Path of the Ascendant

Two days was what it took, and by the end of it Wei Yi and Chao Jianhong had been fighting at the front doors of the large, dark cathedral for over an hour before the latter could finally be pushed back.

By this point, Wei Yi’s various empowering methods were partly exhausted, and their effectiveness was halved in the best of cases, reduced to a tenth of their original power in the worst of cases. Therefore, when she attempted to finally punch the half-dragon through the oddly feeble-looking front doors, she was only able to throw the woman back by a few steps, resulting in her crashing into the doors and falling in alongside one of the doors.

A cloud of stagnant dust rose up, having gathered on the doors and floor of the cathedral. It parted slowly to reveal a dark space, lit only by red stained windows. A carpet, aged and grim, though once crimson, led from the entrance to the depths, to the other end of the cathedral where an altar stood, illuminated with a crimson light with no clear origin.

Blood flowed from it, two channels on either side of the worn carpet leading it out of the cathedral.

Everything was originating from that altar, where a horrid figure lay. Flayed flesh was parted to reveal yellowed bone, and it was all surrounded by a vast pool of a single liquid, dense and obviously crimson, though it was not the same liquid that flowed down through the cathedral and then the district. Instead, that blood, which dripped into the altar from numerous small tubes that extended just a few centimetres from the back walls before stopping and letting the blood drop freely onto the altar, causing a constant dripping to echo all the way to the front of the cathedral, all entered the skinless figure.

Then, it bubbled out of the top and slid down, until it left the altar and sank into the floor, where it then flowed outside and eventually into the ocean.

What she saw should have had no ability to talk, or even live, and yet it did both.

“Welcome, Master of Yi City. You have come just in time,” the voice was dry and rough, barely resembling a voice to begin with, and the bloody figure before her did not appear to be moving any component of its body in order to produce it, “You ought to know my identity before we begin. I am the Crimson Hierophant.”

“Leader of the Blood-tinged Church… and Primordial Blood, I assume,” Wei Yi said, feeling the presence of another entity around the flayed body, “Gonna explain why you’ve done a tenth of the things you’ve done, or will we just fight and get it over with?”

“You simply wish to sate your thirst for knowledge. I do this for the Truth.”

“Right, more incomprehensible nonsense. So-”

“Oh mighty Hierophant, the last drops of my finest Mixed Ichor have been fed into the tubes. You will receive it shortly,” a woman suddenly appeared to the Crimson Hierophant’s left – from Wei Yi’s perspective – in a bow, straightening her back only when she turned towards the entrance.

The woman had no comment, but Wei Yi could tell that she wasn’t just some youth that had wandered into the wrong place. From the outside, she looked normal and no more than a year over eighteen, but her insides were distorted in a manner not dissimilar from Mo Zhouquan, though not identical either. Rather than some deliberate attempt to create a chaotic mess that functioned only by some miracle of nature, this woman’s internal organs were rearranged into the most efficient forms and structures possible, resulting in something alien for humans, yet undoubtedly efficient.

She was able to take in air constantly, without needing to use her mouth, and her body had several hearts that ensured all of it was supplied with blood even if one was to fail. There was clearly a great deal of thought put into this arrangement, though there were no signs of surgery or other common acts of physical modification.

“Huang Yu. You have done well.”

“Oh great Hierophant, the supplies of Beating Heart are low. The invasion and subsequent retaliation have drained us of most of the ready substance,” a male voice showed up alongside another figure, this one standing on the right. He, too, bowed until he turned, looking at Wei Yi with some disdain.

This man had some resemblance to Chao Jianhong, with eyes and blood that looked to be aflame, easily glowing through his skin. Other parts of his appearance were more ordinary, though his powerful muscles were impossible to miss no matter how one looked at him, clearly imbued with whatever properties had led to his glowing eyes and blood.

“We will not require much more, Huang Chen.”

There was a slightly longer pause this time, though Wei Yi was expecting there to be more. From the terms used, it was most likely that the two that had appeared first were involved with the Mixed Ichor and Beating Heart Divisions, and they might very well be the leaders of their respective Divisions. Given that they were providing their reports to the Crimson Hierophant around the same time, it was very likely that there were other leaders coming to deliver their reports.

As for the Mixed Ichor being supplied to the Crimson Hierophant, she wasn’t unconcerned, but there wasn’t much that she could change. Every moment she could get was immensely helpful for her to recover, and in the worst case scenario for her, the Crimson Hierophant would be able to reach for the ninth realm in strength using the Mixed Ichor solution. Fortunately for her, there was a major difference between the ninth realm of power, and the ninth realm’s energy availability. The primary strength of the ninth realm was the latter, for it permitted one to throw around whatever techniques they wished, however they wished, without regard for efficiency or restraint, and the power of the ninth realm would not allow this.

Using only a bloodline, even if it was something fit to be described as ichor, could not provide the infinite energy supply, so Wei Yi would still have a reasonable chance of victory. Combining that with her five cultivation paths, perfected realms, variety of techniques and a fast mind, she might be able to compete with a ninth realm Primordial Deity.

“We have collected the bodies you requested, oh glorious Hierophant. The Corpse Blood is being tested on the more unique specimens as we speak…” a third figure, a woman, appeared on the right, near Huang Chen, “I would wish to test it on her. Do you have plans for her, my lord?”

“Her blood may be useful. This shall be discussed later, Huang An.”

The Corpse Blood Division leader was pale and aged in appearance, with a pallid look akin to that of a corpse. Her vitality was significant and obvious, but she was the least touched by signs of age.

A final figure showed up not long after, standing on the left, beside Huang Yu, and began by looking in Wei Yi’s direction, “We are introducing ourselves to her? In that case, I am Huang Da. Our Pure Viscera division is still failing to analyse the blood of the Ascendant, oh prodigious Hierophant, so my place is by your side.”

He turned to the Crimson Hierophant after introducing himself, beginning to bow the moment he began to turn. This fully showcased his appearance, which resembled a man in his fifties, save for any wrinkles or significant signs of physical deterioration. Like all of the others, he wore a set of robes covered in numerous blood stains, though they appeared to have originally been grey or brown. These robes were loose on some, and tighter on others, meaning it was likely that they had been made in bulk and simply worn by whoever was able to put them on, regardless of how well they fit.

This kind of style appeared to be very common for the Blood-tinged Church, given that their central structure was as poorly maintained and tailored as their robes were, but clothing mattered little here.

Given that the world had only recently rejuvenated, there were few materials that were suitable for the eighth and ninth realms, so even if they were clad in the strongest star metal with the best inscriptions placed upon it, Wei Yi could break through them with ease. Similarly, if she repaired her previous star metal scale armour, even an eighth realm Primordial Deity could destroy them with a bit of effort, especially if they had something equal to Reality Severance.

The Great Leeches, who were only in the seventh realm by the time she fought them, had a technique sufficient to break the world itself, so it was odd that none of the Primordial Deities had managed to showcase something of the sort.

“Well, we should not waste time. My blood boils, mortal thing,” the Crimson Hierophant’s voice changed as his figure rose slowly into the air.

All of the blood in the pool rose with him, and formed a layer around him, covering him in a firm layer that resembled skin. Most importantly, jagged teeth-like shapes appeared in place of his original mouth, a pair of twisted eyes replaced the dry orbs in his skull, and the twin energies around him formed into a single aura that overwhelmed all that she had come across so far, save for the heavens themselves.

Obviously, she didn’t ignore the change in the manner he addressed her, either.

“Primordial Blood. Did you replace the Crimson Hierophant?”

“The others were foolish. There is a great deal of potential in the blood of mortal things, and to treat them all as inferior without incorporating their strengths is a great failure. You shall see the reason for this shortly, mortal thing, and understand why quality is superior to quantity.”

The meaning of his – no, its comment – was made clear only a moment later, when all of his power and energy exploded out, tearing the cathedral into pieces invisible to the human eye.

Cracks spread throughout the district, walls and structures fracturing as if the very world was ending, and the lands were parting to unveil the void around them. Blood filled the cracks instead, rushing upwards and fusing with all of the blood fiends and Huang District people that were affected by blood prior to this – the majority of them. However, that infusion made up only a small, insignificant fraction of Primordial Blood’s ability, and most of it was concentrated on the avatar that it had manifested for itself.

The four Division leaders parted, and Primordial Blood flew past and appeared before Wei Yi.

Naturally, she was forced to activate her various cultivation paths and abilities right away, and had to immediately activate some of the potential of her mind in order to keep up with the sheer speed of Primordial Blood. It did not employ any special methods at first, yet she couldn’t say the same for herself right away.

Just to ward off the initial set of blows, she was forced to waste a third of her energy on complex barriers that were destroyed with no more than two strikes, sending clusters of stars and crimson blackness flying just about everywhere.

The four Division leaders parted and rushed out of the cathedral, but they were stopped before long by the warriors of Yi City, as well as those that joined only recently. Chu Su, Huang Mei, Long Lao – one of the dragons that had arrived in the second wave of support from Long Mingyun – and Jia Rong ended up being the first in their way, and although their realms and stages were very different, Wei Yi’s energy supporting them led to all four being at a similar level to the Division leaders, all of whom were at the peak of the eighth, Imperfect Rift realm with the support of bloodline cultivation, also at the peak of the eighth, Final Congregation realm.

Chu Su was met with Huang An, Huang Mei stopped Huang Chen, Long Lao interfered with Huang Da, and Jia Rong happened to run into Huang Yu.

Since all of them wished to either stop the other party, or to get rid of intruders and secure victory for their district, conflict was only natural. For a moment, all eight paused and drew upon their energy, assumed fighting stances, or simply take in the appearances of their opponents as to prepare for the fight in that manner.

 

“Is that all you are able to do? You hold so much, mortal thing, and yet you do so little!”

Primordial Blood had stuck to its only domain, that over bloodline power, and drove its seemingly endless might into numerous attacks that barraged Wei Yi constantly. As it had previously stated, it was apparently more interested in quality than quantity, and it was showcasing that right now by effectively preventing her from doing anything beyond defending. She was using most of what she had, though not quite everything.

There was a certain distinction between the authorities over the world and her paths of cultivation, and the latter were what she was most familiar with using. The former were used mostly alongside the latter, and even their most direct invocation relied on using the power of Law to call upon her strengths.

It was rather difficult to employ the authorities in the same manner that Primordial Blood did, for it used the full power of all of the blood around it, whereas she could not invoke the metal nature of the air, the earth nature of the ground, the planar energy all around them, and whatever else she could find around herself and her foe. Indeed, she had all the quantity that she might desire for herself, but unfortunately she lacked the time or significant desire to understand how to utilise authorities in most cases where they would be of any use.

‘Still, that thing is not wrong. I have a lot of power, yet I am not using it effectively. I don’t wish to lean onto the authorities as my primary strength, so Law is the only way to go…’

Her Dao of Law currently required a great price to be paid in order to function, so she was going to take a shortcut using what elements of the world that she was willing to invoke. In this case, given the multitude of deaths caused by her hand in this district, she had one potent solution simply waiting for her to use it.

“Embers, come to me!”

All at once, a series of sparks ignited within the bodies of all the blood fiends she had defeated using her meteorite showers and direct invocations of force. They flew out, and all appeared at her side, entering her body in a single go. In that moment, a claw that had once been hers appeared and swiped at her, Chao Jianhong returning into the battle without any warning, but it was just a moment too late, for the flames had already begun to burn beneath her skin.

A crown of embers appeared atop her head, and her eyes lit up with an endless flame that surged out and only ceased over two dozen centimetres above her. When Wei Yi’s former claws touched her blazing skin, they merely scratched her.

“By my decree, the Royal Soul of Cinder grants invincibility, therefore it must grant an endless energy supply!”

Her logic was straightforward – if invincibility was to mean immortality, or the inability to be damaged, then she must be able to perform Law-based methods without injury, and that required the ability to expend energy without limit. Therefore, it must be endless, whether truly or effectively so, whether it gained a greater density or simply poured without end.

It didn’t matter so long as the result was what she wanted it to be. She was still missing her desired invocation, but that one worked well enough, so there was no point to complaining.

All of the flames beneath her skin grew brighter as the Entropy Rift opened wider, crimson blackness pouring out of it and quickly transforming into her other four types of energy once it exited the boundaries of her dantian. Just the sheer quantity of it could grant her effective immortality against anything that didn’t bypass it entirely, but this was not her goal. Instead, it was to employ Law without limit, and thus she activated the Conqueror’s Eye for the purpose of enhancing the strength of the surrounding chains of Law.

“By my decree, as Master of Yi City and the holder of the world’s authorities, the being known as Primordial Blood must oppose my authorities before being able to employ its own. Water and metal compose blood, therefore our authorities clash!”

Primordial Blood was able to enjoy such strength due to monopolising the power of the Huang District, which had been built up for a million years without proper intervention all that time. Most likely, those of the Blood-tinged Church knew exactly what they were doing and what entity they were working with, while the Corruptor’s Enclave had clearly failed to track down the location of the entity that had made them what they were. Primordial Corruption emerged in some random field, after all.

If the Primordial Deity had to go against her held authorities, which were more numerous, it would be greatly diminished in strength, and would have to rely more on the planar energy which composed it.

This would highly improve her chances of success, and the best thing was that she didn’t have to invent nonsensical connections between various elements of the world in order to force her desired state of reality. Blood was metal and water, in a broad sense, and so the authorities over metal and water must affect it too. Since she held authority over elemental energy, she had the power of all five elements unified into one, and four aspects of planar essence as well, so she should have a significant edge over Primordial Blood’s single authority.

Her enforcement of Law cost a vast quantity of energy, but it was immediately refilled in a peculiar manner. It didn’t course through her in the regular manner, and none of her body was burnt away, but the quantity was undoubtedly maintained.

As soon as the Law was instantiated, she could sense her foe’s authority more clearly, and she could sense her own authorities coming into contact with it. Energy and the elements were most obvious, though some of her other authorities were also making an appearance in this moment, possibly including the one she had obtained from one of the Primordial Deities and never managed to identify. Every whim that had previously been executed by Primordial Blood with ease now had to go through her and overcome her resistance, both intentional and reflexive. Mighty lashes of blood were… well, they were still mighty, yet they were finally weak enough to be withstood.

“You have done better than before, but this will not be enough! You lack the strength to end me.”

She didn’t reply, and instead focused on the fight, manifesting Moon Splitter and her five paths to attack without pause.

 

Huang Yu couldn’t understand why a strange girl like the one before her, lacking in bloodline and possessing only a strange aura, was able to match her in battle. Sure, she had no real battle experience, but she had studied the fighting tactics of numerous combatants wielding the results of her Mixed Ichor experiments. Of course she lacked the proper mind for combat, as she was a researcher first and foremost, but the girl before her was hardly a genius either.

Worse of all, she could tell for an absolute fact that the girl was a realm lower, if not two, and the only reason she couldn’t understand the specifics was that the girl literally lacked any planar structures. Given that she appeared to have no other strengths, she should have crumbled from a casual glance.

It wasn’t just an exaggeration, either, for her Mixed Ichor solution was powerful. Enhancing her vision was one of the smallest benefits that she was able to gain from her experiments, all for the sake of strengthening her Crimson Hierophant, but the girl before her lacked a bloodline. She did have strange physical characteristics, certainly, and those horns and claws were making Huang Yu rather jealous, but they were no equivalent to a thousand different elements mixed into a single divine ichor that would be fitting for the Hierophant.

“So, why the fuck can’t I hit you? What are you, you red-skinned bitch?”

The sheer surprise of her foe gave her a moment to strike, landing a punch on the horned woman’s stomach, but it did nothing. Her fist had suffered more, her bones cracking from the collision.

“Did I ever do something to you?” the girl asked, grabbing Huang Yu’s wrist to ensure that she wouldn’t get away, “I’ve never understood talking to someone like that…”

“What do you know? I’ve been working for my excellent Crimson Hierophant for fifty thousand years!”

“Right… I’m more than a million years old. I’ve spent most of that time in a cave, but still, far more than a million years. I think I understand you a little bit, though,” the horned woman said, a small smile appearing on her – admittedly cute – face, “Wei Yi is a good person. She works hard for a good cause, I think… Are you a good person?”

Hearing such a question when claws were digging into her flesh, piercing her skin with absurd ease, and an unnatural smile graced the girl’s face, naturally had certain implications, and for a moment, she was afraid.

‘Afraid? How can I be afraid? I know that I am doing the right thing! I… Wait, what am I doing?’

As she was in contact with the girl before her, she felt the odd aura surround her as well, if only faintly, and she suddenly realised that she had forgotten a great deal. She had lived for more than fifty thousand years, yet she could recall no more than thirty thousand, which were stored with great clarity. It didn’t make sense that there would be twenty thousand years missing without any trace at all, and to think that the cut-off point occurred just when she began devoting everything to the Blood-tinged Church and the Crimson Hierophant…

“What did you do? Who are you?”

“I didn’t really do anything… But I’m Jia Rong. What happened just now?”

“So many memories that I had apparently lost… They have begun to appear again. I was… someone else the whole time.”

“Oh…” the girl, Jia Rong, was either an excellent actor or completely genuine, for her look of confusion was absolutely perfect, “It could be that timeless aura Wei Yi mentions. It lets me ignore certain elements of planar energy, so maybe it damaged the thing that affected your mind. What do you recall now?”

Huang Yu shook her head, “Right now, I just know that I have forgotten a great deal, and that there was a great change. I would need more time to figure it out, but… I think I do remember a particular name. It belonged to a man older than me, who always looked haggard and tired…”

The image grew clearer the more she focused, and the more the timeless aura broke through the layer of sediment within her mind. It was a man clad in a pitch black cloak that covered most of his body and face, leaving a chin marked by grey stubble and eyes that had a slight glow that pierced the darkness of his hood. Their colour was that of silver, even possessing a faint metallic quality which caused them to shine in a most particular way.

He could speak well, though his words were slow and punctuated, and he tended to carry himself with a certain formality. This man had worked with the Blood-tinged Church for as long as she could remember, yet he was also never trusted by the Crimson Hierophant. Most likely, the man did not trust the Crimson Hierophant either, but something beyond her extent of knowledge led to the two sharing some kind of goal or intention, otherwise they would have never continued to work together in the manner than they did.

After all, they had very different approaches to problems. When the followers of the Crimson Hierophant needed answers, they would use methods to torture someone likely to have them, then use them in experiments so that they couldn’t be identified by those that knew them. This man instead handed out coin and negotiated, appearing rather friendly to outsiders.

“His name… Did he ever mention his name? I’m not sure.”

Suddenly, she sensed something beside her, and turned to find that very man standing by them, gazing out to the centre of the chaos that ravaged the Huang District.

For some time, it seemed like he wouldn’t take notice of their existence at all.

“I am glad I said so little about that woman. That day, she shone so brightly that your cult might have snuffed her out before she could have surpassed him,” the man said, turning to them, “I do not know you, Jia Rong, but I know that you are on her side. If you wish to help that woman, Wei Yi, then you must listen to me. I know of a way to damage both Primordial Blood and Chao Jianhong, despite the Crimson Hierophant’s best efforts to hide it.”

“Who are you? You seem… well, suspicious, to put it lightly,” Jia Rong responded.

“I can explain, but we must get away first.”