The crowd trembled but Fu Yin and Xiao Wu chuckled. The girl nodded satisfied "That is the brother I know! Now go and kick that bastard snake's ass!"

Cheng Hao turned and his robes fluttered as his eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit "Oh, you needn't worry about that... I am used to do it after beating one incredibly though, scaly ass of a reptile every day!"

"What incredibly tough, scaly ass of a reptile are you talking about, you bastard!" Goldy gritted his teeth in indignation, but it could be seen that in his eyes was relief as well as happiness.

'Fu Yin, Xiao Wu, thank you for easing Cheng Hao's worries. What he is worried about is not death, but was worried about you all, how you would perceive him as after he shows his true face... And what you would think if he lost!"

'By rekindling his fighting spirit, you did more than you could imagine, you made him understand that although you trust him, the responsibility is not his and his alone to bear. Now that this is out of the way, we are going to see quite a show!'

"Wether your name is Cheng Hao or Xu Ling..." Fu Yin approached and muttered so that only Xiao Wu and Cheng Hao could hear him "Wether this Cheng Hao is a real person or a fake identity, you are my, no, our brother. Don't worry about us! Go ahead! If you fail, no one will blame you for that, but if you win we will all feast tonight!"

Cheng Hao's eyes widened in surprise but then he smiled bitterly and sighed "I am beginning to feel as if I had taught you too much..." his eyes then lit up "Very well! Wish me luck!" He turned and a fierce expression appeared on his face "I'm going to take care of that overgrown snake once and for all!"

As he walked, he crossed Te Rin. The girl at first only watched him pass close to her silently, biting her lips. Then, she inhaled once trembling and asked, just as Cheng Hao stepped by her "Why do you need to do this?"

The child stopped in his steps and his face darkened.

The girl heard no reply so she continued, tears streaming down her cheeks "Why do you need to risk your life for other like that? You could run away, escape this madness!"

"What's more, you are doing this alone! How can you bear the loneliness? How are you this strong, how can you walk with death weighing down on your shoulders? Does your life mean nothing to you?"

Cheng Hao's shoulder shook as he turned, his eyes seemingly wrathful. Te Rin trembled when the child lifted one of his arms in the air, as if he was going to hit her.

She closed her eyes but, as she felt no pain, she saw that he was simply scratching his neck as he smiled "But I am not alone! Whenever I had been, I suffered! It was then though, when I fought that final battle, that I found out that even the harshest of situations could be faced with a smile on my face if we are together!"

"They fell like flies around me... Yet, they all turned and smiled, as if they had no enmity or bad feelings left. It was impossible, I know. Only now though, I understand! They died happily... Because they died with brothers by their side!"

He chuckled and then patted his chest "Those guys right now, we may not be able to see or hear them, but their spirit, their wishes, their dreams... They all lingers on! And it is now my turn, as the living, to help making those dreams come true!"

He looked up and a single tear streaked down his cheek "I always thought of myself as a person who loved his comrades like brothers... But I am finally beginning to understand... That I wasn't! If I had truly thought of them as brothers, then I would have died at that time by their side! But now..."

"I will spare no effort to aid them as brothers, to love them as brothers..." he clenched his fist as he stared at Xiao Wu and Fu Yin "To see them as brothers!"

The boy stood silent for a few breaths.

"Te Rin, while I might seem like I am alone at the moment, I am only here because of everyone else. May it be a treasure they gifted me, an ability they taught me, their support, their simple existence... Wether they were a little speck of dust or a bright sun in my path, without a single one of them I wouldn't be here as I am now!"

He patted the girl and then proceeded to walk past her. He stepped a few meters away from the girl and, without turning, he spoke one last time "This Sect has been no speck of dust, it has been a place I could call home for a long period of time. Those who wish to harm what is connected by good Karma to me will know what it truly feels like to be the target of our wrath!"

"No! Not my wrath! It is our wrath! It is the anger of all those who make up Cheng Hao, all those who have given their very best effort to make me reach this far! This is... The wrath of the Chosen One! But, I won't walk alone anymore! I will walk alongside my comrades, not in front of them!"

Te Rin trembled and she turned: in front of her, Cheng Hao's figure was normal as it was before, but behind him was now the blurry image of a youth, his back on Cheng Hao's back: he had black hair and sharp, golden eyes with a slight hint of blue in the corners, as if they had been turned into their current golden hue because of some circumstances.

Around him were a few blurry figures with their back towards him, as if they did not even notice him. Dangling from the man's belt, was a gourd. It emanated incredible pressure, as if it was a treasure of the heavens.

It was a kind of pressure that made people shiver and then want to bow: it was the aura of an emperor. For some reason, Te Rin felt that whoever drank the whole bottle would obtain enough strength to topple the heavens.

On the other hand, if he gave the gourd for other to drink, he would bring out even more power, but not to himself: this massive power would be shared by the whole group! And the man didn't seem to accept not being superior to anyone else. He kept the gourd to himself.

A face appeared on top of the gourd, as if it was mocking the man, but at the same time was excited to see the figure abandon his comrades.

But now, as he heard Cheng Hao's words, the man with golden blue eyes smiled, as if those words had enlightened him.

Cheng hao smiled:

I failed on my oath to defeat him once. That is why, I won't walk the same path as before, but I will create my own path, a new path! A path where everyone I love is safe, where we are together and will never leave each other behind! Let's create a path that the Heavens have refused to laid out for us... And smack Tian to the end of time!

Cheng Hao's expression grew warmer while his distant and cold past self soon began to look less lonely as the many blurry figures turned, smiling, and walked to his side, laughing and patting his back cheerfully.

The man smiled and looked up, his expression one of peacefulness. He turned and the expression of the gourd that dangled by his side had changed. It immediately began to whisper into his ear:

Hurry, with your strength alone, you will never defeat him! You need to get more powerful! Drink me alone, and you will win for sure!

Yet, the man ignored it and the gourd trembled as if a lightning bolt had passed through it. It began to exude great killing intent. The man trembled as his already hazy self began to fade way.

He was on the point of collapsing, but then one of the blurry figures stepped up, to shield the blue golden eyed man from the gourd's attack! The pressure was reduced by a slight bit, not enough to make a difference, but the gourd began to tremble as its fear manifested!

More and more people stood up, looks of determination flashing on their face. The man smiled at the now stupefied gourd and shook his head muttering, both to the gourd and to himself:

As you can see... i am not alone anymore! I don't need your power!

Hearing that, the gourd trembled and the face disappeared: apparently, this face had only existed inside him all along! The gourd flew and landed in the hazy person's hands, completely harmless.

The man took it and threw it at one of the figures without a second thought. The other figure was surprised at first, but then nodded smiling, drunk the liquid inside and then passed it on to another. It went on, the countless figures drank and drank, until the almighty aura of the object had nearly disappeared.

It was only then, that the man grabbed the gourd and finally drunk his share. His gaze then burned with determination.

Behind him, so close to the blue-eyed man to see every strand of his hair, yet so distant that he could not even hope for his voice to reach him, Cheng Hao's golden eyes also burned brightly

'If I had made this choice back then... Things would gone differently! They... would have all lived!'

The youth seemed to superimpose with Cheng Hao for a moment and, suddenly, the young boy's presence grew stronger. It was as if he was not a small child anymore, but a being of incredible power, capable of turning over the heavens as easily as flipping his palm upside-down!

The figure and Cheng Hao both inhaled once and then wandered on. The figure began to walk upwards, towards the sky, as if his opponent was up there, waiting for him. His eyes glinted and he smiled, as if he had realized himself. He walked into what seemed to be an invisible door and disappeared from view, the countless other figures by his side.

Cheng Hao also walked on and, Te Rin noticed, his back looked even more imposing than when she had looked at it a few breaths ago. It looked as if, after superimposing with that figure, Cheng Hao had suddenly turned into a being as powerful as that other person had been!

Yet now, that back did not seem as distant as it did before... It was as if, if she tried her very best to reach him, he would turn, smiling, and offer her a hand to reach and walk beside him. No... He would do his utmost to help her surpass him!

Te Rin looked on with wide eyes and then smiled. Suddenly, she trembled and words appeared in her mind, as if someone was talking through her "You cannot hinder his Path with your words, as his intention is clear and firm. His Mind won't waver, as even the heavens themselves couldn't dissuade him from threading the path he chose"

Te Rin's eyes widened as she felt as if an Ancient being inside her was using her body to manifest herself into the material world. It was the voice of an old woman and it was filled with affection, as if she was looking at her own child. Yet, this voice seemed... Distant. As if the owner was no longer alive, but dead.

"His Heart is righteous, his Path that of destiny. Watch him, human child, follow him and you will rise to the heavens. For his Karma and Destiny have been written from scratch by him, Fate cannot interfere with him yet he can write over Fate... That kind of ambition, will it stop once he reaches the sky or will it go way up, into the starry seas... And become one with the Mountain?"

Te Rin trembled and, when she realized she was in control of her body once more, she trembled "Brother... Just what is it that you seek that you went as far as changing Fate itself to accomplish?"

Cheng Hao wasn't too far away so he heard her words. He smiled and he spoke again "If I wish to reshape the Heavens, shouldn't I change Fate first? What good is changing something if it means it will go back to a state you don't wish?"

Te Rin fell on her knees and another tear fell from her cheek as she gaped at Cheng Hao's back that was getting further and further away and yet was still so close that she could reach it as easily as stepping forward.

"Brother... I cannot stop you, all I can do will be wishing you luck! Brother, go kick that monster's butt and come back alive! Promise?"

In the distance, Cheng Hao smiled as he felt warmth rising in his chest: everyone that he had met, wether they wished to stop him or not at first, they all cheered for him now.

As he felt the stares of thousands pairs of eyes on his back, he smiled even more, he felt his blood pumping and his heart racing. He raised his right arm and then lifted his index finger, pointing at the sky.

The crowd of people understood: the child's true goal wasn't here on the land, it was up in the sky, it was the heavens themselves! If he truly wanted that, how could he possibly be stopped here?

Simple.

He would not!

The sky rumbled and Cheng Hao's robes fluttered while his hair was thrown into disarray from a powerful wind blowing from the mysterious black cocoon. He shielded his eyes from the wind and when it stopped for a moment before picking up again, he looked up.

Cheng Hao straightened his figure as his eyes glared upwards, fighting spirit and killing intent flashed deep into his pupils. His body was battered by the wind, yet it did not bend in any way, refusing to bow down.

Inside the cocoon, two red fiery eyes, so bright they looked like flames, opened and stared down towards the child. Sensing the gaze, Cheng Hao stared up as well. Sparks seemed to fly in the air as everyone felt the same thing: this battle... would shake the earth and make the heavens tremble.

This battle, was a battle of two powerful beings: one was a genius the heavens had never seen before, one was the Shadow Dragon, associated with calamity itself because of its power and cruelty.

And of this giant battle... Many would bear witness and, if they survived, they would tell the tale to their children, sing stories in the taverns and even write stories about the greatest battle their world had ever seen!

...

As everyone cheered, nobody noticed a presence that seemed to be peeking down from the heavens themselves: he had no figure, no body, one could not even feel his presence, as if he was a part of the world itself and not an inhabitant or an intruder at all!

"..." it didn't speak for a long time, but then it finally seemed to be reminiscing "You really are one of a kind... Had it been anyone else of the Heavensborn, they would have run away, they would put their lives above anything else, and would not have cared about my gift..."

It stood silent for a bit and then he resumed its speech "You have deemed yourself more than worthy. It would be my turn now to keep my part of the agreement..."

The presence seemed to be smiling "I apologize... I will change our agreement snd act selfishly for a bit to see how you get out of this. Make it, and I will bestow the greatest gift you could wish for..." It wondered off as if he was grinning and he chuckled "And I think I know what it might be already... I'll let you two reunite again, but only if you win!"

A slight flash of red light appeared and a single red and golden feather appeared, floating in mid-air. The presence seemed to be contemplating and then the feather disappeared as the being concentrated once again on the battle that was about to unfold.

That presence apparently was none other than the same ancient being who had promised Cheng Hao to help him if he showed himself as worthy of his power!

Now though, he seemed to had changed his mind, but nobody, not even Cheng Hao was aware of that. He would not aid Cheng Hao but had decided on another reward, had the child heard this he would have been angered to the point of having smoke coming out of his ears.

Still, if the reincarnated boy had been able to see that feather up in the sky, he would have been so shocked that he might have fallen in his knees and cried from the disbelief and joy.

He would have probably started panting on the spot, a flood of memories would have flowed in his mind and thrown his thinking process into disarray... Even blood would flow from his eyes as there would be in no way enough tears to cry.

The reason? It was feather was none other than... a part of Her.

And that truly was the best possible gift anyone could ever hope to give him!