~~~

Liu Jin goes on a short walk around the temple once he deems himself healthy enough. The disciples in the infirmary advise him against it, but not a single one of them dares to oppose him. As a doctor, Liu Jin cannot help but be a little disappointed in them. They should know a doctor’s opinion of his own health is the least reliable of all. However, as someone who has been bedridden for days, he will not complain too much. It feels good to stretch his legs.

“Are you sure it is safe for you to walk, my lord?”

Lei Kong appears at his side in the blink of an eye. Unlike Art of the Roaming Thief, Thousand Steps of the Thunder God does not try to hide the user’s presence. It simply takes speed and precision to its utmost. No matter how many times Liu Jin sees it, he cannot help but be impressed by it.

“If it wasn’t safe, I wouldn’t be doing it,” Liu Jin replies as he keeps walking. Lei Kong follows.

It is late at night, so most disciples are already asleep. They have not fully recovered from the battle. Only those in charge of patrolling the temple’s walls and exterior are awake, though there is not much they need to worry about. The golden barrier prevents Spirit Beasts from crossing, and there have been no sightings of the remaining Core Disciples representing Lord Feng Shang.

Even if there were disciples awake, it is already too late to hide Lei Kong. The appearance of a man in the True Realm who does not belong to the Eternal Flame Clan is not something anyone has been able to ignore. Things got better after Liu Jin was conscious enough to speak up for Lei Kong, but he doesn’t doubt some of the Elders will be hearing about this.

He is not particularly worried about that. The Elders will have far more important things to worry about when they all return.

“My lord, with all due respect, you have done many things that are not safe since the day we met.”

Liu Jin laughs.

“I have, haven’t I? It seems you have been through quite the ordeal yourself.”

“No, my lord. If anything, this one has caused you trouble.”

“If you had not met that Renegade, we would all be dead,” Liu Jin points out. “You even dared to argue in my favor. That took courage. Everyone here owes you their lives. Be proud of yourself.”

“My lord, I am not worthy of those words.”

Liu Jin stares at Lei Kong’s bowed head. It is always the same with him. “Are you contradicting me?”

Lei Kong looks perfectly scandalized.

“I wouldn’t dare!”

“Good. Then don’t.”

“I…That is…But…” Lei Kong hangs his head in defeat. “I understand, my lord. I will find a way to be proud of myself.”

“Good enough, I suppose.” Liu Jin stops by one of the windows. The silver light of the moon has become gold under the barrier. “Tell me, what do you think of that man? The Renegade.”

The reply comes without hesitation.

“He was terrifying.”

“I was not asking for the obvious. You spent more time in the Duke’s presence than anyone here. Elaborate.”

“I have seen Renegades before, my lord. They might have been able to remain normal at first, but after a few days, the increased mood swings became noticeable. They were all people forced to ascend by Murong Bang, so they might not have been the best cases to form an opinion. Still, the reputation of Renegades is well-known.” Lei Kong frowns. “However, that man was in control of himself. Even when he was angry, he never became crazed. If he had, this Lei Kong would already be dead.”

Lei Kong’s words confirm what Liu Jin suspects. There can be no doubt. The Duke is a Renegade who is close to taming the Renegade Realm. His talk of entering the Emperor Realm one day cannot be dismissed as an empty boast.

“He claimed to be someone in the service of the Storm Dragon Empire. Do you have any idea who he might be?”

Lei Kong shakes his head. “No, my lord. Many noble families have produced talented cultivators, and surely some must have sought the solitude of the Dead Plains. That alone is not enough to determine his identity. The Renegade may not even belong to any family this one knows of. Much of the nobility died during the civil war and the Black Dragon’s subsequent rise to power.”

Liu Jin frowns. He first heard of his father’s atrocities when he was a child who knew nothing of the world. Hearing it now, from the mouth of one of the people affected by it... It makes him uncomfortable.

“What of his character? What did you think of it?”

“He treated me far more fairly than many other high-level cultivators would have.”

“I wonder. Does that make him good or everyone else terrible?” Liu Jin smiles humorlessly. “And what has the world come to when someone not being terrible is a victory?”

“Should it not always be a great victory that someone is not terrible?”

Liu Jin and Lei Kong are immediately on their guard.

“Oh, my. It seems this Mud has surprised. My apologies.”

Mud is there as though he had always been there. Many would assume he did it through a movement technique, but that does not sound right to Liu Jin. Mud is hiding his presence somehow, but the way he does it feels fundamentally different than any method Liu Jin knows of.

“It is okay,” Liu Jin says. “I was not expecting to see you in the temple, Senior Brother.”

As the strongest person here, no one could complain if Mud took charge, but Core Disciple has kept mainly to himself after joining them.

“Truly? I thought a meeting between us was long overdue. After all, you bore the burden of my inadequacy.”

Liu Jin blinks in confusion.

“Xun Huwen,” Mud clarifies. “Containing him was my responsibility. Unfortunately, the situation grew too complex, and you were toyed with as a result.”

Toyed with.

Liu Jin grimaces. It is not inaccurate, but it stings to hear it all the same.

“Will he be able to reach it?” Liu Jin asks, remembering the words Xun Huwen said before leaving. “The other side of the Dead Plains?”

Learning that there are stronger Sects on the other side of the Dead Plains does not surprise Liu Jin. What does surprise him is that neither his father nor master ever mentioned it, even though they must have clearly known about it.

“It will be a harsh and grueling road. As you keep going east, you will encounter what some call the True Dead Plains. It is a place that is not just completely devoid of ambient Qi but one that continuously absorbs it. It grinds you down and tries to take your lifeforce little by little. People from the other side have figured out how to pass, but for us, it is an impossible ordeal.” Mud thins his lips. “Naturally, Xun Huwen will make it through safely.”

“Of course.”

“How are your injuries?” Mud asks him. ”Your reaction to Nuwa’s Light was most unfortunate.”

Liu Jin looks at the barrier. “Is that what it is called?”

“Indeed. Your companion from the Exploration Division may have only learned of it recently, but its existence was not a secret to the Eternal Flame Clan. Of course, no one knew whether it was anything more than a myth.”

“Until now.”

“Until now,” Mud says. “It is quite an achievement. The barrier is a fairly complicated one. Whether it was made by someone called Nuwa or named in her honor is not something this Mud can tell. Regardless, its purpose is to protect humans. That is why the fleshcrafter chose against walking in. While he could have crossed, he’d have been forced to leave behind all his foul creatures.”

“Is that why it affected me?” Liu Jin asks. A faint shiver runs through his body as he recalls the sensation of being torn apart and rebuilt. It is as if the barrier hadn’t been able to make up its mind about him until the very end. “Because I took their flesh and Qi into mine?”

“That is what you should let people assume,” Mud replies.

Something shifts in the air. Liu Jin is not exactly sure how, but he is suddenly certain no one will be able to overhear what they have to say from this point on.

“And the truth?”

“The demonic taint in you caused it to initially mistake you for a non-human. Quite the terrible coincidence.” Upon noticing the visible confusion on Liu Jin’s face, he adds. “Oh, you were not aware?”

“How dare you?!” Lei Kong shouts. “How dare you try to besmirch my lord’s name?!”

“Bermisch?” Mud cocks his head to the side as he pays attention to Lei Kong for the first time. “What an odd thing to say.”

“Odd! How can you-”

“Lei Kong, stop!” Liu Jin says firmly, putting his arm in front of Lei Kong and pushing him back. “Senior Brother Mud, what exactly do you mean?”

“You have a faint demonic taint on you,” Mud states bluntly. “Do not worry. It is not noticeable most of the time. Even the few times it is, most people will fail to recognize it for what it is. It just so happens that I am one of the few people alive who has been on a demonic hunt. My master said it would be a good experience.”

For the first time, traces of discomfort appear on Mud’s face.

“Masters tend to be that way,” Liu Jin says, feeling deep empathy for the older disciple.

“My lord is not a demon!” Lei Kong affirms once more.

“Of course, he isn’t. He’s far too weak to be one,” Mud replies, missing the point entirely. Liu Jin frowns, but he cannot deny Mud’s words. He still remembers his master’s words clearly.

A newborn demon is on par with an Earth Realm cultivator.

“The demonic taint on him is the result of the demonic Inheritance he has acquired.”

Liu Jin freezes.

Mud knows he has an Inheritance.

“How can you..?”

“This Mud lacks the wisdom to discern such things. Even among the Emperors of the Eternal Flame Clan, I suspect you have little reason to worry. However, my master is not most people. He forewarned me in advance to avoid any… overaction on my part.”

“I see.” Liu Jin takes a deep breath. “If he knows, then the Patriarch knows as well, doesn’t he?”

“That is a fair assumption to make.”

“Should I worry?”

“The Eternal Flame Clan will not turn talent away,” Mud replies. “The most you need to fear is a girl of Feng blood being prepared for you in a few hundred years, but you have already taken care of that yourself.”

Liu Jin snorts. So he even knows about Lu Mei.

“Does it bother you?” Mud asks. “That your Inheritance is demonic in nature?”

A demonic Inheritance.

Is it surprising? From the beginning, he had known Nine-Headed Snake God wasn’t human. He had noticed the many ways in which Nine-Headed Snake God’s Veins changed him. He saw the scales growing over his body when Xun Huwen made that mirror, scales that are thankfully gone now.

Is the Inheritance changing him into a demon?

And if it is, is that something he must fear?

“A little,” Liu Jin says at last. He smiles. “But my master deemed it a good experience, and I trust him.”

Mud’s lips curly a tiny bit upwards.

“A wonderful attitude. Have a good night, junior.”

~~~

Feng Zhi frowns heavily as he stares at the golden obelisk hidden in the depths of the temple. He has been doing that a lot over the past few days, barely interacting with the other disciples and letting them govern themselves. His father would be disappointed at the lack of leadership he has shown throughout this whole ordeal, but Feng Zhi cannot find it in himself to care about what his father would think.

The power Feng Zhi feels from the obelisk is significant. However, it is but a shadow of what he felt when he first broke the barrier. It felt like pushing his hand into the sun, except the sun hadn’t burned him. It flowed into him, filling him so much he feared he might burst. It had been terrifying and almost overwhelming. However, the light never hurt him. Feng Zhi wished he could attribute that to his own strength, but he knew better. He had felt its judgment.

The light had looked into him and deemed him acceptable.

Where did this thing come from?

The girl from the Exploration Division told him there had been a barrier blocking anyone from finding this room. If so, why did it fail now? Why did it choose to appear before his little brother and the girl from the Red Sky Pavilion?

Feng Zhi frowns. The girl from the Red Sky Pavilion... Yet another thing to worry about. She clearly had the Eternal Flame inside her. Was the Red Sky Pavilion planning something by having her join the Eternal Flame Clan? Did Elder Xue use her knowing who she was?

Was she a half-sister of his?

Knowing his father's habits, it isn't impossible.

Feng Zhi is so caught up in his thoughts he almost does not notice Feng Hao walking in.

“What brings you here, Feng Hao?”

Feng Zhi tries to speak softly, but the way his brother shrinks back says it all.

“I… wanted to thank you, honored brother,” Feng Hao says. “For believing in me, I mean. We wouldn’t have won if you hadn’t broken through the barrier.”

Something tells Feng Zhi there was no need for him to be the one to break the barrier. Feng Hao would have been just as successful. Perhaps more so.

“It is not a matter of believing or not,” Feng Zhi says, deciding that he could worry about hypothetical half-sisters and mysterious obelisks later. His very real brother needs his attention right now. “I have always known exactly what you are capable of and the depths of your staggering talent. That has never been in doubt. Eventually, you will surpass me.”

Feng Hao looks taken aback. “What are you saying, brother? There is no way that can be true.”

It saddens Feng Zhi that Feng Hao seems to genuinely believe it. Even more so when the inevitability of it has loomed over his life for years.

“No, you will. That has been clear to me for a long time.”

At the grand age of sixteen, Feng Zhi is in the First Level of the Earth Realm. People all over the Empire would kill to have such a person in their Sects, but the Young Master of the Eternal Flame Clan must be held to a higher standard. He is sixteen, yet he is only in the First Level of the Earth Realm.

Feng Zhuo was much stronger at his age.

Feng Hao is not even ten, yet he will enter the Spirit Realm soon enough.

Even that damnable Qing Jin and that fool crossed the entire Spirit Realm in the blink of an eye. Then there is…

“It was never your strength or your talent that I doubted,” Feng Zhi says, shaking those thoughts from his mind. “It was the nature of the situation. You were not the only one who felt powerless. I did as well.”

“You did?!”

“With a monster like Xun Huwen around? I’d be a fool not to,” Feng Zhi replies. He takes a deep breath. “I have… been unfair to you. I wanted to protect you, but my methods…They were bad.”

Only now that the danger has passed can Feng Zhi bring himself to reflect on his actions. He was scared, so he acted cruelly to a young child. He told himself it was for Feng Hao’s safety, but that does not change what he did.

He had acted violently towards his brother to force him into obedience.

He had hit a child who wasn’t even nine yet!

“I acted rashly too, brother,” Feng Hao says. “I wanted to prove myself. To do something. Anything. In the end, I accomplished nothing.”

“How fitting. I accomplished nothing as well.”

“Ah! But brother is the one who broke the barrier! We’d all be dead without it!”

“This…” Feng Zhi looks at the obelisk with resignation. “It is a big achievement.”

A barrier that guarantees a safe place in the Dead Plains. If the other Great Sects knew, they would surely try to establish a base here.

“I wish it weren’t so.”

“Brother?”

“You should understand now, right? When we return, Father is sure to use this to his benefit. The opportunity to show off a weapon like this is too much.”

“Oh, it’s not a weapon yet. Otherwise, it would have done far more than just put up a barrier. I am not sure if it is because the system was damaged at some point. I will need to work more on translating these walls to be sure.”

Feng Zhi and Feng Hao stare at Fan Bingbing. They had been so caught in themselves that they had completely failed to notice she was in the room.

“It seems I have intruded. Very well, I shall remain silent. Continue as you were.”

The girl goes back to her job without a drop of shame.

Feng Zhi buries his face in his palms.

~~~

Days later, the disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan begin their journey back to the Crimson Cloud Empire. As they do, the Duke watches them from a distance. While he has yet to make up his mind about the one who spoke so boldly to him, it would be a shame if he were to die to mere Spirit Beasts.

“A man like that has already lost his mandate.”

“I will not allow any other outcome.”

He scoffs. Such a brazen youth.

“Of course, I will not allow any other outcome! The emperor must make his empire great, or else, what is the point of being an emperor? Do you think I will be satisfied with doing nothing but lazing about in the palace? Of course not! Happy and prosperous people are the sign of a good empire. And so, they are the emperor’s greatest treasure! An emperor that cannot guarantee that has no mandate!”

A sad smile appears on the Duke’s face.

“Oh, Jin. What would you say if you were here? Would you recognize him as your blood?”

~~~