The Pathway

Forsaken ent.i.ties.

He could clearly remember the appearance of the water Princ.i.p.al. And, the mighty sword that could have, cleanly, severed his head from his body. He knew he had already pushed his fortune with the guardian Princ.i.p.al of the Star-Tide bead and that in the future, he might not be so fortunate with the dangers of looking for another bead. Luminous treasure or not, immortal seed or not, he would definitely not be searching for any of the beads in the foreseeable future. Any attempt in the near future, would simply be courting death on his part.

Unless, he was powerful enough to face a mighty Princ.i.p.al which he didn"t see happening in the predictable future. Now that he was already walking in the shadow of an inevitable death. Ah, shadow of death! He had been walking in the shadow of death all his life but this one was different. He recollected the words of the Worldly Oracle before she faded away.

"The words I"ve spoken are not of my volition. Hand of fate is locked with the hand of death, on you, young mortal. A fated-death, that"s what you have. When it comes, you will know."

He would know? What if he were to wake up tomorrow and suddenly knew he was going to die the very day? What time would he have to prepare for uis imminent death? Should he even tell his family? How would they recieve the information, especially his mother?

Ah, Fated Death!

Ominous declaration of a death that must be, through the mouth of an oracle. A destined death that was unavoidable by a universal decree. One way or another, he would have to die and, not just any death, but that particular fated death. Even with a protective treasure like the Deathless-G.o.d armor, he would still die the fated-death. What a life?

While Ying Jie was busy going through the records on the Deathless-G.o.d armor, Ju Feng decided to check the information on fated-deaths. The information he found, were the same with what he already knew. He would die.

After having enough for the day, Ju Feng left the library and headed towards the male dormitory. He was lost in thoughts as he walked and almost barged into one of the school acolytes who had to use a bit of his energy to push Ju Feng away. His annoyance was evident in his expression.

"Watch where you"re going, disciple."

"Sorr... sorry, senior."

Replied Ju Feng with a cupped hand and a bow as he quickly gathered his thoughts. He was so lost in his own mind to pay attention to his immediate sorroundings. Not a very good sign at all. This was the same way he barged into the force-field of the revenant.

The acolyte observed Ju Feng for a moment before sighing after his anger had receeded. What was the point in punishing him for that? He was in a happy mood due to the luminary week and the kid appeared to be genuinely unaware and apologetic about the whole situation.

"Just be careful next time, you don"t want to be barging into people like that."

"Yes, senior. Thank you."

Said Ju Feng, as he watched the acolyte departed in relief. Oh, that was too loose of him. He continued staying in one place as he raised his head to the sky, observing its glory. He was interrupted by elder w.a.n.g Xiu who had been watching the whole scene, quietly, from afar. A disciple of hers whose help she would be needing in the near future. She continued to examine Ju Feng with her inner inherited ancestral-bloodline"s sense. She had been sensing a dark cloud on Ju Feng"s soul since leaving the forsaken palace. Something definitely happened to him inside that place that left a gloomy mark on his soul.

"Haven"t you had enough of the sky already?"

"Elder... w.a.n.g Xiu."

Said Ju Feng while bowing his head with a cupped hand.

"This disciple greet you."

"Hm. Walk with me."

"Yes, elder w.a.n.g Xiu."

After walking in silence for few minutes, elder w.a.n.g Xiu cleared her throat and glanced at Ju Feng.

"Mm. Now tell me, what is going on with you?"

Asked Ju Feng in reply as confusion was written all over his face. What was going on with him staring at the sky or for standing in one spot? Probably, for almost barging into the acolyte?

"What do you mean, elder w.a.n.g Xiu?"

"I noticed a cloud over your soul. What is troubling you?"

A cloud? Over his soul? Realization dawned on him as remembered the ancestral bloodline trait of elder w.a.n.g Xiu. She could see immediate things that were related to the soul. Ju Feng sighed deeply in resignation before answering solemnly.

"Ah. This, I couldn"t hide from you, elder w.a.n.g Xiu. To tell you the truth, elder w.a.n.g Xiu, there was a worldly oracle I met at the forsaken palace. She told me about a fated-death."

"Heavens tears! A fated-death?"

"Yes, elder w.a.n.g Xiu. My fated-death."

"Yours? And you didn"t bother to let me know?"

Asked elder w.a.n.g Xiu in utter shock and annoyance. Despite the fact that she would be needing him in the near future, he was still her direct disciple. An important disciple. So, how could he have a death he couldn"t escape?

"Do you even know what that means, Ju Feng?"

"Yes, elder w.a.n.g Xiu. That I must die."

"Sorrowful heaven. That is no joke. No wonder how lost you were in thoughts, no wonder the cloud I saw on your soul. But, a dark cloud? That was a sign of uncertainty in a soul"s reincarnation. That powerful death? Sorrowful heavens. Quickly, come with me. We must seek the grand elder."

Elder w.a.n.g Xiu led Ju Feng towards the sect"s haven as she sent out her mind connection to the grand elder. She knew grandelder along with some elders and avolytes, was recieving honored guest, but she hoped he would be able to spare her a minute or so.

"Elder w.a.n.g Xiu."

"Forgive my intrusion, grand elder. I know you are busy now, but if you have a second to spare later, you need to see this."

***

The Luminary week!

This was the annual free and happy week for the sect members to practically enjoy themselves, but without breaking any sect rule. The only week in the sec"s year that members of the sect could decide not to do anything but recline, or hold and partic.i.p.ate in one form of activity or the other. As the disciples, the acolytes and some of the elders, entertained themselves with various forms of exploits, the sect"s heirarchy was also recieving different honored guests. This was the main reason for the luminary week.

Planet Lorra, was an ancient world. One of the first major worlds created during the expansion and it was one of the first to be occupied. At a time when few worlds had only been spa.r.s.ely occupied, planet Lorra was already occupied. And, the Last-Sword sect was already established in this world by this time. The sect was here, as a first of its kind, when the world was still under one emperor, the first Jade emperor, who was also a friend of the sect"s ancestral patriarch.

The luminary week was to celebrate the long term existence of the Last-Sword sect and its peaceful friendship with others, especially the equally ancient ones. Just as it was with the tradition of the Last-Sword sect, it recieved the notable guests from different places, every year.

And like every year, honored guests had been coming-in from all over the continent and other worlds through out the week. Gifts were brought, also rare and expensive ones were exchanged. All these honored guests, were attended to by the grandelder. Only few of the honored guests, required the attention of the sect"s patriarch. But, the sect"s patriarch had been unavailable for many years now after sealing himself inside the Never-Ending immortal cave. This made the responsibility of recieving all the guests fell on the grandelder.

And on this day, the grandelder was recieving one of the few uppermost guests, stellar Wind-Eternal, a true ascendant who was more powerful than most hegemons. Despite his power surpa.s.sing the threshold of the mortal plane, he had found a way to have balance and avoided being pushed out of the mortal plane. After rejecting ascension to the heavenly plane during his immortal ascension, he became an hegemon.

However, since he wasn"t a world ruler, he would be addressed as a stellar, instead of a monarch or emperor[monarch was a t.i.tle taken by a ruler of a continent in a world with more than one continent and one ruler, while emperor was the t.i.tle taken by the only ruler of a world]. He was the patriarch of the Sky-Sunder sect in the floating city of Sincho on the Anchu planet.

"Stellar Wind-Eternal, I know very well that our patriarch would love to see you before you leave. Please, allow me to get in touch with him, if you will permit."

"No need for that grandelder, you have recieved me well. I knew my friend was in complete solitary meditation before coming here. I simply wanted to walk around that was why I came here myself. As you know, if I wanted to contact him before coming, I would have easily done that but that would have been a dent on him."

Replied stellar Wind-Eternal. He paused for few seconds as he went through some information in his head with his gaze on the floor. He looked at the bowing maids and acolytes and sighed. Even the elders were under struggle to remain upright. This was after he had completely masked his aura and totally reduced his energy emission. He shook his head and turned to the grandelder.

"Ascension tribulation is a dangerous and deadly feat. Whether you want to ascend to the heavenly plane or reject ascension to become an hegemon, you must not fail the ascension tribulations. If not, you"ll become a loose cultivator with numbered years to live unless you find the Jade-Dragon Spirit fruit. High preparation is needed to undergo the tribulations. Let him be, we will see, another time."

"Yes, stellar Wind-Eternal."

"Let me get going now. I thank you for my good reception. More than I expected."

"You are too kind, honored stellar Wind-Eternal. Your visit is more than pleasant to us."

It was at this time that the mind-voice of elder w.a.n.g Xiu sounded in the grandelder"s own mind. This wasn"t the right time to be interrupted, not when he was recieving an important guest like the stellar Wind-Eternal. Nevertheless, he knew there must be something of significance for her to be contacting him at this time.

"Elder w.a.n.g Xiu."

"Forgive my intrusion, grand elder. I know you are busy now, but if you have a second to spare later, you need to see this."

"True, not the right time. You can come by later when I"m through."

"I"m already on my way, grandelder."

"Alright. Stay around, I will see you when I"m through."

"Uh?"

Stellar Wind-Eternal who was about to take his leave, stirred as wind of divinity reached him and he raised his head in surprise. The words of an oracle had gone forth, a world oracle at the least. An oracle of such calibre wasn"t that easy to come by at all. Utterances of an imminent death that must happen. He turned to the grandelder who was cautious of the surprise look on the stellar"s face.

"What is the matter, stellar Wind-Eternal?"

"A fated-death."
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"A fated-death?"

"Yes, grandelder. A fated-death. Through your mind connection, I could sense the wind of divinity. Whoever is on the other side of your connection must be related to the fated-death."

"Elder w.a.n.g Xiu?"

The grandelder asked himself a little bit aloud. Realizing this, he quickly turned to stellar Wind-Eternal apollogetically.

"Sorry for bothering you with this, Wind-Eternal. This will address this as soon as possible."

"No bother at all. Perhaps, I can be of a.s.sistance."

"That, I can"t ask of you, honored stellar Wind-Eternal."

"It will be my pleasure to be of help, grandelder. Now, let"s take a look and see."

Stellar Wind-Eternal retraced the wind pattern and having located elder w.a.n.g Xiu and Ju Feng, flicked his finger and both of them were pulled into a wind portal and re-appeared right in front of the stellar and grandelder, inside the haven.

Ju Feng fell on his knees and bowed his head in total compulsion. Elder w.a.n.g Xiu bowed her head in front of much more superior power before raising it after some struggle with herself.

True power.

Even the grandelder nodded his head in acknowledgement of true power. He looked at the stellar who was examining the two in front of him. How could he trace his, grandelder"s own, mind connection? He could accept the wind portal since he knew the stellar was a wind affiliated cultivator of the hegemon level, but this displays together, were still a power apart.

"How profound are the ways of the universe. Sometimes sorrowful and sometimes joyful. Hm. Terrible fate you have, young one. A fated-death is on you, but this you already know. Yes, your death was arraigned and your death has been uttered. Nothing can change your death, that"s certain enough. But, your death is not now."

His death was not now! Ju Feng couldn"t contain his total relief as he heard those words. His family and his friends, they would still see him for a longer time?

Heavens tears on his head!