Blank…..That was the first thought that arrives inside the minds of Yun Che and Jasmine as they were brought into the pyramid after activating the soul imprint on it. Usually, the soul imprint just activates a hidden message but they would not expect being brought directly into the pyramid. Their minds slowly registered some thoughts as they landed on the cold and damp floor. Speaking about the floor, they could feel the surface was quite cold without smudges on it as if they landed on a stone marble.
Yun Che slowly got up from his fall as he observed the dark area where he and Jasmine just landed. Since Jasmine was a soul form, she didn"t feel any pain from the encounter just now and the bad luck falls to Yun Che. Good thing he shifted his body before he landed with his feet. Well, he didn"t want to land just like back in the Dragon Trial. Before he could say anything, Jasmine beat him first as she spoke regarding the condition of the dark and blank zone. "Where in the world are we?"
He shrugged his shoulder and simply replied "I don"t know…. both of us were zapped into the pyramid just now. This is probably inside of it."
Seeing the total darkness within the pyramid kind of sparks some thought from Jasmine. "Is this another memory lane?"
"No, Its too dark for a memory lane. Too dark." As both of them make some speculations about the place.All of a sudden, clicking sounds were heard once more as aqua lights suddenly appeared as if the place was brought back to life. The first thing they saw was the Isu markings and linings on the floor suddenly lit up the floors beneath their fleet at the same time illuminating the entire place they were in. What shocks them was their current location. As the lights illuminated the hall, they finally knew that they are actually inside some kind of a ma.s.sive chamber with a single ma.s.sive pedestal in the middle. This place kind of reminds him of a place he was visited by accident in his previous world. He never knew that famous landmark was hiding some kind of chamber underneath it.
The ma.s.sive pedestal was erected high from the ground and the both of them were at the other side of the chamber. From their current location, they could see a sarcophagus on the middle of the ma.s.sive pedestal. They could deduce that the sarcophagus is indeed the Moon Empress"s coffin but the main attraction was not actually the coffin itself but the shining light on top of a smaller pedestal next to the coffin. If they looked closely, the description matches the orb they had seen from the Soul Imprints.
"Is that what I think it is?" As Jasmine spoke her eyes were glued on the shining object on the pedestal near the coffin. Yun Che just nodded as his eyes also fixed on the it as well. If his hunch was indeed correct, the shining object is indeed….
"The Apple of Eden. Look like we finally arrived on the place where it lies rest." Yun Che started to grin as this is his first time seeing the Apple in this world. Jasmine slowly floats beside him but she couldn"t get far from him. She wanted to explore more by floating up close but she forgot that she was bound with Yun Che and the furthest she can go is 10 meters from him.
"As expected from the Moon Empress herself, she even set a Monarch Level formation in this place. She was keen on protecting the Apple until the end of her life." The system told him that the chamber was surrounded by some kind of profound suppressing formation which restricted any use of profound strength. It other words, it"s a No Fly Zone.
It means they could only reach the middle pedestal on foot but that pedestal was erected high from the ground. So, it was only accessible by air as there are no ways for them to achieve it by foot. Moreover, he had a wild idea of trying to climb the pedestal itself but there"s no edge for him to reach it. So, climbing is out of the question. According to the system, the formation even suppresses anyone in the Sovereign Profound Realm. The Empress won"t let anyone out of anyone to get the apple. If she wants to, she won"t set this kind of formation in the first place.
Yun Che crossed his arms as the normal Mihawk would do when he"s thinking. "I expected she hid it somewhere within the continent. Never expected for it to be here of all place."
"Where do you expect it would be?" Jasmine replied as she floats all over the zone looking for clues to get to the pedestal.
Knowing his gaming instinct as well as common sense of setting a trap, he deduced that most tomb makers did just that to protect their secrets. But, then again. They arrived here. "I don"t know. Probably sent us on a wild goose chase all over the continent."
"It supposed to be that way. But, then again. I"ve already expected for you to found this part of the tomb." An echoing voice was heard throughout the area as both of their attention instantly focused on it. Before their minds could register what happened. Bright lights suddenly illuminate the surroundings and both Yun Che and Jasmine instantly cover their eyes. As the lights died down, a figure slowly appeared from the source as she was wearing a clothing much more different compared to nowadays trend. Despite the figure"s clothing, both of them instantly recognized the figure as clear as day but there"s one thing bothering them when they gaze upon the figure.
"This is…." He widens his eyes as he saw the girl was dressed in standard"s Isu clothing. Although it"s just a normal clothing but he could see the fashion sense she was trying to show. She was wearing an all-white dress covered anything but her arms. She was also wearing some kind of accessories looked like armor that covers her neck and her waist. She was also wearing an armored headwear that holds her beautiful black hair in a form of a pony-tail. Her fashion reminds him of a certain someone with similar sense. Even if he admits she was kind of cool wearing that kind of armor but he had seen this kind of fashion sense back in his world. Anyway, he didn"t come her for the clothes. He came here for the Apple.
"Welcome my successor, I expected you to made it this far…. from time after time…." The figure began her speech in an echoing voice but Yun Che wasn"t the kind of person who wants to listen to this kind of things. Besides, he smirks as this girl was enjoying herself acting all and mighty. Even if its over the top.
"All right, Moon Empress. Cut the chatter." Yun Che suddenly said in his dull Mihawk voice but he was stumped when the figure suddenly floats to him and was shocked like a teenage girl.
"Ehh!!! You managed to see me through?!? I was hoping to disguise myself as one of Ares"s comrade but never expected you can recognize me in just one glance. *sigh I was hoping my younger form could at least fool you. That"s kind of rude interrupting a girl when she talks." The girl dropped her echoing voice as she spoke.
Both Yun Che and Jasmine sweat dropped with her antics just now as this is not the girl they had in mind. As she slowly changed from her Isu clothing to a standard ancient Chinese robe.
Jasmine suppressed her giggle as she spoke "Is this who I think it is?"
Yun Che pinch the bridge of his nose as he spoke with a tired tone. "Uhhhh, your clothing is a little bit over the top. Besides, Isu women don"t dressed like that. By the way, Moon Empress. Your acting was not convincing for someone like me."
They knew the figure was indeed the Moon Empress but she was much younger compared to their previous encounter within the memory lanes. This one looked much more like a woman in her twenties. The reason they managed to recognized her due to her similar appearances with her younger self from within the memory. Her face was much younger compared to the beautiful Moon Empress back in the memory but she was not losing her any of her appeals even though she looks younger. Even though she looked like a younger woman in her twenties, her Empress aura still remain as if she was in her glory back in the days.
The so called Moon Empress immediately floats towards him before looking at him dead in the eye. As she was staring, the girl started to smile and fuming at the same time as she spoke while pointing a finger towards his face. "Why did everyone called me that? Moon Empress this, Moon Empress that. Even the outside world calls me that. It"s rude. I have a name you know. I am Huan Xuyi. Xuyi. Don"t forget that…" The so call Moon Empress introduce herself like a haughty girl.
Yun Che and Jasmine widen their eyes as they saw the way the Empress was acting. She was totally different from the memory lanes. But seeing her like this kind of reminds Yun Che of his original world. There are a lot of girls like this in his original world but never expected that someone is actually here all of a sudden. He suddenly blurted "Did I just see what I just see?"
"Is this another of those illusion?" She spoke to Yun Che.
Jasmine was also widening her eyes in disbelief as she was witnessing the childlike Moon Empress was acting in front of them. She saw her previous form but that tine she was much more mature and charismatic compared to this girl. Moreover, she was also floating in the air and she didn"t feel any life came from her body. They a.s.sumed she was a soul form like Jasmine. But, the Moon Empress named Huan Xuyi suddenly say something that cause the both of them to feel shock coursing through their bodies.
Xuyi slowly smiled before she spoke while looking towards Jasmine. "Oh…there"s no Illusion this time. Little Flower. Maybe I should say "Welcome?" instead. Silly me."
Jasmine was shocked as her appearance was visible for anyone to see. The system masked her appearance so well even souls won"t be able to see her. That"s why the soul Ares from before can"t see her directly. She immediately spoke "You…. how… you can see me?"
Yun Che also was quite shock as the system did masked her appearance. To think that this younger version of the Moon Empress actually can talk to her. No wonder Jasmine was zapped along with him into this chamber. He asked the system from within his mind "System, why is the soul of the Moon Empress can see her?"
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[Ding…. the system"s function of protecting Jasmine"s appearance was disabled the moment host stepped into the chamber. a.n.a.lysis indicate that the source probably came from the Apple of Eden itself. Right now, Jasmine"s soul is now visible to anyone. System will try to resolve the troubleshooting.]
Xuyi slowly floats towards Jasmine and introduce herself. "Hehe…Of course I can… You"re Jasmine aren"t you? I am also surprised that I finally meet you in person. It"s not common for me to see someone from outside the Blue Pole Star here. Especially someone from the Realm of the G.o.ds."
Jasmine"s eyes slowly widen as not all cultivators in this world knew the existence of the Realm of the G.o.ds. To think that the Moon Empress knew its existence as well. "You knew about the Realm of the G.o.ds as well?"
"Of course, I learned a lot of things while in here. I don"t live here for One thousand years without knowing anything." Xuyi slowly shifted her eyes towards Yun Che who still observing and a.n.a.lyzing her. Her curiosity piques as the successor she was waiting for was actually standing in front of her. She wastes no time as she floats to him and spoke" And you must be Yun Che. Oh, you don"t need that disguise. Although your current appearance is quite handsome but I prefer someone younger for a change."
Yun Che was quite surprised that his foolproof disguise was actually seen through and she even knew his name. Good thing she didn"t say his true name. He could deny it but he rather spares himself from the bulls.h.i.t.
His Mihawk"s persona suddenly glows before slowly being replaced with his original form. He could stay as Mihawk but since she knew his name then there"s no use playing dumb anymore. As his form slowly being brought out, Xuyi didn"t even have a shocked expression as if she had seen him before. Not even a hint of curiosity.
"Oooohh, I was right. You looked really handsome in real life. If this Empress was still alive, I might steal you from her." Huan Xuyi shown them her sultry side but he wasn"t the kind of who fell for it. So, he decided to play along.
"Hoho…. Yours truly is quite flattered. I am not sure I am comfortable with a ghost looking at me like that. But I"ll take you on that offer anytime." Yun Che slowly pull Xuyi"s hand before kissing it like a gentleman back in his world but Xuyi was quite relaxed with his bold action. Jasmine slowly had several tick marks on her forehead suddenly pulled his ear in an unfriendly manner. Very unfriendly. "What do you mean steal him from me? You can take this perverted beast all you want. Hmph… and you. How many women you wanted to sully until you"re satisfied?!?."
"Owowowow...Korra!! I never sullied any women yet. Says someone who had an obvious jealousy in her eyes." Yun Che suddenly shot her with a grin even when he had his ears pulled.
Jasmine was fuming as she shouted "I am not jealous!!!"
"All right….all right….Pfffff….Ahahahaha" Xuyi instantly laughed as she seen Jasmine and Yun Che"s session. Jasmine might close one eye when it comes to Retsu, Mio and the others but she did show some jealousy over there. Quite fun and warm when it comes to him.
Seeing Huan Xuyi"s unfamiliar reaction, Yun Che simply brushed everything aside and asked "How did you know me and Jasmine? I never met you before. More importantly, we don"t even know you at all."
She immediately crosses her arms and puffed her beautiful face as she was annoyed by his statement. She spoke "*That"s rude, you went through my memories and seen my beautiful body. How dare you say you don"t know me. *Sigh…I am dead for more than one thousand years now, of course no one knows me anymore… That"s kind of sad." Her expression went sad for a moment but Yun Che knew she made it up as that expression didn"t even looked genuine.
"Well…... what"s done is done. How did I know? The orb over there. Through it, I can see everything or more precisely, I have been observing you two…. You and your friend Jasmine here. You two are quite the troublemaker. Aren"t you?" Her expression turned 180 degrees from sad to happy once more as she grins towards them.
"You observed us? How?" Yun Che"s eyes immediately widens as he remembered one of the Apple"s function back in his days. If it"s the same as the Apple from his world, that means…...
Xuyi suddenly held her head high and she spoke "I am not telling you. You tell me your stories and I"ll tell you mine. That way we"ll even."
Seeing her childish mode, Jasmine sweat dropped and spoke to Yun Che at the same time directly bad mouthing the Moon Empress. "I expected the Empress was like her soul imprints. Mature, charismatic and serious. But not this…"
He whispered to her ears but he made his voice loud enough for Xuyi to hear. "I know…. it"s unbelievable that the Empress from the Soul Imprint is much different than this…... "
Seeing both Jasmine and Yun Che bad mouthed her directly, Xuyi suddenly had tick marks as she roared "This what??!?? How mean…. I was older at that time. Currently I am younger and I should act like one. Right?"
"More likely…. *Sigh… So, how did you know us? You said before you were observing us. Just how? I didn"t notice any observation despite my heightened senses." Yun Che sighs as he gets straight to the point once more.
"Hehe…. About that, let me tell you as we make our way to my coffin." Xuyi simply floats away towards the edge of the initial zone overlooking the central pedestal. Jasmine sweat dropped as she spoke "Saying "my coffin" kind of creeps me out for some reason." Her statement also added a nod from Yun Che as well. It"s not everyday someone wanted to bring him to their coffin and saying it casually. Xuyi floats next to him with a friendly manner and spoke "Don"t worry, I might be dead but I am still a wandering soul with a purpose. So you can relax."
"No wonder you can see Jasmine." Yun Che simply spoke but he knew the real reason Jasmine was seen with him. He just nodded his head but at the same time he decided to do a little test. "If you don"t mind me asking, what do you mean you knew everything about us? Why me? Why I am the one you chose as your successor?"
Xuyi stopped on her tracks before facing both Yun Che and Jasmine. "*Sigh, I supposed it"s about time I tell you. From your conversation with Ares, you said you knew everything about the Apple. For years I called it just "The Orb" but you didn"t even cast a second glance at it. You even called it the "Apple of Eden." Even during the fight against Ares just now, you spoke to him the language even I have trouble of understanding. Although I said I observed and knew everything about you. That"s just one side of it. Rather than saying something like this, it"s better for me to show you."
Xuyi slowly waved her hands and the clicking sounds were heard once more as an energy bridge similar to the bridge back in the mock arena from before suddenly manifest itself from the pedestal to their current location. For the Moon Empress to set up this ma.s.sive chamber just to store her body and the Apple was kind of exaggerating. Then, holographic images slowly appeared near them as Xuyi shows them part of her memories rather than explaining everything to them. However, she still inserts some of it as an additional knowledge.
What Yun Che saw was the moment she was inside the tomb, the Apple shows here countless of images as if she was viewing a lot of movies at the same time. The most disturbing part is, she also viewed the day he was married to Xia Qingyue, the day he met Jasmine, the Phoenix Trial and every adventure he went so far. Kind of creepy as she was stalking him from afar and he didn"t even aware of it. Even the system was oblivious to her observation. He doesn"t even wanted to see his kissy-kissy moment with Retsu.
She shown them countless of images. She suddenly went serious before she floats near him one more. "As much as I want to ask you about your knowledge about the Apple. I heard much of it during your conversation with Ares back in the grand arena."
"So, I don"t need to explain to you anymore." Yun Che just nodded as he didn"t need to told her the whole truth. He never once mentioned about the system in the outside world. If he was, Xuyi would found out about it. Then, Xuyi slowly observed him from hair to toe as if she was inspecting a fine specimen. "Still, I am still impressed meeting an actual Death G.o.d in front me. A death G.o.d from another realm. Even your strength and skills still impressed me."
"Well, despite all of that. I am still cultivating to be an actual G.o.d. What about Jasmine?" He shrugged his shoulder as she shifted her gaze towards Jasmine.
"Jasmine? I saw you descend to this world three years ago. With heavy injuries and having that G.o.d killing poison inside you. I don"t even want to know the trouble you went through up there. Moreover, I don"t know what this kid use to pulled you inside his head back then." As she spoke, Yun Che just fake whistling while looking at the images shown by her.
"You knew about that as well?" Jasmine calmly spoke but she wasn"t the type of telling everyone her life stories.
Seeing their expressions, Xuyi merely shrugged as she floats back to the front. "I do, but no matter how hard I tried. The Apple can"t get inside you and this thick block head as if it was blocked by something. I noticed there are some moments I just lost you. Like when you sit still for a moment then just kept quiet just like that. Even during the Phoenix Trial as well as the Dragon G.o.d Trial. Looks like there are things the Apple just powerless against. I just have to wait for you to wake up." She spoke while feeling some kind of annoyed. Well, everyone had their secrets and she wasn"t keen on prying on it.
He breath in relief as she didn"t know the system"s existence and simply a.s.sumed that he had a special skill to seal Jasmine back then. Moreover, she didn"t even know his adventures inside the Phoenix and Dragon G.o.d Trial. Maybe that"s the Apple current limit for now.
"Then, how do you know the existence of the Realm of the G.o.ds?" Jasmine asked her another question.
"There are countless legends in the archive I read back in the days. But for you to appeared out of nowhere means you could only come from that place. For those injuries you sustained, able to survived without your original body. I could imagine what kind of experience you went through to get that far."
Jasmine nodded her head in agreement as Yun Che spoke in agreement as well. "It"s true. It"s not easy for someone to simply broke into the realm of the Divines. Especially when this world"s energy is quite thin. Reaching Sovereign Profound Realm is quite enough."
"As for how I know? I used the Apple to show me what happens to the world after I am gone. It enables me to see into the future. Back then, I wanted nothing more to destroy the very thing that destroyed my life. It brought me to the peak of existence but I wanted to destroy it. To prevent anyone from learning its secret. But…." Xuyi shows them the one of her memories from back then. Her older version of herself tried absolutely anything she could to destroy the Apple but it was futile. As her strength increased, she couldn"t even have made a single dent on the Apple. So she made a decision to seal it instead of destroying it. But the moment she touched it. The Apple glows once more and made her under some kind of hypnotism.
"Back then, the Apple shows me a glimpse of the future. That is the moment it shows a glimpse of you would arrive in this world. It was only a moment. More like images until I saw your rise in power until Ares"s fall in this tomb. The only one who can destroy Ares and set me free. But it will happen for another one thousand years so I couldn"t wait that long as my lifespan was at its end. I can only survive for two thousand years" despite being in the peak of existence. So I devised a plan, build this tomb and formation all for the sake of this particular day." Yun Che and Jasmine kept their cool as they listened. She built all of this because she foresaw their arrival two thousand years ago. She knew everything would lead to this day.
Jasmine remembered that her idiot disciple did mentioned that the Apple drained her life force so her lifetime would have decreased every time she used it. She showed them her rule as the Moon Empress. She would use the Apple sometimes in her ruling as her will to exert dominance to her enemies. But, there were no records according to Cang Yue about she used some kind of treasure in her lifetime.
Seeing her rule and stories as the Moon Empress made them think why the Apple"s existence was not known to the world. "I know what you"re thinking. I never used the Apple in my Empire. I don"t want them to see my ruthless self. I don"t want them to see want that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d Ares wanted me to be."
Hearing Ares"s name, Yun Che suddenly remembered she mentioned about a voice back in the second pedestal"s memory lane. She turned towards her and spoke "You mentioned about a voice telling you to live. Is that Ares?"
The younger Xuyi slowly gritted her teeth before she looked at him as if he triggered a bad memory from her. "That old b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He wanted my body so he can use it to rule this entire dominion. Ever since I touched the Apple, he possessed my body as his own. But he couldn"t control it just yet. It was too weak back then and he didn"t have a shred of profound knowledge of this world. So he merely guided me to become the ultimate vessel." Xuyi slowly pulled out the image where she stood on the highest mountain facing the moon back then. "I am sure you knew about how I got my t.i.tle as the Moon Empress?"
"Based on the legends…. you used the Moon to cultivate. The only one who knew the cultivation method of drawing the energy of the Moon." Yun Che explained what her understood from Cang Yue"s stories back then. Then, Jasmine suddenly interjects "How did you do it? Even in the realm of the G.o.ds, no one succeeded in drawing that kind of energy without killing themselves."
"Ares knew I have no talent in cultivating as I was born as a normal mortal without access to resources. So he taught me the method of drawing the "Blutz Wave" and using the profound knowledge from the ones he killed during my first a.s.sault on the cultivators. You remember the horrid moment from the cave?. He transferred all the knowledge from my a.s.sailant to the Apple." Both Yun Che and Jasmine nodded as it was one of the worst memories she had but she was pretty calm as she spoke about it.
Yun Che nodded his head in understanding but as she heard another foreign word, Jasmine"s curiosity instantly pique. "Blutz Wave? What in the world is that?"
"Moon Radiation. Blutz Wave is a Moon Energy Wave generated by the Moon during the night. Every Moon phase generated different amount of energy during the night but the most powerful of energy was generated during the full moon. In your term, you just simply called it Moon Energy." Yun Che explained to her since she would have trouble understanding the word radiation..
"Hnnn, Moon Energy carried an extreme amount of Yin Energy which can only be cultivated by women as they have compatibility with it compared to men. So, Ares back then created a powerful cultivation technique using the profound knowledge and his knowledge as an Isu member. If he wanted me to become an ultimate vessel, he perfected the technique before teaching it to me. His naming sense was quite off as he named it "Mirror of the Moon Technique.""
"So that"s its real name?" Jasmine understood her terms as well as the nature of the technique.
"Hnn, the Mirror of the Moon created a special converter from within the woman"s profound core and convert the raw Moon Energy into Profound Force. But absorbing that amount of energy can kill you instantly without the special converter from the Isu"s knowledge. Imagine, absorbing a direct energy like that every month is like drinking nectar every day. It"s quite delicious if you ask me." Xuyi kissed her thumb remembering that particular moment.
"So, how long you jumped from elementary into Sovereign Profound Realm?" Jasmine decided to asked her as she wanted to know the capabilities of the technique. Her question sent Xuyi into a thinking mode as it"s been a while she felt its effect. "Hmmm…the full moon only came by for five days every month as that moment is the only strongest moments the energy flow was the highest. So every month, I will break through five smaller realms if I include the energy absorption of other Moon Phases as well."
Yun Che went to full shock as he heard her explanation. "Wait…What?!?! Two years?!??! Just two years, you jumped from Elementary to Sovereign Profound Realm?!?!?"
Seeing their reaction, Xuyi went full kid as she held her hands on her waist and went full arrogant. "Kind of, I am pretty strong. Am I?"
Both Yun Che and Jasmine were speechless. It took him two years to get to this level by gathering experience and training but this woman just jumped from Elementary to Sovereign in just two years.
In under two freaking years!!!!
Even a genius would take fifty years to breakthrough into the first level of the Sovereign Profound Realm but a hundred years for a normal cultivator with various resources. To think that this OP method exist. If Cang Yue were to cultivate this technique, she"ll be a Monarch in under three years.
Jasmine was stumped. If this method was discovered from those Divine cultivators, they would have searched this entire place for it. That"s it, she"ll make sure the technique stays with the her, the system, her disciple and that red headed girl. The technique can change the whole balance of cultivation. In just two years, she broke through the mortal realm. But, why didn"t she breakthrough into the realm of the Divines? So she decided to ask that question. "Why didn"t you enter the realm of the Divines? Insufficient strength was not an issue here. You give yourself time for almost 1980 years by staying on this star."
Xuyi rubbed the back of her head as she knew Jasmine would ask such a thing. She"s a divine cultivator after all. "I knew it was not easy to lie to you. Its true, I stayed as a Monarch for two thousand years. My reason? I don"t want Ares to know the existence of the Realm of the Divines. Imagine what kind of power he would gain the moment he took my body. To prevent such a thing, I cultivate a lot of soul suppressing skills and sealed him within my body as I roamed the entire continent to find a suitable place to hide it. There are times I was suppressed and had to use the Apple but I couldn"t escape from those greedy eyes. So I destroyed my opponents and guard the secrets of the Apple for two thousand years. I even restored my former home as a sanctuary for those couldn"t cultivate and allow them to live in peace as I rule the Empire."
She continued "Two thousand years have pa.s.sed as I lived my life in peace but there"s not a day I feared Ares would break my suppression and took control over my body. I was afraid the day he would rule the realm using the Apple. So, to prevent him from escaping as I died. I built this vault based on the knowledge I gained from the Apple to seal the it and him so deep underground and far from the reaches of those cultivators."
Hearing her explanation makes it sound crazy as he heard it, so he decided to ask a stupid question. "Wait, so where is this place exactly."
Xuyi grinned once more as he wouldn"t like the answer. "Hmmm...…. if I remembered correctly, 100000 kilometers away from Profound Sky Continent and 2500 kilometers below sea level. Underneath an undiscovered island."
Again, Yun Che went to full shout mode as heard that. "Wait the freakin moment…. What?!?!" We"re that far away?!?!?!?"
"Yes, the only way of connecting this vault and the continent is that profound formation I set." She calmly spoke. He did remember he was required to access the formation. He pinch the bridge of his nose as he heard their current location. "Wow…going so far to seal the soul and the Apple along with it. You didn"t have to set the formation if you really intend to seal it."
"Hmph…..If it weren"t for you. Maybe I wouldn"t set the formation up."
"Me?" Yun Che suddenly jolted.
"You"re my successor. The only one who can control the Apple without it controls you. So, I set the formation before and seal this place. No matter how hard those greedy clans tried to find this place. They won"t. Even if they could, only you have the ability to access my soul imprints. Those two imprints from before are the keys to this place. The other people came with you acted only as decoys. Also, you seem to care about that woman who came with you. To think you were able to cheat Ares into giving a full powered body to her." Xuyi also observed Ares"s fight with him when he possessed Chu Yueli"s body. To think Ares knew how to absorb cultivation by draining the life of the poor old men. On the bright side, at least that woman is now strong because of him.
"It wasn"t part of the plan but it works." Yun Che hid the fact that he deliberately let Ares grew stronger to play with him but he immediately regret it.
"I knew Ares"s intention the moment he gave the technique to me as well as gave the control methods of the Apple. I knew using the Apple would drain my life force. So he guided me to increase my strength. If I was a power drunk person, I would succ.u.mb to his ploy. So I betrayed him and seal him away while I find methods to destroy it. I could still remember his cursing back then as I seal him without a second thought. As the man who raised me, he was also giving my life a living h.e.l.l. I thought if I destroy the Apple, he"ll be gone as well. But even with my peak strength, I can"t even put a dent on it. That"s when I discovered your existence. A death G.o.d and a person from up there would one day walk the plains of the star and claimed the Apple from me. A true successor. So I built this vault to seal the apple forever."
Xuyi shows them every moment of her life as they walked along the bridge leading to the middle pedestal. She shown them where she sometimes would fall under the Apple"s influence and cause a great damage everywhere. That is before she became the Moon Empress. By the time she gained the t.i.tle, she had taken a twenty-year-old non-cultivator disciple from a common family. That disciple was soon crowned as the next Empress of the Blue Wind Empire. The one who bears the Cang surname which is Cang Yue"s first ancestor in the imperial bloodline.
Yue"er ancestor, Cang Xue
Yun Che was quite surprised as her disciple Cang Xue was exactly the spitting image of Cang Yue as if she lived in the past before reincarnated into the future. She gave her cultivation technique where she could take the mantle as the protector of her empire but she couldn"t give her the burden of the Apple"s protector.
At the final moments of her life, her disciple Cang Xue had descendants where she had a happy family and established the first royal bloodline. Her husband was a wonderful man who is also a cultivator like her. He took a liking to her as a sign of love rather than her status. She was not a cultivator the moment they were married but Xuyi took a liking to a strong willed woman like her. Yun Che could see how her Sakaki Ryoko counterpart would grow into a fine and beautiful woman in the future but at the same time was quite jealous of her happy family. Then again, this is not her but her ancestor instead.
The memories skipped to moment they arrived at this very pedestal where the final resting place for Xuyi was set. Yun Che and Jasmine could see the holograms of Xuyi and her disciple placing the Apple on the pedestal. Only on her final moments she shared this secret with her. Xuyi was still looked like her prime but Yun Che could see that she was already at the elderly age. She at that time spoke "The Orb has been in my possession for many years now. Xue"er, I don"t have the heart to place you under these burdens."
Then, the older version of her disciple at that time spoke "I understand mother, my strength is only at the peak of the Sky Profound Realm. I couldn"t protect it for you but I will guard its secrets until the end of my life."
"You must remember, that even your own family is forbidden to know about the orb"s existence. The orb must be hidden far from eager hands. At least until its successor came and took its secrets along with it."
"What secrets?" The curious Cang Xue at that time asked her.
Xuyi at that time avoided the question and pet her disciple"s head affectionately. "Go, my daughter. Go and live peacefully with your family. And live well. As for me, I will remain here for the rest of my days."
"You don"t mean that, Mother. For years I have been with you. I have lived my life the best of it. You took me, an ordinary woman to be your successor. Bringing my entire family to the peak of life itself. I will not forget this debt. Please….. don"t leave me by myself." Cang Xue begged her as she kneeled down.
Xuyi slowly brought her up and spoke "Stand up, you owe me nothing. You knew I have to do this. I have buried the temple as well as the only formation of capable of bringing anyone to this place. Until I allow it, no one will find this place. No one until the orb"s successor is ready." The older Xuyi placed her hand on the floor of the pedestal and a formation suddenly covered her disciple. Cang Xue was surprised as she tried to move away from the formation but no avail. No matter how hard she tried, her strength was never sufficient.
"Mother…. what are you doing?!?!?" Cang Xue knocked on the formation as hard as she could. Xuyi at that time knew she wouldn"t leave her side but she couldn"t let her leave her family.
"Xue"er, this is not only the vault to seal this thing but also my tomb. I am sorry, but you"ll be leaving this place alone. I have used the what remained of my strength to make this formation. Live well, my daughter." She tapped the formation and the last thing she saw was her disciple crying her eyes out beg her not to stay. But, it was her burden and suffering. She couldn"t bear to let her to bear the Apple"s burden. As the formation sends her out, she was at the final moments of her life. The moment she died is the moment Ares will be free and take her body. Even if she was an elderly, Ares had the Apple to restore her back to her prime. But, she was not going to let this slide.
So, she went back outside the pyramid where the original grand arena was and did something what she was prepared to do. She immediately severed her life veins but not enough to cause her to die. But it would eject her soul from her body as well as Ares"s soul. But, she will just have moments before Ares would claimed her body.
As she severe her life veins, Ares"s soul back then was ejected from her body. She could see how furious he was as he was betrayed by her and being sealed for a thousand year. His plan of damaging her body until she died was a success before she betrayed him.
Ares looked just like the moment he was ejected from Chu Yueli. Only this time, he looked a bit younger. "Huan Xuyi, have you finally became unfillial as I give you the power to crush your enemies but you dare sealed me in that body of yours!!"
"Killing innocent clans and sects was not my intentions. You even force me to reveal the orb"s existence to them. I knew if I died, you would take control of my body immediately so I had to took control over you."
"You unfilial wench, I destroyed your future enemies for you and this is how you treat me! You will not stop my plan this time." Ares yelled at her before he suddenly dashed towards her in an attempt to control her body.
"Their blood is on my hands. But I will never let you leave this tomb. I can"t destroy you right now, but he can." Xuyi at that time pressed the third pedestal in the grand arena as she was immediately zapped into the pyramid.
"NOOOO!!!!" Ares roared as his plans went crumbling like dirt as Xuyi escaped from his grasp. He tried pressing the pedestal but without the qualifications, his effort was wasted. He took out his anger by destroying part of the arena with his radiant force but it was futile. The tomb was built to withstand his rampages. More importantly, to trap him forever.
"No wonder it was destroyed when we arrived." Yun Che spoke and Jasmine nodded in agreement. But they turned their head towards their initial point just now and the Moon Empress was holding her heart while painfully dragging her body. Although she severed her life veins, she would collapse anytime soon and pa.s.sed away. But she was not ready, she dragged her painful body while smiling as she finally sealed him in here. She remembers all those innocent sects and clans she slaughtered as she built the empire on top of their ashes. It"s the sad truth but no one will remember it for now. The Apple"s influence was getting stronger as she grows older. She would carry this burden to her grave as those one thousand years of peace was built on top of innocent blood she slaughtered.
She dragged her body into the Sarcophagus which is also built based on the Apple of Eden"s design. It was a futuristic design where it was surrounded by Isu markings as well as covered by the same material the bridge was made off. When looked closely, everything up here seems a lot more futuristic than an ordinary tomb. She slowly lied in the sarcophagus breathing a breath of relief and slowly smiled as the coffin slowly closed itself. Then, a few moments later…..
She breathes her dying breath as she pa.s.sed away peacefully knowing that her objective was complete.
That"s when all holograms suddenly disappeared leaving Yun Che, Jasmine as well as the soul of Huan Xuyi. Both of them slowly observe the coffin and they could see her body lied peacefully in it as if she died yesterday. Looks like the coffin she built preserved her body until today. But the only question is how is she able to talk next to them?
"How are you still here then?"
Xuyi simply smiled as she spoke "When I died, my soul leaves my body but I couldn"t ascend to the next life as this place was built to kept Ares"s soul from leaving and that includes me. Ares was still outside and I am here accompanied by my own dead body as well as this thing. Even this pyramid was built by the same material to prevent Ares from escaping. But I still able to control the Apple as a mean of observing the outside world. Turns out, I can be anything I want in my soul form, so I choose to be a young woman. What do think, Yun Che? I am prettier than her right?"
"Oi…what"s your problem?" Jasmine had tick marks once more but she knew she just wanted to lighten the sad mood. So she decided to play along as well. "Haaaaa…well, you have what you wish for. Ares was seal and you stayed in here."
"Hmph, it was a bad wish I was stuck here a thousand years. I even talk to my body at some point thinking that I went crazy."
Yun Che just shrugged his shoulders. "At least you maintained peace on the outside."
"How I wish it were that simple." Xuyi slowly waved her hand as images or more like movies was shown once more. This time, these are the events after her death.
She slowly explained "Two months after my death, the remnants of my enemies came into our empire. They knew I had a disciple through various information and sources. They a.s.sumed that I left the Apple in her care while I laid to rest. Xue"er at that time was not strong at all to fend them off. Her cultivation was still lagging and those who looked were old remnants of the Monarch stage."
She once more spoke in a sad tone as she shown the image of her disciple hugging her husband and child for one last time. "It breaks my heart to see her saying goodbyes to her husband and child knowing that she will never coming back into their arms. How I wish I didn"t chose her. She bears the burden but she didn"t even know what it was. She left the Empire in her husband"s care as she flew far away from the Empire luring them away."
The image shown Cang Xue was running from countless Monarch Stage elders. She didn"t even stand a chance as her strength was at the Peak of Sky Profound Realm and she didn"t have the chance to mature when those old fools cornered her about the Apple. These fools were only ones who witnessed Xuyi used the Apple as she destroyed their sect. Now because of greed, they wanted the Apple for themselves. What surprised them was Cang Xue smiled as she pulled a round object looked similar to the Apple but it was not.
Xuyi simply smiled as she spoke "I left a decoy Apple back in the Empire just in case the old fools were greedy enough to take it by attacking me but she was a good Empress. She would never destroy her own people to protect her secret unlike me. I even forgot about it but I never knew she found it."
"Decoy Apple?" Yun Che widen his eyes but his eyes immediately glued on the image.
What happens next was Xue"er spared no effort bringing the decoy with her as high as her body can take her. The old b.a.s.t.a.r.ds as they started ro chase her to obtained the device. Behind her, countless of Monarch Stage elders chased her till the ends of the sky where the air was thin enough for her to breath. She had to make sure the only device the Moon Empress ever created will be destroyed and taking along all the remnants with it.
In the image, one of the elders cornered her and spoke "Cang Xue, give the Heavenly Orb to us and we can guarantee a swift dead for you."
"Heavenly Orb? You old b.a.s.t.a.r.ds don"t know anything about it. Using it recklesssly will destroy all of you." Cang Xue spoke in a cold tone.
"Hmph, destroy us?!? We noticed the orb cannot control the minds of someone cultivation stronger than the user. Do you think we came here unprepared?!? Fellow sect masters, let"s seize the orb from her." One of the remnants gave the order and immediately all the sect master instantly dive towards her. They wanted to be the first one to obtained it.
As Yun Che watched, it was painful enough that she shared the same look as Cang Yue and was cornered while he couldn"t do anything about it. As he and Jasmine were watching, he noticed Xuyi"s expression was calm as the sea, probably she watched this moment countless of times. He knew she had to watched the disciple she treated like daughter was going to be killed and she couldn"t do anything about it. Sometimes, she just had to steeled her heart to see this thing again and again.
Yun Che simply sigh as the Apple"s temptation has drawn countless of greedy hands to it but what she did next was enough to cause a shock from him. Cang Xue shed tears as she slowly spoke "What my master had created, her secrets and her burial site will be buried with me." She threatened her old enemies before she muttered something but it was clear as day in Yun Che"s ears. "Husband, please forgive this foolish wife of yours. When I kneel towards my master, I swore to protect her secrets and carry it with me. Take good care of our children. Master, your secret is safe with me and always will be."
She pressed the b.u.t.ton of the device and suddenly...…
BOOM!!!!
The Decoy exploded covering the area around Cang Xue annihilating her along with the nearby elders but it didn"t stop there. The explosion suddenly compressed into a smaller blue light before it exploded into light waves annihilating all the old men and women who tried to run away from the aftermath. From below, the bright lights cause every human to witness the sky as it was bright for a single moment before it suddenly grew larger and larger. It didn"t stop there as the blue light it exploded and thus splinting the sky apart as well as creating a phenomenon similar to the creation of the universe where an explosion created a scenery where it would be cla.s.sified as a heavenly phenomenon. A phenomenon so catastrophic that it causes chaos to the lands below as it generates heavy winds similar to a hurricane that smashes all that it touches.
The bright lights compressed for a final time before it creates another explosion generating similar aftereffects only this time it was twice as strong from before. Due to it exploded in the upper atmosphere, the damage was sustainable below but there are still empires engulfed by its powerful shockwave. It did cause the ground, mountain and even cities to suffer major damages. Some people even lost their lives due to falling debris. The phenomenon last for several moments before people from below started to investigate the cause of it. Now, it was known as the Heavenly Explosion. One of the great catastrophe befall the Blue Wind Empire back then.
Although there are a lot of speculation, no one knew the source of the explosion. Yun Che"s mouth widen as he saw the explosion which killed Cang Yue"s ancestor. He knew the after effect of the explosion. It was so powerful that even bijuu-dama was palled in comparison. An explosion so large even the nuclear bombs looked like chumps.
He refused to believe the existence of this weapon in this world. But, he played it over and over in his mind. He could only mutter "No way…the explosion. Could it be?!!?!
Xuyi looked at the stuttering Yun Che before she spoke as well. "Ares once gave me methods of building a weapon created from knowledge gained from The Apple. He shown me the methods of creating an explosion greater than anything I"ve ever encountered. His methods were simple and as a cultivator, I could make it. I couldn"t understand anything he gave me as I could only follow his instruction. As I recalled, he called it the Anti Matter."
Yun Che was immediately shock as he heard the term. It was one of the most powerful source of energy of the modern era. He turned his head towards her as he spoke "Did you say Antimatter? An Antimatter Bomb!?!?!!"
"Antimatter? What is that? Is it something came from your world as well?" Jasmine asked him as it was a rare moment to him quite shocked.
"No….in our world the knowledge of our technologies came from the Apple of our world as well. We developed the anti-matter as a method of clean energy. The process was long but as years pa.s.sed and mortals advanced. The method to create it was simple. But, it could also be weaponized. This is why I don"t want the Pieces of Eden to exist in this world. That is because the most dangerous thing was not the Apple itself. It was the knowledge contained within the Apple."
"Knowledge?" Jasmine never knew that he would see it as dangerous. But, then again. It could be a blessing or a catastrophe.
"You won"t understand if I explained how it works to you directly but all I can say is, it has the power to destroy this very Empire, no…this very continent. The explosion could be considered so catastrophic that two anti-matter bombs is enough to destroy this whole continent. You"ve seen the coverage of a single bomb can cause." Yun Che explained the effects to Jasmine and she was immediately stumped. To think that the Apple is capable giving the knowledge to build this kind of weapon.
Xuyi nodded as she heard Yun Che"s explanation as she knew that he was from another world as well when he spoke to Ares back in the grand arena. A world much more advanced than this world. She continued "A weapon capable of destroying multiple Empires if it were detonated in the heart of the Blue Wind Empire. That"s when I knew he planned to destroy the Empire once I am dead. So, I destroyed any plans or methods to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands and keep the only bomb I made into a canister similar to the Apple of Eden."
Yun Che continued her explanation "The antimatter needed a sustainable power to keep the canister cold as the source needed extreme cold to survive. Knowing the capabilities of the cultivators, it wasn"t that hard to keep it."
"Yes, I developed it and transfer my profound energy to create a limitless power to sustained the cold with one single mechanism to trigger the explosion. That is to push the mechanism just like activating the Apple of Eden. But, when Ares told me the effects of the weapon, I stored it away underneath the palace within the Imperial City but I never knew Xue"er found it. That girl has a curiosity much worse than a cat"s." Xuyi knew hiding it in the palace was a bad idea but it was necessary if one day they came to the Empire.
"To think that the Apple stored this kind of knowledge inside it." Jasmine was quite shock the capabilities of the Apple can give rather than illusion, mind control and invisibility. To think that its knowledge is the most dangerous thing.
"No, it"s a lot more than that. It stores more knowledge than anything you can hope to learn. It didn"t tell you the methods but simply the theories to develop it. From the moment I saw the Apple, I wanted to take it away to protect it against its knowledge." Yun Che spoke to her.
Jasmine nodded in understanding as she understood the power it can brought upon the world.
"It pains me to see Xue"er used it to protect my secret. She eliminated all of them with the cost of her own life. I hated myself every day for creating that powerful weapon."
"But if you didn"t. Xue"er would die a tragic death and her whole family will be slaughtered. She died saving them and your secret." Yun Che spoke with dignity. He didn"t want to tarnish Cang Yue"s ancestor sacrifice. If she didn"t detonate them, Cang Yue will never exist as the old b.a.s.t.a.r.ds won"t stop at anything even so far of killing her entire family. Cang Yue once said that her ancestor disappeared as she failed to cultivate the technique by the Moon Empress. So, the whole empire branded her as a failure. Even if everyone started to forget her, Cang Yue still admired her greatness.
"I know…. the secret of the Apple was finally safe and her descendants flourished. Even if she was branded a failure by her own people, her descendants manage to survive until today. Years went by as all of them were corrupted with power. But, she was finally reincarnated as her descendent. A strong willed one just like her once. Coincidently, she was reincarnated as someone close to you. You trained her to be even better than I hoped for as if the universe"s plan was coming together for me." She shed a tear once more seeing the image of Cang Yue met him and Retsu back in the New Moon Palace.
Yun Che simply watched Xuyi peaceful expression as he slowly caresses the side of the coffin. "Her destiny will not lie in this world. She will surpa.s.s her ancestor and finally, she will also surpa.s.s you. She"s my Cang Yue after all. She"s after all The Blue Moon Princess. The descendent of the disciple of the Moon Empress. I even enter this tomb for her."
Xuyi slowly smiled as she floats towards the glowing Apple. "Everyone believed the rumor of I made the cultivation technique into a scripture and take it with me. Causing greed to appear in their eyes and find my tomb. But the truth is, there are no scriptures. I never even made one but rumors can believable sometimes. All I know is Cang Xue died before she could pa.s.s the technique to anyone. But this time, I am giving it to her descendent. Please give her this…." Xuyi slowly raised her hand and creates what it looks like a glowing feather. It looks similar to a normal feather but this feather is fully white and glowing at the same time. It even marks the Crest of the Moon Empress on it and the crest was shaped more like a crescent moon with linings to its base.
"This feather contained all my memories about the Mirror of the Moon technique and ways to cultivate it. Don"t worry, I"ve removed all the memory about Ares and the Apple. I don"t want the second Cang Xue to carry the same burden. She will always be free from it. Besides, I even left her a personal message."
"What message?" Yun Che"s curiosity pique in.
"Bleehh ...its a woman"s secret." Xuyi poke her tongue towards him as she handed the feather. Yun Che suddenly sweat dropped but he just smiled in the end. Some secrets are better left alone.
"Don"t worry, the Apple"s existence was always a secret and I intend to keep it that way." Yun Che raised his hand as the feather slowly floats towards him a notification suddenly pops.
[Ding…. Discovered the Sacred Feather of the Moon Empress.]
[Ding….. This feather contains the memories of the Moon Empress, Huan Xuyi as she cultivates the Mirror of the Moon Technique. This is a one-time use item that only available for Cang Yue. Be warned that this item cannot be duplicated, copied or destroyed.]
"Also, since you made your way to the Apple. My work is finally done. I do hope you can grant one last selfish wish of mine." Xuyi suddenly went serious before she floats in front of him.
Yun Che simply nodded. "As long as its within my power."
"You know why I chose to be this young right?"
Yun Che just nodded at her statement before he observed the Apple as well. "Jasmine might have called me an idiot but I am not that kind of idiot who oblivious to anything. You once told us that you are one h.e.l.l of a troublemaker as a young girl. I understand after being trapped for a thousand year without any friends, you would tend to do one last prank before you fulfilled my destiny. But I kind of ruin it for you huh?"
Xuyi smiled as she remembered that moment. "Hnn you did, but seeing you two together makes me feel like the prank was unnecessary. Once you"ve taken the Apple, all I wish for you is to send me to the afterlife."