Years passed after the fateful day the Founder returned to the Sect.

However, for the Holy Son the glory days seemed to have come to an end. No more rapid ascensions, no more mind-blowing lessons and insights into Dao. Or at last not from him.

The Founder took over that charge, and in these 5 years managed to return the Icefire Sect to its glory days, even raising a new Saint, the Sect Master himself.

As for the teenage boy, he had vanished into a metal room, where his Fox Saint disciple simply powered up an artificial Domain, for five long years.

"What is he doing, fox girl? Pef should have Ascended long ago." Pef's other disciple asked, seeming worried.

Lady Zara had already ascended into Monarch Realm in the past year, and was climbing Stars at a rapid pace still, soon to reach Sainthood herself. Yet, their blonde teenage teacher was still locked in the Sovereign Realm, and just endured a torrent of immensely powerful flames from the artificial Fire Domain.

The Fox Saint just shook her head. "You should know better, little Zara. Ascending was never a problem for our teacher, and will never be. He is studying." the Saint answered with a soft yet gentle voice.

"Fine! I'll go meditate again, for a year. I bet I'll reach Sainthood before he does." the woman declared in a fit, then flew away.

The Saint just sighed inward, and glanced at her own inner screen. She had reached the ninth Star this year as well. Her own Ascension into Divinity would be coming soon, and she would have the chance to rejoin with her distant mother, the Goddess of the Wild Moon.

'Hurry up, Holy Son! You've analyzed the damned Monarch Realm a thousand times by now...' she muttered inward, only heard by her soul, and the small azure flame inhabiting her core.

Inside Pef's inner world, the Icefire sprite repeated the same urge. 'There is nothing left to study, little one. Just press that Ascend button already!'

Indeed, on Pef's inner screen, the next Ascension was lit up as a warning button, flashing with mild red pulses every few seconds.

Pef's blue eyes opened slightly, then closed again. 'Just need to make sure the inner world opens as well. Oh well, I guess I can test that on the next realm as well.' the teenage cultivator spoke inward as he firmly pressed the Ascension key.

His inner world wobbled as if surprised, opening outward and constricting his soul into his body at the same time.

However, despite all his precautions, the Ascension didn't go well. Or it went too well, possibly.

The Mirror of Samsara chose that exact moment to act up, letting a soul fragment slide through as if by accident. And if that soul fragment was also Pef's, but one from another life, it was only a mere coincidence.

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"You did that on purpose!" Gena Feng exclaimed as she observed the intrusion into the Mirror realm, in a crass breach of the Mirror Compact.

"..." The Mirror refused to speak as always, instead choosing to replay a scene from years ago, where a blunt and impolite Legion Soldier traded a priceless Dian Ascension Pill for the freedom of an entire universe.

"I see. You have two Compacts to uphold, at the same time. And if they contradict each other..." The Mirror Goddess spoke, understanding the meaning of the play in a second.

She let out a small snort, and silently praised the Mirror for its wisdom. For while the Mirror Compact did oblige them to redirect the signatories' deceased souls into the Mirror Realm for containment and observation, Pef had also demanded he be freed from that same prison. And thus, with a trick of smoke and mirrors, the Mirror of Samsara returned his other self to the original owner, as soon as possible, meaning the moment the soul had to be bound to its new flesh.

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And with the second self, basically a mirror-image of the cultivator's soul, containing most of his insights and more importantly his memories...Pef found himself in possession of two souls, one young and certainly weak, while another thousands of years old, and glowing blindingly with the aura of a Tier 7 divinity.

'I'm quite certain this was not supposed to happen.' he mused with his first soul.

'I've died, and my new body is only a Monarch. I'm so screwed!' the second soul exclaimed as it looked around in dismay.

'Which life are you from?' the first Pef asked, while examining the golden soul curious.

'That is a good question, young Pef. I think I'm the second reincarnation, the one in the Veritas Legion. Do you remember that?' the stronger soul wondered as it located the small Icefire sprite and poked it curious.

'Don't squeeze me! I'm fragile!' the Icefire yelled in panic, as it felt a giant pressure covering it, much stronger than even the Big Icefire.

'Oh! You have a Sect...and a Tier 6 flame as your namesake. Pretty decent, for this low tier universe. I've only found a meager Tier 4 Godbeast in my old Mirror Realm.' the golden soul mused a bit dejectedly.

'We are held in a Mirror Realm? Like a pocket universe?' Pef asked, panicking a little.

'Not for long, little one. Oh, you've done nicely with your cultivation! Completed the Dao of Water and half-way through the Dao of Fire...even reached One with the Heaven with the Sword. But play time is over now...' the golden soul said menacingly, as it began to expand and take over his new body.

'Wait! You got us killed last time. And I think, I see why now. You were an idiot, right?' Pef spoke hurriedly.

The big golden soul hesitated, then withdrew. 'I was quite a moron, yes. So what do you propose, little Pef?' the divine soul asked, almost like asking for advice.

And he totally was, to be fair. That Pef was never the smartest tool in the shed, or even the second one.

'We have to integrate, but I will retain control, for this is my life now. But your memories and experience will help guide me, so we don't repeat the same mistakes again. You can even guide the Voidcutter whenever we have to use it.' Pef proposed with hidden flair and guile.

'And you deal with the wives too. They always held me underfoot, no matter how many times I fought for them. It is time I get better...' the golden soul muttered with a sad voice.

'... I can't believe such an idiot could even reach the first stage of Divinity, not to mention the seventh.' Icefire commented with an icy giggle.

Opening his arms, Pef embraced his old soul and absorbed him, rapidly climbing and crossing cultivation realms until it reached the third Divine tier.

His inner screen began filling up with hundreds and hundreds of minor Daos, while the major ones got large boosts and new ones got added.

At the same time, Pef's inner world opened to reveal a familiar beach, with a wooden house. And inside the house, on a green bamboo leaf sat a purple pill with three lines glowing faintly on it.

Pef turned his hand and the pill moved into his real palm. 'A Tier 5 Ascension Pill. And with these lines, it can be used even by Tier 3 Gods.' he observed wisely and immediately ingested it.

No point delaying things now, especially as his coresenses already detected a massive response to his Ascension.

Icefire did have a powerful opponent in this universe, and the Nether World Lotus had certainly detected the Ascension aftershocks of a powerful Divinity which appeared in the enemy camp.

Black and violet flames converged onto the site of the Icefire Sect, and an azure shield projected by the Big Icefire sprang out to defend. Only the azure flames were still too weak for the task.

'Yin Origin flames...and quite strong. Maybe 4 or 5 Stars of Elder Realm.' Pef observed as he measured the incoming flames with clear blue eyes.

'Help us, Holy Son! We will be pushed back in a minute!' Icefire itself asked in a pleading tone.

But a minute is a long time in cultivator terms. Even before the pill finished taking effect, Pef stepped through the Void and appeared in the Icefire cave, right beside the two Icefire Saints and the Divine Founder.

"I will deal with the invader. You three take care of the disciples." he commanded in a grave tone, while stepping into the Icefire blaze.

Then he simply began absorbing the giant flames, moving the Icefire into his dantian to protect it from the Yin Lotus.

"Holy Son? You've reached Divinity in a single step?" The Sect Master asked even while sending rapid qi pulses to the Sect Elders to retrieve and protect the fragile disciples.

"He is much stronger than me...almost like Icefire already..." the Divine Founder observed calmly.

"I've told you he didn't have a problem with the Monarch Realm...he just remembered his old life." the Ice Saint muttered as he coordinated the Sect defenses and observed the Icefire vanishing inside Pef's inner world.

In a dozen seconds the old stone fountain was empty, and bright azure flames sprang from Pef's hands to cover the Sect grounds with a more powerful barrier.