Chapter 5 – Gambit

  Diyuan didn’t know anything about domains. He hadn’t heard about it before, nor had he heard anyone talk about it. But based on what he saw, it had its own rules it followed; convenient in some ways, strange in others.

  Gravity shifted. Diyuan’s feet lifted off the floating boulder he was on. His eyes were examining the minefield, trying to determine the order on which the rocks would throw out the fiery pulse. His body “fell” towards a rock in the distance. Other boulders were pulled to it as well, but they were slower. Diyuan was going to be in range of the fire that would pulse out from it. He remembered the Honglie guy. Just two hits from the fire were enough to burn a Foundation realm cultivator to a crisp.

  His target boulder got hit—a fiery pulse shot out. Just as Diyuan was about to be hit, he activated his Emperor’s Rule arte. His vision warped. The next thing he knew was standing “on top” of his new “down” boulder. A pulse of air pushed out where he appeared, but not only air: fire. Diyuan looked up, ignoring the pressure on his core. The explosion that was supposed to hit him had a hole in it now. It was the space where he travelled through with his arte.

  The reverberating sound that came with the skill was drowned out by the boulders crashing into each other and the fires exploding out. Diyuan didn’t have much time to think. The pressure on the core still hadn’t subsided and he was already being lifted up into the air again. He wouldn’t be able to use his arte again until that pressure was gone.

  Once more he was in range of a fiery detonation. Just as it was about to hit him, Diyuan continued to push to use his arte, despite the timer not being up. However, whatever mechanism restricted him was suddenly ignored. Diyuan teleported to the new platform, but now the pressure he felt increased significantly, as if doubling up for using the arte too quickly; a flash of hot searing pressure hit his insides, and it was taking it’s time to ease away.

  And again, his feet lifted off the ground. Diyuan wanted to groan, but saw that an unaffected boulder was in the path of his new destination. He grabbed what he could and dangled, like hanging from the edge of the cliff. His destination’s mine went off safely, so Diyuan let go and fell to it. The pain was lessening now. He heard Mugong’s artes go off somewhere, where the Gu clan member was trying to survive using his own tricks.

  This was going to be a long dance.

  ***

  Yuhan Ranxi was able to see a strange phenomenon in the distance as she flew. What used to be the western plains was now a collection of floating and exploding boulders. She thought maybe it was a formation illusion, but that couldn’t be since she wasn’t inside any formation. Surely her eyes were deceiving her. Was there a Dharma arte that did something like that?

  The Yuhan Elite followed behind her in formation. They all had their runic wings out and were flying as fast as they could.

  “Lady Yuhan, there!” One of them pointed to the ground.

  Her eyes snapped, looking for Diyuan. There was a person running. She shifted her direction and flew towards them. As she got closer, she realized it wasn’t Diyuan but a girl. Diyuan was hired to protect a new cultivator—maybe it was her? Ranxi was reminded of the maid who told her that Diyuan was out here in the western plains. The fact that the maid was up to speed about Diyuan’s activities meant that Pa was keeping tabs. It annoyed her how the two were estranged, but Pa still did what he could to help Diyuan, even if it was done in secret. And Diyuan refused to present himself to Pa, like he wanted to prove he could do everything himself. She should choke the air out of both of them since they didn’t want to use their heads! Well, that would be unfilial. Maybe she’d just choke Diyuan out in an arm hold.

  They came to the girl, who only saw them as they floated right above her. The girl’s robes were ripped and had some blood on them, but what caught Ranxi’s attention was the nosebleed and the blood in her mouth. She was breathing heavily and looked like she was about to collapse at any moment. Internal injuries.

  “We are the Yuhan family. Who are you?” Ranxi asked.

  The girl’s dazed eyes suddenly focused. “Yuhan!? Then do you know Diyuan? You have to help him. Listen carefully, I’ll tell you where he’s at.” Though the girl looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she began to explain where their original battlefield was, pointing animatedly, and where the Gu’s flying disc got caught in the phenomenon that was apparently called a “domain.”

  Ranxi flew in close as she listened. She was impressed. This girl had kept an eye on her brother even when retreating. It meant that Ranxi’s search radius could be limited to the area described by the girl. It could mean the difference between life and death.

  Just then, a crackle of lightning and a gust of wind hit their area. Ranxi already knew who it was even without looking.

  Ranxi turned and did a lotus salute. “Grand Elder Xunran.”

  Of the three Grand Elders, Zheng Xunran was the youngest—though still centuries old—and was considered a genius himself back in the day. Despite being the youngest by just a bit, he had the appearance of someone who could have been the grandchild of another Grand Elder. He looked to be just as old as her own father. Grand Elder Xunran was also in charge of the Xuanying Watchers, a group she considers to be focused on assassination work. The Grand Elder had his own skillset that matched.

  “Pardon me, but I will leave to search for my brother,” Ranxi said.

  Noticing that the Watchers were coming in close, Ranxi took off and flew towards the chaos of boulders without waiting for the Grand Elder’s reply. She was not here to be commanded by them, after all.

  She heard the Grand Elder give instructions to his people about bringing that Jia Yunya girl to a safe place to heal. In the next instant, another crack of lightning and the Grand Elder was next to Ranxi, slowing his own flight to match her speed. His blue runic wings had a trail of lightning follow behind him.

  “Do you see how that domain continues to expand, even now?” Grand Elder Xunran asked. “It can be slowed, even stalled, with a wide array. Your Yuhan Elites could help with that before the Shapers arrive.”

  “No offense, Grand Elder, but my only concern is finding my brother and bringing him out safely. I have no intention of doing anything that might get in the way of that.”

  The Grand Elder smiled. He always looked as if he had a joke he wanted to say, even at inappropriate times. “I’ll ask again once you’re close enough to probe the field itself.” He then began asking questions to his Watcher group, as if this was a routine trip for learning purposes. His questions surrounded the expansion of this so-called domain, if it was accelerating, and what limitations it might have. Ranxi was listening and learned that its initial expansion was quick, but now slowed at a consistent pace with no end in sight.

  As they got closer, she realized her senses could barely penetrate the domain. It could only reach in about a few feet—her own eyesight would do better!

  The Grand Elder seemed to notice her frustration and nodded, then turned to his own people again. “Who among you are able to keep your directional awareness when you probed the domain?”

  Two of the Watchers flew forward and saluted mid-flight.

  Grand Elder Xunran turned to Ranxi. “Lady Yuhan, I’ll lend you these two in exchange for your Yuhan Elite. They can pierce through the veil that the domain created, and they can ensure you stay on track by not losing directional awareness, lest you fly in circles. A compass, if you will.”

  Ranxi had not even considered that she might get lost inside it. A trade for about two dozen Yuhan Elite for a couple of Watchers may not seem a good deal, but considering the situation it might be her best bet.

  She turned to her people and delivered her commands as she continued flying with her two new companions. Grand Elder Xunran delivered additional orders, instructing some of his own to evacuate a nearby farmland owned by non-cultivators, which was still a safe distance away, but he didn’t want to risk anything.

  “Now then,” Grand Elder Xunran said, “I’m quite certain I just felt Yifan die by a nobody who couldn’t possibly have the skills to kill him. How odd. We will meet later.”

  Before Ranxi could express her shock and disbelief, the Grand Elder became blue lightning itself and zipped at a speed she couldn’t follow. If Grand Elder Yifan did die, that would be a huge loss for the Zhengyi clan—but that wasn’t her concern right now. She was moments away from entering the domain.

  ***

  Diyuan had managed to survive until now. He placed himself in a position where he could see the most boulders, eyeing their movement. His goal was to determine which one wasn’t being tugged at, so he could latch to it until his destination detonated. And when worse came to worse, he used Emperor’s Rule to get him out of a tight situation. But he learned something dire involving his new arte. Ever since he forced past the restraint, the pain would now compound and never dissipate. It could lessen, but would never go away. A sense of permanent damage crept up, only ever increasing the more he was forced to use it.

  His Foundation core was breaking.

  Mugong came into view. He swung his fan, which failed to nudge the fire from the minefield, but it did create some sort of whirlwind effect that kept him afloat temporarily. His own exhaustion was catching up to him. At level 1 Spiritweave, those types of artes would drain him quickly. But even with all of that, Mugong’s robes had blackened in areas from being hit.

  Another pull. Diyuan focused back to his own problems. His hand failed to get a proper grip as he tumbled through the air. Just as he was preparing to use his warping skill, he saw Mugong fall towards him. They both had the same idea at the same time. They reached out to each other and clasped hands, the force of the catch caused them to spin in midair.

  As they settled, they hung there in the air, unmoving, each being pulled in opposite directions. Diyuan realized then that they both would have a much greater chance of survival if they worked together. Mugong must have thought the same thing since his eyes lit up as he looked at Diyuan.

  Mugong pulled his fan up and fanned hard enough so both of their faces could benefit. “Dearest Diyuan, I recall your hobby of examining the hands of men. Now that you’ve graced mine, what is your verdict? Divine, is it not?”

  That’s what he said in this situation? Diyuan gave him a blank stare. The absurdity was almost laughable. “I have the sudden urge to throw myself into the fire.”

  Gravity shifted again, but regardless of Mugong’s antics, he was now making himself aware of Diyuan’s new direction as well. He swung his fan arm, creating a torrent that pulled—rather than pushed—Diyuan to a boulder closer to where Mugong was falling. Diyuan grabbed hold, hanging to it like a cliff’s edge, and swung his leg for Mugong to catch. The next shift had Mugong slice his fan into the boulder, catching hold of the upward falling Diyuan.

  Their teamwork wouldn’t always work, forcing them to use their limited resources. For Diyuan, that would be his Emperor’s Rule; each use caused additional permanent pain, its level increasing more than the last. Mugong would use the same arte that kept him afloat temporarily. But at the times when he was required to get hit by the flame, Mugong would simply crash into it, burning more of his robes. His skin remained unburnt, surprisingly. One time they fell to the same boulder, where Diyuan used his warp to carve a hole opening in the fiery pulse, and Mugong used his fan to move midair to position himself through that opening.

  Their teamwork continued, but it couldn’t last. Diyuan kept feeling a drain inside. Every now and then, he would feel dizzy, or an unexpected loss of feeling in a limb would hit. Mugong would still sometimes get hit by the fire; his finger was now blackened by it. They both were sweating. As time passed, they came to the silent conclusion that they wouldn’t survive.

  ***

  Outside the domain, the battlefield was in chaos. The Yuhan Elite had created their array—a multi-layered formation—but it only slowed the expansion of the domain. Reinforcements from the enemy side had arrived, around a hundred or two in total. The Watchers went out to fight them. The other reinforcements from Zhengyi, the Lingyun Shapers and the Zhengdao Vanguard, had arrived as well. In a short matter of time, the sky was filled with colors of spirit energy and of flying swords, weapons, and other twists and tricks. Some areas were denser than others, as the more powerful cultivators used artes that cared not if an enemy or ally was nearby.

  In the distance away from those front lines came a fire pillar. A phoenix came to life. Flame tornados seared the region. In response, elders of the Honglie clan had transformed themselves into avian creatures, the demonic beasts they had chosen to mimic, and did battle with the phoenix. A blue lightning struck true and fought side-by-side with the fiery bird.

  A backline was formed, where the third Grand Elder held post, healing those that came wounded to him. No matter how severe it may have been, whether a loss of a limb or otherwise, the Grand Elder was able to patch them anew and sent them back out to the front lines.

  Others, those too weak to join or were from the Lianhua clan, watched from the side.

  From the direct center of the domain a burst of light evaporated all the floating boulders, creating an empty space. It was now the eye of the storm; or domain, in this case. The remnants of the light joined and began to take shape. A giant golden body formed. Not simple palms or arms, but the entire being. It was a titan.

  Grand Elder Huizhong watched with wide eyes. He was the greatest healer that the Zhengyi clan had, and he had seen many things in his long life, but witnessing the true full Golden Dharma Body was a thing of beauty. It was something only the patriarch of the Zhengyi clan could do in its full majesty. This golden body also had the same appearance of Zheng Tianhou, but magnified.

  The golden form of Zheng Tianhou formed a giant sword and gripped it. He tilted the blade down, presumably towards the much smaller Gu Guoxiong, and struck. Despite the move traveling in slow motion, Grand Elder Huizhong knew that those caught in the crossfire could not hope to dodge left or right—they could only block.

  When the golden sword hit its target, a thunderous crack split the sky, carving out rays of light unto the battlefield. The domain itself, the area beyond the open eye that the giant golden body had created, was pushed back with a fierce force, causing the rocks to slam into each out as they waved out. That created an ever-expansive wall of fire as the boulders slammed into each other outwardly.

  It would be impossible for anyone within to dodge.

  ***

  Inside Diyuan’s being, he felt the shatter. It made him lose his breath. The pain had continued to pile up at a steady pace, even with the team up with Mugong. But the feeling he had just now was a breaking point. He knew what it meant, but he pushed those thoughts down.

  More gravity shifts. More teamwork. Diyuan’s sword in the boulder, grabbing Mugong. Mugong angling himself, taking hold of Diyuan. The two floating in the air for the easier opposite pull scenario. But it was too much. Mugong’s entire arm was now black, unable to move. He had run out of spirit energy to continue doing any fancy fan skills. There was no room to breathe as gravity shifted again.

  Another survival, and they readied themselves to the next.

  The gravity didn’t shift again.

  They stood dumbfounded, each on a different rock, angling slightly off where it appeared Mugong’s “down” was slightly tilted from Diyuan’s perspective.

  They waited. Silence. The boulders did not move or shift again.

  “Is it over?” Diyuan asked to himself. A drop of black blood landed on his hand from his nose. More proof of what he feared to be true.

  A torrent of sound came above him. When Diyuan looked, it seemed like the sky was aflame and was falling. The boulders were pushed by something and creating a wall of fire with no opening.

  Mugong jumped from his boulder and ran towards Diyuan, while slipping slightly due to how gravity was pulling him. “Use your teleport to make a hole in the fire!”

  Diyuan waited until the fiery sky came close. The sound of the boulders crashing drowned out everything else. Thankfully, due to the downtime, he was able to use the slow version of Emperor’s Rule for once, and warped up and through the flame wall. He landed midair and grabbed a floating boulder, a push of air and fire came out from where he appeared. Mugong angled himself and jumped through the hole, safely dodging the fire.

  They both landed back to their respective rocks, breathing heavily. The boulders themselves only hovered now; even when some tapped another, no fiery pulse rang out. Seemed like the domain went passive.

  Mugong sat down. “Diyuan, I’ll confess something to you.”

  “Not your feelings, I hope.”

  He grinned, his fan silent by his side. “Alas, there is an unfortunate flaw in my cherished Bonegrit Dreadflesh arte. Should the blow prove too mighty, the damage is shared to my cores.” He held up his blackened arm. “It appears, my dearest friend, that even if I should be free of this ghastly view, I would not escape death.”

  Diyuan laughed, letting his voice echo throughout the minefield.

  “You have no consideration of my feelings, dear friend,” Mugong said aptly.

  Diyuan wiped a tear that was forming in his eye, still letting out a chuckle. “No, you got it wrong. We’re the same, you and I. My arte has a weakness too. Even if I got out of here, I’ll also just simply die. I’m already bleeding black blood.”

  A brief silence. Mugong then laughed, which caused Diyuan to laugh again.

  “I’m curious though,” Diyuan said as they settled down, “how did you convince everyone to join you to fight me? And how did you convince everyone to do those tournaments back in the Administrator’s Archive?”

  “Ah, I will be glad to shine my brilliance upon you.” Mugong took up his fan in his good arm, back in the mood again. “To have them join against you was the tried-and-true method of the ancient wise men: spirit stones. I offered a grand total of ten million, to be shared by them.”

  Diyuan’s head snapped to him in surprise. “Ten million? How many were in that room?”

  Mugong smiled knowingly. “Thus brings the answer to your other query: the chamber held over twenty million spirit stones. Alas, their storage rings couldn’t hold them all—quite the predicament, wouldn’t you agree? Riches they rightly owned, but could not carry out. I, humble as I am, offered to be their caravan…that is, for a small wage. A loss would mean my share grew larger. Imagine being so poor that you cannot afford a decently sized storage ring.”

  Once again, they shared a laugh. Mugong took out a wine jar and drank from it. He held it up as an offer to Diyuan, who accepted it after it was thrown to him.

  “Has this been poisoned?” Diyuan asked.

  “Of course.”

  Diyuan drank some and tossed it back. The conversation continued, with Mugong asked if that teleporting arte was what they had found in the room he was guarding. Diyuan nodded, still not willing to share any information about the heavenly jade tablet, regardless of their shared fate.

  A distant sound. They both stopped talking and listened. It took a moment for them to understand what it was.

  Mugong stood with a graceful flourish, then bowed to the boulders. “And so, it collapses; our graveyard. These rocks our humble tombstones and our silent audience.” He hummed. “Yet I crave a finale far grander than this ugly one. Even your dagger in my back would suffice.” He turned to Diyuan. “One last dance?”

  Diyuan stood, making his sword appear in his hand. He had three throwing daggers left and he still hadn’t revealed his Wind’s Edge this entire time. This would be as good a time as any.

  They began. Mugong threw his fan, a faint blue aura coating it. Diyuan ran at it, knowing it wouldn’t have the same strength as before. In moments they were in melee combat. Sounds of metal hitting metal, despite Mugong’s fan not being metal itself. They would leap and jump off of boulders, still swinging and trying to get an edge. Diyuan’s swordplay had the advantage over Mugong’s one usable arm, but his own strength had been sapped enough that he couldn’t act on it.

  The sound of the distant rumble was closer now. It was time to end it.

  Diyuan teleported to the side and threw a dagger. Ignoring the seething white pain, Diyuan teleported again, ending up on the opposite side, and threw a second dagger. Mugong’s fan flashed and deflected. A third teleport and a third dagger was thrown, emptying his standard arsenal. The swift movements were difficult for Mugong to follow. Such actions wouldn’t be possible if Diyuan didn’t bypass the exhaustion period.

  Then, for the finale, Diyuan threw the Wind’s Edge and teleported directly in front of Mugong. His eyes glowed white as he faced down his enemy. He swung his sword up and Mugong swung his fan down.

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  Diyuan’s strength lost in that direct confrontation, like Mugong’s single good arm had the strength of two. His sword was knocked out of his hands, falling to the abyss. He caught Mugong’s arm with both hands, gripping it tightly to prevent the fan from slicing him. Despite not having the use of the black arm, Mugong’s strength was winning; black blood dripped freely from Diyuan’s nose.

  Then Mugong gasped. The Wind’s Edge had reversed course and struck true. Mugong, though he wouldn’t have known how he was stabbed in the back, smiled and closed his eyes. He slumped forward and his head hit Diyuan’s chest. Diyuan tried to let go of Mugong’s wrist but his body would no longer obey. The weight of the Gu clan member knocked him over the edge of the boulder and he could do nothing to prevent it. His sight darkened as he tumbled together with Mugong. His heart stopped beating, though his awareness remained for a moment longer.

  The chaos of boulders fell, no longer held up by any special ability. In Diyuan’s last moments, he saw a figure jump off a boulder, reaching out to him, but his eyes no longer had the focus to know who it was.

  Darkness took him.

  ***

  Those outside the domain witnessed it collapse. Boulders crashed down, throwing dust up into the air. Yuhan Ranxi flew out from the edge, breaking out of the dust cloud. In her hands was the unmoving body of her brother, Diyuan. The other two Watchers came out after her, one of them holding the unmoving body of Mugong.

  Ranxi landed a safe distance away from all the clutter and immediately put Diyuan in a sitting position. She sat behind him and placed her hands on his back and began pouring her energy into him. She gave a command to one of her Watchers companions to find a healer; though the Yuhan family didn’t have the authority to do so, the Watcher obeyed anyway.

  Diyuan’s current condition was a stopped heart. As serious as that may look, true death for a cultivator was something different. The path to immortality brought many benefits.

  However, when she poured her energy inside him, she felt it dissipate within a few seconds. What should have happened instead was that his Foundation core would circulate her energy through the normal paths, activating his internal arte. His heart would heal, along with anything else. Not to mention that they both used the same Yuhan internal artes, Benediction Balm, so the efficiency would have been ever better. Yet it vanished instead? If the core was like a cup, it should hold the water, but if the cup had shattered…

  It can still hold for several seconds, Ranxi told herself, though she was growing anxious. Maybe a real healer could do something. As long as she continued with her assistance, Diyuan would still have a chance.

  The other teams were withdrawing back towards her. Some of the Lingyun Shapers were setting up some defensive arrays as a precautionary measure. Others were carrying their wounded or having discussions in the air. Some of the talks were initially about how many cultivators they wounded or killed, or what the entire battle was about, but then it switched to more lighthearted topics.

  While Ranxi was waiting for a healer to come, she overheard a conversation somewhere behind her, between the other Xuanying Watcher that had accompanied her and Grand Elder Xunran.

  “Reporting, teacher: we found two charred bodies inside the domain prior to discovering the body of the Yuhan young master and a Gu clan’s cultivator. According to their storage rings, the one who had a missing limb was from the Honglie clan, and the other belonged to the Lianhua clan.”

  “Hmm…student of mine, I believe this is an opportunity to strike at the enemy’s flank,” Grand Elder Xunran said.

  “You want to attack them again?”

  “Fighting isn’t the only way to attack. Find someone who can act pitifully; better if they can weep. Best yet if they look the part of a child. Keep those rings until the clans gather, then—by using the old war rules—we can present them to Gu Guoxiong while mentioning they are his by rights. Make sure we say that they come from two young children that he slaughtered.”

  “I suppose that is attacking from a flank, teacher. What about the storage ring from the Gu child?”

  Ranxi kept her focus on pouring the energy into Diyuan’s unmoving body. As she did so, she saw a ring float slowly towards Diyuan and slip into his hand.

  Grand Elder Xunran hummed to himself. “Using those same old war rules, the Yuhan young master won his battle against the Gu child, did he not? So, naturally, the ring belongs to him.”

  “But teacher, isn’t the Gu child still alive?”

  “Can you really call that being alive? He would need some miracle to pull through.”

  “I can see why you’re sometimes called a thief, teacher.”

  “Who calls me that?”

  “After you took the Spine Blue Lightning wings spirit artifact from the Celing patriarch, I think everyone calls you a thief, teacher.”

  “How can it be theft if it flew to me so willingly, student? Don’t you have something better to do? Go find Huizhong so he can heal the Yuhan child. Use my token if he doesn’t want to come himself.”

  Ranxi felt hope surge. Grand Elder Huizhong was the greatest healer in the Zhengyi clan. If anyone could heal Diyuan, it would be him. She persisted in her energy transfer as she waited.

  After a time, a shadow blocked the sunlight. Grand Elder Huizhong stood before her; old in appearance like Grand Elder Yifan, but with a fiercer gaze. Ranxi felt some relief at seeing him. The man who could stitch anyone back together no matter how severe the wound! She looked at him with hopeful eyes, where his own remained passive. Grand Elder Huizhong was the strictest of the Three Pillars.

  He bent down and took Diyuan’s wrist. While there would be no pulse, he could still check a cultivator’s condition. After a moment time’s he turned to look at her. “His core has shattered,” was all he simply said.

  Ranxi’s throat tightened. She forced herself to speak. “What elixir can we use to help that?”

  Grand Elder Huizhong sighed and stood up. “His core has shattered,” he said again. “He would have lived as a non-cultivator if that was all, but you know his heart has also stopped. Do not give to false hope. He is dead.”

  “He is not dead!” Ranxi shouted. Her energy transfer wavered slightly, so she calmed herself. “My energy is still lasting for several seconds. That can keep his core together until we give him some medicine.”

  “What medicine?” The Grand Elder asked. His voice was monotone. No empathy—just a matter of fact. “There is no miracle elixir or wonder drug that can help a shattered core. Not in the lower world, anyway.”

  That gave an idea to her. “Then what about Ancestor Tianhou? He’s been able to do things that others couldn’t. Didn’t he also breakthrough beyond the Dharma realm, which is also impossible in the lower world?”

  Grand Elder Huizhong merely shook his head. “Not quite. He’s Half-Step, not a full breakthrough. You may wait for the patriarch, but do not expect much. Even if he does have something, many cultivators have had their cores shattered these past few centuries, but he had not acted once.”

  Soon after Ranxi was left alone. Members of the Yuhan Elite came to check up on her, offer to take her place in aiding Diyuan, but she refused them all. She continued to sit there as others settled in and reported to their superiors. Her mind was focused entirely on Diyuan and the fact that there might not be a way to save him.

  “Idiot…” Ranxi mumbled.

  Diyuan had taken up too much on himself. He should have acted more like the child he was, rather than being responsible for things beyond his age. Maybe if it was her that had executed their older brother…maybe things would be different now. Maybe she wouldn’t be in a position where she was at risk of losing her second sibling.

  The sun was readying itself to bring about dusk. The spirit energy she poured into Diyuan was now only lasting for one second. In the distance, the enemy forces had lumped together for their own discussion. Meanwhile, on the Zhengyi side, the laughter and conversations finally died down. Everyone immediately shifted to a salute.

  Ancestor Tianhou descended wingless, defying the flying norms. No one spoke or moved as he landed on the ground, his long black hair floating after him.

  He scanned the area and looked off to her side. “Yifan, it seems your phoenix arte indeed revives you.”

  Ranxi looked over. Standing tall and in a fist-in-palm salute was not Grand Elder Yifan, but a man several centuries younger. No white hair or wrinkles. He had a slicked back long red hair with bushy crimson eyebrows that arched out. No long white beard either.

  “Many would deem it a curious fate that I should perish. And yet, in perishing, I live!” There was a twinkle in his eyes, the same kind that Ranxi knew Grand Elder Yifan to carry.

  Ancestor Tianhou nodded. “Rejuvenation? Or did you break through to Half-Step?”

  “Rejuvenation only, I fear.”

  The ancestor didn’t respond and continued to look around. His eyes landed on Diyuan, but when he didn’t say anything and moved to look elsewhere, Ranxi spoke up.

  “Ancestor! Please save my brother!” Ranxi called out.

  Ancestor Tianhou looked back at her. She was still sitting with her hands on Diyuan’s back while everyone else remained in their salute positions. She could see Grand Elder Huizhong give her a side-eye look, disapproving. She didn’t care—she just didn’t want another brother of hers to die.

  “The Yuhan children are alike, willing to call upon me without hesitation,” he said. Unlike with the healing Grand Elder, Ancestor Tianhou didn’t need touch Diyuan’s wrist. With a single look he was able to deduce the problem. “There is no lower world medicine that can save him.”

  Her throat tightened. But she already knew that much; what she was banking on was if there was a miracle he could do.

  As if reading her mind, a small white bottle appeared in his hand. He uncorked it with spirit control, allowing a rich fragrance spread throughout the field. Just by breathing in the smell she could feel her energy replenish at a rapid pace.

  “This I found half a millennia ago.” Ancestor Tianhou looked at the bottle. “As you may already suspect, it is an upper world elixir. The Limitless Elixir. I am certain it could repair a shattered core.”

  Yes!

  “However,” he continued, “it would be a waste to use it on someone in the Foundation realm. This liquid can bring many benefits to those who are Dharma cultivators. I will not part with this treasure to save the life of someone simply because he is loved by you. Not even for the undying loyalty of the Yuhan family. When I use it, it will be for the benefit of all Zhengyi.”

  Ranxi’s mind went blank. What was the point of showing it to her if he was not going to use it? Why taunt her? She closed her eyes, imprisoning the tears that were now welling up behind her eyelids. The spirit energy she was pouring into Diyuan was now dissipating in less than a second. He would be permanently dead in a few minutes. She leaned her head forward and rested it on Diyuan’s back. Her little brother…

  Her spirit energy in Diyuan stopped dissipating—rather, it flared to life! Her eyes snapped open; the blocked tears now free to flow down her face. The liquid from Ancestor Tianhou’s bottle flowed into the air and entered Diyuan’s mouth. Ancestor Tianhou still had his normal expression; business-as-usual.

  She didn’t care what reason he had to change his mind, but she focused her energy so that the power inside Diyuan could circulate.

  “You disagree, Huizhong?” Ancestor Tianhou said after all of the liquid was used.

  Grand Elder Huizhong’s face was scrunched up. Like everyone else, he was still in a fist-in-palm salute. He bowed a fraction lower. “How could I disagree with how Patriarch uses his own treasure?”

  “Perhaps I should cut off your ears if you don’t intend to use them, child,” Ancestor Tianhou said. The air went silent. Everyone held their breath. A level of menace filled the area. Ranxi felt it too, causing her to stumble slightly with her focus. It was the kind of tension where a king was about to execute a disloyal subject.

  Grand Elder Huizhong dropped to the ground and kneeled. “Forgive me, Patriarch!”

  The tension remained thick. Ancestor Tianhou looked around at everyone, placing his hands behind his back. When he spoke, he addressed everyone. “I had every right to use my treasure in the way I please, but that was not what I said, was it?” He paused for a moment. “I do not care for your opinions on me; it matters little. If I care so little, then why should I lie? I spoke plainly that I would use my treasure for the benefit of all Zhengyi. If you all fail to see how my actions did just that, then your first thoughts should be that you are blind.” He looked down at the Grand Elder below him. “Rise, Huizhong. Rise, everyone. I shall teach you to see.”

  Everyone stopped their salute. Grand Elder Huizhong remained on the ground for a moment longer before he stood up, his face flushed like a child that was chastised. But that’s what they all were compared to their ancestor. He was the only person known in history to live longer than the 1,000-lifespan limit in the lower world. He had broken past the Dharma realm, yet not. He was “half-step” into the next realm, as some would say. He could never fully breakthrough, as the required ascension to the upper realm.

  “You need only answer one question,” Ancestor Tianhou said. “And the first to answer correctly will receive an artisan’s writ, with my name.” He motioned towards Ranxi. “Look at Yuhan Ranxi. Examine her.” His sleeves swished as he then motioned to Diyuan. “Now look at Yuhan Diyuan. Examine him. What is the difference?” He finished by placing both hands behind his back.

  Ranxi blinked, perplexed. That was his question? She participated and looked at herself. Her robes had been burned and scorched in places due to the domain. Her skin that had also been burned was already healed, since her mastery of the Benediction Balm internal arte was greater than Diyuan’s.

  She then looked at Diyuan. His robes was a heavy mess. It was cut, ripped, and soaked in blood. There were puncture holes in some places, which had pierced his skin as well. His body was in a terrible state too; other than the several puncture holes, there were some cuts that showed evidence of healing, but not yet all the way to make it vanish entirely. Bruises filled his body in places. His neck had a wound that looked to have spilled a great amount of blood, coating and flaking the collar below it. It was all evidence that he had undergone a terrible battle, barely hanging on despite the use of the Yuhan internal artes. Ranxi’s heart twisted when she thought about the pain he went through.

  And yet, she didn’t see what Ancestor Tianhou wanted them to see. No matter what she saw, nothing stood out. There wasn’t anything that let her understand why their ancestor would use an upper world medicine.

  A zap of blue lightning. In the blink of an eye, Grand Elder Xunran appeared next to her. He circled around, his eyes widened as he examined Diyuan. His head snapped up to look at their ancestor.

  Sound transmission must have happened, because Ancestor Tianhou smiled and responded. “Correct. This writ is yours to use or to gift.” He tossed his artisan’s writ to the Grand Elder. A piece of paper that would allow access to all sorts of metals that would normally not be available to the public.

  Grand Elder Xunran spared a look to Diyuan and nodded approvingly, like he was proud by what he saw. Another zap of blue lightning and the Grand Elder was somewhere behind her again.

  Murmuring broke out. Ranxi reexamined Diyuan again but nothing new came to mind. What else could it be? They were both relatively young—him at 16, her at around a century—but nothing stood out.

  Grand Elder Huizhong had crossed his arms and examined Diyuan from a distance. He had the look of annoyance about him. After Grand Elder Xunran had discovered something, he also began to look with interest once more.

  Then his own eyes went wide. He must have forgotten that he was annoyed and uncrossed his arms as he moved towards Diyuan, lifting one of the ripped sleeves. “How can this be?” The Grand Elder asked.

  A bellyful chuckle came from the side, Grand Elder Yifan. “Patriarch Tianhou is indeed wise. Anyone who can answer his question would not doubt the use of the upper world elixir.”

  The healer Grand Elder back away with his own approving nod. He turned to their ancestor and did another fist-in-palm salute. “Forgive me, Patriarch. My eyes did not see.”

  Ancestor Tianhou only nodded. But now Ranxi had to know what they were all seeing. They had given clues, where they were focused on Diyuan, specifically his robes, it seemed like? But the ancestor had said to examine her too and compare. She looked at her robes. It was made with special silk, spun by a spider demonic beast. It was an expensive material known for its resilience, gifted when she reached level 5 Spiritweave. Yet, as she had observed already, it had been burnt in places. Even with her runic wings, which everyone could form once they hit level 5 Spiritweave, she had found it difficult to navigate the domain. The gravity had pulled her unexpectedly several times, causing her to get by the fires. Even the two Watchers that were with her, known for their agility and flexibility, had gotten hit. That was the only damage her robes had.

  Diyuan’s robe was damaged with nearly everything she might expect to see: rip, tears, cuts.

  Then it hit her. There was something about Diyuan’s robes that stood out. it wasn’t what was there, but what wasn’t there.

  His robes didn’t have a single burn mark.

  She sat up, still with her hands on his back, and looked to see the front of his clothes, expecting to see something different that she hadn’t already seen. But there were no scorch marks there either.

  “How is that possible?” Ranxi asked to herself, nearly identical to what Grand Elder Huizhong had asked. She had experienced the domain herself. She felt her senses shift and twist. She had seen how sometimes it was impossible to dodge the flames, and that was with her runic wings.

  “Indeed,” Ancestor Tianhou said with a smile. “It should be impossible.”

  Other people were now starting to figure it out themselves. The two Watchers that had went with Ranxi were now looking at their own damaged robes, no doubt wondering how they were hit but someone at the Foundation realm wasn’t.

  Her own thoughts were interrupted. A zap of blue lightning and Grand Elder Xunran was in front of her again.

  “They are coming,” he said.

  The other side, where the enemy had gathered for their own discussion, was now making their way towards them.

  ***

  Diyuan saw the dead ground before him. Not a literal ground, as it wasn’t real, but he saw it all the same. Yet with a single drop of rain, the shattered ground wettened and was restored—healed and strengthened to something even greater. Another drop. It was like the quenching to his desert. And another and another, rain pattered. The dead ground was restoring, all cracks closing up. In its place the plants began to spring up and produce oxygen. Once enough oxygen filled the air, he breathed.

  He gained consciousness. A loud rhythmic thumping sound filled his ears—his heart. He felt the heaviness of his body and the solid ground beneath him. The air he breathed was new; grasslands, similar to that of the western plains, but now also dust and dirt that wasn’t so prevalent before. His eyelids were yet too heavy to open so he just continued to exist and breathe. Diyuan also felt his Benediction Balm internal arte at work, though not through his own will. Someone’s hands were on his back and they were directing it. If he wanted, he could close them off, but he decided to assist the flow, where it would be even more efficient.

  A gasp from behind him. “Diyuan? Are you awake?”

  It was a woman’s voice. It sounded familiar, but his memory was groggy, like waking up from a deep sleep. One by one he started to remember things. His family, his training, his regular life. He then remembered the events of his final day. The pink heavenly jade tablet. He had died, hadn’t he? His core shattered and his heart had stopped. But from what he could feel, his core was intact. It also felt strange, different from what it used to be.

  “Diyuan?” The woman’s voice spoke again. Now he recognized it.

  “Ranxi…” His own voice was hoarse. A slight burn to hit throat, but that immediately healed while his internal arte was running at full power.

  “Why are you always getting yourself into trouble?” Ranxi asked, her voice filled with a teasing joy.

  Diyuan opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, slow to focus. “You’re the one that always told me I could do whatever I want. Because I’m handsome.”

  A laugh was heard from the side—not Ranxi.

  “Uh, just to let you know, we’re still at the western plains. Everyone’s here. The Grand Elders, Ancestor Tianhou, and uh…the other clans are here too, by the way.”

  His vision cleared up and he began to see properly. The sun was much lower in the sky than what he remembered. In front of him, as if standing guard, were three people: Grand Elder Xunran, Grand Elder Huizhong, and someone with red hair that Diyuan didn’t recognize.

  The red-haired man smiled with a twinkle in his eye. “Lad, I must confess a rather unfortunate truth; you are not the first to defy death’s embrace this day, though I daresay the novelty of such an event remains as captivating as ever.”

  Diyuan blinked in confusion. While the voice sounded younger, it was no doubt… “Old Man Yifan!?”

  He smiled in return, but looked back towards the sky before him. Diyuan followed and saw that there were at least a hundred people floating up there, maybe two hundred. They were the Gu, Honglie, Celing, and Lianhua clans. Everyone was here. Diyuan then looked around and saw the results of his Royal Decree. They had their own two hundred some people. Ancestor Tianhou was off to the side, content to let others settle the matter this time, it seemed.

  Ranxi rubbed Diyuan’s back as she continued to pour her spirit energy into him. “Just relax, you’ll be up and insulting everyone in no time.”

  Gu Guoxiong descended a bit, drawing attention. Unlike before, when he freely attacked upon his first arrival, he was more pacified now. “Now that he is awake, perhaps we can settle the matter so the rest of us may return.”

  Grand Elder Xunran fake coughed, looking at Diyuan. This Grand Elder’s long hair was pulled up into a ponytail. He looked similar to Ancestor Tianhou in a fashion, which made sense as they were related to one another by blood, more so than Diyuan, and both had the surname of Zheng. Grand Elder Zheng Xunran looked at Diyuan and motioned to a specific spot in the air. In the space between them and Gu Guoxiong was a floating small object that glinted in the sunlight. A storage ring.

  Diyuan looked to his own hand. His storage ring was there, so then whose was it in the air?

  “The Gu kid’s ring is yours by rights,” Grand Elder Xunran said. “You defeated him, and you’re not dying anytime soon. But despite Gu Guoxiong killing the other young Foundation realm cultivators—those that had a long and bright future, and very caring families—and taking their storage rings, he’s greedy for this ring, too. What do you say, Yuhan Diyuan? Don’t you agree that this ring belongs to you?”

  Diyuan got a grasp now on what was happening. It was Mugong’s ring in the air and Gu Guoxiong wanted it. And if Diyuan remembered correctly, Mugong’s ring would have millions of spirit stones in there. Whether Gu Guoxiong knew that or not, he didn’t know. But what did the Grand Elder want him to do? It wasn’t like he could force Gu Guoxiong to let it go if he didn’t want to. Or did they expect Diyuan to start another fight?

  [If you make him lose face, I’ll give you an artisan’s writ, with Zheng Tianhou’s name on it. They’ll make whatever you want for free,] Grand Elder Xunran said to him privately.

  Everyone had been waiting for Diyuan to recover for this small matter to be resolved. It seemed the others didn’t really care for it, hence why Ancestor Tianhou simply stood off to the side.

  Gu Guoxiong scoffed in the air. “This boy is the reason we’re all here to begin with. For Zhengyi to give so much authority to a child is laughable. I will not play your games; the ring will leave here with me today or we shall fight once more.”

  Diyuan smiled. “So quick to settle things with violence. Since I’m still just a lowly Foundation cultivator, how about we do a gambit instead? We can bet the ring. It’ll be fair and the winner takes all, no complaints. And we both can keep face. Most likely.”

  Diyuan could hear Ranxi hiss behind him. She spoke in a quiet voice. “Why bother? Let him have it.”

  [And I asked you to make him lose face, not keep it,] Grand Elder Xunran said.

  “Make your proposal,” Gu Guoxiong said as he crossed his arms.

  Diyuan looked around at the other people in the air. He recognized the Lianhua elder, Meilan, the woman who was at the pocket world entrance, surrounded by her Lianhua clan members. He pointed at her.

  “Let’s have her be the liaison. It’ll be a gambit of speed. She can take the ring and flick it towards you. Whoever catches it gets to keep it.” After Diyuan said that, he closed his eyes. It was difficult for him to keep a straight face.

  Gu Guoxiong merely sighed in annoyance. “A waste of time. Do it, Elder Meilan.”

  He wasn’t the only one annoyed. Diyuan could hear some frustration on his side, as well. Perhaps they wanted the Zhengyi clan to come out on top and thought this was a concession.

  Elder Meilan reached out her hand and made the ring float to her. Without touching it, she prepared to flick it. Guoxiong held out his hand to catch. The distance between the two of them was much shorter compared to where Diyuan was. Not to mention, they were floating in the air, Diyuan was sitting with his eyes closed, recovering from a mortal internal wound, showing no interest in actually participating in the gambit.

  “Ready?” She called out.

  “Just flick it. This is just so they can try to salvage what face they lost by relying so much on a boy.”

  She did so. With a flick, the ring flew towards Gu Guoxiong. Others in the Dharma realm would have had difficulty catching the ring first at this distance already. Closer and closer it flew. It was now closer to Gu Guoxiong than it was to the Lianhua elder. At this point, the only person who could reasonably still have a chance to catch it first would have been Grand Elder Xunran. But then it came to the point where even he would have found it impossible. Grand Elder Xunran shook his head in disappointment.

  Just as Guoxiong was about to catch the ring…

  Diyuan vanished. In the blink of an eye, he moved from a sitting position to now a standing position, standing just in front of the three Grand Elders, his back to Gu Guoxiong. A sharp, reverberating beat sliced through the air, pulsing out a small shockwave of air, followed by a humming noise that lingered. Diyuan’s hair and robes flowed with it. He opened his eyes—they glowed white.

  Gu Guoxiong’s eyes went wide in shock. His head snapped to Diyuan. Others were the same. Ranxi’s mouth parted from the sudden surprise of her brother vanishing before her in an instant. Grand Elder Xunran, the fastest of them all, could only stare in amazement. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t have some reaction.

  Even Ancestor Tianhou’s eyes widened slightly as he turned to Diyuan.

  Diyuan opened his hand. In it, a ring. He turned to show everyone.

  “If I had known your age would slow you this much, Gu Guoxiong, I would have given you a bigger advantage,” Diyuan said.

  “Ha!” Grand Elder Xunran caught himself and covered his laugh by pretending to scratch his nose.

  Diyuan looked to Elder Meilan. “Gambit liaison, your verdict?”

  She was just as shocked as the others in the sky. “I…uh, the Zhengyi clan claimed the gambit.”

  Gu Guoxiong breathed heavily through his nose. Without a word, he spun and flew off. One by one the others left as well, some giving a salute before departing. Gu Guan, the other Gu elder who was at the portal rift, remained behind for a moment longer. Anger consumed his face as he looked at Mugong’s storage ring. Diyuan stood there and closed his hand around the ring. Gu Guan turned and flew off.

  Grand Elder Xunran let out the laugh he was holding back. “Young Yuhan! From now on, you can call me uncle! I will be upset if you don’t. Give me your ring, let me pass my reward to you.”

  “You!” Ranxi stood up in a hurry. “Did you bribe my brother to offend Gu Guoxiong in public? In front of everyone!?”

  “Isn’t that the best time to offend someone?” Grand Elder Xunran asked as he tapped his storage ring with Diyuan’s. Diyuan sensed the writ enter.

  “Grand Elder! The Gu clan won’t take that lightly! They’ll try to get revenge and Diyuan doesn’t need more enemies.” Ranxi walked up and pulled Diyuan away from him, as if doing so would avoid the bad influence.

  “As a former Fel holder myself, I can assuredly tell you that he’ll be their number one target regardless. However, this may fend off the other clans, keeping him safe from their grasp. You see, I only have your brother’s interest at heart.” Grand Elder Xunran said with an innocent smile.

  “How strange, then, that whenever I hear your name brought up, it’s always how you’re a thief or how you insulted the other clans,” Ranxi piped back.

  “Who calls me a thief?” The Grand Elder asked, offended.

  Old Man Yifan stepped forward, crimson eyebrows arching with a grin and patted Diyuan on the back. “Diyuan, lad, you’re bolder than I was at your age.”

  Grand Elder Huizhong walked up to them, his face annoyed. “Enough. This spat is costing the young Yuhan’s future. The longer he’s awake, the more he loses out on the elixir he hasn’t fully absorbed yet.”

  Then, without asking anyone’s permission, he placed a finger on Diyuan’s forehead. Blackness took Diyuan once again before he had a chance to bask in his victory.