D.C.Haenlien
So I'm kinda disappointed that no one actually dm'd me asking about the commissions. I'm honestly kinda sad, so I thought of another way to do this, by doing an art contest!
First of all, since I'm still using money to getting the first volume to getting published, the prize for first the top three places won't be much. I'm thinking $200 for first place and $50 for second and third place.
As for how the contest will be ranked, I will make a poll and have the readers vote on their favorite image, probably in the forums.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. First of all, I'm going to make a poll to see if the readers want to see this and if any artists are interested.
Tianyi pondered about whether or not to offer up the Temporal Void Domain to his mother. Compared to him, she was someone who could utilize it better than him. And she was his greatest backing, so it would not be wasteful in any way. But when Tianyi asked, Mengfei rejected the Temporal Void Domain. For her current cultivation, the increase in time flow was negligible. And the amount of energy she would expend to make it practical for herself was too high of a price. So it was better for Tianyi to use it.
Tianyi nodded. Since his mother put it this way, he would use it himself.
The Temporal Void Domain enlarged to its original size under Tianyi's control. It had taken some time to refine. Although it was an Immortal Realm Artifact, using the Jade Peak Seal to create a loophole, Tianyi was able to become its master. And entering inside, Tianyi felt his whole view change.
Inside the Temporal Void Domain, there were no walls, only pillars, stairs, and floors. Looking outside from the inside, Tianyi couldn't see the scenery of Jade Peak but a scene of time distortion. There was no color, no shape, only eternity as if Tianyi was alone in the river of time. Tianyi immediately stepped back out and took a deep breath. He hadn't expected the inside to be so abnormal. After steeling himself, Tianyi stepped inside once more.
With his experience with the sea of time of his Mountains and Seas Formation, Tianyi was able to discern that the time flow was about twice as fast outside. Stepping up the stairs, the time flow increased to four times. But the time flow on the third floor was sixteen times the normal rate of time!
The rate of time with each level didn't just double but was squared, Tianyi realized. So the fourth floor's time flow would be two hundred and fifty-six times the normal speed of time.
When Tianyi tried to enter the fourth floor, he discovered that he was blocked by an invisible force. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't enter it at all. After investigating it for a while, he discovered that it was because the Temporal Void Domain didn't have enough power, so the third floor was the current limit.
With a thought, Tianyi began to insert his true qi of chaos into the Temporal Void Domain. Only after a long time was he finally able to open the fourth floor. But Tianyi stepped on the fourth floor for only a short time before he was forced out. Furthermore, he discovered that the generation of his true qi of chaos was much slower than normal. To others, it may be an issue, but for Tianyi, it was only a little problem.
Settling his heart down, Tianyi began to ruminate on the next realm of his martial cultivation method. However, the longer Tianyi stayed, the more nauseous Tianyi felt.
The issue wasn't due to the environment but Tianyi himself. It was because he incorporated the Spring Autumn Scripture into his martial cultivation method. As a cultivation method that involved spacetime, the cultivator would be privy to vast amounts of knowledge concerning spacetime. So Tianyi was constantly bombarded with information concerning spacetime while he cultivated on the third level. The information his eyes saw, his ears heard, his skin sensed were too profound, far beyond Tianyi's understanding resulting in the current situation.
If it were someone clueless about spacetime, they wouldn't even feel dizzy staying in the tower for an extended period of time. Unfortunately for Tianyi, he had significant amounts of knowledge concerning spacetime.
Unable to withstand it anymore, Tianyi exited the Temporal Void Domain while rubbing his temples. But he wasn't without gains. Space and time were two sides of the same coin, two halves of a whole. And Tianyi had always been more talented in space than time. With the new knowledge he gained, it could fix his imbalance. Even if it didn't create the Soul Nourishing Realm method for his martial cultivation, the foundation of his Cosmos Martial Body would elevate onto a whole new level.
After feeling his nausea recede, Tianyi returned to inside the Temporal Void Domain. But he didn't enter the third floor, but the second floor instead. The temporal laws of the third floor made him too nauseous too fast. On the second floor, he could handle the bombardment of information better. But Tianyi soon discovered another issue. Staying alone made him feel extremely desolate. It was honestly a feeling that Tianyi hated. So he invited Daoyi, Xi Ri, and Su Bojing inside with him. Elder Meng refused and guarded the entrance instead.
Upon entering, Daoyi, Xi Ri, and Su Bojing felt their eyes widen in amazement.
"Is it really okay for us to use this too, Senior Brother?" Daoyi asked.
Xi Ri didn't say anything, but his face asked the same question as Daoyi. Su Bojing's face was filled with excitement. He had to curb himself from speaking and telling the other two to just accept Tianyi's goodwill.
Tianyi waved his hand. "It's fine. At this level, the Temporal Void Domain is autonomous, not costing anything at all. Right, if you feel that the tribulation is going to come, quickly leave the tower otherwise..."
Before Tianyi could finish, several bolts of tribulation lightning pierced through the temporal distortion and struck him.
"..." Tianyi sucked in a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. It was like the Heavenly Dao was purposely doing this! "Nevermind."
Daoyi giggled, to which Tianyi glared in response. Her giggled transformed into laughter.
After everyone had a laugh, each went to their preferred floor. Daoyi and Su Bojing, as cultivators who were clueless about temporal laws, stayed on the third floor. Xi Ri stayed on the first floor as the bombardment of information on the second floor was too much for him. And Tianyi was alone on the second floor. But despite being alone on the second floor, he was comforted by the knowledge that he was not alone in the Temporal Void Domain.
"Young Master Bing, that Vast Heaven Young Master seems very impressive." Bai Ningwei asked with curious eyes.
Bing Huoyuan smiled dotingly. Bai Ningwei's talent was average at best, and since she hadn't entered Boundless Mountain, he made her his maid. Although this was an abuse of power, Bai Ningwei wouldn't need to take the disciple acceptance ceremony of Boundless Mountain, where she had a high chance of failing.
Currently, the two of them were riding Bing Huoyuan's immortal boat back to Boundless Mountain, it had been a while since they left the Xi Dynasty. He couldn't directly take her Bright Ascension Sect. Plus, he had an ulterior motive. If Bai Ningwei became a member of Boundless Mountain, Bai Weiwei would always have a connection with him, tenuous as it was. But her strength was too weak, so Bing Huoyuan decided to help her cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Realm before taking her in as a disciple with his connections.
"How can the Vast Heaven Young Master not be impressive?" Bing Huoyuan said. "Have you heard of the legendary Sword Empress?"
Bai Ningwei shook her head, a reaction that shocked Bing Huoyuan. In the Xi Dynasty, Sword Empress Xi was practically their goddess in all but name. Their devotion was akin to the Cloud Goddess Cult's faith in the Cloud Goddess.
"Sword Empress Xi is the newest grand elder of the Buzhou Immortal Sect. You should have at least heard of them, correct?" Bai Ningwei nodded. "According to legends, she attained immortality at around a hundred years of age and became the youngest immortal emperor, taking only one thousand years. The fastest speed recorded in the history of the Huang Realm."
"Wow, Sword Empress Xi sounds amazing." Bai Ningwei said, her eyes full of amazement but not too much shock. Bing Huoyuan gently shook his head, knowing that Bai Ningwei didn't fully understand why it was so shocking.
"The Vast Heaven Young Master is her son. According to rumors, he entered the Foundation Establishment Realm at the age of ten, Core Formation Realm at twelve, and Nascent Soul Realm at twenty. His speed is even faster than his mother's." Bing Huoyuan added.
Bai Ningwei's eyes bulged. "How old is he now?"
"Should be around thirty or so." Bing Huoyuan replied.
"You mean he's younger than me?" Bai Ningwei's voice was full of shock. Despite her young and tender appearance suggested, she was already over fifty, but her Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation kept her young. Plus, Bing Huoyuan had given her some beauty pills as a present, making her skin whiter and even more tender.
"Not to mention you, he's even younger than me. I only reached Nascent Soul Realm at sixty years of age. I can't compare to him." Bing Huoyuan said.
"No, no, Young Master is plenty impressive. I heard that only supreme geniuses could become a Nascent Soul Realm Grandmaster under the age of one hundred!" Bai Ningwei said, her eyes full of admiration for Bing Huoyuan.
Bing Huoyuan chuckled as he poked Bai Ningwei's forehead. He felt as if his heart was tickled by a feather under Bai Ningwei's admiring gaze. Their mannerism was slightly different. While Bai Weiwei was more introverted, Bai Ningwei was more extroverted. One was the sun, and the other a moon. But Bing Huoyuan still felt his chest puff under the face that was sixty percent similar to Bai Weiwei.
"Young Master, Young Master!" Bai Ningwei suddenly shouted as she pointed at something outside the immortal boat.
Bing Huoyuan looked out of the immortal boat and saw a gang of people chasing down a lone cultivator. It was nothing surprising. Fights often broke out over resources or grudges all the time. Even for disciples of first-rate sects like him, if the reward were worth the risk, even he would be targeted.
"What's wrong?" Bing Huoyuan asked, was there something special about the situation?
"Young Master, those people are ganging up on a single person! It's wrong. Why do people like to torment others so much?" Bai Ningwei said, her voice full of sadness as her eyes began to stare off into the distance as if recalling a memory.
Bing Huoyuan realized that she was sympathizing with the pursued. It was not strange. She and Bai Weiwei were separated due to being assaulted after all. Controlling the immortal boat, Bing Huoyuan approached the scene of action. Waving his hand, a frosty aura covered the whole area and froze all of them in mid-action.
"Young Master?" Bai Ningwei said, her voice full of confusion.
Bing Huoyuan only smiled at her before looking down at the cultivators below him. When he spoke again, his voice resounded in the area, full of authority. "Speak, why are you pursuing the lone cultivator."
The pursued, a peak Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, excitedly spoke. "Senior! Please save me. Those rascals saw that I had a treasure and wanted to steal it!!!"
Bing Huoyuan didn't respond. Instead, he looked towards the group of pursuers. The oldest looking peak Foundation Establishment Disciple spoke. "Senior, don't listen to his lies. We are members of the Scarlet Breeze Sect. That scoundrel sneaked and killed one of our members. We are chasing him down for justice! Please see the truth!"
Bing Huoyuan turned towards Bai Ningwei and said. "What do you think?"
Bai Ningwei blinked in surprise at Bing Huoyuan's sudden question. She scrunched her brows in deep concentration before speaking. "Young Master, although I don't like them chasing one person. But the man in black is wrong for murdering someone. I don't want him to be saved. He should be punished."
Bing Huoyuan chuckled, and his eyes took on a doting gaze that he didn't realize he even had. He waved his hand, and an ice-blue flame covered the black-robed cultivator.
The cultivator wanted to beg for mercy, but he discovered that he was like an insect trapped in resin, unable to speak or move. The flame covered him in an instant, but he didn't burn up. Instead, he felt an indescribable coldness. Terror welled up within him as he felt his conscious turn sluggish as his soul was quietly extinguished.
The cultivator's body shattered into countless tiny fragments, leaving behind his clothes and spatial bag. The members of the Scarlet Breeze Sect felt their spines chill at the horrific sight.
"Let's go." Bing Huoyuan said as he controlled the immortal boat to return to Boundless Mountain. He looked at Bai Ningwei and said. "What's wrong. Did I scare you?"
Bai Ningwei shook her head. "No, I just find it sad that there have to be so many deaths in the world. Why can't everyone just get along? Haha, Young Master can ignore what I just said. I know it's impossible. It's just wishful thinking on my part."
Bing Huoyuan reached his hand out and stroked Bai Ningwei's hair. Bai Weiwei was kind, and she disliked fighting too. Bing Huoyuan quickly retracted his hands upon realizing how inappropriate his actions were. He just moved his hand out on reflex, like how he usually did when he and Bai Weiwei interacted.
"Sorry, forgive my earlier actions." Bing Huoyuan said, not looking at the red-faced Bai Ningwei. Still, a smile lingered on his lips.
I better not tell her that both parties are at fault. I could sense that the loose cultivator was carrying a treasure at the Core Formation rank. Both parties were probably competing for the treasure. The Scarlet Breeze Sect used the fact that the loose cultivator killed their sect member as a justification. They probably didn't want me to interfere and lower the chance of me snatching the treasure.
Bing Huoyuan shook his head. How could the world not have conflict? The world had limited resources. Every one of them was cultivating to attain immortality. If the resources were truly spread equally, very few would reach the Immortal Realm. Even within the sect, many disciples fought for resources and opportunities. Although rare, murder was not unheard of.
Glancing at the blushing girl, Bing Huoyuan vowed to at least let a single person keep their innocence.
"Wow! The spiritual qi is so dense here. And we're only at the foot of the mountain! And the mountain is so huge!" Bai Ningwei said, her voice full of awe.
Like the name suggested, Boundless Mountain was situated on a single mountain. Unlike most other forces, all of Boundless Mountain was located with a single expansive mountain that saw no end, almost as if the mountain was a world onto itself.
"The sect formation placed here gathers all the surrounding qi and concentrates it here. But compared to the actual cultivation chambers, the qi here is sparse." Bing Huoyuan explained as he led them past the mountain gate.
Once he was inside the sect, he took out a disk. Stepping on it, he brought Bai Ningwei to his father's estate. Bing Huoyuan's father was an elderly true immortal that existed long enough to see the rise and fall of numerous immortal monarchs and immortal emperors.
True immortals shared life and prosperity with the world. Once a true immortal ascended to the Seamless Immortal Realm, they separated from the world. Their lifespan depended on their willpower and dao. As such, it was not rare to see true immortals who lived longer than immortal monarchs and immortal emperors.
Elder Bing, Bing Huoyuan's father, had lived to the point that he almost lost interest in all things. But by chance, he fell in love with Bing Huoyuan's mother and had Bing Huoyuan. Since his wife had long died, Elder Bing poured all his love into Bing Huoyuan as that was the only thing he cared for anymore. Without Bing Huoyuan, Elder Bing would be nothing more than a human-shaped tool or returned his body and soul to heaven and earth.
Bing Huoyuan ordered his servants to help Bai Ningwei settle in and satisfy all her needs before going to meet his father.
"Yuan'er."
A white-haired elderly man with a face full of wrinkles smiled at Bing Huoyuan. He was dressed in pale gray, and there didn't seem to be any of the pressure an immortal should have. In fact, he just seemed like an old man near the end of his lifespan.
"Father." Bing Huoyuan smiled. He was worried about his father. He had heard lots of true immortals going into a deep sleep in order to stave off their growing detachment of everything.
"You're back, and it seems you're in high spirits. Did you recover from your setback?" Elder Bing asked in a gentle and fatherly tone.
"Somewhat." Bing Huoyuan. There was no way he could be proud that he had his confidence shattered due to heartbreak.
Since young, Bing Huoyuan was exceptional. His junior brothers admired and envied him, his junior sisters were enamored with him. Talented and handsome, it was like there was nothing he couldn't accomplish. Only she was unaffected by his talent and appearance, treating him like a bosom friend.
"Do you know when our sect will collaborate with the Bright Ascension Sect?" Bing Huoyuan asked.
Elder Bing sent Bing Huoyuan a knowing look but answered anyway. "Right now, all our forces are preparing for the Demon Slaying Expedition. It should occur within three to four years. You'll meet your little darling there."
D.C.Haenlien
So I'm kinda disappointed that no one actually dm'd me asking about the commissions. I'm honestly kinda sad, so I thought of another way to do this, by doing an art contest!
First of all, since I'm still using money to getting the first volume to getting published, the prize for first the top three places won't be much. I'm thinking $200 for first place and $50 for second and third place.
As for how the contest will be ranked, I will make a poll and have the readers vote on their favorite image, probably in the forums.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. First of all, I'm going to make a poll to see if the readers want to see this and if any artists are interested.
Tianyi pondered about whether or not to offer up the Temporal Void Domain to his mother. Compared to him, she was someone who could utilize it better than him. And she was his greatest backing, so it would not be wasteful in any way. But when Tianyi asked, Mengfei rejected the Temporal Void Domain. For her current cultivation, the increase in time flow was negligible. And the amount of energy she would expend to make it practical for herself was too high of a price. So it was better for Tianyi to use it.
Tianyi nodded. Since his mother put it this way, he would use it himself.
The Temporal Void Domain enlarged to its original size under Tianyi's control. It had taken some time to refine. Although it was an Immortal Realm Artifact, using the Jade Peak Seal to create a loophole, Tianyi was able to become its master. And entering inside, Tianyi felt his whole view change.
Inside the Temporal Void Domain, there were no walls, only pillars, stairs, and floors. Looking outside from the inside, Tianyi couldn't see the scenery of Jade Peak but a scene of time distortion. There was no color, no shape, only eternity as if Tianyi was alone in the river of time. Tianyi immediately stepped back out and took a deep breath. He hadn't expected the inside to be so abnormal. After steeling himself, Tianyi stepped inside once more.
With his experience with the sea of time of his Mountains and Seas Formation, Tianyi was able to discern that the time flow was about twice as fast outside. Stepping up the stairs, the time flow increased to four times. But the time flow on the third floor was sixteen times the normal rate of time!
The rate of time with each level didn't just double but was squared, Tianyi realized. So the fourth floor's time flow would be two hundred and fifty-six times the normal speed of time.
When Tianyi tried to enter the fourth floor, he discovered that he was blocked by an invisible force. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't enter it at all. After investigating it for a while, he discovered that it was because the Temporal Void Domain didn't have enough power, so the third floor was the current limit.
With a thought, Tianyi began to insert his true qi of chaos into the Temporal Void Domain. Only after a long time was he finally able to open the fourth floor. But Tianyi stepped on the fourth floor for only a short time before he was forced out. Furthermore, he discovered that the generation of his true qi of chaos was much slower than normal. To others, it may be an issue, but for Tianyi, it was only a little problem.
Settling his heart down, Tianyi began to ruminate on the next realm of his martial cultivation method. However, the longer Tianyi stayed, the more nauseous Tianyi felt.
The issue wasn't due to the environment but Tianyi himself. It was because he incorporated the Spring Autumn Scripture into his martial cultivation method. As a cultivation method that involved spacetime, the cultivator would be privy to vast amounts of knowledge concerning spacetime. So Tianyi was constantly bombarded with information concerning spacetime while he cultivated on the third level. The information his eyes saw, his ears heard, his skin sensed were too profound, far beyond Tianyi's understanding resulting in the current situation.
If it were someone clueless about spacetime, they wouldn't even feel dizzy staying in the tower for an extended period of time. Unfortunately for Tianyi, he had significant amounts of knowledge concerning spacetime.
Unable to withstand it anymore, Tianyi exited the Temporal Void Domain while rubbing his temples. But he wasn't without gains. Space and time were two sides of the same coin, two halves of a whole. And Tianyi had always been more talented in space than time. With the new knowledge he gained, it could fix his imbalance. Even if it didn't create the Soul Nourishing Realm method for his martial cultivation, the foundation of his Cosmos Martial Body would elevate onto a whole new level.
After feeling his nausea recede, Tianyi returned to inside the Temporal Void Domain. But he didn't enter the third floor, but the second floor instead. The temporal laws of the third floor made him too nauseous too fast. On the second floor, he could handle the bombardment of information better. But Tianyi soon discovered another issue. Staying alone made him feel extremely desolate. It was honestly a feeling that Tianyi hated. So he invited Daoyi, Xi Ri, and Su Bojing inside with him. Elder Meng refused and guarded the entrance instead.
Upon entering, Daoyi, Xi Ri, and Su Bojing felt their eyes widen in amazement.
"Is it really okay for us to use this too, Senior Brother?" Daoyi asked.
Xi Ri didn't say anything, but his face asked the same question as Daoyi. Su Bojing's face was filled with excitement. He had to curb himself from speaking and telling the other two to just accept Tianyi's goodwill.
Tianyi waved his hand. "It's fine. At this level, the Temporal Void Domain is autonomous, not costing anything at all. Right, if you feel that the tribulation is going to come, quickly leave the tower otherwise..."
Before Tianyi could finish, several bolts of tribulation lightning pierced through the temporal distortion and struck him.
"..." Tianyi sucked in a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. It was like the Heavenly Dao was purposely doing this! "Nevermind."
Daoyi giggled, to which Tianyi glared in response. Her giggled transformed into laughter.
After everyone had a laugh, each went to their preferred floor. Daoyi and Su Bojing, as cultivators who were clueless about temporal laws, stayed on the third floor. Xi Ri stayed on the first floor as the bombardment of information on the second floor was too much for him. And Tianyi was alone on the second floor. But despite being alone on the second floor, he was comforted by the knowledge that he was not alone in the Temporal Void Domain.
"Young Master Bing, that Vast Heaven Young Master seems very impressive." Bai Ningwei asked with curious eyes.
Bing Huoyuan smiled dotingly. Bai Ningwei's talent was average at best, and since she hadn't entered Boundless Mountain, he made her his maid. Although this was an abuse of power, Bai Ningwei wouldn't need to take the disciple acceptance ceremony of Boundless Mountain, where she had a high chance of failing.
Currently, the two of them were riding Bing Huoyuan's immortal boat back to Boundless Mountain, it had been a while since they left the Xi Dynasty. He couldn't directly take her Bright Ascension Sect. Plus, he had an ulterior motive. If Bai Ningwei became a member of Boundless Mountain, Bai Weiwei would always have a connection with him, tenuous as it was. But her strength was too weak, so Bing Huoyuan decided to help her cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Realm before taking her in as a disciple with his connections.
"How can the Vast Heaven Young Master not be impressive?" Bing Huoyuan said. "Have you heard of the legendary Sword Empress?"
Bai Ningwei shook her head, a reaction that shocked Bing Huoyuan. In the Xi Dynasty, Sword Empress Xi was practically their goddess in all but name. Their devotion was akin to the Cloud Goddess Cult's faith in the Cloud Goddess.
"Sword Empress Xi is the newest grand elder of the Buzhou Immortal Sect. You should have at least heard of them, correct?" Bai Ningwei nodded. "According to legends, she attained immortality at around a hundred years of age and became the youngest immortal emperor, taking only one thousand years. The fastest speed recorded in the history of the Huang Realm."
"Wow, Sword Empress Xi sounds amazing." Bai Ningwei said, her eyes full of amazement but not too much shock. Bing Huoyuan gently shook his head, knowing that Bai Ningwei didn't fully understand why it was so shocking.
"The Vast Heaven Young Master is her son. According to rumors, he entered the Foundation Establishment Realm at the age of ten, Core Formation Realm at twelve, and Nascent Soul Realm at twenty. His speed is even faster than his mother's." Bing Huoyuan added.
Bai Ningwei's eyes bulged. "How old is he now?"
"Should be around thirty or so." Bing Huoyuan replied.
"You mean he's younger than me?" Bai Ningwei's voice was full of shock. Despite her young and tender appearance suggested, she was already over fifty, but her Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation kept her young. Plus, Bing Huoyuan had given her some beauty pills as a present, making her skin whiter and even more tender.
"Not to mention you, he's even younger than me. I only reached Nascent Soul Realm at sixty years of age. I can't compare to him." Bing Huoyuan said.
"No, no, Young Master is plenty impressive. I heard that only supreme geniuses could become a Nascent Soul Realm Grandmaster under the age of one hundred!" Bai Ningwei said, her eyes full of admiration for Bing Huoyuan.
Bing Huoyuan chuckled as he poked Bai Ningwei's forehead. He felt as if his heart was tickled by a feather under Bai Ningwei's admiring gaze. Their mannerism was slightly different. While Bai Weiwei was more introverted, Bai Ningwei was more extroverted. One was the sun, and the other a moon. But Bing Huoyuan still felt his chest puff under the face that was sixty percent similar to Bai Weiwei.
"Young Master, Young Master!" Bai Ningwei suddenly shouted as she pointed at something outside the immortal boat.
Bing Huoyuan looked out of the immortal boat and saw a gang of people chasing down a lone cultivator. It was nothing surprising. Fights often broke out over resources or grudges all the time. Even for disciples of first-rate sects like him, if the reward were worth the risk, even he would be targeted.
"What's wrong?" Bing Huoyuan asked, was there something special about the situation?
"Young Master, those people are ganging up on a single person! It's wrong. Why do people like to torment others so much?" Bai Ningwei said, her voice full of sadness as her eyes began to stare off into the distance as if recalling a memory.
Bing Huoyuan realized that she was sympathizing with the pursued. It was not strange. She and Bai Weiwei were separated due to being assaulted after all. Controlling the immortal boat, Bing Huoyuan approached the scene of action. Waving his hand, a frosty aura covered the whole area and froze all of them in mid-action.
"Young Master?" Bai Ningwei said, her voice full of confusion.
Bing Huoyuan only smiled at her before looking down at the cultivators below him. When he spoke again, his voice resounded in the area, full of authority. "Speak, why are you pursuing the lone cultivator."
The pursued, a peak Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, excitedly spoke. "Senior! Please save me. Those rascals saw that I had a treasure and wanted to steal it!!!"
Bing Huoyuan didn't respond. Instead, he looked towards the group of pursuers. The oldest looking peak Foundation Establishment Disciple spoke. "Senior, don't listen to his lies. We are members of the Scarlet Breeze Sect. That scoundrel sneaked and killed one of our members. We are chasing him down for justice! Please see the truth!"
Bing Huoyuan turned towards Bai Ningwei and said. "What do you think?"
Bai Ningwei blinked in surprise at Bing Huoyuan's sudden question. She scrunched her brows in deep concentration before speaking. "Young Master, although I don't like them chasing one person. But the man in black is wrong for murdering someone. I don't want him to be saved. He should be punished."
Bing Huoyuan chuckled, and his eyes took on a doting gaze that he didn't realize he even had. He waved his hand, and an ice-blue flame covered the black-robed cultivator.
The cultivator wanted to beg for mercy, but he discovered that he was like an insect trapped in resin, unable to speak or move. The flame covered him in an instant, but he didn't burn up. Instead, he felt an indescribable coldness. Terror welled up within him as he felt his conscious turn sluggish as his soul was quietly extinguished.
The cultivator's body shattered into countless tiny fragments, leaving behind his clothes and spatial bag. The members of the Scarlet Breeze Sect felt their spines chill at the horrific sight.
"Let's go." Bing Huoyuan said as he controlled the immortal boat to return to Boundless Mountain. He looked at Bai Ningwei and said. "What's wrong. Did I scare you?"
Bai Ningwei shook her head. "No, I just find it sad that there have to be so many deaths in the world. Why can't everyone just get along? Haha, Young Master can ignore what I just said. I know it's impossible. It's just wishful thinking on my part."
Bing Huoyuan reached his hand out and stroked Bai Ningwei's hair. Bai Weiwei was kind, and she disliked fighting too. Bing Huoyuan quickly retracted his hands upon realizing how inappropriate his actions were. He just moved his hand out on reflex, like how he usually did when he and Bai Weiwei interacted.
"Sorry, forgive my earlier actions." Bing Huoyuan said, not looking at the red-faced Bai Ningwei. Still, a smile lingered on his lips.
I better not tell her that both parties are at fault. I could sense that the loose cultivator was carrying a treasure at the Core Formation rank. Both parties were probably competing for the treasure. The Scarlet Breeze Sect used the fact that the loose cultivator killed their sect member as a justification. They probably didn't want me to interfere and lower the chance of me snatching the treasure.
Bing Huoyuan shook his head. How could the world not have conflict? The world had limited resources. Every one of them was cultivating to attain immortality. If the resources were truly spread equally, very few would reach the Immortal Realm. Even within the sect, many disciples fought for resources and opportunities. Although rare, murder was not unheard of.
Glancing at the blushing girl, Bing Huoyuan vowed to at least let a single person keep their innocence.
"Wow! The spiritual qi is so dense here. And we're only at the foot of the mountain! And the mountain is so huge!" Bai Ningwei said, her voice full of awe.
Like the name suggested, Boundless Mountain was situated on a single mountain. Unlike most other forces, all of Boundless Mountain was located with a single expansive mountain that saw no end, almost as if the mountain was a world onto itself.
"The sect formation placed here gathers all the surrounding qi and concentrates it here. But compared to the actual cultivation chambers, the qi here is sparse." Bing Huoyuan explained as he led them past the mountain gate.
Once he was inside the sect, he took out a disk. Stepping on it, he brought Bai Ningwei to his father's estate. Bing Huoyuan's father was an elderly true immortal that existed long enough to see the rise and fall of numerous immortal monarchs and immortal emperors.
True immortals shared life and prosperity with the world. Once a true immortal ascended to the Seamless Immortal Realm, they separated from the world. Their lifespan depended on their willpower and dao. As such, it was not rare to see true immortals who lived longer than immortal monarchs and immortal emperors.
Elder Bing, Bing Huoyuan's father, had lived to the point that he almost lost interest in all things. But by chance, he fell in love with Bing Huoyuan's mother and had Bing Huoyuan. Since his wife had long died, Elder Bing poured all his love into Bing Huoyuan as that was the only thing he cared for anymore. Without Bing Huoyuan, Elder Bing would be nothing more than a human-shaped tool or returned his body and soul to heaven and earth.
Bing Huoyuan ordered his servants to help Bai Ningwei settle in and satisfy all her needs before going to meet his father.
"Yuan'er."
A white-haired elderly man with a face full of wrinkles smiled at Bing Huoyuan. He was dressed in pale gray, and there didn't seem to be any of the pressure an immortal should have. In fact, he just seemed like an old man near the end of his lifespan.
"Father." Bing Huoyuan smiled. He was worried about his father. He had heard lots of true immortals going into a deep sleep in order to stave off their growing detachment of everything.
"You're back, and it seems you're in high spirits. Did you recover from your setback?" Elder Bing asked in a gentle and fatherly tone.
"Somewhat." Bing Huoyuan. There was no way he could be proud that he had his confidence shattered due to heartbreak.
Since young, Bing Huoyuan was exceptional. His junior brothers admired and envied him, his junior sisters were enamored with him. Talented and handsome, it was like there was nothing he couldn't accomplish. Only she was unaffected by his talent and appearance, treating him like a bosom friend.
"Do you know when our sect will collaborate with the Bright Ascension Sect?" Bing Huoyuan asked.
Elder Bing sent Bing Huoyuan a knowing look but answered anyway. "Right now, all our forces are preparing for the Demon Slaying Expedition. It should occur within three to four years. You'll meet your little darling there."
