Path of the Ascendant

Silence dominated the void. The multitude of crimson eyes set upon the rich and bountiful land far, far away were gone, and all that was left was a single gleaming light. It sat within the still body of a woman, and it pierced through her flesh and skin to make its faint azure mark upon the world.

The body that it was contained within floated in the void, too far from the distant land to be pulled down onto its soil. A simple red robe was all that covered it, although a layer of dark blue blood was floating away from it as if it had turned to ash and simply peeled away from the skin. Her eyes were shut, her mouth open just a little, though it conveyed no expression. More importantly, however, the insides were nearly dry of the lifeblood of the world – of planar essence.

In its place was that azure light, gleaming for all the world to see, as if it wished to showcase its splendour.

All of a sudden, the peace was broken up when a series of figures appeared from nowhere. Each one was aged, with white beards, long white hair, or wrinkled faces, sometimes all three at once. They seemed to find solid ground to stand upon amidst the void, and one lazily waved a hand with no particular meaning.

A vast array appeared beneath the floating figure’s feet, trapping it in place as lines so vast and numerous quickly filled up the space, almost forming a sheet of solid flooring out of nothing. It grew to the width of a small house before stopping, with the old figures standing outside of it while sharing meaningful glances between one another. For a short while, these glances appeared to come to no conclusion, until one finally reached out with their hand.

“That toy is mine. I have the Seed already, so she got that from elsewhere.”

His words were followed by a backward motion with his hand, which caused a series of strange shards to surge out of the body of the unconscious woman in the middle of them. They fell into his hand, casually arranging themselves into characters, and were placed into a pocket just as casually.

“Heh. I think the boy I gave these to managed to put some amusing things into them. We finally know why so many of the Seeds have returned ahead of time, without the toys they were embedded into.”

“This one has a few more things on her. This world’s god has done a terrible job of maintaining the right order,” another old figure, a woman, said while she also waved her hand, bringing out a small seal out of the woman’s body and placing it into her own pocket, “She’s wasted so many years by messing with the Seeds, so I propose I get her Seed.”

“Why do you deserve such a thing? You sent out your Seed only a few years ago. I have been lacking in the materials to send mine out again for a million of this world’s years!” the first one said, “I have more materials, but this was my best idea in a long while. I needed this material back!”

“You two bicker as if you are the only ones affected. I made something to do with a mirror, and this one took it as well. It seems to have ended up somewhere on that world,” a second elderly man said.

Others shuffled forward to join in as well. One spoke of his combination item, which should have led to enormous growth had it not been co-opted by the unconscious woman. Naturally, he retrieved that item as well, though the moment he even had the thought of touching the faint azure light the others directly supressed him with their own power, forcing him to stand back and cough in displeasure, though he didn’t force the issue.

“Whatever it is, you ought to settle it before we send her off. The Abyss of Eternity has lost its last entry point some fifty million years ago.”

“Really? I had left one of my items in there, so that’s a shame.”

“Indeed. Now, I would also like to claim the Seed of Omnipotence,” he held up his hand to stop the others, who immediately switched the target of their gaze to him, “However, I had no direct interaction with this one, or the Seed, or the items you threw into this world. I have also spoken to The One Above, and he said that my Seed of Omnipotence should advance soon. So, I have no need of the foreign power in that one.”

“Since The One Above said so, it must be true. You will finally have what we all want… The toy I gave to the boy was out of my control the longest, and it was probably what helped her get it, so the Seed in her body should go to me.”

“That is nonsense! Look at this!” another said, bringing out a book that they had retrieved earlier, “She’d taken this and kept it from me! The Seed that I had bound to it barely accumulated any energy, either! It is vital that the Seed goes to me so that it may make up for everything that had been lost as a result of her actions!”

They pondered the matter for a while, but even after the last strokes of the array’s lines were complete, they hadn’t arrived at a proper conclusion. It seemed nigh impossible for them to figure anything out within a reasonable amount of time, though it wasn’t an issue for them. Having endured for millions of years beyond the space of any particular reality, wasting even a few years on discussion wouldn’t make a dent within their lifespans. Additionally, they weren’t able to achieve much with only their own efforts, so the more time spent here, the less they needed to wait for their Seeds to be refined by others.

With little to do at other times, they were able to get extremely engaged into their discussions that they failed to notice the azure glint intensify for a moment.

A spark emerged from the unconscious form and suddenly came into contact with the array, causing the many lines and nodes to ignite with a darkness that completely overwhelmed that of the void. The Old Ones turned away from the current speaker and to the array, but it was too late. The darkness enveloped the unconscious body and the azure light, which returned to the unconscious form just moments before it vanished.

 

“… One way, you said?”

“The Abyss of Eternity contains powerful gods. They might have condensed a Seed of Omnipotence by now, maybe even more, so it would be suicide to try to open that place.”

“Then, we have lost a Seed. We must make do with what remains, and ensure that the world’s god improves its methods for limiting development of our chosen candidates,” the Elder One that had taken charge sighed, “What have we decided to call it? Heaven’s Will? Come out, Heaven’s Will.”

After a moment, the ambient light in the middle of them condensed into a featureless humanoid figure, which had its head bowed and hands behind its back, appearing roughly where the unconscious body had previously been placed. With the array expended, nothing remained of its structure, and so it wasn’t at risk of being sent into the same terrible landscape that had claimed the one that previously stood in that position.

Some of the Old Ones scoffed at the figure’s appearance, others seemed pleased, but the largest number had no significant reaction, appearing bored with the whole situation.

“You have appeared, but have yet to answer. Do you wish to be destroyed?”

“No, I do not. I answer your summons.”

“You have failed to uphold the expectations we have placed upon you. The world we had wished was one where the potential of our candidates would be expended before they were slain, before they could reach the peak, yet you seem to have provided a breeding ground for natives to overcome the biggest obstacle you have created, destroy the second greatest threat entirely, and even obtain a Seed of Omnipotence from somewhere,” his tone didn’t hide his disdain of Heaven’s Will.

“I… apologise.”

“We shall reform your world once we come up with a replacement to those… Primordial Deities? I can guess that you have still failed to learn of their origin, so a suitable alternative will need to be arrived upon. Ensure the local populace doesn’t cause any issues.”

“I will do so right away. I apologise for my incompetence.”

“You should have done better before apologising,” the Old One said with his back turned, and then he and all of the others vanished with as little fanfare as when they had appeared.

Heaven’s Will was left alone, but after a short while it stepped back and gazed upon the position where Wei Yi had floated. Given that it lacked a face with which to express itself, one would have never been able to tell what it was thinking, but it was clearly not heading over to the Planar Continental land in order to fulfil the instructions that it had been given.

After a while, a sigh appeared to emerge from its glowing form.

It retreated further back, gazed in the direction that it knew the Old Ones had gone in, where the world ended and the void beyond could be accessed most easily, and raised a hand.

“I am sorry, Wei Yi. I have indeed failed to do anything for far too long. As a result, you are gone, and the people will be purged or changed beyond recognition,” it said to itself, glancing in the direction of the verdant lands that it had attempted to safeguard, ‘You were right. I am a coward. I do love my world, but I have done nothing at all to defend it. I have bowed down to the Old Ones since they came to my new-born lands and forced me to create a realm wherein they could cultivate their Seeds of Omnipotence most easily…’

After a moment wherein it took in everything it had created, willingly and otherwise, it placed its focus back to the opening to the greater void, calling upon the power of itself and the world that it represented.

“As my last act, I shall let the people of my world have freedom. Let the Planar Continents be sealed from the outside forever!”

Once its final words left its non-existent mouth, the figure made of light burst and exploded outward, instantly flooding the heavens of the Planar Continents. All of the distant stars and nebulas were completely overwhelmed an as he wave of light finally passed them, they were dim and nearly lightless, as if they were naught but fireflies in the skies above, their light barely reaching down to the land and making their mark upon the vision of those below. It flowed so slowly that most that did peer into the skies could barely remember what they had seen before, so many overlooked the change initially.

 

However, the wave itself did not escape the attention of anyone. It was present to sight and general perception, and thus all that lived sensed its coming. It washed over the lands, and those that had seen Wei Yi – still called the Ascendant by most – depart also knew that the light came from the same direction.

Hence, speculation began the moment the people recovered.

“She defeated the Hunger of the Beyond. We’re safe,” the initial chatter only dared consider that which they had direct knowledge of, but soon such things spiralled far away.

For instance, the nature of the light came to be associated with its true origin.

“When she left, she went to fight the Heavens,” people soon began to say, “She won, and we are now free!”

Who could blame people for attempting to comprehend an unknown? Most knew nothing of the Old Ones, of Heaven’s Will’s true nature, of Wei Yi and her path, of the many people in Yi City that had greater knowledge of it all than they did. Even the last on the list knew little of the matter, for Yi Shi Ming just knew that Wei Yi departed after a stern disagreement with Heaven’s Will. Although she had certain notions, she could not be certain that there wasn’t a confrontation between the two.

Perhaps the Heavens did fall, many thought. The stars have dimmed, and there seems to be nothing else to threaten the people of the world. Although the planar energy density did not rise further, it also did not fall, so clearly the tyranny of Heaven’s Will was gone.

In a matter of hours, Wei Yi could only be referred to as the Ascendant, both out of respect for her apparent feat and the fact that she most clearly rose beyond the level of ordinary men and women. She managed to slay the very Heaven’s Will that ought to have had full control over the world, so what else could they possibly call her? Even the Master of Yi City, whether recalled by friend or foe, had never risen to such a height, so using that form of address would greatly undervalue her attainment. Of course, things didn’t stop there.

Given that she was not returning, many leapt to the conclusion that she had perished to defeat the Will of the Heavens, and thus it was all the more vital to honour her sacrifice. Her acts had practically led to a new era before the fall of the heavens, so now that she had accomplished another great feat, it would only be right to admit that the Era of Yi City and the Era of the Decline was gone.

 

“How is my baby?” Chao Ru asked, lying in a comfortable reclining seat in the Wei District, “Is she healthy?”

“Your divine sense should still work, so you could look yourself… but she seems to be completely fine. As you guessed, she has both parts, too,” Long Huang said, “Tch, I can’t believe I was relegated to this kind of thing. Yi Shi Ming should have experience. Why can’t she help?”

“Don’t push her. It’s the second time she’s lost an important person without much warning…”

An awkward silence ensued, with both unable to overcome their own feelings over the loss of their Ascendant. Their exact thoughts and opinions about Wei Yi differed, of course, but one thing that nobody could deny was that she was someone that not only had an awful lot of potential, but also a great mind and ability and could not be matched by anyone currently living. Her work and her power were the reason that so many things in Yi City could work as they did, and now all of it was gone.

The physique abilities that she had bestowed, the archives capable of teaching with a single touch of a book, the sheer terror she inspired in foes of Yi City – those were just the most prominent factors one could think of, though there were many more.

In the end, the one to break the silence was Mo Zhouquan, who had been in the adjacent room ensuring that the new-born was in a fine state.

“They’re calling it the Era of Ascension, by the way. After Wei Yi.”

“She’d hate the name. I recall her being rather annoyed about it the last time we spoke,” Chao Ru said, a sad smile appearing on her lips regardless, “I hadn’t even thought of a name for the baby. Obviously, her surname has to be Wei, given that she will inherit this place, but… I can’t even begin to guess what first name to offer her.”

“You don’t need to rush. It will come to you eventually. Though, come up with it before the twenty-second, or else Shun Liu Min will definitely take the best name for her own child,” Long Huang noted, “With how much that one’s read, I doubt there is a single name that she cannot think of.”

“That’s very precise. Are you sure it will be in twenty days?”

“Whether its Wei Yi’s physique abilities, her bloodline, or just some luck, all three of you appear to be entirely healthy, and your children seem to even more so. Unless those two get into a physical fight and have to completely ruin their insides to win, there should be no deviations from the ideal schedule of child birth and whatever else,” the Blood Alchemist stated, “And I still hate the fact that I learnt this so readily.”

“Don’t you want to have a child with me?” Mo Zhouquan asked, tilting her head to the side.

“I, uh-” Long Huang’s eyes darted around for a moment before she found an out, “Right, I should analyse methods to stimulate a child’s bloodline power without harming them. The sooner it can activate, the better she will grow up, and the less you’ll have to worry about her. Goodbye for now!”

She practically ran out of the open air room, and then out of the building, followed by Mo Zhouquan’s quiet giggles.

“I think she’s cute when she does that. Don’t you?”

Chao Ru shrugged, “Whatever you two do, make sure it isn’t in front of the kids. I don’t want them to be affected by your strange relationship before they become adults and can think about it properly.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not like I was back in the Brotherhood of Power. The madness is gone, and even my body seems to be returning to normal… a little bit. I don’t think I’ll ever return to what I’d been, but I have enough common sense to leave kids out of certain things, and do not do other things within their range of perception…” Mo Zhouquan paused when she realised an issue, “Right, range of perception. Five cultivation paths and a richer energy density means they’ll leap through realms, won’t they?”

“Just stay away from the Wei District whenever you get up to anything odd.”

“Sure, sure… I’ll miss her.”

“Yeah…” Chao Ru’s smile, which had just begun to creep onto her face, faded once more as she gazed into the empty sky.

 

END OF BOOK 1