Apollos Thorne

Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 13 part b

Added 2022-09-21 18:02:45 +0000 UTC

Here we go!

There's a lot of little hints in this chapter. Enjoy!

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“They’re passed the dangerous part,” Zan said.

“Good,” Quinyuan replied. Her ice qi gown was already covering her and heart of ice was circulating.

He admired his ice fairy before turning to the Envoy and nodding. He did the same with the youngsters Fang and Ping then commanded them, “Keep a close eye on her majesty.” He gave the sky realm empress a more formal bow. Then without even trying to mask the mischief in his voice, he said, “Let’s go greet this party from the north.”

Swiping downward with his hand and pushing out, he tore space, tunneling many hundreds of kilometers to the north where he’d senses these newcomers. It took little effort for him to calculate their trajectory despite how fast they were traveling.

The six of them flew through the tunnel and arrived within seconds. They were a few kilometers in front of the encroaching party, so Zan allowed the tunnel to close. Then they waited.

Floating there a couple hundred meters above some uninhabited wooded area, the six of them readied themselves. Zan hadn’t completely recovered to his peak, but his old injury was a thing of the past.

He’d asked his wife’s preference on his hairstyle. It hadn’t had much time to grow, but she’d said she like the scholarly look of all things, so he was trying to grow it out. At this point, it just looked shaggy. It was a little annoying, but she hadn’t insisted he change his sleeveless Ice Phoenix Sect uniform. If it made her happy then it made little difference to him. She’d probably change her mind once his hair got long anyway. He was too muscular to really pull of the tall and thin scholarly look.

Fang was the only other one dressed practically in a Fire Phoenix Sect uniform almost identical to Zan except for the color. The young sage’s temperament was to his liking. If they had to beat up some sages from the north, he might even leave some for the man as a party favor.

He caught a glimpse of the sage’s wife, Ping, and noticed she seemed less fidgety in the face of a possible fight then when she’d been in the capital with all the political nonsense. It was a sentiment he understood, but she was still one of the more jittery overlords he’d ever met.

When the girl spied him watching her and her nervous energy returned, he grinned but internally rebuked himself. She and her husband had been wandering around and doing as they pleased, but because of the state of the Fire Phoenix Sect, they were being forced into a leadership position. If he read the girl rightly, she was certainly willing, but it was all new for her. She’d visited the joint sect before. Visiting and taking on great responsibility while making the place your new home was vastly different. Their cultures shared values, but there were certainly differences.

Zan made it obvious when he turned to Empress Sun Yan Ya. He hoped it would reassure the restless Sage Ping he wasn’t singling her out.

The empress’s reacted with the same confidence he’d come to expect from her. There’d never been any expectation for her to take on so much responsibility, but even after her husband and two sons had been killed, she’d acted like a true leader. He didn’t doubt she felt much more than she let on. Her self-control impressed him even more.

He stopped his musing. “They’ve arrived,” he announced and began to ascend to intercept them. The others followed.

The party from the north stopped half a kilometer away. More than twenty opposing cultivators wearing a variety of apparel quickly spread out in a line. It was a loose formation to show off their strength. Their intended threat was clear.

“Three tribulation cultivators and eighteen overlords,” he called out, uncaring if the enemy heard.

Zan felt their perceptions trying to discover his cultivation. Most of them he didn’t have to bother with. Unless the overlords were familiar with his cultivation method, it was impossible for them to identify his true level even if he wasn’t disguising it. When observing him, they’d be left with one of two possibilities. He was hiding his cultivation, or he was at a realm so much higher than they were that they wouldn’t be able to tell. In this case, it was both. As for the three tribulation cultivators at the middle of the enemy line, he kept a special eye on the one between the other two. The man’s martial robes had the white and black of the Flying Tiger Clan. If any clarification was needed, there was a tiger emblem on his robe’s chest. The man had a long, pointy beard and eyebrows that curled outward. He was squinting directly at Zan’s dantian.

“Sect Master Hao-Yu, why have you brought this battle party to my Monolith continent?” Quinyuan demanded powerfully without any need for sound laws.

The man who had been trying to examine Zan turned his gaze toward the voice and smirked. “If it isn’t my favorite ice fairy, Quinyuan. Battle party? Why throw such an accusation? We heard you might be in trouble, so I was coming to help an old friend. I dare say that you look even more ravishing than the last time I saw you.”

Despite having heart of ice circulating, her hand shot back to motion for Zan to stay put. He chuckled at her response and gave her a wink.

She acted indifferent to his reaction, but he didn’t take it personally. He’d wait a little longer and wouldn’t undermine her authority while she was trying to discover as much as she could.

“So you hurry here after hearing that we’d lost ten sages so that you could try to take advantage of the situation?” She replied, ignoring his amicable remarks.

“Of course not. However, I was hoping that rescuing you might earn me favor in your eyes.”

“And my answer would remain the same. I have no desire to become another of your many wives.”

“Pity. Empress Sun Yan Ya,” the man said, bowing his head. “In regard to the loss of your husband, you have my sincerest condolences.”

“Sect Master,” the empress replied with a nod. She was wearing a golden gown but the black sash at her waist and trim of her collar were there as signs of mourning. “This one thanks you.”

“If you’re willing to become my wife, I’ll take you from this place that must be so filled with memory. You can leave behind the responsibility you unwittingly had thrown on your shoulders. I promise to take good care of you and cherish you as you deserve.”

As if a bullfrog had been caught in his throat, Zan felt a deep gurgling slip past his defenses and turn into a full bellied snicker. “Sorry, sorry,” the said, only to laugh even louder. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but shamelessness.” He let out an exaggerated breath.

“And who is this?” The man said without hiding his malice.

“Such a rich yang aura,” the lady tribulation cultivator beside the sect master said, flying forward a few meters. At close inspection, the red fabric of her low-cut gown was thin and see-through. There were extra layers of fabric in the right places, but it followed no logical pattern to tease the eye, drawing it in.

The woman herself had large green eyes accented with purple eyeshadow. Her hair was sun-bleached blond, and skin was warm with natural blush. She had an uncanny mix of mortal and fairy beauty. Zan knew exactly how she’d pulled it all off. He’d seen women who cultivated what she did before.

Glancing down timidly, her eyes fluttered as if she were drawing out courage to look him in the eye. When she did, she did so with submissive charm. “This one is Mistress Meiling, Queen of the Fragrant Yin Palace. My sect is a small one, but we are looking for men such as yourself. I would take it as a personal favor if you were to spend some time with me while we were here. Hearing my offer is all I ask.”

What impressed Zan the most was that she wasn’t using any seduction art but was relying on her natural charm to sway him. He could feel his wife Quinyuan readying to explode. Her aura was turbulent and heart of ice was only circulating halfheartedly. He was tempted to let her, but it would only cause additional problems.

Zan shot forward a few meters, giving a martial salute. “I have heard of you, Queen of Fairy Harlots.”

The woman’s tilted her head back. Her eyes went wide with fury. “You dare?”

He shrugged. “You’re right. Harlot isn’t nearly the right word for you. You take promising boy cultivators from their families and future to use as a living array of natural yang for yourself. I’m assuming this group next to you is the pride of your harem?”

He motioned to the six overlords at her side. All of them wore the same red fabric that was woven a little thicker for practicality’s sake. They were far too effeminate to be natural except in abnormal cases—even compared to men that cultivated heavy yin elements. It was the effects of having your natural yang leech from you during your developmental years. To treat children in such a manner, not to mention the other perversities the woman had done to them, was a sicker feat than if she’d just killed them.

When one of her men burst from the line with every intention of killing him, Zan couldn’t help but to look at the man with pity. Even if the guy’s yang had constantly been taken from him, this Mistress Meiling was much wiser than the average succubus-like fairy. The cultivation techniques she provided would sustain her prey against the harmful side effects and even allow them to grow.

The man’s mistress called out to him, but Zan had already moved. A gigantic pink flower petal appeared above the man’s sword. As he swung, the razor-sharp petal fell like a colossal blade.

Zan simply dodged out of the way and reared back before slapping the man. Like a meteor he fell from the sky. It wouldn’t be enough to kill the man, but he’d no longer be a problem.

Folding his arms across his chest, Zan just kept floating there about halfway between both groups.

“Fools. Stay where you are,” Mistress Meiling hissed. Turning back to him, she gave him a martial salute. “Thank you for being lenient with my Liang’er. I did not mean to look down on a fellow divine cultivator. And despite your characterization of me, my intentions were sincere.”

“I would never doubt your sincerity, Fairy Harlot,” he said in mock pleasantry.

Another of her men flew forward. He’d been the one flying closest to her. Out of all of them he was easily the ugliest. He was also the only one that had his yang. He wasn’t as muscular as a fire cultivator, but his masculine qualities were intact. “Love, allow me to have a word with this foul-mouthed prude.”

She looked annoyed at the man’s interruption but nodded him on. He was close to the peak of the overlord realm and instead of the read martial robes, he wore the color as a cloak. Beneath it was glistening platemail.

“Divine cultivator,” the man rolled the words around on his tongue before spitting a loogy in Zan’s direction. “It seems that due to your cultivation you’ve forgotten that there are some people you shouldn’t disrespect. You—”

“You must be King Xing,” Zan interrupted him. “The cuckold slaver married to Fairy Harlot that provides his very own wife with new young men to serve her.”

That brought a wide grin to the Flying Tiger Clan Master’s face.

It was a soft spot for King Xing whose aura burst outward. Mistress Meiling waded through it like it was nothing, placed her hand on the man’s chest, and whispered in his ear. His aura dimmed.

Zan couldn’t miss such a lush opportunity. “How sweet. The Cuckold King is sure quick to obey his queen.”

The scowl on the man’s face raged, but the woman next to him shoved him back with a pink blast of ethereal qi before he could do anything. “Must you insist on us coming to blows,” she accused.

“Stop pretending that isn’t exactly why you have come.”

The woman glared back at him. It looked like she was readying a retort when she decided against it and huffed.

“Good,” he continued. “Now that the nonsense is out of the way, let me introduce our greeting party. The Sect Master of the Ice Phoenix Palace has already greeted you, but I must say she is looking exceptional today.”

“Husband,” Quinyuan scolded.

He gave her a challenging look.

She flew forward without hiding her grin.

“Husband?” Mistress Meiling repeated weakly, for as Quinyuan flew to meet him, she unleased her true cultivation.

With a loud clap, Sect Master Hao-Yu drew the attention to him. “Congratulations Sect Master Quinyuan. I never doubted you’d one day reach the tribulation realm.”

She bowed her head but didn’t give a reply. Zan continued. “Next, let me introduce Envoy Po of the Divine Fire Phoenix Sect.”

The man wasn’t flashy, but he was used to events like these. He flew forward and joined them. “This one greets the northern continent,” the man’s voice boomed.

“Let’s not forget the lovely Empress Yan Ya.” Zan bowed fully as the woman flew forward. She was more there for a formality than anything else. That, and to show that there was no longer division between the joint sects and Aureate Empire. Her courage to be there after he had warned her that she’d likely have the lowest cultivation hadn’t even fazed her.

“And finally, the knew Fire Phoenix Sect Master, Sage Fang and his wife Sage Ping.”

With at least three tribulation cultivators and two sages, it was a showing that even the north’s assault party wouldn’t have an easy time with. There was also still doubt.

“Might I ask what your name is, divine cultivator,” Hao-Yu said.

“Me?” Zan swiped his hand like brushing aside the question. “I’m the old guy. My wife assures me that I still look good for my age. Just call me Zan.”

“Master Zan,” the man said, saluting. “I congratulate you on your marriage.”

“Thank you, Little Tiger. If you want to fight me to the death for Quinyuan’s hand, I’m afraid I’d have to decline—the urge to kill you myself. She’d much prefer to do it herself.”

The man let out an amiable laugh. “No. No. I was overstepping and didn’t know it. As was Mistress Meiling. And I must say, forgive me Envoy Po for ignoring you unintentionally.”

Po responded with a motion for him to continue.

“I won’t hide it. We did come to take advantage of the situation, but never with the intentions of war. I am well aware of the capabilities of Fairy Quinyuan’s Ice Phoenix Palace. I also know that the Envoys for both divine sects were to arrive in a year or two. Wiping you out would only harm us later. It also ignores the Mistress’s and my sincerity in regard to our original offers. We were hoping to gain a few followers and resources in exchange for our help. There was also the danger of someone else coming in our place and acting on less honorable intentions.” He glanced at the last tribulation cultivator standing beside him that had yet to say a word.

The man wore all black, had a taut face, and was ghostly pale. Zan knew this man to be called, Chief Achlys. He was a sage that ruled the Citadel of Endless Night. It was this worlds darkness cult. Every lesser and greater world tended to have one. There was something about human nature that was drawn toward the concepts of terror, darkness, and death.

The man’s tone turned neighborly. “Finding you in good health and stronger than ever before pleases me. I’m also filled with questions. For starters, there are so many rumors. Is it true that Monolith has lost ten overlords?”

“Sect Master,” Envoy Po said, turning to Quinyuan. “I’ll leave the answering of such questions to you.”

“Thank you, Envoy,” she replied. “Husband.”

Things had gone full circle and come back to him. Zan didn’t completely doubt Hao-Yu’s words. He just knew that there was much he’d left out. As for whether he’d had intentions of taking over the Monolith continent or stripping the joint sect bare, he believed him. It was well known that the Flying Tiger Clan kept the baser asura sects of the Northern continent in check. Their philosophy was ‘Strength is everything so the powerful should dominate the weak’. It was a philosophy the lived by. It was also why they didn’t fault the asura sects for their depravity—instead using them.

Zan had been doing this too long to know exactly what questions and fears the Flying Tiger Clan’s sect master had. So instead of answering individual question, he laid it all out. “It was our son and daughter that slaughtered the ten overlords, though one of them had just reached the tribulation realm.” He didn’t want to leave too much out or there was the possibility that these Northern brats wouldn’t prepare enough. “All that my wife and I did was teach a few divine realm cultivators a lesson. They will be coming to participate in your Divine Flying Tiger Clan’s Trials. Our son and daughter that is. The boy is mine by blood and the girl was Quinyuan’s personal disciple before they got married…”

He gave them a moment so they could soak in the fact that not only was the Ice Phoenix Sect Master married, but so was her personal disciple.

“And yes, the Fire and Ice Phoenix Sects are in a transitional period where they will begin to allow dual cultivation amongst disciples.”

As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, the countenance of the three divine cultivators aligned against them fell. Even Chief Achlys who donned a hateful grimace at all times turned uglier if that was even possible. It was the asura sect’s practice of dual cultivation, and its more perverse offshoots, that allowed them to produce overlords more often than the joint sect. The joint sect’s main advantage was that their martial techniques were slightly superior. They were both supplied by divine sects, though, so the balance of power was always in flux.

Seeing that none of them were hasty with their response, Zan concluded. “I’ll take back what I said earlier and assume your intentions for coming were honorable. Thank you for the offer of help. Of course, there really is no need. Now let’s get to the most important part. Are there any decent talents in the north that my son and daughter-in-law will face at the time of your trials? If not, I might need to find them something better to do that will help their advancement. They’re at the sky and overlord realm now, but by that time I suspect them both to be overlords. Daughter-in-law might even be nearing the tribulation realm.”

Just as he hoped, the array of tribulation realm cultivators and also the overlords took the challenge personally.

“Very good,” Sect Master Hao-Yu declared putting at stop to the growing murmurs. “It has been decades, if not centuries, since our two continents had a proper competition.” Giving the curl of his eyebrow a few tugs as he gathered his thoughts, he then said. “Our trials are a little severe for your southern temperaments, so allow me to make a suggestion to encourage you to bring even more of your talent so that we can have a proper contest. We could forbid any fights to the death and any deadly underhanded tactics. It would be a handicap for our disciples, but the honor gained for victory would be much higher. You’re familiar with the stage of our trials? It’s not simply a martial tournament.”

“We are very familiar,” Zan said. “As for removing the chance of death—”

Quinyuan’s grabbed his arm at the elbow and a surge of ice qi pushed into him. He turned to see her concerned look.

She looked him in the eye while speaking. “Our Chao and Huifen would like to challenge your trials in their purest form. Perhaps there should be a separate tournament after they’ve concluded that lack the fear of death and maiming as you suggested. This way we won’t interfere with your training methods while also giving our disciples a chance for additional glory.”

He couldn’t help but to kiss her firm on the mouth. She didn’t like the idea of them facing such dangers even if she wholeheartedly agreed that it was necessary. What she’d just done was one of the hardest things for a mother and master.

“Yes,” Chief Achlys spoke for the first time with a raspy tone.

Mistress Meiling disguised her excitement more. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

“Very well,” Hao-Yu said. Let us exchange transmission jade details so that we can further discuss the rules and prizes. And so they did.

***

“Two Ice and Fire Phoenix overlords competing in our trials? It’s too good to be true,” Mistress Meiling said when they’d travels a number of kilometers. “If this boy is anything like his father, he would surpass any prize my disciple could hope for. I might even take him for myself. What can I give you that will guarantee my disciple can take him without obstruction?”

“His corpse will be worth almost as much to my own disciple,” Cheif Achlys growled.

“I don’t need the girl,” she reminded him.

“Enough,” Hao-Yu commanded. “It’s also said that the girl has a unique physique. It might be true of the boy as well. Let’s put off negotiations until after we find out more. Letting one, or both of them survive might give us even more results depending on how many disciples they plan on bringing. Our own Envoys will be present then.”

“You’re right.” Meiling replied, licking her lips. “With the Fire and Ice Phoenix Sects dual cultivating, who knows how many they’ll bring with them when they come. I’ve long dreamed of such a pairing. With so much yin and yang being tossed around, I almost want to do away with my cultivation base and become a member of their joint sect to join in with the fun.”

“You would think that way,” Cheif Achlys replied. “This could be a danger to the future of our Northern continent. I suggest we request more help from the Divine Flying Tiger Clan so that we can kill these pesty phoenixes off once and for all.”

“They will likely have divine envoys with them when they come,” Hao-Yu stressed. “There is an opportunity here, but if we aren’t careful, we might be the ones facing destruction.”

In the end, they all agreed their next step was to seek out more information and keep a close eye on the joint sect.

***

“Should we recall Chao and Huifen now that the asuras know that they’re coming?” Quinyuan asked.

“There’s no need,” Zan replied. “Just contact them and encourage them to keep their identities a secret unless absolutely necessary. Even with all the rumors and if intel slips, they’ll still underestimate what that pair is capable of until they finally face them themselves. You did well with your suggestion, my Quinyuan.”

There was nothing left in her system of heart of ice, so her nod was a meek one.

“I will report this directly to Elder Law,” Po promised. “I’m sure he’ll send someone to take steps to ensure the trails remain fair—if not come himself. From what I could tell, they left assuming that Master Zan was just a tribulation cultivator.”

“I think you’re right, friend,” Zan said. He’d spent a good deal of time vexing the Envoy, but that was because he was a lot like Elder Law with his righteous outlook. Despite that, he did like the man.

“I think Ping and I would like to attend this tournament as contestants,” Fang said suddenly. The sage pulled his wife into a one-armed hug.

She seemed fond of the idea, but Zan didn’t miss her apprehension.

“The timing is good,” he said. “Even with the Frigid Mystic Realm being taxed from more use than normal, it and the Fire Phoenix’s mystic realms will finish before the Divine Flying Tiger Clan’s Trials begins. It will be tight, but if things are too close, I’ll just have to give the asura sects a lesson in the space laws. Speaking of which. They’re far enough away now.”

He reached out and tore space.

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Sorry for the late posting of this. It's a pivotal one. Rarely do I let myself go crazy with world building, but while writing this chapter was the right time for it. I don't generally plot out my books in detail, but only pinpoint big events. That hasn't exactly changed, but there's going to be a lot more of it with this one.

I'm trying to tie in all the different tropes I enjoy, while giving them my personal touch and throwing out some of the tedious and annoying things.
New Characters - Book 2

Sage Fang

Sage Ping