Though Rein felt displeasure, he could only accept Meynzy's intrusion into his mind. After all, this Harmony Sect Mistress strength was realms above his. Plus, he could not deny his curiosity.
"Have you meditated and reflected on the trial administered on your visit?" Meynzy questioned. She was, of course, referring to the 'love trial' where the two Harmony Sect leaders had forced themselves upon Rein and Suey.
"Somewhat."
"Tell me of your learnings then."
What could he really say? Rein sighed.
"I assume the purpose of the trial is to test the connection between two." That was Rein interpretation, and it was certainly briefly mentioned by the Harmony Sect leaders themselves.
"Go on."
"In seeing your partner take physical pleasure from another-- that will throw one's mind into chaos and turmoil, and breed subconscious distrust, which can manifest itself if said person cannot overcome the new barrier within the mind," Rein assessed. "But of course. One cannot be 'conquered' through physical pleasure. Only fools would think that."
"Indeed," Meynzy smiled then suddenly asked. "Is she safe?"
"Yes. To my knowledge," Rein replied.
Meynzy gazed at the illusion of the serene lake, a mirror to the skies.
"The mind and the flesh have a connection, but the sensations of the flesh are but a prison for the mind," she began. "Even if the mind does not desire it, a woman's body will still react to physical stimuli, even for that which is considered to be intimate. Of course, the same can be said for a man."
"We, of the Harmony Sect, believe that the sensations of flesh may be indulged in. After all, the flesh does provide valuable insight. Yet it is also often erroneous. Still, it is in that pleasure that the mind must maintain its clarity, existing in a separate realm."
"Too often, do advancers believe the response of their flesh to be a reflection of their mind. Thus does a woman forced into pleasure become imprisoned. Thus does a man lose his way,"
"There are those who question why the Gods created us in such a way. It can only be said that we pass on our traits to our offsprings, whether that be our talent with aurae, intelligence and more. And naturally, the sensation of pleasure is to drive us to continue procreation. Those that do not? Their line of descendents die, and only those that accept said pleasure will have descendents of a new age. But critically… the mind must be elevated, and remain unfettered, " Meynzy concluded.
Meynzy had often been flirtatious with Rein during their past interactions, but after these words, Rein could only acknowledge that she certainly carried the disposition of a sect leader.
"I understand," Rein replied. He had already gained the initial understanding of said concept because of his merchant mortal beginnings. Many women sold themselves in the merchant world simply to survive. With meticulous observation, it was obvious that many of them understood this concept as well.
That was also why he never developed any distrust towards Suey despite the 'Love Trial'. Especially, not when he gradually gained a deeper understanding of Suey's desperate circumstances.
In truth, Rein had already realized the answer.
"As far as I'm concerned, trust in a shared unity in purpose will provide one with a clarity of mind," he said.
Meynzy nodded, satisfied that Rein had at least understood that point.
"Still…how harsh," Rein noted. He was, of course, speaking of the love trial.
"Oh?" Meynzy coyly smiled as she turned towards Rein and slightly bent down to display her generous bust. "If you wish, you can forcibly take me before my husband. I will ensure he is properly restricted for you to enact said Love Trial upon me~"
The change in attitude was sudden, and Rein's lower half certainly responded to Meynzy's jaw-dropping cleavage-- aggressively rising.
Rein gave a shake of his head and ignored his lower half.
"What is your purpose in…doing all this?" He asked as he gestured at the surrounding illusory mindscape.
"Do you know why 'he' is named the Allfather?" Meynzy returned back to a sullen tone.
Rein shook his head.
"Nearly all lesser heavens of modern humans are his descendents, related in some way."
Rein widened his eyes at these words.
"Of course, he has no need to 'force' himself upon any," Meynzy explained. "The truth is, those who are truly powerful and intelligent can never be well… dealt with."
"In an ancient era, many of his daughters were married out. Women who were willing to bear children for him were rewarded with unimaginable benefits. Even those forcefully taken by his lesser sons dared not speak, desiring their future child to be given the chance to reap those benefits." Meynzy's voice dropped to a whisper.
"What are these benefits?" Rein had to ask.
"It is best for you to not know," Meynzy shook her head. "There is no value in knowing the height of a mountain if you are unable to even climb its foothill. That will only be detrimental. In time, you will understand. Just know-- those who stand at his side grow in strength exponentially."
"As for the Harmony Sect?" she continued. "We are of a neutral lesser heaven, always patiently awaiting a change in the game. My ancestor came from the Age of Gods. He came upon a legacy left behind, a legacy that spoke of how the old Gods hunted down a God and an Asuran who dared to love one another."
"As for my interest in you? A relatively recent ancestor of my sect is related to one enraptured by a past Xunian priestess. That is all you need to know. There are many others waiting in the shadows. But be aware, many of the lesser heavens themselves desire to be the greater heaven."
Rein was naturally baffled. He honestly felt as if there were unreasonable expectations being placed upon him. Still, it was reassuring to know that at the very least, there was a present force that could shield the Xunians for a time.
This mindscape ended-- Meynzy could tell that Rein had received the message. She, of course, also desired to guide Rein's mind to a higher plane based on the Harmony Sect's ideology. Such acts always build a sort of karmic link that could become critical in the future.
Rein's vision returned to normal. Indeed, barely a heartbeat had passed in the physical world despite the conversation within his mind with Meynzy.
Gustkr, the Convergence Sect Master, fumed as he turned to leave with his female disciple.
The many surviving disciples of the Great Sects of the Evergreen Mountains sighed in relief.
Everyone then glanced at one another, before beginning to loot the corpses of the fallen!
Such was the nature of the advancer world… Rein sighed. He had certainly been pushed to take the lives of quite a few, but that had always been from a self-defense position, or ordered by the higher-ups of the Halls. To loot the dead… was rather tasteless.
However, he had to. By now, Rein realized that he needed far more strength to achieve his goals. For one, his only surviving family member, his younger brother, had been taken to a devilish realm. As for Suey and the Xunians… he felt within himself the desire to provide them with assistance.
He simply could not accept the fact that the Xunians weren't accepted or treated fairly by the heavens. He himself wasn't-- he had been exiled from a mysterious main family at a young age, and his new home, the Golden Desert Town, and his family, had been destroyed. Yet somehow, he had gotten lucky-- the machinations of figures from a past era had given him a chance.
Thus, he knew he had to grab tightly onto this opportunity. He began looting the bodies as well. Everyone on the battlefield was tired from extended combat, thus they did not seek any conflict from one another. If someone had picked up a body, others would dash to an unoccupied target.
Rein himself hurried towards a less contested area, filled with corpses of Demon Taming Sect disciples, and their demon beasts. Less advancers targeted this area, primarily because demon beast bodies required some time to carve apart, and their materials needed to be refined by a master before being of any use. It was much more simple to take the storage equipment of fallen advancers.
Rein cared not-- in fact, he could easily devour the flesh and cores of demon beasts due to his unique draconic body.
Yet as he carved open a panther-like demon beast's fallen body, a deep roar emitted from the Demon Taming Sect Mistress' mount, and the tanned beauty and intimidating bear-like mount flickered. The next moment, the two reappeared right beside Rein, quaking the ground with their landing as the mount skidded towards Rein.
Rein reflexively dodged backwards, heart pounding in fear.
Luckily, the Demon Taming Sect Mistress' target was not him. Her mount simply desired food, and began chewing on the demon beast corpse that Rein had carved apart.
Cold sweat rolled down Rein's back as the bear-like demon beast easily bit through bone and sinew, devouring the whole panther-like demon beast corpse.
The bear-like mount turned towards Rein and snarled. Time seemed to slow as out of the bear-like demon beast's mouth, a small quartz crystal fell onto the ground. The demon beast then turned away, carrying the Demon Taming Sect Mistress as it moved on to devour another demon beast corpse.
Rein remained frozen, and glanced around him. All those close by had scattered away, and none had noticed the quartz crystal that fell out of the bear-like mount's snarling jaws.
He pretended to walk on shaky legs, before falling over as one would wobble under intense fear. As he rolled onto the ground, limp. His hand wrapped around that quartz crystal, and he deftly stored it within his pouch.
Rein certainly felt a degree of confusion, but he could also tell that the Demon Taming Sect Mistress stood beside the Harmony Sect. Was the bear-like mount's actions intentional?
Nonetheless, he managed to get some loot off a few disciples, ignoring the demon beast corpses. None dared to touch a demon beast corpse after the bear-like mount had declared its territory.
Soon enough, the disciples of the two sides retreated, exhausted from the battle.
As Rein fell back towards the exit tunnel guarded by Overseer Jeahz, his sights came upon Dahk once again, heavily bandaged. That was understandable-- the spearman likely had to stand in the frontlines due to the nature of his battle skills, and was lucky to survive.
As for Wilo? She was nowhere to be seen. And Chirh? That man was simply a disguise for the man known as Wahrzein.
Rein gazed at the ground beneath his feet. Originally, some of the jade specks that peeked out from the dirt were bright with a healthy neon green glow. Now, they were filled with specks of darkness. Rein once again recalled the Bleak Mountains, filled with the similar black dirt and dust that rejected life.
Curiosity got the better of him as he turned away from the exit tunnel, and pointed his feet towards a tunnel deeper into to lower levels of the 'infected' jade mine. He had to know-- was that ancient relic the very same that was used on the Bleak Mountains in a time long past?
He was not worried regarding the exit-- Overseer Jeahz should keep it open, at least for some time, as a passageway for the Supremes.
He descended deeper and deeper into the mines, and was stunned by what he saw. In the lower levels, there were many more large deposits of jade, but all had been turned into useless blackened crystals. The soil had turned into black soot, and many insects and underground burrowing creatures laid dead among the mess of mining picks and carts.
Rein shuddered, wondering if it was even a good idea for him to be physically here. His ears perked up as he suddenly picked up noises of… battle?
In disbelief, Rein followed the noise and after a few turns through a few mining passageways, arrived at an opening.
Through the opening was a large willow tree in combat against Wahrzein, in an expansive cavern with a slope descending into a glimmering lake! The orbs of light embedded into the walls casted a warm glow to illuminate the battle.
Rein widened his eyes as he recognized the ancient chest relic wrapped around a few branches of the willow demon, while many of its drooping branches swayed and sent leaves and wooden needles to fend off Wahrzein.
As for how Rein recognized Wahrzein? The man was covered in layers upon layers of defensive shell arts with various elemental affinities-- that was Wahrzein's defenses when he attempted to steal the ancient relic previously.
"Rein," Wahrzein's voice boomed as he batted away a number of the willow demon's snaking branches with his impenetrable layers of defense. "To think that you would randomly descend into these mines…"
"You certainly had me fooled with your perfect facade," Rein said as he showed himself, walking into this deep cavern that seemed to have avoided the dark destructive force. The warm glow from the orbs reflected and sparkled through healthy jade deposits. The cloudiness within the jade was rather minor-- these jade deposits were of lower aurae quality.
"It was no facade," Wahrzein replied. "I truly feared battle. After all, if I was forced into a situation that required me to display my capabilities, my cover would be blown, and my life forfeit, surrounded as I was within the Halls."
Rein had to admit-- it was indeed true that 'Chirh' never truly explained the source of his 'fears'. One could say that it was his own misinterpretation of the one known as 'Chirh'.
"You had best walk away, child," Wahrzein warned. "You and I both know that if the others are informed that the ancient relic is in this tree demon's hands, another battle would ensue. Best allow this little… 'issue' to be settled here and now. As for you? You are no match for me."
Rein admitted-- he knew he was unable to break through Wahrzein's defenses. Yet he remained unmoved. The truth was that when his eyes noticed that ancient relic, an idea had occurred to him.
If he could return this ancient relic in the hands of the Halls, he was certain to receive monumental benefits. To grow and gain strength within the Halls, right under the nose of the Allfather… In Rein's eyes, that was the perfect way to remain undetected, and avoid all suspicions for as long as possible.
"Help me!" The tree demon yelled, struggling to hold back Wahrzein's advance.
Rein was shocked to discover that it was the voice of Wilo! The tree demon was Wilo! Rein's mind sank into contemplation. As far as he knew, demons could only transform into humans after they reach a certain level of strength-- usually, what humans refer to as the outer realm.
Yet if Wilo had reached such a realm, then she should be able to defeat Wahrzein, who seemingly is only a shell advancer. Unless, of course, Wilo came from a unique line of tree demons…
Rein stood stock still-- he was in disbelief that another one of his companions was also an infiltrator.
"Even if he provides assistance to you, the two of you will still fall this day," Wahrzein said, as his aurae shell shifted to a jagged rock golem armor, easily blocking Wilo's desperately jabbing branches. "And Rein-- the Halls will not tolerate you should you cooperate with this demon."
As if Rein wasn't aware of that already.
As such, Rein could only watch, hoping for an opportunity to achieve his goals. His mind remained fixated on the idea of returning the ancient relic into the Halls' hands, thereby guaranteeing his future while hiding within the Halls.
Wahrzein's aurae skin became metallic as he easily charged the willow tree demon. Though some needles penetrated the metallic layer, they were then impeded by the rocky layer.
Wahrzein's form slammed into the willow tree's trunk, and Wilo was sent crashing into the wall of the cavern.
The man then wrapped himself into a skin of flames.
"Consider yourself lucky," he said. "I could have tortured you with flames from the very start. Now hand over the ancient relic."
A few of Wilo's branches remained wrapped around the ancient relic, unwilling to release the treasure item.
Wahrzein's now flaming body, strode towards the fallen tree demon. Wilo's face, on the trunk of the willow, grimaced as many of her leaves and branches caught on fire.
Just as Wahrzein reached out for the ancient chest, believing victory in hand, Wilo abruptly grinned as her branches opened the lid of the ancient relic! Wahrzein realized his mistake far too late, and could not react in time as the dark destructive force from within the ancient relic poured onto his form. He did not expect Wilo to be capable of activating the ancient relic! After all, he himself, under the disguise of Chirh, had seen how all five of the Supremes of the Halls needed to cooperate to open the ancient chest when they first arrived at the jade mine!
Wahrzein leapt backwards as his elemental layers of defense disintegrated, revealing his flesh underneath, lacerated and blackened. A few of Wilo's wooden needles took advantage of this opportunity to stab into Wahrzein's exposed flesh, delivering her poison into his veins.
Wahrzein immediately turned and leapt through the opening Rein had entered through to escape, his body barely resisting the residue destructive force from the ancient relic, with poison coursing through his veins.
As for Rein? This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He never expected such a turn of events to occur. As luck would have it, it seemed that the heavens was on his side this day.
He maintained his distance from the half-burnt tree demon form of Wilo. He had seen that the ancient chest could not spurt out that dark destructive force at any major distance-- Wahrzein had only been struck because he approached too close. Wilo was clearly badly injured, and Rein was certain that even if he was not at Wahrzein's level, he was fully capable of regaining the ancient relic.
"Wilo," Rein softly beseeched. "Leave behind the ancient relic. I have need of it. It will guarantee my access to the Halls' resources." He wasn't sure why he spoke now that Wilo had revealed her identity as a willow tree demon. For old times' sake, perhaps.
"Did I not save your life?" Wilo rasped in reply. Indeed, Wilo had used some sort of golden wood needle to inject life into Rein's body, before their escape from the dwarven ancient ruins. "I thought you were different from those other humans. You attempted to create a distraction to give us a way out of those ancient ruins. You know the concept of repayment."
"So I thought," Rein replied. "Yet you are a tree demon. And demons always fool us humans. You only saved me to use me as cover in an opportune time. Such as now."
Rein confirmed his decision. He needed power. The ancient relic was the key to his future.
He gathered wooden aurae in his belly, and ignited it using the orange-hued draconic lightning dragon in his veins. Then he spat, and a fireball with cascading sparkling lightning shot from his mouth at the fallen willow tree.
Wilo screamed as her form was now truly lit ablaze. She crawled towards the underground lake, but Rein rapidly spat out a number of lightning dancing fireballs that turned Wilo into a blazing inferno.
Eventually, Wilo transformed back into her human form, huddled in a ball as she rolled on the ground to put out the fire, revealing her charred and blackened wooden barkskin.
"The demon beasts are being controlled by the tree demons in the deep jungles to the west!" Wilo pleaded. "The Halls stole this ancient relic from us! The Xuere Gap is under siege because of the Halls. The lives of your fellow humans are at stake! Let me leave! Once retrieved, the demon beast tide will disperse!"
The Xuere Gap. The demon beast waves. Those details had momentarily left Rein's mind. But of course! Rein paused as he considered the new information. He realized the truth as he awakened from his fixation on the ancient relic… so it was thus.
He recalled Suey's words before her departure. She had reminded him to stay true to his will, to not become too fixated on a single path. He had very nearly failed, when the idea of using the ancient relic to guarantee his position in the Halls and chance at power occurred to him.
Indeed, demons might be said to be full of trickery… but humans… Rein knew humans capable of being the most deceitful of them all. The circumstances behind the Golden Desert Town's destruction was the greatest proof of this truth.
And indeed, Wilo had saved his life. Rein now desired to be more. More than the mysterious main family who had exiled him as a child. More than the unfair heavens. Rein finally realized that deep in his heart, he desired a much fairer world.
The Halls had stolen the ancient relic for their own purposes. The tree demons naturally desired to retrieve what was theirs, and gathered the forces of the Western Wilderness. Yet instead of confronting the demons, the Halls had chosen to use the ancient relic to strike at the Great Sects of the Evergreen Mountains.
Who is paying the price? The advancers defending the Xuere Gap, of the Minhr Nation, none the wiser to the exact cause of the demon beast wave. After all, the demons have always been the enemy. Is it fair for them to bear the burden of defending the Xuere Gap, against a disaster caused by the Halls?
Rein sighed as he sat down cross-legged, his aurae rising. He retrieved a number of leftover vials of wood-aspected aurae from his storage pouch.
"Do you guarantee that the demon beast tide will recede?" He asked Wilo.
"I do," Wilo rasped in reply.
"And why should I trust you, tree demon?"
"My name is Wilo, a naive sapling of an ancient but noble line of tree demons in the Rabid Wilds."
Rein sighed as he rolled the vials of wood-aspected aurae in the direction of Wilo.
"I hope your word is true," he said, having made his decision to take the risk.
Wilo picked up those vials and absorbed the wood-aspected liquid aurae within those vials, and her barkskin regained some health as some blackened surface peeled off.
Though Rein originally felt uncertain with his decision, with every heartbeat, he became increasingly confident that he had made a choice that sat well with his heart. His inner world was at peace.
His aurae rose past the peak of the inner realm, as a golden pillar shot up above his head! That light pillar was of an incredibly solid and vibrant hue of imperial gold.
Wilo, in human form, gazed at Rein. She made a snap decision, and stabbed her hand like a blade into her chest. From her chest, she withdrew a sapling.
"Swallow it," she said, and threw it towards Rein's mouth. Rein wasn't going to blindly do such a thing, but the golden pillar of light descended downwards, wrapped around the sapling, then poured into his body.
By the time Rein's mind cleared, he could feel that his aurae reserves had significantly risen. He controlled his aurae to easily form a complete layer of aurae around his body, and knew for certain that he had become a shell advancer.
"What was that sapling?" He questioned.
"We tree demons each have three cores in our bodies," Wilo explained, her vigour having returned. "I have simply chosen to give you one of my three cores. They are a source of our regenerative and recovery capabilities, among other unique abilities. Extra lives, so to speak."
"You…" Rein was flabbergasted as to why Wilo had recklessly given him one of her rare cores.
"My fellow tree demons call me a naive sapling," Wilo said. "Perhaps that's all that I am." She carried the ancient relic, and slowly descended into the lake of the cavern, disappearing from Rein's view as her form sank beneath the water surface.
Rein stood up. He knew there was no way for him to return to the Halls. Wahrzein might have been badly injured by the destructive force released from the ancient relic chest, but he should survive. Sooner or later, word of the ancient relic, and Rein's presence here would become known.
If he returned to the Halls, he would be suspected of treason, and interrogated. As such, he can only run.
A deep sigh sounded behind Rein, and he swiveled his head to find that Master Yirn had appeared behind him!
"Your pillar of golden light has attracted much attention," Master Yirn, dressed in his murky green robes, explained. "You still have much to learn… but I am for now, satisfied."
He snapped his fingers and the two vanished into thin air.