Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 31

They set up their arrays on the sixth floor between murals in the most unassuming spot they could find. Very few people came here in the first place other than peak sky realm cultivators and overlords. Besides Pangfua, Elder Harnish was the only sage in the spire, and there were a few sky realm cultivators that might come. The fifth floor was more attractive because of its trials and similar qi density.

Huifen agreed that they should keep their array formations small. There were two main benefits. The smaller the arrays, the less spread out the qi. This was especially important for the active ones like their defensive barrier. The less spread out it was, the more powerful its shield. Passive arrays also benefited from this. Their cloaking illusion contained more detail with more qi. The second reason was because it would be less likely that someone would stumble upon them.

She watched as Chao set up the formation for the defensive barrier. Once active, they both scanned inside the formation with their perceptions.

“It’s as I feared,” she said. “It allows some qi through but blocks out much of it and lessens the pressure.”

“So no defensive array except during dual cultivation and pill refinement?” Chao ask to confirm.

“It seems that way. There is a benefit though. If the floor’s pressure is getting to you, we can turn it on for a time for your body to recover. If we make the defensive formation even smaller, we should be able to fill the space with elemental qi without much loss.”

“Are you comfortable with just the cloaking and warning arrays active?” He had yet to sit down.

“We just have to be on guard. It’s the same as if we were just cultivating here like normal except we have two extra layers of protection.”

He turned back and studied her. Once he was convinced, the distress melted off of him and he came over to sit down. “I’ll leave up the defensive formation so that all we have to do is activate it.”

Hidden behind their cloaking and warning arrays, the sit with their backs to the wall and began to circulate their qi gathering techniques. They were within arm’s reach, but didn’t hold hands to make all their meridians available.

She found the added pressure made circulating her qi much easier. In many ways, she knew this simulated the qi density of the divine realm. The only thing missing was the suppressive aspect the spire provided. Just moving to a higher floor was a trial in itself. She found herself wondering what it was like for children born in such a qi dense environment. Then she remembered something.

Glancing to her husband, she saw he was circulating his qi well enough. There was slightly more tension than normal though. “Are you comfortable?”

He didn’t look at her, but after a moment he responded. “It’s actually more comfortable here while circulating qi.”

“Mmmm. Let me know the moment you notice any changes. There’s no reason for us to take any chances while your body adapts.”

“I’m a cultivator, not some delicate boy that needs your tending to.” The sides of his mouth tilted up.

“Silly Sage,” she huffed. Remembering why she’d interrupted him in the first place, she changed the subject. “The qi density here is similar to the divine realm. It will make it more difficult to practice your space laws, but should also be good practice.”

She saw the realization change his expression. As he looked to her, his eyes were already fluttering back and forth as he considered his approach.

“Cultivate to your peak first,” she insisted. “It will help regulate your internal pressure with the pressure of this floor.”

He nodded, but his eyes were distant. Reaching up, he tore a small line in space. His face lit up. “I will,” he promised, but continued where he left off. “It takes more qi, but not as much as I feared. Maybe tearing space isn’t as difficult as space bending, or creating a space barrier…” His contemplation deepened.

He shook off the thought when he saw she was glaring at him. “Stop flirting with me,” he randomly accused.

“What? Idiot.”

His grin widened. “Thank you, my Huifen. You’re incredible.”

She’d gone from rolling her eyes to blushing in the length of a breath.

Her husband wasn’t the only one who was overly excited to finish qi gathering. She had the first technique in the third pillar of the Ice Phoenix Tome, Indominable Plumage, to play around with. It was a true lifesaving method unmatched in this realm. Then there was her other techniques and ice laws. She was especially excited to spend some time on the second floor to study the water and nature laws in use there. This very room they’d sat up in was similar to the enlightened painting they’d received from Empress Sun Yan Ya. She was surprised Chao had been willing to sit down and gather qi at all. There were walls filled with concept laden artwork. Such murals were known to contain the execution of ancient martial techniques that might surpass even those of a divine sect. The sixth floor alone would’ve been worth the trip to come here and decades of focused mediation.

That was only the beginning. She hadn’t even considered the spire’s trials. It would be easy to get overwhelmed if she weren’t careful.

***

Zan floated tens of meters off the ground holding his wife’s hand a few kilometers from Phoenix City. It was here that Prince Rong had been devoured by a destructive wall of space created by Chao, his own son. It wasn’t just the two of them. Billi hovered nearby with her red hair snaking about in the wind. Now that she didn’t have to appease her dead captor, it was one small liberty she took—just letting her hair do what it liked.

Kang was there too. His hair was a long as the divine cultivator’s and more than once Zan had asked the man to stand back. The man’s inquisitiveness wouldn’t get him killed in this instance, but he still wondered at times how the man had lived this long. His ice cultivation helped, making his physique tougher than even the average fire cultivation of the same level. It wasn’t by much. A fire cultivator’s advantage was that they had a slightly higher regeneration ability.

The last person he’d invited was the temporary Fire Phoenix Sect Master, Yongrui. He’d get more out of this than they others because of his cultivation but witnessing the recovery of the contents of a destroyed spatial ring and the inner world of a tribulation cultivator was something they’d all benefit from. Even Billi wouldn’t have seen either such events.

“I’ll begin with the prince’s spatial ring,” Zan said. Seeing Kang edging forward, he gave the new overlord a look.

The man straightened like a post.

“Since you’re over eager to get started, tell me Kang, what’s the difference between the space in a spatial ring and the common space we are in now?”

The tall, elegant man’s eyes narrowed. “A spatial ring’s space is simpler, not allowing in living beings or qi… But that seems to contradict space’s nature. It shouldn’t matter.”

“You’re right. Space, though theoretically complex, is actually simple in essence. As you said, the space inside a spatial ring shouldn’t hold different characteristics than common space. And it doesn’t. The reason why it’s practical use is different than you might expect, isn’t because of the space itself, but because of the method of transport between common space, and this artificial space inside a spatial ring.

“These rings aren’t created in the way Chao creates his space tunnels. The most common way, even in the divine realm, is to kill a creature that has this ability naturally. They look for smaller creatures with small cores. Its death wipes its spiritual imprint on its own core, allowing a person to refine it. These cores can be melted and shaped by a skilled artisan. The artificial space remains. Then its core’s internal space is accessible by the will, not use of spatial laws. Technically, there is no difference between artificial and common space. It’s limited by the laws of the will. So what is the will?”

He bumped shoulders with Quinyuan when no one answered.

She perked up. A smile came to her face as she addressed the others. “The will is the spiritual projection of a cultivator’s intent. Even lower realm cultivators can project their will to a limited extent even when their spirit hasn’t merged with their body at the sky realm and their spiritual sea hasn’t developed in the tribulation realm. It’s what guides martial techniques and travels through one’s extended qi to try and make sense of the world around them. The will is sometimes called intent, or even a person’s spirit. At higher realms, there are spiritual attacks that are based primarily on one’s will.”

Zan leaned over and kissed her on the head. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, the will has its own limitations. It can’t influence another person’s will directly. Not even a divine monarch can override a person’s will and make them their slaves. This is why you can’t just through your enemies into a spatial ring then throw it into the sea. When one will battles another, it can only attack or defend. Even most divine cultivators are limited to forcing another person’s will to retreat. Practically, this means their martial techniques will fail. It’s only once someone reaches the Divine Soul Realm when harming someone with their will becomes feasible.”

Everyone turned their attention to Billi. He knew she was numb to what other people thought of her because of her harsh upbringing, but she was mindful enough to bow her head as a show of unwillingness to harm them.

“Without training, battles of the will between Divine Soul Cultivators are rarely deadly. Most can barely manage to give their opponents a headache because they are so evenly matched. They are much more dangerous to low realm cultivators, but even then, they can only kill you, not enslave or place you in an artificial space.

“Enough theory. What happens when an artificial space has its core, a spatial ring in his case, destroyed? Simple. It remains unmoving until its connection to common space breaks down. A ring like the prince’s could last in this state for thousands if not tens of thousands of years. So what happens when this connection breaks down? Everyone, fly back a hundred meters.”

As he said it, he waved his hand in the space before him. Sensing everyone had did as he said, he found the trace concepts left over from the spatial ring’s destruction. Then he gave it the command.

It was like a nonviolent explosion went off as two hundred meters worth of stuff appeared before them at once. It displaced the air, sending an arial blast in all directions. To them, it wasn’t harmful, but, if this had happened in a heavy populated mortal realm, people could die.

Zan caught the rings contents with his qi and let if fall gently to the grassy area below. There was already a clearing caused by his daughter-in-law’s ice domain she’d used here just over a month ago.

The others flew forward to check out its contents. As Zan expected, it was filled with divine realm junk. It was common for lower realm cultivators that advanced to collect everything they could get their hands on once they ascended. Once reason was because it took a while to grasp that such things, even common rocks, could exist in a place in excess when you lived the first part of your life where they were rare. Secondly, newly ascended cultivators could appreciate common divine realm materials and trinkets in a way those that grew up with them couldn’t.

He saw the faces of these lower realm overlords light up like they’d found the hidden legacy of some great person. Even his own wife was dazzled by many things she’d never seen before. Not to the point that she lost herself though.

“Separate anything that Empress Sun might value,” Quinyuan called out.

“Take your time examining its contents,” Zan said where only she could hear. “We’ll be leaving this world in a few days, and you’ll see many knew things, but there’s no danger here, so enjoy it while you can.”

She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Then I’ll do just that.”

He chuckled as she flew down to get a closer look. Only Billi remained with him in the air above he flew over to her.

“Master Zan,” she said, saluting him.

“We haven’t had much time to speak since you returned from the mission I gave you. What are your thoughts after observing Little Chao and Huifen?”

She floated there stoically. Her eyes drifted down to the lower realm cultivators below. There was a twinge of emotion in response to seeing them. She spoke. “I don’t like seeing them. They are everything that was taken from me. Everything I’m not. But I’m also drawn to them. Will I ever be able to be like them? Can I?”

“No,” he said, not holding anything back. “They’ve been through a lot, but they’ve retained much of the innocence that comes with their age and lack of experience. Even though you are only a few years older, your experience is too vast.” He waited before continuing until what he said had seeped in.

“With that said, what you can have is no less remarkable than the love they share for each other, for other people, cultivation, and the world. The difference is that yours will be tainted by what happened to you. You will have difficulty seeing the beauty that’s there because you know what couldbe. They have the same difficult in seeing danger and the ugliness of the world. You are like them in the sense that you have much to learn. You’re simply coming at life from opposite directions.

“But I promise you this. One day, if you stay disciplined and honestly face the wounds of the heart, you will join Chao and Huifen in the middle where experience and truth meet. You will find you are no less than they are, and never have been despite what happened to you—and they are no less than you. You will have joy and they will have sorrow. You will see the world as it truly is.”

The usually expressionless girl closed her eyes. After a moment’s thought, she asked. “Do you know this, or are you being kind to me and loose with the truth? I honestly don’t know the difference.”

“Little girl,” he said, folding his arms across his chest but giving her a charitable glint. “I once told you that there are a thousand levels of existence more dreadful than what you’ve been through. I did not lie. I’ve been a slave and slave master. I’ve experienced war countless times. I won, and also lost. I’ve had loved ones taken, ravaged, and killed. I gotten my revenge and been left with nothing but to suffered unbearable injustice. I’ve been lost and alone without hope. I’ve also found light in the darkness of insanity. So yes, Billi. I’m telling you the truth. It doesn’t make your path any less difficult, but I’ll point you in the right direction even if you don’t want to go there.”

She nodded to herself, then to where she knew he could see. “Thank you, Master Zan.”

“You’re welcome.”

Eventually, Billi flew down and looked through their plunder. He gave the group an hour to sort through everything before he called out for them to store away what they had found. When they’d gathered around him once again, he asked them a question. “What’s the difference between the artificial space in a spatial ring and that of a cultivator’s core?” He cut Kang off as he began to answer. “Nothing. There are true artificial spaces created by divine lords and above that can even be crafted into jewelry, but those that possess them wouldn’t trade one for this entire world. That is why the term artificial is rather deceptive. Come. Let’s take a look inside this tribulation realm prince’s inner world.”

He caught them up in his qi, tore space, then dragged them in behind him.