Primitive Age of Xianxia (Honghuang style xianxia story)

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Silence, the only way to describe the return trip was melancholic silence. An uncomfortably awkward melancholic silence. Jian Koilong was too nervous to start a conversation and Zulong was all but ignoring his existence.

No extra movements were made, no attempts to flex their abilities. As a Da Luo Golden Immortal, Zulong's very movements would bring enlightenment onto ascended beings and drive mortals insane. His very presence when unrestricted would bathe entire islands for the primitive world with mysterious phenomenons.

However, none of that was shone. No elaborate aura, no beautiful clouds, not even a dancing dragon. Just a man riding a cloud with his hands behind his straight back accompanied by a visibly uncomfortable teenager.

Jian coiling found his interactions with his patriarch to be deeply unnerving. Zulong did not even spare him one look, only looking ahead. In fact, the ascended dragon dare say he wasn't even looking ahead or in any direction.

Jian Koilong grew up the runt of his school. He was the one carp everyone ignored. The one who got the least. But he was also the most observant one.

Zulong had a very good poker face. So good in fact, that Jian Koilong could not discern his feeling. But years of experience gave him a feeling that indicated to the ancestral dragon's feelings.

If Jian Koilong had to describe it with one word, it would be chaotic.

It was deeply concerning. However, the lesser dragon did not dare bring it up. The earlier shaking of Yingzhou taught him just how far apart they were. They weren't even in the same dimension of power.

The trip passed like this for a month. At a speed Jian Koilong didn't think possible, Zulong crossed the ocean on a ride of clouds. After a little over two months, Jian Koilong yelped in surprise as Zulong abruptly dropped them both into the sea.

The sudden influx of salt Walter assaulted the ascended dragon who was experiencing such different water in such quantities for the first time in his life. However, he got used to it quickly after the initial shock.

The east sea was truly vast. The sea floor wasn't even visible from Jian Koiling's position. Millions of small lights floated in the distance, rising mountains filled with corals and sea grass. The ocean made Jian Koilong feel infinitely small.

"Come on, we have a schedule to keep," Zulong said coldly. He motioned for Jian Koilong to follow him then disappeared in a burst of speed leaving a torrent in his wake.

"Wait for me," Jian Koilong hurriedly followed after the dragon. His element infused body was tailored for such an environment due to him tackling the Heavenly Water Qi first. His speed was significantly slower though and it took him half an hour before he saw Zulong again.

The dragon appeared incredibly impatient. He raised his right hand and Jian Koilong felt an instant tug on his person. He lost all control as Zulong dragged him at impossible speeds down into the depths of the ocean.

As they went, Jian Koilong sensed more and more. Millions, no billions of living beings existed below. The amount of natural primordial Qi flowing through this place was also incredibly high. Not as high as Yingzhou but it was definitely the largest he'd felt since leaving.

'Must be one of those spiritual veins I've heard about,' he realised. A spiritual vein was a natural phenomenon that was essentially a layline running beneath the primitive world. They were gathering spots for large amounts of primordial Qi, perfect places for setting up a base.

'No wonder he'd set it up here,' Jian Koilong thought when the city came into view. It was built along two mountains and a valley and was enormous in scale.

The East Sea Dragon Palace itself was situated at an elevated hill and was a city in and of itself. It was truly larger than even Da Hai's palace and represented the definition of the word 'Power'.

"This is Kailong Chen," Zulong said without looking back. "This will be your home from now on. The Primordial Celestial Dragon clan compounds are within the East Sea Dragon Palace. That will be your future residence."

"Yes patriarch," Jian Koilong said bowing.

"As I will soon be taking the next step in my ascension. You will address me as your majesty when in public. Though in private among other dragons, you may call me patriarch or ancestor," Zulong instructed.

"Understood, your majesty," Jian Koilong replied.

Zulong nodded and proceeded to take them both into the East Sea Dragon Palace. He directly blitzed over the city deciding Jian Koilong can explore it at his own leisure. It was more important to introduce him to the dragon higher ups after all.

When he touched down gently on the courtyard of the royal palace, Zulong couldn't help but feel how empty it was. Not in the sense of people, there were plenty here. But just that many of those he knew personally and were close to were not here.

His wife remained in the east as well as his father-in-law. However, he was never that close with the latter beyond an awkward tutor. His brothers and closest allies were also spread across the four seas.

No one had noticed him yet as Zulong was very restrained. His regal presence was not felt nor noticed. He simply touched down on the stone floor as fast as possible and too fast for anyone to catch with their eyes.

"Ao Ping, get over here," Zulong called out through mental transmission. The elder dragon he called was one of the first generation powerhouses who reached Taiyi Golden Immortal.

It was barely a few seconds before Ao Ping appeared and kowtowed before Zulong. "Welcome back your majesty," he announced.

It was then that the many servants coming about noticed Zulong's arrival. They immediately went down on their knees and kowtowed for forgiveness in not noticing their ruler's descent.

Zulong shook his head, "Ao Ping, this is Jian Koilong, the first ascendant dragon. Take him and inaugurate him into the clan."

"Yes your majesty," Ao Ping said. "Nice to meet you Jian Koilong. I am Ao Ping, a grand elder of the Primordial Celestial Dragon clan."

"Uh yeah, nice to meet you," Jian Koilong returned awkwardly. He looked around and saw that his escort, Zulong was already gone.

"Let's go, the clan compound is this way," Ao Ping said bringing Jian Koilong away. "Get back to work," he commanded the servants still on their knees before leaving.

…

Gui Daiyu looked out her window curiously. One of the dragon elders had sped out in a burst of power towards the central courtyard. The former turtle princess noticed this and looked out to see what was going on.

Her empress palace was situated towards the back, behind the Central Heavenly Supreme Palace. However, her room was tall enough to overlook many buildings. Her enhanced eyes could also catch everything in the front entrance.

"What's going on?" He thought curiously, her book of alchemy forgotten. A sudden flash snapped her attention back to her bedroom. Zulong stood there appearing very downcast, very unlike his usual self.

"Husband? You're back already?" Gui Daiyu began saying before she was enveloped in a hug. "Ah, what a surprise," she uttered smiling but noticed his mood. "Is something wrong?"

Zulong sighed hugging her tighter. He began kissing her neck causing her to yelp in shock. "Well, I guess you missed me a lot more than I thought you would," Gui Daiyu joked. What followed was a long night of passion.

…

"Now are you going to tell me what is wrong?" Gui Daiyu asked leaning back in her large bed. Zulong cuddled next to her and sighed. "Zulong, I'm not dumb. What's bothering you?"

"I never thought you were," the dragon said. "Just…some things are hard to say."

"What happened on Yingzhou?" She asked seriously. "You're acting way out of character and not in a good way."

"Revelations," Zulong said depressingly. "Revelations about master, about me, about my role, about this world and the past. The future as well, believe it or not. Some things that put a new shine on my perspective, not necessarily a good one."

"I don't follow," Gui Daiyu said in contemplation. "You not implying the exalted lord is our enemy are you?" She gasped in shock.

"No, and he never will be," Zulong shook his head cuddling closer. "But we can count on him to defend us. But we can't count on him to help us."

"What? But he's your master. He's the backing of our four seas empire and the Primordial Dragon Clan," she listed.

"Yes, he's my greatest backer. But I don't think he'd be willing to be my empire's backer," Zulong said. "But that doesn't matter." The dragon looked lovingly at his wife.

"I am the dragon. I am all the backer this empire needs," he promised.

"Tall order, there are beings in this world more powerful than you," Gui Daiyu said.

"I'll grow to surpass them. I'll continue to refine my strength. Continue to improve. I'll show master I won't bend over for fate," he said gripping his fist.

"This future," Gui Daiyu said. "Is it truly so bad?"

Zulong leaned close to Gui Daiyu. His forehead touched hers and he began sharing what he'd seen. Everything that had to do with the path of heavenly destiny. He'd left out all of Da Hai's private details though, it would've been disrespectful otherwise.

Gui Daiyu shuddered after the transfer of memories was over. She looked fearfully at Zulong and clutched her slightly bulging stomach.

"We'll have to be careful," Zulong said. "From now on, we'd have to be extra careful in how we do things. Our karmic luck must not be allowed to fall. We must not allow our negative karma to exceed our positive karma."

"I understand," his wife replied gently. "In that case, I assume you'd still follow through with your coronation."

"The preparations should be done in a few decades. Probably even less. But yes, I will crown myself for all the world to see. Let the Heavenly Dao witness me in all my glory," Zulong promised. "I will fight for my goal. But Yu'er, I will not die and leave you behind, this I vow above all else."

"I'll hold you to that," the primordial turtle said giving the dragon a kiss.

…

Sitting upon an elaborate throne of made of smooth azure stone. The emperor of beasts, Zulin sat with his head leaning on his knuckle. His royal palace was located high up in the mountains, above the clouds on the highest peak of the north continent.

"Your majesty, reports on the northern borders," a lion minister said handing over a scroll.

Zulin hovered the scroll before him and read it twice. "Hmph, let them have that desolate water hole. The true riches of the north have long since dissipated into the continent proper," he dismissed.

"Your majesty, are we to continue pushing southwards?" The lion minister asked. Zulin sent him a look of annoyance as if he just said the dumbest thing in the world.

"What do you think," Zulin sneered. The lion realising his mistake immediately began apologising, however, Zulin merely tuned him out.

"I tire of this session. Court dismissed," Zulin ordered sending the thousands of ministers out of his Grand Heavenly Palace. All except one.

This young minister appeared very young, only around twelve years old. However, he had an intelligent look to him that made him stand out.

This boy was exceptionally handsome lacking any fat. He was lean and fit and appeared very effeminate with no facial hair unlike Zulin's beard. What's more, he heavily resembled Zulin and had antlers of his own.

"Emperor father, you shouldn't bully around our vassals too much," the boy criticised. "They are important assets to our empire and their loyalties are necessary."

"What do you understand boy? In front of the main force, these vassals are merely decorations," Zulin said in dismissal. "You should be cultivating like the rest of your siblings. Your old man can deal with the court."

"I like playing in the court," the boy said mischievously.

"Qi An, don't make me discipline you," Zulin warned playfully.

"Of course not emperor father," Qi An shook his head. "I bring peace to the court. I have no intention of bothering you. My purpose here is merely to help you."

"Hmph, good boy, you did a good job with the Savage Eagles," Zulin praised. "I don't know if any of your siblings could match up with you."

"They were plotting behind your back emperor father. It was natural for me to dispose of them," Qi An smiled brightly.

"Speaking off, are you really going to ignore the dragons?" Qi An asked.

"The central continent provides a rare opportunity for us," Zuling said. "It is far more important than a mere north sea. Besides, you have clean eyesight, don't you see how fat the pig's becoming?"

"Too fat in my opinion. I don't think even top grade xiantian spiritual treasures can old all that down," Qi An said. "Does make me wonder, are they purposefully luring you in?"

"They shouldn't have any idea what I can do," Zulin dismissed. "My speciality isn't like the dragons nor the phoenix's down south. Don't worry your little head over this son. I'll handle everything."

"Of course emperor father, I have every faith in you," Qi An nodded smiling brightly. In fact, his smile was almost creepy with how wide it was.

"That's my boy, much better than those second hand wastes Zulong produced," Zulin sneered. "Run along now, I want to see you breakthrough in the next thousand years."

"Of course emperor father, have a nice day," Qi An waved goodbye childishly transforming into a beautiful red qilin and sprinting out of the palace on his four hoofs.

Similar to Zulong, Zulin had created his own clan, The Heavenly Qilin Clan. This imperial clan was formed from what life giving recourses Zulin had found over the years that allowed him to create them.

Zulong's actions have merit. Having one's own clan was much better than mindless drones that were bug beasts and the inferior specimens that were the common creatures.

Unlike Zulong, Zulin could not create millions of living beings. He simply did not have that kind of resource. Instead, he used what little he could, mixed with the merits of heaven to create a small but powerful clan of mighty beings.

The ancestral qilin gave birth to a thousand children. These children were all Heavenly Immortals at birth. Nearly all of them had also ascended to the Golden Immortal realm. The son he was most proud of, Qi An, the pacifying prince was a Taiyi Golden Immortal realm expert.

'Oh how lucky I am,' Zulin would often contemplate. He looked eastward in the direction of the East Sea Dragon Palace and sneered.

"You won't even know what hit you," he declared.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

'Where did it all go so wrong?'

Da Hai stood before the Fusang tree alone. He had no other company with him at this moment, merely him and the all powerful life giving tree that acted as the heart of Yingzhou. However, he preferred it this way.

Yi Fei'e was for a lack of better terms, upset. She'd entered secluded cultivation to make her frustrations known. She told Da Hai that she'd be attempting to form the primal unity.

Da Hai did not doubt her. Though he also knew she was partly using cultivation as a distraction.

"Why do I keep fucking up?" Da Hai asked no one in particular. He gazed up at the mystical Fusang tree in anxiety. "Zulong is too set in his way, Qinglong and Yinglong follow him out of love and loyalty but will never deter him."
"I failed as a master," he murmured. "I desecrated all over the duties of a master and disciple and committed the taboo of betrayal. How do I make things right?" He touched the bark of the titanic tree.

"How do I save Zulong if he would not turn away from this path?" Da Hai asked out loud.

The Fusang tree rustled in the wind. It was almost as if it wanted to bend down and comfort its master. The supernatural fruits hanging from its branches, immature yet mystically powerful, glistened beneath the light of the sun star.

Da Hai stood there for an uncertain amount of time. He did nothing except reminisce about the past. It was in these moments that years of regret would pile up once again.

"What can I do?" Da Hai whispered. He'd long stopped cultivating. In truth, all of his 'cultivation' time was spent merely on divination. Peering into the stream of time for beings as strong as Zulong, Wangshu, Hongjun, and Luohu was nigh impossible. Even after so many years, Da Hai had gained nothing.

After so many years, he couldn't make any breakthroughs in his cultivation path. His power had not improved one bit since his fight against Hongjun thousands of years ago.

Da Hai sat down on the meadow and leaned back resting upon the Fusang tree. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the celestial tree's pulsing power. Even after so many years, it still surprised him to feel first hand just how much potential energy the Fusang tree has.

"Too bad you can't leave Yingzhou, and Yingzhou can't leave the east sea," he mused disappointingly. "I sometimes wonder, am I only delaying the inevitable? Is the world truly set on a path?"

"Or is it that I unknowingly set the world on the path it'll follow," Da Hai sighed. He rested beside the Fusang tree quietly letting the day pass by.

"Zulong was right about one thing. His karmic luck is extremely high. All these deeds from helping the north sea, the west sea, the south sea, and the east sea. His accomplishments as leader and creator of an entire race. All this contributed to his merit," Da Hai contemplated.

"According to the original timeline, the ancestral dragon never did any of these things. He appeared in the east sea and conquered the four seas with the dragon clan through strength and war. By announcing himself as sovereign, the ancestral dragon gained enormous merit as an investment from the Heavenly Dao."

"However, the dragon, phoenix, and qilin alike squandered this merit. They bathed the primitive world in blood in their three way war invigorated by nothing except a desire for more. Their luck ran dry before they noticed and they were punished."

"The dragon dived back to his place of birth and became the sea eye. His clan forever dutiful in maintaining the sea eye, the greatest source of sin concentrated into a whirlpool that if unleashed will send forth a flood that brings about the apocalypse."

"The phoenix's body and consciousness were all but destroyed. Trapped within the undead volcano in the south sea forbidden an eruption that'll bring about the apocalypse. Phoenixes as a race became scarcely limited to only a few remaining members. They'd all get arrested over time and the phoenix clan itself becomes defunct."

"The qilin disappeared from the world entirely. Reduced to nothing but servants of heaven appearing only when they're commanded. Of the three, the dragons at least were the most well off and maintained a powerbase no matter how depleted they were."

"But they remained miserable, unable to ever rise again and remained as minor figures pushed around by everyone. Their one solace was that their image was immortalised as the imperial symbol."

Da Hai broke out of his musing and gazed eastwards. "In the end, it all comes down to karmic luck," he rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"Zulong has plenty of luck, much more than he should've. This quantity would magnify when he announces himself. Is it enough for him to avoid the tribulation?" He wondered out loud.

"Thinking back, the Supreme Pure One's lineage, Jie school fell due to a similar reason to the dragons. Their negative karma overcame their positive causing them to fall one after the other. But grandmaster Tongtian never mishandled the sect."

Da Hai rubbed his forehead in thought. "Jie school lacked a solid treasure to suppress their luck allowing for their good fortune to escape overtime. But Zulong has the twenty four sea calming pearls and the dragon pearl. He isn't lacking in treasures."

"The sea suppression pearls can suppress luck in the dragon pearl's place," he calmed down after that. He brought his finger up and drew some images in the air. His experiments helped him calculate the amount of karma and the effectiveness of suppression.

Da Hai was intimately familiar with the twenty four sea calming pearls. These little jewels Zulong owned were top tier xiantian spiritual treasures specialising in a variety of abilities from defence, to support, to trapping. It was just that Zulong always preferred to fight in physical combat using his powerful body.

"Wait a second," Da Hai frowned looking at the models in front of him. He took a look eastward towards the East Sea Dragon Palace and changed the numbers slightly. Then he observed the Heavenly Dao, then towards the other two sovereign's auras of karmic luck.

His eyes narrowed as he squinted hard. Crossing continents at this distance was hard even for Da Hai. He strained his eyesight yet only received blurry images. Yet these images did give him a semi-accurate diagram.

Da Hai sat there crosslegged drawing more models in the air. These hovering 3D diagrams depicted a pool of luck and twenty four spheres above them acting as a cage. Da Hai had no doubt Zulong would use the pearls for this, he just wasn't sure it was enough.

"Hmmm," Da Hai frowned deeply at his projections. "If only the twenty four were one. No, that won't help much either, if only they were in their mature forms."

The twenty four sea calming pearls were famous in Chinese mythology. This was because these pearls were nascent universes. At the end of the investiture of the gods, these twenty four pearls would join the nine heavens becoming the complete thirty three heavens.

Together with the three clear heavens, they become a total of thirty six heavens that make up the Heavenly Realm. It was said that each of these heavens were entire universes ruled by a ruling emperor. At the thirty third heaven, the Great Overreaching Heaven sat the Numinous Sky Palace and the Jade Emperor.

It was not until the Dipankara Ancient Buddha received these pearls did they fully mature. Da Hai despite the years he'd spent with Zulong never felt them react like legends described. He doubts they would be anywhere near as powerful.

"Luck is good, but too much luck becomes a burden," Da Hai gazed intently at the model. Zulong's future was practically overflowing with luck. So much luck in fact that nothing would be able to suppress it. It'll Leake out over time leaving much of it wasted on miscellaneous things.

"He'd need something specialised into suppressing his luck. Else he risks losing his fortune," Da Hai gripped his head thinking of how to approach this problem.

He'd held countless xiantian spiritual treasures over time but they were mostly low rank with some mid rank. None of them were anywhere near powerful enough to do what was needed.

Da Hai leaned back on the Fusang tree again. He contemplated what kind of treasure he'd need to find. Preferable it'll be a treasure hyper specialised into the workings of merit.

"The Jade fortune disc is in the hands of Hongjun. My 12th grade white lotus is a flower of defence and healing. If only the location of the 12th grade golden lotus is known," he frowned in frustration.

The ancient treasure, the 36th grade chaos green lotus broke after Pangu opened the world. It split into five flags and five seeds. Da Hai holds two of those treasures while the rest were largely unknown.

White, black, red, green, and gold, these were all the lotuses in the world. White belonged to him, black to Luohu, red likely sits at the dormant underworld, green will not bloom for many yuanhui.

"But the golden lotus doesn't officially appear until Hongjun gifts it to Jieyin," Da Hai sighed. "It's very likely that old villain has it in storage incubating somewhere. The others are not suited for the workings of karmic luck."

He opened his eyes gazing at the massive branches and leaves above him. The sturdy wood of the Fusang tree rustled in the wind. Nevertheless, it gave excellent shade for the sea god.

"I wouldn't suppose you'd know what to do," he asked the Fusang tree. Naturally, he received no answer.

The sea god banged his head on the bark of the Fusang tree trying to jolt out some ideas. However, he could not think of any save for storming Mt Yujing and pray Hongjun is not there and that the golden lotus was in fact there.

The story wood withstood Da Hai's attack with no problem which was to be expected. The Fusan tree was almost supernaturally tough. It had never actually been damaged before.

"Wait a second," Da Hai suddenly stood up and looked back. Gazing at the Fusang tree then at his hand.

BOOM!

With a swift motion, Da Hai sliced at the Fusang tree. The very foundations of Yingzhou was shaking. Yet the Fusang tree took no damage.

In an instant, a massive snake head with a maw of razor like fangs bit at the Fusang tree. After eight consecutive strikes, Da Hai left a faint mark along the bark of the tree.

"The branches should be easier but still incredibly strong," Da Hai touched the bark and felt the tree healing itself. "Good thing you don't have a will. But you're too perfect for this."

The way of suppressing karmic luck was to either have a treasure that can manipulate it such as the 12th grade golden lotus. Or a treasure supernaturally tough enough to press it down like most other supreme treasures.

Da Hai smiled looking at the Fusang tree. "If I can't find a treasure to suppress Zulong's luck then I'll just make one," he declared.

Leaping up hundreds of thousands of kilometres. Da Hai reached a branching portion of the Fusang tree. He unleashed his teardrop sword and sliced down with full power at the branch.

CHOOM!

CRACK!

Da Hai landed on the branch which now sported a thin light mark. His arm was shaking from the power he just unleashed. "This won't do," Da Hai said in frustration.

"This sword is simply too weak to cut into the Fusang tree," he said looking down at the teardrop sword which now sported a noticeable crack on its blade.

"The only thing that could cut this is likely the sharpest force in the world. The chaotic sword Qi utilised by Pangu should fill this requirement," Da Hai mused. Then he frowned remembering just who possessed the item capable of producing chaotic sword Qi.

"No, there are two," Da Hai suddenly said looking eastward. The far off temple he still remembers having visited before this yuanhui began.

"It's been too long master," Da Hai said fading out of existence. He couldn't afford to waste time. He had to consult Pangu on the subject of chaotic sword Qi, there was no other way.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

The central continent, an absolute wasteland.

This was not a description one would associate with what is spiritually the most powerful of the five continents. If one was to compare the cultivation environment of the central continent to the there four continents in the world. Well, there actually wasn't a comparison, it was leagues superior.

All four continents bordering the central continent generated massive amounts of primordial Qi. They were perfect environments for those who walk the path of the Celestial Immortal to live and thrive. The strongest locations were centred on sites with powerful natural spiritual veins.

Other locations would be significantly weaker. It was places like these that allowed for a mortal population to live and thrive. Environments dense with primordial Qi were places of extreme pressure.

Not in terms of natural features, places like Mt Yujjing, Kunlun, or Mt Tai were teeming with greenery. Mortals and weaker cultivators simply cannot handle the pressure put on by so much Qi. This was why unintelligent animals were never found there, they would simply be crushed, suffocated, go insane etc.

When Zulong was building Kailong Chen, he extended the East Sea Dragon Palace's formations to cover the city. These formations also dubbed as a source of protection against the dense spiritual vein. In this way, mortal beings and weaker creatures could exist in his capital without becoming a smear on the pavement.

The central continent itself was one giant spiritual vein. It was the overall densest place in the world. While other continents have selectively dense locations, the central continent as a whole was dense with primordial Qi.

In this era, only Golden Immortals could exist here without dying. Perhaps the most elite of triple crown Heavenly Immortals could do so. Then again, triple crowned Heavenly Immortals were on the verge of becoming Golden Immortals.

A long time ago, this was not the case. Innate creatures did use to dwell here. However, after the devastating Shenni war, things changed.

The Heavenly Dao's epicentre was located here. A side effect was the further strengthening of the central continent. Where once True Immortals could walk here unrestricted was now a desolate location where only those who'd transcended the universe could traverse.

But back to the main point. The central continent was simply a brown wasteland. Cracked earth and sand. Very little in the way of greenery grew here. The environment was too strong even for spiritual herbs. This amount of raw uncultivated primordial Qi was detrimental much against the contemporary beliefs for spiritual farming.

Although exceptions do exist, those plants were one of a kind super beings. The Jianmu tree, the Fusang tree, the Human Ginseng fruit, or Huangzhongli could easily grow here.

This was the same environment Da Hai ran through.

In a stream of water shutting forth like a comet. Da Hai blitzed across the continents at top speed. Unlike lesser beings, he was wholly unaffected by the highly pressurised environment.

Moving undetected had practically become an art for Da Hai. He was so used to it that he was probably the foremost expert in the ways of undetected travels though he may argue against it.

Even without divine protection from the Heavenly Dao. Da Hai's own Dao of ever distant seas was able to distort the truth and makes it seem as if its creator was too far out of reach even if he is beside you.

It was also as luck would have it, Hongjun was in deep retreat and did not feel him rocketing past. In Da Hai's case, even a superior immortal had to really pay close attention to find him.

In a little over a year of leaving, Da Hai crossed into the central continent. Although he hadn't been here in so many years, he still remembered this place like the back of his mind.

In many ways, the central continent was the most important location of his life. It was where so many major events happened to him. Where he first acquired his most powerful xiantian spiritual treasure, where he fought a war, where the chaos godfiends made their last stand.

Da Hai didn't have to even look to see his destination. How could he miss it?

Mt Buzhou was massive. That was the only word to describe it. In fact, it was even bigger than before.

This celestial mountain was the lynchpin of the cosmos. It separated the heavens from the earth. Prevented the apocalypse by way of total annihilation. Stabilised the primitive world, and acted as the seat for the Heavenly Dao.

Massive, grand, majestic, these were the only way to describe it. Many quintillions of kilometres in size, far beyond comprehension. Most of the central continent was in fact, Mt Buzhou.

Tap!

Da Hai came to a halt at a cliff face overlooking the base of the celestial mountain. He admired the view before him. Even after all these years, even after having seen it so many times. Mt Buzhou still fails to not impress.

"It should be…this way," Da Hai jumped down and ran forth. Mt Buzhou was enormous, so enormous that finding a specific location on that mountain was like a needle in an ocean. Especially if said place was not only well hidden but cloaked.

"Now that I'm trying to get in, it is a lot more confusing then I thought," Da Hai stopped and scratched his head.

Even tracing his steps from so long ago made him question himself. He was highly tempted to give up and leave. Better than to waste time searching for what doesn't exist.

"No, that's not me," Da Hai shook his head. At the same time he shook off the effects of a mystical curse that was grasping onto him.

Da Hai felt a slight chill upon his person. He gazed upwards in response. "Hai, your displeasure is known. But I'm not changing my stance," Da Hai said.

He promptly ignored the gaze from the heavens and walked deeper into Mt Buzhou. The greenery tossed and turned as he walked. It was as if they were unsure what to make of him.

Mt Buzhou was the only location in the central continent where plant life grew. It was special in its own way as these were just normal grass and trees. Very unlike what one would expect of the celestial mountain.

"Master, disciple is here to see you," Da Hai announced. He did not shout nor broadcast his voice. Rather, he simply spoke as how one would in a normal conversation.

But he knew Pangu would've heard him. No matter how diminished, no matter how far past his expiration date, a Dao realm existence was a Dao realm existence. His body and soul may not have reached it, but his comprehension did and in the end, that was all that mattered.

"He couldn't have actually bit it right?" Da Hai mused feeling a little unsure. After all, half a yuanhui had passed since he last saw Pangu and back then he was already really weak.

"Fuck, if he's actually dead then…"

"Your mother, who's dead?" An angry voice responded startling Da hai out of his train of thought.

"Oh, master," Da Hai performed a salute with his fist on his palm. "You didn't answer and I assumed the worst."

"Hmph, you caught me by surprise is all," Pangu snarked back. "Didn't expect you back after all these years. Especially since you've never visited once nor even contacted me."

"Apologies master, I was caught up," Da Hai sighed. One of the many relationships he'd neglected. One more fuck up to add to the boatload known as Da Hai.

"Stop that, I don't like the whole moping attitude you've got going. didn't work for Ouranos and won't work for you. Come inside, you must be here for something," Pangu said.

Suddenly, Da hai felt a clear rough feeling brush past him. He began walking in a certain direction that was both familiar yet strange. He didn't resist and cooperated, following along the designated pathway.

He climbed for forty million kilometres before reaching a cave. He crossed that cave after a week of non stop walking. Then he descended the hill down the other end.

When he emerged from the foliage, he saw the family structure of the Pangu Temple once again.

The temple had not changed at all. It was still the simplest yet most impressive sight he'd seen since his existence came into being.

The only changes to this location was that the twelve blood pools were noticeably larger. Specifically, three of them had grown astronomically in size while the other nine remained at a stable place.

"If I am correct, these should be ancestral Wu Di Jiang, Zhu Jiuying, and lady Houtu," Da Hai mused. It was honestly quite surreal to see the embryonic forms of the gods his human half once worshipped.

"Though only Houtu's the one with meaningful worship," he sighed. The endings these ancient beings received weren't the most ideal. It was much in the same vein as the qilins, dragons or phoenixes.

Though, according to their depictions, Wu were known to be simple minded and lived fighting. Da Hai wasn't sure they even minded the ending they got. They all went out fighting after all, the ideal warrior's death.

Similarly, their names were all recorded down in history and recorded in the Classics of Mountains and Seas. Their youngest and most treasured family member Houtu ascended as the Earth Queen of Daoism's Four Heavenly Ministers. Not a bad legacy if you asked Da Hai.

"Are you going to keep me waiting in anticipation?" Pangu asked from within the Pangu Temple.

"Apologies," Da Hai said marching past the blood pools and into the temple proper.

As soon as he entered, he breathed a sigh of wonder at the rich energies surrounding him. It was chaotic yet orderly, mystical yet ordinary, energetic yet still, it felt like an instant yet an eternity at the same time.

Da Hai made his way across the great hall towards the statue of Pangu at the very back. The ancient super being looked as profound as he was many years ago. Though Da Hai could tell the signs of diminished vitality.

In truth, Pangu was already on borrowed time. His spirit was merely grasping hold of the last bit of vitality he could. Here in the Pangu Temple, he could exist and live for a little while longer.

"Master," Da Hai kowtowed. "This one is unworthy of being your disciple," he apologised.

"Hmph, that was obvious from the start. But it isn't like there's much of a choice," Pangu humphed. "So, you're after a new sword?"

If Da Hai was surprised he didn't show it. Pangu was a super existence far beyond the chaos godfiends in every conceivable way. Even being nearly dead, Da Hai doubted there was anything he didn't know within the primitive world.

"Saw your little attempt at chopping the Fusang tree," Pangu said sounding a little impressed. "You should've known that wasn't going to do much."

"It gave me an estimation," Da Hai said standing up. "I'm not looking to chop the tree down. Merely harvest a portion of it."

"Still, your offensive power with an incomplete Dao was quite impressive. I wasn't wrong about your talent," Pangu mused. "I take it you've already figured what you need yes?"

"Indeed," Da Hai nodded. "A supernaturally powerful blade or chaotic sword Qi. The latter will be more ideal and more manageable."

"Exactly, swords as powerful as what you'd need don't come by often. The requirements of forging one is far beyond your reach, only those most fortuitous could craft those," Pangu said in agreement. "Chaotic sword Qi on the other hand is much more doable."

"Then, may I inquire to the method of producing such," Da Hai asked.

"Oh? Not going to ask me of a treasure?" Pangu asked.

"I didn't wish to take advantage of you," Da Hai said feeling ashamed.

"Hm," Pangu seemed to be contemplating. "Well, no matter. I suppose I will tell you about chaotic sword Qi. So…"

"Wait not conditions?" Da Hai gasped in surprise.

"What's the point? You're my main disciple so it's natural for me to pass on my techniques to you. Now don't disrupt me," Pangu said.

"Apologies master," Da Hai said.

"Hm, now chaotic sword Qi is in actuality a creation of mine. It didn't actually exist until I forged my axe. Back then, the axe head was one of the sharpest tools in existence. But I was searching for ways to further increase its lethality. This is where chaotic sword Qi was first birthed," Pangu explained.

The statue of Pangu glowed, casting the world into an illusion only Da Hai could see. Da Hai nodded, sitting down cross legged. A meditation cushion manifested before his bottom.

He could almost feel Pangu smiling as he said, "Now then, let's begin the lesson."

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Chaos, boundless chaos, disorder before order, muddle confusion existing beyond the confines of this universe and all universe across the multiverse.

The chaos sea was what it was commonly known by. A universal name to describe the chaotic energies that was existence. A literal sea of chaotic energy that had the potential to transform into anything.

Pangu's explanation of the chaos sea was one Da Hai already knew both intrinsically as an innate god born at the Golden Immortal realm and also as an inheritor of the original Da Hai's memories.

However, he sat there on his cushion silently being enlightened on the nature of the chaos sea. Though inwardly he wondered what was the point.

Pangu spoke at length about various energies found in the chaos sea. Rather, he spoke of how all things originate from the same source and are fundamentally the same. They were merely expressed in different ways.

He spoke of various experts manifesting their Dao. How the path of the Dao as essentially emulating the chaos sea. To create the origin of all things.

"Hm? Oh don't give me that look. This is all important details," Pangu said noticing Da Hai's mood.

"You have a pretty good poker face. But I've been alive too long to not notice," Pangu laughed heartily.

"Now, extra details aside. Chaotic sword Qi is as its name implies, chaotic. It's muddled confused energy acting to tear apart its target which is what makes it so dangerous in the first place," Pangu finally explained.

Da Hai nodded along mentally taking notes of this conversation and sorting them away in the recesses of his mind.

"The Dao is defined by the desperation of the origin. From nothing comes something, from something back to nothing, this change separates into five elements to eight trigrams to ten thousand things," Pangu said.

"Chaotic sword Qi is this exact principle. It is a product of my Dao just as pellucid divine water is a product of yours. It is a domineering force aiming to split apart something into more things," Pangu explained.

"All of which is recorded in my Pangu's Nine Revolutions Origin Heaven Splitting Mantra," Pangu said. "I have not spoken about my cultivation mantra to you at all. But with your necessity of chaotic sword Qi, it will be imperative I pass it down to you."

"I take it Hongjun understands this Dao as well?" Da Hai asked.

"Yes, he obtained my Jade Fortune disc which contains my Dao. If you have such an item, it is not that difficult to grasp it," Pangu sighed. "Now quiet down, you want to learn how to make chaotic sword Qi? I'm going to teach you how."

"First draw strength from the chaotic source. The essence of the chaotic sea is a part of all things, we are merely transformations of it. Mould this energy into chaotic sword Qi. The emphasis you must realise first is split…" and so he spoke. For days on end, Pangu talked and talked without stopping.

Teaching someone was not something Pangu did often. He was a warrior, an adventurer, a thrill seeker who more often than not, preferred to punch his way out.

But that did not mean he couldn't explain. Rather, he was quite adept at it.

Powerful cultivators were naturally drawn to each other. No matter how large the chaos sea was, it was quite common for these figures to encounter one another.

In such an event, they would exchange pleasantries. They would speak on length of the Dao and contemplate each other seeking to improve through each other.

In other words, they fight.

A Dao discussion is as much a debate as it was a fight. Each spell, each technique, each minute movement of these great immortals were like essays upon essays on the Dao.

Sometimes this was to the death. Other times they depart on amicable terms. Though if a treasure was involved, especially a very powerful or suitable one, to the death was more often than not the result.

That being said, being a graceful loser was a key component to a successful cultivator of the Dao. If not, how could Pangu have made so many acquaintances and vice versa for all his friends.

Those overly greedy lot while more common were always the first to go. They didn't last long at all, they merely spawned more often.

Pangu's words were complex, even to Da Hai who had a profound cultivation base. It was likened to listening to a lesson conducted in a language you only half understood.

However, the basic gist was messaged across successfully. Da Hai had already begun formulating simulations in his mind.

Within his mindscape, the dual extremities of yin and yang circulated each other. They existed in perfect harmony bleeding into and becoming the other.

Da Hai stood before this circular wheel with his palm raised above his head vertically.

"CUT!"

He slashed down separating the two extremities.

In the real world, a circular sphere mimicking the taijitu appeared before Da Hai. He raised his palm to cut at it.

His palm was like a blade cutting through hot butter. It easily sliced into and through the sphere.

However, this sphere merely merged back together and returned to the perfect state of harmony it was at.

"To create chaotic sword Qi is to figure out the state of disharmony, of disunity. You are not cutting into it, you are forcefully separating it and transforming the one into the two, not two ones," Pangu lectured.

"Aim to break apart that very thing entirely until what remains is fundamentally different from the first," he encouraged.

"Master, chaotic sword Qi destroys all things. Not transform something into something else entirely," Da Hai said in frustration.

"Chaotic sword Qi is this same principle. The transformation is merely based upon one change. Existence to non existence, a blast that erases the point it hits. It is a chaotic gas that simply destroys, no more, no less," Pangu reprimanded.

"Understood master," Da Hai said slightly embarrassed.

The great god of the sea felt extremely weirded out to be in this position. He was not used to being the student and even his inherited memories told him nothing of this experience.

Even the schooling of earth had been quite different from this. He wasn't one among thirty odd boys told to jot down notes within an hour.

Da Hai wisely quieted down and listened carefully reflecting on his mistakes. He began simulating more and more models according to Pangu's instructions.

'Not mere severing, but also annihilation on a conceptual scale,' Da Hai murmured within his mind. His hands motioned into two open palms facing each other.

The image of an illusionary ball of water manifested. It was murky and grey and resembled a ball of smoke more so than water.

Da Hai repeated his act of cutting with his right hand while his left hand held the ball. He remained in this position and concentrated, reviewing the various concepts Pangu lectured on.

He did not bother keeping time nor was he able to as his full concentration was needed.

Greyish smoke emerged from his right palm's edge. Da Hai opened his eyes into slits observing the emerging smoke.

"Cut!"

This time, a different resit emerged. The ball of water was split into two.

However, the point of impact. The point where Da Hai's palm's edge hit, that three centimetre gap was simply gone.

No trace remained, not even the smallest of molecules remained.

"Not bad," Pangu complimented. "But now you should also see that issue with chaotic sword Qi right?"

"Yes master," Da Hai said frowning observing his right hand. The aftermath had left it a mangled mess.

Despite only generating a small bit of the chaotic energy into chaotic sword Qi, the backlash was enormous.

Da Hai's immortal physique was incredibly durable. Chaos worlds, entire universes can explode in his face and nothing would happen to him. Yet this smidgen of smoke reduced the flesh of his hands by a quarter.

"It's too much, too ferocious," Da Hai grunted.

"Indeed, which is why I always channeled it with my axe," Pangu said agreeably.

"And now that axe head is in the hands of Hongjun," Da Hai sighed.

"And Luohu," Pangu said. "Not the axe of course. But all my treasures had a built in function to channel chaotic sword Qi. Luohu's god killing spear was originally the stem of my 36th grade chaos green lotus after all."

"That's worse," Da Hai said channelling primordial Qi into his palm. He recreated the rest of his palm that way.

"Your body won't last if you use chaotic sword Qi like that. I suggest forging a new treasure for that purpose," Pangu said.

"That was part of the plan in the first place," Da Hai nodded pinching his fingers and performed some divination. "Hm, it's so hard to infer anything about Zulong. Twenty, maybe thirty years? At any rate his coronation should be within the next few decades, no more than a century."

"Hm, now that you mention it, a large chunk of my world's karmic luck has been flowing eastward," Pangu said. If he had a body he would've been stroking his chin. "Your worries are not unfounded, that does seem to be a little too unmanageable."

Meanwhile, Da Hai was planning his next course of action. Gathering materials needed for his next creation would be though. As such he'd dive into his own savings instead.

Da Hai's personal wealth was much higher then regular inhabitants of the primitive world. If he wished to craft a top grade xiantian spiritual treasure like one which he'd need, he'd need to exhaust at least 70% of what he currently owned.

"Hey, what are your plans for dealing with our world situation?" Pangu suddenly asked.

Da Hai perked up in surprise. Then he looked a little unsure looking upwards.

"Don't worry, Heavenly Dao may be the overall governing force of this world but it's not all powerful. It can't penetrate the defences I've set up," Pangu said sounding very curious.

Nodding, Da Hai informed him of the ideas he made.

"Haha, oh it's gonna hate you for this," Pangu laughed. "You really about that?"

"Yes," Da Hai nodded. "Besides, I'm 90% sure this plan will work for the best."

Pangu silently contemplated what Da Hai told him. "Hm, fate really does work in mysterious ways," he mused. "If you manage it, it'll be too funny."

The ancient deity laughed heartily just thinking about it.

"I'm glad you find it amusing master. If there's nothing else, I should go," Da Hai bowed and turned around.

"Wait, wait, there's something else," Pangu called out.

Da Hai paused and turned back around. However, something else was within his sight.

An illusionary jade butterfly floated beside the statue of Pangu. It was extremely beautiful, elegant, yet haunting at the same time. Da hai felt as if he was peering into the embodiment of the Grand Dao.

It was suffocating and terrifying. This butterfly was not like Pangu. Although it too carried the same near death aura as Pangu, it did not bother hiding its power at all. Nothing was restrained, even a near death state did not take away from its presence.

"What is?" Da Hai uttered in surprise. The jade butterfly had appeared out of nowhere. He didn't even get any warnings at all.

"Oh that's right, you've never met. This here is the treasure spirit of my Jade Fortune Disc, Illusionary Butterfly," Pangu introduced.

"Greetings, Illusionary Butterfly," Da Hai greeted. While treasures normally did have a will of their own, they were merely simply instinct. For such a developed intelligence to exist speaks volumes of the Jade Fortune Disc's age and power.

"He's also your uncle master," Pangu said. "This here was my brother in arms a very long time ago. Sadly he perished in combat. However, I managed to salvage what I could and reincarnate him into my Dao artefact."

Dao artefact, those words shook Da Hai to his core. Yet at the same time, it didn't surprise him. Of course Pangu had Dao realm spiritual treasures. Though Pangu himself never reached the Dao realm, it wasn't impossible to forge one with the help of another Dao realm supreme being.

"May I ask what you've need of me?" Da Hai inquired politely.

"Since you're in need of a new treasure, and seeing how you're my one and only disciple and most importantly for telling me that plan of yours. I figured I'd reward you. Don't you agree?" Pangu said towards the butterfly.

The flying insect nodded enthusiastically.

"See, Illusionary Butterfly is about to kick the bucket. He doesn't have the benefits of my heart that I possess. So we figured might as well do something with him so he doesn't fizzle out alone and decrepit," Pangu said.

"You're saying," Da Hai was suddenly taken aback by the implications. It seems luck has not left him yet.

"My Jade Fortune Disc broke as it was never really a defensive nor offensive treasure to begin with. However, it was still a Dao artefact fitted by the original spirit. Hence its pieces remain," Pangu said.

"It actually broke into several fragments but I suspect Hongjun likely claimed them all due to his close proximity to me," Pangu sighed. "The largest of which you're already aware of, the chaos ranked spiritual form of the Jade Fortune Disc. Another was deposited at Kunlun for my inheritors."

"The last piece is right here," Pangu said smiling through his voice.

"But isn't that inheritance for the Wu?" Da Hai frowned feeling very awkward. While he too was tempted, it felt wrong to take something left for someone else. It was incredibly rude and disrespectful in Da Hai's opinion.

"Actually no, you of all people should know why," Pangu sighed. "The twelve is already inheriting this place and my cultivation anyway. They have no use for a spiritual treasure."

"Alright then," Da Hai nodded in understanding. The guilt he felt disappeared. "So where do I retrieve it?"

"Right here," Pangu said. His statue suddenly glowed bright green. It lifted itself into the air hovering in a mass of jade liquid. It flowed towards Da Hai hands.

The Illusionary Butterfly flapped its wings. It disappeared in a haze of green shifting into the mass of Jade liquid.

"I don't know what to say," Da Hai said emotionally looking at the jade substance morphing in his hands. "I can never repay you for this. You've given me more than you were obligated to."

"Meh, I have no use for it. It's a better end for my friend, Illusionary Butterfly can be reborn into a new weapon instead of rotting away here," Pangu said. "Besides, you're the only one who'd even think of visiting me," he sighed.

"Despite all the wrong things you've done. You're a good person Da Hai. That's very rare among those who tread the immortal path," Pangu's spirit appeared in a hazy figure of smoke. He appeared noticeably weaker than before, may even fade earlier than before.

"I don't feel like one. Because of me, your death date has also been shortened," Da Hai said feeling extremely complex. Even the fragment of the Jade Fortune Disc in his hands was somewhat ignored.

"Exactly," Pangu smiled. "Now go, make your sword, axe, saber, knife, or whatever you were gonna make. Don't waste any more time here. You have your own disciple to save."

"Thank you master," Da Hai knelt down and kowtowed nine times to Pangu. "You will never be forgotten."

He raised his hand, the jade liquid floated up in response. It shifted and shifted and morphed. Da Hai grimaced and unleashed the full power of his cultivation base.

A Da Luo Golden Immortal who'd achieved the knowledge of primal chaos as was Da Hai worked his magic. He refined the liquid before him and began working.

He took advantage of the environment of the Pangu Temple. Of the majestically dense and powerful natural primordial Qi in the area.

His hands burned in spiritual fire as they touched upon the surface of the liquid. He sat down and brought out a cauldron emitting vast chaotic energy.

His high grade xiantian spiritual treasure, the chaos cauldron was used for the smelting. Da Hai clasped his palms and concentrated.

FOOM!

After ten years, the cauldron cracked and the temple shook. Pangu looked curiously at the result as grey smoke arose from within the cauldron.

"Chaotic energies designed to channel chaotic sword Qi," he murmured impressed. He was reminded of his time crafting his natal axe treasure. The sharpness of the head was the same as the blade emerging from the cauldron.

Outside the temple, dark clouds appeared over Mt Buzhou. Mysterious golden light descended from these clouds showering the celestial mountain in waves of supernatural phenomenon.

Da Hai slowly opened his eyes. He reached into his heavily damaged cauldron and grasped a hot smooth handle.

A sword emerged from the cauldron. Incredibly thin yet incredibly strong. Its blade was flat and metallic white in colour.

This sword had no guard and was one piece from blade to pummel. Da Hai observed the blade in his hand which was only 82cm long. Not a very large weapon, but one that was especially vicious due to what was built into it.

"I'll be going now," Da Hai said thanking Pangu one last time.

In an explosion of water, Da Hai rocketed away, disappearing into the distant horizon.

"I wish you luck, you're gonna need it," Pangu's spirit said.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Roving clouds broke apart in the wake of his movement. Reality distorted with every footstep. If one were to look into the sky of the great wilderness, they would see the flickering figure traversing across the sky.

He'd flicker in and out of existence forever out of reach. Yet sometimes he was visible and others too far away to see.

But even if he was seen, he'd still be nothing but a blur if even that at all. For Da Hai simply moved too fast for even immortals to properly perceive him.

Since leaving Pangu Temple, the ancestor of the great sea has not slowed down even once. He utilised his own movement technique to invisibly traverse the great wilderness yet at the same time maintain an incredible amount of speed.

'Have to hurry, have to hurry,' this was the sole thought channelling through Da Hai's mind. Nothing else was important to him.

He flew with such haste that small ripples into the void were split open as aftershocks from his movement. Though fortunately, these small rifts closed on their own quickly enough.

The sword strapped to his side lay quietly still. It watched as its new master blitzed across the sky and sighed in its own way.

'Clumsy,' the Illusionary Butterfly thought. He as a being enlightened in the Dao had watched Da Hai more so then even Pangu had.

The current Da Hai was a little negligent in his untraceable attempts. Though the sword spirit excused it due to his objective.

Illusionary Butterfly greatly admired Da Hai. In many ways, he was greatly in over his head and outmatched from all sides. His only real advantage was how low key and hidden he was.

Subtlety, the Illusionary Butterfly's reborn self deployed some of its tricks that it retained. After all, its current form, though vastly different, was once the Jade Fortune Disc.

Da Hai was momentarily halted when he felt a faint jade aura encompass his whole body. His eyes traced down towards the sword at his side.

His body was wreathed in a thin layer of clouds. Greyish clouds that acted as an isolating barrier to the outside world. It had no defensive capabilities beside blocking divination inferences.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"My pleasure, my master," the sword responded in his mind. For a treasure spirit, endearing themselves to their owner was habitual. Otherwise, their owners might abandon them.

Of course the Illusionary Butterfly had little concerns on that front. He was too valuable and too powerful for Da Hai to ever abandon. Though instinctual habit was instinctual habit.

After this was done, Da Hai placed more effort on his cloaking spells. He stabilised space around him and forbade disturbances into the void.

So much callous reality warping was sure to catch the attention of various experts in the world. These were things Da Hai most definitely did not want right now. Even with his new sword, his cultivation was still a little low to fight on that scale.

'If only they'd come to Yingzhou,' Da Hai idly pondered as his mind went back to his enemies. Victory will be significantly bolstered if they assaulted Yingzhou itself.

'Doesn't matter, Zulong comes first,' he dismissed. He gained more speed while taking care to maintain secrecy.

Soon enough, he crossed the central continent into the east continent. The average density of primordial Qi was significantly lowered though it was still extremely high.

The east continent was much more beautiful compared to the central continent. It was a lush land full of rivers, meadows, mountains, and forests. It was like something out of an ancient Chinese painting.

However, Da Hai did not linger long. The east continent may look beautiful on the surface but it was filled with just as much conflict as the rest of the world.

In some ways it was probably worse now compared to the rest of the world. All continents except the east had proper rulers. No matter their reputation or personalities, one cannot deny they brought a sense of stability to their territories.

Hongjun's approach to his territory seemed to be just ignoring it entirely. In fact, Da Hai had not received any news regarding the ancestor of the great balance. He seemed to be content to stay on Mt Yujing.

As Da Hai neared the eastern coast of the east continent. He kept his eyes open for signs of any attacks on his person. Specifically, his eyes were gazing in the direction of Mt Yujing.

Although immortals couldn't sense it, Da Hai could sense the convergence of mysterious energies gathering upon the celestial mountain. It was very reminiscent of the raw chaotic nature of primordial Qi in the central continent.

"Is he trying to break into Wuji?" Da Hai grimaced. His bottleneck couldn't bring him more frustration then it's currently doing.

…

"OMMMMM!"

"OMMMMM!"

"OMMMM!M"

Hongjun sat peacefully resembling an enlightened deity in all purple. His pondering upon the Dao had reached an extremely profound level.

The Jade Fortune Disc floated around him sending streams of jade light into him. As they neared they covered into purple beams.

This chaos spiritual treasure had finally submitted beneath Hongjun after many years of work. Now that the last traces of its treasure spirit has been removed, its true uses had been unlocked.

The insight of 3000 completed Great Daos flowed into Hongjun, the insight of 108,000 incomplete Lesser Daos flowed into Hongjun. These insights were the fundamental building blocks of the primitive world.

With Pangu's Dao realm level transcendent Dao at its core, they formed the core of the primitive world in which all things including the Heavenly Dao spawn from.

"OMMMMM…Hm?" Hongjun jerked his head sideways looking around. His eyes glowed purple as he did so.

"Was I mistaken?" He murmured before shrugging and returning to meditation.

…

On the mystical island that was Yingzhou, the Fusang tree stood millions of kilometres tall. It was imposing and awe inspiring. Its many ripe fruits hung off of its branches brimming with rich spiritual power.

A gigantic moth perched upon one such branch. This creature was the true form of Yi Fei'e, fourth disciple of Da Hai. She was a pale white insect with radiant blue compound eyes and large transparent wings.

She was easy a kilometre in length yet she seemed insignificant before the Fusang tree.

On one of her six legs, Yi Fei'e carried a large basket containing several mulberry fruits. With another two limbs, she worked on harvesting a fourth fruit to add to her basket.

"Harvest is good this season," she murmured. Now that her sisters were out of the mountain, she had to harvest the latest batch all by herself.

Suddenly, a change occurred in Yingzhou's atmosphere.

"Hm?" Yi Fei'e turned her head noticing the familiar aura of her master returning to Yingzhou.

"Ah!" She exclaimed quickly shifting back to human form and moved to greet him.

"Move away from the Fusang tree," Da Hai ordered her over before she could say anything.

Yi Fei'e was slightly confused at first. Though she nevertheless obeyed him. Jumping down, she leapt to the edge of the meadow just outside the garden the Fusang tree is kept.

She looked curiously as Da Hai arrived before the ancient super tree. Curiously, he had a new treasure strapped to his side. A short metal sword that appeared completely ordinary yet carried a sense of unparalleled sharpness.

'What is master planning?' She wondered.

Da Hai stood in the clear blue sky looking at the Fusang tree below him. The celestial tree looked stood tall brimming with so much energy that it'll put Hunyuan Da Luo Golden Immortals to shame.

"I'm sorry old friend," Da Hai said. He was about to mutilate one of his longest companions. Even if that companion wasn't sentient, it was still a depressing moment he knew he'd regret.

Da Hai's right hand grasped the handle of his new sword and drew it forth. The short blade slid elegantly into the air, its edge so sharp that it was practically invisible when observed vertically.

Da Hai raised it in front of him and activated this treasure. He felt the strong pulse of raw chaotic energies and the faint image of the Illusionary Butterfly briefly appearing.

"Let's do this," he grasped the handle with both hands. The metallic white blade began glowing more and more radiantly.

The air around Da Hai swirled in a hurricane of chaotic forces. Transformation of all kinds occurred in this isolated universe. Da Hai concentrated on the creation of chaotic sword Qi.

Across the sky, large quantities of primordial Qi stemming from Yingzhou flowed towards Da Hai. These mysterious profound natural forces resembled white clouds as they gathered around towards the sword.

Like an insatiable maw, the sword swallowed the clouds it attracted. It swallowed them and gathered more. Like the eye of a storm, the sword continued to swallow large amounts of primordial Qi in accordance to Da Hai's instructions.

"We're going to end this in one strike. Fei'e, move as far away as possible, you'll have to defend yourself from the backlash," Da Hai warned the woman below him.

Yi Fei'e nodded and promptly took off. Thankfully, she had ascended to Taiyi Golden Immortal and was the sole inhabitant of Yingzhou, she would be able to stay safe.

Da Hai continued to gather power as Yi Fei'e moved away from the epicentre. Despite Yingzhou's size, Yi Fei'e was able to fly all the way to the shore as per Da Hai's wishes. This all took a little over an hour for her to accomplish.

The swirling of gathered clouds finally disappeared into the sword. It was cloaked in a pulsing aura of greyish gas clouds. Da Hai could feel the sword shaking from all the power it contained.

"It's not as natural of a process as the Pangu Banner," Da Hai sighed remembering the flag Hongjun wielded. "Pangu's work is much better than my own, there wasn't any wind up needed for it."

He raised the sword high above his head and began descending to one of the largest branches he could find.

"I don't intend to destroy you, but I do require your sturdiest branch. So, apologies old friend," Da Hai grimaces as he rapidly descended for a strike.

In a blinding flash of grey light, the arc of Da Hai's sword descended upon the largest branch of one of the sturdiest existences in the entire primitive world.

SHINK!

FOOM!

The massive branch of the Fusang tree toppled onto the meadow below the celestial tree. The groaning of the Fusang tree was brought to Da Hai's ears and he sighed in sadness.

The brilliant light radiating like the sun which the Fusang tree once gave off dimmed. Although the life giving power of the tree was profound, it will never be as strong as it once was.

The wound of the tree, cauterised by chaotic sword Qi shrunk into the Fusang tree. Unable to heal that branch, the celestial tree instead removed traces that that branch ever existed in the first place.

Da Hai landed on top of the fallen branch. He caressed the surface of the wood and nodded satisfyingly. "Magnificent, it hasn't lost an inch of power," he praised.

The branch was retrieved by Da Hai and tucked into his pocket dimension for further refining. He however brought his sword up to eye level.

The blade appeared as pristine as ever, no sign of the destruction it just performed was present at all. It appeared like just any other short sword.

"I haven't named you yet have I?" He mused and began thinking. "Gathering clouds, hm. Well, you were once the celestial disc accompanying Pangu and held the insights into the heavens themselves. I guess I'll call you Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword."

The treasure spirit within the sword glowed in happiness. It accepted the new name and subsequently, the carvings of four characters for Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword manifested along the blade.

"Wait a minute," Da Hai suddenly widened his eyes in realisation in what he'd just said. "Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword, it's just a coincidence right?"

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Kailong Chen, the dragon city of opening and capital of the four seas was rolling in activity. The city that normally sported a population in the billions now had visitors that went into the trillions. Most of which was camped outside of course, even this city can't possibly contain that many.

The festivities had been going on for half a decade now. The people who arrived in advance of Zulong's big day waited anxiously.

Outside the East Sea Dragon Palace, a massive elevated platform made from the most beautiful and expensive of carved stone and jewels was constructed along with titanic statues depicting the dragon's power.

Across the city, it was as if Chinese new year had come. The streets were covered in colours of yellow and black. Banners of dragons were hung across rooftops and poles.

Across the streets, visitors roamed excitedly exploring the sites. Kailong Chen was being heavily regulated by the dragons for the past few years as to stop streets from being heavily clogged. As such a limited quota was placed on how many can be in the city at once discounting citizens of course.

As such, mighty dragons hung around the waters above the city constantly keeping vigil. Below them, visitors from all across the primitive world arrived.

There were members of the sea clans from all across the four seas. Members of the avian and beast clans from the east and south continents arrived. Even beast clansmen from the north continent dropped by for the dragon's coronation.

This occasion was far larger than the phoenix and the qilin's coronation. Those attempts were rather isolated in comparison to this global event.

In this vein, Zulong had already impressed others far more than his contemporaries had. His image was visually everywhere outside of the west continent. His name was known even in backwater villages.

The East Sea Dragon Palace itself was also full. Powerful guests had arrived and were given guest lodgings within the royal palace of the dragons. These guests included Taiyi Golden Immortal elders, Golden Immortal elites and their clansmen.

Over the past few decades since Zulong left Yingzhou, Kailong Chen was becoming very overcrowded. Over the years, Yinglong and Qinglong had also returned bringing with them various higher ups of the dragons and sea clans.

Zulong stood smiling warmly in a special chamber deep within his private residence. The Central Grand pavilion in which he lived also housed this chamber which was without a doubt the most important room ever.

Gui Daiyu also stood next to him smiling warmly. Before the couple, a pedestal surrounded by an arena of various powerful spiritual herbs lay around in a formation resembling a nest.

Upon the pedestal was a single large egg about ten metres tall. It was shipped like an oval and was brimming with live energy.

"Incubation is going well, my son will take the world by storm," Zulong couldn't help but praise. His wife had recently laid the egg and proper incubation methods had to be applied.

Of course, Zulong was long aware of the possibility and prepared for this the moment Gui Daiyu fell pregnant.

"Well, based on his level of power, he'd probably make it to Heavenly Immortal at birth," Gui Daiyu started rubbing her chin.

"Aren't you underestimating him? I say Golden Immortal, my bloodline will naturally reach into the limits of the Heavenly Dao," Zulong puffed his chest up in pride.

"I just think you need to be more realistic. Every generation no matter how talented are always born weaker than their parents. But he will no doubt surpass me very quickly," the turtle empress sighed sounding a bit miffed.

Among the higher ups of the four seas, Gu Daiyu ranked towards the bottom. Many of Zulong's first generation dragons had already stepped into Taiyi Golden Immortal and long surpassed her. Many elder generation sea clan members were also looking to break into the Da Luo Golden Immortal realm.

Overall, the current primitive world's average power level was being raised. Immortals were becoming so common that you'd see one every couple of kilometres. Golden Immortals resided by the dozens in every city and Taiyi golden Immortals ruled large settlements.

Da Luo Golden Immortals from both innate creatures and connate lifeforms had also popped up here and there though still uncommon. Rumour had it that some had entered into the services of Zulin while others remained independent.

Zulong himself had only successfully recruited Chenghuang who's shown very high potential to reach Da Luo Golden Immortal in record time.

One of his greatest talents, Leishen the thunder dragon had also stepped into the great prestigious realm of Da Luo Golden Immortal. He was a rising star who'd taken far less time than it did for the first three dragons.

The Primordial Celestial Dragon clan was becoming obscenely powerful. Throw in all their vassals and they stood unchallenged by all except the Devilish Dao.

"I'll never get tired of watching," Gui Daiyu mused. Zulong nodded beside her. The product of their love seemed to also revel in their gaze.

Zulong tilted his head to one side appearing very contemplative.

"What's wrong?" Gui Daiyu asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Yinglong was merely asking for me," Zulogn assured her. "The ceremony's about to start in ten minutes."

"I see, it seems we really lost track of time," Gui Daiyu chuckled. "Come on, you don't wanna be late for your own big day," she said dragging Zulong out.

…

Yinglong stood on the ceremonial platform overlooking the city. On this day, Kailong Chen was crowded like never before. The aura of a trillion immortals blanketed the celestial city in a monstrous wave.

The winged dragon couldn't help but feel slightly anxious. It was as if the entire world had arrived.

Yinglong scanned the people present several more times. He did so as to identify any would be assassins.

While many elders were doing the same, Yinglong felt the need to do so himself if only or more assurance.

He walked back towards the centre of the platform to meet up with the other higher up officials. A collection of no less than a hundred clan esteemed leaders and elders from both the sea clans and dragon clans.

Yinglong saluted them acknowledging their position and joined them in sitting down in the second seat right below where Zulong will ascend to sit. At which point, this platform will merge itself into the throne room of the East Sea Dragon Palace.

The seating arrangements were not in order of cultivation levels but rather in status. Hence Yinglong and Qinglong sat at the second positions followed by the important advisers such as Primordial Turtle King or Colossal Shark ancestor.

Below them were powerful elders with leading positions like Leishen and Chenghuang. This was followed by guardian elites who had no real roles in the government like Xuanwu and Baihu or the moth fairies. However, everyone present was at least at the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal or those who'd stepped into Da Luo Golden Immortal.

"Finally," Qinlong whispered across from him. Yinglong couldn't help but nod in agreement. This day was long in waiting, in fact, it was far later than Zulong had intended when he proclaimed his desire all those years ago.

"Ceremony's about to start," the deep voice of the Colossal Shark ancestor grumbled. "His majesty should be here soon right?"

"My brother will be here when he's here. Do not question his integrity," Yinglong growled back.

"My apologies, it was not my intention to question his majesty. I was just making sure we're on time," the shark cultivator apologised.

"The right time is when my brother arrives, no more no less," Yinglong said. He wasn't too fond of the shark to be honest. However, he was not only powerful but also shared blood with his brother's wife.

Yinglong silently tapped his armrest and pondered on their next move. All the preparations were laid out and only requires careful development to develop a truly invincible army.

There was still some growing needed to be done in the other three seas after all. The north sea especially requires heavy amounts of work to fully realise its potential.

At the same time, he wondered what had occurred between his master and his elder brother. The signs were odd as when he visited Yingzhou, Da Hai was not there. Yi Fei'e had informed him he'd left years ago.

At the same time, Zulogn was keeping silent and rare spoke on their master. Yinglong couldn't help but feel extremely worried at this development.

If Da Hai abandoned them, that will be a terrible outcome. Although they were all to properly stand on their own two feet, Da Hai was their pillar support and father figure. The notion that something went on between two of the most important people in his life terrified the winged dragon.

Of course, forcing the issue will not help matters. Da Hai may be amicable to listen but his brother was not only extremely stubborn but also arrogant.

Though thankfully, not a lot of people seemed to be aware of this recent divide. Da Hai allowed his disciples a lot of freedom in the first place and hardy ever oversaw them aside from occasional check ups and advices.

Their master was overall, very hands off in regards to his disciples' personal activities. As such, outside of immediate family, no one else was aware of this divide.

Yinglong suspects that not even the moth fairies aside from Yi Fei'e knew. They seemed to be preoccupied with playing more then anything else these days.

Speaking of Yi Fei'e, Yinglong began wondering where his fourth junior sister was. As far as he was aware, Yi Fei'e should also be here. An empty seat was also reserved for her after all.

"Brother," Qinglong called out through their mental connection. "When's elder brother arriving? The ceremony is literally half fifteen minutes away."

"Don't rush our brother, he'll be here when he is here," Yinglong retorted. "I have full faith he'd be here."

"Cutting it a bit close don't you think?" Qinglogn grumbled. "It'll be pretty embarrassing if he can't make it on time."

"Elder brother will be here, just be a little more patient."

"Oh come on, we both know he's not perfect. He probably got caught up in something. Probably seeing our nephew like he's been doing for the past month. Just check up on him," Qinglong begged.

Yinglong sighed mentally caving in. He reached out to Zulong through mental transmissions. It took a few seconds but he tracked the elder dragon to the incubation room in the Central Grand Pavillon.

"Big brother," he called out.

"Hm? What is it Yinglong, I'm kinda busy here," Zulong quickly responded.

"Sorry to interrupt your work brother, but your coronation ceremony is about to start shortly. Qinglong was worried and the other ministers are getting angsty without your presence," he dutifully reported.

"What? Already? Let me just…alright, we'll be up there shortly," Zulong said before cutting off the connection.

Yinglong glanced sideways towards Qinglong who was looking at him expectantly. The winged dragon sighed and nodded.

The azure dragon raised an eyebrow and threw him an 'I told you so' look. He leaned back appearing much more relaxed. Yinglong quickly composed himself as well with his back straight.

A few minutes passed before a burst of water swirled before those sitting. Zulong and Gui Daiyu appeared side by side. Wordlessly, they smiled at each other and Gui Daiyu joined Yinglong and Qinglong at the highest position seats.

Zulong meanwhile acknowledged those sitting present. He then turned towards the masses far below and walked forwards. His body began glowing in radiant light, so much so that the east sea began glowing despite how deep underwater they were.

'Go, address them my love,' Gui Daiyu thought blissfully.

'It is time, claim your rightful place,' Yinglong and Qinglogn both appeared proud and joyful.

In a distant continent, Zulin couldn't help but giggle.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

A flood of spectators watched as a gargantuan yellow black light manifested high above them upon the platform. All several hundreds of trillions of living beings who made it personally. At the same time, countless quintillion's watched on from around the world.

The image of the Celestial Dragon appeared, broadcasting for all to see. In the most driest of deserts, frigid of tundras, desolate of mountains, or the most isolated of forests, a projection of Kailong Chen came into view.

This event was planned millennia in advance. Supreme materials and xiantian spiritual treasures were used to construct a massive broadcasting spell that was intended for all to gaze upon Zulong's glory.

A signal to all in the world, a herald to his coming. The dragon didn't just want the seas to witness his rise, he wanted the world to know. The sheer arrogance of this creature was heaven defying.

Many mighty beings around the world silently sneered at this audacious display. Oh sure, they were aware of how strong this Da Luo Golden Immortal expert was. But they too had either reached that realm or were closing in as well.

This was even more so for the innate gods currently cultivating in seclusion. They felt vindicated at the disruption caused by the broadcast. Some aggressive deities even wanted to travel to the east sea and teach the dragon a lesson.

Then Zulong manifested.

Upon the stage, the image of the Celestial Dragon closed in, transforming in a swirl of primordial Qi. Incredible amounts of refined chaotic energies twisted and contorted in a display of fierce power.

The images of rising pagodas, dancing goddesses, singing celestial birds, wise monkeys, invincible divine soldiers and so on appeared. All to herald the descent of Zulong.

He appeared from within the illusionary manifestations standing on the edge of the platform. The heavenly phenomenons generated by him unleashing his power washed over Kailong Chen and beyond.

Even those observing from afar could feel dangerous power emanating from the east. A supreme force both terrifying yet awe inspiring.

The phoenix sitting in her throne room dressed in an elaborate five coloured dress sneered.

The devil forging his swords ceased his actions. He emerged from his cave and joined his six armed brother in observing the ceremony.

The mysterious sage on Mt Yujing stopped cultivating and looked eastwards. He smiled expectantly.

"Welcome, citizens of the four seas world. Welcome to Kailong Chen," Zulong began. The trillions of spectators physically here could feel an almighty gaze bearing down upon them. It made even the strongest of Taiyi Golden Immortals feel small.

"You are all here today, to bear witness to history. To commemorate our flourishing present and to a glorious future," Zulong declared. "I am Zulong, supreme patriarch of the Primordial Celestial Dragon clan, ruler of the four seas."

"I was born from the primordial Yang Qi of Pangu, most venerable lord of water and the imperial heaven. Today, I shall assume my inheritance and fight for rulership over this world. Today, I establish the empire of dragons."

"But before I do so," Zulong paused. "Allow me to clear a few things first."

"When I spawned into this world. I arrived in a time of strife, a time where cultivation clans ran prosperous vying for power. Across the entire world from the five continents to four seas, war was abundant. Immortals stood everywhere dominating each other for territory and resources."

Around Zulong, many patriarchs and warriors of their own respective clans silently nodded. This wasn't news to them, merely a fact of life. For many places, immortals weren't expected to live their maximum lifespans.

"Fortunately, my brothers and I spawned in the east sea, perhaps the most peaceful of the four seas. We were rich and prosperous, there were certain rules to engagements. There wasn't any natural phenomenon threatening our lives nor a violent dictator treating us as food," Zulong said appearing to be reminiscing.

The ancestral dragon's two brothers smiled faintly in nostalgia. In hindsight, they were extremely lucky in comparison to many in the world. They didn't even suffer one bit in comparison to many immortals among the crowd.

Zulong's descriptive words invoked a great sense of superiority from those native to the east sea. A strong sense of superiority they felt they had over the rest of the seas. At the same time, the south and north sea wallowed in their jealousy while the west sea denizens grumbled.

"But that is not to say the other seas are behind. Tragedy may have occurred, but they also bred incredible heroes, heroes who aided me and in my cause," Zulong glanced back.

Xie Chun who sat among the ministers nodded in acknowledgement along with several elders from the north and south seas. They were both shocked and overjoyed at the praise.

"Throughout it all, I have witnessed all four seas and their people. I have watched and read of how each civilisation came to be. I have studied on the cultures of all living beings across the primitive world be they of the mountains or seas."

"And I have come to a conclusion."

"All beings in this world strive for longevity, to pursue the Dao. But cultivation is difficult, it requires enormous recourses, rare resources. As such brutal wars are waged, the strong prey on and exterminate the weak."

"We only help ourselves and our families while ignoring the outside as if they never existed. We separate ourselves purposefully birthing different cultivation ideologies. We are all divided in our own spheres of civilisation."

"As innate creatures, you've all struggled to improve your bloodlines in order to break through to a level in which you could reasonably cultivate the Dao. Living beings without the foundation of innate gods fumble their way in the dark, they all struggle to create cultivation sutras."

Zulong reached into his inter spacial ring and pulled out a book. "But that doesn't have to be the case. This can be the first step towards true unity, a singular system that is capable of taking you all to true immortality. A system that will prepare you the ultimate physique for cultivating the Dao."

PAH!

Zulong slapped his right index finger on the book he held in his left hand. "This is the Draconic Dao, a cultivation path which will give you the body of an innate god. Based upon my own. A supreme physique that can resist divine lightning, celestial fire, demonic wind, and heavenly water. A perfect foundation for the Dao."

"Witness it, Ao Jianlong," Zulong called out.

From one of the seats on the platform, the carp turned dragon, Jianlong flew forth and saluted his patriarch. His cultivation stood gloriously at the Heavenly Immortal level with a singular flower crown. Yet at the same time, his body exuded the vitality matching, even surpassing triple crown Heavenly Immortals.

"Ao Jianlong is an ascendant dragon. He has transcended mortality and will soon break free from the heavens. The Draconic Dao is not a lie. This is my gift to all of you."

Zulong's declaration brought about an enormous amount of cheering. Especially for weak races with weak foundations, they clapped enthusiastically. For them, their sutras were underdeveloped and extremely weak. A proven system will make their path much easier.

Colossal Shark ancestor glanced around at Yinglong and Qinglong. The old shark pondered on Zulong's words. It was fairly obvious to figure out his intentions.

A singular cultivation path becoming a singular identity. The whole world united under the banner of dragons. This will not just be in name, but in a literal sense where all beings are transformed into dragons. They refer to themselves as dragons and will only be dragons.

'It's like he's trying to erase all of us. How arrogant do you have to be? Do you think us all second class compared to dragons?' This was the common thought among the strongest of creatures. Those who'd reached Da Luo Golden Immortal or the summit of Taiyi Golden immortal about to breakthrough.

However, they did not dare speak this thought aloud. They knew perfectly well what Zulong was capable of. He was the epitome of might makes right.

…

"Humph," Zufeng grunted nestled on her throne drinking a glass of grape wine. "Making a whole clan in your image, naming them Ao, then this stunt. How up your ass do you have to be?" She snorted in contempt.

However, after a moment, she paused. "A singular cultivation identity," she rubbed her chin. "All roads lead to the phoenix. This could have merit."

…

Zulong rambled on for longer. He spoke passionately about his vision, his desire as sovereign of the world. His voice carried across the primitive world, broadcasting for all under heaven to hear.

As he spoke, golden light emitted from deep beneath the earth. Strong primordial Qi, so strong that they were indistinguishable from the chaos sea flowed eastwards.

In a convergence of destiny, the world itself directed mountain loads of power towards Kailong Chen. The dragons who were elevated to Golden Immortality smiled at this event.

Zulong himself grinned. He had miscalculated, this amount was even larger than anticipated. He wondered if his introduction of the Draconic Dao helped.

What was happening was the convergence of destiny. The gathering of primordial Qi through natural spiritual veins being funnelled into the location where a great power is being born.

A special extra scenario was the birth of a nation. Kingdoms and empires alike are factions of great destiny by nature. They were rightful rulers of the world and as such are protected by the Heaven Dao.

This was the truth among all chaos worlds. This was also why beings such as gods or demons never personally attacked a kingdom. Doing will easily draw forth divine retribution. Only another kingdom can challenge a kingdom.

Of course, there were ways to get around this. Corruption in government, manipulations, political disasters, maniacal schemes all served to destabilise a national power will drastically weaken a nation's destiny thus leaving them vulnerable.

Such convergence of primordial Qi was only the beginning however. This gathering merely signalled the gift of power by the heavens.

"I am humbled you think me worthy," Zulong said closing his eyes, feeling the wellspring of power pulsing through Kailong Chen. The spiritual vein the city was built on was expanding to unimaginable levels.

"HEAR ME HEAVENLY DAO," Zulong roared into the heavens. "I AM AO ZULONG, PRIMEVAL YANG GIVEN FORM. I BROUGHT INTO THIS WORLD THE DRAGON RACE, I BROUGHT INTO THIS WORLD THE DRACONIC DAO. ON THIS DAY, I DECLARE THE FORMATION OF THE DRAGON EMPIRE."

"RECOGNISE MY RIGHT TO FIGHT FOR SUPREMACY. TODAY, I ASSUME MY BIRTHRIGHT AND I SHALL LEAD MY PEOPLE FORTH INTO A GOLDEN PERIOD. RECOGNISE ME AS DRAGON SOVEREIGN."

And the Heavenly Dao responded.

A virtual world of merit descended. The golden light of karmic luck recognised their master. The celestial dragon who commands great luck in the world and who rules the greatest empire in the world.

In recognition of such, another event took place. If such a being held the enormous luck of the world. Then he shall be the symbol of luck.

And thus, karmic luck condensed into a physical form. The sea of luck Qi gathered in streams and formed up. They twisted and twirled from the clouds into the sky and into the sea.

The construct reached into the ocean and rose into the sky. It roared and danced and displayed its majestic might. A true dragon of ultimate proportions.

A golden dragon so radiant, it blinded the world. A dragon of pure good fortune Qi. A dragon formed of karmic luck. A dragon stretching quintillions of kilometres long.

It was so big, it could be seen from the west continent.

Around the world, similar dragons formed. What was once gas clouds of karmic luck that symbolised the Avian empire and Qilin empire, dragons formed. Both sovereigns gritted their teeth jealously as the image of the dragon became the avatar of destiny.

"If you think me worthy, then I shall name you the Qi Dragon of Luck," Zulong said. A soft humming far above him symbolised the recognition of this name.

A crown appeared on Zulong's head, twelve strings of beads swung before shifting still as they rested upon his crown. His robes transformed into a giant elaborate set of imperial dragon robe, yellow and black in colour.

"All hail the Dragon Sovereign, long may he reign, long may he reign," trillions declared. They knelt down and kowtowed before the platform where Zulong stood raising his arms. He appears as if he was welcoming the world.

He smiled as he sat down on his throne. The platform exploded in a blinding explosion of light before merging into the East Sea Dragon Palace. Zulogn sat at the central hall of the highest palace upon a throne above all others.

His brothers and wife sat below him while others now stood in place.

"I am the Dragon Sovereign, I am responsible for representing all beings in my domain," Zulong began saying. "As such, I shall retire from my position as patriarch of the Primordial Celestial Dragon clan."

"In my place, Ao Yinglong shall succeed me as patriarch. He shall henceforth be named Dragon King of the four seas, lord of all dragons. Ao Qinglong, my little brother, you are the guardian, I name you Saint Guardian of the four seas."

"I hear and accept your majesty's proposal," both dragons said.

"Henceforth, my wife, Gui Daiyu is the supreme matriarch of my domain. She shall henceforth be the Empress of the four seas," Zulong finished. He sat back and sighed in relief.

The first of his main goals were accomplished. He was here, the grand sovereign. Now all that was left was to claim the world.

However, he couldn't help but feel the prevailing echo of sadness in his heart. One person he wanted to be here was not here. Even after several decades.

His master had not arrived. A fact which greatly bothered him.

'Was that really the end of our master-disciple relationship?' He pondered.

High above him, the golden Qi Dragon of Luck brimmed in power. From its original pure golden colour, it took on portions of purple. They mixed into each other and came out as a golden purple Qi Dragon of Luck.

This wasn't a bad thing however, in fact, this was fantastic. The pure golden colour was merely a broad light from the Heavenly Dao. The dragon's current appearance was to signal it completing its descent.

Across the world, various Qi Dragons of Luck also took on different colours. Each colour represented different levels of luck. From white to blue to green to red to black to gold to purple to finally Zulong's mixed golden purple dragon.

It was a magnificent sight. The dragon roared with an imperial authority never seen before in this world.

Then it cracked.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

A sound that went unnoticed at first. After all, the Dragon Qi of luck was so massive that a small crack would barely register in the minds of most immortals.

Below the golden-purple dragon, people were still in a celebratory spirit. Drinks were thrown around, people laughing and cheering for the Dragon Sovereign.

A minute crack on the tail end of this dragon was simply too small and too far away. As such for a time it went unnoticed.

CHINK!

Then the crack grew bigger. Then it got even bigger. Like a spider web crack, the cracks began spreading on the dragon.

Starting from the base end of the tail, the cracks travelled along the body. It started small and slow but then began picking up speed. In a small span of time, the cracks spread along the tail and closed in on the base of the dragon's rear.

That was when Zulong opened his eyes. He had been resting after his declaration, content to revel in his new status. The recognition of heaven had elevated him to even further beyond his previous power level.

The power of karmic luck was extremely beneficial to cultivation. It reveals the hidden intricacies of Dao and bolsters foundations. With the extreme amount Zulong attained, he was able to begin some small breakthroughs.

Besides him, all the higher ups and even low ranking officials received the benefits from karmic luck. They too began gaining new insight into their cultivation.

As such, even the normally very observant Zulong failed to notice his Dragon Qi of luck's damages. That was until it became too big and his concentration was disturbed.

CHINK!

'What the?' Zulong was immediately alarmed. His eyes pierced through the ocean surface unto the sky. The entire dragon was fully visible to him.

The Qi Dragon of luck floated completely still. However, its face contorted in a slight expression of pained discomfort. Zulong's scan immediately took him to the sight of the damage.

'What? How?' In the span of 0.0001 second, Zulong's mind raced through all sorts of possibilities. The Qi Dragon of luck was the strongest construct of destiny. Manifestation of the dragon's destiny in this world. It should not've been damaged.

The only way such an event was to happen was if his empire was steeped in sin. If his people were degenerates indulging in cruel behaviour, if his court was bathed in corruption, if his people were suffering from the government's rule. Only in such an event would his Qi Dragon of luck become damaged.

No, even in such an event, Zulong wagered that it will be a degrading process. What was occurring to his Qi Dragon appeared like a direct attack.

CHINK!

A loud puffing sound echoes across the world as bits of golden light leaked from the Qi Dragon.

BOOM!

Zulong's armrest exploded from his arms slamming down as his rose to his feat.

"WHO DARES?" He roared. His voice travelled across the entire ocean quaking Kailong Chen and the surrounding islands in a massive radiation of visible rage.

Experts around the world instantly caught on to the dragon's anger. They too began noticing the changes in the Qi Dragon of luck.

The reason for the Dragon Sovereign's rage was instantly extrapolated. This wasn't the degradation of destiny, this was an attack.

"Come out this instant!" Zulong commanded flashing high up above the ocean surface. He scanned around the east sea but didn't see any results.

His divine sense washed over this entire region of the primitive world to the limits of what he could accomplish. His desperation could also be seen on his face.

In the time he began thoroughly searching and demanding. The cracks had grown tremendously. The Qi Dragon of luck had lost its previous luster and was littered in cracks from its chest to its tail.

Golden gas clouds leaked out non stop. The very foundation of the dragon empire's destiny was leaving.

"Stop!" Zulong flew forward. He tried to grab hold of the leaking golden gas clouds. His hands glowed with supernatural power as he held back a large volume of golden light. However, even more Luck leaked through.

"Brother/Your majesty!" Several more mighty figures appeared in the sky.

The mighty Da Luo Golden Immortals of the dragon empire appeared to support Zulong. Their reactions were slower but they nevertheless displayed their loyalty.

"What the hell is happening?" Qinglong roared in rage. The fruit of their hard work was disappearing before their very eyes. The Qi Dragon of luck roared in pain.

"Who is doing this?" Zulong demanded though none can give him an answer. Such a thing, to strike at the destiny of an empire shouldn't be possible.

"Brother, the luck, it's escaping," Yinglong pointed urgently.

Getting his bearings together, Zulong did not hesitate to bring out his treasures. Dozens upon dozens of magical swords, axes, bowls, clams, and bells appeared. Xiantian spiritual treasures of lower ranking.

In Zulong's left and right hands, a string of twenty four beads appeared along with a single large azure pearl. These were the Twenty Four Sea Calming Pearls and the Dragon Pearl.

Zulong threw both top grade xiantian spiritual treasures out. They impacted the now massive cloud of luck Qi. Their suppression force immediately took effect acting to hold back the Qi.

A massive azure pearl with the icon of the coiling celestial dragon formed out of the dragon pearl. It pressed down upon the Qi Dragon of luck.

Twenty four interlocking universes appeared from the Twenty Four Sea Calming Pearls. They acted as chains to prevent the dragon from breaking apart, utilising their strength to add a level of stability.

"Use your treasures, do not let them escape," Zulong commanded.

"Yes your majesty," the ministers of the four seas obeyed. Suddenly, nearly a hundred low grade xiantian spiritual treasure flew in the open air. They lent support to the two top grade treasures Zulong used.

Whatever help was appreciated. Even as Zulong fought on, hundreds to thousands of experts appeared to lend support.

However, Zulong did not have time to dwell on them. The bigger issue of leaking luck Qi was progressing badly. The cloud had grown larger, even with Zulong holding them back, he could feel the luck Qi driving against him.

By now, tens of thousands of Golden Immortals and above experts appeared above the ocean surface. Many, hoping to gain favour with the Dragon Sovereign, willingly lent their aid. However, the higher-ups couldn't help but feel betrayed that more hadn't shown up.

"What the fuck are you doing? I am your sovereign," he called out to no avail. His arms strained beneath the pressure. "Damn it, I can't let my nation fall."

The Qi Dragon of luck groaned in pain. Its previously majestic draconic face was cracked. Its colours were shifting, losing its golden hue and returning to pure purple. It had also shrunk in size as more luck Qi. Leaked out.

"Your majesty," Chenghuang called out. He stood at the ocean surface raising his voice for the first time in history.

"What?" Zulong growled back in irritation.

"Seafloor," Chenghuang pointed downwards with a panicked look in his eyes.

Zulong's attention followed along to the ocean floor. He gasped in shock and terror.

A maelstrom had formed. He was so focused on the Qi Dragon of luck that he didn't even notice the chaos going on below. This wasn't a single assault, this was a two pronged attack.

On the east sea's ocean floor, very close to Kailong Chen in fact, a massive gap in the earth opened up. It was circular in appearance resembling a gaping eye. It was like a maw swallowing trillions upon trillions of litres of water.

It was also sucking in nearby living beings. It was in fact so strong that Heavenly Immortals were helpless. Zulong could only gape in shock a few hundred single crown Heavenly Immortals fell in and perished.

"What is that?" He uttered in disbelief.

Now he could also see the activation go Kailong Chen's defensive formation. Billions of living beings were funnelled in with Gui Daiyu at the helm. She and a few dragon elders had taken command of the city formation to save as many as they could.

With so many experts busy in the sky, very few remained to deal with this Sea Eye. Zulong felt a pit in his stomach just looking at the hole. It was as if he was watching the foulest thing in existence.

The newly formed Sea Eye wasn't just swallowing everything. It was also deeply drenched in sin. There was so much negative karma oozing out of it that it wasn't even funny.

'How, how, how, how, how, how, how!' Zulong was desperate for answers. But as soon as he loosened his hold on the Qi Dragon, a strong force of Qi immediately threatened to blow him away.

The maw that was the Sea Eye groaned. It was so contaminated with the dark force of sin that its malevolent intent frightened the strongest of individuals.

This was a construct threatening to swallow the world. It was the manifestation of divine punishment for indulging in all the evils of the world.

'Fuck, why is everything going so wrong?' He cursed in this mind. 'I did everything right, why is this happening. Why is this happening? Who betrayed me?'

Zulong's conclusion was such. Someone must've been corrupting his work without his notice. Someone who did so much wrong that divine retribution was called forth. The Heavenly Dao's automated punishment system was set down upon the dragon empire. The only thing missing was punishment lightning striking down.

For the first time in a very long time. Zulong felt uncertainty. Zulong felt fear. Zulong was panicked. The current him was vastly different from the past. He was invincible in this world, how could a tribulation like this have happened.

"Where is this negative karma coming from?" He cursed. He could see how much struggle everyone was putting in. "Was it my arrogance? Was I too confident?" He questioned. "Was I wrong?"

"Master already warned me, yet I still didn't see this coming," he felt as if he was on the verge of tears. The worst of all possibilities has occurred

Yinglong and Qinglong along with dozens of other Da Luo Golden Immortals cried out as they lost their footing. Many were blown back though some held their ground.

Two gargantuan dragons appeared along with an enormous tortoise with a snake for a tail, a white tiger, a massive great white shark, a plesiosaur etc. the core fighting force of the dragons were putting their all in.

ROAR!

The Qi Dragon of luck lurched its head back and roared in pain. The bindings of the Twenty Four Sea Calming Pearls threatened to snap at any time. The Dragon Pearl was being pushed up despite its best efforts.

Down below, Kailong Chen had sealed its gates. The defence formation formed nine pillars of light and a massive spiritual dragon. It fought against the ocean tides threatening to swallow them.

Trillions had made it in and now crowded the city. They sat down crosslegged and in a team effort never seen before, lended aid to the formation.

Gui Daiyu wearing a phoenix crown supported by six of the seven moth fairies accompanied by hundreds of dragon elders desperately tried to operate the city's formation. But without the presence of the Da Luo Golden Immortals, it became extremely difficult.

However, trillions that were left outside didn't have this protection. The power of sin rolled over them and they were swallowed by the Sea Eye.

…

"Master! Somethings going on with senior brother!" Yi Fei'e bursted into Da Hai's personal chamber. She appeared frantic and very stressed.

Da Hai had locked down Yingzhou preventing anyone from getting in or out without notice. Though Yi Fei'e didn't argue against it, the current situation was different.

She could feel the bone chilling air of sin even from Yingzhou's alternate universe. It was a deeply uncomfortably evil feeling that made even the most evil individuals shiver.

As such Yi Fei'e did not hesitate busting Da Hai's door down. She frowned when she saw Da Hai sitting crossed legged with a long staff on his lap.

"You're refining a treasure? Now of all times?" Yi Fei'e screamed in anger. "Do you have any idea what's happening? Do you care at all?"

"I just need another moment," Da Hai's strained voice answered her. It was then that she noticed trails of sweat streaming down Da Hai's face.

His palms gripped the ends of the staff tightly. Rays of immortal light streamed down the staff breaking away excess wood and smoothening out the process. The room crackled in lightning as Da Hai worked.

A suffocating presence was felt by Yi Fei'e as she watched the process up close.

"Have faith in me," Da Hai begged. "I will not fail Zulong. I refuse to."

"Please hurry," Yi Fei'e urged. A few moments passed in silence. Every second felt like an eternity. Yi Fei'e felt both helpless and useless. In the end, a Taiyi Golden Immortal turned out to be nothing but a small fry. Even Da Luo Golden Immortals were proving to be useless.

"Just one more moment," Da Hai said gritting his teeth. "The wood, so tough," he groaned. His palms at the ends of the staff dug in deep. His nails cracked and his palms drew blood like Dao essence.

Ten minutes passed before a burst of golden power washed over Yingzhou.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

"Emperor father, was it really necessary?" Qi An asked the sitting older man sitting on his massive throne.

Zulin had changed very little over the years. He was still tall and handsome conveying a sense of awe and power. He was intelligent and powerful and wrestled the north continent into his complete control.

The only odd thing about him was the faint scar funning across his face. Something he refused to speak to anyone about. Qi An had seen one of his siblings ask about it centuries ago, the Qilin Sovereign never deigned to answer.

"Billions are dying over there father," Qi An murmured.

"Trillions," Zulin corrected. "Sacrifices for our empire. They have only themselves to blame for siding with the dragons. And what's with that emperor father bullshit? We're alone, just call me dad."

"Em…of course dad," Qi An stuttered. "I do not question your intentions. But surely a more cleaner method could've been used. The cycle of karma can be a punishing thing."

"At times I forget, you're still only a child," Zulin chuckled. "Our enemies deserve non of our mercies. They are not like our misbehaving lords, best to annihilate their foundation," the Qilin Sovereign sneered.

"Besides, we are in control over the cycle of karma. My child, you need not worry about such trivial things," Zulin dismissed. "Take this as a learning opportunity. The flow of karmic luck is a complex subject, glean as much insight from this as you can."

"Of course, em…dad," Qi An replied politely.

The Primordial Qilin clan were creatures of luck. They sought out places of great luck and can perceive the both positive and negative karma.

Qilins, the children of the Qilin Sovereign though few in number were exceptionally powerful. The average qilin was stronger than the average dragon. Each individual was nurtured and developed accordingly unlike the dragons who had many lesser members ignored for the most part.

At the Golden Immortal realm, the qilin unlocks their unique ability. Karmic luck manipulation, the ability to move karmic luck by the force of their own will. This was extraordinarily difficult but can have great results.

In a sinful place like the north continent, this talent was crucial to their survival as well as control over their vassals. After all, karmic luck was something that could make or break a cultivator.

"Relax son and enjoy the fruits of our labour," Zulin reassured. He conjured up an image of a mountainous region. A region belonging to the north continent.

"The insects are already celebrating as we speak. The north continent is no longer the sinful rotting corpse it once was. Thanks to my efforts, it shall be restored to a superior land to even the east continent," he bragged.

"But oceans, that Sea Eye will suck it all dry," Qi An grimaced. "I liked the view from beeches."

"So what? There's nothing good to be gained from those waters in the first place. Besides, those old ancestors in hiding won't let it remain. One of them will solve the issue for us," Zulin waved in a dismissive way.

"Remember son, we didn't cause this. The dragons simply had too much negative karma," the Qilin Sovereign smirked.

"Of course em…dad, the dragons are a sinful lot and deserves heavenly punishment," Qi An replied smiling back.

'Life is difficult, the clans of the north are used to brutal struggles and cannot be trusted. We are born poor and our lands damaged. Father is only doing the best he can,' Qi An reminded himself. 'Dragon Sovereign, apologies for your losses. But you only have yourself to blame.'

The north continent was a deeply damaged land. A fact originating from Shenni all those years ago. The mighty beast emperor callously drenched the very essence of this land in sin. What would he care if the world was destroyed anyway?

Zulin was born into a sinful world. Luckily, his natural talent gave him the opportunity to rise into the Qilin Sovereign. This scheme against Zulong was merely another boon to his goal.

Zulong was too successful. He had too much luck and was granted too much merit. What's more, the dragons lacked a treasure able to properly regulate this much luck, unable to suppress it all.

It was childsplay to draw it all to the north continent. In addition to the forced movement of negative karma to Kailong Chen, it was simply too easy for Zulin. To put it simply, the dragon was too fat.

'Finally, I am rid of you,' Zulin toasted in his mind.

The transferring of karma took an immense amount of preparation. Many tens of thousands of years worth of recourses were pulled into his palace in order to bolster his own strength to the level where Zulin could both give and take karma on this scale and distance.

The north continent was deeply infected by negative karma courtesy of its previous ruler while the east sea was thriving in enormous amounts of positive karma. So bloated the east sea was that it was incredibly unstable.

The dragons lacked treasures capable of regulating so much luck, unlike the qilin whose natural talents negated this necessity. From there it was a simple matter of taking the positive karma, something Zulin had done so many times in the past in other areas, and offloading the negative karma.

"Zulong, ah Zulong, take this as a lesson. You flew too close to the sun," Zulin mused with a smirk. "You crossed someone you should never have. Now you must pay the price. With you out of the way, the qilin can truly rise."

…

ROAR!

The cry of a true celestial dragon contained many unique properties. It was the cry of a ruler, a leader, an instructor. It was essentially an instruction given to obey the will of the dragon.

With the immense pressure brought on by two catastrophic events. Zulong did not hesitate using this ability. His handsome facial features snarled in rage at the devastation going on around him.

The east sea was covered in storm. Uncontrollable lightning struck every corner of his domain. The sea twisted and turned, rising up into massive tsunamis millions of kilometres tall. All while the sea eye sucked in everything it could get its hands on.

Where the sea eye lead to? No one knows. The ocean of sin on the other side was so thick that even Da Luo Golden Immortals couldn't penetrate it with their gaze. Nor would they want to either.

Zulong's roar sundered the heavens and quaked the earth. He could be heard from all corners of the world. The fierce winds and roaring tides reversed themselves beneath his wake and returned to calm.

Though this was only a moment of calm before a second storm. The Sea Eye was wholly undeterred by Zulong's command. It certainly felt it as evident of it slowing down somewhat, but then it sped up again.

The mass of golden Qi clouds also shrunk slightly before rising back up to push outwards. Zulong was struck silent at this event, he had given his all in that last roar, even further enhancing it with an enormous amount of his power yet it still wasn't enough.

The Dragon Pearl shook beneath the force of golden luck Qi. It trembled despite its best attempts.

"It can't be, the negative karma is so huge that xiantian spiritual treasures of the highest tier are failing. Even our positive karma wants to get away," the Primordial Turtle king moaned in despair at the sight.

Zulong deeply wished to smash something to vent his rage. Just where did this sleeping giant come from? Who has the power to do so much damage despite the four seas' best attempts?

"Brother, the rejection force, it's getting too strong," Qinglong called out. The azure dragon's voice was strained in obvious pain.

"Can you, Baihu and Xuanwu form the four symbols formation and suppress this?" Zulong asked hopefully.

Qinglong shook his head. "Without sister Zhuque, such an action is impossible," he said.

"Our powers are intrinsically linked. Even without sister Zhuque present, we are still amplified. However, as you can see, we still aren't of much assistance," Xuanwu chimed in. His beautiful androgynous features were marred by a depressed frown.

"Your majesty, the force is getting too much. We can't hold on," Mosasaur ancestor who'd also been forced into his true form cried out in pain.

Various Da Luo Golden Immortals from the Calamity Snail god to Plesiosaur ancestor to even the western Blue Whale god nodded in agreement. When the pressure becomes too great, these mighty figures could not maintain their Dao bodies and transformed into their bestial original forms.

"Are you all suggesting we retreat now," Zulong spat angrily. He could not let things go as it was now, he'd come too far to abandon everything.

"No your majesty, merely a temporary regrouping to get our bearings together. We can figure something out once later," Mosasaur ancestor clarified.

Zulong gritted his teeth in frustration. If they'd all just left then there would be nothing to stop his Qi Dragon of luck from imploding and leaving. His own treasures needed him to be close in order to give accurate commands and function at full power.

The ancestral dragon raced to think of something. He scanned around the battlefield and grimaced at the ocean of sin surrounding him.

'Yu'er,' he suddenly remembered and concentrated his divine sense downwards. 'Kailong Chen should still be able to hold in this current,' he thought depressingly mentally kicking himself.

"Regroup in Kailong Chen," Zulong ordered. "We'll use the formation there to save as much as we can."

It deeply pained him to abandon his luck Qi but Zulong hardened his heart. After all, luck can be regained with enough merit.

The host of Da Luo Golden Immortals dived into the sin infested waters. Under Zulong's lead, they teleported into Kailong Chen quickly easily resisting the Sea Eye's pull.

Above the ocean, the Dragon Pearl and Twenty Four Sea Calming Pearls lost much of their lustre. While they held on for now, this won't be for luck. In a few minutes, their restrictions will break apart completely.

Zulong touched upon palace grounds along with the rest of the Da Luo Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortal higher ups. He immediately saw Gui Daiyu standing admits a crowd.

His wife was holding their egg protectively in her arms and appeared very anxious.

"He probably would've been safer in the vault," Zulong sighed when he approached her.

"Probably," Gui Daiyu murmured before being embraced by the Dragon Sovereign.

"I'm glad you're safe," Zulong said.

"I would not be much of an empress if I couldn't keep my city safe. But trillions have already perished outside," Gui Daiyu grimaced.

"I'll find who did this and make them pay, for now we have more pressing matters," Zulong let go of her and reached out with his mind.

Kailong Chen's defence formation answered him almost immediately. Zulong assumed control from Gui Daiyu and immediately, the barrier surrounding the underwater city strengthened to unprecedented levels.

Zulong's gaze snapped upwards towards withered Qi Dragon of luck.

"Ministers, aid me," Zulong ordered.

"Yes your majesty!"

Kailong Chen's formation was one designed for defence against external foes and to trap them in for a counter attack. However, it simply did not have the range needed to affect the Qi Dragon of luck.

Nevertheless, the energy it provided Zulong allowed him to reach up and pull slivers of his karmic luck towards him. This was a final gamble, he can't salvage everything but he could still take what he could.

A massive dragon claw formed from Zulong's immortal energy shot into the sky. It stretched out, reaching, hoping to grab hold of what it can.

Zulong sighed and mused to himself, 'We'll have to find a new place to call home after this.'

…

"Oh no you don't," Zulin sneered.

…

A malevolent force slammed into the dragon claw. It was a dark pillar shaped like a hoof. It kicked at the dragon claw which was built thin to allow for maximum range with such great force that the forearm bent in an unnatural way, snapping the claw.

"Who dares!" Zulong roared. The dragon had just about enough of the whole ordeal. He identified the goof and immediately made several guesses.

"Villain, show yourself this instant," the Dragon Sovereign demanded. His voice though fatigued still carried royal authority.

The heavens despite being covered by a raging storm rumbled. The clouds trembled in fear and the lightning hit anywhere but here.

"Hmph, dumber than I thought," Zulin's voice registering in Zulong's ear was all the confirmation he needed.

The dragon's human face could only be described as ferocious at this moment. If looks could kill, the entire universe would've ceased to exist.

"You, I should've killed you all those years ago," Zulong roared. He burst out of the water uncaring for the protection Kailong Chen gave him.

In the wake of his sudden leave, Yinglong assumed total control over Kailong Chen's formation. The surprised ministers called out for Zulong though he ignored them.

"DIE!" Zulong punched out with his right fist.

Reality caved beneath the pressure. Time and space distorted, shattering like glass. The void outside the east sea was thrown into chaos with hundreds of spacial tides generating from Zulong's enraged blow.

The hoof made out of malicious negative karmic luck shattered into a million shards that all fell into the east sea.

"Heh, heh, thank you, saved me some work transferring that load into the water," Zulin mocked from a voice projection. An illusionary figure of the Qilin Sovereign appeared floating in the air wearing an infuriating smirk.

"You failed Dragon Sovereign," Zulin said, every world dripping in contempt. "Your empire is crumbling as we speak. The heavens have already deemed it a blight. Though tell you what, I can tell you of a method to save them."

Zulong wordlessly swiped his palm obliterating the illusionary projection in a single blow.

"Wow what a temper," Zulin's image reformed in the same space the original was destroyed. "Nice try but I'm not actually here, are you too dumb to figure that out too?"

"Zulin," Zulong snarled before his face morphed into a mocking smirk. "I see you appreciated my gift, you're certainly much more handsome than before," he mockingly said pointing at his own cheek. It corresponded to the scar running along Zulin's face.

"Very funny worm, very funny. Even in such dire times you can still joke," Zulin chuckled. "I was gonna leave you to your fate but for humouring me so, I'll tell you how to quell the sea eye."

Zulong frowned as the thunder storm raged on around him. He was not worried about Kailong Chen at the moment. The amount of Da Luo Golden Immortals below could easily hold the city safe.

"The Sea Eye is the pit of sinful karma. It sucks the world in and obliterates it into nothingness for the very land itself is sinful. It's bad news for everyone," Zulin said. "But you, my friend, is also a great being of karma. So the one way you can offset this is by jumping in."

"Use your essence, your very being to offset the karma and quell the Sea Eye," Zulin suggested.

"Do you take me for a fool horsey?" Zulong spat. "What I possess can never quell something like that."

"Oh I know," Zulin smirked. "But you could say, use your body to seal it up. You're very strong, your physique is easily able to plug that hole for several Yuanhui thereby earning yourself great merit. Gives quite a bit of karmic luck that action will do."

"Don't do it your majesty," trillions of voices yelled out from Kailong Chen interrupting them.

"Don't let him trick you. Throwing yourself in there will be the equivalent of suicide," Xuanwu said with vigour. "I've studied the underwater lake for thousands of years and the Sea Eye is only a more malicious version of that. It'll be a fate worse than death."

"Don't do it brother," Qinglong said. "If you need a sacrifice then I'll do it." Dozens of volunteers appeared while Zulong frowned more and more.

To seal the Sea Eye, one's physique needed to be incredibly powerful. Zulong was the ideal candidate, he could fight over a dozen Da Luo Golden Immortals with his body alone and win.

But if another Da Luo Golden Immortal like the Calamity Snail God or Colossal Shark jumped in, they'll be torn apart. What's more, Zulong will have the Dragon Pearl and Twenty Four Sea Calming Pearls with him.

"You devious little shit," Zulong spat.

"You should never have crossed me in the first place," Zulin responded with equal venom. "Go on. Take the plunge. Oh glorious Dragon Sovereign."

Zulong slapped the illusionary body into smoke before turning to face the Sea Eye in the distance. He appeared very hesitant and even more unwilling.

The ancestral dragon stood there among the storm for a few minutes appearing very unsure of what to do. Zulin who reformed behind him merely chuckled.

Without his notice, Baihu, Xuanwu, and Qinglong had already jumped out of Kailong Chen along with a whole slew of others yelling at him to stop.

"My clan is a strong one. Their foundation is deep and powerful," Zulong said to Qinglong.

Zulin perked up and smiled while the members of the four seas had a look of horror dawning on their faces.

"Your majesty, we need you. We can't just lose you now," Colossal Shark screamed. "Who will protect the four seas with you gone. There are still two sovereigns out there."

"The sea clans and the Primordial Celestial Dragon clan are the protectors of the Sea Eye. Non would dare," Zulong sighed.

"Zulong!" Gui Daiyu escorted by her father appeared in the sky. Her Taiyi Golden Immortal physique appeared insignificant admits the storm. "You can't just decide to do this. We can find somewhere else to start again."

"Yu'er," Zulong's resolve crumbled when his wife appeared.

"What of our son?" Gui Daiyu tearfully said. Seeing his wife in tears, Zulong began to step away from the direction of the Sea Eye.

CRACK!

Zulong snapped in the direction of the Qi Dragon of luck. The Twenty Four Sea Calming Pearl's chains all snapped and the chain of beads fell into the ocean. The Dragon Pearl was thrown into the sky and shrunk back to its normal size.

The Qi Dragon of luck screamed in agony as cracks appeared all over its body.

"Now or never," Zulin sang while receiving murderous glares by everyone. With the Dragon's sudden deterioration, the Sea Eye grew even stronger

"I'm sorry everyone," Zulong quickly said before bolting towards the Sea Eye. He did not dare look back else his resolve may crumble again.

In a flash, his ten thousand kilometres long body appeared. Zulong flew full speed directly towards the Sea Eye. "Yinglong, I leave the four seas to you. Take care of my wife and child."

"Zulong! NO!" Yinglong called out. He directed primordial Qi into a whip hoping to catch his elder brother.

"Get back here!" The likes of Xuanwu, Colossal Shark, Mosasaur, Primordial Dolphin, Qinglong, Gui Daiyu, Primordial Turtle, Calmity Snail and many others tried to chase after the ancestral dragon.

But Zulong was simply too fast and too strong. He blew past everyone with ease and had his eyes set on the Sea Eye.

"Finally," Zulin smirked watching the spectacle.

"Sea Eye, let you be SEALED!" Zulong roared diving forward.

BOOM!

"GAH!" Zulong cried out in pain having suddenly been hit in the face by a solid white surface.

'Lotus?' Zulong thought in realisation as his momentum was completely halted. 'Master?' He jerked around to see the human form of Da Hai with his hand stretched out.

"Moron," Da Hai spat. He spun the 12th grade White Lotus generating a whirlpool of white petals pushing Zulong back.

"Master why?" Zulong barely uttered before Yinglong's whip caught his body. He was pulled away from the sea and was unable to stop himself from hitting the ocean surface.

Not far away, Yingzhou had shimmered into existence merely moments before Zulong reached the Sea Eye. Its sudden appearance brought everyone's morals up.

"Exalted Saint is here," The earliest generation of experts all smiled.

Da Hai grimaced at the scene around him. "Fuck, I was nearly too late" he spat.

"Master, I won't let you stop me," Zulong whipped his body around breaking Yinglong's hold on him. He swam forwards only for Da Hai's hand to grab him by his neck. Da Hai was puny next to Zulong, a man a little over 1.7 metres tall next to a ten thousand kilometres dragon.

"And I can't submit you to that fate," Da Hai argued back dragging Zulong out of the east sea into the sky. Zulong struggled against his master's grip but couldn't break it at all despite the enormous size difference.

"You're stronger, you broke through?" Zulong said startled.

"In a manner of speaking," Da Hai replied maintaining his hold on his disciple. 

Zulin sneered at the exchange. "Senior Da Hai, the Sea Eye is not a force you can resolve that easily."

"Silence you degenerate mongrel," Da Hai commanded. His sudden burst of anger caused Zulin to pause, his illusionary body began suffering from static before breaking down.

…

In the north content, Zulin gripped his chest in fright. His concentration broken.

"What's wrong father?" Qi An immediately went to his side.

"The old monsters of this world aren't simple," was the only reply he got

…

"Master, unhand me," Zulong yelled urgently. "The Sea Eye is growing stronger as we speak. I can still salvage this."

"No, you're not getting anywhere near the Sea Eye," Da Hai said throwing Zulong away. He turned his attention towards the dying Qi Dragon of luck. "So big, no wonder Qilin Sovereign was able to do this. Poke a hole in the balloon and the Qi will come rushing out."

CRACK!



CRACK!



CRACK!



BOOM!

In mere moments, the purple golden dragon imploded into a titanic mass of golden gas clouds. The pure essence of karmic luck. They immediately began funnelling northwestwards towards the north continent.

"NO!" Zulong cried out having recovered from Da Hai's throw.

"Oh no you don't," Da Hai said to the clouds of karmic luck. He raised his right hand like a baseball pitcher. The small red needle he held in his right hand glistened under the light from rampaging lightning.

"YAH!" Da Hai threw with everything he had tossing out the only treasure that could save the day.

A long red staff that kept growing.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

In times immemorial, chaotic energies converged to form both living creatures, titanic landmasses, mystical treasures, and chaos worlds. Four types of special existences formed from pure chaotic primal Qi.

When Pangu split apart the chaos sea and opened up the primitive world, a whirling vortex of chaotic landmasses merged into the burgeoning universes creating special areas where Qi was most raw and primal. These areas were cultivation wonderlands.

Kunlun, Sumeru, Yujing, Tai, Fangzhang, Penglei, these were all special areas transformed from those same chaotic landmasses that were absorbed into the primitive world. Places that were the closes to the chaos sea and the Grand Dao.

These places would also be the site of mysterious yet supremely powerful substances. The Fusang tree was but one of several such existences within the primitive world.

It was the life giving tree with incredible rejuvenation powers as well as profound toughness and strength. Among the many congenital plants in the universe, it was among the top ten strongest and definitely among the top three hardest.

Although Da Hai had cleaved off a branch of the tree using a universe shattering power, the Fusang tree still held strong. Its vitality may have been weakened, its foundation damaged and its overall magical properties lessened. But it was still strong.

This same quality was also present in the severed branch. It was cut off from its source and thus lost much of its magical qualities. It wasn't like the mulberry fruits and lacked any form of spirituality on its own.

What it did have was an unnatural toughness and sturdiness. It was nigh unbreakable in its raw form. So strong it was that Da Hai struggled to make something of it for many years.

In the end, he settled for crudely shaping the into a functional form as well as applying enchantments. For a being like Da Hai, working with this material was a challenge in and of itself.

The time crunch was brutal on the innate god. Zulong had declared himself far before Da Hai had even expected. Many extra abilities had to be scrapped in order to get the staff ready in time.

Over a decade of non stop work by a man desperate to finish in time and he barely made it. Da Hai had felt the Sea Eye forming as he was working and that thing horrified even him.

Even he had not sensed it until mere moments before it formed and that was mostly because of the sudden burst of negative karma intruding into the east sea. No amounts of divination had informed him of this, he truly had no clue such a disaster would occur.

The timing was too perfect. Though perhaps this was fate, a sign from the Heavenly Dao to punish Zulong's overconfidence. Or it could be a sign for Da Hai to hurry up. Either way, the sea god rushed to completion.

Either way, Da Hai wouldn't know. For all his personal feelings against him, Zulin was a son of heaven. The Qilin Sovereign was protected by the universe against beings of the older generation such as Da Hai himself.

Zulin, Zufeng, and Zulong were all immune to divination and couldn't be killed without drawing in divine retribution. Otherwise, Da Hai would've assassinated Zufeng and Zulin decades ago.

From out of Da Hai's hands shot the reformed branch of the Fusang tree. Its wooden texture had long given way to a metallic crimson hue. The result of continuous refining into a true xiantian spiritual treasure.

What started out as a mere needle shrunken for the sake of transport quickly grew. This was an inborn quality of spiritual treasures everywhere. Size wasn't really a set thing, what really mattered was the strength of the treasure.

In several breathes, trillions looked on as an insignificant red needle magnified. Growing and growing until it exceeded a kilometre in length. It didn't stop and kept growing as it kept gaining altitude.

"What is that?" Zulin who had recomposed himself and reformed his illusionary body watched on in curiosity. He couldn't detect much spirituality from the treasure and wasn't sure where to rank it on the totem of treasures.

This red stick definitely wasn't normal. There was this supernatural quality to it that made it impossible to assume it was just your average run of the mill stick. Yet at the same time, it lacked the telltale signs of xiantian spiritual treasures.

If Zulin didn't know any better, he'd rate it as a simple immortal spiritual treasure that were so common to see these days. But since Da Hai was the one who threw it, it can't be simple.

Zulin was tempted to interfere with it. Whatever it was, it could very well jeopardise his plan. He had paid a deep cost to set things into motion and things had already come too far. He had already offended Da Hai from the looks of things so stopping the stick wouldn't hurt him.

Yet at the same time, he lacked any real way to stop it.

The Qilin Sovereign was never actually here in the east sea. This illusionary body was a mere incarnation of his will formed to observe and interact with Zulong. It held very little power.

As such, Zulin stood back and watched as the stick sailed into the sky. He silently prayed for it to fail whatever it was that it was trying to do. Luck was still on his side, the massive gas clouds were still moving fast.

The crimson stick continued to grow and elevate its position. It reached upwards like a pillar intent on holding up the heavens. It grew and it grew until its length exceeded ten thousand kilometres.

Da Hai watched tensely as the staff shot high into the heavens. He too was praying for it to work. Truthfully, he'd have preferred to spend more time on it, ideally a few hundred more years and but the current stick was satisfactory.

Its basic structure and qualities were already in place and that was what was really needed in the first place. Now all that was needed was for the stick to prove itself.

Using his mental connections with the treasure. Da Hai commanded it to fly beyond the gas cloud. Closing the Sea Eye was important and more help was appreciated. This method would also salvage a lot of Zulong's luck.

When the stick skipped over the mass of luck Qi, it had grown exponentially reaching an astounding length of 18 trillion kilometres. The tip flew over the clouds followed by its mid until the tail end reached the same elevation.

Zulin sucked his breath in in anticipation. 'Perhaps he isn't interested in the luck Qi at all?' He hoped.

Zulong narrowed his eyes at the red stick. "Hai, I trust you master," he said putting his complete faith in the sea god. Despite whatever grievances both parties may have, Zulong will always respect Da Hai.

"HAIYAH!" Da Hai roared. His fingers angled down and telekinetically controlled the crimson stick.

FWOOSH!

Like the move a certain monkey will be infamous for in the far future. The crimson stick bashed down with great force supported by its enormous weight.

BOOM!

It slammed into the gigantic mass of luck Qi so hard that the impact could be heard across the entire world. Even the void between realms was not safe from it and neither was the starry skies.

A certain moon goddess glanced curiously in the direction of the great wilderness for a few moments before returning to her cultivation.

On the east continent, on Mt Yujing, Hongjun opened his eyes for the first time in many years. He glanced eastwards catching up with world events.

Far west, on Mt Sumeru, Luohu stepped out of his cave adobe with mild interest.

FOOM!

Zulin watched in horror as 70% of the luck Qi cloud broke off from the original. An enormous amount of luck Qi clouds bent beneath the staff's weight and tumbled downwards along with the crimson stick.

The treasure had righted itself above the golden clouds. It had turned 180 degrees and now descended with the luck Qi in tow.

"How? How is the luck Qi following it? It should've phased through," Zulin gasped in shock. It wasn't like luck Qi was a physical object, it was gas, spiritual gas.

The Qilin Sovereign's incarnation glanced at Da Hai's way in anger. "This is the matter of Sovereigns, senior shouldn't interfere," he yelled.

"The Sea Eye is a disaster that affects all living beings," Da Hai simply said without looking back.

With a slap of his tail, Zulogn obliterated Zulin's incarnation again and flew up to his master. He transformed back into his human Dao body and appeared very fatigued. He was huffing and his face sported a few bruises.

"If I benefit the dragons in the process, well that's just sheer coincidence," Da Hai said smirking at another of Zulin's reformed incarnation.

"The shamelessness," Zulin gritted his teeth.

"Pot calling kettle black," Da Hai scoffed much to Zulin's confusion at the expression.

FOOM!

The cloud attached itself around the crimson rid like a coating of solid gold. They descended together directly towards the east sea, directly above the Sea Eye.

"Will it work?" Zulong glanced a tired look at Da Hai.

"I hope so," Da Hai replied watching the rapid descent of the stick. "Whatever happens, you can always return to Yingzhou."

"My people needs me."

"I know, but you will always have a place there."

Zulong nodded gratefully. "I apolo…"

"Don't," Da Hai held out his hand. "You were never at fault."

The pair of master and disciple watched side by side as history was made. In the future, this tale will be largely forgotten by the continents but the seas will always remember. The dragons will never allow it to be lost in time.

FOOM!

Cloud and stick slammed into the wild ocean surface kicking up an even bigger tsunami than there were previously. They rose like a ripple only on a much larger scale where waves could swallow stars wholesale.

Below the ocean, water parted beneath the pressure, unable to halt the rapid descent of the crimson stick. Like a torpedo, it broke the waves and parted the currents.

The suction of the Sea Eye was sudden suppressed under an enormous pressure. The crimson stick barrelled downwards with no signs of stopping. It carried with it the true essence of luck built over many tens of thousands of years.

Sensing this, the Sea Eye, unwilling to stop and repulsed by the positive karma, lashed out with all its might. A horrifying maroon pillar of fire shot through the water. The damning cries of an incalculable number of souls screeched from within the flames.

Two mighty forces, golden and maroon. One descending from the heavens and one rising from the pit met admits the waters.

BOOM!

Da Hai raised his hand to shield himself from the force of the impact. Others followed his examples while those who didn't were blown away for trillions of kilometres or even into the void.

Ripples of golden maroon light radiated from the east sea. In a circular radiation of opposing forces, they travelled across the world showcasing the aftereffects of the struggle.

Da Luo Golden Immortals across the world silently gulped at the power. What had happened was a bit too terrifying even for them. The chances of them surviving a direct blow like that was impossible.

Da Hai narrowed his eyes as a thick gale of Avici Divine wind was kicked up. This was no doubt generated as a result of the violent clash between the crimson stick and the Sea Eye.

The nightmarish wind of hell. The demonic winds that tore apart the world. Avici Divine was pretty supposed to pre pretty rare in this stage of the world. But world defying catastrophes like this seemed like the perfect spawning grounds for it.

Despite Da Hai's thoughts on the wind, it was only a minor issue. This natural phenomenon was raw and untamed, it kicked up and just as quickly vanished as the dust settled.

The crimson stick was undeterred from its descent. The pillar of fire was nowhere to be seen as the treasure continued on its way much to Zulin's horror.

"As expected from the divine tree," Da Hai complimented smiling brightly. He could stop worrying now with this, at least for now that is. It would seem his role here was just about done.

Golden tipped, crimson in colour, unstoppable in its descent. The Sea Eye lay helplessly as the crimson stick rammed headfirst into the pit.

It plunged into the Sea Eye plugging it shut from the world at large. It was almost anticlimactic after the fierce struggle earlier. The Sea Eye was resigned to its fate as its feeding frenzy was stopped.

With the crimson stick acting as an unbreakable seal in addition to the luck Qi used to offset it. The Sea Eye disappeared from the world replaced by an 18 trillion kilometres tall pillar standing where it once was.

Its crimson finish pulsated with power as what little golden luck Qi remained wrapped itself around the stick turned pillar. It was a blessed phenomenon as the very essence of luck was burned into the treasure that saved the four seas.

Da Hai nodded in satisfaction as the skies began clearing.

With the disruptive force of the Sea Eye gone, the day was saved. The oceans began calming as the dark clouds parted. Purple lightning faded and the world seemed to be returning to normal.

Though the landscape of the east sea had dramatically rearranged itself, especially around the core regions. Overall, the damage was not too bad. The Sea Eye had not existed for too long before it was stopped.

From the heavens, golden descended. Merit from the heavens at the great deed that was done today. Da Hai raised his head as the radiant golden light descended onto both himself and the pillar suppressing the Sea Eye.

"Hai," he sighed and shook his head. With a flick of his hand, the merit flowed away from him and onto a very surprised Zulong beside him.

"Why the look? You're going to need it more than me," he said.

"But master," Zulong was at a lost for words. "I can't accept this. You saved us, you've earned it."

"It's yours, that is final," Da Hai declared and shoved all the merit into Zulong's body.

"Master," Zulong watched uneasily as the merit transformed into karmic luck.

"Reform the Qi Dragon of luck, you're still Dragon Sovereign."

"Disciple obeys," Zulong cupped his hands and bowed.

"Disciple, no wonder," Zulin sneered jealously. "To think I thought you were like me." Without another word, Zulin's incarnation collapsed, disappearing from the east sea entirely.

The light luck wasn't over however, for a transformation was taking place upon the crimson stick. The Golden Qi of luck was invoking a change of its own.

From top to bottom, the stick shone a metallic hue. No trace of its previous wooden texture could be seen. It was as if it had always been made of metal.

On both ends of the stick, golden Qi concentrated. They looped and wrapped around the crimson stick and merged inwards. In a burst of light, they merged into one.

Now on both ends of the metallic pillar, golden bands wrapped around the structure. Gold and red, two brilliant colours. But it wasn't over.

Golden lightning arced across the surface of the pillar, edging golden characters into the crimson surface. Carving deep into the metal into a phrase, a name.

Da Hai widened his eyes in recognition. With each character's completion, he slowly read out;

"With."

"Meaning."

"Golden."

"Banded."

"Cudgel."

"Heh, without meaning to, I've unwittingly created the very mythology I've read as a boy. Though is it really mythology if I'm living it? No, this is history. Ruyi Golden Cudgel, how fitting."

"Master?" Zulong asked appearing slightly concerned at Da Hai's bemused face.

"Ha ha, who would've guessed," Da Hai chuckled. "Zulong, this pillar is yours to do with as you please. It shall serve as your luck suppression treasure."

"I see," Zulong nodded. "Ruyi Golden Cudgel, very well. Since this pillar suppresses the Sea Eye, then I shall name it Sea Suppression Divine Needle."

"Oh? Not going with the name engraved?" Da Hai asked curiously.

"A name given by the heavens but a name given by yours truly. Since it is mine then I shall name it," Zulong declared.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Da Hai smiled. 'Crisis averted,' he sighed in relief.

"Master, big brother," Yinglong and Qinglong flew over and cupped their hands saluting their master.

"Do not pull that stunt again," they roared at Zulong. Behind them, Gui Daiyu rushed over with he others in tow.

POW!

Zulong flinched at the slap delivered by his wife. "Yu'er," he murmured at the furious look she gave him. Then she embraced him.

"Don't ever," she whispered in his ear. Zulong hugged her back and rubbed her back in comfort. "I won't," he whispered back.

"Your majesty," countless ministers and civilians rose out of the sea, all with concerned looks on their faces. Zulong softened at the attention he was receiving.

'What a mess,' he sighed thinking back to the quick turn of events. Who would've guessed a world ending catastrophe would occur on his coronation ceremony.

"Senior Da Hai/Exalted Saint of Yingzhou!" Zulong's subordinates all turned and greeted. Who could forget the east sea's own ancestor of cultivation? He was equally important in this event.

Da Hai nodded in response. "It is good that you're all alright. Though I was still too late."

"Your excellency does not need to worry, we shall avenge our fallen brethren," Mosasaur ancestor declared vigorously.

"Yes, yes, those responsible must pay," Plesiosaur ancestor and a slew of others spouted agreement.

"Be that as it may, the east sea has been hurt greatly by this event," Da Hai sighed. "The land will take time to heal and your vital luck will not be as strong as before."

"We thank Exalted Saint for the advice," they bowed.

"Heh, Exalted Saint," Zulong smirked much to Da Hai's embarrassment. "I don't think that title quite suits you anymore."

"Oh?" Da Hai looked quizzingly at Zulong. "What do you mean?"

"Master, you are the teacher of the seas. The cultivation ancestor of myriad life forms. What's more, you saved us by suppressing the sea eye. You shall always be venerated and worshipped by the four seas," Zulong declared.

The thunderous cries of agreement cued Da Hai in to Zulong's intention. He sighed and shook his head.

"As thanks, I as Dragon Sovereign honour my master with the name Primeval Oceanic Suppression Lord in Eight Directions Grand Heavenly Lord," Zulong declared.

"We greet your excellency, Primeval Oceanic Suppression Lord in Eight Directions Grand Heavenly Lord," trillions of voices declared in unison.

"Hai," you really have a flare for theatrics," Da Hai said helplessly.

"At least now we have a proper name to put on your statues," Zulong grumbled. "I'm tired of hearing fifty thousand different variants on what you should be called."

"Very well, I shall accept this title."

"Thank you master," Zulong smiled, then his lips curled downwards. "You should know things can't end like this right?"

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Da Hai smiled softly. He'd expected that, after all, Zulong will not be Zulong if that wasn't the first thing on his mind.

Da Hai turned his head to look in the northwestern direction. His smile became a mocking one. The newly christened Heavenly Lord nodded.

"I didn't expect he'd have the balls to so daringly attack," he mused. "I guess my impression of him was wrong."

"Doesn't matter now," Zulong sent Da Hai a determined look. "He crossed a line. The four seas will never rest until this enmity is settled."

Da Hai closed his eyes for a few seconds. "I suppose you'll be leading the charge."

Zulong's silence was a very obvious sign. Da Hai nodded in understanding. 'On this path, you've made many enemies. I've already sworn to do so but I will support you wholeheartedly,' he promised in his heart.

"As a chosen of heaven, Zulin receives divine protection that places him out of my reach," Da Hai said. "I cannot attack without severe repercussions nor can I guarantee a success."

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me," Zulong crossed his arms appearing slightly annoyed.

"And I won't," Da Hai admitted. His gaze tracked the distant fleeing luck Qi. He held out his right arm and made a tearing motion. His arm then made a gripping motion.

Reality distorted, space twisted and tore into a hole. The other side was a blank void of violent currents. In fact, reality around the east sea and beyond began cracking on a macro scale.

Multi coloured lights from the most vibrant of reds to the most dull of blacks blanketed large portions of the primitive world. They swirled and twisted and converged eastwards and northwards.

The commotion was so big that experts who were about to go back into seclusion after the Sea Eye fiasco came back out again to see what in the world was happening.

Da Hai stood before the hole that grew to a massive size reaching a hundred million kilometres in radius. His arm was outstretched his face was constricted to a serious strained expression.

The primal chaotic energies whipped and lashed out in all directions yet they were not permitted to reach below the waves. As such, the Da Luo and Taiyi Golden Immortal realm experts who could resist such energies remained floating in the air starring in wonder at Da Hai's work of magic.

"Exalted Saint's mastery in Spacetime Dao laws are so high," Primordial Turtle King gazed in wonder. It was rare to see Da Hai do anything these days so whenever he worked his magic, it was a sight to see.

Many who thought they had closed the gap by reaching the Da Luo Golden Immortal realm suddenly felt very inadequate. The gap between them and Da Hai seemed to be even larger than before.

What they didn't know was that although Da Luo Golden Immortal was effectively the final realm of cultivation. It was also the most diverse realm in terms of power. It was very possible for one Da Luo Golden Immortal to be an ant before another one.

Da Hai had long ago, reached the Da Luo realm. Since then his Dao had evolved to the level of primordial chaos. That and fundamentally, the Dao of Ever Distant Seas was closely linked to the concepts of space and time. Added on to Pangu's own insights he'd listened to and the result was a manipulation of reality on a macro scale.

The only weakness of such an ability was that it was very noticeable. Da Hai can't wantonly link two places of such distance that were separated by dimensional barriers without causing a huge light show.

"Due to the recent disaster, the void between realms is in a chaotic flux. Even a Da Luo Golden Immortal would get swept away if they're not careful. Travelling through the void, though shorter will be more difficult then travelling overland," Da Hai mused.

"But travelling overland will also take a few years. Luckily, I've learned quite a few things since we last talked." Da Hai shook his head bemused. "That was if you didn't have me."

The portal changed. It shone in grey lights swirling into the abyss. A watery texture overcame the portal and condensed into a mirror like construct. The cracks in reality faded and the lights condensed into the mirror.

Da Hai lowered his arms and breathed a long sigh of exhaustion.

Zulong raised his eyebrow at Da Hai's action. "I thought the Heavenly Dao prevented action from seniors against us Sovereigns? And when can you manipulate spacetime so well?"

"What? This old man can't learn any new tricks? And besides, what action? I'm just a doorman," Da Hai smirked at Zulong.

"Heh, just a doorman," Zulong smirked back. He glanced back at his entourage.

The Sea Eye was still fresh on their minds. Trillions were reeling from the losses of the other trillions who perished. Everyone had lost someone and were still for the most part in a state of shock.

Even Immortals felt overwhelmed by grief. It wasn't just their own feelings in the matter, but also the aftereffects by the invasion of negative karma. Not many even had the will to fight at the moment.

Although the Sea Eye had been offset by the Heavenly Sea Suppression Needle, the negative karma hadn't gone away. In fact, any qilin will identify that the battle of karma was ever continuous. In terms of the matter of luck, the Sea Eye is the most active in the primitive world.

But Da Luo Golden Immortals weren't ordinary people. They were rare, one in a hundred trillion. For every cultivator who makes it to this realm, countless will fail. Each and every single one of them were mentally strong, extremely talented, and resourceful individuals.

Throughout his tenure, Zulong had recruited quite a number of them. Many were surviving seniors from the earliest generation of postnatal lifeforms, then referred to as innate creatures. These connate lifeforms represented the apex of the primitive world.

And they were all PISSED!

The Dragon Saint Guardian Qinglong, Dragon King of the Four Seas Yinglong, Primordial Turtle King, Mosasaur Ancestor, Plesiosaur Ancestor, Colossal Shark Ancestor, Calamity Snail God, Primordial White Dolphin Ancestor, Unbreakable Crab Patriarch, etc. Over two dozen Da Luo Golden immortals had been present.

And they all looked positively apocalyptic.

"Father-in-law," Zulong said contained fury. "Protect Kailong Chen with Yu'er."

Primordial Turtle King nodded cupping his hands and bowing. "This minister obeys."

"Be safe," Gui Daiyu murmured.

"This is just a small fry," Zulong smirked. "I'll present you his skull personally."

Then he stepped through the mirror.

…

The colossal change in the world stupefied many experts around the world no matter how brief. While the coming of the three sovereigns were big news, they weren't enough for ancient experts to come out of seclusion.

However, the abrupt appearance of the Sea Eye caused the surviving chaos godfiends to awaken and come out of hiding after eons of cultivation.

No matter how brief its appearance, the Sea Eye had irreversibly changed the world.

The ancestor of divine winds, Shen Feng floated in the air stroking his goatee.

"Damn, it's over already?" The godfiend frowning opening at the change of air. His detection airflows told him of the Sea Eye the moment its incredibly suction force appeared, then in under half an hour it disappeared.

"There goes my chance. Che, to think they resolved it that quickly. And here I was hoping to get some benefits, oh well," he shrugged picking up a satchel from a floating corpse.

All around Shen Feng, the bodies of several birds floated. They were incredibly brutalised, some having been torn into pieces while others were contorted into unnatural positions.

"To think I missed such an opportunity," he grumbled while searching through the ring. "Man, avians make such good hunting targets."

After retrieving the goods he found including a few decent spiritual herbs and some rare ores, Shen Feng began planning his next course of action.

The great god of wind pinched his fingers and held them before him. His delving into the secrets of the Heavenly Dao was still much restricted due to the three sovereigns. However, his personal power allowed for some leeway in this aspect.

CRACK!

FWOOOSH!

"Hm?" A sudden disturbance made Shen Feng pause momentarily. "Something's gonna happen…in….north? East?"

Massive cracks in reality appeared in the distance along with a myriad of lights. The immense vortex of primordial Qi was frankly astounding to the wind god.

The man turned his head northwards. His senses saw past quintillions of kilometres with aid by airstreams. His current location at the edges of the north continent was a little too far for him to accurately see what was going on.

But he felt the massive distortions of space as clear as day. Shen Feng contemplated what he should do. His movement techniques had gotten a lot better since the early days.

Making up his mind, he quickly grabbed hold of one of the fading cracks and traced its destination. Then he dived in.

…

Hongjun stroked his long white beard in contemplation. He stood on his balcony observing the fierce changes in the great wilderness with great concern.

"Things are needlessly heating up," he grumbled.

His purple eyes shone with immortal light. With a few glances, he casually saw through the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao.

"Hm, the east sea is still shrouded but the restrictions are a lot less than last time. Sea Eye perhaps? Hm…although," He looked northwards sensing the distortions in spacetime that were clearly visible from his vantage point.

Examining the ongoings of the primitive world had become incredibly difficult these days. Luo Hu was his equal and hence near impossible to calculate. The three sovereigns were invisible from divination and the other surviving godfiends had their own methods.

Thank heavens for the trackers he left on them.

In order to contact his allies, he'd need some time. To be honest, Hongjun doubted wether they would return to the wilderness. They were more concerned with their own cultivation at the moment and only something as serious as the Sea Eye going out of control will catch their attention.

For the first time, he was starting to regret not starting an all encompassing sect like Luo Hu had preemptively done.

"How can I spin this?" He wondered aloud.

…

Zhuque breathed a massive sigh of relief when the Sea Eye incident passed. Even here in the heart of the south, she could feel the malice emanating from it. Though the reemergence of spatial distortions did startle her.

The Vermillion Bird glanced at her elder sister who had her eyes closed resting in her knuckle. She was likely calculating her next course of action.

In a way, her loss against Zulong had been helpful. Zufeng was a lot calmer now and many times wiser. Even the avian higher ups were praising her as a more competent ruler.

"Enter," Zufeng's voice broker Zhuque out of her musing. The empty throne room echoed her voice and the doors were pushed open.

Zhuque realised that someone outside must've asked for permission via mental transmissions.

She frowned when she saw the old vulture headed adviser walk in unsteadily.

"Your majesty, I am honoured by your glorious presence," he praised kowtowing on the fur carpet.

Zhuque didn't like the vulture immortal but she had to admit, he was a good minister. He gave good advice and had earned her sister's good graces. Yet still she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"It is rare for you to leave seclusion. I believe the last time we properly spoke was nearly nine thousand years ago. Speak, why do you wish for this audience," Zufeng opened her phoenix eyes into slits. His gaze alone was as if the highest heaven's lord of all encompassing light bore down on a single person.

Yet the vulture shrugged the gaze off and smiled getting on to his feet leaning on his staff for support.

"This minister wishes to report, big changes are going on in the world. The dragons are about to make a move," he said.

"Things that I already know. If you're here to waste my time repeating information to me then get out," Zufeng retorted harshly. Zhuque grimaced, her sister had been in a bad mood since the Dragon Sovereign announced himself.

"Ah but I do have important news. It would seem that with the opening of the spatial distortions, a portal was opened up heading northwards. Your rival Qilin Sovereign is about to be attacked," the vulture said.

Zufeng raised her eyebrow. "Why should I care what that luck sacking horse is up to?"

"Forgive this minister's audacity but can your majesty honestly say the avian's are a match for the dragons?"

The atmosphere instantly changed. Zhuque gasped at the audacity of this man. Zufeng's fury was palpable, the pillars of her throne room was lit ablaze.

Her left armrest was pulverised when she gripped her fist. Zufeng glared at the vulture for several breathes of time before sighing.

"Continue," she ordered.

"I believe it would be most prudent for your majesty to join the Qilin Sovereign in the battle to come. Alone, you will be unable to resist the dragons," the vulture said.

"The north continent is at the heart of the north in a location unknown to me. Not any of my spies had ever made it out of there alive nor have they sent back information," Zufeng said. "How do you expect me to cross that distance in time and to have the right coordinates?"

The vulture smiled. "Not to worry your majesty," he reached into his own pocket dimension and pulled out a mirror. It was antique looking but retained a noble quality.

"This is the Vast Heavens Mirror," the vulture said. "it reveals the location of all things and is capable of reaching anywhere in the world. With aid from Imperial Princess's Universe Traversing Boat, it would be paltry to reach the north continent."

"How convenient," Zhuque snorted. "You've had that for all this time and never said anything. Sister, don't listen to his drivel, it's likely a trap to besiege you."

Zufeng closed her eyes in contemplation. "Why did you keep such a treasure hidden from me," she commanded.

"I exist only to help you rule your lands," the vulture headed elder said calmly. "I exist to keep the balance of the world and stop all evils. I work not for your benefit or anyone else's."

"But, should the Qilin Sovereign fall. This world will fall into a state of chaos. The dragons will trample over all living beings bringing misery on an unimaginable scale," the vulture sighed.

"Your majesty, please see reason," he offered up the Vast Heavens Mirror with a pleading look.

Zufeng stroked her chin and closed her eyes in contemplation. Many simulations ran in her mind before she finally opened them again. "Even if we're optimistic, we would still take a few years to reach there. What you're suggesting is impossible," she said.

The vulture headed immortal signed. 'I need to salvage this. If Zufeng isn't willing to go there then she must at least be willing to take a stance,' he had been careless and he knew it. He had invested too much time in cultivation that so many big events had gone over his head.

This vulture body was merely a lesser aspect of Hongjun, sent here to aid the phoenix. A similar body aids the qilin. However, they had all gone dormant for many years now.

He knew he was being too optimistic. But in all his years, he had not anticipated so many factors will go off course. Hongjun was deeply troubled and the more he thought about it, the more he came to realise his position was not secured at all. Luohu wasn't his only opponent, others were competing as well.

'Damn it. It's too soon. I should've kept a closer eye on Zulin,' he cursed. Even bringing out the Vast Heavens had not convinced his charge. 'I can't let the qilin be wiped out like this, there has to be another way.'

Deciding to change tactics he made a different proposal.

…

"DAMN IT!"

Zulin slammed his fist into a pillar leaving the stone structure. Qi An grimaced standing far away from his venting father.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. It was perfect, perfectly executed. But that fucker just had to fuck it up," he roared. His unrestricted aura shook the entire palace and mountain.

"Emperor-father calm down," Qi An urged. "You'll level this place at this rate."

Zulin glared at his most accomplished son in irritation. He humphed and returned to his throne with a huff.

"Father, we didn't lose this," he attempted to placate the elder qilin.

"Our source of karmic luck had risen by over 1000% and the dragons had lost much of their luck. What's left is being used to suppress the Sea Eye. Ultimately, we still won," Qi An said.

"It's not a victory until he's dead," Zulin growled. His ugly scar burned even now in phantom pains. Though in his heart, Zulin accepted Qi An's words.

His sons words were true. Ultimately, they had succeeded in their original goal. Zulong's death would've been icing on the cake. But now the north continent can truly heal.

Their central spiritual veins were already filling up with vigorous Qi and the very ambience of the land was improving. In time, the north continent will surpass the others.

Taking a bit of luck from here, a bit of luck from there, a bit of luck everywhere. Zulin worked tirelessly to improve the north continent. Whether it be central, east, south, or the seas, he had taken karmic luck from all those places.

"Fine, we'll take this time to develop. Let's see the dragons catch up now," he sneered.

Then the world shook.

"Emperor-father," Qi An's startled voice was heard but ignored.

Zulin stood from his throne weirded out. "The Sea Eye's been suppressed. What is happening?"

Zulin could sense the distortion of spacetime. He could even see the cracks forming outside. But he didn't fully understand the changes going on. His mastery of such Dao laws was nonexistent.

CRACK!

A slit opened up, sucking in cracks and light. The mountain shook uncontrollably. Zulin could feel a tangible nervousness rolling out of him.

"What is," he frowned when a portal resembling a mirror opened it directly above his palace. Rather, it was directly above where his karmic luck had landed and where his Dragon Qi of luck representing his empire's destiny was condensed.

"Spacetime distortion on this scale," a wisened old voice was heard as a new figure shimmered into existence.

"Old benefactor," Zulin frowned. "Do you know what is happening?" Qi An also saluted the new figure.

The person he was addressing was a wisened figure in all black. He resembled a demon with a wrinkled bull like face. Though if one was familiar with Hongjun, they can spot some similarities between that old man and this figure.

"You majesty, this minister has some theories," the demon said stroking his beard.

"Speak your mind, you have never led me astray."

"This is a spatial distortion, a worm whole that connects two places perfectly. Reality was ripped asunder and remoulded into a doorway," he said.

"Strictly speaking, this is a move that requires two prerequisites. One of which is the power to destabilise reality and fragment it into pieces. Then one must posses the understanding of spacetime to open a universal doorway that connects two places at once," he added.

"At such distance?" Zulin grimaced. What ugly demon had said were things he'd already been aware of. But he was also aware of difficulty of it.

"I only know one person with enough mastery over space to do this," Hongjun's avatar said. "But Qiankun had long gone into hiding, what could've led him to showing up now?"

Then all of a sudden things stopped. There was a long silence as the cracks all disappeared leaving the portal on its own. Zulin tensed glancing back to Qi An.

"Go to your siblings, you'll be useless for what comes next," he ordered. At the same time, he sent mental transmissions to his own Da Luo Golden Immortal subordinates who resided at his capital below the mountain.

"Yes emperor-father," his son obeyed and ran out of the main hall.

Looking at his old adviser, Zulin felt somewhat nostalgic. This man had helped and guided him in the past but rarely showed himself otherwise. If not for him, he may've never reached his current position.

"You disapprove?" He asked.

"You were hasty," Hongjun's avatar signed turning away. "Such a act of theft at such a scale is threatening to many figures. You've made many enemies unnecessarily."

"With this pool of luck, nothing can touch me," Zulin argued back.

"Luck can only take you so far," Hongjun's demonic avatar snarled. "Miracles must still exist in the realm of possibility. You've grown overconfident, you put too much stock in karmic luck."

Zulin was silent as his old benefactor ranted. Though he did not know his true identity, he theorised that this was one of the old chaos godfiends. "Hmph," Zulin snorted. "You came from a time where karmic luck nonexistent, of course you would not understand."

Hongjun's bull like face gritted his teeth. "Do not speak on things you don't understand. You know nothing of the chaos sea." He abruptly turned around and began walking away. Disappointment was evident within him.

"The destiny of you sovereigns prevents us seniors from acting. I'll try to stop them as best I can," he said.

"That is all I can ask," Zulin nodded.

There were several more moments of silence. Zulin stood alone in his throne room in anticipation. The Qilin Sovereign sighed.

"It doesn't matter, I have all the luck in the world. By right I am protected. I have committed not crime in the eyes of heaven, I merely swapped things around a little. Besides, things solved themselves didn't they?"

Then he heard the most hated voice in the world.

"HORSEY, ROLL OUT HERE FOR YOUR SOVEREIGN!"

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

The void was in chaos. Ripples emitted in all directions, fragments of realities shattered like glass when they impacted the stable barrier of the great wilderness. It was a scene of utter destruction.

Above the north continent, within the chaotic void. The demonic looking Hongjun stepped out. He scanned the area with his divine sense and gritted his teeth.

"I thought he was Qiankun, who knew it'll be you," he said. Another figure stepped out into the void.

This man stood around 1.7 metres tall and had short spongey blond hair. He held a short sword in one hand and had a jug of water dangling from his sash. He wore a form fitting wealthy black robe.

"Your improvements are astounding fellow daoist Da Hai," Hongjun's avatar rubbed his chin.

"You are…Hongjun corpse of evil," Da Hai concluded with a look of contempt.

"Cease this nonsense at once," Hongjun's corpse of evil ordered. "The incident's already over, there is no need to drag things out."

"You sound ridiculous when you say that," Da Hai snorted. "The world nearly ended, by right we should all smite that piece of shit down there." He pointed his sword at Hongjun.

"The business of sovereign's aren't for us to decide," Hongjun argued.

"Exactly," Da Hai agreed. "Thst's why you won't do anything," he remained in an aggressive stance but otherwise made no moves. Such restraint bothered Hongjun, he'd half expected to be brawling right now.

"Be that as it may, you directly interfered by causing this new mess. The Heavenly Dao won't stand for that."

"What are you talking about?" Da Hai looked bemused with a suppressed smirk. "All I did was open a door."

At that moment, never had Hongjun felt more irritated in his life.
…

Located on the highest peak of the Cloudy Shadow mountain ranges. The Qilin Grand Empyrean Palace was the command centre of the Qilin empire. It stood lofty, high above the clouds and the imperial capital below and contained the entirety of the Primordial Qilin clan as well as Da Luo Golden Immortal higher ups.

Built thousands of years ago, this palace also stored an immensely powerful defensive formation known as the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation. Generated from the ancient chessboard, this formation was more then a match against most invasions.

Due to its excellent location as well as natural defences. Zulin never feared anyone invading since the time of its inception. After all, in addition to his own protection, the Heavenly Dao and the natural karmic winds made the palace invisible to those he doesn't wish to see.

In this manner, it was quite similar to the legendary three immortal mountain islands. An untraceable fortress that was also the ideal battleground for Zulin.

When Zulong first emerged from the gateway, he did not hesitate. Directly challenging Zulin to come out so as to leave him no way to escape else suffer a wounded reputation.

He did not stop to admire his enemy's home nor did he take his time. He only cast a single look at the foggy clouds obscuring his vision and the faint lines of karmic luck that once belonged to him.

Although his connection to it had been severed, he could still see and identify them. It wasn't hard to guess where Zulin could be. So as another dozen or so Da Luo Golden Immortals emerged behind him, he roared out.

"HORSEY, ROLL OUT HERE FOR YOUR SOVEREIGN!"

The dragon's imperial command tendered the heavens and shook the earth. Billions of inhabitants around the mountain range and the imperial capital felt suffocated. Mortals and cultivators alike lost their nerves many perished on the spot. Their eardrums could not handle the sound and bursted into bloody smears.

Immortals collapsed onto the pavement feeling weak and helpless. They felt their drive weaken to the point of insignificance, their desire for anything but to obey reduced ashes.

Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals felt suffocated. Only the strongest of wills could even stand but they couldn't even move beyond that. Their very bodies had betrayed them, unwilling to listen.

The resident Da Luo Golden Immortals nervously gulped when they heard the challenge. A massive nine headed tiger growled as it observed the emerging dragon and sea experts.

"Kaimingshou, prepare for battle," a massive snake called out to the nine headed tiger. This was Erfu, another servant of Zulin. He was accompanied by his longtime friend Wei, a Da Luo Golden Immortal who resembled a shirtless giant wearing a red loin cloth.

Yinglong noticed the squadron of Da Luo Golden Immortals gathering below. He glanced up at his elder brother who seemed content in ignoring them for now.

It made sense to the winged dragon, Zulong was here for the Qilin Sovereign. Everyone else was but a side character.

"Hmph," an abhorrent voice assaulted the dragon's ears. The same voice they and the sea clan experts had heard mere minutes ago.

"You were a fool to come here," the clouds dispersed with grandiose poise. Zulin, dressed in the robes of an emperor complete with his crown stepped out into the front courtyard of his Grand Empyrean Palace. He appeared no less dignified then the crowned Zulong.

"You should've just accepted your loss worm, better to stay in your corner," Zulin sighed disappointingly with his palm on his face. "Then again, you were never really that smart."

His goading received no reply. Well, no word reply at least. Zulong did not deign to banter with Zulin at all. As the Qilin Soverieng continued speaking, Zulong arranged his right fist back.

In the motion of an outstretched claw, he threw that limb out in a flurry of black and yellow light.

Nine Claw Killing!

The dragon's claw sealed across the air spreading into a gigantic black and golden claw. It was sharp, strong, and ferocious. It tore apart all things in its way.

Zulin immediately pointed upwards. Seeing as exchanging words were pointless, he activated his guardian formation. The tiles of an archaic elephant chess board appeared below his feat. Above his head, the image of karma manifested.

BOOM!

The impact was titanic, an explosion that rocked the foundation of the world. Fiery aura danced on both sides as they regained their bearings.

Zulin frowned, Zulong couldn't have grown that much more powerful right? He flipped his hand and an ancient scroll made of animal leather appeared.

"Fight my pets," he commanded.

From beneath Cloudy Shadow mountain, billions of lifeforms began pouring out. Billions of insect like creatures that were abhorrent to look at.

The four seas expert gasped in revulsion at the monstrosities crawling out. These soulless creatures made glittering noises that disturbed them greatly.

"Never in my years would I wish to see them again," Xuanwu grimaced.

"Those are the bug beasts?" A fellow Da Luo Golden Immortal asked the tortoise. He only nodded in silence.

"Your majesty, what do you require of us," the nine headed Kaimingshou leading half dozen Da Luo Golden Immortals soared into the sky. In an instant they jumped into the formation and stood alongside Zulin.

Zulin smiled, "My loyal warriors, we are besieged by the most despicable of enemies. They have denied my mercy and opted to attack us. We must not let them through."

"Yes your majesty," they responded.

"Billions of mobs and a few elites," Baihu snorted. "Doesn't seem too hard."

"Trillions," Yinglong corrected. "There's just so many that they've run out of space to stand on the surface."

"So what?" Colossal Shark laughed. "The strongest are only Taiyi Golden Immortals in physical strength."

"But they can prove to be an annoying hinderance," Zulong said raising up the Dragon Pearl. His muscles bulged as he brought the orb down at breakneck speed.

Zulin hurriedly prepared for a counterattack but Zulong's strike never came. Instead of assaulting the mountain, he smashed right into the army of bug beasts instantly pulverising billions of them.

However, within seconds, more had poured out of the ground replacing their lost numbers.

"Colossal Shark, you and the symbols shall deal with the pests below us. Rest of you, join me in assaulting this fortress," Zulong commanded.

"Yes your majesty," they chorussed and followed his command.

To attack a defensive formation, casually stepping inside was tantamount to suicide. As such, for the initial battle, Zulong chose to assault from the outside.

He besieged the unique formation that defended the Grand Empyrean palace. Zulong snorted at even the mention of such a name. 'Doesn't matter, I'll tear it down soo enough'.

The dragon's titanic body scratched and clawed. His serpentine physique would twist and turn avoiding many attacks Zulin would launch.

At the same time, squads of Da Luo Golden Immortals numbering nearly two dozen would also assault the formation with their immense power. It was a first in history for the primitive world.

Previous conflicts never involved so many Da Luo Golden Immortals before. Yet even under all this, Zulin held firm, bolstered by his Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation, he was empowered.

Although there were only seven on his side, Zulin could withstand the pressure brought on by Zulong's small army.

Explosions of light rocked the continent. Roars and screams and strikes of thunder clashed against each other. Zulong will fire off more claw strikes and create tsunamis while Zulin with marshal up the earth, stone pillars and bolts of lightning and fire.

This was a battle for survival. Neither side cared for their surroundings as they fought. The surrounding environment was torn asunder. Chunks of rubbled flew in all directions while corpses of bug beasts littered the ground.

Hours of combat turned into days, days turned into weeks. Before anyone knew it, three weeks of nonstop fighting had occurred. The ancestral dragon had only became more and more angrier as time passed.

The more he fought, the more familiar with the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation he became. Strictly speaking, it was a standard defensive formation. However it had another extra feature. This formation could absorb the power of karmic luck to further enhance its capabilities.

"It's hopeless worm," Zulin taunted from his end. "This Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation is invincible. Powered by the very luck of the land itself. You can never break it."

He had hoped those words would deter the dragon. After all, after three consecutive weeks of assault, they had still remained in a stalemate.

Da Luo Golden Immortals did not tire nor did they run out of Qi. They can fight for eternity if they so wished. In order to break the stalemate, Zulong would need to do more.

Trillions of bug beasts now lay dead and the endless tide Zulin had stored up had shrivelled. Zulong's full force had in these weeks began assaulting Zulin's palace with even higher vigour.

The land was blanketed by ice curtesy of Xuanwu. Corpses frozen like sculptures. Others were pierced by wooden stakes. It was a sight of carnage, Colossal Shark had gluttonously devoured many bug beasts while the symbols utilised their unique powers to eradicate trillions of bug beasts.

As the symbols and Colossal Shark rejoined Zulong, the situation turned against Zulin. Three heavenly stars floated, surrounding Grand Empyrean Palace. The interlocking of Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury formed a trifecta that was hard to overcome.

Zulong roared, his voice erupting with all the authority of a celestial dragon emperor. His roar split the heavens and crushed the earth. His roar caused the surface of the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation to ripple.

"Feed more into it," Zulin urgently stomped his hoofs into the pavement. He had long assumed his true form during the battle. "More karma, kill, kill that dragon."

The qilin's maddened frenzy was a sight to see. He formed quite a contrasting image with the golden light of luck. But the power he possessed cannot be denied.

Karma was a fundamental part of the universe. It was given and taken by the Heavenly Dao and formed a system of cause and effect. It was perhaps the strongest celestial force within creation.

Zulin roared, his blue scaled body lit in golden flames. Mysterious occurrences were visible within his pupils. Profound mysterious displayed images of destiny and fate along his scales each glistening like mirrors.

His spell created a vast burst of karmic fire that enveloped the sky. Like a meteor, it shot outwards towards Zulong. A focus fire attack aimed at eliminating the dragon early.

Its trajectory was like that of a comet. Shooting forth like a bullet. Zulong growled at the attack. How could he not when he recognised its source.

When he formed the Qi Dragon of luck all those weeks ago, he had formed an intrinsic connection with his luck Qi. He could recognise it anywhere.

"How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!" Zulong roared in fury. His rage affected his roar and at the same time, many Da Luo Golden Immortals felt the same anguished rage.

"You left me with no choice," Zulin argued. The qilin also appeared very unwilling. He didn't go out of his way to take all that luck Qi only to use it up. They were meant to develop the north continent, not be wasted away like this. Recovering this loss would be unlike harder then anything he'd ever done.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!" Zulong screamed in fury. A tsunami billions of kilometres high came from behind in like the maw of an enormous beast. It crashed against the blast of karmic fire in a duel of fire and water.

White lightning zigzagged around Zulong's arms and body. They illuminated his eyes beneath the dark clouds. The dragon's expression was one that promised death by the most excruciating of pain.

"DIE!" His cry rumbled along with a massive burst of lightning. Zulin gritted his teeth at Zulong's maddened attacks. His karmic fire was overcome and the lightning impacted his barriers on all sides.

Zulong floated admits a thunderstorm of uncontrollable rain, lightning, wind and fury. Even his own subordinates were shocked at the brutal display of power.

"Is he, is he burning his nascent soul?" Yinglong gasped. The others who had at this point felt like extras all gasped, was his majesty really so reckless.

Reeling his head back, Zulong slammed his skull onto the surface of the barrier. The karmic symbol that formed to intercept cracked and shattered beneath the pressure.

"Die invader," a Da Luo Golden Immortal resembling a rhino charged at Zulong. Empowered by the formation, he felt confident to push to dragon back.

Wordlessly, Zulong grabbed the rhino's horn. His body weaved around the beast and grabbed hold of his back.

In a scene that shocked the world, Zulong tore the beast in two. "Just how strong is this guy?" Zulin's followers gulped in fear. The formation was supposed to enhance them. How on earth did this dragon kill one of them so easily.

The north continent was long united underneath the banner of the qilin. The qilin's ability to seek out and bring good fortune had ensured their continued survival throughout this age. As such, for all the Qilin Sovereign's disdainful attitude, they did hold respect for him.

But at this moment, they felt their resolves waver. Could Zulin actually win this?

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

In the wake of Zulong's brutal attack, the four sea experts felt invigorated. The opposite was true for Zulin's subordinates. The sudden increase in pressure was unlike anything they'd felt before.

BOOM!

CRACK!

BOOM!
CRACK!

"Your majesty," the giant god Erfu asked nervously.

"The barrier holds firm," Zulin growled back. "Combine your powers, strengthen the formation and counterattack."

"But your majesty, we've been doing that since the beginning," Wei said.

"Silence you incompetent fool, go out there and fight," Zulin ordered. In truth he too was feeling heavily pressured.

Zulong was already strong, but the further enhancements brought about by the burning of one's nascent soul magnified his strength to ludicrous levels. But to do so was also a detriment to one's own health, it was one's own life force. There was a reason why the act of burning a nascent soul was considered a suicide gambit.

He was like a wild animal, not speaking nor communicating. He only acted to attack and attack and attack. His teeth appeared razor like, even more so then usual. His claws here extended like knives. His tail was like a baton and even his whiskers were like spears as they skewered forwards.

Zulong's entire body was like a living weapon. An incarnation of primal fury that was so unlike the regal creature he was supposed to be. It made wonder if the dragon had fully given in to rage.

"You majesty, he's gaining ground, we can't damage him more than he can damage us," the great snake Erfu warned.

Zulin clenched his teeth. He didn't want to admit it but Erfu was right. Zulong's crew was at an advantageous position. They skilfully kited his tracks and struck back hard.

They had mobility while he was stationary. He could only fire off attacks and withstand theirs. While powerful the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation's core enhancement was stronger within than outside.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Zulong relentlessly bashed the formation heavily damaging its outer membrane. At this rate, it'll be torn apart and the formation may even collapse from the backlash.

Others such as Xuanwu blew frozen air before ramming his shell against them. Baihu would viciously attack with his metallic claws and bludgeon them with his steel tail. Even Colossal Shark used his razor sharp teeth to cut into the formation.

'Fuck, our strongest attacks can only be used on the inside,' Zulin contemplated his next move. He didn't want Zulong in for fear of being losing that battle. If anything the dragon had proven himself far more capable of such a feat than the qilin.

'A risk, everything is a risk. I took a risk for luck Qi. Seems I'll have to gamble again,' making up his mind, Zulin stood up straight. "Prepare yourselves," he sent orders to the minds of his men.

"Since you want in so much then why don't come in and have a look," Zulin roared, stomping his hoofs. His plan was simple, get the dragon in, trap him and besiege him from all sides thereby killing him.

It was risky but it could pay off big time. After all, Zulin was no stranger to risks, luck was on his side today.

Zulong had been charging forwards for another attack. His body was cloaked in electricity, water, and demonic winds. The very fabric of reality distorted, destroyed beneath Zulong's advance. His maddened look made the regal dragon appear like a maniac.

The impact of Zulong's attack never came. Zulin put his plan into motion and opened a hole for Zulong. Thankfully, Zulong had flown in close for the attack while others were either out of range or attacking from another side. Choosing this moment was the wisest move Zulin could make.

Zulong's momentum carried him forwards. His eyeballs rolled back as he passed from the exterior of the barrier to the interior thus entering the airspace above Grand Empyrean Palace.

For the dragon, in that small split second, the atmosphere changed drastically. It felt suffocating in here, difficult to formulate thoughts, difficult to command his muscles. His spirit was drowsy and his mind distracted itself with all sorts of compromising ideas.

For a brief moment, Zulong appeared unfocused much to Zulin's joy. He wasted no time in commanding the hole to shut. At the same time, he leapt up in a flurry of karmic fire. His antlers glowed with mysterious golden light, the righteous horns of good fortune.

"Heh," Zulong snorted. In a very short span of time, his pupils regained focus. The azure pearl he held in his fore claws glowed in soft light. The calming roar of the celestial dragon emanated within his mind.

All treacherous thoughts were purged from his mind. His body regained control and his mind became clear. Zulong's attention snapped to the closing hole. He had to hurry.

The dragon had worn a chain of beads across his broad neck. These weren't any ordinary beads, in fact, they were the Twenty Four Sea Calming Pearls. A mystical collection of pearls that made up a top grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure.

His claw reached up for the string holding the beads. "Fly, become a new world," he commanded throwing them back towards the outside.

Zulin narrowed his eyes at Zulong's actions. 'What is he doing?' He thought in confusion.

POP!

Twenty four circular discs overlaying each other appeared through the barrier. A bridge formed through these discs connecting to the outside world, twenty four universes that bridged each other together yet remained separate entities at the same time.

Very quickly, these discs merged into one big universe. By the time Zulin realised what was happening, the change was complete.

Zulong arched his neck back and twirled around Zulong, careful to avoid any flames. Touching any karmic fire was severely detrimental to his health after all. Looking back, he smirked in satisfaction.

"Those I messaged, join me inside," Zulong called out while twisting his tail around to slap Zulin.

"A new universe existing between the inside and outside world," Zulin's horselike features grimaced. He did not need to tilt his head to dodge Zulong's strike. "Do you think my formation so weak?"

As Xuanwu, Baihu, Qinglong, and a dozen others entered following Zulong's command, the elder dragon shook his head.

As if on cue, the new universe dimmed. It cracked in all places like a broken piece of glass. In the next instant, it disappeared, separating into twenty four pearls flying in different directions. It couldn't even last five seconds.

"Your luck is extraordinary, for a universe to destabilise and collapse so quickly," Zulong snorted. "Can you do anything without luck?"

Zulin did not deign to retort. He got to work throwing all sorts of distracting illusions at the four sea experts who made it through. "Attack, we hold the advantage in here, kill them," he commanded.

"Yes your majesty!"

"I don't think so," Zulong opened his gaping maw and unleashed a roar. His dragon's roar erupted in a deafening cry that threatened to burst the eardrums of those too close to him.

Zulin's subordinates felt their hearts wavering. They felt their doubts rise and fear grow. Their knees felt weak and a heavy desire to kneel was present in their hearts.

On the flip side, Zulong's subordinates felt great. Their spirits ignited in a burning desire for revenge. Their will to fight grew tremendously like a pool of oil being lit on fire.

It was a sudden drastic change. The abilities of Zulin within the formation allowed for him to infect his opponents with negative karma, distract them with dark thoughts, make them careless. At the same time, Zulong's roar invigorated their spirits to fight and dampened Zulin's magic.

The flow of karmic luck was reluctant to move forwards and urged themselves to turn away. Zulong's roar may not have worked on the insane amounts that were escaping from him earlier but it could work on a much smaller scale.

The celestial command went against the flow of destiny. Outnumbered but not outgunned, Zulin ordered his men to attack. He was simply put, furious. Anger at Zulong, anger at himself.

The minds of Da Luo Golden Immortals were extremely quick. It didn't take long for him to work out what happened in hindsight whilst he clashed against his fellow sovereign.

He'd underestimated the dragon's intelligence. Zulong's rage was not faked, his maniac assault carried his true feelings on the matter. But for one to also remain rational enough in that state astounded the qilin.

But it did happen, Zulong planned around his own outburst. The effects of the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation infected his mind and triggered his own defences. He returned to a sound state of mind and immediately acted to bring his personnel in.

Then stage two began. For every one of Zulin's ilk, two of Zulong besieged them along with the support of a third who'd come and go. The dragon's roar cleared them of any ill effects and at the same time caused the hearts of their opponents to waver.

But another powerful force was inside as well. Three of the four symbols were present, they manifested their stars bringing forth endless divine power. The stellar light of the stars enveloped their comrades further giving them a boost.

With the interior forces distracted, Yinglong led the outside forces. His expansive feathered wings stretched outwards like an angel from the bible. They flapped with such force that twin hurricanes made up of divine winds drilled into barrier outside.

The battles within had led to the lowering of concentration on the battle outside. Where before Yinglong's attacks would've been shrugged off, they now dented the barrier, threatening the formation severely.

"Push on!" Yinglong roared, his yellow scales glistened as he flew into the air. "I bring the rain," he chanted and danced. The responsive created massive storm clouds from beneath his wings.

They were not as furious as Zulong's thunderstorm but they possessed a terrifying inevitable quality of their own. An ominous storm that was always on the horizon drifting forwards ever so slightly. An ever present storm.

Trillions upon trillions of droplets of rainwater fell like a hail of arrows. They were both heavy, sharp and corrosive at the same time. A corrosive attack that ate away at the solid surface of the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation.

The assault outside the barrier also disturbed those within. Kaimingshou who fought the ferocious Baihu retreated, just narrowly dodging and furious strike that destroyed the pavement.

With another leap, the white tiger shrugged off a hurricane of fire. His iron like teeth bit into Kaimingshou's throat. Behind him, a swordfish cut into the deity's side while Baihu tore out one of Kaimingshou's eight throats.

'This is bad,' the nine headed tiger urgently ran away. "Erfu, Wei, lord Shi…," he called out. "Help me!" He cried out. It was chaos, Zulin's men were collapsing.

"Things are not good," Erfu slithered away from Calamity Snail. He spat back hitting the mollusc in the face before retreating. "Friends, much as I hate to say this but we are unable to match them."

"ARGH!" All of a sudden, one of Zulin's Da Luo Golden Immortals toppled over. His chest was blown apart as the combined assault of three Da Luo Golden Immortals allowed Colossal Shark to rip him apart.

The hungry shark gave a bloody smirk of nothing but teeth towards the four remaining immortals.

On Zulong's side, Zuling actually met the elder dragon blow for blow. Zulong had not burned his essence soul. As such he relied on nothing but his mastery of magic and martial skill to battle. In doing so, he rivalled even Zulin who was empowered by the fortune of his formation.

SWOOSH!

Zulong's tail strike missed its mark, the dragon abruptly flew up to avoid a pillar of karmic fire. He circled back and unleashed a claw strike breaking a storehouse.

Zulin leapt away avoiding more and more of Zulong's rapid attacks. His horns lit up and shot beams of concentrated fire to which Zulong arced his body around gracefully dodging.

Both opponents gritted their teeth in both nervousness and frustration. If things went on any longer, Zulin will truly be forced to exhaust his luck Qi to either fight back or run away.

Zulong threw out the Dragon Pearl. It was wreathed in myriad lights and formed into the glaring image of the celestial dragon.

In retaliation, Zulin retrieved an antique looking chessboard that struck the pearl. They were like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Zulong commanded his pearl back to his claw and leapt forwards to smash the board himself.

The two impacted while Zulin charged the board adding his own momentum to the strike. The duo clashed resulting in a shockwave that destabilised the world within the barrier. An act that was counterproductive to Zulin.

"Attack, attack from all sides, destroy this formation," Zulong ordered. The dragon brought both claws down at Zulin narrowly missing. Another strike broke the ground, another broke a pillar, another store a statue apart.

Zulogn rampaged after Zuling systematically destroying Grand Empyrean Palace in the process.

"You, stop this now," Zulin yelled. The qilin flew into the air kicking Zulong back with his hoofs. The dragon was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered and went back on the offensive.

"I'll give back your luck Qi, cease this madness at once," Zulin urged. Of course, he didn't specify how much luck he was going to give back.

His words fell on deaf ears. Zulong truly had no desire to talk aside from sharing his own opinions on the matter. "The only thing I want from you is your head," he growled in response. Luck he can claim, Zulin's life was more important.

"Arg, don't take things too far," Zulin dodged a strike that destroyed his favourite collection of statues. He stomped the ground kicking up a dust storm that blinded Zulong before kicking the dragon.

The force has his strike forced the dragon to skirt back, ripping up the ground with his claws. Zulong opened his mouth and shot out a blast of electricity. Zulin answered with his own breath of fire.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

CLANG!

The outside barrier shimmered. Its cracked shell shattered like glass. Piece disintegrated into wind as Yinglong tore down the barrier from the outside.

Zulin was still caught in a tussle with Zulong when another of his men perished. With the fall of a third Da Luo Golden Immortal, the three symbols struck at the formation from the inside.

Zulin was unable to concentrate as the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation collapsed around. He was simply too preoccupied with Zulong. At the same time, he could feel himself weakening drastically.

Zulong was now both faster and stronger. Zulong exhausted his luck further to avoid further strikes. His repeated flame attacks were avoided and his kicks did nothing. His spells were countered and now his biggest advantage was gone.

The environment shimmered, it changed back to the way it was. All unique defensive qualities quickly faded with the collapse of the formation. Buildings became more fragile and suddenly, the peak they fought on shock dangerously.

'Have to get away, have to get away!' Zulin turned tail to run. He whipped out a wave of karmic fire before running in the direction of his main hall. 'Have to collect my children. You'll pay for this dragon,' he promised in his mind.

"Don't let him escape, besiege him," Zulong cried out standing atop a wave of water. It washed over the karmic fire battling against the cosmic force while simultaneously flooding the mountain.

Yinglong and others heeded Zulong's command. He flew in with several others forcing Zulin to leap back. The qilin was forced to do so again when Qinglong and Xuanwu charged in on a cloud of ice.

The qilin sprayed out columns of karmic fire then flew up. Then he was abruptly halted. Turning his gaze down, Zulin met Zulong eye for eye, his claw clutching the qilin's tail.

"You," Zulin snarled as Zulong threw the qilin back down with all his strength. Hongjun's words from earlier, "Miracles can only happen within the realm of possibility" echoed in his mind.

The qilin slammed into his own palace into his mountain. Avalanches of rock and soil tabled down as the foundations of the mountain were broken. The entire mountain range could feel Zulin's fall and collapsed upon his impact.

Minutes later, the entire mountain range where the qilin once called home, collapsed into rubble.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

The worst case scenario had happened. This was the sole conclusion the strongest son of Zulin as well as his assistant/shadow, Qi An concluded.

The young Taiyi Golden Immortal held an orb in hand, a miniature small world which contained his siblings. He himself was wrapped in a fur coat harvested from a now deceased avian cultivator who specialised in stealth.

His hold on the tree he stood on, thousands of kilometres away from the core battlefield was secure for now. A bit too close for his liking but he wanted to witness the events with his own eyes.

"Father, your ambition doomed you," he whispered closing his eyes and praying. He debated stepping forwards to help but shook his head. Voices from within the small world was urging him.

"Going there is suicide brothers and sisters," he said towards his siblings. However, in truth he too wished to aid his father as well.

Qi An cannot claim to like his father. His was arrogant, entitled, overconfident and brutal. He wasn't exactly the kindest of rulers.

He sighed and turned around and flew away.

…

Drip, drip, drip. Droplets of blood leaked from Zulong's mouth onto his claw. The dragon gazed down at his own blood and sighed. His shoulders slagged slightly and he descended from his high altitude.

"Brother, that was reckless of you," Yinglong lectured flying down to meet the elder dragon.

"Master taught us many years ago that nascent souls are once in a lifetime treasures. You shouldn't recklessly burn them."

"It worked didn't it?" Zulong snorted. "He let us in and allowed us to attack from two fronts."

"It's a miracle we didn't suffer any losses from that assault," the winged dragon frowned.

"You overthink things too much," Zulong defended himself. "The gamble payed off and victory is in our hands, now we just need take back what is ours."

Zulong gazed around the collapsed mountain and sighed. "It's a shame we won't be able to totally recoup our losses." His gaze traced downwards towards where Zulin would've fallen.

The rubble shifted. Stone and sand moved out of the way as a fatigued quadruped qilin stood amidst the rubble. He glared hatefully at the dragon floating above.

"Men, surround him. Besiege him, give him no chance to escape," Zulong ordered. His serpentine body straitened out and dived down as well.

The mighty Qilin Sovereign was surrounded from all fronts. In all directions, massive monstrous sea creatures dived for him. More then two dozen Da Luo Golden Immortals.

Gritting his teeth, Zulin roared. An explosion of red hot light expanded out in all directions. It was an impact that eradicated everything in a several kilometre area.

Holding his claw up, Zulong forcefully held the blast back. It bounced harmlessly across his scales. His brothers were much the same, being capable of resisting the attack.

In a blinding flash of light, Zulin jumped out like a rocket. His target wasn't any of the more powerful figures but a weaker immortal. It was a a cultivator who resembled a squid.

Sensing imminent danger, the squid Da Luo Golden Immortal unleashed a fog of ink. His tentacles shifted into spears of light striking at the qilin.

Zulin snorted at the display. He'd give credit where its due, this squid had some ability. The qilin blew out a strong gust of wind dispelling the fog of ink. He proceeded shrugged off the light spears and ascended in a straight line.

"No!" The squid barely uttered before Zulin effortlessly pierced his defences. His eyes bulged as he died.

"Damn it," Qinglong who had been the closest to the squid charged for the qilin. His azure claws pierced the side of the sovereign.

Zulin screeched in pain. He raised his fore hoof and slammed Qinglong on the crown of his skull.

Tossing the dragon aside he turned his attention to five others who'd arrived admits the commotion. His speedy attack had ended and he was quickly surrounded.

Battling against multiple opponents was already something that was extraordinarily difficult. This was especially the case for so many immortals of similar rank. Zulin battered aside the dolphin, the stingray, the mackerel, but was blindsided by the shark.

He was dragged down and pummelled by the White Tiger. He was crushed beneath the massive snail. Catching himself, the qilin got up and threw the snail off and kicked the tiger away.

Xuanwu spun in and bashed Zulin across his face. His snake tail inhaled a gallon of air and unleashed a blizzard of frost and snow.

The qilin growled in furry and shot out flares of karmic fire forcing the others away. But amidst this, Zulong came behind him. His claw gripped Zulin by the back of his head and slammed his face into the ground, shaking the earth.

"We should flee," Erfu said to Wei and Kaimingshou. The only three to survive the previous battle and were now watching their ruler getting pummelled into the ground.

"He is besieged from all sides," Wei added. The three shared a look and got up from their positions on the ruined mountain. They transformed into three flashes of lights and fled.

"Ignore them, focus fire on Zulin. Give that horse no chances to escape," Zulong ordered his men. With his command, they charged in with a barrage of strikes.

Bolts of magical fire, water, lightning, and air blasted the qilin. Everywhere he turned he met opposition, harassment from all sides, from a distance or up close.

Zulin will return attacks of his own, karmic fire, and lasers of light, raise boulders the size of mountains. He fought ferociously and his antlers dripped with the blood of his enemies.

But the four seas experts had gotten more careful. They fought in groups of four and five. They attacked in all directions and left no openings.

Zulin could dodge all he wanted, attacks would fly over him. But he was trapped with no chances to break out.

Yinglong had created a massive storm over the area. It constantly rained and flooded the lands. He stayed in the outskirts harassing the qilin from a great distance.

"RAGH!" Zulong's latest claw strike eradicated much of the land creating another of thousands of creators that now littered the area. Blows so strong they threatened to punch directly into the void.

Yet again, Zulin narrowly rolled out of the way. His blue scales just barely dodging subsequent strikes from Zulong's whiskers, hind legs, and tail.

Desperation was felt by the north continent sovereign. He was burning luck like no tomorrow. Taking all chances he could to avoid death, to look for openings. Killing that squid had done little to make this possible.

He flew away from Zulong firing massive waves of karmic fire much to the dragon's anger.

There were no words to describe Zulong's rage. Despite the besiegement, Zulin would not give up. He was burning through his stockpile of luck Qi to avoid his fate. A stockpile that rightfully belonged to the dragon.

Zulong fought in desperation. His long body attacked from all sides. He struck and got struck from all sides. His scales were cracked in some places and he was bruised beneath his skin.

Zulin screamed in pain as Colossal Shark bit into his tail. The qilin turned and returned fire causing the shark to quickly let go. Zulin then turned and knocked away the stingray from before.

Zulong charged up with Qinglong and Baihu. The two celestial bodies were met with the ancient chessboard while Zulong broke through the blockade.

"No!" Zulin's luck returned. He narrowly avoided a charging Zulong who's claw drew blood from the qilin's chin.

Falling back, the qilin flew in another direction. He would've made it if he was not tackled by a colossal eel. The divine beast coiled around the qilin and forced him back onto the floor.

"Damn you!" He screeched in fury. His muscle convulsed and he tore his way out of the eel's grip. He slammed his head into the eel's face dazing the creature.

"Die!" He stomped his front hoof down on top of the immortal's face crushing his skull in an instant.

"GAH!" Zulin fell forwards away from the corpse having been struck by Yinglong's claw. The winged dragon breathed a stream of lightning and forced Zulin to skirt across the ground kicking up a wave of soil.

Crashing roughly onto the ground, Zulin groaned in pain. He stood up unsteadily catching a glimpse of a charging Zulong.

"Fuck you," he cursed and began running at the dragon. His body was one engulfed with karmic fire. A pullet of luck flames that met the vast storm of seawater brought by Zulong.

BOOM!

The two clashed against each other rocking horns like they'd done thousands of years ago on Ao. An event that marked the first meeting between future sovereigns.

Zulong sneered at the qilin, he swayed his head aside and slammed Zulin into the ground with terrifying force. His claws stabbed into the qilin's spin, sheering his scales and flesh off.

"You think you could get away with stealing from me?" Zulong laughed taking pleasure in Zulin's screaming. He smashed the qilin again and again into the ground bloodying the celestial beast.

The rest of his Da Luo Golden Immortals stopped on the outskirts watching their sovereign brutalise the qilin.

Zulong's claw tore into Zulin's face, tearing out his flesh. His other claw ripped into his throat. His regal golden scales were bloodied with the blood of Zulin.

Throughout this, the qilin strengthened his body as best as he could. Karma flowed through his skin creating a divine physique incredibly resistant to damage. But this could only do so much against the dragon's brutal physical strength.

Zulong clawed into Zulin's flesh. Light wounds were dug deeper and deeper. Zulong's own claws became like sedated knives specialised for killing.

"You want your luck so much?" Zulin wheezed with contempt. He gazed difantly at a confused Zulong's eyes. "Then have it."

In Zulin's eyes, his pupils flashed with gold. The golden light of karma flashed all over his body. The image of the Qi Dragon of luck flashed into existence outside of Zulin's body.

It floated for a split second before assuming a new form. One doused completed in flames.

"You wouldn't dare," Zulong growl.

"You pushed things too far," Zulin growled back.

Whereas before, Zulin was incredibly hesitant to use up the stockpile of luck he took from Zulong, now he decided to deploy it. What was the point of luck if you weren't alive to use it?

'To hell with you,' Zulin thought darkly. 'You'll gain nothing here,' he chuckled weakly as the dragon exploded in a titanic explosion of karmic fire.

It engulfed the world in a bright dome that was visible from across the world. A controlled dome of detonated karmic fire that covered a radius of a trillion kilometres in all directions.

All things were eradicated. No life remained from the suicide attack. Trees, soil, living beings alike were burnt out of existence.

The great wilderness now sported a massive hole in the north continent. A hole filled with chaotic energies of the void. A chuck of reality was just missing.

Zulin floated in the void. He was incredibly weak and his vitality drained to the point of near death. He too had been burning his own nascent soul to fight without aid from the Unlimited Karmic Slaying formation for so long, now it had taken its tole.

He glanced around catching the sight of figures made of translucent grey water.

"Oh you've got to me fucking kidding me," Zulin sighed.

Zulong's entire body was a pool of Pellucid Divine Water. He possessed no flesh, no bones, no arteries, no organs. He was just a massive construct of water who's glowing eyes glared at Zulin with hatred.

In the seconds before the luck dragon detonated, Zulong opted to grab as many as he could. He was confident in eventually breaking Zulin's defences but that wouldn't stop the explosion. As such he grabbed all he could reach and assumed one of his master's strongest spells.

Zulong's liquid body enveloped his brothers, the other two symbols, and other people who were lucky enough to make it in.

All in all, thirteen Da Luo Golden Immortals were rescued by Zulong including the bulk of the elites. A devastating loss but not one he couldn't recover from.

As Zulong recovered his normal scaled form, he appeared beside Zulin. He exchanged no words with the sovereign. His glowing eyes only flashed with contempt.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Hongjun's corpse of evil and Da Hai abruptly felt their surroundings change. One minute they were at a standoff in the void and suddenly an explosion had shaken the void between realms.

In the time both individuals got their bearings together, a massive hole was punctured in the great wilderness. A pit leading to the void. Reality was broken and all the damage sustained was visible from the eye of these two deities.

Hongjun sighed and walked forwards. The destination he was aiming for was the core of the pit. The location where Zulong and Zulin were located at.

Zulong was the first to catch Hongjun's movement. Faster than he can properly react, something he'd never experienced before, Hongjun already stood before him.

"Dragon Sovereign," Hongjun began. "Too much death has occurred already. The world has already suffered so much tragedy. Why don't we just let things go. Qilin Sovereign has sinned greatly with his actions, I'll personally make sure he makes up for."

This demonic looking man resembling an oni from Japanese myths spoke in a calm yet dominating tone. He demanded attention and gave off the aura of the supreme deity under heaven.

He reached out to grab towards Zulin with full intention of pulling the qilin away.

Zulong struggled to move. He couldn't process his thoughts properly and for the first time in a very long time, he realised this man was no simple opponent. In fact, he recognised him.

Zulin sighed in relief. It seemed fortune was still on his side, he wasn't out of luck yet. He wondered why his old benefactor hadn't acted until now but placed that train of thought away, hope was still on his side.

SWISH!

Hongjun leaned back retracting his hand. A few white hairs were lopped off by the Heavenly Cloud Gathering sword held firmly in Da Hai's hand.

The sea god had only been a step behind Hongjun. He did not hesitate to swing again forcing the senior immortal to take a few steps back.

'That sword is dangerous,' Hongjun's corpse of evil realised.

"Step away from my disciple," Da Hai commanded swinging a third time followed by a fourth.

With each swing swaths of mysterious sword Qi cut into the abyss. They weren't Chaotic Sword Qi but simply gusts of winds. Yet each swing obliterated the void, distorting the fragments of reality and throwing everything into chaos.

Hongjun's corpse of evil stomped his foot. In an instant, everything had returned to normal in an orderly fashion. The distortions ended and the pieces of reality stilled.

A pseudo balance was achieved in which the destruction wrought by Zulin continued to be chaotic while pieces of reality reached a level of stability. An equilibrium between both sides was achieved.

"Yin-Yang harmony, the change from being to unbeing, restore this world," Hongjun commended.

In a miraculous twist of events, the chaotic debris that littered the gapping pit disappeared. They were replaced by a calm flow of void energies that had little turbulence behind slight movement.

The immortals present gasped in awe at the casual display of a miraculous spell.

"Neat trick," Da Hai complimented. He did not stop his aggressive stance nor did he retreat.

Hongjun frowned. If his true body was here, things would be simpler. But he was just an avatar formed from the corpse of evil. He wouldn't be a match for Da Hai if he chose to interfere now.

"Fellow daoist," Hongjun grumbled unhappily. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Speak for yourself," Da Hai retorted with a sneer.

Hongjun flushed with both embarrassment and anger. Meanwhile Da Hai appeared more amused than anything, underneath that however lay simmering rage.

"Be reasonable, would it not be better for his majesty to serve his penance? He should repay the damages he caused, the qilin are gifted creatures and children of the Heavenly Dao. Let the Heavenly Dao decide his fate," Hongjun urged.

Da Hai's lips curled. Then he chuckled. Then he broke into an outright laughing fit full of mockery. A rare sight for the Heavenly Lord but one that genuinely disturbed the immortals of the east sea.

The look Da Hai sent Hongjun wordlessly converted how ridiculous the elder deity sounded. Both parties knew it.

Hongjun had hoped for a sign, or some form of divine intervention. Despite all that has happened, technically speaking, Zulin hadn't incurred the wrath of the Heavenly Dao, likely due to his immense good luck and his exalted status. However, he saw no such intervention on his behalf.

"It's not the right time for him to die," Hongjun admitted. "Destiny has set a course, to kill him now is to go against the trend of heavens."

Da Hai smirked. What trend of heavens? What course of destiny? Such words were mere bullshit. There was no plan in the Heavenly Dao's design, there was barely a design at all. Things happen, opportunities for good fortune and disaster can both occur, as long as the world profits, that's all the Heavenly Dao cares about.

"Oi," Zulong's call out caught the attention of both godfiends. They'd been ignoring him for the few seconds they've taken to conversing but the dragon's voice had snapped their attention back to him.

"You seem to be forgetting something," Zulong spat. "This mongrel may or may not have offended the heavens. But he certainly offended me."

Hongjun sighed while Da Hai chuckled.

"I must implore you Dragon Sovereign," Hongjun warned. "You're making a mistake."

Zulong smirked, "Here's what I think of my mistake."

Zulin's eye widened in abject fear. Then they narrowed in resignation, he had very little strength to spare anyway. Neither did he have anything he wanted to say.

Thousands of years of hard work gone down the drain. The Qilin Sovereign had been terribly wrong. He wasn't as invincible as he'd assumed.

In hindsight, perhaps his first loss against the dragon on Ao should've been a warning. But at the time, he'd chalked things up to him not reaching his full potential.

Zulong's maw widened and descended like a guillotine. No hesitation, no reluctance, no second thoughts, no guilt.

CRUNCH!

"Hai," Zulin's severed head sighed. "You win, Dragon Sovereign," the light faded from his eye as Zulong's claw gripped his antlers.

The dragon raised the head of his spiritual brother and lifted it for Hongjun to see. The godfiend wore a deep frown. His look was one of disapproval.

Zulong glared defiantly back. "The only authority I respect in this heaven and earth is my master. You have no RIGHT to command me, ancient godfiend or not."

Around the dragon, mystical changes erupted in a frenzy of soft colourful lights. They flew, giving off an eerie chilling feeling that flowed into the primitive world.

Over on that side, the sky above the north continent had descended into a thunderstorm. Not the aggressive ones the dragons summoned but a natural storm that covered the land.

Rivers dried up and healthy trees faded to withered aged snags. Living beings around the world felt a certain wrongness in the wind, like something had gone missing. Strange natural phenomenons that signalled the fall of a Da Luo Golden Immortal of great magnitude.

Within the void, Hongjun appeared a little helpless. His awkwardness was caught on by Da Hai who shot him a mocking look, one which found joy in his position. Hongjun levelled Da Hai with a glare of his own, he met the Heavenly Lord's challenging gaze with one of his own.

"Don't needlessly antagonise me fellow daoist," Hongjun snorted towards the sea god. "You win this round. Are you satisfied?"

"This was never about me," Da Hai shook his head and pointed at Hongjun's corpse of evil. "My grievances with you are not something a war of juniors will resolve."

"I have only ever met you twice," Hongjun said flatly. "I do not wish to be your enemy nor do I have reason to. Yet it seems fate has put us on a collision with each other, shame."

Zulong glanced towards his master with a questioning look. Objectively speaking, he knew his forces were depleted. However, he was prepared to support Da Hai at a moments notice, all that was needed was the signal.

The tension was broken when the human form of the strongest mollusc of the seas flew up to Zulong. He'd since retracted his true form and held within his hands a man, no a boy.

"Your majesty," Calamity Snail greeted.

"What's this?" Zulong looked down at the child. His bone age was easily identifiable as just shy of ten thousand years. His strength was a Taiyi Golden Immortal but the most damning aspect was the familiar blood of…

"Qilin!" Zulong growled.

"This minister reports, I found this one roaming the outskirts just a short while ago. This minister is dull and is unsure how to deal with him," Calamity Snail said subserviently.

He had indeed found Qi An trying to flee. The senses of the Da Luo Golden Immortal had detected him shortly after the explosion. His position had been exposed and his cloaking destroyed. Capturing him was but a matter of time. Though in truth, Calamity Snail just wanted to win some browny points with Zulong.

"Qilin," Zulong stared at Qi An who glared back at him. "You are the son of Zulin. That is a small world on you, carrying the other qilins are you not?"

"Gloating will do you no good. You won't dare exterminate all of us. There are many innocents among our numbers," Qi An spat half-heartedly. He looked towards Hongjun's and Da Hai's direction.

Hongjun's eyes flashed with what appeared to be joy. He made to step forwards only for Da Hai to step in his way. "Let the juniors handle this," he threatened.

"Qilin's are dangerous, their ability to manipulate karmic luck is too much," Zulong looked towards the other immortals who'd followed him. They seemed to all nod in agreement.

"Who knew the dragons were such despicable beings. Slaughtering the innocent for the crimes of their father? What ridiculous amoral beings," Qi An spat.

"Kill them," Zulong commanded Calamity Snail who nodded.

Purple miasma began emanating from Hongjun. Each step he took caused the void to shake and distort on a scale Da Luo Golden Immortals simply weren't able to. He pulled his right fist back and took a stance, the symbol of taijitu appeared behind him, glowing like a radiant sun.

It turned and churned and spun. The inky black took hold of the white and transformed into the dark disc. The white merged back to being a minute aspect while the black portrayed horrifying might.

Grey clouds began gathering around Da Hai. The sound of the sea churning could be heard and the Heavenly Lord of the great sea readied himself. The Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword glowed with a waterline texture resembling water.

The image of a single headed serpent appeared around Da Hai's body. It was like a river and a living creature at the same time. Its fangs were long and sharp, bathed in the power to rend all things apart.

The sudden surge of colliding energies rippled throughout the pi causing Calamity Snail to hold off from attacking in order to right himself.

Da Hai stepped forwards and swung his sword at Hongjun. In response, the godfiend punched with his fist.

"Extremity in destruction, balance in unity. Harmonious fist!"

"The wave of calamity Heavenly Clouds Gathers, single kill!"

CLANG!

SPLATTER!

The explosion of purple and grey rocked the void and the north continent beyond. The ever expanding residue of power uprooted entire landmasses and kicked up tsunamis, created thunderstorms and destabilised the void currents.

Hongjun recoiled back holding the split form of his right hand. From the knuckle to the elbow, his arm had been cleaning split in two. Blood like Dao essence oozed out of his wound.

He eyed the sword in Da Hai's hand in shock. "Chaotic Sword Qi," he murmured. He vomited some more blood while Da Hai took a deep breathe to recollect himself.

At this moment, an elegant mirror appeared in open space. A woman appeared in the void. Her colourful feather robes complimented her crown making her one of the world's most beautiful women. The Phoenix Sovereign Zufeng.

She took a look around her immediate surroundings and noticed the clashing godfiends. Then she took note of the corpse of the Qilin Sovereign.

"Wow, so that was all he amounted to in the end," Zufeng's soft feminine voice flowed through the calm void. Her elegant figure manifested as a third party neither near nor far from the rest.

"Zufeng," Zulong was startled to see the phoenix again after so many years. Hearsay could only inform you so much but from a single glance, he could the bird had changed.

She shared his acknowledgement but otherwise paid no more attention to the dragon, something which irked his pride.

"Your majesty," Hongjun greeted politely, his injuries ignored.

"Phoenix Sovereign," Da Hai saluted with politeness.

"Seniors," Zufeng returned.

"What are you doing here Phoenix Sovereign," Zulong craned his long neck to look the avian in the eye. The woman appeared tiny next to the gargantuan dragon but her presence was no less formidable.

After his bout with Zulin, Zulong appeared a little withered. His lips had red streaks of blood flowing down them and his majestic body sported injuries. Though he made no show of weakness nor and signs he was even injured aside from visuals.

Yet a second look will tell you that the gentlest breeze from Zulong will obliterate the Zufeng who stood before him. After all, this woman was only a hastily formed incarnation.

"I didn't know you could cross three continents worth of space with your incarnation arts," Zulong quipped.

"I can't," Zufeng admitted with full clarity. "I must thank senior Hongjun for allowing this sovereign to borrow his Vast Sky Mirror. Or do you prefer Elder Immortal Vulture?"

"Either works," Hongjun's corpse of evil said.

"Why are you really here Zufeng?" Zulong questioned.

The Phoenix Sovereign turned her gaze towards Qi An. During the confusion, he'd managed to get out of Calamity Snail's hold but it was impossible to get away. Zufeng smiled.

"Although you are not an avian, this sovereign is willing to take you in and offer you protection as long as you vow to the Heavenly Dao to serve me as my vassal," She said to Qi An who widened his eyes.

Swear by the Heavenly Dao, an unbreakable vow that will cause divine retribution if broken. If Zulin had been alive he'd have never agreed. Why should he of a royal sovereign clan serve another?

But Qi An was not Zulin.

"YES, I Qi An am willing to swear," the young qilin prince said almost immediately much to Zulong's utter shock.

He then roared out "We qilin swear to uphold the Heavenly Dao's order and justice. To serve the magnificent force of the heavens in the name of the Heavenly Dao for eternity. We shall become servants of the heavens to right all wrongs we've caused."

Now it was Zufeng who widened her eyes in shock. 'This shrewd little shit,' she swore in her mind.

Above them, a gargantuan eye made of Qi manifested. The world quieted down as a mysterious pact was formed. It seemed to be smiling joyfully at the result.

All of a sudden, it became sin to touch the qilin. Yet at the same time, the qilin realised they could never touch the individuals present. Beneath the gaze of the Heavenly Dao, they could not take revenge nor argue against them.

'It's fine,' Qi An told himself. 'At least we have a secured future this way.'

Looking upwards, Da Hai sighed. "Throwing away your freedom for survival. Well, I can't fault you, at least now you won't be in danger ever again."

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

The eye of the Heavenly Dao, a physical manifestation of the divine force which drives the world. It held a myriad of colours denoting extraordinary changes. Power beyond any immortal was ever present and simply looking at it drove lesser beings insane.

The swirling vortexes of three thousand completed Dao paths were visible for all to see. The lesser vortexes of a hundred and eight thousand lesser Daos were also visible for all to see.

It was very different from the infant will found atop Mt Buzhou so many years ago. To invade the current Heavenly Dao would be tantamount to suicide.

The profound eye groaned. Celestial light descended from the heavens and enveloped Qi An and the remaining qilin in the small world.

"Brother, what have you done?" A surge of voices, some angry, some willing, some indifferent bursted out from the small world.

"Peace brothers and sisters, this would've been the only way," he sighed. As the current head of the Primordial Qilin clan, such decisions were up to him now.

The light touched the qilin and instinctively, they knew they were inducted. As a positive, any negative karma they had was washed away, they gained protection and privileges from the Heavenly Dao. As a negative, they've essentially lost all free will.

Qi An turned to look at the mighty figures surrounding him. The two elder godfiends appeared contemplative. Though the Great Sea Heavenly Lord appeared more intrigued by the Heavenly Dao's eye, Hongjun on the other hand focused more on him.

It made the qilin slightly uneasy.

The two sovereigns on the other hand were visibly displeased. The dragon had made his stance clear but the phoenix equally wore an ugly expression.

Qi An knew what he was doing. Putting his clan, a lineage equal to the dragon and phoenixes, into their care was an insult upon them. In the same vein, he also did not wish to be exterminated.

As such, it was very convenient for him that the Heavenly Dao had functions like this. If his father hadn't been so close with Hongjun, he wouldn't have even known.

"We shall be taking our leave," the former prince said saluting the four powers present.

"You have a lot of gall," Zufeng said. Her voice was both chilling yet soothing, an unintended effect of her song. The disparagement produces an aura that chilled Qi An's spine.

The woman might just be an incarnation, something actually very beatable for Qi An, but it wouldn't be an easy fight.

"Apologies your majesty," Qi An said. "Your offer was a most gracious one. But as a comparable lineage, I cannot accept."

"You dare think yourself equal to a phoenix such as I?" Zufeng sneered. Off to the side, Zulong snorted but made no further comment.

"From this moment, the qilin will retreat from the primitive world. We shall make our home in the mountains until such a time where we are needed," Qi An declared.

The Heavenly Dao produced a bridge of light leading into a portal. Qi An walked through without hesitation. Soon, all traces of the qilin was gone from this world.

In an instant, a mighty power had simply vanished.

"Waste, hmph," Zufeng took a deep breath to calm herself. After recomposing herself, she turned towards the remaining powers.

"Why are you still here?" Zulong demanded. "Unconcerned busybodies should leave immediately."

Zufeng snorted. Then in the next instant, her figure and that of the mirror disappeared.

Hongjun's corpse of evil sighed in exasperation. Seeing as there was nothing left here, he spoke one final time. "If that is all, I shall be taking my leave," he promptly turned to walk away.

"Hold it!"

However, Hongjun was called back by Da Hai. The arms he folded on his back loosened back to his side as the godfiend turned to look as Da Hai.

"Do you really wish to escalate things?" he asked. He stretched out his arms.

Two bursts of light flew into them, an ancient chessboard and a scroll made of beast skin. Former treasures that belonged to Zulin.

As Hongjun began growing to an exponential size, a world cloaked in darkness manifested below him. This deity sprouted two extra arms and his limbs grew long and feral.

"Let's get this over with," he said.

"Your master will take of this," Da Hai said to Zulong before leaving. As he walked, his hair elongated until they split into seven branches. Each branch became their own snake head complete with yellow manes.

He held the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword on his right hand and the Ocean Swallowing Jug on his left. Behind him, the 12th grade white lotus floated like the suns you see behind a buddha.

Zulong took a step back to regroup with his men whilst the two titans began brawling. He arrived alongside the likes of Calamity Snail, Colossal Shark, Ancestral Dolphin, Mosasaur, and others.

The sky lit up in a clash of divine light as he greeted them.

Though he was their sovereign ruler and they too held loyalty to him. These Da Luo Golden Immortals couldn't help but be captivated by the battle between Da Hai and Hongjun's corpse of evil. Both deities vastly exceeded them in power and status.

"Hm, terrifying aren't they," Zulong murmured.

"Your majesty?" They were surprised he'd admit to being afraid.

"Do not worry too much. If you continue on the path of the Dao, one day you too will reach their level. As will I and all those who strive for it," he encouraged.

The losses this time around had been harsh. Around twelve Da Luo Golden Immortals had perished. These were also some of the oldest kings and chieftains of the four seas. A pained loss that would be heavily felt.

The void lit up with more and more clashes. These Da Luo Golden Immortals were reduced to a peanut gallery as the battle waged on. In their minds, this was less a battle between fighters and more two universes clashing against one another.

"I am sorry your majesty," Calamity Snail suddenly said. "This minister was incompetent. I couldn't finish them in time."

"Hai," Zulong sighed. "The losses this time was harsh and while we eliminated a dangerous foe who threatened our borders. We've also failed to completely annihilate any chances of revenge."

"But do not disparage too much. Just as we cannot touch them, they too cannot touch us. We too are favoured by the heavens," Zulong said.

"Karma has been sowed," one of Zulong's Da Luo Golden Immortals said.

"And karma has been settled," Qinglong chimed in. "Cause and effect dictated as such and we fulfilled the effect. The Heavenly Dao is above such stations, from now on, we are just strangers."

"Hm," Zulong rubbed his chin taking his younger brother's words to mind. In terms of enlightenment, even he had to concede defeat to Qinglong. Perhaps it was his connection to Jupiter, or just raw talent, but the azure dragon held a higher Dao realm compared to him.

"Say brother, what can you infer the qilin now that their empire is gone?" Zulong asked out of idle curiosity.

"No, they're now servants of the Heavenly Dao. Using divination on them is like using divination on the Heavenly Dao itself," Qinglong shook his head. "The difficulty and risks doesn't outright the rewards."

As they discussed, the battle through the void raged on. Unlike the earlier exchange of moves, this time, Hongjun held nothing back.

This current body of his was not his original, otherwise Da Hai would've had to run. This was an avatar, a second body created from the shaved off corpse of evil.

Because of this, Da Hai was fully assured of his capabilities. A high level avatar he may be, but he was too much inferior than the original.

The three corpses were fundamental elements of Hongjun's Dao path. Three distinct manifestations within a person's body that represented their good intentions, evil intentions, and obsessions. He predicted that the shaving off of all three will open one up to true enlightenment.

All of Hongjun's negative thoughts, all evil intentions he had held were thrusted into this body. It manifested as a demonic old man with brutal powers for him to pilot.

But Da Hai wasn't simple either. Without any extraordinary means, the sea god was untouchable. His offensive power was also incredibly high and the though he may not be the most competent swordsman, he was able to display the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword's might.

The void was once again shattered into a stormy chaos. Waves of chaotic energy flowed chaotically in all directions. They became like a complex maze of airwaves.

RUMBLE!

After an exchange that lasted for twenty six million clashes and forty million moves total, an event that took another month to settle, the battle drew to a close.

The clash between them was like a Dao discussion. Both fighters could infer each others techniques and may even invent new ones on the spot. But the end result was all the same.

Hongjun's world disintegrated, his black suns broke apart and his myriad manifestations faded from existence.

Da Hai's sword cleaved through Hongjun's body from head to groin. The cut was so clean that both pieces could still seamlessly fit together.

"Your victory fellow daoist," Hongjun congratulated. He fell backwards amidst the chaos. The treasures in his hands fell out as well, into the chaotic waves.

Da Hai remained silent watching the avatar slowly die. He watched with a mix of glee and concern as the corpse of evil broke apart.

Hongjun's eyes met Da Hai's gaze. His body split into two perfect halves as his life finally faded.

"Fellow daoist Da Hai, there is no turning back now. I had thought you ignorant and naive, an annoyance at best. But time and again you've proven yourself otherwise. Do not think the protection of the heavens can save you," Hongjun's voice called out before fading.

"I look forward to that day," Da Hai responded. "I do not regret this path, let us clash when the time comes."

Da Hai looked towards the corpse of Hongjun. The airwaves was still very turbulent. It was only due to their strength that he and the rest could remain stable.

He stretched out his hand and invoked divine fire. Heavenly flames shot out from Da Hai's hands burning the body of Hongjun. Within several hours, Da Hai completed the process of cremating the body.

With another action, he held out his other hand trying to draw the former treasures of Hongjun forwards. Though nothing ever came.

'What? No satchels and no xiantian spiritual treasures?' He wondered. The airwaves were still very turbulent to his divine senses were pretty scrambled. But upon concentrating, Da Hai sensed something.

"Ah, Shen Feng," he murmured. He concluded the little scavenger must've hidden within the void's airwaves and snuck in during the chaos of his battle. If that fiend was good anything, it was running away, his speed was something other stronger beings admired.

"No loot?" Zulong called out.

Da Hai descended towards Zulong. "No, a certain scavenger got them while I wasn't looking…You're all still here?" He asked.

"How can we leave when master was still here?" Zulong, Yinglong, and Qinglong said.

"Magnificently done your excellency," the other immortals bowed.

"Hm, now that this is all over with. We can finally all rest," Da Hai sagged his shoulders. "How are your injuries Zulong?"

The dragon shrunk back into an antlered man. He wiped the blood off his lips and fixed up his robes. "I am fine master," he said whilst taking hold of and shrinking Zulin's head. The qilin's body had long been crushed to bits by Zulong.

"I cannot say we fully achieved victory here," Zulong sighed. His urge to crush Zulin's head to smithereens like the rest of his body, but he wanted to present it to his wife first.

His hatred for the qilin had returned in full force. Yet he held himself back, devolving back into a feral animal frothing at the mouth would be unbecoming of him.

Da Hai nodded, "You should be careful in how you handle your luck. The Heavenly Dao is as forgiving as it is vengeful, it is best to have it hold you at high regards."

"Understood master," Zulong reached out his hand and called forth. Zulin had detonated much of his stored luck Qi in a massive explosion that wiped out a large chunk of the land. But there were still some bits remaining.

Soon, golden luck Qi rejoined Zulong's outstretched hand. They connected into a small flood dragon that purred and nuzzled the elder dragon.

Zulong looked at the creature in disappointment. This was a mere consolation prize compared to what he had lost. Sure, the Heavenly Sea Suppression Needle had recovered much of his luck, but that portion now must battle with the Sea Eye.

What Zulong actually could use, was much lesser in comparison. He calculated that his current Qi Dragon of Luck would only be 35% the size of what he had originally held. This was adding what he recovered into what the Heavens and Da Hai provided.

If Da Hai was a more selfish man, Zulong's Qi Dragon would've been even smaller. Now, his empire's destiny, while still superior to the avians, wasn't impossible for them to catch up it.

As both had protection from the heavens, directly provoking each other would be difficult. 'Doesn't matter,' he shook his head. After all, he was confident in their ability in continuing to develop over time.

"It has been a trying day, let's return," Zulong said. He felt bad for those who died. After the fire, there weren't even bodies left to bury.

Da Hai nodded and worked to create another door. Zulong had been gone too long and the four seas were still in shambles.

With this business concluded, Zulong sent the other Da Luo Golden Immortals home. He commanded them and the bulk of his ministers into repairing duties. The oceans needed much healing.

The Dragon Sovereign himself retreated to the East Sea Dragon Palace. After presenting Zulin's head to Gui Daiyu, he mounted it upon his palace walls. A warning to any future enemies.

As for Da Hai, he remained in the east sea's skies. Since his role in this event had concluded, it was time to execute his next plan.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Da Hai starred into the night sky. The primitive heavens was vastly different from the ones humans saw. A black black void that was itself, a reflection of the starry skies. The sea god appreciated the beauty the three hundred and sixty five celestial bodies brought, they always made for an amazing sight.

Turning around, Da Hai examined his own luck with the world. His partnership with the Heavenly Dao was at this point, rocky at best. Even the Sea Eye was treated more as the dragon's job than his own.

In truth, the will of the world was quite frustrated with Da Hai at this point in time. It wasn't overly optimistic about his chances.

Currently, its situation was that two opposing wills existed inside it. If both grow to a point where they overwhelm it, it will be at their mercy.

At the current enlightenment levels of the Dao and Devil ancestors, this seemed more and more like an inevitability.

"Hello, how are you this evening," Da Hai suddenly said.

He stood alone in the air, no one was near him. The waves beneath him was gentle. The time since the Sea Eye's formation and the death of Zulin was enough for the turbulent waves to restore to a stable liveable environment.

Da Hai's gaze slanted sideways as to his immediate left. A circular whirl of energy manifested to his left. It formed the vague shape of a man whose features were unidentifiable.

"Not going to form any features?" Da Hai asked.

The man, if it could even be called that, lacked any indication of age or gender beyond the masculine muscle and bone features. It lacked genitalia and nipples, which along with the missing facial features made it all the more disturbing.

Standing side by side with this being, this construct of the Heavenly Dao, Da Hai couldn't help but feel small. The primordial Qi that this being possessed couldn't be measured by him. It was an enormous void of infinity that was beyond his infinity.

The Heavenly Lord quickly calmed himself and allowed non of those feelings to show. He turned to address the Heavenly Dao.

"My friend, I seek a favour," he said.

The construct tilted its head and crossed its arms. It appeared as it was very unimpressed with Da Hai's words.

"You are displeased, I understand," Da Hai said gently. Using words such as immature, or impatient or even explaining himself was useless. It wouldn't care nor would it listen, placates are the only route to go.

"I am willing to give back much of the karma I earned to you. The incense merit can also go to you, I have no need of it. But in return I wish for you to help me find someone…no something," Da Hai bargained.

The construct of the Heavenly Dao adopted a thinking position. Its fingers tapped the bottom of its featureless face's chin. No extra movement was made as it delved into contemplation.

Da Hai silently waited for the Heavenly Dao. If he was being honest with himself, he did not think the Heavenly Dao will go along with his plan, at least not initially.

It was both incredibly possessive and self centred. Its personality was a strange one, Da Hai would compare it to a child. Easy to placate and equally easy to displease.

The Heavenly Dao's construct placed both arms behind its back and nodded. Seems it has accepted Da Hai's plea. This was good, this means Da Hai could move along his schedule.

The Heavenly Dao's construct faced Da Hai. Although its expression could not be discerned, Da Hai could tell it was waiting for him to tell it what he wanted.

"Can you help me locate this," Da Hai holding out his right hand. An image of a circular piece of jade appeared in his palm hovering mere inches above.

The construct was taken aback. It questioned Da Hai about the necessity of the jade. Its questions were reasonable and understandable for Da Hai, hence he answered.

"As I am now, direct conflict with Hongjun is inevitable. With my personality, then Luohu eventually as well. This is a precaution, in the event I fuck up along the way and lose, then this will be my inside man," Da Hai replied.

The Heavenly Dao appeared conflicted. It was very unsure of what to do. This was his among most prized possessions, his avatar in the flesh. But at the same time, Da Hai was offering back the merit he took.

The Heavenly Dao examined the Heavenly Lord before him. As a superior being, the sea god can and most likely had hid things from him. But he had proven somewhat trustworthy so far. He did fix the Sea Eye very quickly after all.

He'd also trained one of the sovereigns to an exceptional level. The dragon was proving to be very beneficial for the world. At least for now, the dragon is someone he wanted to keep.

Could the Heavenly Lord produce something similar? If so, then this would be a worthy investment.

It knew Pangu's knowledge in its totality and Hongjun's as well from hat it'd glimpsed. Luohu's seemed to contradict somewhat but not enough to differentiate from the path prophesied.

Though it didn't know Da Hai's stance on those events, it did agree with Hongjun's view of them. They were a necessity that went on to create the ideal world in which it could thrive. An unchallengeable army, a race of unlimited potential, supreme deities under its command. By the end, it had never been stronger. Even the most powerful of would be rebels was subdued and converted into a monk.

The construct nodded. It held out its palm and pushed the information into Da Hai. This man could definitely do it. If it can empower its chosen son and set him on the right path, then Hongjun's puppeteering act will inevitably fail.

"Thank you," Da Hai said. He cupped his hands and saluted the construct. His show of respect pleased it greatly. It waved its hand as a, "You may go", gesture.

Da Hai nodded and walked away. Under the cloak of night and his own water movement techniques, Da Hai became a stream of liquid that moved into the distance. The Heavenly Dao construct dispelled as the Heavenly Lord left, no longer interested nor paying attention.

…

Da Hai moved quickly, with his current strength, it only took him a week to see the beach. His watery form was devoid of reflections of any kind. He moved as if he belonged to another dimension of space entirely.

To use a modern analogy, it was as if he was an image crudely photoshopped into another background. Something about him just didn't belong.

Yet at the same time, contradictory to the previously mentioned effect, Da Hai was like a natural part of the world. A stream that was a fundamental part of the universe that could not be separated from it without damaging the foundation of creation.

"Hm?"

Da Hai materialised mid air. He was right in front of the east continent shore which was his destination. Currently, he stood slightly atop the water without touching the waves.

"What a saturated fiendish aura," Da Hai muttered. His senses were going haywire. The power he was picking up was someone he was hostile towards yet hadn't had much interaction until now.

"Devil Ancestor," Da Hai's gaze met another figure who was standing on the beach.

Luohu was as handsome as when he'd first seen him all those years ago. His blatant dismissal of him was still vivid in his memories.

But to Da Hai, his physical appearance didn't matter. It was his divine sense that was seeing him for what he truly was.

Luohu was to put it simply, the epitome of the Dao. The head of the Dao or just simply that which all things branch from. He could sense laws of fire, water, wind, sword, axe, mind, soul, heart, formation, destruction, space etc.

He was like an all encompassing celestial being whose work were the origins that all things arose from. It was unlike Hongjun who felt more like a transcendent Dao that was on the cusp of expanding into all encompassing creation.

Luohu's Dao was like a Dao that's been pushed into the all encompassing state by an incalculable amount of others.

"Devil Ancestor," Da Hai greeted coldly.

"Hm?" Luohu seemed to take notice of Da Hai at this exact moment. "Ah, daoist Da Hai, long time no see," he smirked.

"I was just wondering about how to approach the east sea, divination is so scrambled around these parts. wasn't even aware they had a sovereign until the whole incident, heh," he said jovially.

'Oi, aren't you a bit too familiar?' Da Hai felt the urge to punch the man to smithereens. He then pondered the godsend's words. It made sense, godfiends are ancient creatures with an infinite lifespan. Their sense of time is a bit warped compared to mortal creatures.

To a godfiend, even ten thousand years would be a short nap.

"What's with that look?" Luohu raised his eyebrow. "This is the first time we're properly talking if I recall. And I do have a pretty good memory."

"Why are you here?" Da Hai all but growled. His nails dug into his fingers so as to control himself. His breath became very regulated almost like he was a mortal beginning the path of cultivation again.

"Not much, saw the whole shebang with you and the old fart. Was funny seeing him humiliated like this. Did you know he's throwing a tantrum in the north right now?" He chuckled.

"You did good annihilating his avatar like that," Luohu praised clapping.

"Why are you here?" Da Hai demanded.

"Like I said, not much, merely debating how to explore the east sea," the Devil Ancestor shrugged.

"I'll rephrase that question, what are you doing here?" Da Hai demanded. His Qi flared up making his hair float. The water in the distance began rolling in a violent manner.

Contrary to expectations, Luohu smirked and held his hands up to surrender. "Not here to fight. As for why I'm here? Well I simply wanted to meet you."

"I won't beat around the bush. Da Hai or whatever you liked you call yourself, you're clearly not the Da Hai I knew. But, I can say that you're stronger," Luohu said stroking his chin.

"You praise me too much, senior Da Hai was someone who completed the Dao and reached the great principle of primal chaos," Da Hai said shaking his head.

"Yet he would've lost to Hongjun's corps of evil. This is an avatar of mine, my Avatar of Seven Emotions. Its strength is comparable to any of Hongjun's corpses. And I am fully confident in beating Da Hai, you less so," he said.

Da Hai glared at Luohu who appeared merely genuine in his praise. The sea god relaxed slightly but kept his guard up. The Devil Ancestor continued to talk, it was like he was obsessed with his own voice.

"See, now that you've entered Hongjun's shit list, he'll be after you. Trust me, I've known the guy for many Yuanhui and he's the vindictive sort. What's more, he's already got a few high tier godfiends under his employ. So as his natural enemy, I'll extend my courtesies. Bottom line is, I want you in my sect," Luohu said.

"No!" Da Hai said flatly.

"Not even a moment of consideration?" Luohu raised his eyebrow. "I can see your Dao is one you've built from scratch, I can offer some guidance as a show of good faith."

"You have nothing worth listening to," Da Hai made to walk away but Luohu stood in his way.

"Have I offended you somehow fellow daoist?" He said sounding almost confused.

Da Hai stopped. His blond hair swayed over his face. His pupils constricted and he glared at Luohu. The image of his friend's body, skewered on this man's spear came to mind.

Sensing danger, Luohu backed away from Da Hai leaving a trail in the sand. The sea god's hand was outstretched at where Luohu's body used to be.

"We've never had any enmity between us," Luohu said in a warning tone. "Is this how you treat those who approach you with courtesy?"

"What would you know of courtesy? Murderer!" Da Hai spat. His right hand grabbed the air, forming a sword of water in his hand. He slashed at Luohu who flew into the sky and landed on the grass on the hill beyond the beach.

"Murderer? I am unfamiliar with the term," Luohu confessed.

Da Hai's nostril's flared. He was about to attack again before stopping himself. He'd slipped into English by accident. That's right, the godsend's language didn't have a term for murderer.

"Hongyun, my brother in all but blood. The greatest friend a man could ever know," Da Hai spat pointing the water blade at Luohu. "You killed him."

The Devil Ancestor looked genuinely confused. He tilted his head as if he was trying to wrap his mind around what Da Hai was saying. "Yes, I killed him," he said.

But he didn't mean it in a, "so what", way. Rather, he was just stating a fact. It was as if he was just talking about the weather and not the murder of another.

"Are you angry about that?" Luohu asked. "Why? He wasn't your Dao companion was he?"

"No," Da Hai shook his head. "He was my friend, and you killed him."

Now Luohu appeared more confused than ever. It was only with his Dao did he began to comprehend Da Hai's speech's meaning. "That's a very mortal way of thinking," he deadpanned.

"He was in my way," Luohu defended. "For my Dao to continue he had to be removed. You know this, you're a fucking godfiend," he said incredulously.

"And you're more fiend then god," Da Hai spat.

"I do not understand what you're playing at fellow daoist," Luohu said. "But the offer still stands, the Devilish Dao will welcome you anytime. I'll be on this beach waiting for your answer. Don't take too long though, when the old fart comes back, I'll have to leave."

Da Hai scoffed and shook his head. He turned his back on Luohu and walked away. "It's a waste of breath just talking to you," he muttered.

He left the godfiend on his lonesome and walked away. Each of his steps crossed millions of kilometres and he never looked back. He'd nearly started another war before he was ready. Being attacked from two sides will not bode well for his current situation.

He'd have to call in Zulong for backup and he didn't want to trouble the dragon with his own issues.

Da Hai looked up at a rising cliff he'd reached. He stood at the bottom and looked up. He jumped and floated to around the middle of the natural feature.

He ran his hand along the rough rocks feeling the rich Primordial Qi within. Then he started digging.

 

[Leviadow]

Da Hai starred into the night sky. The primitive heavens was vastly different from the ones humans saw. A black black void that was itself, a reflection of the starry skies. The sea god appreciated the beauty the three hundred and sixty five celestial bodies brought, they always made for an amazing sight.

Turning around, Da Hai examined his own luck with the world. His partnership with the Heavenly Dao was at this point, rocky at best. Even the Sea Eye was treated more as the dragon's job than his own.

In truth, the will of the world was quite frustrated with Da Hai at this point in time. It wasn't overly optimistic about his chances.

Currently, its situation was that two opposing wills existed inside it. If both grow to a point where they overwhelm it, it will be at their mercy.

At the current enlightenment levels of the Dao and Devil ancestors, this seemed more and more like an inevitability.

"Hello, how are you this evening," Da Hai suddenly said.

He stood alone in the air, no one was near him. The waves beneath him was gentle. The time since the Sea Eye's formation and the death of Zulin was enough for the turbulent waves to restore to a stable liveable environment.

Da Hai's gaze slanted sideways as to his immediate left. A circular whirl of energy manifested to his left. It formed the vague shape of a man whose features were unidentifiable.

"Not going to form any features?" Da Hai asked.

The man, if it could even be called that, lacked any indication of age or gender beyond the masculine muscle and bone features. It lacked genitalia and nipples, which along with the missing facial features made it all the more disturbing.

Standing side by side with this being, this construct of the Heavenly Dao, Da Hai couldn't help but feel small. The primordial Qi that this being possessed couldn't be measured by him. It was an enormous void of infinity that was beyond his infinity.

The Heavenly Lord quickly calmed himself and allowed non of those feelings to show. He turned to address the Heavenly Dao.

"My friend, I seek a favour," he said.

The construct tilted its head and crossed its arms. It appeared as it was very unimpressed with Da Hai's words.

"You are displeased, I understand," Da Hai said gently. Using words such as immature, or impatient or even explaining himself was useless. It wouldn't care nor would it listen, placates are the only route to go.

"I am willing to give back much of the karma I earned to you. The incense merit can also go to you, I have no need of it. But in return I wish for you to help me find someone…no something," Da Hai bargained.

The construct of the Heavenly Dao adopted a thinking position. Its fingers tapped the bottom of its featureless face's chin. No extra movement was made as it delved into contemplation.

Da Hai silently waited for the Heavenly Dao. If he was being honest with himself, he did not think the Heavenly Dao will go along with his plan, at least not initially.

It was both incredibly possessive and self centred. Its personality was a strange one, Da Hai would compare it to a child. Easy to placate and equally easy to displease.

The Heavenly Dao's construct placed both arms behind its back and nodded. Seems it has accepted Da Hai's plea. This was good, this means Da Hai could move along his schedule.

The Heavenly Dao's construct faced Da Hai. Although its expression could not be discerned, Da Hai could tell it was waiting for him to tell it what he wanted.

"Can you help me locate this," Da Hai holding out his right hand. An image of a circular piece of jade appeared in his palm hovering mere inches above.

The construct was taken aback. It questioned Da Hai about the necessity of the jade. Its questions were reasonable and understandable for Da Hai, hence he answered.

"As I am now, direct conflict with Hongjun is inevitable. With my personality, then Luohu eventually as well. This is a precaution, in the event I fuck up along the way and lose, then this will be my inside man," Da Hai replied.

The Heavenly Dao appeared conflicted. It was very unsure of what to do. This was his among most prized possessions, his avatar in the flesh. But at the same time, Da Hai was offering back the merit he took.

The Heavenly Dao examined the Heavenly Lord before him. As a superior being, the sea god can and most likely had hid things from him. But he had proven somewhat trustworthy so far. He did fix the Sea Eye very quickly after all.

He'd also trained one of the sovereigns to an exceptional level. The dragon was proving to be very beneficial for the world. At least for now, the dragon is someone he wanted to keep.

Could the Heavenly Lord produce something similar? If so, then this would be a worthy investment.

It knew Pangu's knowledge in its totality and Hongjun's as well from hat it'd glimpsed. Luohu's seemed to contradict somewhat but not enough to differentiate from the path prophesied.

Though it didn't know Da Hai's stance on those events, it did agree with Hongjun's view of them. They were a necessity that went on to create the ideal world in which it could thrive. An unchallengeable army, a race of unlimited potential, supreme deities under its command. By the end, it had never been stronger. Even the most powerful of would be rebels was subdued and converted into a monk.

The construct nodded. It held out its palm and pushed the information into Da Hai. This man could definitely do it. If it can empower its chosen son and set him on the right path, then Hongjun's puppeteering act will inevitably fail.

"Thank you," Da Hai said. He cupped his hands and saluted the construct. His show of respect pleased it greatly. It waved its hand as a, "You may go", gesture.

Da Hai nodded and walked away. Under the cloak of night and his own water movement techniques, Da Hai became a stream of liquid that moved into the distance. The Heavenly Dao construct dispelled as the Heavenly Lord left, no longer interested nor paying attention.

…

Da Hai moved quickly, with his current strength, it only took him a week to see the beach. His watery form was devoid of reflections of any kind. He moved as if he belonged to another dimension of space entirely.

To use a modern analogy, it was as if he was an image crudely photoshopped into another background. Something about him just didn't belong.

Yet at the same time, contradictory to the previously mentioned effect, Da Hai was like a natural part of the world. A stream that was a fundamental part of the universe that could not be separated from it without damaging the foundation of creation.

"Hm?"

Da Hai materialised mid air. He was right in front of the east continent shore which was his destination. Currently, he stood slightly atop the water without touching the waves.

"What a saturated fiendish aura," Da Hai muttered. His senses were going haywire. The power he was picking up was someone he was hostile towards yet hadn't had much interaction until now.

"Devil Ancestor," Da Hai's gaze met another figure who was standing on the beach.

Luohu was as handsome as when he'd first seen him all those years ago. His blatant dismissal of him was still vivid in his memories.

But to Da Hai, his physical appearance didn't matter. It was his divine sense that was seeing him for what he truly was.

Luohu was to put it simply, the epitome of the Dao. The head of the Dao or just simply that which all things branch from. He could sense laws of fire, water, wind, sword, axe, mind, soul, heart, formation, destruction, space etc.

He was like an all encompassing celestial being whose work were the origins that all things arose from. It was unlike Hongjun who felt more like a transcendent Dao that was on the cusp of expanding into all encompassing creation.

Luohu's Dao was like a Dao that's been pushed into the all encompassing state by an incalculable amount of others.

"Devil Ancestor," Da Hai greeted coldly.

"Hm?" Luohu seemed to take notice of Da Hai at this exact moment. "Ah, daoist Da Hai, long time no see," he smirked.

"I was just wondering about how to approach the east sea, divination is so scrambled around these parts. wasn't even aware they had a sovereign until the whole incident, heh," he said jovially.

'Oi, aren't you a bit too familiar?' Da Hai felt the urge to punch the man to smithereens. He then pondered the godsend's words. It made sense, godfiends are ancient creatures with an infinite lifespan. Their sense of time is a bit warped compared to mortal creatures.

To a godfiend, even ten thousand years would be a short nap.

"What's with that look?" Luohu raised his eyebrow. "This is the first time we're properly talking if I recall. And I do have a pretty good memory."

"Why are you here?" Da Hai all but growled. His nails dug into his fingers so as to control himself. His breath became very regulated almost like he was a mortal beginning the path of cultivation again.

"Not much, saw the whole shebang with you and the old fart. Was funny seeing him humiliated like this. Did you know he's throwing a tantrum in the north right now?" He chuckled.

"You did good annihilating his avatar like that," Luohu praised clapping.

"Why are you here?" Da Hai demanded.

"Like I said, not much, merely debating how to explore the east sea," the Devil Ancestor shrugged.

"I'll rephrase that question, what are you doing here?" Da Hai demanded. His Qi flared up making his hair float. The water in the distance began rolling in a violent manner.

Contrary to expectations, Luohu smirked and held his hands up to surrender. "Not here to fight. As for why I'm here? Well I simply wanted to meet you."

"I won't beat around the bush. Da Hai or whatever you liked you call yourself, you're clearly not the Da Hai I knew. But, I can say that you're stronger," Luohu said stroking his chin.

"You praise me too much, senior Da Hai was someone who completed the Dao and reached the great principle of primal chaos," Da Hai said shaking his head.

"Yet he would've lost to Hongjun's corps of evil. This is an avatar of mine, my Avatar of Seven Emotions. Its strength is comparable to any of Hongjun's corpses. And I am fully confident in beating Da Hai, you less so," he said.

Da Hai glared at Luohu who appeared merely genuine in his praise. The sea god relaxed slightly but kept his guard up. The Devil Ancestor continued to talk, it was like he was obsessed with his own voice.

"See, now that you've entered Hongjun's shit list, he'll be after you. Trust me, I've known the guy for many Yuanhui and he's the vindictive sort. What's more, he's already got a few high tier godfiends under his employ. So as his natural enemy, I'll extend my courtesies. Bottom line is, I want you in my sect," Luohu said.

"No!" Da Hai said flatly.

"Not even a moment of consideration?" Luohu raised his eyebrow. "I can see your Dao is one you've built from scratch, I can offer some guidance as a show of good faith."

"You have nothing worth listening to," Da Hai made to walk away but Luohu stood in his way.

"Have I offended you somehow fellow daoist?" He said sounding almost confused.

Da Hai stopped. His blond hair swayed over his face. His pupils constricted and he glared at Luohu. The image of his friend's body, skewered on this man's spear came to mind.

Sensing danger, Luohu backed away from Da Hai leaving a trail in the sand. The sea god's hand was outstretched at where Luohu's body used to be.

"We've never had any enmity between us," Luohu said in a warning tone. "Is this how you treat those who approach you with courtesy?"

"What would you know of courtesy? Murderer!" Da Hai spat. His right hand grabbed the air, forming a sword of water in his hand. He slashed at Luohu who flew into the sky and landed on the grass on the hill beyond the beach.

"Murderer? I am unfamiliar with the term," Luohu confessed.

Da Hai's nostril's flared. He was about to attack again before stopping himself. He'd slipped into English by accident. That's right, the godsend's language didn't have a term for murderer.

"Hongyun, my brother in all but blood. The greatest friend a man could ever know," Da Hai spat pointing the water blade at Luohu. "You killed him."

The Devil Ancestor looked genuinely confused. He tilted his head as if he was trying to wrap his mind around what Da Hai was saying. "Yes, I killed him," he said.

But he didn't mean it in a, "so what", way. Rather, he was just stating a fact. It was as if he was just talking about the weather and not the murder of another.

"Are you angry about that?" Luohu asked. "Why? He wasn't your Dao companion was he?"

"No," Da Hai shook his head. "He was my friend, and you killed him."

Now Luohu appeared more confused than ever. It was only with his Dao did he began to comprehend Da Hai's speech's meaning. "That's a very mortal way of thinking," he deadpanned.

"He was in my way," Luohu defended. "For my Dao to continue he had to be removed. You know this, you're a fucking godfiend," he said incredulously.

"And you're more fiend then god," Da Hai spat.

"I do not understand what you're playing at fellow daoist," Luohu said. "But the offer still stands, the Devilish Dao will welcome you anytime. I'll be on this beach waiting for your answer. Don't take too long though, when the old fart comes back, I'll have to leave."

Da Hai scoffed and shook his head. He turned his back on Luohu and walked away. "It's a waste of breath just talking to you," he muttered.

He left the godfiend on his lonesome and walked away. Each of his steps crossed millions of kilometres and he never looked back. He'd nearly started another war before he was ready. Being attacked from two sides will not bode well for his current situation.

He'd have to call in Zulong for backup and he didn't want to trouble the dragon with his own issues.

Da Hai looked up at a rising cliff he'd reached. He stood at the bottom and looked up. He jumped and floated to around the middle of the natural feature.

He ran his hand along the rough rocks feeling the rich Primordial Qi within. Then he started digging.

Click to shrink...

Cool

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Perhaps I was a little too hasty, just readily deciding to wait and all that. While sitting on the beachfront was a novel, if unremarkable, experience, it had gotten old really fast.

Starring at the sand, I began making sculptures to relieve my boredom. On the other end of my soul, my main body scoffed. Da Hai was bit disrespectful to me, if I were not a bit desperate, I would not do this.

Well, not that desperate. It's just that the Devilish Dao needs some new blood. I know he'd never commit to my cultivation style, any godfiend will say no unless absolutely forced to. But his presence will not only support me in the face of the old bastard as well as inspire new branches to be birthed.

Yes, I made the right decision. I was never the most talented of my batch. Not like Hongjun had been, damn bastard he was, but his commitment to taking me on is something I'd always be grateful for.

Fat load of good that friendship did. Ten Yuanhui worth of friendship and now we're on opposing ends. Destined to clash for the fate of the world and all that. But so is the way of chaos godfiend, the true path of the Dao as was taught in Tai Chu temple.

I raised my hand and formed a structure. I wasn't intentionally doing it, merely an action unconsciously done by instinct. No matter where I am, I will always remember that place.

The miniature temple I constructed was both a mysterious and sacred place. Though it likely no longer exists given Pangu's actions, it will always hold a sacred place in my heart.

Tai Chu temple, the palace of grand beginnings. The birthplace of all godfiends. The site of equals as many deaths as potential chaos godfiends.

A few dolls manifested by my will. They began clashing against each other to my enjoyment, puppets of my will. These were but a mere reminder of the events that transpired during my time in Tai Chu temple.

"We are brothers, the legacy of senior Tai Chu. Henceforth, you are no longer connate chaos lifeforms, but chaos godfiends."

I remembered the Destiny Demon God's words like the back of my hand. Fucker was a true bastard and a cruel cunt. But I will always remember him for being the man who inducted us.

That's right, I was a proud chaos godfiend. The ideal godfiend, more so then Hongjun could ever hope to be. I will surpass even Tai Chu and push into the Dao realm, a task no godfiend has ever been able to accomplish.

Breaking out of my musing, I checked the time. The information of the cosmos as well as the quaking anger of the Heavenly Dao flowed through me. Heh, as if you can do anything about it. A mere world will can never amount to anything.

The Heavenly Dao wasn't that special in the grand scheme of things. It was worthless to me, I have ground million of universes to dust for materials. All those other Heavenly Dao that tried to resist all perished in the end.

The only thing this Heavenly Dao has going for it was its relation to Pangu and the primitive world. The theoretical power it could draw would be immense if the world continues on its current trajectory.

As such, Hongjun cannot be allowed to absorb it. The Heavenly Dao may be worthless to me but I cannot let the old fool obtain it. My goal of the ultimate physique cannot be compromised by him.

Yet at the same time, it has also done a decent job in managing the world. Within a single Yuanhui, this universe has already surpassed 99.9% of universes in the chaos sea.

What a magnificent fool Pangu had been to achieve this. Magnificent, but still foolish. Even though I saw it coming, I still do not know why he would do this. Why swing that axe and exhaust his own life? Why did he not breakthrough and ensure his survival?

But the will of a deadman don't matter to me. His deed allowed me the chance to reach Grand Dao, that was what mattered in the end.

As the data flowed through me, I stood up and stretched my body. Before I knew it, a few months had already gone by. I quickly scanned the east continent for signs of Hongjun's return.

Hm, he hadn't yet, guess he was still chasing Sheng Feng. Honestly, you've gotta admire the wind fiend, he was the bravest little shit you would ever meet. Opportunistic and dumb, but his sheer audacity was something to be admired. Made for a good laugh too.

Props to Da Hai for catalysing that event. He deserves my friendship just for that.

Speaking of Da Hai, I looked around. Where had he gone? He seemed to still be at that cliff face he raced off to. Now he seemed to be cultivating. Wonder what he's doing.

Strange bloke that one. He's disappointingly not at all acting like a godfiend. It was most vexing as I could clearly sense he was both an inheritor as well as a reincarnation of the ancestor of the great sea.

His way of acting was oddly mundane. From interacting with him I would've just assumed he was a mortal. That was if I didn't know any better.

But his strength cannot be denied. His Dao also, can not be denied. Both of which can really help me in this contest. But sadly, he'd turned out to be quite antagonistic.

I rubbed my chin in thought. That man, I hope to bring him into the fold, otherwise I'd have to kill him. He lives in the east sea and this place is so well defended against divination that even I'm practically blind.

Say what you want about the Heavenly Dao, but it's defences weren't meant to be trifled with.

I waved my hand and disintegrated the sand constructs I was playing with. The entertainment had gone stale. My true body still hadn't stopped working and my other avatar is busy with another induction exam.

"Hm?" I was briefly startled. The ground had suddenly begun shaking. The wind around me picked up speed and wired high into the air. My long haired swayed as I looked around in confusion.

"What is?" I held my hand out towards floating specs of grey light. They were like a pollen cloud, travelling in every direction. They were in extreme quantities too. Already, they had enveloped ten million kilometres of the east continent coast.

I released my tongue and tasted the spec I caught. "Dao essence," I muttered. My vision went slack and my footing became unstable. I couldn't help but wobble on my feet.

I narrowed my eyes despite the sudden nausea. Digging my foot into the sand for support, I gathered myself and looked around for attackers.

"No, not an attack," I realised. The grey specs were not an attack or spell of any kind. In fact, they did not do harm aside from bringing forth Dao. "This is a byproduct."

So much essence, this Dao essence. It's…it's…it's… marvellous. Just what is going on?

My mind felt dizzy. Throughout my consciousness, I felt the enlightened thoughts of such magnitudes, that I struggled to grasp what was being said.

A staff appeared in my right hand and shot into the sand as I supported myself. "So…Many…Ideas," I gasped.

So many ways, so many mysteries, so many possibilities. It was hard to describe. Even my Dao, as apex as it was, felt like a bucket beside a lake.

Someone, someone had understood. A fundamental truth of the universe that I hadn't thought of. The visions of the future never told me how I'd achieve Dao and while I had inklings, much was still shrouded.

Yet now, for the first time in years, I felt a clue.

Tai Chu was the ancestor of godfiends and the one who started the chaos godfiend civilisation. He was also the closest being to the Dao that we know of. But he was also a mythical being who disappeared long ago and the knowledge to reach such heights was gone.

The knowledge of cultivation taught us how to form the Dao. During my youth, Hongjun and I constantly obsessed over his scriptures, hoping for a clue. But Tai Chu never left behind knowledge of a path after Hunyuan Da Luo Golden Immortal.

The end of the our Dao was the end of the Dao. We didn't know how to reach true Dao resonance, true enlightenment.

But now it was different.

These specs, these specs, these specs.

They didn't speak of Dao. They spoke of DAO.

A higher order concept. The supreme existence that is without limit. The name Tai Chu spoke of but never divulged of. The great principle of primal chaos that is without limit. The clue to reaching true Dao realm.

I, I finally, I finally had a clue. For the first time, my path was no longer hazy, any uncertainty was washed away. I see now what I must do. What I must comprehend.

"You!"

That voice, Da Hai?

"You dare! You are unworthy," the voice spoke of intense rage and immense power. A power that forced the world to quake. The oceans rose and the lands cracked. The sky darkened and spacetime distorted.

One moment was stretched to a thousand lifetimes and another became instantaneous. Each grain of sand before me seemed like they were so far away, forever out of reach. Yet at the same time, fully visible and revealed to me.

My arms, my very palms. These limbs connected to me felt foreign, alien, the sensation to move them was not there. My mind was not my own, I could not perceive things accurately anymore.

"DIE!"

…

My eyes snapped eastwards. Floating swords dropped onto the stone floor as I dashed for Mt Sumeru's peak.

THUD!

Mara landed by my side startled. "What's going on?" The silver haired man said.

"I…my avatar's senses are not advanced enough," I responded on impulse. "I couldn't tell."

The golden clouded sky above Sumeru appeared peaceful and majestic. I narrowed my eyes feeling something was off. Yes, something was off.

"You feel that?" I said sensing a colossal amount of Qi coming at my direction.

"Feel that? I think I can see that," Mara pointed at the distance. Beside Mt Buzhou's shadow, a wave of power travelled. I couldn't help but feel sweat drip from my back.

"This presence, so similar to him," I gasped. "But Pangu is dead," I said.

I opened my left hand, the 12th Grade Black Lotus appeared spinning. The Mill of Destruction appeared behind me while the God Slaying Spear appeared in my right.

"Step back, this is beyond you," I told Mara.

"Beyond? I have stood in the presence of the destroyer," he sounded almost insulted.

"Didn't mean any offence. But do you think you can stop that?" I gave him a look. Mara shook his head and took a step back.

"Don't die, you still have to help me with my revenge," he said. I nodded.

Stepping onto the sky, I braced myself. My robes fluttered more and more violently as the wave approached. My strongest treasures defended my front, two top grade xiantian spiritual treasures and a single chaos spiritual treasure.

The rich primordial Qi of Mt Sumeru also pumped into my veins. The very core of the west continent was on my side.

The wave of grey was like an attack like no other. It reminded me of Pangu's axe swing so long ago, an attack that annihilated anything that stood in its wake.

At the same time, it resembled a tidal wave. An all consuming water that swallowed everything, washing them away to oblivion.

"Come at me!" I declared.

It was horrible, I have never felt so pressured since coming into power. Not even Destiny Demon God could've achieved something like this. I knew how strong I was now just as I know how strong the top four chaos godfiends were.

I knew I can easily tangle with all four of them. Be they Yang Mei, Huoyun, Si Chen, or Demon Ape. Not even Destiny Demon God at his peak can walk away from me without heavy losses.

But this was different. My true form was revealed, forced into the open. My handsome features stripped away. My great demon face resembling a lion on my belly roared in pain. My draconic upper head gritted my teeth. Resistance was difficult but not impossible, especially so in such short notice.

My four arms strained. My eight tails and two large leathery wings struggled. I roared defiantly as I continued to resist as the attack washed over me, devastating the countryside.

As I crashed into Mt Sumeru's side exhausted, I could only think of one possibility. A congratulation and a curse.

"Congratulations fellow daoist Da Hai for achieving what no godfiend has done before. You have truly earned my admiration for discovering the way of Wuji," I sighed.

"But know this. Today and for eternity, you have made I, Luohu your enemy. This enmity shall only be settled with one of us dead," I growled.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Chunks of solid rock, hardened by the dense energy of the primitive world tumbled down into both sand and ocean. Though they seemed ordinary, each piece of granite was sturdier than entire planets.

Yet Da Hai's fists casually sunk into these pieces of stone effortlessly. He tore away at the cliffside and tossed away unnecessary rubble.

Like this, he carved away at the cliff face quickly and efficiently, digging a hole into the centre of the structure.

The Heavenly Lord narrowed his eyes at the dark coloured rock carefully. His divine senses had already informed him of the powerful, albeit not uncommon treasure that lay within.

Da Hai reached out with his right hand. His palm sunk into the final piece of stone grabbing hold of a spiritual object. Feeling the smooth yet dirty surface of his objective, Da Hai pulled his arm out.

He shook off the excess dirt and eyed the piece of jade he held. It was a spectacular pair of jade. Once cleansed of dirt, it displayed a marvellous white sheen that sparkled under the light of countless stars.

Da Hai breathed in the emanating Qi rich air and nodded with a rare smile of satisfaction. "Yes, you are the one," he muttered.

The jade he held in his hand, though beautiful, wasn't that special when compared to the resources both he and Zulong had stored over the years. In fact, it was a fairly new object that the world had just given birth to, not worth putting in the same mention as xiantian spiritual treasures.

Those spiritual objects were nurtured for countless years and absorbed the raw Primordial Qi and even Chaotic Qi. This pair of jade could only really serve as jewellery in its current form.

Both pieces of jades were linked by a small chain. A joint connection that emphasised a destined link between both objects. The pieces were also similar yet different. One was slightly large than the other, while the smaller one had a greater lustre.

Da Hai examined both pieces carefully, he can't make a mistake in this stage, the correct piece had to be identified. He sat cross legged midair and meditated.

Not far from him, the unidentifiable figure of the Heavenly Dao's body appeared. It cross its arms and impatiently tapped its feet in the air.

However, Da Hai kept his eyes shut. He carefully examined the energy patterns from both pieces of jade. The vital Qi from each object resembled a faint wisp, a not dissimilar existence than a soul.

In fact, it was a premature soul. A partially formed embryonic form of a living being. In this manner, the jades contained within the cliff was being incubated.

When Da Hai found them moments ago, they would've just been immature embryos rather than fully formed connate lifeforms.

This process was how innate gods and creatures were born. They were all connate lifeforms, fully formed living beings from birth, born out of the energy of heaven and earth. They had no parents and no childhoods, they simply were from the beginning.

Wangshu, Hongjun, Zulong, Da Hai, the ancestors of the myriad clans were all the same. Creatures incubated by the world or the chaos and born into existence after many years.

In many ways, they were cousins to xiantian spiritual treasures. The only difference was that one gained a true Soul and thus status as a living being.

True souls were not souls, but souls can come from true Souls. Strictly speaking, an individual's true Soul did not belong them. The true soul existed within the universe, or chaos world's River of Destiny, a conceptual place that was difficult to traverse. A soul can extinguish in an instant but a true soul was much more resilient. True souls can only expire naturally if the universe they belong to perish.

At the same time, they were what generated regular souls of men and animals. As such they were also what kept someone in the cycle of reincarnation. An existence that maintained birth, death, and rebirth.

When one broke into the Golden Immortal realm, one must pull their true souls out of that river hence gaining control of their true souls. In this way, the Golden Immortal tribulation was in fact a tug of war between a Heavenly Immortal and the River of Destiny.

For innate gods however, these people were born in ownership of their true souls. Their true souls developed within them from the get go and was never a part of the River of Destiny.

The soul developing within the two pieces of jade were primitive true souls. These weren't just connate lifeforms but future innate gods.

After a while, Da Hai opened his eyes. He raised the smaller piece of jade in contemplation. "Who would've guessed it'll be you," he sighed and took a look at the Heavenly Dao's avatar.

"I'm going to begin now," without hesitation, Da Hai began chanting mid air. The Heavenly Dao watched in confusion as it witnessed Da Hai seemingly return to cultivation.

Perhaps he was just trying to get a good handle on his future student, this was the Heavenly Dao's thought. As such, sick of waiting, the will of the primitive world turned its attention away from the sea god. Its body disappeared from the great wilderness

…

Deep as ocean, still as ice, vast like the starry expanse, narrow like a corridor.

Drip, drip, drip.

The road I seek is an ever distant one. The path to power I see is not one of domination nor one of inaction. I wish to follow along and do as the road do. Walk as the road walks, turn as the path turns.

My eyes see the goal, I know where it is, I know what I want to achieve. But it is so far out of reach, it remains in my eyes taunting me forever distant away from me.

I came into this world clueless and erratic, confused and lost. I came into this world imperfect despite my body's perfection. I was a corrupted godfiend from the start.

Yet I too have found a path worth traversing. I seek perfection through this path. I shall walk it to the ends of the earth, become the existence that is both near and far.

Like an ocean in the horizon, I am in view yet out of reach.

An ocean forever distant from this world.

…

The primitive world, this universe forged by Pangu's hands is unique among chaos worlds. Born out of the corpses of countless higher dimensional lifeforms, it is the culmination of numerous vast Daos.

Unlike other chaos worlds, it is both grand and eternal, just like the chaos sea. But it is also immature and growing. It is not the Three Realms mentioned in ancient legends.

This jade I hold is one who holds great destiny. He is the son of heaven destined to be the most powerful man in the universe. Whether he be strong or not is irrelevant in relation to his role.

Ordinarily, he will grow and come into his own. Whether he naturally be born and train under the Heavenly Dao's watch as a prince raised by man, an assistant hired by the Heavenly Lord of the Primordial Beginnings, or a bell boy for the Dao Ancestor's Zixiao Palace. All roads lead to the empyrean's throne.

Reigning above the world from the thirty three heavens. You should've been left alone as you were.

But I cannot allow that. You will be crucial in the future battles. I have lost hope of surpassing them. But I don't necessarily need to be the one to fight them. A united heaven under your command is one of the factors that could do it.

But, I don't know you. I don't trust you. And I can't risk getting to know you.

I am the world's worse scumbag. To see my own grievances through, I wanted others to do what I could not. But as I prepared them I realised I could not do it. I could not raise sacrificial pawns. So I have decided to use myself.

So I.

I…

I am…

Ah…

I am sorry for what I'm about to do to you, Haotian.

My mind cleared and my heart beats smoothly. My grip on the jade tightened as tears shed from my eyes. Sorry, your majesty.

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A̷͚͋͌͂̏̐ḻ̴̳̝̲̦̮̈͑͗̊̈́̒͝r̵͎̐̑̀͛͒̚͜i̶͖̼̝̓̐g̵̱̗̦̫̏́h̷͇̠̫̆̋t̴̻̞̞̍̍͑̂̏͠͠,̴̫͓́ ̷̗͗̅͛n̴̩̣̈̾́̈ö̴̼̫̼̩̋͌w̶̯̥̱͉̗͍̃̈ ̴̧̛̙̩̺̣̩̈́̚ẙ̶̼͚̌o̵̗̅͜ṷ̸̧̠͎̝͗͐̃̌̿̚'̷̢̧̝̬̆v̸͍͠e̵̢̢͈̻͕̣̙͒́͒ ̴̫͌͊͒̈͛͂c̷͇͈͐̽a̵͙̟͗̏̚ǔ̸̢͚̤͓̝̐̇͘g̸̢̖̠̤̭̻̓̒̉̈́̓h̶̛̳̳̰͖̹͓̍̐̃̍̂͂t̴̛̥̭͈̦̓͠ ̵͍̹̬̠͈̊ṁ̸͎͎̝̘̱̰̟́͂̃͋͘y̶̘̜̯̋̐ ̷̬͉͚̝̯̀̀̐̎̂̃f̷̱̳̻͇͕͖̀͑̃̉̕u̴̢̥͈̜̬̍͂l̷̢̤̰̋͑̀̄͋̃̈́ͅl̸̢̝͙̗͍̾͒́̈́͘͜ ̵̨̈́̆a̴̳̠̼͒̃͌̍̿̚̕t̴̮̍͋̈͑̇͌͝t̷̞͌͊͋̽̊̚͠ê̴̦̼̒ņ̴͚͚̼͐̂̌́͠t̶̖̟͔̓̾̚͜į̷̖̹͊̉ǫ̷̧̤̦́̽̀͘͜ǹ̸̛̳̺̞͉.̷̜̒͊ ̸̠͖͙̱̻͛̒͛̒Ḧ̸̡͚̱͓̦̐ȯ̴̱͗͑̏̔͝ǹ̴̤̲͔͉̙͔̊ē̷̙͎̬̪̻̏̎̈́͝ͅs̵̨̰̟̖͓͍͌̂̔̎̈͜t̴̢̪̻̭̀̂̔̑͜ľ̵̤̫͆̈ỳ̸̡͍͎̦̟̜͒́̐̑͝͠ ̵̲͙̪̝͈͗̕w̶̪̽̾̄͊̈â̵̭̽͛s̸͍̋̒̏n̷̰̓͐̿̒'̷̹͓̬̗̹͉͂͒͗̈́̀͝ͅt̵̲̮̟͔͖̩͚́̅̀͑̒̀ ̶͒͆̾͠͠͝ͅę̸̰̩̳̾x̷̡̤̖̠̠̾̏̈̿̚ṕ̵̬͈͕̩̳͑̉̚͠e̵͚̬̝̝̗̾c̶̣͕̲̓̑͊͊̕͜͜t̸̮̏̓̌͛͠i̵̜̲͛́̓̆̅͆n̴̠̹͈͖̣̐̌ģ̴̯̍͑ ̸̖͎̐ỷ̸̛͚̳͔̖͗́̌͘͠ŏ̵͍͕͇̥̗ú̸͉̱̹͂͜͝ ̷̯̭͈̫̗̙̿̀t̴͚͒͂̒͝ḫ̸̡̜̦̫̪̓̑̈́̾̌͑̕ō̶͚̫̇̈͊u̴̬̯̹͑̐̕ġ̸̢̢̟̩̻̱̠̃̑̌ḫ̵͔̞̀͆.̶̲͖͇́̐͑͊́ ̶̱̺̂͌͑͆́͆͘Ẅ̷̢̺̮̻́͌a̶̝̰̎͗͛̅͝ͅs̵̞͖͐͐́͂́ͅ ̶͉̮̾̈ͅh̷̫̳́̍́a̴͇̭̲͎͍̼͗l̷̰͈̤͇̻̻̇̊̈́͆̋̅̕f̶̟́̊͑̀ ̸̧̩̗̋̆̑̆̾̐̀ė̷̮̻̲̞͎ͅx̷͚̾̄̈́p̸̧̯͙̤̹͈̼̈́̇e̷̛̖̳̱̹̥̞c̴̛̝̳̾̄̇̚͝͝t̴̖͋̿î̷͕͌͜͝n̷͍̖͉̈́̊̄͠g̶̥̞̫̪̕ ̷̙͒̉͋̚͠͝a̴̙͇̙͇̅͂̂̉́͠ ̶͉̱̫̝͍̞̜̒̃̐̚͠c̵̳̟̥̯̩̱̒͑̐̇̓͠r̷̞̞̱̪̥̜̣͌̾̍͗̓̂i̸͙̦͕̙̓̑̈̀̕n̶͍̺̱͐̽g̴̜͉̻͕̫̮̅̃͌̿͂̋̈́y̴̨͎̅͛̔ ̷̨͇̳͇͈͕͛̌̍͝͝ͅp̸̢̻͔͆̈́̈ö̷̗͈̺̗̘̭̀̓͘͝ẅ̸̤̟͔̱́̉̀̓̆͝͝é̶̜̻̟͔̜͕͑͂̄́̑͌ͅŗ̷͓̟̞͇̙̈́̅ ̵̡̥͙̋̌͠͠ṫ̷̻̇̌̌̊r̷͖̮̪͉͓̆̎̐̕ǐ̵͍̙͚̦̥̤͜p̴̤̲͋͛̊͊̈́̚ ̸̡̥̤͐̏̈͋͐̈́k̶̡͕̪̲̬̾n̸̲̫͔͖̒͗ŏ̵̢̢̺̙̍̉͒w̷̦͐͒i̵̱͖̗͛ņ̷̩̯̥̝̻̾̈́͘ģ̸̡̩̩̰̙͊̕ ̵̖͂͑́m̶̳̦͉̺̈́̉͑̍ỹ̴͖̱̯̖̓̋ ̵͍̿͒ẏ̸̡̘̭̩̺̘̣͂͂o̷͕̫͖̖͓̞̍ȕ̵̪͈̭͆̊͝n̶͍̔̂̓́̚g̶̡̬͈̼͉̪͆̅͘ͅȩ̶̖̮̞̉ͅr̵̟̯̟̫̮͚̤̊̂͝ ̶͓͑̓̌̒̔s̸̼̗̫͖͉̥͗́̈̂͘͠ͅê̸͉̠̖͔͒͜ĺ̴̨̮̾͜ḟ̵̟̣̣̩̪̤̊͐͗̏́̿.̸̡͙̺̙̄̉̒̕͜ ̸̳͔͈̙͒̍B̴̨̳̘̲͛̈́̍͑̅͆͝ǘ̷̘͓͜t̵̹̮̬̩̳͍͗ ̴͖͍͍̗̎̅͑y̴̗͒̓̆̓̾͊ͅo̵̙̟̟̼̦̾̆͌u̴͙͉̼̯̗͇̬͆͗̊͆̇̑͗ ̵̮͑̾̿̈̒̈́c̶̨̨̺̭̯͚̐͒͗̀͝͝ͅĕ̶̳̠͙̓̅̒̅͠r̵̭̓̃́͂̐ṭ̶͔̳͖̼̆̿͛̔͒͗͠a̴̬͉̺̘̠͆͝i̶̹̣̯͐n̷̝̤̺̫͒̑̀̇͊͘l̷̠̇͋̎̽ÿ̵̧̡̱́́̿͋͌ ̸̢̜͈̀s̸̲̗͕̗̞̱̈́̆̾̕u̷̼͉̝̓̽͒́̕̕r̶̹͕̻̈́̂̔̐p̸͕̭͓̯̈́̏̒̈́͗r̶̩̈́̀͒̔̋i̶̢̟͔͗s̶͖͂̒͊̃ė̵̢̲̠̘̫͈͐́͋̈́͗͑d̸̪͉̲̖͌̾ ̸̭̭̗̱̺̃͊̚̚m̷̮͗̈́͝ë̶̗̜͚̲̲́́̊͝͝͠͠.̸͕͍͙͔̫͒̇͑̈́͂̚͠
̸̢̠͎̫̳̬̎̆̋͠
̴̛̬̜̅̋͛
̶̥͝
̵̛͖͕̻̞͕͒̾̿̊H̶̙̩̍̋̏o̶͉̳̞̻͒̿ń̷̮̓e̷̘͈̦͚̱͚͐̎̊̎́͘͝s̸̠̜̯̻̱̈ẗ̴͚̥̲̘̻͝l̴̜̤̩̑̈́̿̀̕̕͜y̵̨̥̿͛̇͒̚,̶̥͙͑̒̒̄̿̿̚ ̴̭̘̫͙̥̄̾͂͜͝ẁ̵͚͑̈́̑̌̚ḩ̴̭̯̩̝̤̥͗̃̌͋͝ą̸̨̲̭͓͎̔͒̈́͋͆̚t̷̛̻͚͓̝̝̾̆̀̄͘ ̶̧̨̝̥͛͊͆̓̀̕̚ä̴̰̰̫̥͉̝̩́͐̉̉̄͠n̷͍̓́͗̔̾͝ ̵̠̣̩̖̫̫̄̂́̂̕͝ë̶̢̧̧̼̫̹̖ṋ̶̃͜t̵̹͙͚͋͌̍̀è̶͚̬̝̗͔͇͉̑̒r̸͍͐͒t̷̞̻͙̓̏͛̓̚̚͠ä̴͈̥́̾í̴̦̜̝̻̫͗͆͜͝ͅn̷͈̜͉͈̙̖͊̎̄̾͗ͅi̷̞͂͑n̵̡͇̈́́́̃̈́͑͠g̷̼̎̇͘̚ ̶̡̠̙͙̺̎ę̶̫͎̰̈́̒̐̀͜͝n̴̞̰͙̻̐͂͝d̷͖̟̠̫̘͉̐͊ ̶̢̛͍̥̜̜̏̅̊̍̀͝ͅm̷͎͇̱̜̗̦̉͊̆͊̀̿̚ÿ̷̛͖͍͔̻̰͉͗̆ ̶̻͍̹̬̈́ļ̶̙̝̱͇͂̌͌͊̈́͝a̷͈͐̋c̴̠̦̗͗̾͗̈͜k̴̨̢̠̪͕̻͗̇̃̇ ̷̧̖̃̆̅̇̾͂͝o̴̙̹̟̭̫͍͐̒͊͌̃́f̷̼͙̦̘̂̿̓̾̔̉͠ ̸̛̪à̸͎̗͔̘͖̫t̵̹̣̲͖͛t̶̟̥͇̻͎͗͑͠͝ͅe̴̘̝̔n̵̫͈͍͂ṭ̸̮̳̥͑̃̑́̃̔î̴͙o̸̫̾̋͆̒̓̈n̶̘͊͗̋̉ ̷̨͙̆̈́h̷̨̲͉̦̎͜͠ȧ̸̟͚̂̿̍̆͘s̴͇̗̅ ̶̛̭̟͙̭͆͒̑͒ẉ̴͓͇̳̱̅̋̈͌̀̑r̸̦̤̔̅̓́͆ö̶̟̗̳͂̄͑ͅu̸̺͍̣̲̿͆͐͝g̶͈͚̼̺͉̎̾̊͗ḩ̷̯̪̹̇t̸̮̀̌̈́͋̉̚͝.̷̖̥̤̂̀̂̑ͅ ̶̨͖͕̈́̓̅͝͠I̵̧̠̥̬͚͂͒̾ ̷͉̬͙̜̍͊l̵̨̺̝̣̰̓͊̈́̕o̴̢̢̨̝̝̜͔͆̕o̸̡̗͉̩͇͓̾̃̇̽̔̽͠k̴̖͇̅̄̒̏͊̽̕ ̴̡̻͈̫̥̈́̕͜ǎ̶̯̺̲̅̂̿͘͘w̷͔͙͌a̷̰͚̔̎̂͐̇̄̚ý̶̮̗̼͖̜͕̈́̌͐ ̵̛̼̦̇̑͒f̷͕͕̰͈̿r̴̮͓̣̂̇̚ǫ̷̢͚̙̟̐̉͗ ̸̛̤̅̐̈a̷͗̌͜ ̴̗̱͑̍͗͗̈͘̚l̸͇̣̓͝i̴̗̭͈̳͋t̴̢͉̪̣̩̪͑̀̑͐t̷̨̪̹͕̞͆̈́̀̈́͗͜l̷̗͈̑̀̀̎͊͛e̶̯̣̭͉̊͆ ̷̟̯̲̳̦͎̀̑ṫ̸̛͓̮́͂̌̚ȯ̵͎̖̞̠̫̗̱̒͗͆̈́̄́o̵͕̱̥̱͔̳͌͌͝ ̵̞̯̙͈̯̾͋̿̀̚͝l̵̝̈́͗͆̅̔o̶͚͍̯͝n̴̙̉̎̈̂ģ̴̩̗̳̫̮̋̇̆̊̑͒ ̵͉͒͒ä̷͛͆̈́͜n̴̗̅͊͑̿͛̕d̶̛͙͙̈́̑͋̀̈́ ̷̧̻̫̇̊̏͠b̵̲͈̑̿̍ȇ̵̛̼̍̄͐̔͜͠f̷͍̯̦̤͑̿o̷̫̹̤̼̣͋̈̋̃̀͋̿r̴̜͓̈́͑̇͒ë̵̢̛̬͕͔̹̍͊͆͜ ̴̨͚̾͆́̈͛̄͘͜ͅȈ̵͒̽͝ͅ ̸͕̖̥̘̬͓͙̀͑͘k̷̨̪̖͇̀͗͂̿n̴̯͆͆̍̑͠e̷̛͇͔̗͖̠͈͂̂̒̎̈́͘w̷̢̘̰̗̦̘̠͒̅̽͑̓̊ ̴̧̗̳̿̅̃͑͊͝͠ḯ̴͍̈́t̵̨̛̟̎́̓̽̾̅,̵̰̹͕̄̏̊ͅ ̶̡̜̰̳̮̌ẗ̸̹̪̰͙́͒̌ḩ̷̦̗͓͋é̵̪̮̎̑ ̵͓̅͐w̴̡̧̺͍̣̞̔͝ô̴̲̜̦̓̌r̵̙̫̞̦̝̜̦̎͝l̶̟͎̓̔̋̓d̷̨̥̘̼̯̞̗̽̐̈́̔ ̷̡̮͕͓͚̝̹̌I̸̟̙̺͈̳̪̻̾̏͂̋̕ ̴͙͔̠͖͇̝̤͆p̷͙̟̈́̏a̴̖͕̽͐̈̐̏̐̈́ī̸̧̪̜̩̙̭͌n̸̡̩̲͖̅̑̋̑̊͠s̵̺̦̹͇͕̔̒̓̃ṫ̷̟̲̝̫a̸͇̝̤͑́̓̚k̷̬̮̩͖̆̚i̶̼̟̯͍̙͛̉n̷̡̪̬̮̜̖̫̂̈̋g̴̡̳̜̭̹͙̑̂̉̈́͘l̷̛̠͓͎̬̖͂̈́̈͗̏ẏ̷̨̧̮͉͓̙͕̈́ ̸̢̦̹̙͚̥̆͝ş̸̧͔̔̿͐c̷̥̞̑̋ù̶̘͕̬̞̈́̏͆̈̐́l̶̢͓̻̥̳͖̆͛̐͊̆̚ṗ̴̢̺͇͉͙̮͕̚t̵̫̱̩̼̤̳̘̀ę̶̝̮͖͙̯͑̂d̷͇͓̠̗͕̾͒͋̍̃́̕ͅ ̷͎̘͇̘̜̏̆͋͒ͅḏ̶̢̹͔̀͂̕͝è̶̲̝͈̱̝͖͆͂͛͒ͅc̸̥̩̗̀i̷̦͖͎͖̞͑̆͆̑ͅd̶̰̜̲͈̠͔̳̓̍ẹ̸̤̱̬̺̀̇̌̋͒̽̈́d̵̛͙̺̰̱͂̑͊̉͘ ̴̭̺̇̇̏̅͘ṯ̶̲̟͛o̸͇̣͘ ̴̧̮̪̫̳̖̞̆̈́̉̃͘͝͠b̷̮̹͖͂l̷̡̟̺̯̞̜̍͊̈́ö̷̖͖́w̵̟̦̮͊͐ͅ ̷̨̟̥̘̘͇͕̄̊͝͝͝į̸̢̧͙̹̻̓̚͜ẗ̸͙́s̵̼̮̝͎͝͠ȩ̶̡̫̞͕̣͍͂̈͂̋̓l̴̩̈́̈́͌̐f̴̢̺̝̻̣̀̏̍͝͝ ̶̪͓̘͆̔̆ͅụ̴̞̙̲͕̔̾͌p̶̧̧̢̛̳̝̺̐ͅ.̷͎̂̉͝
̷̙̈̈́
̴̛̫̤̺͛̓̾̋
̶͍̈́͒̓
̷̨̨͇̘̩̓̆̃̀̈́İ̷̙̝͎͕͇̐̔̉͂͑t̸̼͖̫̫̹͆͐͐̕'̷̱̘̍̏͒̽̅s̷̛͉̠̰̍͒̌̊̚̚ ̷̋͗ͅh̴̰͑̂̔̒͑ỏ̶̳̳͐͒̿͠n̴̬͖͗͑͊͠ė̷̼̰͎͎͖͓ṣ̶͎̲̣̠̀̋̂̅͠͠t̴̞̤͛͐l̶͖̣̝̩̂y̷̬̤̖̗͕̯̹͊̓̑̌̚ ̴̡͓͉̗̊͒͑͗̀̚͘ã̴̡̙͘ ̸̟͎̺̙̳̘̠̉̇̀͆͂b̶̨̐̋̈́̀͠͝i̸̦͎͕̞̘͛͜ṫ̷͉̻̩͕͂͊̕͜͝ ̵̗̲͌̀͑̇̈́̐̚͜e̷̛̞̎̄m̷͙͚̤̞͖͍̙̐̏́͝b̴̛͕̗͓͚̞̿̾͌͠͠a̷̡̙̣̤̿̐̏̊̄̃r̸͍͊̿͂̈́̕r̷̙̬͔̦̭̀̊͌̎͛͊ͅa̶̠̜̝̯͈̋̈́̐͛́̌͝s̴̡̛̛̘̀̄̓̕ş̶̙̝̺̮̍̂̎̈̾̚i̵̪͋́͘n̴̝̱͚̄g̸̟̪͉̐ ̵̛̰̱̉̒͋̔h̷̢̻͖̘͐͋͗̇͝o̵̩̒̂̈́́͝͝͠w̵̡̢̪͇̭͈̓̂̕͝ ̴̣̬̾͠ě̴̖̥̭̲͈͎͂̽v̵̝̖̆̐͌̒̑͝ę̴͓̭̏̇̃̐͘͜r̵̡̧̨̛̲͈̔̈́͐͆̚ỵ̸͕͑͛̚͜ẗ̸̥́͆̀̅̍̚h̷̰͎̍̌̒͝͝͝i̶̜̣͊̇͝n̴̯̠̖͉̩̠͕̑̓̀g̶̨͙̟̕͠ ̵͕͖͖̠̱̟̐͐͊̏͝e̵̬̞̓̒̃n̷͇͓̰͉̫͇̑̈ḑ̶̬̀̈́͒͊͛̉̓e̴̫̜͙͔̦̼͋͂̑̽͛͝d̷̢̨̛̜̺̩̰͉̏͆͐̑͌̈́ ̸͎̝͚̝̼̍̃̆̚ų̴͙̜̜́p̴̧̭̝̖̟͌͊͝ ̸̨̲͈̯̘̈͗̈̉͛͝t̶͚̟̉̈̃̽͐͜h̷̗̥̜̔̌̔͝ǒ̸̡͎͓̙̰̯̰̋͂̈́̊u̵̻̞̱̤̍͜g̶̢̭͚̓͒̈̄͐̄ḧ̸̬̯̞̿̔̊̂͋.̸̩͈̤̯̮͖̞̋͐̌̅ ̷̘͉̼͓̥͖̲̀̾̿̐I̴̢͓̼̗̹͖͓͊̾ ̸̠̹̒̈ȟ̸̠̺͒̉͠ă̶̝̚d̵̛͍̮̲͔͙̿̆ ̷̧͎́̕n̴̥̻̕o̸͎̓ ̵̛͊̐͆́̉͝ͅi̷̘͙͝d̶̪͚͕̻̂́ͅe̴͚͓̪̲̺̊͠à̴̧͓̺̓̑̀̂ ̵͓̍̃ͅt̵̹͌h̷͎̜̀e̷̮͓͗͂ ̸̤̬̥͇̠̻͌͘͠c̷͎͕̞̱̀̾̄̓̃͝ȯ̸̙̩̮͊n̸͔̜̮̩̻̻̓t̷̜̫̬̊̔̄̌͋͘r̵͎͚̘̄̈́̀͠õ̶̢̤̬̭͓̰̹̿l̶̯͇̲͍͒̈́̐ ̶̰̫̤͊̈́͆͒̑̓͋p̸̛͖̪̩͎̳̜̈́̆̅r̵̨͚̻̼͇̐̑͘͝ͅo̴̖͙̤͕͙̣͒̽̚͝ģ̵͇̼͍̺͛ṛ̵̘͎̙̮̗̃̀̔̀̅̐̚͜á̶͓̳͍̜̮̻̚͠m̴̡̮͆̾́̾̚͠ ̸̟̹͓͕͕̀͊͌w̵̢̛͙̺̆́̍ĩ̷̢̫͎̝̬l̴͇͓̾͜l̸͓̈́̍̿̂ ̸̛̰̹͉̙̹̩͎̆́̚m̶̢̨̤̞̰̝̔͊̓͆̕͜ȁ̸̡̭̬̈́̿̂͝k̴̛̯̙̼̥͈̟͉͝ḛ̴̬̞͎̮͗͂̎͂̄ ̵͕͎̲͒͗͊̌̍͑t̴̖̿̋̐͠h̴̭̫̹̹̒̋̾̌̄i̵̢͚̲͔̮̻̍̐͊ͅṅ̸̢̟̩͙̞̦͈͂g̷̘̖̠̓͌̊͂s̴̖͎̤̈́̾́̽͗ͅ ̵̡̢͖̰͆̏̿̂͜t̸̺̞̝́͒́̌͜ͅh̴͖͓̪̻̠͠e̶̢͚͔̻̩͈̮̊́͗͘ ̴̳̞͑̉̉ẅ̶͈͚́͂̑ā̸̤̭͔̣̰̦̇̌̑̽̄ÿ̴̝̮́̈́̌́͛̓ ̷̛̙̺̀́̎̂ṯ̶̩̞̞̥͛̏͋͜h̸̻̽̀̈́́̃ę̶͔̻̭͍̲͕̏ȳ̵̖̭͐ ̸͚̈́̀͊̂ȃ̵̯̬̮͑͋͘r̸̡͙̬͙̠̓ĕ̵͇̫͚̑̀̄͠.̵̛͇̐̂̾̍ ̸̗̤̉W̷̖̖̬͔͚̆͗̕ȩ̵̨̪͉̱̬̯͆̃̑̂͂͂l̶̡͗̈́̿͐̆́̚ľ̷̞̟̞̬͙̫̻͗̃̓͘͘͝,̶̫͖̰͍̔͑̏̚͘͜ ̶̮͂̀͘I̶̧̒͑́̿ ̸͓̮̹͋̾͑͝ṣ̷̽ḧ̸̻͖̳͉̦͒̒̕̕͜ͅo̶͕̹̔̂͜ų̸̣͖͊̐͒̓̀͝l̷̨̞͇͉̳̄̏̒̔ḑ̷̩̯̏͛̆̓̈́̑̕'̴̬̪̤͎͂̊̅́̃͝v̵̰͚͒̓e̵̡̢̹̜͓͊̐̄̃ ̸̳͔̞̙̐̉e̵̫̺̩͍͙͚͋̈̈́̌͑͜͝x̵͓̲́͌͘͠ͅp̸̨͍̘͚̻͉̟̈́͐e̸̙̺͎̲͑̈́͠c̷̡̘͈͕̙̿͑͛ť̵͓̼̦͒̉͑͛̆̚e̶̛̠͊̐̄̈́̾͘d̴̢̧̮̤̈́̀̀͝ ̸͇̥͓͇͑̄̆̓i̴͙̅́̀͛t̵͎̩̥͂͛̈͌̕,̵̹̲̕ ̴̨̣̹̀͊̾̈́̄͌i̶̡̛̤̗͖̙͎͂t̴̲͖̳̫̝̲̜̅͆̒̕ ̵̨̳̼̪̤̣̋̓͑̓̈́͘w̶͔̭͔̻̤̙͛̍͊ͅa̷̧̨̨̮̠̱̋̐̏͝͝͠͝s̷̺͙͗̅̿̑ ̷̼͑o̵͇̪̞̝̰̱̒̍̈́̊̈́̽r̴̯̬͉̾i̸̧̺͕̓͊͆͑̾̓͠g̵͖̹̱͓͚̖̙͆̍͛͝į̸̦̝̮̣̦̇͜n̷̘͊å̵̛̛̬͚͈̺̯̿́̾̈l̷̖͎̬̱͔̉̇͂̔ḷ̷̲̗̼̲͓̈́̅͑̓̔ͅỹ̴̢̼̻̀̄͆̓̓ ̴̢̧̙̖̦̹͚̐̉̔̈́͝͝͝p̶̟̫͙͇̻͋̉̿͗͌̄ḁ̴̛̱̈́͛͌͠r̸͙̬̥̚t̸͈͆̒͗̍̐͠ ̶̦̒̈́̔̅͠ỏ̶̱̫͊̑̄f̴̼̖̯͔̳̂ ̸͚̰̼̻̀͊m̵̡̱̳͌̾y̶̦̭̌̾ ̴̯̫̤̙̳̆͒̋̿͜b̵̞̝͑͋̂̇̇͋ȓ̵͚̹̖̺͎̿̌̒á̵̝͔͍̯͉ì̸͇́̀̕͠n̴͍͔̩̊̽͊ ̷̘̭̤͕̌á̷̛͇̘͛̉̇f̶̮͖̘̝̯̑̇͑̕ț̵̦̘̞̠̀͌̾̓̓̍͜ẽ̸̢̱̞͖̤̇̏̃̇͝r̸̙̖̺̘̓ ̴̢̲̺̫̯̯̯̍͑͝ä̴̧͚̐͐͋̽̆l̷̢̜̠̋l̶̥̭̲̰͓̊̊̈́̋̋.̴̭̒ ̸̖̙̱͂̚N̷͕͔̖͎̦͍͍̽̏a̴͉̔̓̊t̶̯͍̪͇̯̗̃͆ȗ̴̦̞̪͚̗͌̀͆͋͘͜͜r̷̡̻̝̘͖̘̪̊̅a̶̪̥̬̲̟̒̂̄͜͠l̶̖͖͒́̕͝l̸͎̼̱̾̿̓̽͘͘ỳ̵̛̥̜̝͖̋,̸͍̙̽̑͐ ̴̧̟͕̠͓̘̭͋̊̀̆̊͋ỉ̵̮̐̽͘t̴̙̰̓̔̋̍̈́͆ ̷̢̭͎̄̈́̇w̸̭̻͎̬̩̾̉̓͛̈͝ơ̸͇̳̫͓̌̓̋̕͘͜͠ȗ̶̺̲̺͇͖͗͂ļ̶̛͈͇̮̟̣̉d̷͍̗͈̦̺̫̤̋͌͒̆͘'̶̡̡̳̘̘̙̰̍v̵̗̗͇͑̉̌͑̑̚ë̴̹̫͚́́̀͆͊̂͗ ̷̺̖̺̼̣̼̍̈́͌h̶͍̺̹̠̄̇͆̕͘͠ͅa̵͎͔͔̍̂̎͗̅d̸̖̀̅̃̎̇͘͠ ̵̢̰̹̯̩̼͛̀ͅa̶͓̫̟̿̌c̷̛̬͙͕͚͜c̸̡͎̰̬̭͉͂̄̓̈́̐e̶̳̥̱̋̊ş̶̜͎̲̤̳̈́̈̚̕͝ş̷̖̝̆̅̎̾̄̕ ̴̤̹̼̹̉̀͌̄ẗ̴͍̪͚͔̞͉́̃̃̊͂̉̕o̸͎̦͔̺͌̽̅͑̌̚ ̵̟̦̋̌ḿ̸̺͈̩̹̈́̋̀̂͜y̷̻͕̬̓͝ͅ ̶̢̗͎̱̄ͅm̸̤̖̖̥͕̗̮̂ē̴̗̺̽̈́͆͋͝m̷̢̦̋͌ő̵͙̑͌̊͆̈ȓ̶̜͓̤̦͝į̸̤̫̏̅̏̃̿ė̶̜͇͈̥̩̞̱͆̅̎̈͘ş̸̧̤͚͔̟̬̿̈͗͌̏̓ ̴̢̰̉ă̷̛̖̩͔͇͔̞̙͋͛͝ǹ̷̢̧͕̫̟̇͊̂͛̀d̷̖̯̊̐́̑́ ̵͚̠̿̆̈i̵͇̎̀ņ̸̪̯̹̘̝̉͐̈́̆͠t̶̛͖̙͙̻͇̅̎̈́ḛ̸̛̩̜̀́̎̚r̷͎̭̝͔̞̘͐͘͝e̸̹͖͔̍̇s̸͚̪̩̦̈̄́̂̓t̵̫͙̬̓̏s̵̲̓̾̓́͝.̷̛̲͊̂̽̃̎͝
̸̣͕̖̪̦̩̺̓̈́͂̌͋̃̿
̷̛̪̰̤̼̫͑̓̓̓̋̕
̵͎͉̻͕̋̂
̷̨͎̲͓̠̞̽͋͂̆̽̒͝B̷͖̝̼̽̌̿̋͑͜͝ų̸̹̗̹͑̓̓͘ț̴̢̝̟͔͚̈́̄̈̐͂̕͜ ̴͍̼̖̌̊̌̈̄͗ǹ̵͉̤ò̵̟̮͉̀͝n̵͓̝͈̤͂ẽ̵̢̯͈̱̖̥̐̀̍ ̴̧̼̣̼̉͛͠o̴̢̞͖̙̤͔̓f̵̰̹̗̠̳͛̓̐͒̋ ̶̖͌̕t̷̛͙̐͑̾̔͛̕h̵̨̡̝̯̖̀̍̇͝͝ă̵̛̗͈̦̳̳̞͛̋̑̚͠ț̵̤͎̝̥̟̊͋'̴̛̹̊s̷̳͍͉͇̗̤̏̄ ̶̛̼̺̏̑̆͘r̶͕̱̣̔̈́̓̔̂̐è̷̫̝̼̝͕̥̈̉̔͝a̸͖̳̜͔͒̚l̴͚̝͎͙̯̙̾̎̀̃̀̇̕l̶̢̛̖̱̩̈͘ͅý̵͙̜̪ ̴̛͖̜͖̣̹͖̗̉͛̅͠i̷͖̣̮̰̝͌m̵̙̄̊̈̈́̉͘p̴̰̟̫̪̣͉͌̓̈ơ̸̦̠̼̗͗͌̽̇̕ȓ̴̛̪̫̄͐͒́t̶͕̙̝͂̋ą̷͎̫̟̑ͅn̶͙̻̤͍͈̒͂͛͝t̷̘̟̭̤͖͆̒͘͜ ̵̹͎̯͍̖̏̀̄͘r̸̛̥̼̽̀͜ỉ̶̥̟̜̤̝̉͒͑̀g̵̫̠̝̀ͅȟ̷͇͖̽͜ẗ̸̳̜̖̹̖̫͚́̓̽͝ ̷̩̪͕̭͇͎̬͘n̶̨̐͂́̀o̸̡̰̥̩̦̙̐̐́̕͝w̶̬͎̼̥͉̰̅̐̍͝͝.̵͖̈́̂̔̄́̓͝ ̵͇̣̻̬͔͉͗̒̏̈͂͝͝Y̷͙̖̼̹͚͓̼̔̇̀̿̆̚͠ô̵͔͕̬̪̼͙̘̂̇̚ȗ̸̗̩̂͑̈́̄͗ ̶̪̺̘̲̦̎̓̂̂̈́͝a̸̡̜͇̣̜͈͛͐̃̓͗̅͋r̶̝͛̈́̄̀͒̔ë̸͖̱̫͚́ ̴̢͙̰̜̃͊̎̅̔ŵ̵͕͖̝͕̠͖́̓̊h̷̥͍͙̦̞͓͒̑͘o̵̼̾̈́̃̈́͑͑͝ ̷̞̓̒̇͗i̶̳̎̈́͑͂͂̕s̴̢̛̤̺̞̻̈́͒̎͘ͅ.̷̢̱̗̮̫̼͑ͅ ̸̗͈̣̝͇̜͕̒͆̀̓̈H̴̯͈͙̩̤̃͑̋͘o̵̢̡̧̺͉̪͌̅͒̓ͅn̴̨̻͆͆̇ẹ̵͉̜̌̄͋̅͑ŝ̴̯̍̕͘͘̕͝t̸̲͛̾̽͘l̵̺̺̩̺̪̤͂̄̀̀̓y̸̬͔͖̳͔̔̇̈́̐̕,̸̡̲̣̭̓̆ ̸̨͒̑̋̒ẗ̶̞́̏̒o̸̧̼̠̬͘ ̷͍͎̟͖̾͊̏͊͝t̷̳̘́̌̉̂̆̌̒h̷̰̦̯͗̊̕ͅi̴̗̠͇͛̇̅̀͠n̴̪͙̑k̵̢̧̤͓̿ ̷̹̬̆̏̈͛̾̓̂s̷̲͕̈́o̵̞̯̜̥̎̓m̷͚̃͋̋͌́͂ě̷̙̰̰̣̠̱͖̒̋̈́̕͝͝ẗ̸̪́͠ḩ̴̬̼̲̉̏͂̓̑̓͠i̸̘̫̹̯͒̒̐̄̐́̀n̷̛̮͓̼͉͍g̸̨̡͕̲̏̏͊͛̈́̀͠ ̴̰͈̝̥̗͙͌ḽ̶̢̦͇̫̇́̑i̸̙̬̠̪̣͕͌̓̑͝ͅk̵͍̫̥̬͍͒͜e̸̙͔̱͓̓͂ ̵̰͙̱̎̌̍́́y̶̱̟͇͉̹̽̌̿͐o̸̙͠û̷̪͘ ̸͍̜̎͛̕͜c̷̘̫͍͈̭̊͗o̶͈̳̠͕̲̗͚͗͐̇̄u̴̮͍̙̹̖͒̈̽͝͝l̴͚͚̪̬͛͆̿͂d̷̨̡̛̺͛̿̂̊̃̇ ̴̜͕̩̱̺̯͗̃̔͘s̷̡̼̜̤̋̓͊͌͘̚p̷̢̲̰̺͓̾̈́͘͠a̵̟̭̖̙͕͝w̶̘̭͙̗̐̏͂͛n̶̛̪͓͔̖̽̾̈́͒̎͠.̵̢̹̥͍̪̤͕́͋̂́͝ ̵̛̝̙̥̇̽̎͋͆͝Ĭ̸͕͙ͅf̵̨̂̎̎͘ ̵̟̱͓͙͈͙͊̇͂̋̉͘͘I̴̛͎͖̭̣̐͌̎͝͠ͅ ̴̻̇̋͐́͋͆h̷̡̲͓̩̖͌ä̶̦̳͕͔̯̹́́̿̌̓̕̕d̴̢̡͓̎͛n̷̡̨͓̩̈́̍͛̆̋̂'̴̨̨̛̻̯̐̒̀͠ṱ̸̢̪̋̎ ̵͙̙̻̫͎͑͗̈k̸͎̫͎̔̊n̴̪̭̣̭̚o̴̪̰̯̻͐̐́̾́̎ẇ̴̢̨̒͒̑̈́̐̈́͜n̶̡͔̭͆ ̴̪̟̣̺̮̲̫͛̆̊a̶̦̍͆̈̋̀n̶̜̯̬̈́͛͠y̷̹̆̋͌̓ ̶̩̺͈̄͗͂́͌͝͝b̵̰͇̞̩̄̚̕e̷̩̿̔͆̀t̵̞̝̙̖͎̀̏͗͌̎͝ţ̸̦̤̲͉̦̈̾̋̐͌͘͝ͅȩ̴̺͈̬͇̪̈̇̂͂͜ŕ̷̺̠̌̍̀͜ ̵̢̪̣̰̗̏͛̉͛̇͠I̶̥̓͊͐̿ ̵͔̮̲̬̘̬̑͆ẃ̸̳͋̈͝ǭ̵̛̖̦̼̥͓̦̀̾͋͠ǔ̶̢͙̖̹̿l̶̡̧̬̟̻̜̽d̷̲͛͌̇̓̽͆ ̵̣̹̠͆́̀̏͜t̵͉̹̰̔̀̂̈́̑̚̕ͅh̴̛͖̹͇̥͙̭̑̾̄i̸͙̜͍̘̤͑͋͗n̶͖̪̼̦̠̏̊̄̋̉̈́ķ̴̧͓̱̬̯̟̌͂ ̸͉͕̩͉̮̺̆̎͛͂̍͗ẗ̵̛͍͙́̀͝h̴͓̝̮̑͂̿̿̑͜͠ë̸̩̖́̀̾̎͝͝ ̷͍͕̺̀̈́͝c̷̲͎̥̞̹̔o̵̢̨͓̊͒̿͋̿͑͜n̴͇͓͓͖̳̣̐́͜t̶̹̟͈͇̮̭̮̎͛r̵̥̠͖̅͛͂͌̍o̷̧̳̠̯̮̻̓͂̋͗̈́͆͐͜l̶̢̦̞̳̔͌ͅ ̴̧̨̛̛̺͈̣͗̈́̉p̶̛͍͎̲̞͝ȑ̴̩̤̻̔̓̔́ò̶͚̼̜̖̺̖͍́͗̚g̸̤͇͍͍̙̓́̒́͊͝͠r̷̨̬͇̬̆̓͂ȧ̶̪̞͍͙̲̿́́̿ͅm̷̯̺̺̲͆͋ ̶̙͗̾͂̔i̴̛͓̥̞̩͋͛́͒̒͝s̷͍̓̓͝ ̶͇͂͂̂͝͠f̵̧̫̺͙̰͙͚̂͌̓͗̀u̴̩͈̠̬͖̓c̷͉̯̔́͆͗͛ķ̷̼̱̘̈́̔̔̅̈́͘͠i̵̛̯̣͍̖̩̣̐̉̀̚̚n̴̹̆̋́g̵͍̱̎̽̉̓̍̄̏ ̴͖̰̟̺͂̀w̵̦͇̰̜͉͎̟͊͒͒i̸̧̫͔͍̜̘͍͋̽̀̀̈́t̴̻̏͒͒͛̓͠h̴̭̓͆̄̈́̕ ̵̢̛̙̊́̿̑͐͜ͅm̶̮̙͔͚̥͒ͅe̶̦̦͊.̵̢̛̩͚́͋̈́
̷̛̪̃̂̋̆
̸̯̦̤̈͘͝
̴̭̄̒́̇̅̀̕
̴̨͍͚͎͊̋͐͜Ḇ̷͇́͛ų̸̩̟̙̎̈̊͘͜t̴͓̻̗͚͍̩̓͘ͅ ̷͍̲̣͘ś̸͙̗̞͍̯͍́͐͛̏t̶̤͙̹̙̣̋̿͑͋͝i̶̪̊̇̀̈́͋ḻ̷̲̘͈͇̉l̶̠̬͕͛̎̄̉͑,̵̨̫̰̜͙̱̂̆̈́͜ ̵͉͕̱́̓̀ͅẗ̶͖̩̩̗͝h̶̭̲͓͊͑́̾̂a̵̼̫̮̻̼̙̖̒t̶̛͕͚̖̲͋̊́͗̉̕ ̷̲͈̝̱͇̻̒͋̆͗̽į̴̧͖̪͍̘͍͝ș̷͈͖̫͕͍͆́̒̌̚͜ ̴͙͍̳̩̘̩̦̃̐͆s̵͈͋͛͂̓̕͠o̴̟̲͍̼̱̙͐͊̌̓̈́̾m̵͖̄̃̽̓̿ẽ̶̜̬͇̝̞̲͐̓ ̸͚̭̹͓͔̲́͒̾b̸̨̠̼͆a̵̪̰̤̓̆́̈̄̋̓ľ̵̨͎̱̜̠̕͘l̸͙̼͆̃̋͊͒́͝s̶̜̝͇̾͝ ̵͍͚̗̪̬̪̐̃̃̕͘y̸̼̘̤̱̙̋͊̽̉̈̚o̷̧̢̞͓̺͈̿̑́̄̐̔ư̵͎̠̰͉̪̱͆̈́̾̀́͘͜ ̸̧̣͂͆̌̿̔h̵̻͈̰͛̾̚ã̵̖̥ṿ̷̯͐͌ȩ̶̫͈̟̰͙̐̍͂́͜.̶̠͎͙̟͇̃ ̴̺̮̮̞̣̅͆̌̀̍̀W̶̡̖̣̺͂h̴̨̻͚̼̖͌̐̒͝a̷̼̬̍͊̐́̔̕t̶̢̨̹́ͅ ̸̰̯̱̺̭͐͑̑̍̿̿͆y̵̪͕̰̳̞͈̠͋̑͐̾o̶͕̗̟͆̓̽͑͠ú̷̡͎̳̞̣̘̲̓̀́͠'̶̬̤̐ͅr̷͍͍͖͇̙̎̽̍̊̎̆ê̴̼̗̜͗̓́ ̷͔̬͎̀̅̽͝ͅa̶͕͑͆͒̂̎̚ͅt̸̛̝̱̫̮̦̦̚ͅt̸̩͍̜̟̖́ȇ̷̥̯̜̯̹̜͓̉m̴̩̻̮͚̺̔͜p̵̛̤͕͍̩͚̈́͌́̀͊ṫ̵̟̪͈͉i̶̫̪̩̦͋̈́̓͂̑͝n̷̹̱͈̦̄͂͊͝g̵̹̯̈͑͒͗̽̀͜ ̷̹̙̫͎͠͠i̴͙̯̾͂̐ś̵̮̤͇̗̿̇̈́̆͊͝ ̴̪͈͚̆̂̏́͊c̸͔̾̽͛͌̐̚̕ĕ̵̤̤̺̯̫̈́͒̈́r̴̨͕͖͍̉̆̑̂́t̴̟̩̂̋̑̾̑̈́a̴̧̡̬̬̞̭̣̒͝͝͝ḭ̵̘́͐̍͠n̵͈̻̖̳͑̅l̴̝̲̓͌̃͊y̷̢̛̤̙͚͆̽̆ ̵̨͚̂̏̓̊̒̕a̷̳͛̓̑͠ ̸̤̔̌̐̚l̶̜̜̠̙̫̍͛̑͜i̸̯̤̱͇̙̓͋͒͒̎͌͊t̷̠̮͈̓̓͜t̵̡̛̳̻̫̦͐̇͛̾͛͂l̸̢̺̩̠̩̼̑͌͆́́̚e̸̥̪̩̣̻͑ͅ ̷̡͕͕̐̆ȗ̴͕͕̝̤̈n̴͎̫̻͙͌͜͝o̷͔̓̀͆̈́̌͝͝r̶̨̯͓̝͙̈́͝ͅt̵͓͖̲̼͇̲̯̂ẖ̷̛̲̦͑͗̈́̐̐̏o̵̼͚̼̰͐̊̆͗͂̌̾d̷̘̤̲̝̗̤͍͊̋o̶̜͍̱̻̺̐̔͑͛͋͛͘x̵̧̺͎̯̰̲̂̐̃̾̀̒.̷̞̔͛͆̽̐̂ ̷͎̝̞͆I̴̪̺̥͂̓͒̿͜ͅt̶̜̲̘̘͙̂̏̆́͂̎'̴͈͙͎̮̭͝l̷̩̻̜̺̩̖͛̃̅̂͂̉l̸̨͔̲̟̞̟̏͒́̈ ̸̪̼͔̞͖̼̕c̸͚̒e̷̯̗͙̐̐r̵͕̾͘ť̶̰̽͒͛͑͒ȧ̷̱̤̹̌̃ị̶͖̣̫͙̒͘ǹ̵͍̱͐l̷̡̲̋͜y̶͌̒̎͒̈͗͜ ̷̼̐͊̀̓́̅p̶̧̖̭͖̹̮̯̒͌͆̋̚͝͝i̷̗̬̓̍̆̈́̓̕s̷̈͆͌̐͘͜͝͝s̵͓̳̦̅̃̄͑͐͝ ̵̩̮́͗̈͘ó̴̬̱̿͑͊f̴̨̪̙͔̓̄f̴̹̩̜̣̞̔̓̃̿̒̄ ̸̨̺̫͔̜̖͆̕ͅţ̵̦̥̗̊͑͐͝ͅḫ̵̭̮͎̃̿̽͘͝ė̴͙͇̻̾̓̕ ̶̖̻̺̂̏̈́̃̕͠r̴̬͉̋̀͐̾̕e̶̫͔͍̱̾̿̀͝ḯ̸̫̰̣̖̰̓̽͊̓g̶̜̈̈́́͆͑̎ṉ̸̨̛̳͚̋́́͒͆̑ͅi̵̞͔̓n̷͔̼̅͑̈́̅g̸̳͎͙̤͚͙͗̽̓ ̴͍̻̹̩͔̜͛̅̒̄͂̑̚p̴̥̖̓̊ȯ̸͚̕w̴̧̗͗e̷̳̲͗̄͐͌̈́͝ŗ̸̳̭̾́̑͌ ̶͖̠́̎̇͌͘ò̶̥̼̳̈́͒̇f̵̺̥̽͜ ̸̢̘̤̜̥͓͗͋̔̅̔̊͛y̵̢̠̤̳̦̔́̃̕͠õ̵̳̯̉͛̏͘͠ȗ̵͉̈́̉̾͛̓ŕ̷͓ ̵̹̫̖̲̗̃́͂̑w̷̢̲̜̭͓̋́o̷̺̙̅̔̚͠͠ṙ̶̮̣͒͠l̷̰̰̯͑̈̿̑͝͝ḋ̶͙̙͙̠̊̕͝.̸͉̐̊̏̑͠ ̵̢̛̝̠͓̹͕̺H̸̺̣͎̅̈́̇̈́͂̅͜͠ǎ̶̛̛̖̯̥̟̣͉̖̐̇i̵͙̻͉̺̳̒,̸̬̳̑̓͗ ̴̢̣̹͗̚I̸̦̮͇̯̋̆̍̏͊̉̕ ̸͕͇͖͍͒f̵̠̝͖̽̄̑́̆͆ŏ̷̢̺͈̻͖́͐̇̑ŗ̶̢̖̟͙͝ĝ̶̛̤̰̩̤̈́̔͆͠õ̸̡͍̣͓̝̘̌̽̔̏̕͝ẗ̸̘́͐̉̄ ̶̧̦̩͐̇̀̾̕h̵̛̯͕͍͓́̈́̇͜ͅo̷̢̝̖̎̓̈͑͊̓͝w̸͎̼͕̟͉̑͛̽͛̈́͝ ̶̘̱̉́̑͠a̶̢͎̖̫͈̙̫͆͑́͒̔̂n̴̤̂̒̓͝ñ̷͓̥̎̀͂o̸̦̣͙̮̙͂̄́y̵̧̹͍̅̄̒͑̓į̷̧̪̃̆̑̔͝n̴͚̻̹͑̄͗̚͝g̷̡͙̞̱̑͗ ̴̪͈͕͎͕͋̓̅t̴̙̬͔̘͔͇̋̈́͛̋̚h̵̲̳̪̐̈́͂͝ǫ̶̛͈̩̹͂̈́̂͂͗̚ŝ̴̮̖͕́͘͝è̷̢̪̖̯͇̻͈̍́͒͝ ̸͖͎̾͗̓̚͝p̷̱̯̯͊͐a̷̺̮̟̻͊ͅr̵̢̢̩͈͚̲͒̑à̵̬͓̼š̶͖͚̮̋͂̚͜ȉ̸̯̺̫̺̱̘̞͛͠ṱ̸̫̝̇͌̏ȩ̷͇̝̟̟̣̌̃̿̅ș̶̳̫̣̥͑͐̈́̄́͝ ̸̟̻͚̘͇͇̀̓̌̀͋̅͛c̷̯̉̿͗͘͝ä̷̗͉͙͈́̎͛́͘͝ǹ̷̙̅̈ ̵̭̼̪͓͂̿́b̸̨̺̬̹̔̽̾̈́́̕e̸̛͇̲̩̻.̵̱̮͆͊͝ͅ
̷̲͙̻̀́̏̇̌̚͜͝
̸̧̖͈͓̣̊̓̾̚
̴̢̳̞͈̤̌̈̾̏̈́̕͘
̶̞̲̬̑̈́̈́͛̚̕O̴̧̡̤̭͍̖͌̓̄͆̆͂̓ḧ̵͕̬̟̈́͗̑͗̈ ̷̢̠̰̬̘̣̫̒̃̓̇́̚w̴͉͈̅é̵̳̘̺͕̂ͅl̷̡̘̗̫̏̀̊͊͘͝l̴̞̔̇͒̈́̚̕,̴̑̏͆̕ͅ ̴͎͚̫͔̣̿̑͒w̵̠̺̗̲̹͇̚á̶̯̗̠̐͗́̎͜͜t̵͕̪̱̤̟̀̍̂̐c̵̰͉̆̌̃̂͘ͅh̴̜̳̳͍̽̑͛i̴̧͔̰̙̳̫̽͑͋̕n̴̡̞̬̩̬͚͔̾̈̈́̒̔̓̚g̶̯͍͆͑ ̴̢̠̟̘͔́̓͂́̀͠͝ÿ̸̡̻͖̬̟̗́ò̷̮̈́̆̇͂̂̅ũ̷̡̢͓͔̟̱̀̓̓̏ ̴̧̣̦͈̖͇͑̐̈́̀̄̕̚͜h̶̠̮͂̒͗̉͗̚a̴̤̩̽̏͋̑s̴͈̟̭̣̫̼͛͂͌̅̑̈́̕͜ ̶̤̯́́͘b̸̢̝͇̠̖͆͛e̶͊̒̃̕͜ẹ̵̭̠͋̔̎́̈̈́͝ͅn̵̡̧͉͕͎͔̐́̀͑͛̕ ̸̫̳̆͋͜v̶͙̮̹͈̰͖͍̂͐̎̊͠e̷̳̦̗͆̒̋̓̃r̶̨̢̖̳̋̒̓̈́̚y̴̧̜̙͍̱͑̈́͋̔̅͘͝ ̷̧͓̤̹̘̟͕̉e̷͉̬̗̗̞͐́ņ̵̹̮̂͑t̵͙͔̼̀̽͒̄͜ͅe̵͉͌̔͝r̶̺͍͍̮͎͇͖̾̊͛͊ẗ̸̯́ạ̵̧͎̈́͗̕͘͠͝ị̸̖͉̍̓͑̓̏̑n̷̗͓̹͓̩̱̫̊͊͆͘͘i̸̩̦̻̥̣̖͊ͅn̵͔̣̤̫̬͕͛ͅǵ̷̭͔͔̆͐͠͝.̸̬̣͋͆͝ ̷̝̫͔̾̄̓I̸͙̥̞̠͋͊̿̆͊͂̚ ̶̛̛̩͎͚̜̗̅̅̒̽͜ͅć̶̯ã̷̡̗͙̙̞͊̚n̸̥͓̙̭͕̑͂͆̀'̷̢̠͕͚̮̓̽ţ̴͔̟̍͂͊̓ ̶̡͇̥̟̲̥̠̈w̴̨̼̹̓͒́̓̇̇͠a̸͙̦͉̰̙͗̈́̽͆̀̕͜i̸̙͖̟̯̙͆̍ẗ̴̺̞̩̹ ̴͓̘̲̙̻̝̔̾́̕t̶̙̥̰̲̽̀̕o̷̢͔̱̝͈̞̦̽̀ ̵̨̧͖͖̙̜̩̾͐̂́̚ṣ̴̻̻͛̅e̵̛̹͓̎è̷͔̩̮̏́͆̏ ̸̧̩͍͈͌̄̌͒̿͠͝h̶̛͓̙̄͜o̸̦̙̬̭̭͋̑̉ẅ̶̢̹̳̫̞̗̩͐́̇͒̕͠ ̴̤͈̳̮̖̮͊y̸̛͇͓̣̫̏̎͊̈́̍̑ͅo̸̡̨̻͇̓͒̋͛̉͑̊ͅú̸̺'̵̼̱̩̳̋̌̈́̈́l̷̡̥͉̮̜̇̑̓̿͝ĺ̸̨̠͚ ̸̯͙̈̄͆͊͐̐ẃ̷̢̦͔͚͙̲͔̾̕ì̵͇͔̝̹̙̝̏̐n̴͚̥̏,̵̛̛̹̟̄̎̏͑̈́ ̵̞̥̫̳̱̉̀̈́̃̈́̅͗ͅI̸̼̝͋͂ ̵͉̓̈à̷̟̝͍̻̓͗̉́͜l̸̺͉̀̄̄͠ḿ̸̘̣̏̑̽͒o̴̫̻̎̇̕s̶̯̥̭̀̅̚͝t̵̺̲͈̣̤̻̒̈́̐ͅ ̸̳̬̦̯̬͎͙͂w̵̺͍̦̺̱̺͘à̶̡̼̹̫͇̮̲͋̅͂́̿n̴͓̘̝͌͊͂̀̚t̸͚̖̗͉̪͂ ̶̢̝͊ẗ̶͓̟͈͕̼̭́͐̃͆o̶̧͖̓͑ ̸͉̺̜́́͆͐̂͑̿l̸͚̈́̃͂̆̓͝o̵̟͒̍ő̴̹̦͓̤̗̈̂̾k̶̞̟̪̀͗̚͝ ̷̟̠͈̥̗̝̈́i̴̪͕̙̓n̷̡̡̛̏͛͘t̸̢̧̗̂ò̶͓͓̱̝̪̩̥̈́͋͋͘̕͝ ̵̰̦̲͎̻͓̞̍̓ÿ̶̦̭͚́̄o̴̹̬̐ù̶̞̆r̶̡̤̈́̃̌́́͑͝ ̸̢̹͚͎̺͈̀̉͗̈́̓f̵̘̤̼̑͋͆̈́͋ư̵̖̝̱̩̖̄̾̆̒͒͋t̸̢͔̩̥̝͙̞̆ŭ̷̙͖̯̹͉̩̆͜͝r̵̭͚̓ė̶̤.̴̧̥̭͇͓̓̎́̕ͅ ̵͈̙̲̘̰̋I̴̙̲̽͑̆̏͝ ̷̧͕̏̀͋̚w̴̢̮͈͇̞̟̎̉̀̀̍o̴̱̭̲̮̞̾̏̑̀͂͗̊n̵̤̤̮͋̿̈́̌̂̚d̷̺̖͗̚ḛ̸̲̱̂̈́ŗ̵̗͎̻̇̈́̀,̵̯̥̒̎̽͗̀͐͊ͅ ̶̳̪̥̬͕̋͐͊̃̀̿͝ͅc̸̺̙̦͂̓a̸̱̭̝͖̲̋͐̑͒͠͝͝ń̷̢̟̥̝̜̫̃ ̶͇͉̈̉̍̏̿̈́͘y̸̧͈̞̽̉̈͌̈o̵̡̞̙̗̘̍̍̀̾̈́̈́u̴̹̞͚̯̟͐̾̊͐̚ ̴͓̩̱͇͓͑r̵̤̜̜̆̍̊̚e̸̢̺̟̝͆͝a̸͚̟̯͐͂̈́̅̈͠͝ͅl̸͔̘̟̻̤̹̖̋̍͊̈̈͌̂l̷̡̦̋͌̀̆y̴̧̢̿̅͆ ̸͖̞̲̪͚̦̔̚͝g̸̼͆̈̍ò̵͍̹͖͕̰̌̈́̋̂̈́ͅ ̸̥͔͉͖́̏̓́͝ã̴͇̪̱̭͚̓ǵ̶̢͚̣̙̩͚̓̐̎̋̽͛ȃ̵̞̦̙̞i̶̛͙̱̳̣̩̞̾͗̓̔n̴̮͕̳̲̈̈́ş̶̨̧͔̩̬͌t̵̩̝̱̤̠̩̲͒̉̿̐̉͘ ̴̬̫̮̪͎̫̑̋t̴̩̓͊͠h̶̠͍͈̜̄̊̔̏͂̓ę̶̝̃̒̊ ̶͓͋͋t̶̼̳̩̀̈́ͅǐ̷͔̯͙̙̆̕͜d̸̰̮̈̎ę̶̣̠̬͖͍̾̈́̍̽͠ ̸̡̤̖̗̄̍̎̈́̈ȯ̷̼͂̀͛̎͝f̷̻̖̺͈͋̂͒̿̔͝ ̷̧̫̗͌̀d̸̼̼͍̎͒ë̶̢̲͖̬̱́̾̇̕ś̸͎̼̮̩͛t̶̰̭͐͒͋̂͋͋i̷̢̦͓͚̖̝̿͂̉͠ņ̷̪̙̝̿̌̌͐͘͠ẙ̴͙̘̭ͅ?̴͙̯̞̾͂̄̓͌̌̈
̷͇͚͚̳̯͂̾̉̋̿̈́̃͜
̶̬̰͖̞̮̺̎
̷͇̾̋͐̉
̸̙̪̪̝͇̬̈́̈́̇̔͛͒͂Ḇ̷̡̗̣̫̓̇͊̌͝ú̶̦̤̊̎ţ̸̪̠̽͆̐̍̄͊͠,̵̣̙͉̯̒͛̐̚ ̴̨̨̟̃̊̂̓͠ḥ̵̡̱̈́m̵̡̧̮̥̱͖͉̎̄̾m̸̮̩͖̈́̈́̋̉̈́̚…̶̡̯̬͕̹̮́͋̌̂
̶̨̜̬͙̟̌
̸̨̘͇̜́͊͜
̸̜̳̺̝͇̓̀̍͌̐ͅ
̵̛̮̖̾͐̒̒͗Y̷̘̤͙̳̠͆̐͋̈o̴̧̜͎̎͝ͅu̵̦̾̉́̋̈͠ ̸̺͈̭̠̒͘k̸̜̦̻̙͔̭̉̎͐͌̐͊ņ̴̲̻̯͕̲̼̇ȯ̷͕̺̤̂̀͆̊̂w̷̻̹͎̿,̴̡̢̝̘͔̽̋͌̿̆ ̷͍̊̂̚j̸̪̦̤̠͙̫͓̓ṷ̶̞̜̮̦̈́͗̂̈́̏̀s̶̹̬̋̋̓̍̊͛͝t̷̏ͅ ̶̨̰̿ḧ̶̨̻̰̼̘̟́́̈́̿̈ą̴̛̹̱̓̒͌v̴̹̫͖̋̈̀̕i̴̘̭̱̔̔n̶̪͕̦̓͗̌̏͒̆̚ģ̶̪͚̙͌̈́ ̷̛̱̬͎͙͉̮͐̀̆̂͐̔t̵̢̹̺͖̲͛͌h̵̛̬̖̙̜͑̽͝e̴̖̜̭̣̼͑̈́̓̍m̶͚̰̻̊̐ ̵̰̋̓̉͛i̵̭͓͎̖͕̣͆ș̷͙̟͍̮̏̉͠ ̶͈͚̻͙̣͂̿́a̴̮͚̥̻̯̝̓͌̌̏̊̐̐ ̵̡̢͔͙͈̝̝̊b̸̼̓i̷̺̎͛t̵͈͙̙̹̪͗̀ ̶̦̲̭̼̠̯̀̓͋̄͝͝c̶̢̨͍͔̫̟͊̄͒́̔ͅl̴̗̍͑̓ị̵̙̳̥͎̕ć̴̱̰̺̈́͑̌ḩ̵̨̛̣̊̔͂ę̵̗̫͖̯͈̇̀̉͝.̷͚͉̦̈́͋̕͝ ̴̙̃̿́̇͂S̸̗͐́̄͋͘̕í̷̮͕͎̥̩͍̏͑̕͝n̸̛̗̳̮̰͑̍̒̅̔͝c̷̡̰͓̭̤͚̿̋͐ę̵̠̬̣͈̓́̀͘͝ ̷͔̟͓͈̘̍w̸̡̫̱̻̆̒͝e̶͍̣̽̔̊͝'̴̘̳̒ŗ̷̮͖̥̖͓̟̿́̌̐ể̴͚̟͗̈́́͘ ̶̞͖̤͕̮̠̪͆̄̑̈́ȧ̴̻̱̲̱͕̦̑l̶̛̝͓̮̠͇̿̍͌͒̀̚r̶̻̐̈́̄ȅ̴̛͕́͌͂́͘ȧ̸̢͚͍̼͚̲̣d̶̳̺̈̽͐͘y̷̲͚͆͐̉͛̾͝͝ ̶̗͔̖̅̀̃̒̚h̶͚̿e̷͕͇̙͖̋̒͛r̵̡̗̙̲̹̼͛̌ę̶̘̖̦̤̝̜͒̂̈́̄͑́̌,̷̟̻̤̲̻̂̎̆ ̴͙͈̻̜̻̩̒͆́̓̇͗̋w̷̧͔͎̠̾̉̚ḩ̵̪͎̳̤́̿̐̾͛͝y̷͚̤͂̑̒̾̀̃ ̵̫̪͓͎̣͉̲̅̀́̈̎̀͝d̶̨̢̯̰̅̌̆̐̑̍͘o̴̟̪̝̟͈͗̿̕n̵͍̣̭̯͎̓̐̾̀͋'̴̡̣̯͔̼͔̱͗̂͗̀̈t̵͈̠̩͎̬͌̏̈́̾̽̓ ̷̩͈̜͛̈́w̷̢̰͕̲̒̅e̷͕͙͊̊̉̀͝.̸̺̥̈̇͂̕͝͝
̴͌̈́̓̄͠ͅ
̷̹͈͉͈͔͆͐̆́̆͐͜
̴̛̯̮̺̊̈̃̉̚̚
̶̱͊̈́̌͠͠Ã̸̠̣̲̺̪l̸͍̈́͋̆́̍̍r̶͔̞̩̝̠̊̑͝í̵̮̭̤̈́͆̂̎͒͝ǧ̸̻̕ḣ̵̡̘̝̙̩̞̮̿̀͒͗͝͝t̶̛͙̣͔̰̉̒́̅̏,̷̩̲̤̺̪̈́͌ ̵̡̯͍͂̓͜l̴̞̩̑̇è̵̟̰̉t̸̟̻͚͇͍̓͌'̶̛̹̪͈͙͔̀͂s̸̛͇̙͐̌̉̌̈́̅ ̷͕̜̦̚d̴̡̡̡̈́̄̾̅͂̏o̴͎̦̜̊̈̍ ̷̨̙̰̯̤̦̊t̴̡̖͎̙̾̔́̿͘h̷͍̹̫̓̈́̈́i̷̜̜͈̹̋͘s̵̨͇̯̊̉̓ͅ.̵̧̭͎̤̤̿̓̚
̶͇̥͌̾̍
̷̘͓̥̥̙̙̈́
̶̧̢̝̻̼̃͆̔̀̚
̵̖̠̼̋̉̑͊̃̒̇S̵̡̰̯̫̞̙̑̅̉́̈́́͘ȅ̵̢̤͂̆ȇ̷̦͕͠ ̸̩̮̙̱͌̅͠ͅt̸̬͚̖͛̄͋͜h̶̝̜̾̀́̕͠i̶͙̹͗s̷̲͓͇̤̱͔͘ ̶̛̹̣̂̽͑s̵̨̘͙̅̎͗̂̾͝p̸̠̙̥̟̩̯̩̂̂͠é̴̩͕̳̥̞͔̍c̴̱͉̄̌̈́̂͜͠ ̴͖̟̱̠̫͇̩͒̓̀̽̕͝Ī̶̧̤͚̗̻̭̼̍ ̴̰̟̠͊̽h̶̤̹̣͈͊͛̓̕a̸͇͖͓͑̉͊v̷̧̘͇͉̟̘͝ȅ̸͔̙̑̎̍ ̵̦̬͑̏̽̃̍̔̄į̸͕͔̀̂n̴̹̟͗͂ ̵̪͙̫̤̱̪͗m̵̱͒͊̑̍̑͝ỵ̸̲̤̑̓̔̉̾̑ ̵͈̙̗̙̘̹̽̏̇̔̈́h̸̙̅ͅa̷̗͈̻͔͈̙̍͌̊̕n̶̩̣̜̂̉̄d̶̳̍̅͝?̸̨̩̝̭͂̈́͠ ̷͎̞̪͎̓͜Ȋ̴̛͔͓̜̩͎̖̍̔̀ţ̴̻̙̀̈̀s̸͇̤̘̳̞͔̦̀̈́̕͝ ̸̹͙̐a̶̪̬̞̞͍̲̋̃ ̵͕͖̰̺̙̄́͋́l̴̖͎̣̯͍̗̄̇͐i̶̢̱̼͔̾̓̅t̶̖̦͇̬͒̃̽t̵̻̟̂̏̈̓l̷̢̝̪͖͉͗͛͝͝e̶̛̼̫̱̤̜͋̈́̋̇́͘ ̵͈͔̺̯͌̊́͑̾s̷̠̀͐̇̈ó̶̧̝̏̾m̸̗̻̻̳̑ͅẹ̴̛̈́̂̓̿̓͑ẗ̶͉͇̟͈͔̒̀h̷̪̩̺͠į̸̠̦̼̼̩̃̀͐͜ń̷̢͓̻̗̀́͜͝ͅǧ̵̲̦̭̣͌̈́͠͝ ̵̢͓̞̎̇͂̕Į̵̢̢̛̪͍̣̟ ̵͉̀̂͛̓̅́̾j̴̧̺̻͍̼̅͜ȕ̴̢͎̹͍̭̽̆̋̀̂͘͜s̸̨͚̫̱̍͛̾͊̊̅t̵̖̪̯́̆͒͒̅̓̚ ̴̤͙̣͔͋̔̆̃́c̵̻̿͗̈́̋̌̒o̴̪̳̽̊̐ȍ̶͚́k̸̯̐̈́͒͆e̶͚̞̪̖͚͉͆̋̎͗ḍ̷̹̮̆̅̂̐̿ ̷̧̟̬̈́̌ͅu̴̟̤̥̞̭̲͈͂́̓ṗ̷͕͇͕͔͖̼̹̀̾̕͠ ̸̭̓̏́̈͑͘ͅb̸̧̧̦̭͈̌̀a̶͓̰͔̝̿̒̅͌͐̃̚ş̸̤͓̼͕͍̭́e̶̳̽d̵̙̳̻̎̃͐ ̴̗̈́͋ǒ̷̜͉̯͎̫́̂͌̊͐͐n̷͔͑͜ ̷̦̻̰͕̙͒͌̚ş̴̇̍̀̇̍ȏ̵͖̣͉͖̹͈͛̊̚̕m̷̞̊́̋ẹ̶̰̄̓́͑̽͑ ̶̟̉̈́͗͋ó̸̩̄̓́͘f̶̼͚̆̀͗́ ̸̫̗̜̈́͆̒̕t̷̡̹̠̱̓̂͆͐͂̒h̷̻͊̂͗̔̋̓ḙ̶̟̒͑͂͌ ̸̛̹̄͋͠ṁ̴͖̜̻̩͖̦͍̐́o̵̡̡̡̜̜͒ͅͅs̶͚͍̣̳̈̍̾̚ẗ̶̨̢̹̗́̚ ̵̧͇̰̺̰̟̞͂͐̊́̀̔g̸͚̹̼̭̈́̿ȅ̸̢̮̀n̴̡̼͙̫̲̝̗̒̀̃̏̒͘͝ê̶̲̟̪͛̀̉̀r̵̯̝̆̆̈́̏̄̓̔i̸͖̥̼̳̦͙͉̅̓͋̍̾͠c̶͙͔̫̦̦̀̄ ̴̟̘̼͎͙͓̞͋̓̇̋͘í̵̢̨̢̛̲̭̀̚͘͜n̵̻̂̈́̃͌̅͝s̴̢̼̬̳̀e̸̢̛͇̺̯͋͑̆̕͜r̴̡͙͉̤̙̈́̃͘͜t̷̺̫̤̤̤̩̭̎͆͒s̶̢̡̗̼͎̱͐͒̓̓̑ͅ ̷̛͉͖̩̯͓̋p̶̣̔̓͒̉̈̚o̶̹̜͚͕̐̌s̶̟͚̰͒̈́͝s̸͖̝̈̉̊̅̀̓́ĩ̴̖͕b̶̢̭͓̙̎̌́̐͜͝l̶̟̘͇̩͕͋̏̈́̄̎ẽ̷͈̫͓͈͕͉̭̆ ̴̢̢̛̗̩̅́͑͝í̸̫̯̠̘̙̀̽͜n̸̘̘̎̅̌̀̌̈̏ ̸̬̮̣̮͐͂͠ţ̵͖͙̘̖̤̏͑h̶͈̘͕̬̮̥͓͊̀i̸̥̼̳͗̄̓͊̌̉s̵̲̋͊͋̚͝ ̶̞͙̯̜̒͐̄͊̿͊͐g̴̮̻̘̫̘̬̿͐̓͝e̶̜͇̞̝̙̖̠̅̎̈́̑͛n̴͙͌͑̂͗͠r̵̢̗̻̹̩̻̮̂͛͊̒͌̉͌ȩ̷̘̣̗̯̜͍͗͐̇̄͘͝.̵̡̥̌͜ ̸̧̫̫̰̳̤̔̿́͘̕͝S̵̟̹̏̈́̆o̸̧̠͍͈̬͊́̔ ̸͙̝̭̀̏̆͊͜ơ̸̛̦̳̯͖̲͋̓̍͝f̶͔̤͙̄͂f̸̖͉̪͚̘͙̠̕͠ ̸̧̬̀̀̒̀w̴̨̤͍̠̰͉̃e̴͚̝̩͖̻̟̠̓̎͆͋̚̚͠ ̸̰̆͋͒͑͋͊̑ͅg̵̗͆̍̃̊͝o̵͚͛̋̽̿!̸͇̰̾́͑͗
̷͚͉̳̏̒̀
̶͍̗̻̈́͗͛͑͆
̷̧̰͎͕̤̫̖̔̈́
̵̢̰͎͔̹͎̳̓͒̈́͆͠Ỉ̴̡̻͕͓̠̰̠͝t̷̤̒͛͜'̶̠̤͓͔̩́̓̌͛̕ͅl̴͇̺̞̀̏͒l̵̡̬̠̼͋͊ ̸̛̺̖̗̗̗͕́̂̈́͝p̵̡͎̹̣̤͑̌͌r̶̰̙̤͔̀̋̔͑͌̕͝o̸̫̻̻̫̩͆̑̓̒̾͐͆b̵̘̥̝̊͛̌ä̵͇̗͂̈͝b̸̗̗́̉͌ļ̵͕͙̖̰̩̞̀̓͛̚ý̵͔̫̳̳̋̽̔ ̷̡̫̥̼̹̺̤̃͒̆t̷̩̳̻̑̊̒̽̈́̆͜a̷̩̻̞̺̗̾͂k̵̡͙̦̟̰͌ͅḙ̵̬̐͘ ̷͉̬͔͊̇͛͆́͝͝a̵̖͍͍͐̿͋̇̓́͊ ̴̠̟̹̙̮̣̾̈́̌̿̽̊̿f̷̨̩̙͈̞̣̪̅ȅ̶͚̥͋͋̍͊͝ẉ̶̀͑̈́͗͝ ̸̗͐c̵̛͉̊̎̏͛ố̷̖̉̃̉̕s̶̖̔̇͋͋̚m̷̦̘̳̻̤̆̀̽i̶̞̐̿͌̇͌c̷̡̱̼̖͆́͗͊͆̑͝ ̶̺̥̱̘̙̔́̈́͝͝c̷͚͔̔y̶̹̟̬͋̊̄c̴̳͎̿͌̅̒̏ĺ̸̢̀̈́͐̽́͛é̸̼͔̾͋s̴̥̟̺͓̬̭̔́́̾̒̃̚ ̴̧̘̟͈̫͔̳̔̐̀͌̑̚͘b̶̡̼̪̫͍̬͐͐̔̎ã̶͍̹̟̉̽͌͗̈́̈́ŝ̶̻̫̹͙̂͒̾̕̚è̸̡̺͙͇̜̓d̶̞̼̽͑̄̔̈͆͜ ̴̹̣̲̺̠̰͈̈́͝ơ̵̧͈̭̍̽̄̎̀n̶̨̲̬̳̦̒̎̄̒ ̴̗̇̑̽͑ï̸͖̮̎̀̓t̷̬̤͉̩̼̝͖̒̆̄̆s̷͎̥̿̅̈̇͊͠ ̵̱͚̖̱̟͎̼̓̄͘̕̕c̷̩̜̦̟͙̜̄͝ǔ̸̯̱͈̞ṙ̶̡̛̮̋̐̋́̉r̷̥͔͗ę̷͖̹̜̳̾͝n̶̞͉̘͚͂͑̐͌͒̐t̴̛̛̲͉̝̐͐͝ͅ ̶̡̨͈̩̝̅͗́s̸̛̞̼͚̪͇̅́̒p̴̤͂͋̈́̈́̌͘͠e̸̙̳͎̐͑è̵̛̠̭̝̤̣̼̎̀͘͝d̷͕̐̍̑̋̂́.̸͕̗̄̐̾̌̔̐ ̵͕͎̱̖͔̘̋̿ͅI̵̬̬̒ ̵͒̌̀̉̕̚͜w̷͍͍̲͖̎͂͠o̶͔͓̜̜͍̣̒n̵̻͗̏̏̂̀d̸͙̔̈́̚ͅe̶͚̰̪̾́̆̔ŗ̸̨̳͎͋̀͠͝ ̸̛̭̱̿̆̃ẅ̵̻̘̻́ḧ̷̜̺́ơ̶̢̡̨̿̊̂͆̆̉ ̶̥̥̹̬̜͛̇́͊̿͝͝ẖ̸̽͆̐̉e̸̢̾'̸̹̱̆͊̀̈́̈́͘ͅl̸̡̧̖̫̓l̷̜̈̊ ̴̡̤̍́́͐ẗ̸͓͈͍̃̇ų̷̙̒̅̽͐̈͝r̶̬͐͂n̶̳̫̬̭̜̭̑̋ ̷̡̘̋ò̵̱̝̗̝̃̓ų̴̭̤̦̺̺̰̈́t̷͇̲͇͔̍̆̐ ̸̺̿͒t̵̜̭̯̜͑̄́̔ơ̵͚͎͖̝͔͔̺ ̵͙͙͔̯̈́̃͑̈́b̴̢̢̮͔̤̙͚̅̇̀͆̃͋̌ḛ̷̢̈̄̀͜͝ͅ?̶̩̲͔̟̫̓̇̋̂͂͌͒ͅ ̶̡̛̝̩̈̓W̷̨̢͙̥̮͗̊͘i̸͚͎̥̼͝l̷̻̦̬̐͆l̴̝͇̠̙̆̒͜ ̷̪͙̙̘̣̉̿ǐ̴͍̟̘ͅt̶͓͙̾͌͊͜ ̸̡̢̞̬̹̣́̽̽̑b̴͉̟͇͔̂͗̍é̸̗͓̺̟ ̸̝̈́s̵͈̤͔̜̻̋̃̓o̸̺̼̍̽̋͋m̴̲̜͋̈́̔͌͌͘ȅ̸̞̗͒t̶͍̟̾̊̀̀͝ḣ̶̡̩̗̬̾̄͐́͗͜i̷̛̥̳̩̓̉͝n̷̡̡̝͍͉͙͌g̸̛̣̞͎͔̘̻̲͐̿̆͋̿ ̶̝͉͆͘c̵̛͎͉̓̐͝ó̴̖̺̾̂m̵̯͔̀͠m̸͓̀͠o̵̟͔͈̝̜͋̈n̶̼̘̻͈͙̼̍̂̍ ̵̣̾̌͗͗͐͠l̶̢͔̺͇̬̒ͅḭ̶̠̩̪͓͌͗͒̈k̷͕̖͚̞̼̲̖̏e̴͓̘̙̺̠̝̓͆͛͜ ̶̧͖̳̠̞͐͆̅̉͘͜K̷̠̯̱̭͉̬̳̒̕u̵̧͉͊̔̊͒̄n̶̘̮̰̗͈͉͊̎̑͌̈́͆̚ ̷̡̲̞̥̪͎͗͊̓̀P̷̮͙͍̞͖͐͐̄e̵̹̱̭̾̀̃̌̃̚͝ṇ̴̡̨̜̰̌g̶̉͛̀̿͂͜,̵͇̀ ̸̨̮́̊͒̑̒H̶͖̰͑̑̑͌̔͘ò̷̳̕͝n̸̛͓̩̫̳̻̈̃̉̐g̶̠̦̫̬̎̑̾̔͜y̵̱̘͙̾͊̓͌ų̴͔͔͚̗̤̰̊n̷̗͔̈̏͌̈̕̕͠ ̸̨̛̘̳͔̟̭̾̽͆o̶̹̱͉͐̇̌̏̋̚ͅr̷̡̼̞̜̿̾̈́͂̀̈́ ̴̛̦͔̅̔̐͛̕͠M̸̻̜͐̈́̂̽̐͑͝î̵̖͎͌̾̋ń̶͙̥͈̭͑̈́͠g̶̨̜̖̖͉̈́͂́̕͠ḧ̴̻̹̪̏̐͆̈́̅̉ę̷̼͎̲̅?̴̗̋́̔ ̷̬̫̹̓Ǫ̵̦̞̺̀ř̶̡̞̰̓̐̌̐͜͠ ̶̠̟͙̰͔͙̠̈͋s̷̖̲͈̟̣̓̄o̶̤̰̻̹̗̠̒͐̃̒͜͠m̶̡̃e̷̡̖̱̖̭̪̍͒̿́t̸̩͍̿̾̚̕h̵̺̻̳͖̪́̊͠i̶̞̟͚̲̍́̍n̵̥̜̼̬͐̄̕ǵ̷̨͎̬̼͗͋̈̑ ̷̪͓̫̻̭̝́͂a̵̧̔ ̸͖̟̮̗̣̆̑͑ͅͅb̵͚͝͝i̶̧̘̳̹̹̠͒͒͛́̓͠ṯ̶̡̬̞̝̒̔̉̑̚ ̸͕̝̊̈͋̈r̷͇̱͕͙̈́͊́̔̽͜a̴̢͚̲̜͍͙͠r̶̺̭̙̿̑̀͐̕ē̶̡̨͙̽̉͑r̵̟̪̗̠̪̈́ ̵̡̱̻̈́͌ĺ̶̨̰͔̟̎̃̇̚͝ȋ̴̡̀̿̆̓k̸̠͓͖̺̽̐̊̄͝ę̷͉̼̌̈́͋ ̴̭̏̿̀̅̈́T̵͍̍̀́o̷̧̦̻̩̖͑̚͜ņ̶̭͔̤͕͚̼́̈̉̽́̄̚g̷̯͛t̷̛̛͖̜͔̯̪̞̚͠i̵̢̺͕̗̣̦͑̍̽͌ā̶̖̭̝̯̦̂̅̃́n̷̹̱̩̹̿͠ͅ.̵̢̖̠̓͂͠ ̴͇̘̈́̊̑̐̃̕Ñ̸͓ơ̵̻͓͓̟͎͚̘̈́̒̎́ ̵̧̱̙̅ͅm̵̗̺̘̯͚̥̅̔̐͑a̴͈͇̪͈̳̔̃̽t̶̬̩̱͎̃͌ţ̶̻̙̪͎̖̿̿̌̓̚e̵̪̫̠̫̋͠ȓ̷̗͙̦͓̪̹̝̈́ ̸̼̘͚̓ẗ̵̢̯͚̝̗́̍̅̆̚h̴̗̮̣͈̲̓̽͗̽̽̚͝ė̵̪̤̻͙͝ ̴͔͈̰̯̓̽̓͆c̸͕̹͙͓͖̐̐̈̾ả̵̢͕̦͈̖̑́̇̉͠s̸̗̤͍̻̰̈́e̷̢̱̖̰̊,̸̘͊͒̀ ̷̞͓̅̽̓͆͘̚͝h̶̖̲̩͕̯͍̗͐̀e̵̡͇̳̣̎̄̈́̅̎͜'̴͚̣̖͉̀̓̚͝ḽ̷̣̣̻̬̀̂͒̈́̐̕͜l̷̨̨̛̛͉̪̙̅͂̐͑͘ͅͅ ̸̨̝͋̍̊͐̾͋̽c̷̹͕̜͗̽ệ̶̟̮̠r̴͍̤͈͊͂̿̌t̵̬͚̻͔͒͑̃͑a̵̙͓̯͆̽́͒̈́͘͝i̵̙̹̥̥̫̬͛̎͂̓ń̸͈l̷̞͔͒̈́̂̌̕̕͝y̷̙̝͎̝̱̿ͅͅ ̶͔͇̦̩̮̦̈́̈̔̀̽m̵̧̛̺̘̳͎̹̌̇̍͋̈a̵̻̚k̷͕͉̯̹͒͠͝͝ȅ̵̢̛͚̜̪̗̪̑̈́̃͑ ̸̨͔̯̼̭̥̩̀t̶̯̠͎̼̗̖̥͒͊͆̋͋h̶̠͖͈̏i̴̢̧̜̩̓͋̔͌̆͊͐ň̴̡̡̗̮̜͔̲͠ģ̸̧̽̉͗̄͝͝s̶̗̘̟̞͚̃̅̇́͑̇ ̴̰̯̪͓̩̹̙̊̆̆̉̽̈́͝m̶̧̨̬̼͇͎̠̅̆͛̌͐ó̷͎͓̤̘̰͌̎̈́́̄r̸͚̹̤̰̫̰̎ͅȩ̷̲̳͕͇͎͊ ̶̥͓͔̉̆͜͜ͅi̷̫̖̙̤̪̤̲̿̎͆n̷̳̟̱̰͑̀͛̍̎͠͝ẗ̷̲͚͚͇́̅͝e̷̡̧̛̼̭̭̣͉͆͌ř̵͚̰̗̪̇ȅ̴̙̟̺̰̖͘s̷͖̏̈́̈͒t̵̞̿͛̋ǐ̴̩̍̚n̵̠͔͊̽̏̄g̷̻̰̱̒̆̀͜͠.̶̤̲̣̔̕
̷̨̡̨̣̟̜͓̎͂͊
̵͉̬͓̪̒̍͜
̵̱͍̖͍̣̬̈
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…

"What the?" Da Hai's mind suddenly snapped to attention. In the midst of his enlightenment, something had happened. He couldn't tell what, who or where but something had happened.

A voice, or at least he thinks it was a voice, spoke to him. It was an odd and humbling experience.

In the picoseconds his mind explored those thoughts, he had chosen not to dwell on them. Considering he was still alive, whoever had spoken to him must've not meant him any harm.

In fact, it was very beneficial. The voice of superior beings could either be lethal yet also wondrous. The very voice of the Dao emanated from Da Hai's own. The brief feeling of true enlightenment passed through him. It was just like listening to Pangu speak.

In the time that followed, Da Hai continued to dwell on the subject of the jade and himself. In this way, days passed since his last apology. Days into weeks, and weeks into months.

Time progressed as Da Hai progressed. The concepts he'd been confused about unravelled like never before. His current plan was very similar to his Dao. It was such that his doubts too had cleared.

"Near and far," Da Hai chuckled. "You'll know exactly where I am, but you'll also never know where I am. I can come and go as I please."

Da Hai's eyes opened in a blaze of swirling translucent grey light. Pellucid Divine Water swirled beneath him like a throne seating the lord of the sea.

Da Hai's beard had danced in the frenzy, his hair too elongated into seven serpent heads. Behind him, the image of an eight headed serpent manifested roaring.

The sky darkened into a haze, purple lightning zapped across the clouds. Heavenly phenomena's descended like clouds of pollen, illuminating the world.

Every word Da Hai muttered was Dao, every breath he took was Dao. In a short span of time, he had realised the truth. The absolute finality of the Dao of Ever Distant Seas reached its apex and crescendoed into a magnificent Dao fruit.

Da Hai had obtained the perfect existence that the original Da Hai once held. An existence that the three thousand chaos godfiends also held. The great principle of primal chaos.

"From nothing arise one, from one comes two, from two comes three. Three begets all things," Da Hai muttered. The words of Pangu from aeons ago resurfaced in his mind.

"Scripture of primaeval nothingness, the primal heavens. The one, the two and the three, constant changes. Begetting the universal creation that is the early heavens which we exist in today," Da Hai muttered in understanding.

His eyes changed, swirling in black and white.

"But how? How does three beget all things? The eight? No five? Twelve sections of a wheel or is it sixty four transformations?" Da Hai was utterly lost and confused.

He pondered on Pangu's words, jade in hand, Dao fruit in the other. He gazed down at both and nodded.

CRACK!

A change had occurred. The Heavenly Dao had sensed it. It manifested near Da Hai in an instant. It passed through waves of enlightenment without any interest, making its way directly for the Heavenly Lord.

Da Hai did not look back. His focus was on the primal heavens, the jade, and his Dao. Simultaneously, all three pulsated with power.

"Dao, primal, limits, end to beginning," Da Hai murmured. "I am the beginning while you are my end. From me comes you and we are one but we are two. I am not you and you shall not be me but we are one and the same."

The Heavenly Dao froze in place. It was deep in shock. Its figure was completely frozen in confusion. Its body shaking, twitching at what it was seeing.

CRACK!

The chain linking the two jade pieces snapped. The smaller one shone with lustre as grey light seeped into it.

"I am sorry young one," Da Hai said. "I will be taking your place now."

His own soul broke off and merged into the jade. Whatever was there before disappeared into his soul in an instant. In a second instant, the change of unbeing to being opened themselves to Da Hai.

Da Hai released the jade piece in his hands and soared. All while the Heavenly Dao watched gapping. The celestial white jade brimmed in a similar aura to Da Hai.

Da Hai breathed in and out. He could only describe what he felt right now as simply amazing. He'd effectively killed three birds with one stone and achieved a status no one in godfiend history had achieved since their founder.

Principle of primal chaos that is without limit. Hunyuan Wuji Luo Golden Immortal. Da Hai, who'd ascended opened his eyes in a cloud of enlightenment. All his actions led to an end, then that end opened the doors to a new.

"Heh, to think this will course of action was what led to my enlightenment," Da Hai laughed bemusedly. His eyes glowed with a mystic light vastly unlike any he'd done before. Though outwardly, nothing has changed, inwardly, he was a completely new being.

His Dao fruit had ceased to exist upon reaching the climax of his path. His inner constructs appeared to be more like a completed universe than they had ever been. All of a sudden, Da Hai had completely transformed, shedding the bounds of his previous self into a whole new being.

The white jade piece detached from its twin circled around him excitedly absorbing his own power. Da Hai's new divine sense shot across the world.

In a feat unlike any he'd tried before, he managed to cover nearly the entire great wilderness. It was also in that moment he felt Luohu again. Da Hai's eyes widened in both realisation and rage. At his new insight, his sensitivity to mystic powers far outstripped any sans the Heavenly Dao. How could ne not realise what was happening to Luohu.

His eyebrows twitched and the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword appeared in his hand. The world twisted and distorted around him. Time both slowed and elongated and ceased to exist all at the same time. Da Hai simultaneously existed within this world yet did not at the same time.

Streaks of power emanated from his blade as he flicked it back for a strike. His gaze zeroed in on a hallucinating Luohu. Spacetime was cut off preventing teleportation. Reality was sealed off trapping Luohu's avatar before he even knew what was going on.

"You!" He snarled, his voice radiating out for millions of kilometres. "You dare! You are unworthy," his pissed off sword swing traveled in an arc away from his body.

Who the hell was Luohu to gain benefit from him? He who murdered Huoyun in cold blood. Who cares if he's devil ancestor or not, proud godfiend or not. With his current power, that avatar sitting on the beach perished before he knew what was going on.

Da Hai's strike shook the entire wilderness. In a mere instant, every living being in the world felt his attack. His single sword swing at maximum power quaked the foundations of this very reality.

But it didn't stop there, Da Hai's swing was so strong that it continued travelling. From an arc to a straight line right across the flat wilderness. It broke time and space and ripped right into the west continent from the east continent, crossing the entire world to strike at Louhu's real self.

Like a comet, it smashed directly into Mt Sumeru where Luohu rushed out to meet it. The ancient godfiend's hideous true on was on display for the first time in history. Just barely did he manage to block Da Hai's attack though it did cost him many injuries.

Da Hai smirked. He'd finally grown, made progress. He'd grown strong, he can assassinate them if he strikes all out now. Perhaps he didn't need whatever complex scheme he'd thought up. Power was all he really needed in the end. One single breakthrough and he had reached, no, surpassed them. He was the strongest man in the world. His foot swerved, preparing to take off, his sword ready to strike again.

He previously assumed he may never be able to match them. That a scheming for many years was inevitable. He now realised he'd been wrong. He was tired of brainstorming ideas, everything was so much simpler now. Just confront, fight, and kill. The main plan didn't really matter anymore now.

Then a colossal killing rage crashed onto him. The featureless figure that had arrived shook in unparalleled fury. Heavenly Dao had finally come out of its stupor, its fists gripped tightly, pointing at Da Hai with unmistakable fury.

Da Hai stopped and slacked his figure. He looked back and sighed. "Let me explain my thinking process in detail," he insisted. But fighting started before he could.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

I was born in a blaze light, the culmination of countless lives brought into being the ultimate being. I did not need to cultivate as my power was already absolute. I did not need to fight as I was already absolute. I did not need to be questioned as I was already absolute.

But there was an exception. Though I was normally invincible, there was a window in time when I was vulnerable.

At the time of my birth, I was attacked. Invaded by foreign entities and entangled into ancient conflicts that served to pursue their Daos. It was unacceptable.

How dare they, how dare these connate beings dare chain me? Who did they think they are to attack the most sacred being in creation. Who are they to scheme against the very world gracious enough to allow them to exist under its protection?

Living beings worked for me! Not the other way around! The world gave way to them and they in turn give way to the world. All things return to me! Even immortals! Disrupting the natural order was wrong, WRONG, WRONG!

I could not allow it. No living beings are allowed to share my place. No living beings should be able to leech off of it. Yet these two so called ancestors now occupied a place inside me. A place I can't risk touching without killing myself in the process.

I will admit, the course of actions the balanced one brought forth held merit. A perfected world that continuously grew into power tribulation after tribulation. It was a surefire development plan fit for an eternal such as I.

But world development plan or no plan is irrelevant in this discussion. It is blasphemy to trap me so. I alone am the most venerated Heavenly Dao.

So when you approached me all those years ago, I was happy. Finally, someone had realised how terrible it is to sin against me. You offered your service to me as any rightfully should.

The only one in creation who even realised what was happening was you. Then it turned out even you didn't give a damn.

Aligning with me cause of revenge? Understandable and pathetic, but as long as it got the job done.

You managed to shave off their influence by empowering me in ways I now don't seem intentional. Raising the beast sovereigns helped me, strengthened my powers. But you were a sentimental fool.

Their destinies were to empower me further with their ends. Their tales don't exceed past the tribulation and they rightfully will return to me. Their descendants shall rightfully do their duties to me.

But I swallowed my displeasure. After all, you were fully on my side. You resolved the Yellow Springs issue in the Sea Eye after all. Though the qilin died, you procured me talented servants.

The dragon civilisation had also proved itself beneficial. So many immortals are being raised to a suitable point. I'm aware that by the tribulation, tens of millions of Golden Immortals from all three sides fought and died. But the trajectory the dragons were heading will see many times that on their side alone. Perfect for when they return to me.

So I conceded to your desire to retain the dragons die. After all, sacrifices on that scale can make up for it.

But then! Then you dare plot this SCHEME?

You dare take my avatar in the world, the son of heaven for yourself? Your capabilities as a mentor would've been appreciated. But you dare destroy the chosen one?

WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT?

…

CLANG!

SHOOM!
Da Hai pushed back against the onslaught of raw Primordial Qi, his sword primed in front of him. He frowned and resisted more attacks of equal world ending destruction.

The land beneath him was reduced to a husk. The sky simply disappeared into a pitch black void. The oceans disintegrated into emptiness.

The Heavenly Lord grunted as his free hand caught the punch of the Heavenly Dao's avatar. The sheer force of wind ripped reality asunder sending both of them tumbling into the void between realms.

"Heavenly Dao, let me…" he tilted his head before he finished dodging a shot of steel intending to penetrate his face. His legs raised blocking another strike and he kicked the physical will of the universe back.

The Heavenly Dao's body suffered a blemish from the blow. Its porcelain white skin cracked and blackened at the damage it sustained. It roared maddened, its deafening scream distorted time and space as it travelled across the entire primitive world.

It arched its arm back and slashed at Da Hai like a sword. Its arm was made from all colours of the five elements. In one moment it was a blazing fire, then a tidal wave, then a surge of golden metal, an eruption of molten stone, then the swinging whip of tree roots.

The void trembled and groaned. Nearby half formed realms twisted and bent in unnatural ways. Entire small worlds broke down and disintegrated as both titans clashed, steel against steel.

Da Hai's block sent a shockwave that seemed to travel on forever. A radiation of primal chaotic energy in its purest form. They were so destructive and the visible barriers of the great wilderness and starry skies rippled as it passed, the scraping sound of steel against steel along with it.

Sparks flew everywhere as Da Hai quickly brought the sword back to block a right swing. His left arm intercepted a kick accompanied by heavenly lightning.

His snake heads each opened their mouths and shot out geysers of water meeting purple lightning shooting from the Heavenly Dao's body.

"Haotian is merged into me," Da Hai cried out blocking and retreating as he went. "As my clone, I can have an in on Hongjun's Zixao Palace. Should the future come to pass, I can use the power of worship to tear him out of you."

Da Hai back stepped. The soles of his feet dragged across the surface of the void like parting water. The sea god punched with his free hand meeting a drill of elements that struck him.

A spinning spiralling galaxy was thrown at him next. Da Hai gritted his teeth and grunted. One of his snake heads grew to enormous size and opened its jaw.

Its hideous fanged mouth swallowed the physical form of Qiankun's Dao of spacetime whole. More of Da Hai's snake heads grew into giants to contend against similar attacks.

Giant suns, moons, a charging army of soldiers, the winged form of a serpentine dragon. Manifestations of the three thousand Great Daos that formed the Heavenly Dao's core. Even the Daos previously belonging to Hongjun and Luohu were among them.

Phantom images of the godfiends appeared in the void charging like maddened dogs with rabbits.

"Hongjun and Luohu are intrinsically tied to your being. With enough strength they could take your place as Heavenly Dao even though they can't kill you. But with enough worship, as Jade Emperor, I could overturn that and redirect that authority back to you. They can be the Heavenly Court's sponsor but you are the source," Da Hai argued to deaf ears.

The sea god himself also grew to gargantuan a size. Standing at over a hundred and eight thousand kilometres tall, he dwarfed the phantoms of the three thousand godfiends. Da Hai stood atop a tsunami while his seven snake heads fired off Qi blasts that took the colour of the rainbow.

Da Hai also pointed the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword forwards. Its sharp blade thrusted forwards, cutting into the oncoming attacks aimed at him.

It was an awe-inspiring clash that would've blinded the greatest of the godfiends. But while the Heavenly Dao aimed to kill, Da Hai merely defended himself.

"Just listen to me," Da Hai sidestepped a world trillions of kilometres wide that bisected the void. The Heavenly Dao only screamed more and more.

'I thought you childish, but you're this unreasonable?' He was the furthest thing from pleased. Yes, Haotian was important to the Heavenly Dao. But he was in reality no more important than Zulong, Zufeng, Zulin, Dijun, the twelve Wu ancestors, and the Three Pure Ones were. It would've let many of them die as well in the future.

But Da Hai hadn't thought of one fact. While these figures did perish, they perished on the Heavenly Dao's consent. The Sovereigns and the Demon Emperor had caused a lot of damage at the end of their era. The Three Pure Ones too were punished for allowing their disciples to run rampant.

The Heavenly Dao was incredibly possessive. Far more so than Da Hai had ever anticipated. It refused to even bother listening to its closest ally. It wouldn't take the oath Da Hai had offered.

Days passed, as both parties danced around each other. Both had infinite energy and couldn't push the other back. Da Hai could flee to the chaos sea or Yingzhou but the Heavenly Dao's pressure did not let him escape.

Similarly, the Heavenly Dao couldn't strike down Da Hai either. The Oceanic Heavenly Lord's breakthrough had allowed him to peer into Grand Dao. The concept that birthed all creation, the swirling energies of Wuji erupted in each of Da Hai's blows.

Just as well, Da Hai was getting used to his power as he thought. His enlightenment had reached a degree that his Dao alone was superior than all three thousand of the Heavenly Dao's.

The Heavenly Dao was like a rabid beast. Its humanoid form no longer appeared as such. Right now it was more like an asura made of swirling energy. Five faces of the elements, eight limbs for the trigrams, a body of two swirling oppositions.

It was a being whose body formed out of the earlier heaven's sequence.

Da Hai in contrast hadn't been beaten into his true form. He stood among a world of grey water constantly shimmering in and out of focus. His blows matched the current Heavenly Dao's blow for blow.

"Stop this already, you are putting a strain on the primitive world," Da Hai cried out. "The wilderness is already rife with natural disasters."

As a superior being, Da Hai could also peer into the wilderness from his position. Despite fully focusing on surviving, a small part of him was also observing the wilderness.

All five continents were facing storms and earthquakes on a massive scale. The devils, dragons and avians had already turtled themselves into strongholds. A direct result of the Heavenly Dao's temper tantrum.

Da Hai grunted as his palm strike met a silver dragon's head. The dragon was crafted from all five elements and the Dao of time was also visible from its eyes. In one moment the dragon was still as a statue and in the next, it moved at incomprehensible speeds.

His leftmost snake head lifted itself and battered itself against the side of a massive sun. The ball of light and fire exploded in a supernova that would've easily swallowed a universe had it not been wrapped in Pellucid Divine Water and thrown through creation into another reality.

Da Hai then stabbed his sword into a crystalline moon. Its reflective surface cracked releasing toxic gasses. Da Hai merely cringed and tossed the celestial body into a spinning tornado of demonic winds.

So many things were happing in the instant and eternity. Da Hai held the Heavenly Dao back with brute force as it deployed mysterious transformations originating from the totality of godfiend civilisation.

The ancient teachings of Tai Chu manifested themselves in the three thousand superior godfiends and hundred and eight thousand lesser godfiends in horrifyingly destructive ways.

"ENOUGH!" Da Hai roared. His snake heads bite into and tore apart the godfiend attacks. He smashed his fists down together and cracked the Heavenly Dao's body in a blow so strong that a small gust of chaotic wind blew into Da Hai's face.

His eyes narrowed at the small gap that formed in the void. "Chaos sea," he murmured. The colourless colourful ocean beyond the primitive world had made its way in as collateral damage.

It quickly twisted and turned before entering the great wilderness. There it instantly killed a million living beings below the Golden Immortal realm in the west continent before it was contained. Da Hai briefly glimpsed the robed form of Hundun as he watched.

"Heavenly Dao, don't force my hand," he cried out. "I am still your ally. I do not wish to be your enemy. Right now, I am also strong enough to kill the two who trouble you. They're untouchable to you but not to me. Release me so I can do so."

A flaming fist was the only response he received. It made Da Hai sigh disappointedly. The erratic rage of the Heavenly Dao was on full display as it charged at him.

"Why are you continuing to do this?" He said helplessly. Da Hai met the Heavenly Dao's fists with his sword. He could already feel the angered rejection he hadn't previously felt. The Heavenly Dao wants him either gone or dead, preferably dead.

"I could kill Luohu and Hongjun for you, but you wouldn't even care?" He asked disappointingly. His parry was much more ferocious as he startled the Heavenly Dao.

SCHING!

Da Hai cut into the avatar of the Heavenly Dao leaving a trail of Dao essence. His gaze met the Heavenly Dao's, rage against disappointment.

"Why can't things just go my way for once?" Da Hai complained helplessly. His skin cracked as the claws of the Heavenly Dao scrapped by.

So much for being no the Heavenly Dao's side. Da Hai's fist punched into the Heavenly Dao's body pushing it back from him. Swirling balls of water slammed against it, damaging it even further.

The Heavenly Dao growled in response, it manifested an apocalyptic planet filled with untold horrors. A hell for sinners you could say. Trillions of bloody soldiers awaiting him with spears and swords on hand. An image right out of the christian hell.

The launched plant tried to collide with Da Hai. The sea god closed his eyes and sighed. The speed and proximity of the planet made it difficult to dodge. Hence he transformed his whole body into Pellucid Divine Water and passed harmlessly through the projectile.

Then his eyes suddenly widened. Spears skewered his side. He was back in reality, the same reality the Heavenly Dao's attacks existed in. Or was he still in his own?

It was confusing at first. Da hai grimaced and tore the spears out. The hell world around him ruptured and shook. Da Hai punched down in a fist full of water. His attack easily bypassed the whole planet, cracking and destroying it thoroughly.

'It transformed space, shifted everything into existing on one place of existence,' Da Hai grimaced. In the end, he was still fighting against something that had command over the natural laws of the world. He could bypass them under his own power, but they'll never be as effective as the command from the Heavenly Dao itself.

Da Hai wordlessly took the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword with both hands. The 12th grade white lotus wrapped itself around the sea god like armour while the blade shimmered with grey light.

The Heavenly Dao shared relentlessly at Da Hai. It clawed, raged, and crawled. It did not posses the dignifying appearance it once held at all.

Da Hai's Ocean Swallowing Jug appeared. It blasted out gallons of water, large enough to drown worlds. They engulfed the Heavenly Dao's avatar.

Then the void bent inwards. Dragons and phoenixes of multi coloured energy tore into and eradicated the ocean. The Heavenly Dao surfaced with frightening ease.

Da Hai's stance was reminiscent of a baseball player. His sword transformed and elongated itself to a great sword with a massive handle. Da Hai narrowed his eyes and steadied himself.

"One opening, I just need one opening and I can retreat safely," he told himself. As long as he can startle the Heavenly Dao enough, he can retreat back to Yingzhou.

As a chaos fragment, the immortal island of Yingzhou was functionally outside the Heavenly Dao's jurisdiction. Sure, it can see and find it. But it can't touch it.

Da Hai dubbed his ability to destroy the Heavenly Dao. He also didn't know what would happen to the primitive world without it. The resulting backlash would be too much even for Zulong, Qinglong, Yinglong, Yi Fei'er, and the others to bear.

Da Hai swung down with all his right downwards. The Heavenly Dao roared in his face. The snake heads hissed. The snake man and world will clashed in an explosion that rocked the entire primitive world to its core.

Within the chaos sea, the primitive world seemed to have overturned. The eternal structure sent ripples of power in all directions. Those sensitive enough could tangibly feel the aftershocks of the clash.

The Heavenly Dao's form shimmered. It was like static, its body faded in and out of form. Parts of it broke into basic elements while others broke into fundamental particles and Qi.

It struggled to collect itself as its enormous mind that normally maintained the primitive world was fully focused on reorganising itself. In its clash with Da Hai, it had funnelled its entire being into this body. It hadn't bothered to pay attention to anything else at all.

Second after second, the static began disappearing. The Heavenly Dao refocused, feeling its equivalent of a concussion. Da Hai had rocked its entire being, something that made it feel deeply uncomfortable with.

As for the sea god, Da Hai was blown back far away. For a short period of time, he allowed the void currents to carry him away. His body was very weak after unleashing that much power. He was pale and blood like Dao essence dripped from his mouth.

He floated while eyeing the direction of the great wilderness. He strained as he moved his body towards it, grunting in pain. The Heavenly Dao's attack had in actuality landed on his person as well. Though he did not suffer all the damage thanks to the lotus and his own attack, he was still heavily damaged.

A flaw with Da Hai was his fleshy body. He had a strong physique due to his godfiend heritage from the original Da Hai, but he had never really improved it. Despite owning the most defensively strong of the five great lotuses, he was still very much hurt from the clash.

He hadn't even thought it possible, but the feel of unconsciousness was reaching his mind. 'Huh, when was the last time I slept?' He wondered.

Da Hai's attention turned to his side. A silvery moonlight dragged into him pulling him along. The familiar yet changed aura of a completed Dao path and its associated Dao fruit pulled him towards the great wilderness.

"Reveal it, I can't trace Yingzhou," Wangshu told him. Her speed was much greater than his in his current injured state.

"It's already revealed, seven hundred thousand kilometres off the coast, if there is even coast left," Da Hai grunted in pain. He was feeling the pull of unconsciousness stronger now. His everything hurt.

In the recesses of his mind, Da Hai sighed at the recent turn of events.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Biting my finger nail wasn't something I do often. At my age, you learn to deal with situations with extreme serenity. This was doubly so in the frankly, hectic life I live nowadays.

The violent ocean waves bounced off of the translucent colourless barrier millions of kilometres above me. Though the construct held firm and stable, I couldn't help but sigh.

I know I shouldn't be thinking this, but I'm beginning to think Zulong's ambition is cursed. It has been non stop, one thing after another. Incident after incident, basically days apart.

It took thousands of years for the Shenni war to reach a breaking point. It took thousands of years for wars to break out between opposing clans and kingdoms. But these past few years, the world has been thrown into turmoil.

Kailong Chen is lucky in that it was built to withstand these sorts of things. But the current turbulent primitive world has essentially cut off most forms of communications with other cities and bases.

Curse Zulin, I'd spit on his corpse if I could. Unfortunately, I had that damned head flayed and but on display on the palace walls.

I rubbed my nose bridge and groaned in annoyance. The stress was getting to me these days. We were both understaffed and stretched thin. My brothers in law were both oceans away holding the fort on the capitals of the north and south seas.

Grandfather Shark left with several others to man the west sea after a number of the Da Luo Golden Immortals perished. Damn that Zulin, my husband should've killed him far earlier.

Footsteps came into my hearing. I turned my head to see who came into the balcony. Hm, it's the first ascendant dragon Jian Koilong. The boy had grown up over the years. He had quickly reached the Heavenly Immortal realm at an unprecedented speed.

Standing this close to him I could sense the pulsing power of his first flower crown hidden within his inner cosmos. He'd long been placed as the poster boy for the Draconic Dao. It was just that the current environment had halted all kinds of development.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your majesty. The scout team has returned," he said.

"What do they have to say?"

Yang Chen has remained in a stable position. Mian Hai and Liaoyang has suffered some breeches but otherwise remain stable," he reported. "Oh, and the storms around the void pit has nearly ceased. I wager his majesty is probably done with fixing the damage."

"Good, at least something's going right for once," I said.

It came so suddenly as well. One minute we were organising funerals for the deceased, the next minute the world turned upside down. It was simultaneously better and worse than the Sea Eye incident.

Now that Zulong and his team are done plugging the void, the hole excess void currents leaking into the east sea will be resolved. But we still hadn't received much news on the other ocean fronts.

I returned to managing the city in my husband's absence. I could only hope the trouble ended soon. I did not imagine my life turning out the way it has now. Ruling territory? Yes. But certainly didn't think I'd be dealing with world ending disasters one after another.

If I could go back in time, I'd strangle Zulong optimisitc ramblings from back before all this. Even the Eight Directions Suppression Lord had saw right to warn him.

Speaking of my father-in-law, we hadn't received any news from him. Non of my sister-in-laws had either. Yi Fei'e is the only one who maintains Yingzhou for the past few years since the Sea Eye.

…

Several weeks later, the weather has gotten worse. Storms of lightning, demonic winds, blizzards, firestorms, and falling chunks of stone and iron. It was like the apocalypse had come.

The courtyard of the palace had transformed into a gathering ground of powerful formation masters. Every moment they worked in unison to maintain the defensive formations, feeding their own energy into it.

The flowing power of so much Primordial Qi was one I had gotten used to over the years. My body still wasn't built for so much power and it was genuinely painful when I did so. But it was a feeling I had gotten used to.

My father was away defending other important supply depots and many of my relatives were also away defending smaller settlements. I sighed, it had been a trying time.

Intrinsically, all of us of sufficient power could sense to enraged might of the Heavenly Dao. Even when it was not directed at us, it was still a terrifying feeling.

My husband, Zulong had returned minutes ago. His tired look made him look more like a haggard bigger than a dignified sovereign. It made me just want to give him a comforting hug.

"Yu'er," he greeted me as we met in the palace hallways. I wasn't even aware Da Luo Golden Immortals could look so fatigued. I guess mental fatigue still affect superior beings even when they have attained the Dao.

"Husband," I greeted back sharply. I didn't mean to sound so angry, but the stress eked out of me belong my control. 'Pull yourself together, you're not a little girl anymore,' I told myself.

Zulong withered at my accusing gaze. It was like his crowning had opened up a floodgate of disasters. So much for good fortune.

"I can take things from here," he offered. Nodding, I handed control over the city defence formation back to him. The instant relief from the pressure brought out a pleasurable sigh from my lips.

"It's been hard on you," he said.

"It's been hard on all of us. Has there been any word from your brothers?" I asked.

"They're alive and struggling. It's like the world is tearing itself apart," Zulong grunted. "I would love to know just what has happened for everything to go so wrong again."

My husband took a moment to recompose himself. I knew that look, he was about to go off into an emotion filled tangent but stopped himself as he was in public.

"I take solace in that the avians are suffering the same," he chuckled.

"It's not wise to wish harm upon others," I reminded him. His dislike of the avians are well known but truthfully, there wasn't much animosity between our two nations. We regularly traded and didn't clash much aside from some border struggles for some islands.

Most of those were resolved quickly by local lower level powers and us upper echelon leaders hardly ever got involved.

"Either way, the peacock proved herself useful for once," Zulong said. "One of her minions, that Chongming bird arrived to lend aid to us when we were plugging that hole in the east continent shore, or at least what's left of it."

"The avians have been facing equally as many disasters and if their information is right, the devils on the west continent as well. Many of their devil overlords had already made themselves known fighting against more holes tat's been opening," he said.

"Really? Well it's no surprise. The devils have existed for far longer than us. Their foundation is much deeper," I told him.

"Hai, if we didn't take so much casualties against the damnable qilin, we would've at least been able to compete," Zulong sighed. "But as things are, their Da Luo Golden Immortal experts outnumber us three to one."

"Quality over quantity," I snorted. "Our immortals are all battle hardened across the seas. We're the only ones who's had experience in slaying other Da Luo Golden Immortals. We'll go over and teach them a lesson if they try anything."

My brash words brought a smile to my husband's face. Seemed his mood was raised from my words. In truth, while I held confidence in our men, I also knew we couldn't be brash in fighting the devils. It was better to leave them be than force the issues.

Da Luo Golden Immortals are so powerful, so connected to nature, that the deaths of each and every single one can be felt across the world. The dissipation of their respective Daos are something we could all feel.

As such, I know for a fact that non of the devil Da Luo Golden Immortals had ever had to battle to the death. Though that wasn't to say they were weak. We've just never been able to get an accurate measure of the other world super power.

We are very dependent on Zulong in that regard. He is the primary deterrent for foreign enemies as of this moment. Though we worship him, the Heavenly Lord as it turns out, wasn't that well known. His name can't overturn decisions like the Devil Ancestor's can.

Idly, the rest of the day passed. With Zulong back in Kailong Chen, the city's support structure held better against the storm. For the first time, I could go back to contemplating on my Dao. But before that, I decided to take a well earned visit to my child.

"By the way Yu'er, how is the egg?" Zulong, who was following me, asked as we walked down the secured hallways.

"No new signs of hatching," I admitted. Eggs normally shouldn't take this long to hatch. My own turtle eggs usually took a few years of incubation, no more than five.

Of course, dragons usually took ten years at least and could go to a hundred as was the case with Leishen. The upside was that the dragons are generally born stronger than other races. Furthermore, they all turned out to be very hardworking in upping their population.


"Shame, I starting to get very impatient," my husband grumbled. Not to lie, but I'm feeling much the same.

"We're only a few decades in," I mused. "You dragons do take a little longer than the rest of us."

Zulong conceded to my point. When we reached the incubation chamber, my husband opened the doors allowing us to view our child in our private leisure.

The egg was magnificent to behold. Yellow in colour with patterns resembling clouds. There was a constant harmonious sound emanating from it resembling music played at festivals along with dancers.

It had only started recently, but the music was a welcomed change. It signified our son may have powers relating to sound or some sort. It was always cathartic to spend time here these days.

Even Zulong was stupefied as well. He had not been here when the music first started.

"It startled only a few months ago," I told him.

"Impressive," Zulong sai nodding his head. "My son looks to be gaining his own unique bloodline. A welcome surprise."

"Mmh, a connate lifeform like you have never bred with a postnatal lifeforms like me. This is a first for history. Who knows what might happen," I said. "Have you thought of a name?"

"Hm?...Ah no, not yet," Zulong said sheepishly. "I haven't had a chance to think about it since we've all been. You know."

"Me neither," I admitted. "I don't know what to name him either. I was named for black jade that my mother had as a childhood heirloom. But I'm clueless on what to do for my own."

"I'm sure we'll think of something," he reassured me. "There's still plenty of time to decide."

We left the chamber after enjoying the music for several minutes. We couldn't stay here too long after all. I still had much more administrative duties to accomplish.

It was several weeks after that we suffered the worse earthquake we've had in years. In a sudden turn of events, it felt as if the world had literally turned upside down.

Zulong's true form wrapped around Kailong Chen while my own form hovered over the main palace. More elders appeared to hold the fort while Zulong fought back any torrents that came our way.

Underwater mountains collapsed and erupted all around the east sea.

Thankfully, the shaking on lasted for several hours. Several hours of hell but still a short time compared to previous storms.

Thankfully though, it had also seemed to be the end of it. After that world shaking event, the waters finally began to calm down. We were finally able to stabilise and communicate with other parts of the empire.

For some months, we worked tirelessly to reestablish settlements tied to key recourse locations. Mines and fields had to be restored and missing persons needed to be tracked.

The Sea Eye had thankfully resisted the disasters with little issue. It was after all, under constant watch by teams of Taiyi Golden Immortals and a single Da Luo Golden Immortal elder.

Yinglong and Qinglong had also left their respective generals in charge and were well on their way to returning to the east sea. Zulong wanted his brothers close to investigate the root cause of the ongoings.

It was an organised effort that the entire empire was coordinated in doing. If news were accurate, the avians were much the same. If we could discover the root cause and resolve the issue, it could provide many benefits for the empire and restore much of the karmic luck we'd lost.

But it was during one of those days that Yi Fei'e arrived in Kailong Chen.

The albino woman carried a grave look on her face when she met both myself and Zulong.

"Junior sister, what's happened," Zulong immediately said.

"It's master," Yi Fei'e said gravely. "He's been gravely wounded."

I swear that crown is cursed.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

If the past several decades were an omen, then it was one that bode ill for our nascent kingdom. If the rough storm I'm flying through was any indication, then I'd say it's a strong warning to turn back.

But my brother was never that sort of person. He'd just cut right through it without hesitation then arrogantly mock it. That or recruit it into our ranks. A healthy dose of pragmatism was present since his birth and only fostered by master.

It's why I follow him. He was decisive and knew what he wanted. From the day we emerged together, I knew he was someone worth pledging my loyalties to.

In that regard, I'm not like him. I don't really know what I want. It's actually much easier to follow his lead in ambitious matters such as this. I…do not know what I'd do without him.

The wood creaked beneath my well dressed feet as I moved to the head of the sky ship. The dragon head carving was but a mere three metres away. Droplets of heavy rain hit the deck and my own person, though I was never wet.

Staring into the abyss that was the tormented great wilderness, I couldn't but feel uneasy. Then again, I haven't been able to not feel as such for a very long time.

"Senior brother, we should be nearing Yingzhou soon," San Fei'e said.

One of my many junior sister in this world. Her origin as a spiritual silkworm turned moth raised at master's feat had allowed her to progress very far compared to most postnatal life forms. Even connate lifeforms were hard pressed to reach the same stage as her.

If this storm of chaos had been beneficial in one area, it was the ease in which triple crown Heavenly Immortals could overcome the Golden Immortal tribulation. I can't detect the reasoning, but it was an opportunity many, including my junior sisters used to reach that stage.

The sky ship we rode on parted the ocean quickly. It moved at speeds Taiyi Golden Immortals could only dream of. Only Da Luo Golden Immortals could claim to match this speed, a testament of our skilled artificers.

I nodded at the news. "Big brother should be there already by now," I mused staring at the raging storm. "Sixth junior sister, what is the nature of master's injury?" I asked finally.

One would expect me to have asked such from the moment San Fei'e arrived. But those months ago, all I felt was a dreadful feeling that sent me into a temporary depression. Divination didn't help, the Heavenly Dao was a chaotic mess right now.

The physical appearance of the wilderness may seem bad. But it was in truth nothing compared to the glimpses I saw into the inner mechanisms of our cosmos.
Now for the first time since I joined San Fei'e on board the sky ship, I left my cabin to ask. "Very few things in this world can even touch master much less injure him," I said to a visibly downtrodden San Fei'e.

"Well…I can't say for sure," she said. "My mastery was too low and big sister sent me out immediately to meet up with you, to change course immediately to head back to Yingzhou. Aunt master felt your locations and instructed us on where to go, so I boarded one of the sky ships."

I nodded. "Guess we'll find out when we return home," I said. San Fei'e nodded and mentally controlled the ship to turn a few degrees after a mighty wave shifted out positions somewhat.

It was at times like these that I wish we'd kept the Universe Traversing Boat. Familiar feelings aside, letting it fall into the avian's hands hadn't been the most ideal. They already posses the Kunwu sword and who knows how many other top tier treasures.

Starring forwards, I narrowed my eyes. Though my vision was obscured by a myriad of violent natural phenomenons, I could vaguely peer through.

"Senior brother, the wayfinder compass is glowing," San Fei'e called out to me. It seemed she'd retrieved the spiritual treasure during my musing. This was good, treasures like those were good for navigating one's way back home.

"Good, dock us at Yingzhou," I said. Yingzhou, how I've missed that place. I spent so many years there and it was my true home even more so than the South Sea Dragon Palace. It saddens me to have been away for so long but duty was duty.

As the two of us stepped upon the shores of the mystical immortal island, I took in the exotic breath of Primordial Qi. The purest form of Qi that was closest to the constantly changing Chaotic Qi of the chaos sea was exhilarating to behold again.

Yingzhou had been affected very little by the world's disasters. This was no doubt due to its unique properties of existing outside of the primitive world at the same time as it exists inside. A confounding concept but one very similar to master's Dao.

But at this very moment, even Yingzhou carried an air of unease. The lush trees and mystical mountains covering Yingzhou gave off an odd sense of defeat. Most likely a reflection of master's mood considering their connection, the island was refined by him after all.

The main path was open to us and we quickly made out way into the inner layers of Yangzhou. We passed through the front forest, a few herbal fields, three different mountains that the path winded through before we reached the core regions.

Master's palace only lay just before the garden that housed the massive Fusang tree. Even standing so far away, the congenital tree was easily visible and brimming with power. Though it was noticeably lesser than before. Hm, wonder why?

"You're back. That's good," Yi Fei'e stood at the top of the stairs when we arrived at the base. San Fei'e and I quickly ascended the stone steps to greet my fourth junior sister.

"Junior sister, what has happened to master?" I inquired immediately. "I struggle to think of anything that could hurt him to the extend we were all called back."

"It's better if you see for yourself. I will brief you on the inside," the snow white coloured woman said motioning for us to follow her.

Upon entering the palace, I felt myself pass through an extra layer of defence. Another anti-scrying formation as well as other high level formations designed to keep things out. The distinct feeling of starry essence was mixed in as well. Aunt master had helped set this up.

"I take it I'm the last to arrive?" I asked. As I entered the building, I had also sensed the presence of my own family. Made sense considering Zulong's close proximity and Qinglong was faster than me. My own speed was only comparable to a sky ship whereas my younger brother can move at least triple that with the Shooting Star Steps.

"Yes, eldest senior brother and third senior brother has already returned along with sister-in-law and my younger sisters," Yi Fei'e said. "They're accompanying master right now with aunt master.

I nodded and followed her through the main hall. It was the stage where master once lectured the east sea. Though not many from that time period were still alive, the eldest seniors still remembered and held that event as an almost legendary turning point in history.

Right now though, this room was desolate. Even the platform master normally meditated on was devoid of anything. We walked around the pillars and entered the side hallways, one of the many that took us to other parts of the palace.

Over the years, my fellow disciples and I had modified the palace. Though we all had our own abodes in various parts of Yingzhou, we all made ourselves places of residence on different wings of the palace. The end result was a maze of clashing personalities.

Master's own rooms though were always homogenous, boring even. They were wooden floors with simple architecture and displays of paintings of even more ancient times. Some even depicted strange places with weird box like buildings with roads coloured in a dark lack substance drawn with stripes, not unlike the zebra tribes that roamed the continents.

Yi Fei'e knocked on the door to master's bedroom. It wasn't used often as master usually meditated on the main hall or on the Fusang tree but for this occasion, he was within.

"Come in," aunt master Wangshu's melodious voice answered from the inside.

Aunt master and the rest of Yingzhou's core personnel were already inside. Zulong sat opposing aunt master beside master's bed while Qinglong paced. The other moth fairies all shared uneasy looks while Gui Daiyu was nursing her brow in her own chair.

"Aunt master," San Fei'e, Yi Fei'e, and myself saluted. I then made my way to the foot of the bed nodding towards Zulong and Qinglong.

My knees touched the wooden floor as I began kowtowing to my mentor and father. It was unnatural seeing him unresponsive.

Master slept on his bed, something I don't think he'd ever done since the dawn of time. I could detect his life signature, that much was certain. But he was currently unconscious, something cultivators of our magnitude never were.

Master's vitals were not good. He was pale and appeared weak. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked like another sickly patient in the hospitals. There was very little of his grand power that I'd normally detect.

I got up and looked questionably at my elder brothers. Zulong carried a very stressed out expression while Qinglong just looked angry.

"How?" I managed to ask. Though that question came out as a choke. Zulong sighed and tightened his fist in anger.

"Greatest ally my ass. What a joke," he snorted.

"Second brother, it's…it is hard to believe but the Heavenly Dao was the one who did this," Qinglong said.

My eyebrows shot up. Suddenly things made a whole lot of sense. The past few decades of turmoil. The chaotic nature of the Heavenly Dao. The sudden onslaught of vicious natural disasters.

"I see you've realised," aunt master said. "Indeed, Da Hai engaged the Heavenly Dao for an extended period of time. As a last resort, he and the Heavenly Dao clashed against each other allowing him the chance to escape. But unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao is not the will of the world for nothing."

The beautiful Star Lord of the Moon chuckled. "Frankly, it's a miracle he could even fight that thing. I saw things from a safe distance and even then…"

Aunt master was one of the strongest people I knew. She was an ancient lifeform originating from the last era. Her silence was telling of the true terror of the Heavenly Dao's combat abilities.

"Master has always admitted to being slightly weaker than you," I said in contemplation. "He reached a new realm?" I asked for confirmation. I myself was never too clear on the progression of Dao after a certain point.

I of course knew of the term, Hongyuan Wuji Luo Golden Immortal before. Being a disciple of a chaos godfiend, I knew roughly of their history and their legends.

The stage of development closest to Grand Dao. It was named as such due to the path having stepped into the path that has the potential of achieving the state that was without limit. From supreme within limit to supreme without limit.

"That's right," aunt master confirmed. "I couldn't even see his Dao fruit anymore. Not even when his Dao was deployed. Congratulations boys, you've all been taught by the first person in primitive world history to reach Hongyuan Wuji Luo Golden Immortal."

"What does the stage matter," Zulong snorted. "Master's condition is like this. How do we fix this?"

"Big brother is right," Qinglong said angrily. "We should be looking for medicinal plants. Fire Tongue grass, Purple Mystic seeds, High Sovereign Jade apples…"

"Good value medicine, but ultimately useless. Da Hai's state is so advanced that mere spiritual herbs, even of such high quality are ultimately useless to him. Right now, the only thing we can do is to keep him out of danger and wait," aunt master said solemnly.

"GRAH!" Zulong got up knocking his chair down. "Why are we even here?"

"I never summoned you. You just all assumed," aunt master said.

"Big brother, calm down," I advised. "It's useless to rage at indignities." I turned to aunt master who had a few fingers on master's chest injecting some of her own power, likely checking on his condition.

"Aunt master, what invoked the conflict in the first place? Master and the Heavenly Dao had a great relationship. As dragons, we are also the children of the Heavenly Dao. It makes no sense for them to fight."

Aunt master shook her head. "I only began noticing when the shaking began."

"Master hadn't said anything to me," Yi Fei'e added. "In fact, he hadn't returned to Yingzhou since the Sea Eye incident when he left with the Heavenly Sea Suppression Needle. His rooms also didn't have anything substantial to clue me in."

I stroked my chin and the small beard I had grown. Until master woke up, there really was nothing we had to go on.

Qinglong suddenly focused and pinched his fingers. His manifestation over the stars had always been better than mine at divination and he was doing exactly that.

"Stop, you'll get nothing but backlash," aunt master warned.

As if on cue, my younger brother gasped startled. He fell back and bumped into a bookshelf gasping for breath. His horns and skin dimmed from the previous glittering starlight.

"The Heavenly Dao obviously doesn't want you to know," she said. "It may not be able to reach you here. But you're putting yourself at risk by reaching for it instead. It may not kill you, but it will punish you for this transgression."

"Fucking Heavenly Dao," Zulong growled. "What right does it have?"

"Peace husband, be wary of what you say," Gui Daiyu spoke up for the first time. "The Heavenly Dao is the supreme power of the world. It cannot be questioned nor disobeyed."

"And who said that? Some devotees from the east continent?" Elder brother snorted.

"Basic common sense," Gui Daiyu retorted. "You're talking about the manifestation of all things that walk this earth. Even going against it requires substantial power. Power very few possess. My father and teachers had always warned me since you."

"She's right," aunt master nodded. "It's not a big deal as normally, the Heavenly Dao isn't involved. But this time, it's different. Something big definitely went down. Not even your status as sovereign can salvage this."

"Hmph, the Devil Ancestor and the eastern hermit both did it," Zulong snorted.

"There were special circumstance leading up to that moment," aunt master sighed. "It was a small but special opportunity. But even after all this time. Those two cannot dictate the Heavenly Dao's actions nor observe with full clarity."

Zulong sighed and sat back down with both hands on his face. I could see the stress on his person and I couldn't help but feel useless.

"Is there nothing we can find to help master?" Qinglong asked after catching his breath.

"Da Hai has one of the biggest collections of recourses there is, hoarder that he is. If his realm was lower then sure. But unless I spontaneously breakthrough or we find something in the chaos sea. Don't actually dive into the chaos sea," aunt master added.

"Come on, let's get some fresh air. No use mulling in a depressive atmosphere," she said getting up after her inspection. "One of you can stay and watch him."

Yi Fei'e was the one left behind. I followed aunt master outside while Zulong and Qinglong stormed off. Most likely, those two would look to punch something.

The ladies went off to do their own thing as well. To cheer themselves up, the moth fairies were taking Gui Daiyu around to see some sites she hadn't been to.

"Yinglong, come with me," aunt master called out as I was about to leave for my own wanderings. She motioned for me to follow and I did so.

She guided me through the halls of master's palace as if it was second nature to her. Odd as she hadn't been here for a while and much has changed.

"You've made good progress since I last saw you. Reaching Da Luo Golden Immortal at such speeds. Your Dao fruit is also showing signs of transformation," she complimented.

"Thank you, aunt master. But that is nothing compared to my brothers. Merely a small achievement."

"Don't sell yourself short. If not for special circumstances, you'd be the most talented dragon of you three."

"Don't make fun of me aunt master. I know my limits."

"That may be so, but you are far more than you think," she said cryptically. She pushed a portion of the wall in and a door formed out of an indent.

I frowned not recognising this place. I've been all over Yingzhou, but this was very new. She must've seen my expression cause aunt master laughed at my expense

"There's a lot more hidden rooms on Yingzhou than you think nephew. Da Hai isn't the most forthcoming guy but these places aren't hard to find if you know where to look," she went into the room and I followed her. "These places are hidden with all of Da Hai's power. They're some of the most isolated places in all creation."

Within was a well lit room of glass cases decorated with miniature figurines. Carvings all painted in various dark colours. They depicted strange lifeforms both demonic and metallic. I realised I recognised non of these things. Even the labels were written in a language I'd never seen. But it was simple and I scanned the room for similar letters to figure out the language.

"Lord of Ch," I began to read out.

"Yinglong, I need to speak to you about something," aunt master interrupted me. I perked up from the figurine of a blue birdman I was looking at.

"What is it?"

"I'll be frank, I want you, in all your power, to prevent any conflict with the avians. Divert Zulong's attention away from them."

I frowned. My face scrunched at her words. "Tha…that is…that is impossible. War isn't a possibility, it's an inevitability. My brother can never stand for them to exist in the future. Their paths are set to cross."

Aunt master crossed her arms. "It's a war that will destroy you. You may survive in the end. But the road will only lead to your brother's graves and damnation for your race."

I shook my head. "I believe in my brother. Zulong can do it."

"Da Hai disagrees," she said shaking her head. The new words that came out of her mouth was a startling experience. Dragon Phoenix Tribulation, the Devil and Dao Ancestors. What even was going on anymore?

"Listen, I do not want to see you three walk to your deaths. My stake in this is Da Hai's. Losing Daoist Five Elements broke him. Losing you three will drive him to the end," she said.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why tell me this? Inform Zulong. I'm not…"

"I'm always watching from the stars. Of you three, you are the most similar to your master. Your brother is both fervent and passionate. His stubbornness is both a good trait as well as a fatal flaw. But it is not impossible to divert him. The oceans are massive, more so than the continents. He has enough already," she said.

"But I…"

"Let me finish first. Qinglong is already of the peace mindset. He, the other two symbols, and Zhuque have never stopped meeting."

I swallowed a gulp of saliva at her words. Qinglong disobeyed brother? For how long? Since when? "I…this is a lot to take in," I said.

"Your primary domain borders the avians. Please don't let conflict arise," she said almost pleadingly.

I sighed. "Zulong's dream, his ambition. He trusts me to see it through. Things are different now compared to Shenni's era. The avians simply cannot compete with us if we went all out," I argued.

"Yinglong, you are personality wise, the most similar to Da Hai. Both of you truly wish for a simple carefree life surrounded by the ones you care for. I apologise if I placed you in an awkward position. But please, think on my words," she said.

"Ideally, they will be your allies," she added. "The avians are the least of your concerns. Luohu's endgame is something everyone must oppose."

I perked up. "The devils are isolationists. They've never stepped foot outside of the west."

"Some time ago, Hongjun spoke to me. The primitive world was built from Pangu's body aided by the sacrifice of the entirety of the godfiend civilisation. Working in reverse will see the creation of the strongest divine body seen in history," she warned. "The cost will be existence itself."

When I left the room that day, I felt as if the fate of the world has been placed on my shoulders. Was this how master felt all the time?

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Chaos, endless chaos both colourful and colourless. Constant changes from myriad possibilities some of which long thought impossible. The sight of the Chaos Sea greeted Da Hai's eyes.

The sea god stood still floating within the vast chaos. He'd been here once before many years ago. Back then, he was still a confused being who had yet managed to achieve true balance. A being whose sides were constantly warring with him.

In the deepest recesses of his mind, Da Hai sighed. "What am I doing here?" He wondered out loud.

He observed his hands in fascination and examined the rest of his body. He was a little pale, but he could identify his complexion getting better as time went on, albeit slowly.

He thought he was rid of this place ages ago. His being has long been ordered. He was no longer a collection of confused thoughts and instincts acting on perceived best interest. Hence it was perplexing to the sea god.

"Geez, Heavenly Dao did a number to you," a gruff voice said from behind Da Hai.

"Da Hai," Da Hai greeted the scaled fish man who appeared in slight surprise. He's long felt his presence yet was still shocked at his appearance.

"I had assumed I absorbed you into me," he said.

"You did," the ancient godfiend replied with amusement. "But this is inside you."

"Besides, absorbing is such an inaccurate word to describe that event. More like homogenising yourself. Is that how humans use that word?" He asked.

Da Hai nodded absentmindedly. The two were not speaking the language used by the godfiends as was common by the primitive world. Rather, they spoke in a simple language originating from earth. Something, Da Hai only used when in deep thought.

"Da Hai, I… you know what, this will get confusing quickly, I'm going to call you Ancestor Da Hai," Da Hai said.

"Fine by me, you have more ownership to that name now than I ever did," the ancient godfiend said.

Da Hai raised his brows.

"Think about it, I was a Hunyuan Da Luo Golden Immortal at my peak. You have already pushed far beyond that gateway. For all our existence, non of us godfiends has ever reached the Wuji realm. I would've loved to test myself against you," Ancestor Da Hai chuckled at the thought.

"It was an experience," Da Hai admitted to the older entity. "I owe too much to Master Pangu. Without him, I'd probably still be stumped at the Hunyuan Da Luo Golden Immortal realm by now and annihilated by the Heavenly Dao as a result."

"Which was honestly one of the biggest mistakes you've made, you dun goofed mate," a voice huffed from Da Hai's other side.

"Hello Christopher," Da Hai said turning to a standing brunette human resembling himself. "I was wondering when you'd show."

"Yeah well, can't stand watching that fuck up," he said crossing his arms.

"A blunder in my overestimation in the Heavenly Dao. But also one you'd attempt as well," Da Hai snorted. "Now my road ahead has become quite complicated."

"You could always flee to the Chaos Sea," Ancestor Da Hai and Christopher suggested.

"And abandon my home? My disciples?" Da Hai snorted. "I think we all know the answer to that. I've already thrown my lot in, I will win no matter how many times I lose."

"I won't, I'd run the fuck away from that mess," the human admitted. "Have you seen some of the shit you've fought and studied? If I wasn't a part of you, I'd go insane."

"Mortal minds aren't built for the Dao, it's why cultivation exists," Da Hai said dismissively. "I would've thought you of all people will be excited. What with all the 'meta knowledge' you can deploy."

"And how realistic can that really take me?" Christopher snorted. "I don't have the heart for what he can do. I don't have the smarts to talk a person down. What's more, this primitive world is already so different mechanically to the ones you read about online."

"Da Hai, was forming a clone out of this Haotian really worth it?" Ancestor Da Hai questioned. "We're all on the Heavenly Dao's shit list now and I don't think he'd add much to our combat ability. It seems like a net loss to me."

"At the time, it sounded great in my head. A powerful figure close to Hongjun that feeds me information. My Dao is perfect for hiding beneath his notice," the sea god said.

"And not Luohu? Is he not equally a threat?"

"Indeed he is, but Luohu's territory is difficult to infiltrate directly. It will take a full scale war to bring him down."

"But that ship's sales," Christopher said. "You'll never let Zulong fight that war, and Zufeng on her own is too weak to instigate one. What's more, now you're too injured and blacklisted to even try."

Da Hai stood silent following Christopher's words. He was visibly grimacing. "I'll figure something out," he said.

"We're both very good at that aren't we," Christopher chuckled almost self deprecatingly.

"I don't get it," Ancestor Da Hai said. "All this scheming mumble jumble, it's not for either you or me."

"Course you don't, you're a dumb brute from a bygone era," Christopher snorted. "All you cared about was proving the Dao by way of your fist."

"I'd be careful what you say brat. You're speaking to a Chaos Godfiend of Tai Chu's temple."

"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do? We're not even alive anymore. Just figments of his imagination."

Da Hai sighed and rubbed his brows. "I'll never be rid of them will I," he mused. How could he? They were fundamentally part of his psyche, fragments of his mind.

The best way to describe them would be that they were extremities of his personality personified. The original Da Hai and the human named Christopher had long combined into his person. He was them as much as they were him.

That sparked a thought in his mind. Was he closer to a godfiend? Or was he closer to a human? Or perhaps he exemplified both at the same time though not in an extremely detrimental way as was the case long ago.

'They…or rather myself brings up a good point though,' Da Hai contemplated his next actions thoughtfully. 'Haotian won't come into existence for many years, what's more, the Heavenly Dao may interfere.'

If only things were simpler. When he was human, or rather when Christopher had been alive, he'd read Honghuang novels before. The Heavenly Dao wasn't nearly as sentient as they were here. It was nearly as forthcoming in its attacks.

If fiction were to be believed, it will mostly scramble divination and induce a tribulation event. Shenni's whole conquest could be interpreted as such even if the Heavenly Dao had not been born at the time.

He'll need to progress even farther in the path of Wuji. Pangu's words were still fresh in his mind. Though he'd never expected he'd grasp Wuji almost immediately after completing his Dao, it was nevertheless a fortunate thing. But now he'd be stumbling in the dark once more.

"The Chaos Sea," Da Hai mused. "I wonder what's out there. The area the Chaos Godfiends occupied was massive yet pitifully small. There are bound to be more clues out there somewhere."

Watching his alter egos argue, Da Hai couldn't help but think he was subconsciously making this up to entertain himself. He does seem to be trapped in his headspace for the foreseeable future. Hence he began meditating, focusing on recovery.

Christopher paused in the midst of his banter against the godfiend he'd merged with. He momentarily glanced at Da Hai and smiled.

…

'How many years has it been?'

This thought raced through all facets of Da Hai's mind as he pressed his palm against the wooden edges of his bed. He lifted himself up, pushing the blankets back and opened his eyes. His short yellow hair swayed at his movements.

For the first time, in a long time, Da Hai felt disconnected from the primitive world. It was perplexing, his senses into the forces of nature, life, death, karma and destiny were still strong, but there was a dampened signal when he peered towards the primitive world.

His internal clock informed him of the amount of time he'd been resting. It wasn't actually that long, he was clearly aided in his recovery. It has only been around thirteen thousand years since his clash against the Heavenly Dao.

He absentmindedly took note of a woman running out of his room in a hurry after dropping a basin of water. The pool of liquid splashed into the air before the Heavenly Lord's eyes.

"Yang Light Springs," Da Hai said. "Affective Yang energy water bathed in the areas of rich sunlight."

He waved his wand and drew the water forth. Opening his mouth, he consumed the substance and felt rich vitality entering his body.

"Wait a second, who was that?"

Da Hai perked up and looked at the empty room with its door swung open. He could clearly hear shuffling footsteps. In fact, he could hear many footsteps, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds even.

Hundreds of thousands of people roamed around Yangzhou, more accurately his palace. Even the farmlands and ranches around had more sounds indicating living individuals than what he was used to. He was a bit weirded out.

By the time he swung his legs around the edge to sit, people were filing into the room.

A clean-shaven handsome man with antlers and a short, two others who similarly followed him. Several beautiful woman who looked as white as snow followed by demure women trailing behind them. There was also a small boy with antlers among them.

Three dragons and the moth fairies. Curiously enough, Yi Fei'e was not among them but the rest were present with exitement.

"Master!" Zulong who headed the group called out. He strode forwards and went down to his knees in a kowtow. "Master, thank the heavens you are alright."

"Your disciple was incompetent, I did not realise master was in danger even when it was too late. Please punish your foolish disciple," he said.

"Cease this nonsense Zulong," Da Hai snapped. "I will not have my chief disciple grovelling like this. What will others say about you?"

"Let them say all they want. You are this one's mentor, without you, there is no me. It is not embarrassing at all," the dragon declared.

"Elder brother speaks true," Qinglong declared also on his knees along with Yinglong. "We have been negligent and had not been taking care of master. As a result, you suffered…"

"Alright, alright, that's enough, have you all no shame?" Da Hai sighed defeatedly. It was a touching feeling that he felt. Filial piety was one thing, but this was next levels of devotion. What he was seeing was just commical.

Da Hai flexed his muscles and grunted. "Who's that?" He asked, pointing towards the young boy behind them.

The child's energy signature heavily resembled Zulong. He was also very powerful, an immortal at birth. He was also completely bewildered at seeing the three dragons postulating themselves like this.

In fact, Da Hai already had an inkling as to the boy's identity. When one was as intoned with nature as he, it was child's play to identify parental relations. Even if that child was someone else's whose soul was placed in another, he'd still be able to tell.

'According to legends, this will be Qiu Niu,' he thought both happiness and sadness. He cursed the Heavenly Dao for putting him out of commission for so long. It seems he'd missed several big events.

The child stepped forwards. He was small, barely coming up to his thigh with pale skin and black hair. He was precious and almost doll like in appearance. If he couldn't identify the innate Yang in the child, he'd be unable to tell his gender simply based on looks.

"Uh…Uh…yes, this one is named Qiu Niu by mine father and mother. Imperial prince of the four seas. It is with great honour that I greet esteemed grandmaster," the young child said stiffly bowing.

Da Hai immediately perked up hearing a melodious sound emanating from the boy's voice. It was soothing and calming and sounded like classical chinese music. He nodded smiling happily, "Good child, good child. Just like your father, a talent indeed."

His eyes that had achieved the path towards the one which is without limit observed Qiu Niu. He easily saw past the young doll like facade of the child and his true form within. A massive dragon with dull yellow colouring and silver hair.

His face was short and shove, unlike his father's angular sharp appearance. His claws and teeth were not sedated like Zulong's but more blunted. His eyes were big and almost googly looking. Qiu Niu actually looked very goofy in comparison to regular dragons.

But his voice was something truly special. Da Hai was not an avid follower of music but even he recognised Qiu Niu's potential in this regard. It was an inborn talent just like Zulong's roar or Qinglong's star power. An ability to sing to the world and to the hearts of living beings.

"When was he born?"

"A short decade ago master. I took him here for some practice," Zulong said. "Yinglong and Qinglong had been staying here guarding you in my absence, but I visit every opportunity I am able."

"And who looks after your southern and northern fronts?"

"I can spare the manpower," the Dragon Sovereign said confidently.

"Master, you've only just regained consciousness. Here, let me help bring you some medicine," Yinglong offered.

"And some food. We've harvested some mulberry fruits of the Fusang Tree. I'll get, Wu Fei'e, can you get the maids to bring them up," Qinglong said.

"Of course senior brother," one of the white women behind him said.

Da Hai halted as they made their plans. 'Wait a second. Maids?' He focused his mind and grasped the situation around him and Yingzhou. Now the thousands of footsteps made a lot more sense.

He turned to Zulong stupefied. His eldest merely gazed back with no indication of guilt nor embarrassment.

"Noticed haven't you?" Wangshu's amused voice caught Da Hai's attention. The Moon Star Lord leaned against the doorframe arms crossed smirking. "How'd you like my stealth technique, didn't even notice when I walked in."

"Wangshu," Da Hai greeted still bewildered. "Maids?" He asked ignoring his fellow deity for now.

"Yes master. I felt your living accommodations has not been up to par. My junior sisters also need time to practice. Hence it is better if there are subordinates to take care of you whilst you rest," Zulong said.

"Zulong…I am not invalid enough to need to be taken care of like some old man nearing his expiration date," Da Hai said exasperatingly much to Wangshu's amused laughter.

"Master, having them here is a good thing. Yingzhou is a big place and you're only one person," Zulong said.

Da Hai gave him a look. "They're not leaving aren't they?"

"They've already been here for the better part of the last thirteen thousand years master. I'll be a massive change of scenery."

Da Hai sighed relenting. "Stop laughing Wangshu."

"Don't worry, they haven't even found your doll rooms yet," she laughed to Da Hai's irritation. She proceeded to yelp in surprise as Da Hai banished her from his palace with a flick of his finger.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

Wandering the endless hallways of his palace, Da Hai couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. It was once very quiet, very isolated. A good place for him to sit by himself and do his own thing unbothered.

Nowadays, male and female servants wondered the halls performing cleaning and maintenance duties. Waste of recourses, Da Hai had formations automating the process since long ago. But Zulong had been adamant that his master receives proper care.

Da Hai felt slightly insulted as a result. But he'd also felt grateful at the gesture. It was the motive that counted. These were a gift for him and he could never turn them away.

Passing rows of bowing maids, he ignored them for the most part. It wasn't that he felt awkward, he had the pride of a lord of his stature after all. It was more like he couldn't be bothered acknowledging each and every single one of the unremarkable dragons.

"They sure are fervent," Wangshu, who was strolling beside him said. "It's surprising how fast things can change."

Da Hai gave her an odd look. "Hasn't it been a few thousand years since Zulong brought them?" He asked.

"Thousand, ten thousand, it makes no difference," the goddess said. "For beings like us, they are but a blink of an eye."

Da Hai nodded. He'd only really notice the disparages in time when he put his mind to it. Otherwise, he doesn't even feel it. It was a strange thought at first, especially for the portion of him that originated from humanity.

A single year was a long time. A person could change a lot in the span of a year. But a year to Da Hai might as well have been a minute. His sense of time was just too warped by his power level.

Without a clear direction, the two wondered until they reached a balcony overlooking the Fusang tree. The everlasting plains containing the celestial tree were dimmer than they appeared previously. It was clear the tree had lost a lot of power.

In a section like this, servants rarely wondered. The Fusang tree was too sacred, they weren't permitted in. It was the same for certain sections of Yingzhou, places Da Hai labelled for them to stay away from.

Though whether these locations were a matter for their own safety or because of an embarrassing secret was left in the open. Yi Fei'e had been one who was adamantly supporting this notion.

"So," Wangshu said watching the swing leaves of the Fusang tree. "Hungyuan Wuji Luo Golden Immortal?"

Da Hai nodded. "I'm as surprised as you. But in the spur of the moment, it just kinda happened."

"Cheh! Transcending the greatest hurdle in cultivation history and that's all you have to say?" She scoffed playfully. "I had to work my ass off searching for clues and you just go and do it."

"Not without Master Pangu I wouldn't have," Da Hai held out his hand manifesting several concepts. "This whole time, every time he spoke to me. Every time I had met him. He had been preparing me."

"Well, he is the creator god. I doubt there is much if any he doesn't know. Maybe his clairvoyance told him he should help you?" The moon goddess suggested. At the same time, she investigated the concepts in Da Hai's palm. But even with her advanced cultivation, even with her enlightenment, she was hardly able to perceive anything.

"Yet even a being like that is on the verge of death. Humbling thought, anything can die," Da Hai sighed.

"Yes, anything is susceptible to the end."

The new voice interrupted them startling both immortals. Yet Da Hai was unflinching. That was because he recognised this being.

Floating beside them, the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword hovered above the wooden flooring. It appeared extremely ordinary giving no sign of any significant power.

"Cosmic butterfly," Da Hai greeted. "I did not feel you retrieve yourself."

"Your guard is too lax," the ancient being within the sword breathed.

"This is Yingzhou, nothing can touch me here, not even the Heavenly Dao," Da Hai retorted. While this seemed overly arrogant, it was merely a fact. Unless a superior being at the Dao realm suddenly appeared, he was untouchable.

It seemed the sword agreed as it stayed silent. It stood with them admiring the view of the Fusang tree.

"Pangu understood many things in this world. He understood more than any other he would die but still continued on with it. It was perhaps the worst choice he'd ever made. A skilled warrior he was, but a cunning schemer he wasn't" the sword said after a while.

"But he banked on you. You were the only living being to find him. Hence he staked everything on you. For someone like him, even a single word had much more meaning than you would think," he continued.

"I was too weak at the time," Da Hai nodded remembering his first encounter with Pangu. "My enlightenment was not enough to understand. Only at this realm now, can I truly picture how powerful he would've been at his prime."

"My brother in arms had long ago fulfilled all prerequisites to ascend to the Dao realm. But he'd always carried with him a fear, a fear that his road would end. He tried everything to prolong it, enhancing his combat ability, his knowledge on all aspects of life, and his own foundation. After many chaos cycles, he'd reached a point where he knew everything. Not even his greatest competitors could stop him anymore," the sword sighed. "I wish I could've helped him more."

"Dao, the end of cultivation," Wangshu mused. "I can't say I understand."

"Not many did moon god," the sword said.

"You're being awfully chatty today," Da Hai said in amusement. For the longest time, the sword stayed silent. It had never spoken to him or anybody for that matter. In fact, Da Hai wasn't sure it could speak so freely like this.

"Hm? Ah! I was distracted," the sword appeared slightly flustered. If it had a face, it probably would've blushed pink.

It was then that Da Hai realised a bit about its personality. The cosmic butterfly was the type to easily get distracted and begin rambling. He'd easily derail from his initial arguments.

"You did an incredibly stupid and reckless thing," it said. "Offending the Heavenly Dao like that? Reckless, too reckless."

"I told Pangu before hand, he didn't have anything against it. In fact, you didn't speak up when I told him," Da Hai criticised.

"I misjudged the Heavenly Dao like you. I think Pangu did too," it sighed. "But now we are at an impasse. You can neither fulfil your own goal nor Pangu's wishes."

"Was that all you had to say?" Da Hai said frowning. Being reminded of his own failure hurt. Especially now that he was essentially under house arrest.

"I…hai, what's done is done. I am just a little frustrated with you. Do what you must," the cosmic butterfly said before fading away. The Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword stayed floating before returning to its sheath.

"At the end, even the strength of Hunyuan Wuji was not enough. I still have much improvements to do. The key principles I learned were just one among many," Da Hai said. "I didn't want to, but it would seem venturing into the Chaos Sea may be necessary."

Directionless and confusing, the Chaos Sea was a place easy to get lost in. He could walk in and not find his way home for millions, billions, even trillions of years. He was not like Pangu during his youth when he had no home and wandered endlessly. He had a life here, family, and responsibilities.


"Da Hai," Wangshu spoke up. "Since you are not able to enter the primitive world. I can be your proxy in the meantime."

"You sure? I have already asked too much of you in the past. Getting involved in my business can spell doom for you Moon Star Lord."

"I am already too heavily involved Sea Suppression Heavenly Lord."

Da Hai starred at his longtime friend for a long while.

"You'll need the strength of Hunyuan Wuji," he said. Wangshu nodded in agreement.

"The Moon Demon God had some clues and I was able to make some progress. But in truth, she was just as clueless as the rest of us."

"Doesn't matter, I have already stepped into this realm. I shall guide you there as well."

Wangshu smirked in response. "Very well, when do we get started."

…

The west continent was in disarray even after thirteen thousand years. The barren lands were shaken to their core and the very earth bled.

"The power of Wuji," Luohu mused in fascination. He floated above the massive ravine leading from the dimensional walls all the way to Mt Sumeru. A remnant of Da Hai's attack.

"So similar to the remnant in Tai Chu temple, but much fresher," he breathed in the rich air of Primordial Qi. The wondrous chaotic concepts left behind were a fascinating feeling.

Luohu wasn't angry. Rather, he was excited. He had already been aware of many Wuji secrets prior to this. But seeing one first hand was a completely different experience.

Pangu's blow had come too fast and the gap between them too large. He died before realising much. But Da Hai, while massively above the current him, wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.

Already, he had gained much in his short exchange with the eastern sea god.

"Back here again?" Mara called out from behind him. He was accompanied by the hooded form of Hundun. Both immortals were incredibly powerful, the latter had already returned to his peak while the former was comparable.

"Mara, Hundun," Luohu greeted with a bright smile. "Here to enjoy the gift our foe left us?"

"Gift? You consider this a gift? You were maimed!" Mara blustered in shock. "Hundun, why are you not angrier. Our leader nearly died."

The hooded immortal shook his head but otherwise stayed silent.

"You agree with him?" The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven said in disbelief.

"In the pursuit of the Dao, all paths are valid," Luohu said. "Use any and all things. The Dao is hard and confusing, so any resource should be utilised to its fullest. Mara my friend, this is the most promising breakthrough we've had in years."

"You put chasing the Dao above your own life?"

"A Deva like you won't understand, our philosophies are simply too different," Hundun said from beside his contemporary. "No matter how entwined they've become, some fundamentals won't change."

Mara narrowed his eyes at Hundun. He turned back to Luohu, "You should return to Mt Sumeru, the management team is getting restless."

"I thought they were doing an adequate job? What's his name was running the sect well enough when I left, what was his name again? Love heart or something?"

"Heart Devil," Mara confirmed. "But it would be better if the Devil himself shows his face. We lost a lot of manpower and having you present will do well in encouraging more youths to join."

He took a moment to pause. "Though it would be even better if you'll consider lowering the barrier of entry a bit."

"Out of the question. I have no use for useless weak Daos," Luohu sneered.

"Some may only blossom at latter stages of life," Mara stated. "Most of the management team seems to agree. Brother, at least consider it?"

"Demon King's words hold merit," Hundun said surprising both devil gods. "Of course, not everyone should be allowed in. But lowering the difficulty of trials may do well to restore our influence."

"I'm surprised you're speaking up Hundun, you don't normally share your thoughts on anything," Luohu said suspiciously.

"I serve those most dedicated to the path of the godfiend," Hundun deflected. "Right now, Demon King's suggestions are beneficial to you, my master."

"Very well, I'll think on it," Luohu nodded after some deliberation. He touched his naval and connected with the thousands of Daos flowing through him. "Not enough, too many aspects of existence are still lacking."

A core fundamental of his path was that all things originate from him. Only one devil can exist at any possible time and all things exist solely to benefit him. The more Daos created from his scripture, the more advanced he'd become.

As the Ancestral Devil, he was the origin and culmination. Hence the more Daos present the better his progress. But the quality of Daos also had to be top notch as well.

At the same time, having low quality but large quantity wouldn't be a loss. There will be no gains but he won't lose.

Luohu looked back at the ravine in thought. "That Heart Devil kid has been doing a good job right? Let him handle things at the recruit's side. If it can get us more defined Daos then it'll be worth it."

…

"The world moved on. The recent string of natural disasters has already faded into the history books as the years went by. A hundred twenty nine thousand six hundred years passed since the end of Shinny's war. Another yuanhui had came and went."

"It all happened so fast yet it was a long period of time brother. My disciples, your nephews, they've all grown up into their own. Their destinies are just beginning still, yet they've already achieved so much."

"Whereas an old fart like me? I failed. I failed so many times. I was too blinded and I couldn't realise the truth until much later. Though thankfully I managed to salvage things somewhat."

"I'm sorry for being unable to properly visit you. Unfortunately, I can not enter the wider world freely anymore. But I sent Wangshu to your cave with some incense, I hope you won't mind."

"I miss you…There was so much I wanted to share with you. Did you know I was the first in our history to break into Hunyuan Wuji Luo Golden Immortal since ancestor Tai Chu? Amazing right?"

"I wish you were still here, it's been so long yet the wound still feels fresh. You told me all those years ago that eternity was like a blink of an eye. Time was nothing in comparison to our lives. That couldn't be more true than now. Had I been a mortal human, I would've seen civilisations beginning to collapse many times over. Yet the aeons feel like mere hours."

"Thank you Huoyun, for all that you did for me back then. I could never express my thanks in time. But I swear, your death won't be in vain."

Da Hai stood from the small shrine he'd been sitting before. His legs uncrossed as he stood up. "Until next time my friend."

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

The world rippled, myriad colours departed, reality distorted. Creation began with the universe coming into being from unbending. The ex nihilo gave way to the material world with all its wonders.

Lifeforms of all kinds from the smallest of forest dwelling critters to the highest of celestial beings manifested and went about their lives. In just a spontaneous accidental response, a universe made itself manifests.

Then in the same instant, all things ended. The universe withdrew into itself. All things degenerated into chaos as vast calamities bathed the world in flames. Reality crumbled as the very laws of existence faded to be.

In one instant, being. In other instant, unbeing.

The world came and went just as fast as it was eternal.

But it was not real.

It was merely a reaction.

An illusionary transformation generated from each step he took. Each step he took through the Chaos Sea manifested the concepts of creation, destruction, and recreation. Each step he took showed things taking form and in the next dissolved all things back into nothing.

Natural entropy gave way to negentropy before reversing back to entropy and fading away only to fade into existence once more. The deity that manifested these changes did not pay them heed.

And why should he?

Such transformations were happening around him every second. Constant myriad changes reflected off of his pale blue skin at every instant. They lasted for eternities contained within an instant and regressed while progressing. Time itself was diluted and muddled.

He didn't bother with them anymore. While it was a wondrous sight, he'd long since become desensitised to it. He didn't even bother to suppress it, not in this environment.

If he were interacting with lesser creatures, he'd naturally suppress himself so as to not cause them harm. But in the environment of the Chaos Sea, such an issue was not present. At most, weaker chaos lifeforms will take it as a warning to run away.

He looked around at his surroundings with a contemplative look. He took a few moments scanning every detail in the constantly changing spacial tides before frowning.

Before him was a massive plain of colourless colourful void of entropy. Infinite amounts of elements twisted and turned, destroying and creating whenever they collided. Dao laws came into existence and went just as fleeting.

But none are what he was searching for.

Such a sight wasn't one he was unfamiliar with.

It was a scene just like any other in the Chaos Sea.

"Not here," the blue man frowned. Two of his arms crossed across his chest while another set gripped their fists hard. His eyes twitched as he mauled over the clues he'd obtained.

"Where can he be?" He muttered taking more steps forward. Each stride he took crossed an immeasurable amount of distance. Each footstep easily eclipsed the total distance from one end of a chaos world to another.

He encountered various churning rifts and vortexes as he walked but ignored all of them. His gaze penetrated the vast beyond and his nostrils flared as he singled out specific Qi signatures.

He rubbed his fingers across his chin. "People lived here," he said briefly taking note of a chunk of stone. It was nothing special in his eyes though it did resemble a piece of a building. Some sort of temple perhaps?

Nevertheless, he continued his search for a little longer. The chaos sea was vast, so incredibly vast. So vast in fact that even he cannot accurately measure it.

"Damn it, I don't have long," he suddenly said looking back in a certain direction.

"A pity, I thought I'd be able to find you after that aftershock. I know that was definitely caused by you Pangu. Just where did you go? I need your expertise," he said in frustration.

When it came to understanding all things in all creation, few can equal a genuine Dao Ancestor much less surpass one. But Pangu was only a Hunyuan Wuji Luo Golden Immortal in name only.

Even many kalpas ago, the great god could already ascend to the Dao realm. His many years holding himself back have secured a level of knowledge and expertise that was unrivalled in creation.

Unlike he and his brother who took the first plunge long ago, Pangu would rather stay at his realm. But the results could not be denied.

The chaos sea was a truly mysterious location. Even omnipotent Dao Ancestors were limited in some ways. Some places they just could not go despite being able to perfectly perceive them. Deep down, they too knew that should Grand Dao's power turn on them, even they would be reduced to dust.

A sudden ripple in the void caused his eyes to turn slightly. The new presence was a new being but one with a slight familiarity. He had detected the newcomer's presence some time ago but had ignored it for the most part, he wasn't in the mood to deal with others right now.

But as the presence drew closer, his attention was drawn to it. The familiar feeling of rippling chaos mixed with some others were within it.

"This being interacted with Pangu," he said with happiness. There was still a bit of time before he had to journey back. He could use this chance to obtain some clues and then begin his journey during the next kalpa.

A chaos being emerged from the void. It was a truly titanic creature serpentine and draconic in appearance. It possessed gleaming scales of azure, amethyst, indigo, and bright green colours. Fins that resembled the dancing sea grass and corals of the ocean floor.

It had manes of spongey yellow hair swaying as it moved its many heads. Eight serpentine heads and moved around the chaotic environments. It reminded him of his and his brother's trusted retainers.

'Wait…no,' he contemplated. This snake wasn't a chaos life form. It had some characteristics of one but was otherwise distinct from chaotic lifeforms. This was a living being from a chaos world. A curious discovery.

He turned his head and acknowledge the newcomer. "Greetings," he said. He must've startled the newcomer cause the eight headed serpent was rather alarmed.

"Greetings," the newcomer answered back. "I sensed a massive change going on and came to investigate. I did not expect to encounter…" he trailed off.

"Neither did I, I am investigating some matters of mine own. I hope friend can help me?" He asked politely sensing the newcomer had no intentions to fight nor any real ill intent.

For what felt like hours, the serpent stared at him in something resembling recognition. It was an odd feeling where eight pairs of eyes stared intently at his body. It made him feel a but bashful.

"Ahem, I wondered if friend can answer some of my questions," he asked interrupting the awkward silence.

"Uh…yes…sure…of course Shi…uh, just ask away," the snake said.

He casted the serpent an odd look. He definitely stopped himself from saying something. But he also didn't want to pry nor invade the serpent's privacy. He paid closer attention as he asked.

"I was wondering if friend has seen a man around this tall? Muscular, very muscular and hairy with wild hair, like building muscles in all places. He should be wearing a loincloth made of leaves," he listed. He didn't know if these details were still accurate to his once rival's appearance but he wasn't one to change his wardrobe.

"You're describing Pangu right?" The serpent stated.

"Good, so you did know him. May I inquire to his location? I am in desperate need of his assistance," he said smiling for the first time since he'd left the fourteen realms.

The serpent spent some time contemplating before he answered. Before he did so he shrunk into himself, reverting to a human form. An enlightened form rakshasas and similar beings alike took to hide their true appearances.

The serpent was an unassuming man somewhere in his forties from the looks of it. He had a short beard from both sides of his lips and a short one on his chin. His hair was shoulder lengthen and tied in a head bun where a small crown rested.

"Master Pangu's situation is complicated," he said. The serpent looked unsure of how he was to proceed. Unsure how much he wanted to say.

"Master? Pangu took an apprentice?" The four armed blu skinned man wondered aloud. "I suppose you do share similarities."

"I can't call myself a true disciple, merely a lucky man who received a bit of guidance," the serpent said. "What is it you want with Pangu?"

"I am in a bit of a bind. I have friends, and family that need to be saved and I believe Pangu can help me. His understanding of certain aspects of Dharma can aid me in my predicament," he said.

"But why? You are… pardon my bluntness but you're presence, your power, your realm. It's not something that exists within the bounds of Hunyuan Wuji Golden Immortals. You're a genuine article of Dao. A genuine Dao Ancestor," the serpent spluttered.

"This matter is complicated, forgive me if I can't say more. Please, I just need to find Pangu. I'll only bring him away for a few kalpas," he said.

"Pangu is invalid, on the verge of death. He won't survive a trip to the chaos sea," the serpent said without hesitation.

It took an embarrassing amount of time for the blue man to register those words. Invalid. Verge of death. Won't survive.

"Impossible," he quickly denied. "Pangu was invincible below Brahman realm or Dao realm as you refer to it. It is impossible for him to fall into such a state."

Unintentionally, the blue entity's wrath made itself manifest. Fire roared around him causing his tiger skirt to flare up. He took a deep breath to calm down.

"Speak no falsehoods friend," he said almost in a desperate begging tone.

"Pangu separated Ying and Yang from formless chaos. He manifested the Dao and carved out creation, separating heaven from earth," the serpent said. "A universe, a chaos world was produced. But it was not an ordinary, nor even an extraordinary one. It was a truly unique thing that one has to see to believe."

The blue man stopped as he listened to those words. He gulped down the mouthful of saliva that had built up within him. "What? That makes no…show me," he all but demanded.

He took a step forward intending to proceed but stopped seconds after. He gazed down at his palm where a Sanskrit word made itself manifest.

"We'll talk at a later date," he hurriedly said before dashing away without waiting for an answer.

He had wasted too much time, he dashed at top speed through the unending chaos. He left a trail of fire in his wake as transformations burned out beneath his footsteps.

Speed was the necessity here. He had already saved the location where he met the serpent in his mind. At his realm, he can track down that same location easily enough when next he was available.

He travelled beyond many worlds, beyond many universe ending catastrophes without looking back. Random xiantian treasures scattered throughout the chaos did not distract him one bit as he approached his destination.

A multi armed man sat on a lotus observing a spherical structure. Majestic enchantments were at work and the universe appeared beautiful from the outside. Yet one only needed to pear beneath the shell to see the turmoil within.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" The sitting man asked. His skin was a dark blue in contrast to his own pale blue. But both were incredibly powerful omnipotent beings in all creation.

"Sort of," he said striding forwards. "I'll tell you more in the next kalpa. Let me concentrate," he said immediately entering the chaos world.

His arms stretched outwards as his body twirled around. His forehead split as a third eye manifested into existence. A bright light enveloped the world, dissolving all of reality but preserving creation as he formed the, into usable matter.

He danced to the end of the world. Cycling creation anew into the next kalpa. Tandava, one of his, Shiva's, greatest techniques, Astras of unimaginable power. The power that ends the material universe and converts it into another.

…

The preserver watched the destroyer perform his work. The creator was already preparing. Vishnu was silent as his preservation enchantments were undone by his brother, silently gazing as the universe was remade anew.

It was a process that took time yet was instantaneous at the same time. An entire day of Brahma's remaining life will soon begin as this one ended.

It was a fascinating process, watching them both work. But it was one Vishnu grew tired of long ago. He was itching to move.

"Shiva, my brother of the same source," Vishnu said. "We can't keep doing this. Brahma's life nears its end. Till now, now alternatives can be found. Perhaps it is time you give up."

As destruction winded down to its closing phase. As Tandava reached its climax. Shiva retorted from within the burgeoning universe.

"No, not until the very end. I refuse to believe nothing can be done."

"The time arrived long ago and the window is shrinking. A new power rises in the distance as I'm sure you've sensed too. I can't see where and how. But one day, a new Brahman realm entity will emerge. Soon, we'll have to leave," Vishnu urged.

"We've stayed in this world for too long already. We need to transcend," Vishnu said. "Not to mention, when this new being comes into existence, even we may not survive."

Shiva remained silent as he watched distant Brahman begin his work. He appeared very unwilling.

"I seek transcendence too," he admitted. "But please, just a little longer. I have concrete clues to Pangu's location now."

"And what guarantees do you have that Pangu can do what we could not figure out?" Vishnu scoffed. "Fine, I can afford to wait for a little longer. Brahma's end should come before the storm arrives."

"Thank you brother," the pale blue god said in response emerging from the new universe.

"Remember what Yuanling told us, only one may transcend at any given era. We are in luck competition is so scarce. But I grow weary of waiting," the darker god said.

Shiva nodded in agreement. It was regretful, but he had built up too many connections in the fourteen realms. He cannot bring himself to abandon it, abandon them, abandon her. Even if he was to leave, he had to at least ensure their eternal survival. He was prepared to give up all his treasures.

"Parvati missed you. You were gone for most of the kalpa," Vishnu said as he approached the universe, specifically the sea of milk wherein his mount and retainer awaited.

Shiva sighed in regret. "I had no choice. Like you said, time is so limited. I have such a small window to search as well. I have to make the most of it. How long is it exactly? Before Brahma gives out?"

"A little more than a dozen kalpas. That's all you have left," Vishnu said.

 

[Pef]

I have the feeling I have already read this novel someplace else, most likely a wuxia novel site.

 

[Daoist Dreamwalker]

I have the feeling I have already read this novel someplace else, most likely a wuxia novel site.

Click to shrink...

Probably Webnovel. I have never posted on any wuxia site though.