Lately the voices have been much clearer.
"I've told you. You would not be able to return to heaven for a long while, especially after imparting your soul power to Bian."
That one is definitely Ming's voice.
Ming... . Isn't Bian your brother as well? I did it to save his life you know... .
"I am sorry... ."
Bian's voice is definitely much more apologetic.
Ah, but I think he is back to his old, kind soul. I have no doubt he will still need to accept due punishment for what he has done, having created havoc in the three thousand mortal worlds, but I am glad at least I did not end up losing a brother.
I have to talk to Eldest Brother, to allow Bian to undergo his mortal tribulations soon. That will strengthen his soul and karma more. He will be able to see the vastness of the three thousand worlds by himself, not merely spectating through the Endless Water.
I am fortunate that at least in this world, there are places like Bu Gui cave, Leng Jing, or the Autumn Hill. These places contain energies that are almost similar to the heavenly plane. Otherwise, my mortal vessel would not have been capable to contain my imperfect immortal soul any longer than almost seven decades ago.
And I don't know if my next reincarnation will be reborn in a world where such places exist. This Bu Gui cave, is very suitable for cultivating with the aim of ascending to the higher realm. No other mortals have ever succeeded before, because they are just those: Mortals. No one could show them the 'path', nor had anyone ever formed an eternal tie of karma with an Immortal.
On the simplest bond, but still caused him to follow my soul across to my last reincarnation; James Han. On a stronger bond that even exceeded the norm of humanly bond; Jet Tanaka.
Jet... . I guess Ming is right. He is stubborn, way too stubborn for a mortal soul. He has followed my soul across lifetimes, even to my current one.
I owe Jet a lot. A debt is not something an immortal would want to be burdened with. But I would owe him over and time again, as it's because of him – because of his current incarnation - that the mortal vessel carrying my soul did not perish.
He had carried me to the depth of this cave, and risked his own health in the process. Not that he would ever have any damage to his Dantians. After all, I could see just a tiny sliver of Bian's power in him. He ... is no longer just a normal mortal.
Nevertheless, because of him, I am still alive.
Alive? No, perhaps alive is not the right term, as I am about to shed my mortality.
But it could not be more true, as I feel alive.
My most beautiful treasure, that has followed me across the three thousand worlds. My precious flower, that has waited for me all this while.
My wife, the owner of the other half of my soul, the keeper of my heart, the only guardian of my very existence.
Soon... .
"When will you ascend, Lei?" Another voice. It is Yue's
Soon.
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Wu Shan sect was in a mountainous area. Although most of the peaks reached beyond the clouds, the climate had always been tepid all year round.
That particular day though, it was unbearably warm.
Sect Leader Shen Wei had his blue-robe half opened, displaying his sweating chest. He grumbled,
"At times like this, I wish I practiced the yin martial-arts of Ping sect. At least that way I could cool myself down."
"I am sure my sister would allow you to enter Ping sect as their inner disciple," an amused voice trailed in, "But only if you're willing to cut off your manhood."
Shen Wei glared at Zuo JinHai who just walked into the room, his appearance was tidy and proper as if he was not bothered at all with the heat.
Shen Wei was about to rebuke the younger man, when another disciple barged into his room. He frowned at the young disciple's unkempt appearance, obviously not accounting his own messiness. The young disciple bowed deeply towards his two superiors before stammering,
"Sect Leader! Sage Zuo! You must come out and see the sky!"
Shen Wei and Zuo JinHai went out of the building to see a number of disciples already congregating with tilted heads towards the sky. Myriad of expressions were on their faces; vigilance, fear, awe.
The initially cloudless blue skyscape brimming with the intensity of the sun's heat was no longer there. The clouds that usually floated around the different peaks seemed to have been pulled by an unknown force, soon clumping together like a titan that threaten to crush the land below.
Before Shen Wei could mutter anything, sounds of thunder boomed all around, accompanied by tiny flashes of lightning. Then the formation began to move slowly towards a certain direction.
Shen Wei swore, he could see an outline of a serpent's claws half-hidden behind the clouds. However, as soon as he noticed the place that the bizarre cloud-lightning formation was heading to, he swiftly stepped on 'Wei Feng' and flew to follow the thunderous clouds.
He faintly heard Zuo JinHai shouting curses at him for flying on metal sword in the midst of a lightning storm, and various Wu Shan disciples calling after him, but he paid no heed. In his mind, the thunders were like angry howl of a beast, threatening to injure that one person still hidden inside the one cave that the monstrous clouds were heading towards.
The journey took barely a couple of breathes, and he could see that the clouds stopped precisely above Bu Gui cave, the lightning spitting out of the white clouds was getting more frequent. Then Shen Wei balked, almost falling off his sword, as he clearly saw a mighty head of a serpent emerge downwards from the sky. First it was only its snout and whiskers, then the head came into view, then the coiling long body, glistening purple and gold. Its front claws must be capable of destroying mountains, but Shen Wei thought that it looked majestic. The scales, illuminated by occasional lightning, moved slightly with every move, as if they were breathing.
"D-D-D-Dragon!?" A stammering voice by his side. Shen Wei did not know since when Zuo JinHai had actually reached his side, both now hovering mid-air.
The dragon suddenly paused as if it had noticed something. Then both Shen Wei and Zuo JinHai had their jaws dropped as the large serpent suddenly lunged downwards in a motion as fast as the surrounding accompanying lightning strikes. Shen Wei was about to fly towards it, in a bid to fight it to the end if needed be. After all, the ground below, was exactly Bu Gui cave.
However he stopped abruptly again, when he noticed something peculiar about Bu Gui cave's surrounding.
Despite lightning raining down like a torrential storm, as if their sole purpose was to punish the ground below, there was not the slightest area of the earth showing charred appearance. There was no fire, no smoke, no burnt smell, as should normally be if they were ravaged by lightning.
Not only that; the flora at the small hill where Bu Gui cave was located at, the shrubs that had grown in the vicinity of the cave itself; none of them were even slightly disturbed by the emanating pressure. They were static as if they were frozen in time. In fact, saved for the crazily flashing sky right above, the ground below was the picture of perpetual calm.
As he was watching the unnatural phenomenon closely, how could Shen Wei miss the only movement happening down below? There was a figure walking calmly out of the cave.
This time, Shen Wei really fell of the sword. However, he quickly regulated his Qi and landed pretty smoothly on ground. He stood on ground fixedly, not daring to believe his vision.
Out of that cave, a man slowly walked out. He was wearing a long robe of similar color to the serpent – predominantly of purple, with linings of gold and black.
Shen Wei's lips opened and closed a few times, the name that filled his mind refused to come out. He felt himself trembling.
The man walked to the end of the cliff and lifted his hand lightly. As if beckoned, the serpent floated lazily and nudged its snout towards the man's outstretched hand. Around the peculiar pair, bright glints of thunderbolts were like fiery petals that protected the two.
Shen Wei vaguely remembered the familiarity of the description. Somewhere in the ancient scrolls, now gathering dust in Wu Shan sect's vault, did the scrolls not mention about such phenomenon? Something along heavenly tribulation, accompanied with holy-like lightning.
"Sect Leader...," once again, Shen Wei did not realize that Zuo JinHai had also landed on ground, "Isn't that... Zuo ZhouLei?"
The regal looking man in purple robe, that was his beloved Shidi, but at the same time looked so unfamiliar, suddenly clenched his outstretched fist. The fiery sparks, the flashing lights, all seemed to be sucked into a vacuum that was his clenched palm. In less than a breath's time, it was as if nothing ever happened.
The white clouds dispersed to presumably float once again around the nearby peaks, the flora and shrubs started to sway gently with the breeze that seemed to have just re-appeared all of a sudden.
If the purple and golden scaled dragon was not still floating lazily by Zuo ZhouLei's side; if Zuo ZhouLei was actually not just standing there, every bit looking healthier and mightier than he could remember; Shen Wei would have thought that everything that had just happened was just his imagination. After all, sometimes in his dreams, Zuo ZhouLei did come out of the cave. Of course, in those dreams, there was no lightning or the titan dragon.
Zuo JinHai whispered lowly, his own voice was shaky with uncertainty, "Sect Leader Shen Wei... . That was not a hallucination, was it? We are not hallucinating, are we?"
"... ." Why did this particular Shidi of his seem to always be able to voice his thoughts perfectly?
Zuo ZhouLei slowly turned to look at him and Zuo JinHai. To be precise, Shen Wei knew that Zuo ZhouLei was only looking at him alone. His palms began to sweat due to his sudden nervousness, as if he was in the presence of someone that was innately majestic – one that no mortal would ever hope to get close to.
But this was Shen Wei's beloved brother, no doubt about it. His heart lightened as his eyes suddenly grew warm. The regret that had always been clawing at his heart started to ease away. Shen Wei did not even dare to blink his eyes to rid himself of the blur.
Was there a faint smile gracing Zuo ZhouLei's aloof expression? There seemed to be something else, those deep azure eyes – a colour of the deepest ocean, that no one in this world possessed – seemed to brighten with mirth.
"Sect Leader Shen Wei," Zuo ZhouLei greeted him, slightly tilting his head. Shen Wei involuntarily groaned. Slightly from behind him, Zuo JinHai let out a low chuckle.
"L-... You are... really Lei, right?" Shen Wei croaked hoarsely.
The smile on the handsome man's face in front of him grew deeper,
"Yes... ."
Shen Wei was about to say more, ask more, but his voice was suddenly caught in his throat as Zuo ZhouLei lifted his hand towards Shen Wei's forehead.
"I know you have a lot of questions. But I hope this will answer most of them," Zuo ZhouLei spoke calmly, "A long time ago, you have attached your own soul, tying your karma to mine. Therefore, let my own soul strengthen this bond. Afterall, it is my debt towards you."
"Remember!"
As the palm touched Shen Wei's forehead, warmth enveloped his whole being. Soon, he felt weightless, as if he was just a soul without substance. But the soul, had been through countless of lives.
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The young man was wearing clothes that were no better than rags normally worn by beggars. His appearance was unkempt, and his face was dirty. However, if one would see closer, they would find the sharpness of those eyes, the perfect aquiline of his jaws, and the straight powerful posture of his figure.
He was clearly not of common birth. Since he left his home and his identity, carrying regret and lack of life purpose, he had been wandering wherever his feet might take him. From the western tribes to the northern plains, he normally spent his days as a paid mercenary. Despite wealth and position offers from various clans – lords that did not know who he was – he rejected all of them and stayed as a rogue nomad instead.
One day, that should not have been any different, he had just struck his spear to pierce through an enemy's neck. His movements had always been precise, sharp, ruthless. The sun shone brightly above, causing him to slightly squint his eyes in disorientation.
That was when he felt a sharp pain through his chest. He felt his chest with his hand, and found a protruding blade, already stained with his own blood. An instance later, the blade was pulled from his body, causing his figure to stumble.
His face met the ground first, but he could no longer see anything. Only the voice of his attacker was the last thing he heard,
"When I saw you the first time, I knew you were Zhen BuFeng, the mighty General of the Wolf Seal." The voice was complacent, "You may not even remember me, but you have missed a few people of the Dong tribe all those years ago. Your comeuppance is here!!!"
The laughter was sickening to his ears, but he had no wish to stand anymore. Just bleeding out like this would be good.
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The pictures swirled and shifted. However the feeling of helplessness, the sense of hopelessness still remained.
The young man was wearing a white outfit that had been stained with dirt and blood. His face showed fatigue, but his eyes were lifeless. He was cleaning a deformed moving baby that looked slightly human.
Sound of gunshots, people's screams and shouts, smokes and fire started to fill the makeshift tent where he was working in. However, the young man paid no heed to the chaos around him as he continued to clean the human baby. Then his lifeless eyes flashed as the baby circled his little finger with the latter's short deformed ones.
As tears fell down the man's cheeks, pain pooled on his chest once again.
Once again.
The regret remained.
-----------------------
Shen Wei opened his eyes and buckled as he gasped for breath. A pair of arms strongly supported his fall.
Tears fell off his cheeks as he clutched onto his chest, still feeling very clearly those last stabbing pains that seemed to threaten to put a stop to his heartbeat at this very second.
The grip of his support tightened,
"Shen Wei... . DaShixiong. Calm down. You are alright," Zuo ZhouLei said in a hushed placating tone, "You... are alive."
As if he had suddenly been doused in cold water, Shen Wei abruptly lifted his head. Then he proceeded to calm himself down and stand straight. That pair of arms never pulled away though. Shen Wei grabbed Zuo ZhouLei's shoulders in turn, whispering in a heavy voice,
"Lei...?"
"Yes, Shen Wei. I am here." Lei's face was calm, almost expressionless even. But Shen Wei definitely heard the relieved tone in Lei's voice.
Shen Wei's grip on Lei's shoulders tightened,
"... . SongLi?"
Lei's lips were lifted slightly, the azure eyes flashed with an inexplicable emotion, "Yes... , Zhen BuFeng."
Shen Wei found his own voice become bolder as joy and relief washed over his whole being,
"Lee?"
Lei's smile deepened as he nodded, "Jet."
Shen Wei absolutely did not care what Zuo JinHai must be or might be thinking about, as the latter saw him throwing his weight to hug Zuo ZhouLei as if he was clinging to dear life. Nor did he care about his image as the usually elegant Wu Shan Sect Leader as he laughed boisterously, despite tears still escaping his eyes. Some of the higher ranked Wu Shan disciples, including Yu Mei, had also flown to the nearest hill. Although they were still on guard of the dragon and had their swords unsheathed, they did not do anything apart from spectating.
Nevertheless, as his tears continued to fall, Shen Wei knew that this was not because of regret or sadness.
After all those visions, the enlightenment of his soul that had been given by Lei – who was clearly not a mere mortal, Shen Wei could now see beyond what was previously limited to mortality.
Lei only continued to smile lightly at him, waiting for him to collect his composure. Shen Wei finally let go of his brother's body. The visions told him of a higher realm, where Lei naturally should reside at. Shen Wei took a step back and took a deep breath,
"You... are not mortal."
Lei nodded.
"You... have to go," Shen Wei slowly muttered, more like a resignation than a question.
Lei nodded, once again.
Everything was now clear to Shen Wei. Because Lei had imparted to Shen Wei the knowledge and wisdom that should have been an impenetrable barrier for normal mortals, releasing his Shang Dantian to the fullest, Shen Wei knew that this life was just a speck of dust on a wide piece of scape. Lei could not stay. His very existence could cause imbalance in the lesser realms such as this one. However... .
Shen Wei smiled, light tease in his tone, "You are going to fetch her now, right?"
Lei nodded, tenderness pooling in his eyes.
The Wu Shan sect disciples watched with mouths agape as the purple robed man mounted onto the dragon's neck. As the dragon started to float away, Shen Wei called,
"Can I also mount the dragon?"
A few of the disciples looked at their Sect Leader in bewilderment. Their Sect Leader truly had the gall of a tiger, alright!! Zuo JinHai merely rolled his eyes.
As if in response, the Dragon let out a deafening howl in protest.
Lei only replied in amusement, "Ah... DaShixiong... , Shen Wei, you don't have the qualification to mount the Sky Dragon yet. Your Shang Dantian has only been awakened, but your Qi is still that of a mortal. Perhaps one day, when you have gained the necessary enlightenment, the Sky Dragon will let you mount it as well."
The Sky Dragon was initially only a manifestation of the Sky Deity's power, containing Lei's will and part of Immortal soul as well. However, it had already gained some sort of sentience and own will. Only Immortals, those that possessed souls that were recognized by the heavenly realm and had gained enlightenment to be able to reside there, would be qualified to ride the Sky Dragon. It would be their pathway to the heavenly realm.
However, Lei's reply did not disappoint Shen Wei one bit. Shen Wei was astute and smart. He knew that Lei had actually given him an opportunity. And he would waste none of it.
As the dragon and man flew, Shen Wei turned to look at Zuo JinHai. Zuo JinHai only lifted his eyebrows lightly and sighed,
"Yes, Sect Leader Shen Wei, you may follow that dragon and Lei if you so wish for it." Also knowing which person Lei and Shen Wei had been talking about before, who Lei was going to fetch, Zuo JinHai already guessed the direction where they were heading towards.
Zuo JinHai also wanted to spectate this turn of events further. There was probably not going to be another day when Wu Shan sect would produce an Immortal. How would he be willing to miss any moment of it.
However, Zuo JinHai would be proven wrong, merely a few decades later. Wu Shan sect would eventually produce another Immortal. Before ascending, that new Immortal would very willingly hand the sect's top seat to Zuo JinHai, leaving all administrational mess for him to handle.
But obviously, that was a story for some other time... .
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A purple and golden scaled dragon soaring slowly in the sky was definitely not a normal occurrence, so imagine the chaos and fear it caused the land-dwellers on ground. Normal humans hid in their homes; cultivators brandished their weapons, in case the sky beast would suddenly spit out balls of fire that might pulverize the earth.
However, the dragon leisurely floated across mountains, towns, villages, and rivers, as if it was taking a very nice walk in the sky.
When Sect Leader Ao Xiang – one amongst a number of wide-eyed Hui Lin cultivators – spotted the dragon, he also saw that there was a man standing on top of the dragon's nape.
"Is that... ... Lei?" Ao Xiang blinked his eyes a few times. Zuo BingTan, who was by his side, was more alert and had already stepped on his sword, while crushing a communication talisman,
"Sect Leader, You know which direction that dragon is heading towards! Lei or no Lei, they are heading towards Chun Ping Gu sect!"
Only then Ao Xiang was snapped out of his stupor and followed Zuo BingTan to head towards Ping sect as well. There was only one person he was concerned about at Chun Ping Gu sect; should anything were to happen to Xiao Zi, he would not be able to forgive himself.
Although he could not be by Xiao Zi's side every waking moment, he had vowed to always protect her and love her to the end of their lives. However, they had yet to be official Dao-partners: he was tasked to be the Sect Leader of Hui Lin, rendering him unable to leave his responsibilities. While Xiao Zi wanted to stay at Chun Ping Gu sect to assist Cao Lu. He could not be as free as Lu Bing, who could stay at relatively the same vicinity as his lover, Zhen Zhu.
Zuo BingTan had just sent a communication talisman for Cao Lu, who was at the Imperial Palace once again for her monarchy duties.
All cultivators who had the guts to follow, ended up trailing on their swords at a safe distance behind the dragon. It created a spectacular sight from down below, as if the curves of the dragon created a silhouette of purple and gold. The cultivators, wearing different colored garments, created an illusion of threads of colourful strings behind the purple and gold wave, their swords reflected the sun rays.
["Just taking that extra glance at you, amidst the crowds"]
["Lee Tanaka"] He had said once. There were a lot of people around them, but she was the only one that was vivid in his eyes.
["Mia Simmons"] Her smile pulled his soul deeper.
...
["Did we not have a life before this together?"]
The sky deity on top of the dragon though, paid no heed of the commotion. Although this world possessed few places that could grant the residents chances to ascend into the heavenly realm, this world was still one of the lesser worlds. There was nothing that could possibly harm him, or the dragon. There was only one thing on his mind as his arms hung loosely by his sides. They felt empty, and he wanted to feel her warmth once again.
["I, Ji SongLi, want to grow. And nothing can stop me."]
["Bai YuLan, you are my sun."]
["When I think of you, you are as far as the horizon"]
["When I think of you, you seem to be right before me"]
["When I think of you, you are on my mind"]
["Jing YuLan, I love you more than life itself. I will wait for you until after forever."]
["I will love you until eternity."]
["When I think of you, you are in my heart."]
After all, the karma that had bound them, and eventually bound his soul to hers, had brought him to this very moment. He did not even know exactly since which lifetime, she had become an indispensable part of his own existence.
["It took only a single glance at you, amidst the crowd."]
["Do you know? I have always been by your side."]
Even if the sky was different, if the skin was not the same, he had given a part of his to her. Time and again, he would always find her.
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