Li Yao stared at the floating sword hovering before her.
"Are you the ancestor?" she asked, her head tilting slightly as she examined the blade. "No wonder it's called the Azure Cloud Sword Sect. You're definitely an azure cloud sword!" Her lips curved into a playful smile.
"What does that even—" The voice paused, then released a weary sigh. "Never mind. I'm not a sword. I've simply bound my nascent soul to this weapon."
Li Yao's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "Oh, just like the Empress's ring," she thought.
[Did you really think he was a sword?] The Empress's voice echoed within Li Yao's mind, her tone filled with disbelief.
"What? No! I was just making a joke to ease the tension," Li Yao defended herself aloud, causing the Empress to sigh deeply.
"Ahem," Li Yao cleared her throat, straightening her posture. "Of course I know that." She brushed invisible dust from her robes, trying to reclaim some dignity. "Anyway, what do you want? I'm in a hurry."
In the next second, the entire pagoda shuddered violently, as though gripped by a massive earthquake. The walls trembled and dust showered from the ceiling. Just as suddenly, everything stilled.
The ancestor's voice carried another weary sigh before he began, "Actually, this treasure is not truly the Heaven-Testing Pagoda." His tone grew solemn "I had actually renamed it after taking it."
The treasure's original name was the Demon-Sealing Tower, and acted as a burial place for the Demon God. This Demon God is said to have been a cultivator from a higher realm, though how his tomb ended up in this mortal world remained a mystery. In those days, demonic sects had used the tower's resources to increase their strength at an alarming rate.
When the orthodox faction witnessed what was happening, they united against the demonic faction. Left unchecked, the demonic cultivators would have become the strongest faction within a hundred years. The conflict between orthodox and unorthodox factions raged for years, but the orthodox faction was gradually losing ground as their enemies grew increasingly powerful.
That was when Feng Tianxu, a genius of the orthodox faction, decided to infiltrate the demon faction to discover the source of their power. There, he witnessed the truth—the demonic faction was extracting resources from the tower and, in exchange, working to revive the Demon God.
Upon discovering this, he resolved to steal the tower. Yet he couldn't return it to the orthodox faction, partly because he didn't want to endanger them with such a perilous artifact, but more importantly, because he didn't want the war to continue when the orthodox faction was destined to lose.
Instead, he announced his defection from the orthodox faction. Word spread that their genius had been tempted by the tower's power and had run away with it. This strategy ensured that lower-ranked orthodox faction members who knew nothing of the truth would hunt for him, while the demonic faction would cease fighting to search for their lost treasure. Just like that, peace was achieved.
For Feng Tianxu himself, he realized that although the Demon God hadn't fully revived, he had regained some of his strength—although it was just a fraction of a fraction of his full power, it was still enough to cause massive destruction. He sought out a remote rural area and settled there, dedicating his existence to suppressing the Demon God's awakening.
Eventually, common folk noticed the "immortal" in their midst and begged to learn cultivation techniques from him. Thus, the Azure Cloud Sword Sect was born. After many years of containing the Demon God, Feng Tianxu finally managed to reseal the entity completely. By then, however, demonic energy had corrupted his body too deeply, preventing him from cultivating further.
He selected the strongest among his disciples, granting this person his Daoist name and the title of Sect Master. He renamed the tower the "Heaven-Testing Pagoda," allowing disciples to test their skills and receive resources by defeating monsters formed from the miasma still leaking from the sealed Demon God.
Soon after, Feng Tianxu reached his limit and passed away. A fragment of his soul survived, engraved into the sword, but over time, even this remnant was corrupted by the miasma. It eventually deteriorated into a nascent soul that now teetered on the edge of complete dissolution.
As his explanation concluded, the floating sword began to tremble. A translucent figure emerged from the blade, which then fell to the floor with a resonant clang. The materialized soul took the form of an elderly man with flowing white hair and a long beard, dressed in pristine Daoist robes.
He clasped his hands together respectfully. "I see that you are someone of great fortune. Even more talented than I was in my prime." The old man bowed deeply, his ethereal form shimmering. "Would you please look after the tower and ensure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands?"
His eyes shone with sincerity. "You can have the Azure Cloud Sword as compensation. After years of being refined by me, although it's not yet a genuine divine weapon, it can be considered a pseudo-divine weapon."
When Li Yao witnessed his bow, she rushed forward, helping him straighten. "The senior shouldn't bow," she insisted, her voice softening with respect.
The man raised his eyes, hope flickering in their depths. "Does that mean...?"
Li Yao nodded with a warm smile, causing even the Empress watching within her consciousness to smile approvingly. As expected of the person she had chosen—such a righteous heart, even if she could be a little stupid at times.
"Ah, to think that the little sect I formed back then could raise such a genius and righteous child," the man spoke, his voice thick with emotion. "The human race still has some hope."
Li Yao stretched out her hand expectantly. The man quickly retrieved the sword from the ground and placed it in her palm. "Once I'm gone, you'll be able to refine the sword and use it," he explained.
Li Yao kept her hand outstretched, not withdrawing it.
"What do you mean?" the man asked, confusion crossing his transparent features.
"Pay up," Li Yao said bluntly. "Where is the reward for clearing the ninety-nine floors?" she demanded, her earlier righteousness evaporating like morning dew.
The Empress, watching from within Li Yao's spiritual sea, could only facepalm. This girl really was seeking benefits after all.
...
The ancestor smiled warmly. "Ah, of course," he said with a nod. "Since you cleared the ninety-nine floors, you are entitled to the rewards." His transparent form shimmered slightly as he continued. "The tower decides your reward when you exit, so you don't have to worry about that."
Li Yao nodded with understanding. She had been wondering why she hadn't received anything after completing each floor. It made perfect sense now—rather than receiving low-level rewards for each individual floor, the system calculated everything at the end, providing a fitting cumulative reward upon exit. Much more efficient.
[Did you really agree just because of the benefits?] the Empress asked suspiciously, her voice echoing in Li Yao's mind.
"Of course not," Li Yao replied with conviction. "If the demon escaped, it would be a danger to my senior brother, so there's no way I could let that happen." She paused briefly before adding, "I just asked about the benefits for my senior brother's sake."
The Empress seemed to accept this explanation, though something still felt off but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. These two kids...
Without warning, the Empress's soul manifested beside Li Yao, her form glowing with a soft golden light.
Li Yao gasped, turning to face her. "You can manifest?" she asked, unable to hide her shock.
[Yes, I've recovered some energy,] the Empress replied, her form becoming more defined as she spoke.
The ancestor noticed the Empress's manifestation and visibly recoiled, his eyes widening in recognition. He immediately bowed deeply, his aged form bending with surprising grace. "I greet the immortal," he said with profound respect.
[How did you know I was an immortal?] the Empress questioned, genuine curiosity in her voice.
"You have the same oppressive aura as the Demon God, though yours isn't demonic," he explained, maintaining his respectful posture.
The Empress acknowledged this with a subtle nod. She then raised her slender hand toward the ancestor, causing streams of golden energy to flow from her fingertips into his spectral form. The light bathed him completely, purifying his essence.
The ancestor immediately understood what was happening. He dropped to his knees, his head bowed low. "I thank the immortal," he spoke, his voice thick with emotion.
[No need,] the Empress replied, her tone unusually gentle. [You did a good job resealing the Demon God. With this, your soul is now free of corruption. Unfortunately, it has already deteriorated too much to recover fully, but now that it's free of corruption, you should be able to enter the river of reincarnation.] Her expression softened further. [I hope you become such a hero in your next life as well.]
"Thank you," Feng Tianxu whispered, gratitude radiating from his being as his form began to dissolve into motes of light. Gradually, his spectral presence faded completely, leaving only empty air where he had stood.
The Empress released a wistful sigh as the last of his essence disappeared.
"I didn't think you had this side to you," Li Yao remarked with a mischievous smile playing across her lips.
The Empress merely scoffed. [Hmph, what do you know,] she retorted before vanishing back into Li Yao's consciousness.
Within the vast expanse of her spiritual sea, the Empress contemplated in solitude. As the Empress, she could also be considered the ancestor1 of all humans. Seeing such a righteous human made her genuinely proud.
Her gaze drifted upward to the countless stars that illuminated her spiritual domain. "Senior sister, how are you doing right now? Did you also reincarnate?" she whispered, her voice uncharacteristically soft and vulnerable. "It seems that you were right after all." A pause. "But you're not here to rub it in my face."
Tears formed in her eyes, glimmering briefly before dissolving into the ether. "It's strange, I always hated when you did that," she continued, her voice catching slightly. "But I hate it even more when you don't." A forced smile crossed her lips. "Strange, right?"
...
Elder Guo lay motionless on the earthen structure he had created, blood seeping from his eyes, nose, and mouth in thin rivulets. He had pushed himself beyond his limits, exhausting every last drop of energy for that final burst of strength. Within his spiritual sea2, he felt his golden core flicker weakly, blinking a few more times before fading to darkness completely.
His cultivation journey was over. After decades of dedication and struggle, he had become a mere mortal once again.
The only regret that weighed upon his fading consciousness was his failure. He couldn't protect the master's son or the sect that had been entrusted to him. He had let his master down. If they met in the underworld, he hoped the master wouldn't scold him too harshly for his failure.
With that thought, his eyelids grew heavy. As consciousness began to slip away, the world around him dimming at the edges, a desperate cry pierced through the encroaching darkness.
"No! I won't let you kill Senior Brother!"
The voice sounded familiar, though his mind was too clouded to place it immediately. Whose voice is that? I think I've heard it before... he thought hazily.
"Senior Brother, nooo!"
The anguished scream finally penetrated the fog in his mind. That's right, it was his junior sister's voice. How could he have forgotten? With tremendous effort, his eyelids fluttered open, allowing him to witness the scene unfolding before him.
Mei was stalking toward him with predatory intent, each step radiating malicious purpose. Behind him, Elder Huang clung desperately to his waist, her feet dragging furrows in the earth as she fought with every ounce of her strength to hold him back. Despite her valiant effort, she couldn't slow his advance.
"Damn woman," Elder Mei snarled, his transformed face contorting with rage. "If you want to join him so badly, I'll help you!" With a casual backhand, he struck Elder Huang with such force that she was sent flying several meters, her body tumbling across the courtyard like a discarded doll.
"No... Junior Sister..." Elder Guo's thoughts formed the words, but his voice failed him. He raised his hand tremulously, fingers outstretched toward her fallen form.
"Still resisting?" Elder Mei sneered as he closed the distance between them, demonic energy swirling around his clenched fists.
Before he could reach Elder Guo, a tremendous explosion shook the entire sect grounds, the distant concussion powerful enough to create tremors beneath them. The sudden disturbance caused Elder Mei to pause, his head turning toward the source of the disturbance.
In that brief moment of distraction, a figure leapt through the air and crashed into him, wrapping arms tightly around his waist. The explosion had momentarily broken his concentration, causing his demonic authority to falter just long enough for someone to act.
"Sect Master, are you going to hug me to death?" Elder Mei mocked, recognizing his assailant.
"Father always treated the three of us equally," Wei Tianxu said, his voice thick with emotion. "I never thought that you would do this to us."
Elder Mei cleaned his ear with his finger in a show of contempt. "So what? I'm nothing like y'all," he spat.
Wei Tianxu maintained his iron grip, turning to look at Elder Guo across the courtyard. "Senior Brother, it seems that you'll lose two brothers today," he said, a sad smile crossing his face.
Elder Guo's eyes widened in horrified realization, his breath suddenly coming in rapid, shallow gasps. "Wait! No! Stop!" he tried to shout, but only a hoarse whisper escaped his lips.
Wei Tianxu paid no heed to the plea. His body began to glow with an intense golden light that grew brighter with each heartbeat. Elder Mei's expression shifted from contempt to alarm as he finally understood what was happening, but his realization came too late.
The Sect Master used the last of his strength to lift both of them high into the air. For one suspended moment, they hung against the backdrop of the azure sky, a silhouette of golden radiance. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
In the next instant, they both exploded in a blinding flash that turned night into day. The shockwave rippled across the courtyard, flattening everything in its path.
The Sect Master had self-destructed, taking Elder Mei with him into oblivion.
...