiro roared out, immediately silencing the place.

    ¡°Since you are so sure this is a phoenix life fruit, then why don¡¯t you eat it and see?¡± The boy suddenly said.

    The man smiled. ¡°Of course I can, but who will recoup me costs once I eat it? You? I need the spirit coins in order to break through to the next rank. I won¡¯t settle for anything less than 400 spirit coins!¡± He spoke with great confidence.

    Relic sighed to himself and took out a sword which was tied on Jiro¡¯s back.

    He waved it in the air in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°This is a superior grade foundation weapon.¡±

    The sword shined with extreme beauty. It looked as if it was freshly crafted and in pristine condition.

    The eyes of all the cultivators widened and some even started to salivate. Most of these cultivators were either below or at the foundation realm. To get a low grade foundation weapon would already cost them a fortune not to say a superior grade. Perhaps only core sect members of rich families could get their hands on this type of weapon.

    The man made a loud gulp.

    ¡°If it is truly a phoenix life fruit then I will give you this weapon as an offering.¡± Relic showed no change in expression.

    ¡°All I have to do is eat this fruit?¡±

    Relic nodded.

    ¡°What a fool! Whether it is the phoenix life fruit or the flame sprite fruit, only the person who consumes the fruit is able to tell the benefits. All I have to do is lie!¡± The man had a grin. ¡°All right, you¡¯re on kid, just remember what you said!¡±

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t offer such an expensive item.¡± The purple hair girl suddenly spoke. A foundation weapon was hard enough to get as it was. She didn¡¯t want to see this boy lose it just because she couldn¡¯t handle this man who had tricked her.

    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t go back on your word now.¡± The man had already lifted the fruit towards his mouth.

    Relic saw the concerned look on the purple hair girl and smiled. ¡°I remember you called this fruit a 10 year old flame sprite fruit. Actually, that isn¡¯t a 10 year flame sprite fruit. It¡¯s a 15 year old flame sprite fruit. ¡±

    ¡°eh?¡±

    ¡°The flame sprite fruit is a very unique fruit. It matures at 3 years and is still edible up until its 13 years of life. On the 14<sup>th</sup> year, it begins to shrivel and no longer possess any benefits to cultivators who consume it. However, on the 15<sup>th</sup> year it is born a new and looks as it did on its 10<sup>th</sup> year of life.

    No one really knows how this fruit came to be or why its like this but if someone below the spirit realm were to consume the 15th year flame sprite fruit raw, all their insides will boil and they will combust! ¡± Relic spoke coldly. The crowd who hear this suddenly felt shivers down their spines.

    The man who was just about to bite into the fruit halted and a single droplet of sweat ran down his face.

    ¡°Y-you, your lieing!¡± He yelled.

    Relic looked shocked. ¡°Please ignore what I said. I was just trying to correct this miss because it is an easy thing to mistake. Please continue.¡± He smiled.

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s just a trick. This kid is just lying to me!¡± The tried to calm himself.. He hesitantly lifted the fruit back up to his mouth but as it got closer he struggled. However, as he thought about it, none of the other things Relic had said were wrong. He wasn¡¯t actually dumb enough to have believed this fruit was really the rare phoenix life fruit as he proclaimed. He just wanted to scam this place for as much as possible.

    ¡°Yvone, you eat it!¡± He turned and stuffed the fruit into the mouth of one of the men who was presumed to be his follower.

    Under the forceful guidance of this man, the man name Yvone was forced to eat the fruit.

    Cough¡­Cough¡­

    Yvone fell to the ground coughing. Sweat poured down as the thought of his body combusting ran through his mind. But as time passed, he only felt a warm sensation in his stomach. The warm sensation then spread through his entire body. ¡°I-I feel¡­good.¡± He said.

    The man smirked. ¡°See that, I knew you were wrong! Now hand me the superior grade foundation sword!¡± the man demanded.

    ¡°Hahaha, I feel invincible!¡± Yvone suddenly said. He felt a powerful force surging through his body. However, just as fast, he suddenly coughed up blood.

    The coughed up blood burst into flames upon coming into contact with the air.

    ¡°Ahhhhh! HELP ME! HELP ME!¡± Yvone screamed. His skin started to scorch and intense heat radiated from his body. Without another pasue, his body suddenly exploded. Chunks of flesh rained down on the surrounding people.

    Every one paled and screamed at the horrific scene.

    ¡°Give me that sword!¡±

    The man suddenly took out his sword and instantly struck at Relic.

    His movements did not escape Relic¡¯s eyes. Relic chopped at the man¡¯s wrist, severing his hands from his arms.

    ¡°Argggg!¡± The man screamed.

    The sword came before the man¡¯s throat. ¡°Get out.¡± Relic spoke coldly.

    The man paled and clumsily ran out the door with snot dripping out of his nose. Several of the people in the crowd quickly followed.

    Relic was more mindful killing in such a public place.

    NO longer caring about the situation he turned the purple hair girl.

    ¡°Excuse me, I have some business I would like to discuss.¡± He said calmly.

 Chapter 39

    The entire building went silent.

    Many of the customers had left screaming the instant that man had exploded and decorated their clothes red.

    The only remaining people were the staff who were too scared to move and some wandering cultivators who were never interested in what was going on in the first place. They were true cultivators who merely stopped in this town for supplies. As soon as everyone was gone, they resumed browsing.

    At the front counter stood Relic and the still dazed purple hair girl.

    ¡°Miss?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Thank you very much!¡± The purple hair girl snapped out of her daze and bowed her head. Her countenance returned normal and did not seemed fazed by the man who combusted.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Relic smiled.

    ¡°You are that boy from yesterday, are you here to pick up your items?¡± Relic had chosen to leave his items here for a small storage fee the last time he visited. He had planned to take them all in one go after he got everything he needed.

    ¡°Yes, but first I was hoping to sell some things first.¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled. ¡°Of course, please come with me!¡± She led the three to the same back room as last time.

    ¡°Now, what do you want to sell?¡± She asked, but her eyes slowly dropped to the white sword in Relic¡¯s hands.

    Relic smiled at her transparent expression. He lifted the white sword in front of her which she immediately looked at with intense fervor.

    ¡°A superior grade foundation weapon! Our store only has 12 superior grade foundation weapons.¡± She began to look at it in detail. ¡°But are you sure? You both are new cultivator¡¯s right? Most cultivators will never get a chance to wield such a fine weapon and can only hope to get a low or mid-grade one.¡± She gave a glance to Relic and Hana.

    ¡°Thank you for your concern but I prefer the spear over the sword; and my sister is still new and will not need anything this fancy for a while.¡±

    ¡°I see, then how does 2300 spirit coins sound?¡±

    In terms of value, a single spirit coin was worth around 10 gold coins. 2300 spirit coins was the equivalent of 23,000 gold coins!

    Relic was surprised. It was actually a fair price for the weapon. Had this been someone else, they would have tried to low ball him.

    ¡°Kids sure are more honest¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    The girl tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡°Okay!¡± He said.

    ¡°Great, let me get the money and¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually I have one more thing to sell.¡±

    Relic retrieved the beautiful flying sword from Jiro.

    ¡°This¡­Is a speed type flying sword?¡± She was shocked. Flying swords were incredibly rare and only reserved for the rich and powerful.

    Flying swords were generally only used in the foundation realm. When a cultivator reached the foundation realm, they were able to freely circulate their qi outside their body and on to objects. Doing so allowed them to manipulate object in various fantastical ways.

    The flying sword was the greatest form of object manipulation which allowed cultivators to soar in the sky. Flying swords were classified as attacking types, defense types, and speed types. Every type had its own merits and cultivators chose them based on their own preferences.

    ¡°Who is this boy? How could he possibly get such rare items?¡± she pondered. Any other cultivator below the spirit realm would salivate for items like these and would never think about selling it.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to sell this as well? A flying sword will be incredibly useful to you in the future.¡± She asked concerned.

    ¡°We are still beginner cultivators. It is going to be a while before we get any use out of these items. It is better for us to just have enough money to supplement our current cultivation Realm.¡± Relic said.

    The girl nodded in surprise. There truly weren¡¯t many who had the same thinking as Relic did. Most people looked in anticipation of the future while the little boy in front of her only cared about their present circumstances.

    ¡°Very well, I can offer you 6000 spirit coins for everything.¡±

    Relic nodded in agreement. ¡°Then I will like to buy some things now. I would like one mortal ring as well as everything on this list.¡± He handed her a list which listed several cultivation resources, herbs, pills, seals, metal spears, as well as a variety of items useful to him.

    The girl looked at the list which had obviously been drafted carefully beforehand. She took out a piece of paper and began to carefully calculate the costs.

    ¡°Okay, everything you have requested will cost around 1300 spirit coins. Also you requested a mortal spatial ring which will cost¡­eh?¡± her eyes suddenly snapped open.

    ¡°Did you say you want a mortal spatial ring?!¡± she seemed to only now process what he was asking for.

    ¡°Yes, do you have one?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes¡­but¡­¡±

    Mortal spatial rings were a subset of the regular spatial rings used by cultivators. They were rings specifically made for mortals to wear and were operated purely by intent. However, mortal spatial rings were inferior in every way to regular spatial rings used by cultivators.

    Mortal spatial rings had a maximum space of 3 cubic meters while the lowest grade spatial ring had a minimum size of 9 cubic meters. Mortal spatial rings were also much more difficult and expensive to make over regular ones as the artificer making the rings had to use a special material to make it. This special material required the artificer crafting the ring to have deep insight and knowledge to carefully craft the item and could be said to be 3x harder to make than regular ones.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Thus, over time, mortal spatial rings were forgotten and no longer in circulation. No mortal would try to buy such an expensive spatial ring as the cost would be better put to use in learning cultivation instead. Regular cultivators also would not sink the costs to buy a mortal spatial ring as the money could be used to buy much more useful items.

    ¡°Mortal spatial rings¡­ we do have one but the cost is around 4500! I do not recommend you spending so much money on such a ring especially since you two are already cultivators!¡± She quickly said.

    Relic was again shocked by the pure nature of this girl. Any other shop keeper would be thrilled to get rid of an item which no one wanted and at an exorbitant price. Yet she still thought in the best interest of her customers. Relic couldn¡¯t help but praise the purple hair girl.

    ¡°Thank you, but this item is truly important to me and I require it to continue my cultivation journey.¡± Relic smiled.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± The purple hair girl saw that Relic was already set in his ways and would not change his mind. ¡°Please wait one moment.¡±

    After a half hour wait the purple hair girl came back with a small wooden box. She opened it and revealed a plain metal ring.

    ¡°Every item you requested has been placed within the ring as well as your remaining 200 spirit coins.¡±

    Relic took the ring and was just about to place it on his ring finger when he suddenly stopped. His gaze lingered on his ring finger as if another ring was still on it.

    ¡°Master¡­¡±

    When a cultivator forms a master-disciple relationship with another, the disciple would normally receive a spatial ring as a gift of acceptance from the master.

    Relic¡¯s first gift from his master was also a spatial ring and although it was a fairly low quality one. He treasured it like it was the most precious gift he had ever received.

    Relic was slowly reminiscing his time with his master when a little girl¡¯s voice sounded behind him.

    ¡°Brother?¡± Hana suddenly called out. She had been sitting on Jiro¡¯s back the entire time and did not make a sound. However, seeing her brother smiling at his finger made the atmosphere of the whole room weird and so she called him out.

    He snapped out of his daze. ¡°Ah, yes, thank you.¡± He said to the purple hair girl

    He put on the mortal spatial ring on a different finger before looking at its contents. With merely a thought, the space of the ring was open for him to view and he quickly saw everything he asked for was there as well as the items he previously purchased.

    ¡°Will that be all?¡± she asked with a smile.

    ¡°Actually, there is something else.¡±

    Relic went towards the two large bags still on Jiro¡¯s back. He quickly decided to store one of the bags into his ring and took one of them down.

    The items he received from defeating Tang Wu had allowed him to receive many of the items he required. The money he would get from the truffles would no longer satisfy the costs of the remaining items he required.

    Thus, there was only one thing left to do.

    ¡°I was wondering if you would have a look at these¡±

    He dumped the truffles onto the floor.

    The purple hair girl immediately fell into a state of shock.¡¯

    ¡°These are truffles!¡±

    She suddenly made the connection. ¡°Are you the supplier of the Moon Lit Dining Hall?!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Relic did not deny it. This girl was truly pure so he was not worried he would do anything to him regarding that information.

    She looked at the truffles and broke off a piece. She inhaled the heavenly scent and immediately placed it in her mouth. The piece seemly melted in her mouth and she made a cute dazed expression.

    She quickly recovered and wiped away the drool from her mouth.

    ¡°Grandfather taught me there are good truffles and bad truffles. On their surface, they are difficult to tell the difference but if you can smell them then you will immediately know which is which. When I tried the truffle dish at the Moon Lit Dining Hall I immediately fell in love with it. She spoke with great enthusiasm. But¡­why are you bringing them here?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I can no longer harvest these truffles safely. There are many people who want to find who had supplied that restaurant with those truffles. I simply would not be able to compete if this were to happen so I thought maybe Heaven¡¯s Treasures would like to buy the information from me.¡±

    ¡°You mean the location where these truffles are grown?!¡± She asked, wide eyed.

    Relic nodded.

    If she was able to secure the method of finding these truffles then wouldn¡¯t that mean a steady income for their place? She entertained the idea where her grandfather would be proud of her for extracting such information!

    However, as she remembered something, she quickly became solemn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I do not have the authority to make such a decision. My grandfather has once told me that the Sun and Moon trading group holds a monopoly over the truffle secrets. He told me to never deal with them so I¡¯m unable to buy them.¡± She bowed apologetically.

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem then.¡± Relic was just about to pack up the items when suddenly the door to their room slammed open.

    An elderly man entered into the room.

    ¡°Grandfather, you are back early!¡± The purple hair girl rushed towards the elderly man.

    ¡°Mina, I heard there was trouble.¡± The elderly man said, concerned.

    ¡°Ah, there were some people who tried scam us, asking for spirit coins for an item which was completely wrong!¡±

    ¡°It seems you were able to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Mn, actually it was all thanks to this boy.¡± She pointed to Relic.

    ¡°Hello, sir, my name is Relic.¡± He gave a slight bow.

    The elderly man had a large smile and was about to shake Relics hands when he suddenly caught a glimpse at the truffles on the floor.

    ¡°Mina¡­where did these truffles come from?¡± he asked solemnly.

    ¡°Those were from me. I was wondering if Heaven¡¯s Treasures wanted to purchase the location of these truffles but it seems that¡­.¡± Before he could even finish his sentence the elderly man flashed his arm towards Relic.

    Relic quickly tried to block the attack but the speed of the attack was faster than his body could react.

    The man grasped onto Relic¡¯s neck and held him in the air. Relic tried to escape his clutches but he quickly realised this man was too powerful for him to do anything.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Hana screamed out

    Jiro quickly got into a battle stance but he could feel an overwhelming power coming from this man.

    ¡°Grandfather, what are you doing?!¡± The purple hair girl yelled.

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to let him live. Mina, I¡¯ve told you before that the Sun and Moon trading group holds the entire distribution for truffles, right?¡±

    Mina nodded.

    ¡°They have held the sole distribution of these truffles for thousands of years. Over the years there have been some individuals who by chance, found out the secret of where these truffles were grown. However, never once has that secret been exposed. Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­¡±

    ¡°They were squashed like bugs! Their friends, their family, and even the city they were living in were all exterminated! Mina, you should realize our establishment is a part of the Jade Flower trading group. The three major trading groups within these lands all know about the secrets behind each other¡¯s monopolies. If this boy releases the information here, the group might implicate us as well thinking we were the ones that leaked it. We would serve as sacrificial lambs and even your mother and father may suffer the consequences!¡±

    Mina paled as she staggered several steps back. She had never known how truly complicated everything was.

    Seeing her granddaughter understand what he was saying, the elderly man began to slowly squeeze the life out of Relic¡¯s neck!

    Relic¡¯s face immediately turned red and it looked like he was struggling for breath.

    ¡°No, leave my brother alone!¡± She tried to reach Relic but Jiro was holding her back. ¡°Jiro, let me go! Brother is dying!¡± She cried. But no matter what, Jiro would not all her to take another step. He quickly put her under her wing and tried to exit the room.

    ¡°Who said you could leave?¡±

    The elderly man immediately sent the power of his cultivation which made Jiro halt and drop down. Even though Jiro had a broken beast core, he was still strong enough to deal with early stage foundation realm cultivators. Even high level foundation realm cultivators would have to put in some effort if they wanted to catch him alive. However, this man merely put forth a little pressure to stop Jiro. He was undoubtedly a cultivator at or above the Spirit realm!

    ¡°You two must also know the secret location of these truffles, right? That means neither of you can leave!¡±

    Just as he was about to squeeze the last breath from Relics body, Mina came and held onto his arm

    ¡°Mina, what are you doing?¡± He spoke coldly.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill them.¡± Tears ran down her face.

 chapter 40

    As the elderly man saw the tears fall down from his granddaughter face his grip seemingly soften. He had never seen her show such emotion for a stranger. He struggled with his decision before sighing and releasing the grip on Relic and the pressure on Jiro.

    Cough¡­Cough¡­.

    Relic coughed and gasped for air.

    He looked up, confused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did to make my granddaughter care for you so much you but she does. For her sake I will not kill any of you, but understand this, if I even hear about the secret having been leaked, all of you are dead!¡± He gave Relic one last murderous look before collecting the truffles off the floor. He then exited the room in an angry manner.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mina went to Relic¡¯s side and asked.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Hana also came and embraced her brother with tears still falling.

    Relic had a soft smile and patted Hana; he then turned to Mina.

    ¡°Thank you, you really saved us.¡± He gave a short bow.

    ¡°No¡­ my grandfather tried to kill both of you. You should hate us.¡±

    Relic shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure when you have a family of your own. You will realize he wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong. Good bye for now.¡±

    Relic proceeded to get up with his sister¡¯s help and left together with Jiro.

    Mina was left sitting on the floor as she pondered Relic¡¯s strange words.

    ¡­..

    Relic and Hana quickly hopped on Jiro and ran as far away as possible. When Heaven¡¯s Treasure was no longer in their view did they all release a breath of relief.

    Suddenly, Hana embraced Relic from behind and spoke: ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t want to be a cultivator if it means you have to put yourself in danger like that.¡±

    Hana knew Relic was using some of the money he got in order to buy her cultivation resources for her to begin her cultivation Journey. She couldn¡¯t help but feel it was slightly her fault that everything happened like that.

    Relic put on a soft smile. He knew exactly what Hana must be thinking.

    ¡°Hana, I¡¯m sorry for scaring you. That was definitely my fault. I got a little greedy and tried to do something which I shouldn¡¯t have. ¡±

    He turned his head away from Hana where his countenance suddenly turned dark.

    Relic wasn¡¯t mad at that elderly man for what he had done. Thinking about it, that man¡¯s actions were something Relic would have done himself. In order to protect the ones he cared about he could kill as many as necessary to protect them. The only person he was mad about was ¡­himself.

    He hated himself for taking such a risk. The secret location of truffles was truly a protected secret and even without disclosing it, he would have been able to make enough money through his wine profession.

    ¡°I was such a fool!¡± he gritted his teeth. ¡°I almost died¡­¡±

    As the life was squeezing out of him, he began to think about his master and what her life would be like if he wasn¡¯t there. Would her life been worse than before? Would she have to relive all the pain stricken moments she had faced in the past? Would she have died not knowing the love he felt for her?!

    The thought was enough to put Relic in a murderous rage and his body began to shake uncontrollably.

    Hana quickly held tightly to Relic¡¯s back. ¡°Sister is here for you.¡± Hana said calmly.

    Hana¡¯s embrace immediately calmed Relic down and he exhaled a large breathe.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He turned and smiled at Hana before getting off of Jiro.

    ¡°Brother?¡±

    Sorry, Hana, can you go back first? I have something I need to do.¡±

    ¡°I will come with!¡±

    Relic shook his head.

    ¡°This is something I need to do myself. I promise I won¡¯t do anything dangerous.¡± He could see the worried expression on her face.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Hana held out her pinky which Relic immediately reponded by holding out his pinky as well.

    Their pinkies shook.

    ¡°You promised!¡± she spoke energetically.

    Jiro turned and began heading back towards their home.

    Relic smiled and waved them good bye.

    When they were no longer in his sight he turned and headed towards a rustic home in the distance.

    ¡­.

    Relic soon appeared in front an average looking home. You wouldn¡¯t be able to tell it apart from any of the other houses in this town, except this particular home was by itself in its own area.

    On the roof of this house was a sign which read, Mayor.

    ¡°You¡¯ve come.¡±

    The door suddenly opened and the mayor¡¯s voice sounded out.

    ¡°I¡¯ve something I¡¯d like to discuss.¡± Relic responded with confidence.

    ¡°I see you¡¯ve dropped your childish act. Come in.¡±

    Relic proceeded inside without hesitation.

    As soon as he entered the home, the door immediately shut behind him. He proceeded through a short hall and saw a man sipping tea at a round table. By the man¡¯s feet were two dog beasts, one black and one white, that were lazing around on their back and did not even pay attention to Relic¡¯s appearance.

    The home really wasn¡¯t too big. It was even more humble than their own residence and there were barely any furniture.

    ¡°Are you finally willing to tell me the truth?¡± the mayor asked.

    ¡°You probably won¡¯t believe me.¡± Relic sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be asking the questions and you merely have to answer them truthfully.¡± The mayor said coldly.  He did not think Relic would be capable of lying to him at all.

    Relic nodded and sat at the other end of the table.

    ¡°First question: what is your full name?¡±

    ¡°Relic Moofu Astor.¡±

    The mayors divine sense completely enshrouded him, measuring if there were any fluctuations to his answer.

    ¡°How were you able to defeat that Spirit Beast?¡±

    ¡°During the adolescent years of a Divine Paradise Peacock, their neck is held up by two soft pieces of cartilage. If you apply enough pressure you can dislodge the neck from the body.¡±

    The mayor immediately frowned.

    ¡°Who taught you this?¡±

    ¡°My friend.¡±

    ¡°Their name?¡±

    ¡°Jun Po¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± The mayor went silent for a little.

    ¡°Does he belong to a sect?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he belongs to the Beast calamity Sect.¡±

    The mayor immediately slammed his fist on the table. The dog beasts acted like they did not hear the sound and continued to sleep soundly.

    ¡°You are a liar!¡±

    Relic was shocked by the mayor¡¯s sudden burst of anger. He knew there was no way for him to lie and had no attention of lying. So why was the mayor calling him a liar?

    ¡°I¡¯ve come today in order to ask you a favor. I would not choose to lie to you at this point.¡± Relic replied.

    ¡°Jun Po¡­. Jun Po is my god son and I¡¯m one of the elders of the Beast Calamity Sect. Jun Po is only 6 this year and have never left the sect. What is more, he couldn¡¯t possibly tell you any of this as he isn¡¯t permitted to know about these things until he is older.¡± The mayor said coldly.

    A gleam of light suddenly flashed in Relic¡¯s eye. ¡°You are Cornelius of the twin Heavenly destructors?¡±

    ¡°How did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Jun Po mentioned your name several times to me in the past. He held you a lot in regard and often said back when you were alive, you could make anyone quiver when they heard your name.¡± Relic eyes slowly shifted on to the two dogs that looked like defenseless puppies.

    Relic seemed to let out a breath of relief and smiled. ¡°Sorry, had I known you were Jun Po¡¯s god father I wouldn¡¯t have tried to hide anything.¡±

    Cornelius was stuck for words.

    He had been controlling the conversation the entire time and expected to finally determine all the secrets Relic was hiding from him. Who would have thought the conversation suddenly took a turn and now he was the one confused and unable to speak a word.

    ¡°You¡­who are you really?¡± Cornelius asked, now a little more cautiously.

    ¡°My name is indeed Relic and my home town is Heaven¡¯s Peak. However, the last time I was here was probably over a century ago in my time.¡±

    ¡°Your time?¡± Cornelius frowned. ¡°Are you trying to tell me you are from another time? From the future?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The two stared off. If anyone else was standing in the room they would be able to feel the air of tension.

    Finally, Cornelius waved his hand a small yellow crystal appeared in his hand. ¡°I presume you know what this is? ¡°

    Relic nodded.

    ¡°Good.¡± He held up his hand and spoke: ¡±Only the truth can be spoken, if one side lies they will die.¡±

    The yellow crystal glowed bright.

    Relic stretched out his hand and touched the yellow crystal. ¡°I agree to the terms.¡±

    The yellow crystal exploded into flames and engulfed their two bodies. Within moments, the flames were gone and neither looked hurt.

    ¡°The contract crystal is incredibly rare, but knowing the truth is more valuable to me now.¡± The mayor said.

    ¡°Was everything you said the truth?¡± He quickly asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The mayor¡¯s mind reeled. The contract of the yellow crystal worked exactly the same as a spirit contract. The difference was that the yellow crystal only allowed one condition and was time limited. The small contract crystal the mayor had would only last 5 minutes at most.

    There was no way to lie from the contract crystal. That meant everything Relic said was the truth!

    ¡°H-how¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m unsure myself, my last moments before coming here was falling in the ocean. The next thing I knew, I awoke in my younger body.¡±

    ¡°I-Incredible!¡± He did not dare believe Relic was lying while under the effects of the contract crystal. ¡°I understand now why you were so adamant to not tell me anything. But why have you chosen to tell me now.¡± Cornelius suddenly asked, no longer having any doubt in his mind.

    ¡°There are too many things going on in this town and I no longer feel like I can handle it by myself.¡± Relic was truly desperate, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have let someone he didn¡¯t know, know about his secret. ¡°The truth is, this town is fated to be destroyed by evil cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Impossible, there are 8 different formations protecting this town and I keep a regular look out of this place. If a person wants to destroy this place they would need the power of a half step to immortal ascension or above to do so!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m unsure as well. Cornelius of the twin destructors was someone famed to be as powerful as those half step immortals while only being in the gold world realm. I truly cannot imagine anyone capable of destroying this town either while under your protection.¡±

    Cornelius nodded as he expressed a look of deep thought.

    Suddenly, his eyes widened and his pupils constricted.

    ¡°I DIE?!!!"

 Chapter 41

    Relic nodded.

    Cornelius staggered a few steps back and slowly sank into his chair.

    As powerful as he was, no one could stay still hearing they would die. A regular person would try to deny it, but under the effects of the contract crystal, Cornelius had no choice but to accept it.

    He remained silent for a few moments as his thoughts began to wander.

    ¡°Are you planning to stay?¡± Relic suddenly asked.

    ¡°What do you mean? Of course I will be staying. If this town is going to be destroyed I will do everything I can to save its people!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Relic tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I have never heard of a golden world realm cultivator acting as a mayor in such a remote and tiny town as this. Not only that, but to also set up a sovereign crystal in the center of this town¡­¡±

    ¡°Ha¡­¡± He let out a small laugh. ¡°Indeed, it would be very strange to see such a scene. However, I love this town and its people.¡± Cornelius¡¯s countenances suddenly soften as he began to reminisce of his past. ¡°This town isn¡¯t very old, perhaps only a few centuries. This town was founded by a small group of people who were forced to migrate after their village was destroyed by a rampaging spirit beast. They came upon this mountain and quickly realised it provided a natural barrier against the weaker land spirit beast. They quickly set up their homes on top of this mountain and called it Heaven¡¯s Peak, seeing it as a heaven sent gift.

    Relic nodded as he continued to listen to the story.

    ¡°The leader of that village soon had a child boy with his wife. That boy grew up with the care and love of every person living in that village. The boy loved them all so much he never wanted to leave them. However, that boy also showed tremendous talent in cultivation and under the guidance of everyone, he embarked on a journey to become a strong cultivator.¡±

    Cornelius carried a soft smile and closed his eyes. ¡°That boy has long since returned to his home but everyone he once knew have grown old and died. Now, only their children reside in this town but that boy has chosen to look after his home land until he too passes on.¡±

    Relic felt this man sitting in front of him was a good man. He could feel the depth of Cornelius¡¯ words and knew he was a genuine person.

    ¡°I believe I know a way to save this town as well as save your life. ¡± Relic suddenly spoke

    .Cornelius instantly became ecstatic and leapt out of his chair towards Relic. ¡°What is it?!¡±

    This was his motherland and he would do anything it took in order to keep it safe. His eyes burned with great fervor which made even Relic a little lost for words.

    ¡°T-the Yan family, do you know why they are here?¡±

    ¡°That family?¡± Cornelius¡¯ face suddenly grimaced. ¡°They came to this town seeking to do trade with me in exchange for the abundance of spirit water this town can produce. However, I have noticed their men scurrying around every day and acting stealthily. I would be foolish if I didn¡¯t understand they had some ulterior motives. However, they are from a venerable family and they care much of saving face. Although they have hurt my people, I can only take an inch in reprimanding them.¡± He sighed

    Relic nodded. ¡±Actually, I believe I have already figured it out. At the base of this mountain, we are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of kilometers of Blackwood Oak trees. At the root of every Blackwood tree is a type of fungus known as truffles.¡±

    ¡°The truffles¡­you mean the same truffles they were serving at the moon lit dining hall?! That was you?!¡± He was shocked for a moment before calmly sighing. ¡°Of course that would be you¡­¡± Cornelius began to feel silly for being surprised at what Relic was saying anymore.

    ¡°Yes, that was me. I was initially planning to sell those truffles as an income source for a little bit. However, I quickly ran into the Yan family¡¯s people stalking the entrances of the restaurants.¡±

    He looked at Cornelius straight in the eye.

    ¡°I believe  the Yan family came here to prospect the land in order to determine if this land held a large supply of truffles. Based on the sheer area the Blackwood Oak trees cover, the total worth of this land could potentially be worth several thousand divine essence stones!¡± If they are a part of the Sun and Moon Trading group, they would definitely seize this land at whatever the cost.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    A bulging vein popped onto Cornelius¡¯s head the moment he heard Relic¡¯s words. ¡°They want to kill my people for some stupid mushrooms?!!!¡± He roared. Murderous intent radiated outwards which was felt by everyone, including the Yan Family.

    ¡­.

    At this moment, within the guest estate provided to the Yan family, a old bearded man was shouting at a green glowing crystal in his hand.

    ¡°What do you mean you won¡¯t do it?! We have already giving you the deposit for the assassination!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re very sorry. The details of your job were not adequate at the time you posted it. Had we known our target was the mayor of Heaven¡¯s Peak and not just ¡®a golden world cultivator¡¯, we would have declined the job immediately. Of course we will be issuing a refund back to you. If there are any other jobs you would like done, please do not hesitate to let me or my associates know.¡± A courteous female voice spoke through the green crystal.

    ¡°NO, I DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER JOBS FOR YOUR CRUMMY ORGANIZATION! YOU HAVE PLENTY OF GOLDEN WORLD CULTIVATORS AND EVEN SEVERAL HALF STEPS TO THE IMMORTAL ASCENTION CULTIVATORS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION! HOW ARE YOU UNABLE TO HANDLE SUCH A SIMPLE TAKS AS KILLING ONE MAN IN THE GOLDEN WORLD REALM?! ¡± Yan Wen was practically spitting at the green crystal in his hand.

    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, but we are not at liberty to release that information. That information is regarded as A rank classified information. We can release this information to you for 500 spirit stones.¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s extortion! You guys are just a bunch of scammers! Your entire organization is made of cowards and scammers!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Yan, while we understand you are upset. We must ask you to be careful of what you say. We of the Shadow Behemoths do not take kindly to those who slander the organisation¡¯s integrity.¡± The women spoke with an underlying murderous tone. It was enough to even make Yan Wen begin to perspire. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we appreciate you for choosing Shadow Behemoths for your everyday needs. Good bye for now. ¡±

    The green crystal in Yan Wen¡¯s hands dimmed.

    ¡°F*ck it!¡± Yan Wen threw the green crystal on to the floor shattering it completely.

    ¡°Uncle?¡± Yan Mu entered into the room.

    ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. If the person who is selling those truffles reveals the location of those truffles, then the Sun and Moon Trading group will step in. We will lose our lead and we won¡¯t be able to profit from it!¡± Yan Wen gritted his teeth.

    Just then a wave of murderous intent washed over them.

    ¡°Huh¡­is that the mayor?¡± Yan Wen was surprised. He assumed the Mayor to be a passive man who would choose not to go in to conflict if he didn¡¯t need to. ¡°I wonder who pissed him off.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Since they want to kill my people then I guess I should return the favor first!¡±

    He waved his hand and a green crystal suddenly appeared in his hand. ¡°I will unleash the full power my sect and destroy their entire family!¡± Cornelius was truly infuriated by Relic¡¯s words.

    As an elder of the Beast calamity Sect, he had a lot of authority over the sect.  If he wanted to utilize the full power of the sect to destroy his enemies then all he had to do was make an announcement! The reason he had such sway over the sect was not merely because he was an elder, but also because he was sworn brothers with the current sect master of the Beast Calamity Sect!

    He was just about to activate his communication crystal when Relic suddenly interrupted.

    ¡°Wait, that might not be the best idea.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cornelius asked, still seething with anger.

    ¡°The Yan family must know the value of these lands by now. While it is true the Beast Calamity Sect has more than enough power to destroy their family, they could just rely on the Sun and Moon Group to intervene by promising them the information. It would then be the Beast Calamity Sect who will be endangered.¡± Relic spoke solemnly.

    Cornelius gritted his teeth. He knew what Relic said was the most obvious action the Yan family would take.

    ¡°One of reasons no one has come here yet is because they don¡¯t want other people to know they found this gold mine. The other is that they are probably thinking of a way to deal with you.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?! Just wait for them to attack me while putting my people in danger?!¡±

    ¡°The only way to crush a monopoly¡­ is by making it worthless.¡±

    ¡°What do you¡­¡±

    ¡°The three trading groups: The Jade Flower Trading groups: The Sun and Moon Trading group, and the Major Boulder Trading group, are all back by supreme powers.  Their monopolies consist of the cold steel smithing method, the truffles, and the three flame pill condensation method, respectively. The secrets of these monopolies have stayed out of the hands of mortals and cultivators for thousands of years. ¡± Relic¡¯s eyes suddenly sharpened and a grin appeared. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time these secrets were made available to everyone!¡±

    Relic wrote down the methods and techniques of all three of the trading groups and handed them to Cornelius.

    The cold steel smithing was a method used by the blacksmiths of the Jade Flower Trading group in order to create weapons and items of astounding quality. The result from using this method is a weapon with an increase in durability, strength, hardness, and overall quality compared to other weapons.

    The three flame pill condensation method, on the other hand, was a method which significantly increased the success rate of pill making.  It incorporated the idea of using three divine flames in order to regulate and keep the temperature at a constant rate with a marginal error of .01%.

    Cornelius mind instantly reeled in shock. The paper in front of him crumbled in his hands as he read the instructions to the most well kept secrets in all of the lands.¡± However, what shocked him even more was the sheer simplicity behind each of these techniques. ¡°W-who was he in the past? How could he possible know all of this?!?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Relic suddenly asked.

    Cornelius eyes shined as he immediately knew what Relic was asking. ¡°That could work!¡±

    At that same moment the sound of a flickering flame sounded indicating the end of the contract crystal. Whatever they say at this point was no longer binding.

    Cornelius no longer saw Relic as a threat. In fact, now that he knew Relic was truly one of his people, he thought of him as an equal.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope this works.¡± Cornelius extended a hand.

    ¡°Yea.¡± Relic also extended a hand. It could be seen these two now had great respect for one another

 Chapter 42

    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot, there was actually one more thing I wanted to ask.¡± Relic had made his way towards the door when he suddenly turned and looked at Cornelius.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Cornelius could be seen rubbing the belly of the two dog beasts, their tails wagging happily in the air.

    ¡°Hana, my sister, will be beginning her cultivation journey soon. Can you lend us your immortal cave while she trains?¡±

    ¡°That little girl?¡± Cornelius remembered the little girl who would sit underneath the large tree with her brother every morning until the afternoon. ¡°Sure.¡± He replied.

    Immortal caves were strong holds reserved for only the strong. It was a place cultivators would reside to without the worries of the outside world. Some could spend decades maybe even centuries just cultivating in their immortal caves. Thus, immortal caves were not just well hidden most of the times, but also incredibly personal.

    Yet, Relic asked as if it was a normal thing to ask and Cornelius accepted it as if it was nothing.

    The bonds between these two were much less obscure as it was in the beginning and they both held a certain amount of respect for each other.

    ¡°DouJi, Dougu, up!¡±

    The two dog beasts that were previously resting suddenly sprang up and barked happily at their masters commands.

    Suddenly, a swirling force of energy erupted beneath the black and white dog beasts. The swirling force encapsulated both of the dogs, transforming them into ferocious beasts. In an instant, the two small lazy looking dogs turned into ferocious 2m tall beasts!

    ¡°Get on.¡± Cornelius said as he saddled onto one of them.

    Relic quickly got on the other and almost immediately, the dogs sped out the door like a flash of light.

    The dog beasts were incredibly agile and quick. As soon as they exited the home, they leapt into the sky and landed on to a roof top. They glided from roof to roof, much to the amazement of on lookers. Yet, every step was so soft they barely made a sound.

    ¡­

    ¡°Wah, mommy, mommy, look!¡± a young boy pulled on his mother to look at the amazing beasts.

    The mother looked at her where her son was pointing at only to see blue skies.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing there. Come, we are late for your studies.¡± She quickly pulled her son away.

    ...

    The black and white dog beasts soon made their way to the edge of Heaven¡¯s Peak. The vast sea of green forest stretched towards the horizon.

    However, even as the two dog beasts neared the edge of the mountain they did not stop. Rather, just as they reached the ledge, they jumped forward in an astounding manner.

    They plummeted downwards but no one showed any fear. In fact, the dog beasts had their tongues sticking out as it waved in the air. They quickly landed on to the side of the mountain and continued running down a trail on the side of the mountain.

    ¡°Here it is.¡± Cornelius suddenly said. He took out a jade talisman which suddenly shined.

    At the same time, a section of the mountain began to disappear as a black hole was revealed.

    They quickly entered into the hole at the side of the mountain. Moments after, formation runes lit up and the section of wall once again looked as if it was a part of the mountain.

    ¡­.

    Inside, vibrant colours immediately came across Relic¡¯s view.

    A lush green field of grass was spread across the ground floor. In the center was a massive tree, roughly the height of half of the mountain. The head of the tree was lavished with green leaves which radiated light, illuminating the entire cave.

    Near the cave walls were a running stream of water which trailed onto the grass floor and into a medium sized lake. If one were to take a drink from this lake they would immediately recognize it as spirit water!

    Relic eyes widened at the scene. This was the most extravagant immortal cave he had ever seen in his life.

    ¡°Mr. Savior, welcome back.¡± A beautiful female voice rang in both their ears. ¡°Oh, it seems you have brought a guest.¡±

    The leaves from the tree suddenly rustled as a long shadowy figure began to slither down.

    Within moments, a 119m long snake appeared in front of Relic and Cornelius. She had a mixture of gold and black scales covering her glistening body. Her large sparkling eyes had two varying colours of red and gold. In front of such a large spirit beast, one would think it would strike terror in anyone who glanced upon it. Yet, when relic stood in the presence of this snake he felt she had a certain aura of elegance and majesty.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Hello, my name is Diana.¡± She said with a slight bow.

    ¡°A golden eyed serpent¡­ no, is she a red eyed serpent?¡±  Relic muttered.

    ¡°This is my friend, Relic, he will be frequenting here soon with his sister in order to train her in cultivation. I hope it won¡¯t bother you too much.¡± Cornelius said with a smile.

    ¡°What are you saying, of course it won¡¯t. This place belongs to Mr. Savior. I¡¯m only a guest; I will not impose any more than I already have.¡± She replied.

    The two shared a brief moment of silence as they gazed at one another.

    Cough¡­

    The two immediately snapped out of their gaze and looked a bit flustered.

    ¡°Hello, it¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Relic said.

    She smiled and nodded.

    Relic then turned to Cornelius and said, ¡°Thank you for allowing us the use of this immortal cave. If there is anything I can help you with, please feel free to ask.¡±

    Cornelius shook his head. ¡°If your plan works, I will be the one thanking you for saving all of us.¡± He took out an empty jade slip and held it next to the jade talisman he used to get into his immortal cave. The runic patterns of the jade talisman suddenly appeared onto the jade slip. ¡°Here, use this whenever you want to get in.¡± He tossed the jade slip to Relic.

    Relic quickly stored it into his mortal spatial ring and headed back onto of the dog beast he came in on.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± He said. The dog beast howled and returned outside where it brought Relic back to the surface.

    ¡­

    Relic first went back to their home residence only to find no one was there. He quickly thought about where Hana had left and decided to check their family restaurant.

    He soon arrived to a small restaurant called Astors¡¯ Foods, and could see a small group of children hanging around outside with smiling faces.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he wondered.

    Relic entered into the restaurant to find the place filled with laughter and people. His jaw was immediately left agape and his eyes widen when he saw what was happening.

    Jiro was currently waiting tables their food. He had food trays on top of his wings, back, and even his head. Where ever he walked, children would be following him and touching his soft feathers.

    (¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡±) Relic asked.

    Jiro heard Relic¡¯s voice and immediately cried tears of joy. (¡°Help me!¡±)

    (¡°What happened?¡±)

    ¡°(It¡¯s your sister! She dragged me in here and forced me to work! At first I had nothing to do so I thought I might as well. Who would¡¯ve thought more and more people would show up. After a little while, the place became full and she wouldn¡¯t let me go no matter what I did!)¡±

    ¡°Jiro, there are more dishes for table three.¡± Hana suddenly appeared beside Jiro. Jiro countenance seemed to suddenly pale as his head drooped slightly.

    Relic couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. A little girl was giving orders to a divine spirit beast and that same beast was listening to those orders. If this happened in any of the major city or towns, it would definitely be a sight to see.

    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re back. Where did you go?¡± Hana noticed Relic at the front with his jaw wide open.

    Relic quickly regained his composure and gave a wry smile. ¡°Hana, I found a place for you to start cultivating. Do you want to head there now?¡±

    Hana¡¯s eyes light up, and excitedly spoke. ¡°Yes!¡± However, she quickly remembered something. ¡°But¡­ our shift isn¡¯t over yet.¡±

    Relic suddenly realised Hana had changed her clothes and was now wearing a typical waitress outfit. In her hands was a tray of dirty dishes ready to be washed.

    Jiro suddenly made eye contact with Relic with menacing eyes, as if to tell him to speak with his sister.

    ¡°Ah, that reminds me, why did you have Jiro work as a waiter? You should know, outside, he is a very powerful spirit beast. He doesn¡¯t really like doing these types of jobs.¡± Relic said.

    She turned to look at Jiro. ¡°Jiro, is this true, are you unhappy being here with me?¡± She walked up and asked Jiro with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Geh¡­.¡± Jiro was speechless. He was born as a divine spirit beast and lived in a secluded area which humans did not dare to tread. He was unfamiliar to humans before his capture, only what he heard from other of his kind.  If you were to describe how Jiro generally felt about humans, it would be that he hated them! Yet, when she asked him this question with that face, his heart slightly shook and he unconsciously shook his head.

    ¡°I knew you wanted to be with me!¡± She placed down the tray of dirty dishes and stuffed her face into his soft feathers and embraced him tightly.

    Relic could only give Jiro a pitiful chuckle.

    ¡°Relic, you are here. ¡°  Marie, their mother, appeared behind her two children. Her long braided brown hair shifted from side to side as she walked. She quickly gave a hug to both her children and smiled.

    ¡°Hana told me you had something you needed to do. Was it something for your teacher?¡± she asked.

    Relic nodded. ¡±Actually, he wants to meet Hana as well. He wants to see if Hana has any aptitude in cultivation as well.¡±

    Tears suddenly began to well up in Marie¡¯s eyes. ¡°I-I never thought the heavens would give us so many opportunities to our family.¡±

    Relic¡¯s heart warmed seeing the tears fall down from his mother¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t remember them in his past life and even in this life; his relation with his parents was only in name. But now, he could see the unconditional love a mother had for her children and it truly affected him.

    Marie turned to Hana and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let this chance slip by. If he accepts you as a student you must make sure you practice hard so someday you can achieve anything you want.¡±

    ¡°Mn, I will!¡± Hana replied.

    Marie then turned toward s Jiro.

    ¡°Thank you for helping out today.¡± She smiled.

    Jiro only turned his head as if he saying he didn¡¯t care.

    Finally, she turned back to Relic.

    ¡°Jiro can really drum up business. If you three aren¡¯t too busy, just drop in every once In a while, okay?¡± She embraced her kids once more and continued to wait the tables.

    Relic and Hana headed out the restaurant much to the disappointment to many in the restaurant.

    Once outside, they hopped onto Jiro and immediately headed towards the edge of the mountain. Jiro dived once more, following Relic¡¯s directions and stopped near a section of the mountain where Relic proceeded to take out a jade slip.

    A hole magically appeared and all three headed in without hesitation.

    ¡­.

    ¡°Wah¡­¡± Hana¡¯s eyes sparkled as she twirled around in the grassy field of the immortal cave. She felt like she had suddenly teleported to a completely different but beautiful place.

    ¡°Welcome you two.¡±

    Cornelius stepped out and appeared in front of Hana and Jiro.

    Upon seeing the mayor of Heaven¡¯s Peak, Hana immediately stood up and bowed her head slightly. ¡°Mayor!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re Hana.¡± Cornelius laughed. ¡°I hear you are beginning your cultivation journey today.  My place is free for you to use as you wish. Learn well!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± She responded. Though, she actually didn¡¯t even know why the mayor was here. Relic didn¡¯t say anything to her prior.

    Jiro also began to take a look around the place went he suddenly felt something which sent a shiver down his spine and his feathers stand up.

    ¡°Jiro?¡± Hana, noticed Jiro abrupt change.

    Jiro immediately took a battle stance as he faced towards the top of the large tree in the center of the place.

    ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t realize I would get to eat some chicken today.¡± An alluring yet venomous female voice sounded in everyone¡¯s ears.

 Chapter 43

    A large gold and black coloured serpent slowly descended from the tree. It was the same snake Relic had met before, Diana! However, she was different than before. Her eyes were cold and piercing. Her scales were flared up, making it look like there were thousands of sharp knives on her body. She no longer carried an aura of elegance, and instead had an aura of battle.

    Jiro and Diana stared off each other and everyone immediately felt the tension.

    Simultaneously, Relic and Cornelius had an abrupt change in expression as they figured out what was going on.

    ¡°<I thought I smelled the stink of a worm.> ¡° Jiro spoke in his beast tongue. ¡°<For a minute I was worried, but who would¡¯ve thought I would run into a failure instead.>¡± He sneered.

    Diana bared her fangs and encircled Jiro in an instant.

    ¡°<Little chicken, you sure have a sharp tongue. While it¡¯s true I¡¯ve failed to awaken my bloodline. I, at the very least, still have the connection to the ancestral blood. You on the other hand¡­>¡± She chuckled. ¡°<Any one could see your core is broken. You will never be able to awaken your ancestral blood line!>¡±

    Jiro let out a ferocious roar while Diana let out a large hiss. They both seemed ready to murder each other at any second.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡± Cornelius suddenly appeared between the two. ¡°I know your kingdoms don¡¯t get along but you are both guests in my home. I hope you two can keep your prejudices outside.¡± He said sternly.

    Diana immediately calmed down and retracted her aura. ¡°I apologize, I let myself act unseemingly.¡± She seemed to be a bit embarrassed. She then happened to notice Hana at Jiro¡¯s side, looking a little bit apprehensive. ¡°Oh, who is this cute little girl?¡± She asked with a smile. ¡°Hello, my name is Diana, what is yours?¡±

    When Hana heard Diana¡¯s angelic voice her expression immediately turned from slightly anxious to being excited.

    The world of spirit beasts were still fairly new to her and after becoming friends with Jiro, one could say she didn¡¯t really fear spirit beasts anymore.

    ¡°My name is Hana! How come you can speak human language?¡± Hana suddenly asked.

    Relic chuckled seeing Hana¡¯s child like expression.

    ¡°Human speech? It¡¯s not really a hard thing to do especially for divine spirit beasts like me. At birth, we already have the capacity to understand the human language. However, whether you are a normal spirit beast or a divine spirit beast, we have to transform into arcane beasts before we are able to use human speech. ¡±

    ¡°What is the arcane?¡±  she asked.

    ¡°The arcane level is the next stage for Spirit beasts.¡± Relic suddenly interjected. ¡°You can think of it as something similar to Cultivators and their cultivation realms.¡±

    ¡°Wow!¡± Hana suddenly looked down at Jiro. ¡°Did you hear that, Jiro? If you continue to cultivate we can communicate together!¡± Hana was so excited she embraced herself around Jiro¡¯s neck.

    Diana looked at the pair with slight confusion and was just about to say something when she suddenly saw Relic with a finger pressed against his lips. He was telling her not to say anything.

    What Hana didn¡¯t understand was that Jiro was already an arcane spirit beast. However, because he had a damaged core, he lost many of his abilities other arcane beasts would have.

    Jiro only nodded in humiliation. It was one thing for her to do this when it was just them, but she was now doing it in front of one of his enemies!

    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s a good look on you.¡± Diana laughed. She turned back to Hana with a smile. ¡°There is one more thing Spirit beasts can do to emulate you mortals.¡±

    Diana large body suddenly shined as she spoke a few words of incantation. She shot back up into the head of the tree and a large light flashed through the entire cave. The light was blinding, causing everyone to look away for a brief second.

    When the light subsided, only the sound of the tree resulting could be heard. A few moments after, a gorgeous woman descended slowly from the tree.

    The woman was absolutely stunning. Her silky gold and black hair waved effortlessly through the air. Mortals who looked into her large round eyes would immediately become enamoured in their beauty. Her left eye was of a pure gold colour, untainted by any filth; while her right eye was red like fresh blood. Everything about her seemed perfect, as if she was a goddess descending from the heavens themselves.

    If there was one thing that seemed out of place, it would be her baggy robes she wore which was obviously too big for a women of her figure.

    Hana¡¯s eyes sparkled at the descent of this woman. Even Cornelius couldn¡¯t take his eyes away from her. The only ones who were unaffected by her appearance were Relic and Jiro, who had a look of disgust.

    The woman landed in front of Hana and spoke: ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Y-you are¡­ Diana?¡± Hana asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Wah! You are so beautiful! ¡°Hana instantly touched Diana¡¯s smooth, flawless hands. ¡°Are you a goddess, maybe a princess?!¡±

    Diana smiled.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°You are correct, I¡¯m a princess. I¡¯m the 22<sup>nd</sup> daughter of king Ramone, the ruler of the divine beast forest.¡±

    Relic was shocked when he heard her words. He didn¡¯t realize she was actually the daughter of the Snake Beast King. The Divine Beast Forest was a region which spanned for millions of kilometers and was home to the many diverse spirit beasts. Heaven¡¯s Peak resided within the Divine Beast Forest and Relic had actually met its king once before. Relic quickly questioned what Diana was doing here, and even more importantly¡­

    ¡°How could the king allow one of his own daughters to fail their awakening?¡± Relic frowned.

    Hana was giggly with excitement. Today had been the most interesting and exciting day she had felt in a very long time. She continued to stare at Diana¡¯s beautiful face when her gaze suddenly landed on to her loose fitting robes. ¡°Are these the robes princesses wear?¡± She asked with intrigue.

    ¡°These?¡± Diana looked at her robes and then back to Cornelius. ¡°No, these are the clothes of my savior. We Divine Spirit Beasts rarely go into our human forms and when we do, we normally don¡¯t pack any human clothes to wear. I showed my human form to Mr. Savior once but he told me to never do it in front of others without any clothes on, so he lent me his.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Savior?¡± Hana turned to the mayor who looked a bit red.

    Hana had more questions but Cornelius suddenly interjected. ¡°Ah, I think that¡¯s enough for questions for now.  Princess Diana, I think you should continue to rest. Although your external wounds have healed, you are still recovering internally.¡±

    Diana sighed. ¡°Yes, you are correct, I should continue to rest. But I wish you would drop the princess and just call me by my first name.¡±

    She shot back up the tree where she transformed back into her 119m long snake form.

    Cornelius then turned to the two children. ¡°I have somethings I need to take care of now. Treat this place as your own.¡±

    Relic and Cornelius looked at each other momentarily and nodded.

    ¡°Douji, Dougu, let¡¯s go.¡± Two dog beasts that were resting near the tree got up and barked happily.

    Cornelius rode on top of one and together, they quickly left the cave.

    After Cornelius left, Relic quickly turned to Hana.

    ¡°Hana, come have a seat, I will teach you the basics of cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Hana responded with great enthusiasm.

    She quickly sat down, fidgeting with excitement.

    ¡°There is a lot to learn so I will be teaching you little by little. First let¡¯s talk about what cultivation is. Simply put, cultivating is the process of collecting and storing the heavenly energy around you in to your dantian. The principle behind learning cultivation is trying to achieve the Dao. The Dao has been discussed since the first cultivators began to cultivate and there have been many theories as to what it is. Some have said the Dao is the truth; the truth of life, of people, and of the universe. While other have said it is merely ¡®the way¡¯, how you interpret that is completely up to you. Finally, some believe the Dao is the source of all things and the end of all things.¡±

    Hana nodded intently.

    ¡°Whichever the case, the Dao is the driving force of all cultivators and it is the understanding of the Dao which allows us cultivators to do amazing things.¡±

    Hana continued to nod understanding but Relic could see she didn¡¯t really understand at all.

    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry about it too much. I just wanted to give you a bit of insight on it before you started cultivating. All I want you to know is that there is no clear path towards the Dao nor is there a true goal in the Dao. The true path lies with you and the path ends when you decide to end it.¡± Relic said.

    Hana nodded and began to ponder Relic¡¯s words.

    After letting Hana think on his words for a few moments, Relic walked towards an empty space and spoke: ¡°Hana, I want you to observe me carefully. The cultivation method I¡¯m about to show you is a series of movements used to make a connection to the heavens. ¡±

    Relic calmed his mind and stilled his body. Everything around him was quiet. After a few moments, he suddenly exhaled and slowly moved his body.

    Hana immediately became enamoured by her brother¡¯s movements which looked like a performing piece. It had a beautiful form and seamless transition from one stance to the next.

    ¡°I wanna do it!¡± she said to herself.

    The set of motions Relic was performing was called the[ dragon¡¯s breaking point ]and was divided into 8 sets. The [dragon¡¯s breaking point] was a cultivation technique used by the ancient supreme sect, Heaven Sunder Sect, in order to cultivate the heavenly energy around them.

    Diana, who was resting with her eyes closed, suddenly snapped up and turned to Relic¡¯s area. Her head stuck out of the enormous tree with a wide mouth dropping down. ¡°H-how can this be? Why is the heavenly energy moving towards him?!¡± she questioned in astonishment. Diana was a princess and was well informed on a great number of things.

    Cultivation was divided into two parts, first was the cultivation of heavenly energy, and second was the cultivation of the Dao. Cultivation of heavenly energy depended on the cultivation technique an individual employed and the talent of the individual. Together, they determined a cultivator¡¯s ability to cultivate heavenly energy.

    Diana had seen how cultivators cultivate before and they would normally cultivate heavenly energy (Qi) in Qi rich areas, or by absorbing spirit coins or spirit stones.  You would never find a cultivator in lands low in Qi.  Heaven¡¯s Peak had an adequate amount of qi, but it wasn¡¯t enough for cultivators to spend large amounts of time in. Thus, she was shocked to find Heavenly energy swirling towards Relic. As a 119m arcane spirit beast, she was equivalent to a spirit realm cultivator. However, her actual power was much closer to the golden world realm as she is a divine spirit beast.

    She could feel the heavenly energy was attracted to Relic and was slowly moving towards him. This was the first time she had ever seen anything like it!

    At the same time, Relic had just finished the first set of the [dragon¡¯s breaking point] technique and had already began the second set. Heavenly energy began to swirl around Relic more ferociously.

    By the 3rd set, Jiro could now also feel the heavenly energy swirling around Relic and was a loss of words. ¡°How is this possible!¡±

    At the 4<sup>th</sup> set, the heavenly energy became a bit more tyrannical and even Relic¡¯s aura changed.

    At the 5<sup>th</sup> sect, the tyrannical aura began to affect its surrounding. The grass beneath Relics feet was pushing outwards in all directions. The tree rustled in the windless cave. Relic could also be seen panting and perspiration began to fall.

    On the 6<sup>th</sup> set was the slowest Relic had ever moved. His entire body was soaked and steam and heat radiated from his body.

    The 7<sup>th</sup> set seemed to revert everything back to normal. The heavenly energy dissipated and the tyrannical aura surround Relic disappeared. However, that was only what Diana and Jiro could feel. Relic was currently in excruciating pain, affecting his entire body, but he showed no change in his expression or movements.

    The 8<sup>th</sup> set consisted of a single movement. At this point, Relic was truly calm as he lifted his dominate hand over his head.

    At the same time he chopped down, an aura of pure destruction suddenly encapsulated his hand.

    WHOOOSH!

    A powerful attack launched from his hand and smashed against the cave walls resulting in a slight tremble around the entire mountain.

    Diana and Jiro both gulped down their saliva in shock. Questions were blazing through their minds as they processed what they were seeing. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a cultivation technique like this¡­¡± Diana mumbled.

    When they turned back to Relic, he had already entered into a meditative state in the lotus position.

    ¡­.

    Relic¡¯s mind was calm and his surroundings were peaceful. Yet, not all was the same as it was before.

    All around him were white threads which dangled from the Heavens. These were the heavenly threads of cultivation!

 Chapter 44

    Heavenly threads dangled in front of Relic with ethereal nature.  The beauty of these threads were unmatched by any thing under the heavens.

    Every cultivator¡¯s journey began with these threads which connects them to the heavens and allows them to cultivate.

    All Relic had to do was will for a heavenly thread to come to him and guide it towards his dantian. At that time, he would truly step on to the road of cultivation.

    Yet, instead, Relic exhaled and slowly closed his eyes.

    When he opened his eyes once more, the heavenly threads were gone.

    ¡°Did you catch all of that?¡± Relic turned his head towards Hana and asked with a smile.

    ¡°ah¡­¡± Hana suddenly flailed her arms in an attempt to recreate the movements her brother showed her.

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m only joking.¡± Relic had a good laugh while Hana pouted. He continued, ¡°The movements I showed are the cultivation technique of the Heaven Sunder Sect. It has a total of 8 sets but in truth, beginners only require to practice the first two sets. As you progress in your cultivation, you will naturally complete more sets until you are capable of cultivating all of it.¡±

    Relic then took out a manual from his spatial ring and handed it to Hana. ¡°This is the cultivation manual of the Heaven Sunder Sect which contains the cultivation technique and several of their secret arts. However¡­¡± His countenance suddenly turned serious. ¡°You must make sure you never reveal this manual to any one or practice this cultivation technique in public. This is a truly rare technique and there are many who would kill in order to take it.¡±

    This manual was obviously crafted by memory. Relic had probably gone through the original manual thousands of times, shaking his head in astonishment of the legacy left behind by the Heaven Sunder Sect. He could probably cultivate the technique in his sleep if he really wanted to.

    Hana felt an enormous pressure weighing on her after hearing Relic¡¯s voice. If she took the manual now, she would undoubtedly have accepted the harsh reality of the cultivation rule. However, it only last for a brief moment before she nodded and took the manual from Relic¡¯s hands. ¡°I promise to never show this manual or technique to anyone I do not trust!¡±

    Relic nodded.

    ¡°Let us continue.¡±

    Relic once again took up his stance and began guiding and teaching Hana the first two sets of the [Dragon¡¯s breaking point] technique.

    ¡­.

    It took around 15 minutes for Hana to get the basic movements of the first two sets. Under Relics guidance, Hana was soon able to practice the two sets entirely by herself.

    ¡°Mn,¡± Relic nodded his head, ¡°Good, continue these two sets for another hour. I will then teach you a meditative pose in order to calm your mind¡± he said, but it seemed like Hana was already focused on cultivating and didn¡¯t even hear him.

    He sighed and turned to the clear spirit lake. He took a seat near the lake and had a soft smile.

    ¡°Looks like everything is finally going as planned.¡±

    He stretched upwards and let out a satisfied exhale.

    He quickly took out all of the items from his spatial rings and quickly organised the items. Most of the items he bought were to aid in his sister¡¯s cultivation journey. To be honest, Relic had already begun thinking about Hana¡¯s entire cultivation journey.

    The first step was to teach his sister the basics of cultivation. Of course, he had many other manuals other than the Heaven Sunder Sect¡¯s manual he could have taught her which would cause less problems in the future with regards to the rarity of the technique. However, Relic had once seen the might of the Heaven sunder manual in which even random mortals could quickly cultivate.

    Relic could not deny the fact that he was indeed one of the most talentless mortals around when it came to cultivation. Even back when he was in the Thunder Storm Sect, he was even worse than the cultivators who worked as servants for the core disciples! The only reason he could have any progression in cultivation was because his master continued to provide him with cultivation resources. Without it, he would have been like many others and never have crossed the foundation realm.

    Thus, he could only conclude that Hana¡¯s talent, seeing as they were twins, suffered the same fate as his. However, with the Heaven¡¯s Sunder cultivation technique, she would be capable of cultivating like everyone else, maybe even go so far as to match those geniuses!

    ¡°This should be good.¡± He nodded to himself at the pile of cultivation resources in front of him which he would set aside for Hana.

    He then took out the 200 fire and ice lotuses and all the beast blood he purchased.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I tried to make an infused blood wine. This should be fun.¡±

    He was just about to collect some of the spirit water from the lake when suddenly¡­

    ¡°Brother, what are these white threads?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He turned to Hana who had an aura of calm. Her eyes darted around as if she was focused on things that weren¡¯t there.

    ¡°Impossible, I haven¡¯t even taught her the lotus position yet. How could she possibly see the heavenly threads?!¡±

    Relic walked up towards Hana and said, ¡°Hana, you see the white threads?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She answered in a monotone.

    ¡°How many are there?¡± he asked in a frown.

    ¡°M-many¡­¡±

    ¡°Is this perhaps the effects of cultivating the Cultivation technique of the Heaven¡¯s Sunder Sect?¡± Relic thought about it and surmised it as such. The Heaven¡¯s sunder Sect was an ancient and supreme sect which existed many, many years ago. Only powerful sects nowadays had some records of the ancient sects of the past.  Relic had no way to tell how different a cultivation technique from ancient times differed from the ones used by today¡¯s cultivators. ¡°Perhaps this is a good thing¡­¡±

    ¡°Hana, these white threads are called the Heavenly threads of cultivation. These threads are what allows cultivators to cultivate heavenly energy and connects the cultivators to the heavens. Try to find one you have a connection with.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°A connection?¡±

    ¡°Right, it should be a thread you feel a bond with.¡±

    ¡°a bond¡­¡± Hana mumbled to herself.

    If Relic could see what Hana was seeing, he would understand the confusion in her voice.

    Surrounding Hana were countless heavenly threads clumping and twisting together. The mass of white threads surrounded and obstructed her view. This scene was significantly different to the heavenly threads Relic had seen. She quickly thought this was just how every cultivator saw the heavenly threads.

    Hana gulped down her saliva and began to search for a single heavenly thread.

    She began to walk around, trying to swat away the invisible threads.

    Unbeknownst to her, Relic stared at her with bulging eyes.

    It should be understood that one can only see the heavenly threads in a meditative state and that could only be achieved in a still, calm manner. What Relic was witnessing was a complete contradiction to what he believed. He could see Hana was indeed still in a meditative state and yet she moved around like it was nothing! It could not be helped the shock Relic was feeling.

    ¡­

    Hana continued to move around the cave while observing the heavenly threads around her. Yet, she could not feel any sort of connection to any of the Heavenly threads.

    ¡°Am I no good in cultivation?¡± She began to feel a little down.

    Suddenly, she noticed a sleeping peacock near the cave walls.

    After the initial shock from Relic¡¯s cultivation demonstration, Jiro could only give out a sigh. Nothing about Relic had been normal to him since the start and he couldn¡¯t even stay shocked for long anymore. Thus, with nothing to do, Jiro went to his own area and dozed off.

    His sleeping posture was as strange as ever with his neck bending in an arc and his head connecting to his back.

    Seeing this, Hana giggled slightly when she suddenly noticed a pure white thread around Jiro¡¯s head. The moment her eyes laid on this thread she immediately felt a connection towards it!

    She slowly moved towards Jiro. Her hands made a grabbing gesture as if she wanted to touch all over.

    At the same time, Jiro¡¯s eyes snapped open, as if sensing an immediate danger. He saw Hana¡¯s groping hands and immediately went into a panic.

    ¡°T-there must be something she wants behind me¡­¡± He thought. He got up and began to walk away, but Hana turned and walked even faster towards him.

    ¡°Tiny human, what do you want!¡± He wanted to scream but it only came off as a few small roars. Hana Jumped onto Jiro and held tightly onto his neck.  She then reached for the heavenly thread which was loosely tied to his head crest feathers. However, she soon found out she could not touch it at all.

    ¡°Hmmm, brother, I can¡¯t touch the heavenly thread.¡± She said.

    Relic snapped out of his daze and tried to calm down. ¡°Y-you must will the heavenly thread towards you. Think about why you want to cultivate and then grasp it!¡±

    Hana stared blankly, a bit confused by what her brother was saying. ¡°I must will it?¡± she began to ponder those words. ¡°Why do I want to cultivate?¡±

    To her the answer was obvious. She wanted a boundless future, travelling the entire world!

    As if it heard her thoughts, the Heavenly thread came off of Jiro and shot towards Hana. It entered into her body but Hana did not have a joyous expression, instead it was one of pain.

    ¡°I-it hurts!¡± She struggled.

    ¡°What!¡± Relic began to panic. He had never heard of this process being painful before. ¡°Is the heavenly thread in your body?!¡±

    Hana struggled to nod.

    ¡°Quickly, guide it towards your dantian!¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­¡±

    ¡°Concentrate, close your eyes and look inside! The heavenly thread wants to connect to you. You must show it the way!¡±

    Hana put complete trust in her brother. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the heavenly thread.

    When she opened her eyes, she realised she was in an empty void like space. ¡°This¡­where am I?¡±

    BOOOM!

    BOOOM!

    BOOOM!

    Hana crouched in pain as a thunderous noise could be heard up ahead.

    ¡°This¡­I¡¯m inside¡­¡± She clenched her teeth and continued forward.

    She soon arrived to the source of the thunderous noise. It was the heavenly thread and it was bashing against the void walls!

    Hana spat out some liquid and grunted in pain.

    ¡°B-brother said to guide it to my dantian¡­ but where is that?¡±

    She looked around but all she saw was the black void.

    The heavenly thread continued to thrash around, knocking into invisible walls and causing Hana electrifying pain.

    Tears began to well up in her eyes as the pain accumulated in her body.

    ¡°Why does it hurt so much¡­am I not good enough....¡± Tears began to fall. Her thoughts slowly wandered into helplessness.

    Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a dim blue dot. This dot was easy miss able and could not be described as being any larger than the tip of a pin needle from her angle.  Yet, she was able to notice it through the tears of her eye.

    Hana immediately knew what it was.

    ¡°That¡­must be the dantian!¡± She wiped the tears from her eyes and quickly headed towards the blue dot.

    She soon arrived to a Hexagonal prism shaped dantian, just floating about.  She instinctively began to reach towards the blue crystal like dantian and touched it.

    Ping!

    An intense light radiated from her dantian the moment she touched it and spread throughout the void. At that same moment, the heavenly thread stopped thrashing around and instead, shot towards the dantian.

    BOOOM!

    The heavenly thread connected with the dantian in an explosion of light. Hana quickly covered her eyes from the blinding light.

    After a moment, she opened her eyes and was amazed at what she saw.

    The black void was now completely lit with light and she could now see that the void space was not really void.

    Orbs of light were spaced around the once dark void and were connected to the dantian by stings of light.

    The dantian itself was now much bigger and was about 8x as large as it was previously. The heavenly thread was now gone and was replaced with a immaculate white bridge which stretched endlessly upwards. Even Hana could not see the end of the bridge.

    All of these shocked and amazed Hana to no end.

    While all this was happening, something tremendous was happening elsewhere.

    ¡­.

    ¡°¡­and then it licked my hand and we bonded!¡± an excited childish voice rang out from a small green crystal in Cornelius¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Mn, a Fire Claw Bear is a great partner to have. Jun Po, you make sure to treat your partner with care.¡±

    ¡°Yes, god-father. Will you be coming back soon?¡±

    ¡°Soon, I just have a couple of things left to do here. I should be able to make it back before your birthday.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡± the child like voice became even more excited.

    ¡°Jun Po, say good bye to your god-father, I still have somethings to talk to him about.¡± A second, older male voice sounded from the crystal.

    ¡°Okay¡­Bye god-father.¡±

    ¡°Take care, Jun Po.¡± Cornelius said with a smile.

    ¡°Are you sure you can trust this kid?¡± The male voice said solemnly. ¡°Even if you were both under the effects of a contract crystal, it doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t ways around it. Who can believe a child would know the actual secrets of the three main trading groups and for those secrets to be so simple! Even our ancestors who lived for over a thousand years had never figured out the secrets for all three monopolies!.¡±

    ¡°I know¡­it really is hard to believe. But I truly feel like he was telling the truth. Will you listen to my request?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± The voice went silent.

    ¡°Very well, I will do as you ask. Take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Mn, you too.¡±

    The communication crystal went dim and Cornelius let out a breath of relief.

    Cornelius was just about to head back to his immortal cave when a light tremor began to rumble the mountain.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The skies went gray with clouds and an immediate shower fell unto Heaven¡¯s peak.

    The citizens of Heaven¡¯s peak all look up at the strange phenomenon.

    The rain stopped as soon as it had started, and the gray clouds dispersed. Rays of golden light shined down and a rainbow quickly formed above Heaven¡¯s Peak.

    At this point, Yan Wen and Yan Mu also came outside to see what was happening.

    Then¡­.

    Ring¡­Ring¡­Ring¡­.

    Three harmonious bells rang through the sky allowing everyone to hear the beautiful rings.

    The rainbow slowly began to change. The two ends of the rainbow connected, forming a perfect circle which hovered above Heaven¡¯s Peak.

    A glittering light fell from the rainbow and descended onto Heaven¡¯s Peak. One by one, more glittering light descended from the rainbow, covering the entire mountain and even some of its surrounding area.

    The people of Heaven¡¯s Peak who touched this light felt warm and rejuvenated. If they were down and unhappy before, they were now happy and full of life!

    The mortals quickly though this was a blessing and danced cheerily.

    While all the cultivators, including Cornelius looked up in absolute shock and awe.

    ¡°a-a-a DIVINE BLESSING!!!¡± they all shouted.

 Chapter 45

    Back in the immortal cave, Relic was holding Hana¡¯s unconscious body in his arms.

    ¡°Why did she have such a large reaction to cultivating.¡± he muttered.

    The process of guiding the heavenly thread was supposed to be a painless and memorable experience for new cultivators. However, when the Heavenly thread entered Hana¡¯s body, her body immediately collapsed and she began to writhe in pain.

    Relic was helpless to help her at that point and could only be by her side as she guided the heavenly thread herself.

    ¡°Is she alright?¡± Diana asked, concerned.

    ¡°I hope so.¡± He replied.

    Even Jiro, who was putting up a face, sat not too far from Hana.

    Suddenly, a faint glow of light encapsulated Hana and she began to levitate upwards.

    ¡°Wha¡­¡± they all stared in shock.

    A light tremor shook the mountain followed by the ring of three harmonious bells.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    Almost immediately after, Relic felt a tingling feeling throughout his body. He could feel his body strengthening and being more refined.

    A look of shock was transparent on his face as he realized what was happening. ¡°A divine blessing!¡±

    Fwoosh!

    The light surrounding Hana¡¯s body took form and collected towards her forehead where it formed a 12 petal lotus made of light. The lotus only stayed for a brief period before entering into Hana¡¯s forehead and disappearing.

    ¡°A true successor!¡± Diana and Relic said simultaneously.

    Hana slowly descended and opened her eyes to the stares of shock of everyone.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Hana, how do you feel?!¡± Relic rushed up and asked.

    Hana stared at her own hands which now seemed to be a bit more firm and filled with strength. She clenched her fists and said, ¡°Great! I didn¡¯t realize cultivation was going to be so painful at first but it was all worth it!¡±

    Relic gave Hana a wry smile.

    ¡°Congratulations, you are now a Cultivator!¡± He patted her head.

    Hana no longer viewed Relic as a younger brother but as her older brother. The praise of her brother brought about a beautiful smile. ¡°Thanks!¡±

    Relic suddenly noticed the two stiff stares on Jiro and Diana¡¯s faces. The appearance of a true successor had just shaken them that much.

    ¡°(Please tell Diana not to say anything. I¡¯d prefer if Hana didn¡¯t know the details of her situation and figured them out by herself.)¡± He told Jiro.

    Jiro and Diana had a quick conversation and nodded before returning to their original posts.

    ¡°A true successor huh¡­ ¡± Relic couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Hana, it¡¯s time for your second lecture.¡± He said.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Hana obeyed and sat back down on the floor.

    A scholarly aura suddenly radiated from Relic as he began to give Hana a detailed lecture on the basics of cultivation. She would soon learn that cultivation was less exciting than she had anticipated.

    ¡­

    At this moment, surrounding the base of the mountain, were many cultivators searching frantically through the forest.

    ¡°A Divine blessing! I never thought I would ever be able to witness one in my life time!¡± one of the cultivators said as they scouted the forest on their flying sword.

    ¡°The Divine blessing covered the entirety of the mountain and several km past it as well. It must have been a heavenly treasure that showed up! I definitely must find it first.¡± Another muttered to himself.

    Divine blessings were only heard in legends! NO one knew specifically what conditions had to be met in order for a Divine Blessing to occur but every time, a heavenly treasure was soon found after the appearance of one!

    Even the Yan family were not exempt in the search as they made their way towards the forest in an arrogant manner.

    ¡°You rift rafts, get out of the way!¡± Yan Mu roared at the other cultivators as he rode on top of a flying spirit beast. Followed closely by many other members of the Yan family and his uncle.

    Cornelius was soon the only cultivator left on Heaven¡¯s Peak and was currently assessing the situation.

    He looked at his own body which looked a bit more refined than before. ¡°Amazing, I¡¯ve never heard of a divine blessing affecting people!¡± He also only heard of stories where divine blessings show up with the location of a heavenly treasure. The divine blessing would affect the land near the treasure, causing the land to burst with Qi energy.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    He quickly looked at the faces of his people who were chattering about. It was quite obvious that they too felt the effects of the divine blessing and were now talking with one another.

    He couldn¡¯t help but put a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a sign the heavens don¡¯t want this place to be destroyed!¡±  Having relayed his instruction to his sworn brother, Cornelius now felt like his town was safe from any dangers. He had decided to let go of contesting for the heavenly treasure. While he would probably be able to snatch it up, it would bring a lot more trouble than it was worth. He had to think of his citizens after all.

    The joyous mood of his citizens seemed to have affected him as he soon joined in their conversation and laughed merrily with them.

    Afterwards, he flew towards the edge of Heaven¡¯s peak and looked town at the forest below. The entire mountain was now oozing with qi energy, perfect for cultivating. ¡°Perhaps I should open a school here.¡± He mused.

    Suddenly, another rumbling shook the entire mountain!

    ¡°What is happening now?!¡± He frowned.

    The shaking did not just affect the mountain this time, even the forest grounds began to shake. Many of the spirit beasts carried expressions of fear as they fled for their lives away from Heaven¡¯s Peak.

    The clouds shifted and spiraled in the sky.

    AS a golden world cultivator, Cornelius was capable of sensing the movement of Qi energy in the air.

    He could see the large quantities of qi energy surrounding Heaven¡¯s peak begin to spiral towards the middle of the mountain.

    All the cultivators stopped what they were doing and turned the attention back towards the mountain.

    ¡°No wonder we couldn¡¯t find any treasure. The heavenly treasure is in the mountain!¡± One of them shouted as they charged towards the mountain.

    The cultivator¡¯s all had frantic looks on their faces as they rushed back towards the mountain.

    Cornelius followed the path of the qi energy was taking and realised it was all heading towards the area of his immortal cave. ¡°Impossible, what could possibly have happened to be able to move such tremendous amounts of qi energy?!¡±

    He quickly called for his dog beasts and headed towards his immortal cave.

    However, before he arrived, he could already see several cultivators outside of his immortal cave who were trying to break the formation array that was protecting the entrance.

    ¡°Hold your hand! You are all trespassing on my property!¡± Cornelius let out a angry shout.

    Noticing Cornelius¡¯ presence, the cultivators stopped what they were doing but all of them were in a battle stance. It seemed they were all prepared to fight for whatever was inside.

    ¡°Mayor of Heaven¡¯s Peak, we all know the heavenly treasure in inside this mountain. What right do you have to stop us from retrieving it?!¡± One strong man carrying a great sword shouted.

    ¡°Yea!¡± all of them nodded.

    ¡°This is my immortal cave! Obviously, whatever is inside is mine! Even if a heavenly treasure appeared inside, it would still be considered mine!¡± He spoke furiously. In front of a heavenly treasure, logic could not be applied to any one of them.

    ¡°That is not correct Mr. Mayor.¡± A calm, elderly voice suddenly sounded.

    ¡°Mr.Yan¡­¡±

    Yan Wen appeared and spoke aloofly, ¡°Your Heaven¡¯s Peak has been around for more than two centuries. In all of that time, never once had an event as spectacular as this ever happened to this town.¡±

    Everyone nodded their heads.

    ¡°The fact that a divine blessing suddenly appearing means anyone of us could be the reason it had appeared!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! It must be my innate talent which brought forth the divine blessing and the heavens have decided to reward me!¡± one of them shouted.

    ¡°What?! I was born on the ninth day of the ninth month. On the day of my birth, I was blessed with a tear of a dragon as it flew past me. Obviously the divine blessing was for me!¡± another one said.

    One by one, outrageous claims came from the hundreds of cultivators who now stood in front of the immortal cave.

    ¡°Mr. Mayor, I think it only conscionable for us to share the heavenly treasure amongst us all.¡± Yan Wen spoke righteously.

    A vein popped out of Cornelius¡¯ head as a murderous aura shrouded his body.

    A cold smile appeared across his face. ¡°It seems you have all forgotten who you are speaking to.¡±

    The pressure of a golden world cultivator descended upon all of the cultivators. Immediately, many of the foundation realm cultivators dropped from their flying swords and crashed onto the ground. Weaker cultivators dropped to the floor and couldn¡¯t move or even breathe.

    The many cultivators were now all immobilized except for Yan Wen, the owner of Heaven¡¯s Treasure, and one other cultivator who had was the man carrying the great sword.

    ¡°Hmph with just this you expect to stop me?!¡± The man with the great sword spoke. He turned to Yan Wen and the owner of Heaven¡¯s Treasure, ¡°Brothers, Help me take down this arrogant mayor and we will split the treasure just between us!¡±

    Before Yan Wen or The owner could speak, the man took out a dazzling stone in the shape of a shell.

    ¡°A myriad sun stone!¡± They both shouted.

    The man crushed the stone in his hands. Within seconds, his body erupted with explosive fire essence.

    He proceeded to speak the words of incantation, ¡°With the essence of Fire, under the heavens, come forth, the force of the fire Dao!¡±

    His body burst into grandiose flames!  His entire body transformed into a 3m tall flame giant! The heat radiating from his body was so hot it began to set the forest on fire. The ground beneath his feet melted and bubbled into Lava.

    The man took up his great sword and charged towards Cornelius without any hesitation.

    Cornelius did not move and looked at the man charging towards him with disdain. He took out a slender sword and held it over his head.

    The sword swirled with the essence of wind.

    ¡°Foolish.¡± He said as he sliced his sword downwards.

    A sharp wind blade shot from the sword and sliced across the flaming man. In but an instant, the flames on the man¡¯s body extinguished. His eye¡¯s bulging at what just happened. ¡°H-how¡­could¡­it¡­.¡± The man split into two halves before he could finish his sentence.

    At that moment, everyone paled as they stared at the fearsome mayor. The very same mayor that would normally look like just a regular mortal now seemed like a demon!

    The crowd of cultivators all got on their knees as they begged for forgiveness.

    ¡°Mercy, please!¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t know any better. I promise I will never do anything like this again!¡±

    ¡°I swear on the heavens I meant no harm!¡±

    Cornelius looked at them with a murderous gaze before retracting the pressure.

    ¡°From this day forth, you are all banned from this town!¡±

    The cultivators on the floor all had a look of relief as they thanked the mayor for not killing them.

    Cornelius then turned to Yan Wen.

    ¡°Mr. Yan, I believe you have overstayed your welcome here. Please pack up your things and leave by tonight!¡± He spoke solemnly.

    Yan Wen was also pale with freight after having witnessing the extent of Cornelius strength. He could only nod and take his people quickly back to their residence. At his point, the heavenly treasure was the least of his worries.

    Cornelius then turned to the owner of Heaven¡¯s Treasure. ¡°Mr. Chow, this is strike one.¡±

    The owner could only nod and headed back up towards his store.

    After a few moments, there was no one left in front of the immortal cave.

    Cornelius sighed and was just about to head in when a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire mountain.

    The pressure wasn¡¯t as vicious or powerful as the one Cornelius put on those cultivators but it carried a sense of emptiness with it. It was enough to even make Cornelius dazed for a brief moment before he gained clarity and understood exactly what it was.

    ¡°A-an abyss constitution!¡±

 Chapter 46

    ¡°¡­so you see it its quite important to¡­.Hana!¡±

    Hana, who was bobbing her head up and down with her eyes closed, awoke abruptly. ¡°Wah! ¡±

    ¡°Were you sleeping?!¡± he asked in an angry tone.

    ¡°N-no¡­¡± she said as she wiped the drool from her face with her sleeve.

    Relic was just about to berate her for not taking his lesson seriously when he suddenly remembered she was just an 8 year old girl with no prior cultivation teachings.

    He stared at the still dazed little girl and could only let out a sigh.

    ¡°Okay, I guess you have learned enough for today. Why don¡¯t we call it a day?¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± she said excitedly. She stretched her limbs and gave a satisfied yawn.

    ¡°What do you want to do now?¡± Relic asked.

    However, Hana had already found herself an empty space and began cultivating the [dragon breaking point] technique. She was completely focused on cultivating and didn¡¯t even hear Relics question.

    Relic gave a helpless head shake before he made his way back to the crystal clear lake.

    While Hana did her own thing, Relic took out and laid down 26 vials of water essence beast blood and one large jar of fire essence beast blood from the Fire Tusk Boar beast. The jar of blood was part of the items he had purchased during his second visit to Heaven¡¯s Treasure.

    He then took out a crystal bowl and scooped out a half bowl of spirit water from the lake. Taking a vial from the pile of water essence beast blood, he dripped 3 drops of blood into the bowl and another 3 drops from the jar. Finally, he took out one fire and water lotus and placed it on top of the bowl of water.

    The dried up fire and water lotus swayed left and right as it settled on top of the water. It quickly flipped over and sunk to the bottom of the bowl.

    Relic seemed unfazed and quickly placed another lotus on top of the water. The new lotus swayed on top as the previous one did before quickly settling on top of the water.  Within a moment, a different occurrence happened. The dried up roots of the lotus began to suck up the water at an astonishing rate! The bowl of water quickly lost half of its original water and the dried up lotus was rejuvenated into a blossoming lotus.

    An even number of small motes of red and blue lights floated from the lotus.

    Relic¡¯s eyes sparkled and a smile stretched across his face when suddenly, the red motes of light increased and overtook the blue light motes.

    The Fire and Water lotus instantly burst in to flames, leaving only black ash.

    ¡°So, it won¡¯t be as easy as expected¡­¡±Relic sighed as he took out a paper with the list of beast blood and putting a value next to it..

    He quickly refilled the crystal bowl and repeated the process with a new vial of blood. This was the core component of the infused blood wine Relic was trying to make. The fire and water lotus is capable of absorbing beast blood and in doing so, releases a naturally sweet sugar. When added to a base wine, it not only provides a great taste, but also an increased the affinity to those with the affinity to the water and/or fire dao.

    However, this wine was fairly hard to make without an exact recipe. In order to bring out the fire and water lotus¡¯ sweetness, one had to concoct a perfect balance between the fire essence beast blood and the water essence beast blood. Strictly speaking, there was no real way to tell how to compare the quality between two beast bloods of different essences. Even if you caught and extracted the blood of two identical beasts and which one had affinity to the water dao and the other with the fire dao, the quality of the blood could still differ.

    Thus, Relic could only go through the process as a trial and error. If the fire essence blood was stronger than the water essence blood, then the lotus will burn and turn to ashes. If the opposite was true, then the lotus will plump up and explode with gushing water. However, if the lotus carries no spirit qi at all, it is basically dead and will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

    ¡­.

    At this moment, Hana was in the lotus position and was in a meditative state. When her brother taught this position to her she immediately understood it and was able to enter the meditative state with ease. When Relic saw this he only sighed and mumbled the words: ¡®a true successor indeed¡­¡¯

    The meditative state was used to not only calm one self, but also establish a foundation for oneself after having a breakthrough. All break through causes some form of backlash to the cultivator so it was important to meditate regularly in order to stabilize their foundation and reduce the backlash..Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Hana opened her eyes with fierce determination. The 8 sets of the [dragon breaking point] technique scale up in difficulty the higher you went. For a new cultivator like Hana, Relic only had her start out with the first two. However, she now felt like she could take on the third set as well.

    Hana stood up and began to cultivate the [dragon breaking point] technique.

    All the while, she did not notice a sharp gaze coming behind her.

    ¡­.

    A gigantic black and gold snake wrapped itself around the branch of the large tree within the immortal cave. Its gaze stared intently on Hana and looked to be filled with a hint of killing intent.

    ¡°The legend of the true successor tells of individuals beloved by the heavens and blessed with heavenly talent. If they pursue the path of cultivation they are surely to reach the apex and stand above all. The legend states a true successor will reveal itself when two conditions are met. The first being they have an unwavering and resolute heart; and the second that they connect to a heavenly thread using the original human scripture.¡± Diana continued to silently gaze down on Hana but her heart was beginning to beat faster.

    The original human scripture was the first scripture to teach humans cultivation. No one knew how it came to be but it was said the first scripture was so profound it could allow anyone to become an immortal. However, like many things, the original human scripture was lost to time. Though, that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t other variations of cultivation techniques that have come close to the original scripture.  Diana surmised that the cultivation technique Relic taught Hana was one which closely resembled the original human scripture.

    Her fangs slowly emerged and her cold piercing eyes sharpened like a predator eyeing its prey. ¡°One strike, I can finish her with just one strike¡­¡± The thought crossed her mind several times.

    ¡°<So you¡¯ve finally decided to show your true nature have you?>¡± a mocking voice suddenly sounded behind her. Jiro had perched himself behind Diana.

    ¡°<Little chicken, what do you want? I¡¯m not in the mood to play with you.>¡± she said coldly.

    ¡°<There¡¯s nothing I want, I just felt your murderous intent and I wanted to see who you were eyeing. I didn¡¯t realize it was on the little girl who thought of you as a goddess.>¡± he smirked.

    Diana did not respond to Jiro¡¯s obvious attempt at provocation and instead asked a question ¡°<Why aren¡¯t you more concern with the appearance of a true successor?  You and I both know the tension between the cultivators and us spirit beasts have been rising recently. As part of the treaty, those golden world cultivators are not allowed to kill any spirit beasts while they are in the desolate regions. Yet, every day there are more and more of them breaking that treaty. It won¡¯t be too long until one day a full war will break between both sides and when that happens, which side do you think that girl will choose?  There is no doubt she will be the one of, if not the strongest, cultivator ever! If that girl is allowed to grow, the balance will be broken and the spirit beasts will be at a severe disadvantage.>¡±

    Jiro stilled and did not respond.

    ¡°<ha, nothing to say?>¡± she laughed. ¡°<What now, are you going to try to stop me or tell your masters that I plan to kill her? Though, neither you nor that little boy could hope to stop me if I truly took action.>¡±

    ¡°<Don¡¯t mistake me worm, I don¡¯t care what happens to these humans! The only reason I¡¯m with them is because her brother has promised to fix my core! >¡±

    ¡°<If you truly believe that boy has what it takes to fix your core then your species is more foolish than I thought.>¡± she scoffed.

    The two auras coming from them clashed and a wave of murderous intent overlapped each other. However, Jiro was the first to retract his aura before turning away. Diana was shocked Jiro backed off and immediately became suspicious.

    ¡°<Do what you want, I won¡¯t stop you. However, that boy is more mysterious than you can believe. You may end up regretting the decision you make today. >¡± With that said, Jiro flew back to the grass field and returned to his post where he continued to rest.

    Diana seemed a bit conflicted by what Jiro said. As much as she disliked Jiro, he was still a divine spirit beast and for him to talk about a human in such a way made even her to question everything.

    However, she quickly steeled herself as she begun to think about the bigger picture.

    ¡°It must be nice to have been born as a divine spirit beast without responsibilities .As for me I have my subjects to look after. If I take out this girl now, at least I would have taken care of one supreme cultivator¡­ It will be the last thing I do as a princess.¡±

    Diana heart grew heavy as she thought about killing this girl. She actually quite liked this girl who was so cheerful and fascinated about everything. As a divine spirit beast, it was quite strange for her to feel any attachment to these humans. As her thoughts wandered, she then thought about Cornelius. Tears ran down the side of her head.

    ¡°Mr. Savior, although you have saved me, I can only trample on your kindness. This world will never accept a relationship like ours. I hope we can meet again in the next life... ¡±

    She changed into an attacking position, her fangs now fully protruded outwards and her eyes solely focused on Hana.

    She, who could take on even Golden world Cultivators, was about to attack a defenceless girl who was merely at the qi condensation realm.

    Just as she was about to strike, an influx of qi energy spiraled from her and towards Hana!

    ¡°What is going on?! Is this the power of the True successor?!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but speak out loud.

    The large tree tussled heavily as if it there was a large hurricane beside it.

    Relic quickly turned to see Hana sweating profusely and making pained expressions. A thousand questions were going through Relic¡¯s mind at this point.

    What is happening?

    How could this be?

    A true successor couldn¡¯t possible do all of this!

    However, no matter what he was thinking, no one was there to answer him.

    Just as sudden as the qi energy arrived, it had suddenly abruptly stopped. Relic quickly arrived beside Hana but she was still as a statue. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily.

    ¡°Is she making a break through?!¡± Relic swallowed his saliva in disbelief.

    Diana had a single sweat run down her head, now believing more than ever this girl had to be taken down now.

    Before she could even launch her attack, a pressure filled with emptiness shrouded her entire body. It was an emptiness of extreme hunger, a hunger to devour all things! Diana, froze on the spot, unable to move an inch.

    It was then, the immortal cave door opened and Cornelius appeared in front of Hana with constricted eyes.

 Chapter 47

    Booom!

    A shock wave spread throughout the immortal cave pushing everyone back a step.

    Hana spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing.

    Cornelius instantly appeared in front of Hana and caught her in his arms.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked Relic solemnly

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before. Just this morning we found out she was a true successor. Now¡­.¡± Relic replied.

    ¡°What?! A true Successor!¡± Cornelius couldn¡¯t help but look down at the little girl in his arms. Suddenly, he gasped in shock, ¡°She¡¯s already in the soulless warrior realm? Wasn¡¯t she just a mortal this morning?¡±

    Relic nodded slowly.

    ¡°This¡­were you like this in the past?¡±

    ¡°No, this is completely different to how I was in the past.¡± He crouched down and patted Hana¡¯s head. He had a genuine expression of worry for his sister. ¡°Not only is she a true successor, but now also the abyss constitution. Is this just a coincidence?¡±

    The abyss constitution was one of several rare constitutions only seen in records. It was a constitution unlike any other, capable of providing the cultivator with limitless strength. With a voracious appetite, this constitution required large amounts of Qi in order for the cultivator to progress in cultivation. Those with low talents would often find themselves unable to progress a step, forever trapped within one realm. That is why the other name for the abyss constitution was the dream killer constitution. It has yet to be recorded of an abyss constitution cultivator to have ever stepped into the foundation realm.

    What made Relic and Cornelius so shocked and lost for words, was not merely the fact that Hana was blessed with a rare constitution or became a true successor. What shocked them was the coincidence of receiving both of these gifts. A true successor was blessed with unparalleled talent under the heavens while an abyss constitution was plagued with an almost unbreakable ceiling to cultivate. However, with the two working in tandem, wouldn¡¯t that mean she would essentially have solved the problems of the abyss constitution and would someday become the most powerful cultivator ever seen?

    Cornelius quivered as he held the little girl in his arms. The little girl who could potentially someday stand at the true apex of cultivation lay unconscious in his arms.

    After a moment, Cornelius straightened his back and turned to Relic. ¡°I want to perform a spiritual purification on Hana. What do you think? ¡±

    To any outsider, this scene would look incredibly strange. Someone as powerful as Cornelius was asking permission from a mortal boy to do something.

    Spiritual purifications were a ritual in order to purify the mind and body. It was particularly helpful to those who suffered some sort of backlash after a break through as Hana did. However, spiritual purification was difficult to do unless performed by a powerful cultivator who had complete mastery over their qi. The other draw back was the fact that whoever was being performed on would be completely vulnerable to the person performing the ritual. Thus, there weren¡¯t many who actually go through spiritual purification regularly.

    Relic took a moment before nodding his head in agreement. A spiritual purification would definitely help Hana after her break through. Her body had never gone through any training and was more vulnerable to repercussions of cultivation than others. Of course Relic knew Cornelius also wanted to peer inside Hana¡¯s dantian region but even Relic was curious on what he would find.

    ¡­

    Cornelius carried Hana towards the lake of crystal clear spirit water. He continued towards the center of the lake where his lower half of the body was quickly submerged under water.

    Hana¡¯s body floated effortlessly on top of the clear water.

    Cornelius then spoke a short incantation which immediately caused the spirit lake to glow a light blue light. A black haze slowly exited Hana¡¯s body and into the lake. These were the impurities exiting Hana¡¯s body.

    Within a few moments, the black haze stopped and Hana carried a peaceful and serene expression.

    He then shrouded his hand with Qi and proceeded to place it on Hana¡¯s abdomen. Green light coursed through Hana¡¯s body, healing and mending her body. Any remnants of the impurities left in her veins were also being cleansed from her body.

    At the same time this was happening, Cornelius mind was scouting the region of Hana¡¯s dantian space. His qi manifested a type of spirit form which was able to interact within the dantian space.

    What he saw caused his eyes to bulge and his jaw to drop.

    In front of him was Hana¡¯s dantian which was protected by her spiritual root. Once a cultivator connected their dantian to a heavenly thread, their spiritual root would take form and hold the dantian in place. The spiritual root was essentially the measurement of talent a cultivator possessed. Normal spiritual roots would normally look like a stand which held the dantian on top.

    However, what Cornelius was witnessing was no mere root. It was a gigantic spirit tree! It protected the dantian from all sides and even gave Cornelius a feeling of invulnerability. Even he would have to put in a little effort to reach the core of the dantian if he wanted to.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Aside from the spiritual root, there were also 12 orbs of light which floated not too far in the distance. Cornelius swallowed his saliva in disbelief.

    These orbs of light represented Hana¡¯s 12 meridians which acted as energy reserves for different parts of her body. It was said the amount of meridian orbs lit up indicated the future of a cultivators¡¯ cultivation journey. 3-5 was the average and often indicated you would never go beyond the foundation realm. 6-8 was the realm of geniuses and some could even reach the golden world realm. From 9- 10, were those one in a hundred year monsters who were fated to become half a step to a full-fledged immortal ascension realm. Anything further than that¡­. Well those were only in legends.

    ¡°T-twelve fully lit up meridians. Is she the reincarnation of a goddess?¡± Cornelius couldn¡¯t think of any other way to explain what he was seeing.

    He continued to scout the area when he noticed an immaculate white bridge from a corner of the dantian. The bridge looked to be something which should not belong in this world. It brought a feeling of divinity and majesty. Cornelius felt his gaze averting from the bridge as if it was too heavenly for his bare eyes to lay upon.

    ¡°Is that¡­ a door?¡±  he squinted hard in an attempt to see the end of the white bridge but no matter how he focused, he couldn¡¯t quite make out what was at the end of the bridge.

    He descended on to the white bridge and almost immediately felt a crushing pressure. It was like the weight of the world was on his back and it brought him to his knees. ¡°I-incredible, what is this bridge?¡± he said with a contorted look.

    Suddenly, a deep reverberating sound could be heard inside his own dantian. Within his own dantian space was a golden sphere. Prior to stepping onto this bridge, the sphere had been slowly spinning, refining his spirit qi into immortal qi. However, after stepping on this bridge, he could feel the sphere spin slightly faster. ¡°How can this be?! This bridge can actually increase the refining process of spirit Qi?!¡± His mind quickly fell into a state of complete shock. Never had he experienced so many shocking occurrences in one place. It was almost as if none of this was real and he was just dreaming.

    If he were to cultivate in this area right now he would be shaving off years of cultivation! However, his sense of adventure got the better of him. If on the first step, the rate of refining was increased slightly, what would happen on the second step?

    Cornelius lifted himself up against the huge pressure and took a huge breath before taking another step on the white bridge.

    Boom!

    Cornelius slammed down on to his knees.

    The crushing pressure almost doubled and was now trying to push him off the bridge!

    Cornelius quickly held onto the side of the bridge in order to stay on but contrary to his situation, a smile appeared on his face. ¡°The rate¡­of refining¡­it has almost doubled.¡± He said, panting.

    He wanted to cultivate on the spot but while the pressure he felt did not increase, the pushing force was increasing exponentially.

    Fwoosh!

    He was quickly blown of the white bridge and fell downwards to a sucking force.

    Try as he might, as soon as Cornelius was blown off, he was already being sucked down into an abyss which rested below the dantian and spirit tree.

    ¡°AHHHHHHH!¡±

    The screams echoed before his entire body vanished in the abyss.

    ¡­.

    Back in the immortal cave, Cornelius eyes snapped open.

    He spat out a mouthful of blood and was extremely pale. Perspiration rained down his body and his body shook violently.

    ¡°What happened?!¡± Relic voice suddenly sounded.

    Cornelius looked up to Relic¡¯s confused face and calmed himself down.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk privately.¡± He said solemnly.

    ¡­.

    Cornelius settled Hana on the ground and told everything he saw to Relic within a silent bubble.

    Relic displayed an array of shocked and terrified expressions as he listened to Cornelius¡¯ recount.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say much about the other things but the white bridge was definitely not something in born with Hana.¡± Cornelius had a hardened look.

    ¡°We can¡¯t release this information to anyone.¡± Relic said.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Cornelius nodded and continued, ¡°Hana is very special and she must be guided in order to reach her full potential. I think it would be best suited for her to join our beast calamity sect.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Cornelius was slightly loss for words. He didn¡¯t expect Relic to reject his offer just like that. He immediately frowned and asked, ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I have already decided a sect for her to go to.¡±

    ¡°Which sect could compare to ours?! While we may not be on the same level as the four supreme sects we have our own measures of protecting ourselves against them or any other sect.. Whether it be resources, combat arts, or training manuals, we have it all! ¡±

    Cornelius truly understood the potential of Hana¡¯s future. Someday, she would stand above all cultivators and could possibly be the catalyst which brings this era to the next. If he could affiliate her with the beast calamity sect then it would ensure the sect to prosper for many years to come. However, he would never force her into the sect as that may have the opposite affect than intended.

    ¡°We would welcome both of you into the higher echelons of the sect and I will personally recommend Hana to become a Legacy Disciple under the current Sect Master. We will definitely keep Hana¡¯s secret from anyone else.¡±  Cornelius did not try to hide any of his intention. ¡°In fact, I can also guarantee we will provide her first beast blood bath with the blood of the Heavenly cloud treading dragon!¡±

    Relic raised an eye brow but continued to shake his head. ¡°The beast calamity sect definitely does not lose out to any other sect. I also have a generally good opinion of the people in that sect. ¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°But your sect is not strong enough to protect her if things go to hell!¡±

    ¡°Not strong enough?¡±  Cornelius noticed a look of certainty of Relics face. As if Relic knew everything about the sect and still saw it as not enough. He suddenly remembered something and gave a sigh, ¡°So, you even know about that do you?¡±

    Relic nodded.

    ¡°Ah, Jun Po, what are you doing revealing so many secrets to other people.¡± He scratched his head in defeat.  He knew he could no longer convince Relic to have Hana join his sect and gave up. ¡°Then which sect are you planning to leave her at?¡±

    ¡°The Blind Swordsman Sect.¡±

    ¡°That sect¡­ Yes, that would definitely be the best choice.¡± He could only sigh.

    The Blind Swordsman Sect was a sect shrouded in mystery and secrecy. Many have tried to infiltrate their sects in order to plant some spies and learn of their secrets but no one has ever succeeded, not even the supreme sects. It wasn¡¯t that the sect was hidden or anything but it was just impossible to enter its grounds if you weren¡¯t a part of that sect.

    Cornelius felt a little down having to give up on having Hana join his sect but perhaps it wasn¡¯t meant to be.

    ¡°There are still somethings we must do here before we set off to travel. Hana doesn¡¯t seem to enjoy listening to my lessons. If you don¡¯t mind, would you mind taking over the role as her teacher?¡± Relic asked sincerely.

    Cornelius entire body reacted at once when he heard those words.

    ¡°I¡¯LL DO IT!¡± he instantly replied.

 Chapter 48

    Within the guest estate, Yan Wen fell into an immediate state of shock over what he just heard.

    A communication crystal was held on top of his palm.

    ¡°Elder?¡± the crystal glowed and the voice of a polite male was heard.

    ¡°I-is what you said true?¡±

    ¡°Yes, elder, it has already been confirmed in multiple major cities. At this moment, there are hordes of mortals and cultivators trying out the cold steel smithing method and have found how to easily replicate the quality of the Jade Flower Trading group. Similarly, the three flame pill condensation method has also found success in the hands of several individuals and many sects have already begun production of their own pills using this method. As for the truffles¡­ rumours discrediting the fact that truffles found in the wild are poisonous have already begun to spread to the four corners. At this rate, all three of these secrets shall be known to all in the following morning.¡±

    Yan Wen closed his palm and staggered to a chair. It looked as if he had aged around 10 years and was continually aging.

    ¡°Uncle, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± Yan Mu, who happened to walk by, noticed the disarray look on his uncle and hurried to his side.

    ¡°It¡¯s all worthless now¡­.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Yan Wen summoned out several bags of truffles and immediately set them on fire.

    Yan Mu gasped. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± he immediately tried to put the fire out.

    ¡°It¡¯s worthless! If we were able to acquire this land before and then offer it to the Sun and Moon group, we would have raised our rank within the organisation. Our family would have been propelled to new heights and the balance of power in the rainfall region would be broken with us as the true powerhouse!¡±

    ¡°Uncle, what happened?¡± Yan Mu asked, still uncertain what his uncle was saying.

    ¡°The location of the truffles have been leaked.¡± He sighed.

    ¡°What?! Why isn¡¯t the Sun and Moon group doing anything to stop it?¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t. In the past, whenever someone found out about the truth, the group would just destroy the person who found out and everyone they knew. In extreme cases, they would even destroy an entire city. However, this time, someone has deliberately started off a chain of rumours regarding the location. Within an hour of revealing the secret, it was already spread throughout multiple cities. There have also been cases of random people confirming the rumour, meaning everyone knows the rumours are true.¡±

    ¡°W-was it one of the other trading groups?¡±

    Yan Wen shook his head. ¡°Their secrets have been leaked as well.¡±

    Yan Mu was very much speechless the same way as when his Uncle first heard the news. He couldn¡¯t imagine who could have done this. Any of the other major powers wouldn¡¯t dare reveal these secrets as that would cause mass implications of them from all three of the trading groups.

    ¡°Could it have been the person selling those truffles to that restaurant?¡± Yan Mu suddenly asked.

    However, Yan Wen only sighed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Even if it was, that person has completely derailed our plans. We¡¯ll leave tonight.¡±

    Yan Wen left dejectedly, leaving Yan Mu alone in the room.

    ¡°Uncle¡­¡± Yan Mu clenched his hands. He felt an even greater amount of hatred than his uncle did. If everything succeeded then he would have become an exalted young master and the heirs from the other families would no longer look down on him. Now¡­it was all ruined!

    ¡°DAMMIT!¡± He punched the wall next to him causing the walls to shake slightly.

    After a few moments, his anger began to subside and he thought about the last time he was this anger. ¡°Those twins¡­. Now that we don¡¯t have to put up a face for that Mayor you two are dead!¡±

    He left the room and immediately summoned his guards and some of the other servants.

    ¡­.

    Back Inside the immortal cave, Hana had just woken up and was stretching her arms.

    *Yawn¡­

    She looked around as she rubbed her tired eyes.

    ¡°Did I fall asleep?¡±

    ¡°Hana.¡±

    Hana quickly turned around and saw her brother standing next to the Mayor.

    ¡°Ah, Mr. Mayor.¡± Hana got up and greeted him respectfully.

    ¡°Mn, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± He said with a smile.  The smile was soft and endearing.

    Cornelius was obviously trying to give off a better impression now that he was going to be her teacher. If she was someday going to reach the apex he had to make sure she would still remember him in the future. Who would ever forget the kindness of their teacher who taught them everything they knew?

    Unfortunately, his attempt for a good impression went over board and his smile somehow turned a bit sinister. The excitement of teaching this girl made his smile overly exaggerated.

    Hana silently took a step back.

    ¡°Hana, starting tomorrow the Mayor will be your new teacher. He will teach you all the fundamentals of cultivation and guide you whenever you have any troubles.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Hana immediately panicked.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going to teach me anymore? IS it because I fell asleep during your lesson? I promise I won¡¯t do it again!¡± She thought her brother must have been mad after she dozed off several times during their lessons.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I will still be around if you need me for anything.¡± He patted her head. ¡°Do you remember what I said before, that I was picked up by my master and she took me in as her disciple?¡±

    Hana nodded.

    ¡°The truth is my master will be coming here soon. There are a lot of things I need to prepare before she arrives. The Mayor is actually helping me out so that I have a bit more time to prepare. Of course, if you ever want to ask me a question you can.¡±

    Seeing the caring look on Relic¡¯s face she knew he was telling the truth.

    ¡°I understand.¡± She said before giving Relic a hug. For some reason, although he didn¡¯t say anything, she felt like he would be leaving soon.

    ¡°Eh?¡± She suddenly paused. ¡°Brother, how come you¡¯re different?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Relic was slightly confused by her question.

    ¡°Inside, there is green light flowing in my body. But inside brother, I don¡¯t see any of that green light.¡±

    Cornelius and Relic stilled in complete shock. They thought there was nothing left Hana could do to shock them but this just wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°Spiritual sense?!¡± They both understood what Hana had done.

    Spiritual sense was slightly different from Divine Sense. Spiritual sense usually covered a person¡¯s immediately area; while divine sense covered incredibly longer distances which made it capable of seeing all movements within an area.

    Learning to use your Spiritual Sense was not something difficult for cultivators to learn. In fact, it almost came naturally to them. However, the ability to use Divine Sense was only available for those starting in the Spirit Realm. There has never been a case of a cultivator learning it any earlier than that.

    ¡°Hana¡­¡± Relic sighed.  ¡°The green light flowing in your body is the qi energy you have cultivated. The energy you cultivate is collected to your dantian and flows through your body, making you stronger. The reason you don¡¯t see any green light in my body is because I haven¡¯t actually begun to cultivate yet.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t brother a cultivator? You taught me the cultivation technique, shouldn¡¯t you also have begun to cultivate?¡±

    Relic shook his head. ¡°To be a cultivator one must grasp on to the Heavenly Threads. Without it, cultivation techniques are just a set of movements.¡±

    ¡°Then why¡­¡±

    ¡°There are many paths in reaching the Dao. I merely walk a different path which prevents me from cultivating this way. ¡±

    Cornelius raised an eye brow hearing what Relic just said. ¡°What other path is there?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but question.

    ¡°Hana, you have not even acknowledged your new teacher yet. You better hurry up otherwise he might change his mind.¡± Relic suddenly said.

    ¡°ah, okay.¡± She said with a hint of sadness.

    Hana turned to Cornelius who had a bright smile on his face. However, with every step closer to Cornelius, his soft smile would turn a little more sinister. She began to shake and she quickly became teary eyed the closer she got.

    ¡°Mr. Saviour, please put away that smile, you are scaring the poor girl.¡± An angelic voice could suddenly be heard.

    When Hana heard the familiar angelic voice she immediately became excited and ran towards a female descending from the large tree.

    ¡°Princess Diana!¡± Hana yelled out excitedly. She immediately ran towards Diana and embraced her tightly. ¡°So soft¡­¡± Embracing Diana immediately calmed Hana¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Princess Diana, you¡¯re awake.¡± Cornelius also greeted her.

    ¡°Mr. Savior, I have overheard your conversation. I understand you are excited to teach her but I¡¯m afraid your excitement does not show well on your face.¡± She said with a little chuckle.

    ¡°My face?¡± He gave a troubled look.

    Diana then turned to Hana and stroked her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t mind Mr. Savior¡¯s smile, he is just really excited to be your teacher.¡± Although she said that she could see that Hana still had a look of resignation. ¡°Do you know why I call the mayor Mr. Savior?¡±

    Hana shook her head.

    ¡°You see, just before I met Mr Savior, I was being chased by some fearsome spirit beasts. I used all my strength to flee but it was futile as they soon caught up. They were just about to deal the final blow when, out of nowhere, Mr Savior came and saved me from those spirit beasts. He carried and protected me until those spirit beasts had no choice but to give up. Then he spent a week looking after me because I was too injured to move before he finally carried me back to his home. I have been indebted to Mr Savior¡¯s kindness ever since. ¡°She proceeded to give Hana a gentle hug. ¡°He is the most wonderful man I¡¯ve ever had the pleasure to meet. He is definitely worth your trust.¡±

    Cornelius blushed red and Relic chuckled slightly.

    Diana stared at Hana with a look of melancholy and whispered, ¡°Hana, when you someday get strong, I hope you will still remember me as the princess who rules over the Divine Beast Forest.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? We will be friends forever, right?¡±

    Diana smiled. ¡°Of course. Now go to your teacher.¡±

    Diana¡¯s words had completely washed any doubt Hana had towards the Mayor. She appeared in front of him and bowed. ¡°Please allow me to be your student!¡±

    ¡°Mn, starting today you will be my student.  I will guide you to the best of my abilities so that one day, you will stand at the pinnacle of this world!¡± Cornelius spoke with intense zeal making it sound almost childish. It caused both Diana and Relic to let out a bit of a chuckle but to Hana, it seemed like the Mayor had turned a little cooler.

    ¡°Hana, it¡¯s getting late, let¡¯s head home.¡± Relic suddenly said.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    The two said their goodbyes to Cornelius and Diana before hopping on to Jiro and flying back up to Heaven¡¯s Peak.

    ¡°Mr Savior, there something I would like to discuss with you.¡±

    ¡°Princess Diana, what is it?¡± He turned around only suddenly see Diana¡¯s face a hair¡¯s breadth apart. She kissed him on the side of the cheek causing Cornelius to stagger a step back before turning red.

    Dianna giggled slightly and continued, ¡°Thank you for everything you have done for me.¡± She gave a small bow.

    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°But it is time for me to go.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Cornelius heart suddenly accelerated. ¡°Aren¡¯t you still injured? You can stay here as long as you want; it really is no inconvenience to me!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but all of my serious injuries have already been healed. Only a few superficial ones remain. ¡± Diana was also feeling a bit of heartache saying all of this but she kept a strong front. ¡°I¡¯m still a princess and I have a duty to my people.¡±

    Cornelius wanted to speak out and try to convince her to stay longer but even as he tried he felt like something was stuck in his throat. After a moment he sighed, ¡°Will we ever see each other again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that is very unlikely.¡± She slowly said. She began to reach her hand behind as if she was trying to reach something when she suddenly shook her head and stopped herself. ¡°Mr Savior¡­.Cornelius, this is good bye. I wish you and your town a happy and blessed life.¡±

    She made her way towards the entrance of the cave.

    ¡°Until next time, Diana.¡± Cornelius waved goodbye.

    A single tear was shed from Diana¡¯s eye as turned back into the 119m long black and gold serpent. She silently made her way into the covering of the forest before looking back at the large mountain. ¡°I had a duty to destroy any cultivators who would bring harm to my people. But how could I kill Mr. Saviors only student¡­¡±  She sighed as she continued deeper in to the forest.

    Back in the Immortal cave, Cornelius had a sorrowful look on his face.

    He had done and seen many things in his youth and aside from Hana¡¯s recent visit, rarely was he ever moved by anything. Yet, as Diana was leaving, he could feel a small hole open in his heart.

    He walked towards the crystal clear lake and decided to calm his mind by meditating.

    ¡­

    Back in Heaven¡¯s Peak, two children and a peacock descended on to the empty streets.

    It was night time and many of the residents have already retreated back to their homes.

    ¡°Princess Diana is so pretty, I wonder if I can ever visit her in her kingdom!¡± Hana excitedly questioned.

    ¡°A beast kingdom is not really suited for humans to visit. However, if you stay diligent in your studies and training, then maybe someday you will be powerful enough to be able to.¡± Relic Replied.

    ¡°En!¡± She nodded.

    As they continued to walk, a group of people slowly entered into their view.

    ¡°So you have finally arrived. I was worried you wouldn¡¯t show before we had to leave.¡± An arrogant voice of a man sounded.

    The group of people advanced and Relic saw the face of the man speaking. It was Yan Mu!

 Chapter 49

    ¡°(Run!)¡±

    Jiro immediately took to the sky and jetted towards the immortal cave.

    ¡°After them!¡± Yan Mu Shouted.

    Aside from the original two guards, there were now two more individuals who donned on the robes of the Yan clan.

    They immediately responded to the order and hoped on to their flying swords.

    Jiro flew much slower now than before after Relic toke half of his strength. It had only taken a few moments for the four individuals to catch up and block any escape routes.

    ¡°Give yourself up Relic you have no chance against all of us.¡± A large man with several scars on his face spoke out.

    ¡°Then what? Isn¡¯t your master just going to kill us?¡± Relic countenance was dark.

    ¡°Capture them all! The boy and girl I will deal with later. ¡°Yan Mu appeared below and said. He continued, ¡°Beast, return to me and I promise I won¡¯t invoke any punishment.¡±

    Jiro gave Yan Mu a cold piercing stare. The first time he was captured, he had no choice but to serve this arrogant young master. However, now that they were in this situation, he would rather die than to serve him again!

    Jiro responded with an ear deafening roar.

    A vein appeared on Yan Mu¡¯s head.

    ¡°Then so be it! Kill the beast!¡± he ordered

    In that same moment everyone was preoccupied with Yan Mu¡¯s speech, Relic retrieved out a paper seal he bought previously. He threw it out and a blinding light flashed out.

    Ding

    Everyone covered their eyes to the bright light. When their eyes readjusted, Jiro and the two children had already flown out of the group of guards and were near approaching the edge of the mountain.

    ¡°Petty trick.¡± One of them said.

    ¡°What are you idiots doing don¡¯t let them near the cave!¡± Yan Mu angrily shouted out.

    Yan Mu¡¯s Uncle had already told Yan Mu previously that the Mayor of this town had an immortal cave on the side of the mountain. Yan Mu quickly surmised Jiro were trying to get there.

    The group of guards immediately gave chase, not allowing Jiro to even think about heading towards the side of the mountain.

    ¡­

    ¡°Hana, I need you to do exactly as I say.¡± Relic said in a hurried voice. He retrieved out the ring he got from killing Tang Wu previously and placed it in Hana¡¯s hand. ¡°This is a spatial ring activated with qi energy. I need you to circulate your qi into the ring. Remember, it is all about the intent. Will the spatial ring to open for you.¡±

    As they were now, Relic and Jiro stood no chance against the group of guards. They were all using flying swords indicating that they were at least foundation realm cultivators. Relic also didn¡¯t have any means of communicating with the Mayor. He didn¡¯t know why the Mayor had yet to show up but his only choice now was to hope there was something in Tang Wu¡¯s spatial ring.

    Hana nodded and did exactly as her brother said. She had seen these situations so many times these past few days that it no longer affected her as much as it did previously.

    Hana began to focus her qi, carefully guiding a bit of it towards the spatial ring.

    ¡°I opened it!¡±

    Regularly, newer cultivators would need several attempts to inject some qi into items but to Hana, she could get it on the first try.

    ¡°Good!¡± Relic wasn¡¯t even astonished anymore and immediately peered inside the open spatial ring and searched through all the items. His eyes immediately landed on a three paper seals which had the characters ¡®Attack¡¯ on them.

    He immediately retrieved the items from the spatial ring and stood on top of Jiro. ¡°Hana, no matter what, stay on Jiro.¡±

    Hana nodded.

    The four guards continued to chase.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°They¡¯re mine!¡± A female guard said with a malicious grin as she summoned out her sword.

    ¡°Careful, he is more cunning than he looks!¡± The scarred man shouted.

    However, the female guard did not even think anything about it. They were against two children and a broken spirit beast. How much danger could these three pose?

    ¡°Accelerate!¡±

    The flying sword beneath her feet lit up with lines of energy. She shot past the other three guards and was instantly within striking distance of Jiro. This flying sword was obviously a speed type flying sword.

    She saw Relic facing her as he stood on top of Jiro. ¡°Oh, do you want to fight me? Courageous, but foolish!¡± She lifted her sword up, ready to strike down.

    Relic immediately bent down his knees and launched himself towards the speeding women.

    ¡°Wha¡­¡±

    The two bodies collided and the female guard fell off her flying sword, plummeting towards the ground with Relic.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Hana screamed out.

    ¡°Jasmine! Dammit! You two continue chasing those two. I¡¯ll go get Jasmine.¡± The scarred guard said. He immediately changed his direction towards the falling pair.

    ¡­

    ¡°Damn brat, let go of me!¡± Jasmine, the female guard, grinded her teeth.

    She was completely caught off guard with Relics attack. They were over a 1000m in the sky. Who would think someone would be so suicidal to jump off their only form of flying?

    Relic used his element of surprise to quickly get in position to lock in her joints. She quickly found that she could not move much less swing her sword towards Relic.

    As they continued to fall the female guard began to panic and perspire intensely. They fell from a height around 1000m. Even a person as strong as a foundation realm expert would die if they fell from this height without any bumper. She at least had some treasures that would cushion her fall but as their bodies picked up speed, the treasures would lose their effectiveness.

    ¡°F*ck you! Are you intending for us die together?¡± She tried to struggle out of his hold but Relic would not budge an inch. He had completely locked her joints. Even if she was twice as strong as him, she would still be unable to break free.

    The two continued to fall down and were soon at the half way point of the mountain.

    ¡°Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!¡± Jamine continued to panic. Every second passing was a step further towards their death. She couldn¡¯t believe she would die like this!

    ¡°Jasmine!¡± The scarred man could be seen right behind them.

    ¡°Captain!¡± She yelled. ¡°Save me!¡±

    The scarred man immediately slashed his sword towards Relic¡¯s back. However, Relic was prepared and quickly swerved the female top side.

    The scarred man immediately stopped his attack and grumbled. ¡°Fine, then I guess I will just save both of you!¡± He extended his hand in order to grab on to Jasmines cloths, essentially saving both of their lives.

    At this point, the two had already been falling for a couple of seconds and were now a third of the mountain away from the ground.

    ¡°This should do¡­¡± Relic, who had not spoken the entire time, finally spoke.

    He swerved himself back topside and released his lock on her. He placed his feet on her back and pushed off. The force of his stomp propelled her down faster than before.

    ¡°Quick grab my hand!¡± The scarred man immediately rushed towards Jasmine and extended his hand.

    Jasmine extended her arm out when she suddenly saw Relic with a paper seal in his hand. Her eyes focused on the paper seal and saw Relic throw it out. For a brief moment, she could see that ¡®Attack¡¯ characters on the paper seal.

    ¡°Get away!¡± She shouted.

    The paper seal flew through the air for a brief moment before bursting into a giant ball of fire. It shot towards Jasmine who was still falling mid-air and incapable of dodging.

    ¡°Not enough!¡± The scarred man immediately reacted. He endowed his sword with the essence of fire, making it match the heat of the giant fire ball. ¡°Come!¡±

    The two forces clashed and a wave of intense heat spread from all sides.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the scarred man to gain an upper hand. The fire ball gave way and was sliced in half by the man.

    He then turned back to Jasmine, when suddenly, a bolt of lightning zipped past him.

    This attack was much faster than the ball of fire. Even if the scarred man was to chase after it right now, he would still not make it in time to reach it before it reached Jasmine.

    Jasmine saw the attack coming her way and immediately held out her sword in front of her. She weaker than the scarred man and was not able to endow her weapon to protect her like it did for the scarred man. However, she tried her best and infused her qi into her weapon.

    Booom!

    The bolt of lightning struck against the sword in the woman¡¯s hand. The surging power filled the weapon with the essence of lightning. It battled with the qi energy coming from the woman. However, her strength wasn¡¯t enough and it soon gave way to the power of the lightning bolt.

    The lightning surged through her weapon and into her body.

    ¡°AHHHHHH!¡± She groaned in pain. Her body spasmed from the lightning coursing through her body; her skin quickly charred and her hair burned off.

    Only after a brief moment did the attack finally subside and she fell as a smoking body.

    The scarred man finally caught up and caught the charred body in his arms.

    Jasmine was barely breathing.  She wasn¡¯t quite dead but even if she lived, her body was permanently scarred from the burns and she would take years to recover. She opened her dry eyes with a look of pain towards the scarred man. She made indistinguishable noises but the man quickly hushed her up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk, take this pill.¡± He retrieved out a pill and lifted it towards her mouth. It was obvious the scarred man had some sort of relationship with Jasmine as he gave her a caring gaze.

    The pill was just about to enter her mouth when suddenly¡­

    Puchi¡­

    A spear swooshed through the air above and penetrated her head. She instantly died in the arms of the scarred man.

    Relic spared no time in finishing off the woman. Immediately after, he took out Six identical paper seals.

    He dived down towards the ground with every two seconds; he would activate one of the paper seals which shot out a blast of air, cushioning his descent.

    He quickly touched the forest ground and stared intensely at the scarred man whom also slowly descended to the ground.

    The scarred man gently laid down his female companion and as his hands let go of her body, a murderous intent radiated from his body.

    His sword instantly engulfed in flames and he stared murderously at Relic.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡±

 Chapter 50

    Paper seals were categorized under three categories. There were the utility seals, the attack seals, and defence seals.

    Utility seals were created by formations and were used to make common folks lives easier. For example, the paper seal Relic first threw out was a flash seal used by explorers in case they got lost or to scare away weak spirit beasts. The six paper seals he used to get down were called the wind impact seals. A short yet powerful burst of air regularly used to clear the streets of leaves.

    These utility seals had helped Relic on his journey in the past many times and he has long seen the value of the seals past their common usages.

    The attack and defence paper seals were completely different. These seals were only created by powerful cultivators who instill their insights into them. Not only were they incredibly difficult to make, it would also drain you of a lot of energy and time just to create one! That was why only wealthy and powerful cultivators could afford these.

    Relic had used two tier 3 attack paper seals which were created by Spirit realm cultivators and would attack with 30% of the cultivator¡¯s power.

    The scarred man griped the hilt of his sword tightly. He showed no signs of fear despite having seen Relic throw out two attack seals. He knew the delay of using these paper seals made it impractical for one on one fights. His only focus was on Relic¡¯s neck which he now looked with murderous intent.

    Relic immediately took up a fighting stance with a spear in both hands, and the two stared off each other for what seemed to be like minutes.

    ¡°Essence endowment!¡± The scarred man yelled as he finally charged towards Relic.

    Relic quickly took a step back and leaned back before suddenly he jetting his arm forward. The spear launched from his hand with a torque towards the scarred man.

    ¡°Eh?¡± The spear came at him with a piercing intent. Confusion plastered his face as he questioned why Relic would throw away his weapon like this. He immediately held his sword in front in order to deflect the spear.

    Ping!

    The spear bounced off the sword and dug itself into the ground.

    As he moved the sword back, he suddenly found Relic missing. His eyes darted around, eventually gazing downward where he found Relic had crouched down, looking up.

    ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    Swoosh!

    A spear pierced up towards the scarred man. It came right between his eyes. He quickly dodged to the right, where the spear managed to barely graze his cheek.

    He hadn¡¯t even begun to process what just happened when suddenly, another piercing attack launched towards his head.

    ¡°What!¡± He flayed his head back and retreated several steps back. ¡°Impossible! How is he able to launch such a long spear so fast when he is that low to the ground?!¡± He just couldn¡¯t believe it. Relic was basically launching his spear with only a few feet of room between the spear and the ground. To fire the spear so quickly and with such precision and power, wouldn¡¯t that mean he was bending his spear?!

    Within a few exchanges, Relic had managed to turn completely turn the tide of this battle. Relic didn¡¯t have time to play games with this man, not when his sister was still in danger. He displayed the full mastery of his spearman ship and it had obviously caught the scarred man by surprise.

    The man fumbled his feet as he retreated backwards, but where ever he went, Relic quickly followed with a barrage of penetrating spears. Relic had the flow of the battle; he would not let the man catch his breath even for a second.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be happening! He¡¯s just a kid! He¡¯s just a kid! ¡± he internally screamed. He had practiced the way of the sword for over 30 years and he had yet mastered the weapon where he could attack with such fluidity as Relic did with the spear.

    The scarred man had no opportunities to strike Relic with his sword. Relic hung too closely to the floor. If he even tried to attack, Relic would use that opportunity to strike in an instant! That was what his warrior instincts were telling him. The same instincts which allowed him to dodge that first blow!

    The two were incredibly close to one another with Relic continuously barraging the scarred man with spear attacks. Although both of them were perspiring and panting heavily, the scarred man was far more mentally exhausted and his movements began to slow.

    Puchi!

    ¡°Argggg!¡±

    An attack managed to slip through and pierce his shoulder. However, even then, the spear did not slow down and continued to aim his head.

    Another moment passed before the scarred man saw the spear coming towards him in between his eyebrows. ¡°I-I can¡¯t dodge!¡± In that moment of desperation, he let go of any thoughts, and before he knew it, he dropped his sword and swung a right hook towards Relic¡¯s face.

    Pow!Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    The scarred man felt his hand connect to Relic¡¯s soft face.

    Relic flew through the air several meters from the unrestrained attack of the scarred man¡¯s fist! He landed several meters away before tumbling against the ground for another meter.

    ¡°I-I did it?¡± The scarred man looked at his fist before a wry smile appeared on his face.

    He quickly retrieved his sword, but as he turned up, he saw Relic already moving about and running the opposite direction towards the mountain.

    He looked up towards where Relic was running to and quickly realized what Relic was trying to do.

    ¡°Shiet!¡±

    ¡­.

    Relic spat out some blood from his mouth as he charged upwards the base of the mountain. ¡°Where is it¡­.¡±

    He continued to scan the top side of the mountain as he ran upwards. Within a few moments, he could finally see it, the location of the mayor¡¯s immortal cave.

    He took out his finally attack seal and threw it towards the cave. ¡°Go!¡± he yelled.

    The paper seal shot forth with the essence of water surrounding it. A spiral of scalding water jetted from the paper seal and towards the immortal cave.

    Relic breathed a sigh of Relief seeing the jet of water heading towards the immortal cave. With this, the mayor will surely come out and check what was happening.

    However, after a moment, Relic realized there was no loud explosion. He turned his head upwards and his eyes constricted in that moment.

    In front of the immortal cave stood an old man who had his arm extended and the water projectile was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Yan Mu, what do you think you are doing?!¡± Yan Wen angrily but softly spoke.

    ¡°Uncle,¡± Yan Mu appeared by his side, ¡°I was just¡­¡±

    Slap

    Before he could finish his sentence Yan Wen slapped Yan Mu across the cheek. The entire area went silent and even the guards chasing Jiro and Hana had stopped mid-flight.

    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to behave yourself properly? What do you think would have happened if the mayor had shown up?!¡±

    ¡°But I¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough! When we get back, I will be having a strong conversation with your father about your privileges.¡±

    Yan Mu clenched his fist but had no choice but to hang his head low and nod.

    Yan Wen then appeared in front of Relic and the scarred man. ¡°Report!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The scarred man kneeled. ¡°Elder, we were asked to detain these two children and their spirit beasts. However¡­.¡± The man had a slight bitter look on his face. ¡°Unfortunately, inner disciple Jasmine has been killed by this boy.¡±

    Yan Wen was immediately astonished. He could tell that Relic was no more than just a mortal boy. How could he have managed to kill someone at the Foundation realm?

    The scarred man proceeded to tell Yan Wen that Relic had used tier 3 attack seals which made Yan Wen nod in understanding.

    ¡°I see¡­ prepare to leave.¡± Yan Wen said, unconcerned with the fact that one of the guards had perished.

    ¡°Elder, the boy?¡±

    Yan Wen gazed at Relic and lifted his arm. Black chains appeared out of his robe and bonded Relic so tightly he could hardly move.

    ¡°Take the boy with us. If the mayor comes after us, we shall use him as a hostage until we reach the clan. By then, the mayor would not dare tread on our grounds and we can just return the boy.¡± He said casually.

    He then appeared before Hana and Jiro.

    The entire time Relic and the scarred man were fighting, the two other guards had not yet been able to catch Jiro. Having Relic take away two of his pursuers had lifted a lot of weight from Jiro. He could not out run the two guards chasing him, but as a spirit bird beast, the sky was his domain. He had easily out maneuvered the two guards and had been able to keep a relatively safe distance until now.

    ¡°Elder!¡± the two guards bowed.

    ¡°Come, beast, it is time for you to return to us.¡± He was surprised to find the beast capable of moving after having his neck broke but he quickly surmised it must have had something to do with the mayor.

    The black chains shot towards Jiro.

    Jiro immediately panicked and fled at his top speed. He used all of his strength to flee those black chains but no matter what he did those chains followed him relentlessly. It didn¡¯t take long for the black chains to completely wrap itself around Jiro.

    Jiro let out ferocious roars which echoed in the sky.

    Yan Wen slowly pulled Jiro back. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to go back.¡± He held a translucent disc in his right hand. When Jiro saw this disc his eyes constricted and he struggled even fiercer. Hana, who was still on his back, was struggling to stay on.

    ¡°Let Jiro go!¡± She yelled at Yan Wen.

    However, the old man did not pay any heed to the little girl. Jiro was continued pulled towards Yan Wen. When they were about an arm¡¯s length away from each other, Hana immediately jumped on to Yan Wen and began to punch him with all of her strength. Yan Wen completely ignored Hana¡¯s pitiful attacks. To him, it was as if a fly was trying to attack a giant.

    Jiro continued to making miserable cries as he was being pulled in. Yan Wen then lifted up the disc and touched it upon Jiro¡¯s head. The disc activated and ribbons of light sprouted out. It loosely wrapped itself around Jiro, prohibiting any movement. It then began to compress his body. Smaller, and smaller, until the ribbons of light had completely wrapped itself over Jiro¡¯s body. The lump of bonded light then retreated back into the disc.

    By the end of it, Jiro was gone and all that remained was the disc in Yan Wen¡¯s hands. ¡°NO, RETURN JIRO!¡± Hana cried out and tried to hit Yan Wen in the head.

    ¡°Annoying brat, there is no need for us to carry two hostages, one should do¡± He slowly cladded his left hand with destructive qi and slowly reached over to Hana. If he even touched her slightly with this hand, her entire body would turn to dust without any chance for survival.

    Hana did not even pay attention to the hand coming towards her. Her entire gaze was focused on the disc in Yan wen¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡­. Jiro¡­.GO!¡± She cried. She suddenly felt an intense energy build up inside her which propelled her to move.

    She bit down on Yan Wen¡¯s Hand.

    ¡°Argg!¡± He snapped back his hand, dropping the disc in the process. Hana Immediately jumped down to retrieve the disc but was quickly caught by Yan Wen. The disc fell down and entered into the thick forest.

    Yan Wen had a perplexed look on his face. He stared at his hand which now had a full set of teeth marks on them and a dribble of blood. ¡°Impossible, how could a mortal girl¡­¡± he then turned to the little girl still growling at him. ¡°She¡¯s in the Soulless warrior realm?! Weren¡¯t the people of this town just regular mortal?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but question.

    He had completely forgotten about Jiro and immediately wrapped the girl in his black chains and brought her next to Relic.

    Seeing Relic, Hana broke down in tears¡°Brother, Jiro is¡­Jiro is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, just leave it to me.¡± Relic gave her an assured smile. Although he said that, he really didn¡¯t have any other plans. There was no way to defeat the fearsome enemies in front of him without the help of the Mayor.

    ¡°Hmmm, the brother is just a regular mortal yet the sister is in the soulless warrior realm. Still¡­ how could she possibly have injured me?¡± Questions began to pile up. ¡°Forget it, we can figure it out on the way¡± he shook his head. ¡°Take the children, we are all leaving now!¡± he immediately ordered.

    ¡°Yes!¡± The three guards responded.

    They headed back up to heaven¡¯s Peak where a carriage, pulled by spirit horse beasts, was waiting for them. They immediately set off, and left the quiet streets of Heaven¡¯s peak.

 Chapter 51

    Yan Wen let out a sigh of relief when he could no longer see Heaven¡¯s peak.

    Inside the carriage, Relic and Hana were sitting on one side and Yan Mu and Yan Wen sitting on the other.

    Yan Wen loosened the chains around the two twin¡¯s mouth, allowing them to speak.

    ¡°Give me back Jiro!¡± Hana immediately spoke.

    ¡°Ho, you seem quite attached to that spirit beast. Unfortunately he is just a minor thing. Although he is a divine spirit beast he is still broken, nothing more than a child¡¯s pet at this point. ¡± He spoke in a gentle, easy going tone. It was almost as if it was a grandparent talking to their grandchildren.

    However, Hana turned red in fury. ¡°He¡¯s not a pet! He¡¯s family!¡± She retorted.

    Yan Wen gave a hearty laugh at the fuming Hana.

    Yan Mu was having a hard time understanding what his Uncle was doing. Why was he acting so politely and treating them as if they were guests? Weren¡¯t they just hostages used as leverage in case the Mayor came after them? A swirl of questions popped into Yan Mu¡¯s head but just as he was about to speak to his uncle, Yan Wen suddenly gave him a cold stare.

    ¡°Hahaha, perhaps when we return to our Yan clan, I will gift you a crystal apocalypse peacock. I understand they are quite popular with new female cultivators!¡± An overwhelming pressure suddenly befell on Relic and Hana. ¡±Now then, there are just a few questions I have for you two.¡± Yan Wen asked solemnly. ¡°Who was it that taught you cultivation?¡±

    When a supressing pressure from a powerful cultivator is used on someone significantly weaker, they were capable of tearing down weak minded individuals into doing anything they want. Such was the case of silencing an entire crowd of mortals or forcing them to tell you everything you want about them.

    However, after waiting for a moment, Yan Wen realized something wrong. Hana continued to stare angrily at him as if she didn¡¯t even notice the supressing pressure around her. As for Relic, a drop of sweat ran down, but other than that, he also had no changes either.

    ¡°Is there something disrupting my power?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but question.

    ¡°Y-you better not do a-anything to her¡­ she¡¯s the only student of the Mayor!. ¡± Relic suddenly stuttered like a scared child. His genuine expression of fear made Yan Wen relax.

    ¡°Mn, I thought as much.¡± He nodded. ¡°He must have paid an enormous price in order to get you to where you are now.¡±

    He thought himself lucky he had not killed her at that time. The Mayor was wrapped in a shroud of mystery where even the mercenary guild, the shadow behemoths, would not touch him. Although he didn¡¯t believe the mayor would do anything drastic once they reached the region of the Yan clan, he still would still prefer not to take any chances.

    Yan Wen nodded and released the pressure surrounding the two children.

    Relic also knew the reason why Yan Wen hadn¡¯t already killed them yet. Yan Wen understood the disparity between strengths between him and the mayor, and would not try to do anything more to the children.  Relic relaxed slightly, thinking nothing more was going to happen.

    ¡°Just one more thing¡± Yan Wen suddenly flashed his arm and held on to Hana. ¡°Your sister has quite a bite to her. I wonder if there is something special about her that the mayor would choose to take her as his student.¡±

    He immediately sent his qi forcefully into Hana¡¯s body. The qi within her body was quickly pushed back by the foreign qi which caused severe damage to her meridians. This was a brutal method to forcefully scour another¡¯s dantain space. Although Yan Wen would rather not provoke the Mayor any further than he already did, the fact that Hana was able to injure him was something he could not ignore. He needed to see if there were any irregularities to Hana¡¯s cultivation.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Hana screamed. Her face writhed with pain.

    ¡°YOU¡­.¡± Relic stood up but quickly felt a blade against his neck.

    I suggest you sit down¡± Yan Mu said with murderous intend in his eyes.¡±

    Relic had no choice but to grit his teeth.

    ¡­.

    Elsewhere, deep in the Divine Beast Forest, there was a running river which glowed in the night with an illuminant blue.

    A giant serpent, half gold and half black, coiled next to the river.

    For a while the giant serpent did not move and only continued to rest. As the night dragged on, some of her golden scales dimmed until they eventually turned black.

    ¡°In another month I will no longer have any connection to the ancestral bloodline.¡± Diana muttered to herself sorrowfully.

    She gazed at her own reflection in the river before giving a sigh.

    ¡°A failure¡­¡±

    She retrieved out a purple pill, which had a stench of poison and medicine, and placed it between her jaws.

    She only needed to apply a little pressure in order to crush the pill. Once dissolved, she would only be a short moment away from death. She stared upwards at the large yellow moon and began to reminisce about the day she first opened her eyes in this world to the day she had awaken her blood line.

    Life wasn¡¯t too bad as a princess in a beast kingdom. She was surrounded by many admirers and had ample amount of friends. As the 22<sup>nd</sup> princess, there wasn¡¯t much expectation of her to succeed the throne and no one put any pressure on her to do anything. Thus, her favourite pass time was to explore the outer regions and meet new spirit beasts.

    One day, as she was exploring the outer regions with her friends, something miraculous happened. She suddenly felt a calling to her past and her blood boiled with intense fervor. It was the awakening of her ancestral blood line! It had come so suddenly and without warning that she didn¡¯t dare believe it at first.

    As she calmed down, she knew it was definitely the ancestral bloodline of the golden eyed serpent which was calling to her. With her best friends by her side, she asked them to act as guardians as she underwent the awakening process in a nearby cave.

    However, she would never have imagined at the most crucial stage; the people she most trusted would betray her!

    Her so called friends interrupted her awakening and immediately attacked her. The awakening process drains away almost all of the beasts¡¯ strength, so when her friends attacked her, she had no choice but to flee.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    The bloodline awakening process only happens once in a life time. If you fail the awakening, the ancestral bloodline will burn out and the spirit beast will never be able to awaken it again. It was the absolute goal of every spirit beasts to achieve their awakening of the ancestral bloodline. They valued it so much that even more powerful spirit beasts would bow their heads to those weaker than them and who had awaken their bloodline before they had.

    Failures could only watch as their only goal in life slowly slipped them by. Before the ancestral blood disappears, many spirit beasts who failed their awakening would choose an alternative route. A road of death¡­ That was just how much their primordial blood line meant to them.

    Diana was ready to bite done on this pill when she suddenly heard the scream of a little girl.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± the scream echoed throughout the forest

    Diana, immediately paused and peered through the forest trees. There she could see a flying carriage pulled by several spirit horse beasts. Her keen vision saw through the tainted glass to see Hana and Relic tied up. An old man was grasping Hana violently which she was contorting in pain.

    ¡°Hana!¡±

    ¡­.

    Yan Wen created a spirit body within Hana¡¯s dantian space.  The spectacles in front of him caused his eyes to pop out and his jaw to drop in amazement.

    He saw the spirit tree which guarded her dantian, the 12 fully lit meridian orbs, and the immaculate white bridge which extended limitlessly upwards.

    ¡°Wh-what is she?!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but speak outwards.

    He was planning to scour around, but the white bridge happened to catch his eye. He decided to look on it first. As soon as he stepped the bridge, a crushing pressure immediately forced him to his knees. ¡°What the¡­¡±

    He felt like the pressure of the world had descended on him and he was incapable of even getting up.

    ¡°Wait, what is this?¡± Suddenly, within his own dantian space he could feel some movements.

    He closed his eyes and went into the lotus position before peering inside his own dantian space.

    ¡­

    Within the carriage, both Hana and Yan Wen had their eyes closed. Hana was pale, as if she had been deprived of sleep for several days.

    Yan Wen, on the other hand, was perspiring heavily.

    After a half hour, Yan Wen opened his eyes and a large grin stretched across his face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ve finally done it! I¡¯ve broken through the spirit realm and have stepped into the golden world realm!¡± he cheered.

    ¡°Uncle?¡± Yan Mu stared at the frantic old man dancing around.

    Yan Wen did not even pay attention to his nephew and laughed, ¡°After 20 long years, I, Yan Wen, have finally broken through the cusp of the Spirit Realm!¡±

    After a couple more minutes of celebrating, he looked down at the tiny girl who fell onto her brothers shoulders, exhausted.

    ¡°I see, I see now why the mayor treasures you so! He can forget about taking you back. Now that I¡¯m a golden world realm cultivator, I will use everything I have to bring you back to the Yan clan. You will be a goddess among the clan and you shall receive anything your heart desires. That¡¯s not a bad deal, right?¡± Yan Wen smiled.

    However, Hana slowly opened her eyes and only stared coldly at Yan Wen.

    ¡°Heh, no matter, whether you want to or not, you won¡¯t have any choice.¡±

    HiSSSSSS!

    Suddenly, the roar of a serpent rang through everyone¡¯s ears and the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

    ¡°Elder, we require your assistance!¡± a panicked voice from the outside.

    Yan Wen frowned but did not dawdle. He placed the chains back around the two children¡¯s mouth once more before proceeding outside where he saw a gold and black serpent in front of them.

    ¡°A divine spirit beast?¡± he was astonished. ¡°What¡¯s it doing so far from the central regions?¡±

    ¡°Release those kids!¡± Diana bellowed.

    ¡°Beast, what are you doing here? Why have you come to stop our carriage? Are you here to fight?!¡± he spoke arrogantly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to deny it! I know you have two kids in that carriage. Release them and I will not impede your travels.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, you don¡¯t quite understand who you are talking to.¡± He sneered. He released the power of his cultivation around Diana which caused her to sink down from the sky.

    ¡°A-a golden world cultivator¡­.¡± She murmured to herself.

    ¡°Give it up, I could kill you without moving from this spot. Go on, I¡¯m feeling pretty good today. If you leave now, I won¡¯t chase, beast!¡±

    ¡°You dare address one of the princesses of the Divine Beast Forest as a mere beast?¡± Diana snarled.

    Yan Wen raised an eye brow. ¡°Ah, I see so you are related to the primordial beast king which rules over this forest region. Perhaps if you had told me that as a regular red eyed serpent I would be a little nervous around you. However, to speak to me like that while as a half awakened trash, you truly must be tired of living! ¡±

    Yan Wen waved his sleeve where seven black chains appeared with black weights on the end of each chain. The weighted chains had a weight of 10,000kg each, though impractical for most, in the hands of Yan Wen; they were like swinging hammers of death.

    The chains shot towards Diana with incredible speed. She quickly dived into the dirt and disappeared beneath the ground surface.

    ¡°Want to hide? Too late!¡± He waived his arm and the seven chains shot at the forest floor following the small trail left by Diana¡¯s burrowing.

    BOOM BOOM BOOM

    Every strike ruptured the ground and anything else with in the vicinity of the strike. The force of the weights caused dirt to flail several meters into the air, leaving craters in the ground.

    BOOM BOOM BOOM

    Hisssssss!

    Finally, one of the consecutive attacks hit their target and Diana was flung out of the dirt and crashed several meters through the forest. She squirmed slightly in pain while also coughing up blood.

    ¡°Tsk, Tsk, it really is how they say. A spirit beast who fails to awaken their ancestral blood line really is no more than trash. You are over a 100m in size which means you are the equivalent of a peak spirit realm cultivator maybe even a golden world realm cultivator. However, having failed your awakening, you now probably don¡¯t have even 30% of your original strength.¡± He shook his head helplessly. ¡°What a shame, I didn¡¯t get to try out my new power on a more powerful beast.¡±

    The black chains wrapped around Diana tightly; making it so that she could not even move.

    ¡°You¡­you really don¡¯t put the beast kingdom in your eye? Not only do you dare to attack royalty, you also dare to encroach on the treaty? ¡± she spoke coldly.

    Yan Wen smirked. ¡°The inner workings of your beast kingdoms are very simple. Those who awaken their blood line are at the top while everyone else is on the bottom. For trash who fails their awakening, well, they are even disdained from the weakest of spirit beasts. Even your status as a princess is nothing now that you have become a failure. You believe your subjects would still treat you with any ounce of respect if you were to head back there now?¡± He laughed as he held his stomach.

    Diana could only hang her head low. She knew what he said was the truth. If she went back to her kingdom, how would everyone treat her? Would it still be the same as the old days where they treated her with respect and kindness? Even Diana wasn¡¯t optimistic of thinking that would happen.

    ¡°As for the treaty, it¡¯s true that now that I¡¯m a golden world cultivator, I¡¯m prohibited by the treaty to kill any spirit beasts while inside their desolate regions. Yet, will I really cause a commotion if I were to kill just one spirit beast who had failed their awakening?  You beasts are nothing compared to the full might of us cultivators! I doubt the beast kings would dare to start a war over something so insignificant. Then again, maybe it is time for a war to begin. After all, the only thing you beasts are good for is serving us humans.

    With that said, he snapped his fingers. The chains around Diana slowly constricted around her body. The scales on her body began to break like glass under the immense pressure and blood was leaking out.

    ¡°What a waste, I would have preferred to have captured you but I happen to have wasted my last beast disk on that other useless piece of trash. Oh well, at least your body will serve as some good material.¡±

    As the chains continued to tighten, Diana happened to catch a glimpse of Hana and Relic staring out of the tainted window towards her. Hana¡¯s tears wouldn¡¯t stop flowing seeing Diana in the state she was in.

    To see a human girl cry for her in such a way made Diana heart soften. ¡°I¡¯m glad I was able to see the kinder side of humans before I go¡­¡±

    The chains continued to tighten and she spat another mouth full of blood.

    The light in her eye slowly began to dim as her body turned numb to the pain. As she inched closer to her death, a single memory suddenly began to play through her head.

    It was the day Cornelius had appeared and saved her from the group who attacked her. At first she didn¡¯t trust him, thinking he was only trying to trick for some other purpose she didn¡¯t realize at the time. However, as she got better, she realized Cornelius never thought about anything other than the betterment of her health.

    It was a completely indescribable feeling to her at the time and now, at her last moments, she felt like she could feel it once more.

    ¡°Good Bye, Cornelius, and thank you¡­¡± Her eyelids slowly closed for the last time.

 Chapter 52

    ¡°Break!¡± a thunderous voice echoed throughout the area.

    Two menacing dog beasts suddenly appeared on top of Diana. They immediately chomped down on the black chains with enough force that one could hear the cries of metal breaking.

    Crack ¡­Crack

    Within moments, the chains broke apart and completely unraveled off of Diana.  The dog beasts came before her head and licked some of the blood off her still head.

    ¡°Mn¡­¡± a silent exhale of breath happened to escape her mouth.

    ¡­

    A droplet of sweat ran down Yan Wen¡¯s head as his gaze locked with the eyes of the mayor in front of him. Yet, there was no semblance of fear on Yan¡¯s Wen¡¯s face, instead an arrogant smile arose.

    ¡°Mayor of Heaven¡¯s Peak, this is a surprise. Have you come to see us off? There really wasn¡¯t a need to do so.¡± He said with an arrogant tone. ¡°However, I must ask, why you have chosen to free the beast I have just captured.¡±

    Cornelius stared coldly at Yan Wen before taking out his weapon.  No words were needed to convey the murderous intent directed towards Yan Wen. The essence of wind converged towards his weapon and he chopped down towards Yan Wen.

    A blade of sharp wind shot forth, growing larger and larger as it travelled towards Yan Wen.

    Yan Wen smirked and retrieved his black chains back into his robes. He then shot out two dark red chains out to meet the wind blade.

    Boom!¡¯

    The clashing of the two attacks sent out a shock wave which affected the surrounding forest. Trees were left bare, spirits beasts were blown through the air, and even the carriage which was protected, was blown several meters away.

    Douji and Dougu stayed where they were and continued to protect Diana.

    As the remnants of the blast subsided, a smile could be seen on Yan Wen¡¯s face. ¡°I finally understand what the treasure was that caused that divine blessing. It was that girl, right?¡±

    ¡°Such a treasure¡­ even you can¡¯t expect to keep it all to yourself, right?¡± As he spoke, he made a hidden hand gesture behind his back which caught the attention of one of the Yan family¡¯s guard.

    The guard nodded and the Yan Family carriage immediately shot away from the two powerful cultivators.

    ¡°If you want the girl back you will have to go through me. However, it won¡¯t be as easy as you think!¡±

    Yan Wen shrouded himself with the energy of a golden world cultivator and stared at Cornelius¡¯ expression, hoping to see the shock on his face. However, Cornelius cold expression had not changed even a little. A frown appeared as he suddenly whipped the chains outwards to the side before collapsing them to each other by the end of the red chains.  ¡°Combusting Sun!¡±

    Ting! The ends of the red chains clashed, producing a small flicker.

    BOOOOOOOM!

    In an instant, a flash of light engulfed a 3 mile radius in all directions. Extreme heat quickly followed, destroying everything caught in its path. Yan Wen stared with awe at the dome of fire which now stretched across his vision like the burning sun. ¡°So, this is the power of a golden world cultivator.¡± He laughed heartily.

    ¡°Mayor, you underestimated me and chose not to lift a finger! No matter how powerful you are, if you aren¡¯t at least a half-step to an immortal ascension, then you will at the very least be severely injured! Serves you right for your arrogance!¡±

    Yan Wen quickly bolted from the area, following the direction the carriage took. He knew even if his attack caused severe damage to the Mayor that it was not enough to kill him. The mayor was somewhat of an oddity to him. The Mayor was someone who chose to end their cultivation journey in order to stay and protect his people. It was irrational and irrational cultivators were the hardest type of cultivators to deal with; especially those who would throw their all for others.

    ¡°At the very least I should be able to keep him occupied until we make it back to the clan.¡± He muttered to himself.

    Suddenly, Yan Wen noticed the sky growing brighter. An orange light soon filled the skies above and shined down below. He turned his head back and was quickly left speechless.

    ¡­.

    In the center of the fire dome was a spiraling fire tornado which was spinning viciously upwards towards the sky. As it spun it extinguished the flames which were spreading across the green forest as well as shrinking the fire dome.

    After a few moments, the fire tornado dissipated and all that was left was the charred remains of the green forest. In the center stood Cornelius, completely uninjured. A whirling green energy surrounded Cornelius as if the wind was dancing around him. He lifted his hand and rubbed the head of Douji, the white dog beast.  ¡°Kill!¡± he suddenly said. The whirling green energy quickly surrounded Douji, causing it to grow larger and more menacing than before. In a matter of seconds, it had grown above 200m, towering over Diana.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    If one were to gaze at Douji, they would say he looked like an ethereal beast who serves a god. He howled once before disappearing from the space in an instant.

    ¡­.

    ¡°d-d-d DOMAIN!¡± Yan Wen stuttered.   His eyes bulged out in disbelief. The colours drained from his face and he soon became as pale as a ghost.

    ¡°AWOOOOO!¡±

    The sound of a dogs howl sounded in everyone¡¯s ears, causing Yan Wen to tremble even further. He suddenly seemed to recall the two dog beasts which appeared out of nowhere and snapped his black chains as if it were butter.

    A name struck out in his mind at the same moment he could see the 200m tall dog beast in the distance.

    ¡°Cornelius of the twin destructors!¡± He screamed.  Yan Wen immediately caught up to the carriage and ripped off the roof.

    ¡°E-elder?¡±

    The Yan family disciples all looked at Yan Wen dishevelled face in confusion.

    Yan Wen payed no attention to any of them and instead reached over to grab Hana and Yan Mu.

    Hana tried to struggle out but to no avail. Relic could only stare as his sister was being taken away.

    Wasting no time, Yan Wen ripped through the air with the two in his arms. The carriage was soon left all by itself with the remaining people.

    ¡°Why did the elder leave us?¡± one of the guards asked. ¡°Was he able to defeat the mayor?¡±

    ¡°Of course, he could probably take care of that small town mayor without breaking a sweat. He must have been getting antsy about getting back to the clan.¡± another said.

    The actions of Yan Wen stirred quite the confusion that no one even thought about looking behind them. No one, besides the calm gaze of the boy tied in chains, noticed the salivating dog beasts behind until the warm breath of the beast tingled at their necks.

    The last thing they saw could only be the description of a moist cave.

    Crunch!

    ¡­.

    ¡°How could it be him? Why is he here? It can¡¯t be him¡­It can¡¯t be him¡­.¡± Yan Wen quietly mumbled.

    ¡°Uncle, what happened?¡± Yan Mu was frightened seeing the look of despair on his uncle¡¯s face. ¡°Could that Mayor have done something to uncle while I wasn¡¯t looking?¡± Yan Mu contemplated.

    Yan Wen zipped through the air like a bolt of lightning. He was burning through his qi at an alarming rate, even damaging his meridians in the process. He was simply too scared to even slow down even for a second!

    He was soon able to see the edge of the green forest which bordered the beast territories and human territories. ¡°A-almost there¡­¡±

    He had been too preoccupied previously to check if the beast was still on his tail. The Yan clan wasn¡¯t based too far from the beast territories and he knew it would only be a short distance away once he crossed the forest. Feeling a bit more ease, he begun to turn his head only to see a large eye staring right next to him. ¡°I-impossible¡­¡±

    The ethereal dog beast chomped down at the three of them; however, Yan Wen abruptly stopped mid-flight and shot upwards to the sky in order to avoid it.

    The beast followed closely behind and quickly caught up to Yan Wen.

    ¡°How did it get so close without me noticing?!!!¡± Yan Wen¡¯s countenance was awful, sweat perspired all over his body. ¡°I need¡­I need a distraction.¡± He looked down toward the two people in his arms. Yan Mu looked at his uncle fearfully while Hana continued to struggle even to this moment.

    ¡°Sorry, Yan Mu, in your next life, you should try to be a bit more reserved in your actions.¡±

    ¡°U-uncle?¡±

    With a quick qi blast, Yan Mu was jetted away from Yan Wen and Hana. Douji gaze immediately turned to the flying Yan Mu and chased after him.

    ¡°UUUUUNNNNCLLLLEE!!!!!¡± Yan Mu screamed just as he was about to be engulfed by Douji. Yan Wen turned his gaze and bit on his tongue. ¡°No matter what, I will get this girl back to the clan!¡± He spat out some blood which caused him to visibly age. His aura suddenly grew exponentially and he flashed towards the edge of the forest even faster than before.

    They quickly made it to the edge of the green forest and Yan Wen could already a city in the distant. This city was owned by the Zhao clan, which was a rival clan of Yan Wen¡¯s clan. Under normal circumstances, Yan Wen would not bother visiting such a city but with such a fear some beast on his tail, he had no choice but to do so. He didn¡¯t believe Cornelius would dare make an enemy of a powerful clan which rivaled his own.

    However, just as he was about to exit the beast forest, a large paw appeared in front of him and swiped him back several hundred meters. The force of the swipe caused no injury but it still took several attempts for him to steady himself. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± He panted. ¡°You were just playing with me?! You could have caught up to me this entire time but you chose to play with me first?!¡± Yan Wen was turning insane. As he stared at the large dog beast causally strolling towards him, he suddenly felt like a baby trying to go against a full grown adult. He had thought after crossing the golden world threshold, he would at the very least, be able to hold his own against the mayor. Now, he understood that it was never the case.

    ¡°I-I see now that I should have never tried to cross paths with you, Cornelius of the twin destructors.¡° He spoke to the beast in front of him. Douji seemed to ignore him and continued walking towards Yan Wen. ¡°This girl¡­ She is something even rarer than the legendary pill of immortality. The white bridge within her dantian space allowed me to step over the obstacle which had plagued me for over 20 years, in a single cultivation session. I would surmise that even someone from could step onto the immortal ascension realm with ease if they were to cultivate within her dantian space.¡± He sighed.

    Yan Wen proceeded to hold Hana in front of him by the scruff of her neck. ¡°I will apologize of behalf of my nephew who started all of this. I will return her to you and after I leave, I will not tell anyone about her or what happened to the disciples of my clan. If you will just let me go I will swear on it on my spirit contract!¡±

    Douji stopped right in front of Yan Wen. Its warm breath blew against Yan Wen¡¯s face.

    When Yan Wen saw Douji stop, a smile had appeared on his face. ¡°Then¡­¡±

    Crunch!

    Yan Wen lowered his gaze to find the girl and him arm missing. Blood poured out of his arm causing him to writhe in pain.

    ¡°ARGHGGGG! Damn you, I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t even finish what he was going to say before a single swipe from Douji sliced him into pieces.

    Douji payed no attention to the minced meat that fell to the ground and disappeared as it headed back to Cornelius.

    ¡­.

    Within the main estate of the Yan Family, within a special court, a man sat solemnly on his chair as he listened to the voices coming from the communication crystal in his palm.

    ¡­¡°I-I see now that I should have never tried to cross paths with you, Cornelius of the twin destructors

    ... The white bridge within her dantian space allowed me to step over the obstacle which had plagued me for over 20 years, in a single cultivation session. I would surmise that even someone from could step onto the immortal ascension realm with ease if they were to cultivate within her dantian space.¡±

    ¡­¡°ARGHGGGG! Damn you, I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll¡­¡±

    The man closed his hand and sighed. He stood up and took a large breath before he shouted, ¡°ALL ELDERS CONVENE IN THE MAIN HALL NOW!¡±

 Chapter 53

    Relic awoke in a slight daze. He felt pressure pressed against his shoulder which he quickly turned to see was his sister sleeping soundly. He quickly breathed a sigh of relief before quickly adjusting her so that she leaned against the tree.

    He quickly noticed the Diana not too far away.  Her head was lightly raised as Cornelius flew around her. Her body were still filled with numerous lacerations from the previous attack.  Although the bleeding had stopped, it looked as if she was close to death¡¯s door.

    ¡­.

    ¡°Sorry this is the most I can do.¡± Cornelius finished applying the medicinal cream on her body.

    ¡°Thank you, this is the second time you have saved me Mr. Saviour.¡± She gave a light smile.

    ¡°Please, I¡¯m the one who should be thanking you. You put yourself in harm¡¯s way in order to protect my student and her brother. Also¡­ sorry, this was my entire fault to being with.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Diana, how are you?¡± Relic suddenly appeared before Diana and Cornelius.

    ¡°Ah, Relic, I¡¯m doing good. I¡¯m happy to see you and your sister are uninjured as well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say except thank you for coming to our aid. You had no obligation to put your life in danger like that and we are incredibly grateful for what you did. If there is anything I can help you with please don¡¯t hesitate to ask?¡± Relic bowed.

    ¡°No, no, it was nothing. In fact, I wasn¡¯t able to do much at all¡­¡±Her gaze returned to the sweet looking girl who was still currently sleeping against a tree. ¡°Please tell Hana it was great to see her again, but that I have to return to my home and we won¡¯t be able to see each again.¡±

    Her long body stretched to the sky, and while she tried to put up a strong front, the twitch in her eye did not escape Cornelius or Relic.

    ¡°Diana, you are still heavily injured; you can recuperate back in my immortal cave. I¡¯m sure whatever business you have to take care of can wait until you are able to move freely again.¡±

    ¡°N-no, I really do have spent too much time here. I must return to my kingdom before my father goes on a rampage.¡± She feigned a smile before turning to leave. ¡°Goodbye¡­¡±

    Her entire body suddenly shook slightly as more golden scales dimmed to black. At this point, the golden scales on her body only covered 30% of her body. She sighed lightly and continued on.

    Relic stroked his chin as if he had a beard and spoke, ¡°Diana, if you don¡¯t mind, may I ask you a question?¡±

    Diana stopped and turned back to Relic.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious as to why you have not yet awakened your ancestral blood line yet.¡±

    Cornelius and Diana stilled by Relic¡¯s bluntness.  She stood silent for a moment before lovering her head to Relic¡¯s eye level.

    ¡°I-I see you must have been studying about spirit beasts. Okay, I can tell you a little about Spirit beasts.¡± Diana still believed Relic and Hana to be nothing more than little kids. While Hana could be said to be an unsurpassed genius in cultivation, Relic was just her brother who stayed by his sister. Even after Relic had performed such an advanced cultivation technique, she merely believed it was something the mayor must have taught him.

    ¡°You see spirit beasts all strive in order to awaken their ancestral bloodline. However, we can only activate it once and at times, it occurs randomly. When the blood line first awakens, the spirit beast must go through the awakening process successfully to awaken the blood fully otherwise it is deemed a failure¡­like me. My gold scales are the result of my awakening having failed and will soon disappear from my body. I will never be able to awaken it once more.¡± She said in a sorrowful tone.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Relic tilted his head in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I mean why you have not eaten the lightning wave fruit yet to awaken your bloodline. Your kingdom is quite far away and it would take you several weeks  to get there in your state. Do you perhaps have a secondary location to perform your awakening process?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± She stared blankly hearing Relic¡¯s words. Lightning wave fruit, what is that? Didn¡¯t he just hear spirit beasts only receive one chance to awaken their bloodlines? These questions popped in her head.

    ¡°Your injuries are not light and I¡¯m afraid once you go deeper, your blood will attract certain spirit beasts to attack you. Did your father not send anyone to receive you?¡±

    ¡°Relic, what are you trying to say? We both know how Spirit beasts are treated once their awakening fails. Why are you asking such questions? Cornelius asked with a frown. He truly felt like Relic was asking too much considering Diana had risked her life to save them. It almost sounded like Relic was mocking her which made his blood boil slightly.

    Relic raised an eyebrow as the expressions Diana and Cornelius were making. ¡°Isn¡¯t it common knowledge for her to quickly consume the lightning wave fruit here now that she was injured?¡±

    He went into deep thinking. ¡°Ah!¡± his eyes flashed with a light of remembrance, ¡°Sorry, I had mixed up some of the details between the Central Heaven Continent and our Great Sea Continent.¡± He made an apologetic gesture to Diana. ¡°This maybe news to you, but so long as a single drop of  ancestral blood resides within you, as long as you consume an opposing essence fruit, you will encounter a tribulation within your body which will stimulate that blood. If you are capable of passing the tribulation you will have successfully awakened your ancestral bloodline!¡±

    Diana stilled in disbelief as Relic continued, ¡°Yes, while the ancestral awakening is a bid deal to spirit beasts, it can¡¯t be considered rare in the Central Heaven Continent. Over there, spirit beasts with awakened bloodlines are as common as clouds.¡±

    ¡°H-how ¡­Are you speaking the truth?¡± Diana asked solemnly.

    Relic nodded.

    Diana turned to Cornelius who was just as much shocked as she was. He quickly noticed her gaze, which now seemed to be filled with a small light of hope.

    ¡°Diana, I can¡¯t say exactly why, but Relic is most likely telling the truth. I would believe him even if he were to tell me he knew the location of the pill of immortality.¡± He assured her.

    Relic scratched his head slightly and let out a small chuckle.

    ¡°In the Central Heaven Continent, the spirit beasts there have their own sects and undergo trial by fire for their younger generation to invoke their ancestral blood line. During the awakening process, spirit beasts genuinely have two options.  They may either pass their awakening process or choose to purposefully fail the awakening. If they fail, they will have to ingest essence fruit of an opposing affinity to their own which will spark a tribulation within their body. However, doing so is incredibly dangerous and the difficulty is several times that of naturally awakening. Those with monstrous talent would choose to wait for their ancestral blood line to dwindle after their initial failed awakening as the less ancestral blood in your body, the more powerful the tribulation.  The reward for passing a powerful tribulation is obviously a higher quality of ancestral blood and the more powerful the spirit beast becomes.¡±

    Relic proceeded to stare at Diana directly in her eyes. ¡°You only have 30% of your ancestral bloodline left which is usually the realm genisus would attempt. It won¡¯t be easy to pass your tribulations.¡± He nodded. ¡°Diana, you have the affinity to the earth essence meaning you must eat the lightning wave fruit in order to ignite the blood line once more.¡±

    At this point, tears began to well up in Diana¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°The Central Heaven Continent¡­¡± Cornelius mumbled to himself. He had never even heard of the place. The Great Sea Continent which they lived in was not small. Even with all his years of traveling, there were still many places he had yet to visit. However, compared to the Central Heaven Continent, you may as well compare a city to that of an entire country.

    ¡°You speak as if spirit beasts with awakened bloodlines are commonplace in this Central Heaven Continent. Isn¡¯t the chance of awakening the bloodline incredibly difficult?¡± Cornelius asked with a look of intrigue was on his face. The Beast Calamity Sect was probably the most knowledgeable sect with regards to Spirit beasts. Yet, he had never figured out how or when spirit beasts would awaken their bloodlines.

    ¡°The treaty between the humans and spirit beasts had an unexpected consequence for spirit beasts. This is my own theory but the primordial spirit beasts, which existed in the beginning, lived in chaotic periods where only the strong survive. Through dangerous encounters they became stronger and stronger. To be pushed to your absolute limit is what I believe causes spirit beasts to awaken their bloodline. However, as the treaty is still in place, powerful spirit beasts rarely are able to challenge themselves where they put their lives on stake.¡±

    ¡°TH-that truly is an interesting theory.¡± Cornelius nodded.

    ¡°So¡­I can still awaken my blood line.¡± Tears fell down her head. Relic¡¯s words were like a sweet song which gave her hope in her moments of despair.

    Light shined from her body and she transformed back into her human form. Before anyone could react, she had embraced Relic in her arms. Though there were many lacerations on her otherwise perfect body, her beauty had not diminished one bit. ¡°Thank you¡­Thank you¡­¡± Her voice filled with gratitude.

    All the while Relic froze like a statue from her sudden action.

    Even Cornelius couldn¡¯t help but drop his jaw from the sight.

    Suddenly¡­

    ¡°Brother, what are you doing?¡±

 Chapter 54

    Relic quickly struggled from her naked embrace and turned to Hana.

    Cornelius was also quick and covered Diana with a set of his clothes in an instant.

    The transition was so seamless one would question if they actually saw what had happened or if they just imagined it.

    ¡°H-hana, don¡¯t misunderstand I¡­¡±

    Hana dived towards Relic and embraced him tightly. ¡°You are safe¡­¡±

    Relic stilled for a moment before his gaze turned soft and a smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Yea¡­ I¡¯m glad you were aright as well.¡± Relic did not hesitate to return the hug. He truly valued this sister of his who had taken care of him when he could not. Although his thoughts still consisted mostly of his master, his sister still had a place in his heart.

    The two remained in that position for several minutes before Hana finally let go. She then reached for his hand and dragged him towards Cornelius.

    ¡°Teacher!¡± She stared at Cornelius with a look of determination and vigor.

    ¡°Hana, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Please help us find Jiro! That man who captured us trapped Jiro in a disc and then dropped him somewhere in the forest. Jiro must be scared.¡± Tears began to well in her eyes but she managed to hold them back.

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Cornelius waved his hand and a cracked disc appeared in his hands.

    ¡°Is that¡­.¡±

    ¡°I noticed it the moment I came rushing after you two. I had never noticed this item before in the surroundings so I causally picked it up and was planning to investigate it later.¡±

    He proceeded to snap the disc in half. A ball of light escaped from the cracked piece and landed on the ground. It slowly took on the form of a large peacock in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Jiro slowly opened his eyes to see a blurry figure running towards him. He was immediately frightened and extended his wings to block but the figure was able to slip past him and lunged itself towards him.

    Jiro braced himself for the attack but soon felt two small arms wrap around his neck. He looked down to see a familiar girl who was rubbing her tears and snot all over his feathers.

    ¡°Jiro, you¡¯re safe!¡±

    Jiro looked up and saw the familiar people all around. ¡°(What happened, wasn¡¯t I captured by Yan Wen?)¡± He asked astonished.

    ¡°(I¡¯ll tell you everything later. Hana has been worried for you the entire time even when she was captured herself.)¡± Relic responded.

    Jiro looked back down on Hana and couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit different towards Hana. ¡°Hmph, I guess not all humans are bad.¡± He lowered his neck, giving her a tiny pat on her head as if to say ¡®thanks¡¯.

    Relic creased his eyebrows slightly at the scene while a warm smile appeared on both Cornelius and Diana¡¯s face.

    After several moments, Hana returned to Cornelius and gave a bow to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± She then turned to Diana and hugged Diana¡¯s waist. She trembled seeing the scars on Diana¡¯s body which caused her to embrace even tighter. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Diana smiled. ¡°Little Hana, if only everyone was as sweet as you.¡± She bent down and embraced the little girl. Finally, she turned back to Cornelius and asked, ¡°Mr. Saviour, I¡¯m a bit exhausted. Does your offer still stand for me to rest in your immortal cave?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± he immediately answered.  Their eyes locked on one another and they shared a brief moment. Everyone else turned their gaze away except for Hana, whose eyes sparkled with excitement.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Are you and teacher together?!¡±

    They immediately blushed red and turned away from each other.

    ¡°N-no.¡± Diana simply answered.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± Cornelius said. ¡°Dougu, up!¡±

    Dougu barked in response and rubbed itself at Cornelius¡¯ legs. A green wind qi began to surround it and it rapidly grew over 200m in size.

    ¡°Wah¡­¡± Hana stared in amazement at the gargantuan dog beast. She had never seen anything so amazing in her entire life.  Her expectations of what cultivator¡¯s could do kept increasing and made her want to pursue cultivation all the more.

    ¡°Hana, let me help you up.¡± Diana said as she embraced Hana. ¡°Hold on tight.¡±

    Before Hana knew it, she had already ascended well past the height of Dougu. As a resident of Heaven¡¯s Peak, she had peered over the edges of the mountains many times and had seen the beautiful forest scenery one could only see at such a height. However, what she was experiencing now was an entirely different sensation to her.

    As the crisp night wind blew against her body, her eyes widened at the vast green forest, unobstructed for her to see. In the distance she could see dozens of buffalo beast sleeping close to one another as they huddled for warmth.  She could see a long river stream which sparkled in the moon light. She saw new sights she had never seen before and it left her breathless.

    At that exact moment, a bright light suddenly shined from the corner of her eye and she saw the sun rising in the horizon. ¡°So beautiful¡­¡± she murmured

    Diana smiled but did not say anything.

    The two soon descended on to Dougu¡¯s back. Relic and Cornelius quickly came up as well followed by Jiro and Douji.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Cornelius ordered.

    Dougu howled once and steadily began to head back towards Heaven¡¯s peak..

    ¡­

    Dougu travelled at a relatively slow pace for the group on its back. Sitting near the top side of its back were Diana and Hana who were happily chatting with one another. Jiro chose a random area where he could rest, while Relic and Cornelius sat the furthest back; an invisible barrier which prevented what they were saying surrounding them.

    Cornelius and Relic sat side by side without talking. The silence did not seem to bother either of them as they simply stared off in their own direction.

    Finally, Cornelius summoned out a flask of alcohol and took a swig of its content before handing it to Relic. Relic similarly downed the contents of the alcohol. It was bitter with a fruity after taste. As the liquid reached his stomach, a soothing sensation could be felt throughout his body.

    ¡°Sorry, this was my entire fault.¡± Cornelius suddenly spoke. ¡°Your fight with the Yan family happened directly outside of my immortal cave but I couldn¡¯t even sense it¡­¡± he clenched his fist.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Cornelius sighed and said, ¡°I let my internal demons get the best of me. After you two left, Diana also had chosen to leave at that point. As old as I¡¯ am, I never felt such crushing pressure in my heart after she left. I went into meditation after in order to ease my mind but I didn¡¯t expect myself to dive so deep into meditation that I unconsciously went into secluded meditation where all my senses cut off from the world. I hadn¡¯t realized what had happened until after I opened my eyes.¡±

    A brief silence occurred before he continued, ¡°It¡¯s quite humorous isn¡¯t it? A golden world cultivator being so flustered and demoralized because of a female he had met not so long ago. ¡± he gave a pitiful laugh.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Relic simple stated.

    Cornelius was stunned at Relic¡¯s simple answer, but as he saw Relic¡¯s countenance, he simply nodded in understanding.

    ¡°This is good wine.¡± Relic took another swig of the flask as the mountain appeared in their view.

    ¡­.

    Back in the Yan estate, several people, who had both youthful and old appearances, were seated below the patriarch. They were all dressed extremely well and from the appearance of their robes, people would naturally associate them as the highest level of power within the clan.

    They crowded around in shock as they heard the patriarch relay Yan Wen¡¯s words pertaining to a girl who could easily help them cultivate to the immortal realm.

    ¡°If such a girl truly exist she could topple the entire structure. Such an item must belong to our Yan Clan! Even though the truffle operation failed, this is a thousand times greater!¡±

    ¡°Rightly so, elder Wen used his life to get this message to us so it must be true. We should act now. ¡±

    The clamours of the elders began to rouse the hall.

    ¡°But to go against Cornelius of the twin destructors. Can we even win?¡± a man wearing low hanging spectacles, asked.

    The entire room went silent.

    ¡°Cornelius, the man who once chased down and killed a half step to the immortal ascension cultivator despite only being in the early golden world cultivation realm.¡± The patriarch muttered.

    That name was once infamous and had reached the ears of all the major powers on the continent. The only reason no one talks about him anymore was because he had retired several decades ago and haven¡¯t been heard since.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Cornelius also a part of the beast calamity sect? If we were to attack him, won¡¯t we have to face them as well?¡± an elderly woman asked. A drop of sweat ran down her face.

    ¡°This girl, if she truly is as my brother has said, then she is worth everything we can throw at her. However, such a treasure would be unable to stay in our hands even if we managed to get our hands on her.¡± The patriarch stroked his beard for a brief moment. ¡°I will have a talk with the heads of the Zhao Clan and the Liang Clan.¡±

    ¡°What! Patriarch, we have been rival clans for generations, how could we possibly trust them?!¡± a younger elder spoke.

    ¡°Resume your duties, I have already decided!¡± The patriarch vanished from the hall and all the elders looked at each other with worries on their faces.

 Chapter 55

    Relic and their group soon arrived back in to the immortal cave. Light shined through the clouds and many were getting ready for the new day.

    ¡°Here.¡± He handed Cornelius a note.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the location of the lightning wave fruit. I¡¯m a bit tired so maybe you can give it to Diana after she has rested.¡± He casually said.

    A confused look crossed Cornelius face as he took the note from Relic.

    ¡°Hana, it¡¯s time to go.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    The two said their good byes once more and headed back towards Heaven¡¯s Peak.

    ¡°Well, I should rest up. I hope someday I¡¯ll find a way to repay you for all you¡¯ve done.¡± She smiled before shooting up towards the large tree which stood at the center of the immortal cave.

    Cornelius stared at the large tree for a while before looking down at the note Relic gave him, now understanding what that little boy was doing.

    ¡­

    The Astor¡¯s residence¡­

    The door creaked slightly as Relic and Hana slowly opened the outside door. As soon as they entered they quickly saw Marie sitting in a chair facing them. Her face was pale and her hair dishevelled. The eye bags under her eyes indicating she had not slept at all.

    ¡°WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!¡± She yelled angrily. She immediately charged towards them in a ferocious manner. Her eye¡¯s blazing with fire, ready to unleash fury never before seen!

    The two children immediately stiffed in place and Hana immediately placed her hand behind her back.

    The moment Marie arrived in front of them; she collapsed on to the ground, embracing her two children tightly. A flow of tear ran down and she began to cry out loud, ¡°I- I was¡­so ¡­ worried!¡±

    ¡°You cry too much mother.¡± He muttered. He had already seen his mother draw out tears more often in these three days than others do in a very long time. Yet, the tears did not lose meaning for him and Relic returned the hug. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too¡­¡± Hana also said. ¡°Where¡¯s father?¡±

    Just then they heard a man¡¯s voice from behind.

    ¡°Marie, I see Jiro, are the kids back?¡± Lavender suddenly appeared. He carried a dishevelled look and his hair was a mess as if he had been running for all night. He quickly saw Marie still hugging and crying with the two children in front. ¡°So¡­you two are back. That¡¯s good.¡± He said before taking off his coat and heading off to his room.

    Marie caught the look of surprise on Relic¡¯s face and said, ¡°Relic, you may not remember this, but your father is a soft spoken man. Though he does not show it on his face, he actually went frantic searching for you kids all night.¡± She finally let go of the two children.

    ¡°I want you two to promise me to tell me if you two are going to be late. I don¡¯t understand much about cultivation but I¡¯m still your mother. If your cultivation teacher requires you to be somewhere I would at least like to know where you two are so I won¡¯t have to worry.¡± She said sternly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promise that this would never happen again.¡± Relic reassured her.  Now that Yan Wen was dealt with, they would at least be without issues for the time being. There was also some part of him that didn¡¯t want to see his mother cry like this anymore. It was only natural for him to make this promise.

    ¡°Good.¡± she then picked up Relic and carried him towards the chair where she sat down with Relic on her lap.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°M-mother, what are you¡­¡±

    ¡°I do this out of love for you both. It will teach you some discipline for the future.¡± She quickly flipped Relic on his stomach and pulled down his pants.

    She then raised her hand and¡­

    Slap, Slap, Slap!

    Relic¡¯s jaw dropped, his eyes turned blank. He was absolutely stunned in place he couldn¡¯t even react to what just happened! A red hand print was now on his left buttocks. Marie put him down and then looked at Hana. ¡°It¡¯s your turn!¡±

    ¡°NOOOOOOO!¡± Hana screamed and tried to run away as with her hands covering her bottom. She was quickly caught and was also given her three slaps.

    All the while, Jiro stood outside, laughing internally.

    ¡­.

    At the same moment, inside the Moon Lit Dining Hall, the restaurant already had several customers enjoying their early breakfast.

    In the corner of the restaurant was a beautiful woman slumped at her seat as she swayed the drink in her hand. She took a gulp of the wine in her cup before slamming it on the table.

    ¡°ahh, I wonder if that little boy has already forgotten about me.¡± She sighed. ¡°Those truffles he brought only lasted a single day before we sold out. If I knew he wasn¡¯t going to visit again I wouldn¡¯t have sold it all at once.¡± She could only drown her sorrows in wine.

    Behind her, she suddenly heard the chatter of people behind her.

    ¡°Truffles grow under the black Oakwood trees, preposterous!¡± a man yelled loudly.

    ¡°It¡¯s true; my sister in Purple Heart city told me the entire city is in a uproar right now. The three flame pill condensation method and the cold steel smithing method have both been leaked and proved to be true. There has also been rumours people finding success in locating edible truffles under the Black Oakwood trees!¡± his female companion next to him said.

    ¡°If that¡¯s true then we must be idiots! We are literally surrounded by Black Oakwood trees. Are you saying we were just sitting on a fortune of gold that no one has found out yet? Your sister must be lying or playing a practical joke on you!¡± he scoffed.

    ¡°Yea¡­I guess that is pretty ridiculous.¡±

    The two paid for their food and quickly left.

    ¡°The Black Oakwood tree huh¡­¡± The beautiful women took another sip. She seemed to recall the first time Relic brought in those truffles. They had a strong earthy smell to them as if they were just freshly dug up. If that were the case, it would make sense that the truffles were from the roots buried underneath the ground. She began to ponder whether or not if she should even take what that couple had said seriously.

    ¡°No harm in trying I suppose.¡± She finished her drink and looked around her restaurant. ¡°Ah, it kind of hurts to see how empty this place is now¡­¡± Now that she no longer had any truffles many of her customers had returned to eating at the various other restaurants.

    ¡°Look after the place; I¡¯m going on a break.¡± She said to waitress in red robes.

    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±

    The beautiful woman was Chelsea, the owner of the Moon Lit Dining Hall.

    Chelsea descended down the mountain and soon appeared in front an ordinary Black Oakwood. Using only her hands, she dug into the earth until she reached the roots of the tree.

    ¡°Nothing¡­ what was I even thinking about?¡± she laughed to herself taking out a flask of alcohol and consuming more than three mouthfuls..

    Suddenly she heard laughter in the distance. She made her way past a few trees until she saw a group of men staring at a truffle which caused her eyes to enlarge.

    ¡°Hahaha , the rumours were true, there really are truffles here!¡± one of them said.

    ¡°What if it¡¯s the poisonous kind?¡±

    ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± The man courageously said. He puffed up his chest as he ripped off a piece and causally tossed it into his mouth. His whole body instantly shivered.

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Delicious! Quickly, we should fill up with as many as possible. If we are the first to sell, we will be able to make tons of money!¡±

    ¡®¡±Aye sir!¡± they all cheered and began to dig around the surrounding trees.

    Chelsea retreated in disbelief. She once again appeared in front of another black Oakwood tree and began to dig once more.  This time she noticed a black lumpy rock like item underneath the root of the tree. ¡°Can it really be?¡±  Her heart accelerated. She picked up the lumpy item and ripped off a piece before taking a whiff. The heavenly scent whiffed into her nostrils, sending an electric shock through her body. She instantly threw the piece into her mouth which dorve all her senses wild!  ¡°It¡¯s true! These really are truffles!¡± She immediately ran back up to her restaurant where her employees were frightened by her disarrayed and frantic expression.

    ¡°We are closing for a couple of hours, every one bring some digging tools and meet me in 5 minutes!¡±

    The shop closed and the entire staff made their way to the bass of the mountain.

    As the day went by, news of the Oakwood trees spread throughout Heaven¡¯s Peak. An influx of visitors began to arrive to heaven¡¯s peak and very soon, there were tens of thousands of people on the street. Inns were packed and the entire upper side were filled with merchants happy to buy the truffles at low cost so that they could sell at higher prices.

    ¡°Dammit, I knew you should¡¯ve listened to me in the beginning!¡± the woman grumpily said as her and her companion treaded down the mountain, tools in hand.

    ¡°Shut up, I know I¡¯ll listen to you next time!¡± her companion said. They bickered as they continued down the mountain.

    The crowd of people only increased and Cornelius soon became so busy he could only sigh.