Rising from his meditation Edwards attention stolen from his practice and drawn far into the north
The cracking and snapping of a heavenly punishment in the distance, red and white lightning of the dao, faintly visible but the resonance felt and heard throughout the Sacred Forest
The earth shaking and the air reverberating from the aftershock of the heavens cause the lower tier beasts in the forest to cry out in confusion, while the higher and more intelligent beasts seek familiar ground to weather the storm
[Who could possibly attract such violent reproach, and why is such a figure in my lands?]
"EuuGAHHH"
Edwards slight thoughts on the matter are halted from Rheas painful screech
With a powerful and concerning step Edward dashes behind his sister
[The earthquakes from the divine lightning, is moving the needles around her neck and back, her Chi is running rampant throughout her spirit veins and rushing her core harshly]
Unable to remove the needles and risk Rheas Chi deviating, Edward uses a small amount of his own to protect the guiding spirit vein which leads to her core
[Unable to remove the needles physically, I have too delicately push it out with my Chi from the inside, but her spirit veins can't take much more of this flooding]
Steadily protecting the more important spirit veins inside of Rhea, the Chi that is rampaging inside of her becomes stagnant, Edwards Chi acting like a dam throughout Rheas body created an opportunity for removal
Injecting more Chin into her Edward maneuvers the energy around Rheas organs, spirit veins, blood vessels, and all bodily construct until he reaches the needles and forces them from their positions
Still holding her Chi in stagnant flow, Edward takes out a flare from his spatial ring and lets it light the sky calling his trio of subordinates to his location
After cycling her energy and resting it in place inside of her core, Rhea regains her breath and relaxes before fainting from the exhaustion and fatigue of her imbalance
Rising to his feet and throwing his sister over his shoulder, Edward reaches out the index finger on his right hand and carves a message for his subordinates into the base of the cliff
"Return"
After leaving his instruction behind Edward uses his divine art and travels to Beast Pavilion
Retaining formality Edward decides to appear in the front of the pavilion to let the territory know of the squads return and his completion of inheritance, instead of discreetly returning
"My Lord, congratulations. Master Hao has instructed me to invite and guide you to his terrace" A familiar servant of the pavilion in expectation greets Edward
"Later, for now show me to Rheas quarters, she is exhausted"
"My Lord, we can take the Young Lady to her chambers, Master Hao is eagerly awaiting you" The servant who has spent boyhood through his young adult life in the pavilion had greater loyalty for Master Hao then the patriarch, disregarding Edwards words in attempt to complete his master's request came to Edwards dissatisfaction
Stopping his stride and snapping his gaze towards the servant like a howl, Edward not emitting any intention, but his cold glare made the servant feel warm inside and break eye contact "I said later"
"Understood My Lord, I will take you to the Young Ladys chambers" almost forgetting to breathe the servant walks through the pavilion guiding Edward with his head down until they reach Rheas bed chambers
"The female servants have kept the room clean and fresh, and My Lord, I believe you know your way to the top floor terrace, so I will take my leave"
Unacknowledging Edward steps into the room and places Rhea down onto the bed
"Shady, come out"
Rising from Edwards shadow like a nightmare Shady knows what will be commanded and delves into Rheas own shadow
Satisfied Edward steps out of the room and heads towards they demi deity he has been in immense thought about
Striding down hallways and ascending stairways Edward empties himself, lowering his ego and honing questions to ask and responses to what the sage will inquire, he finally reaches the thin sliding doors taking one last deep inhale of breath, and with a calm exhale of it Edward opens the door and steps out into open air
"Ah, Young lord come and take a seat" Master Hao trying to sound sincere but failed greatly
Taking the seat across from Master Hao, Edward takes his glass and raises it in respect "Old Sage, I drink in respect to you first" tipping his head back and downing the tea in a gulp
"Young Lord you flatter these old bones"
"Yes, old indeed"
"SIgh, how much has Lady Azlan revealed?"
"Enough to anger me. Enough to make me realize I am your masters pawn, and my life is tethered to the purpose given by it."
"Well that might be-"
Edward interrupting Master Hao "However I do not see it that way. Whether it be gods or the dao, I am the pawn of nobody. The gods who slayed me and the dao that wishes to use my emotions for its own gain, I will take from one to destroy the other"
"The gods who slayed you?"
"I heard your conversation with the patriarch of this family, you know the false gods smite those who grasp ascension"
"Yes, the usurpers of fortune and causality dispatch forces to prevent new gods from becoming born"
"And what about in extreme cases?"
"If a person with grand potential appears, someone so powerful the chosen worshipers of the false gods cannot combat them, a god will materialize a clone or themselves to handle the mortal"
Not responding Edward only pours himself another glass allowing Master Hao the time to digest the meaning of his quiet
[If a god had personally taken care of a mortals ascension, then not even the Universal Will could have protected the soul and brought it to Earth]
"If you have met a false god, what I serve could not have helped you. Yet here you are, I saw your soul fall and wonder this world. I assumed it was the Universal Will that guided you into my own back yard, but now I am uncertain"
"This is what bothered me the most when I learned of you and your masters battle. I escaped my encounter with the divine by my own means and effort, yet I ended up in the influence of your master all the same. I felt sick and so... small when I learned of this, yet it turned out to be my great fortune"
"How so?"
"My soul is exactly singular throughout any planetary system, this I am completely certain. My soul is known to the gods and is like beacon to them, I would have never escaped their hunt if I did not end up on this star free from their influence"
"The more you speak, the more questions I have for you"
"I would assume so, however it is my turn to ask questions and get answers"
Master Hao thinking that this is only fair takes his cup of tea down and nods
"Your master, has created the infinite void and placed life on stars throughout, do all these stars have the ability to cultivate?"
"No, cultivation is a gift that not all planets have. I am unsure why some of them have it, the vast majority of stars are unable to cultivate, and cultivators are blind to the stars without the blessing of Chi. Could you imagine a cultivator capable traveling the realms landing in a world full of non-cultivating mortals? They would become an instant deity"
"Hmm, no that seems like hell." Edward disgusted at the idea
"Of course, the planet having no Chi the cultivator would never progress past his current level, but I guarantee most would revel in the couple thousand years of domination"
"Small men dominate those weaker than themselves, the mighty struggle under what is beyond them"
Edward thinking back to his long life of domination and how it was not easy, but a blood-stained path of struggling and unyieldingness, and how even after taking an untouchable seat he still struggled in pursuit of strength, tunes out Master Hao as he is lost in his own thought
"Young Lord? Young Lord?" Master Hao repeatedly trying to gain the attention of Edward
Snapping back into the conversation [It seems I hadn't emptied myself as well as I should have] "Can you repeat the question my lord?"
"I asked why you have taken in those three specifically?"
"You mean Wei Li, Jamir, and Liam?"
Master Hao nodding and pouring both of them another cup
"Liam and Jamir both possess great talent but beyond that I appreciate their intangibles. They both have the heart of beasts, unrelenting in their pursuits, people that will do whatever they have to do to fulfill my orders. Wei Li-"
"Reminds you of a lover?" Master Hao interrupts
Edward straight faced and unamused stares blankly at Master Hao
"I have seen the way you look at her, and how calm she had made you when you first descended"
"Not a lover but a friend"
"Just a friend?"
"I had only ever taken one lover throughout my life, and I was unfair to her. She was my queen, she ruled my lands in my stead so I could seclude myself and focus on my cultivation. I would spend thousands of years, tens of thousands, sometimes a hundred thousand years away from her then only spend a decade or two with her when I came out from seclusion before returning. That was how I lived until one day I returned, and she had passed away, the woman I loved and the woman worshiped by millions of people, I had neglected her and missed her when she was on her death bed wishing for me. I was hurt deeply when I found out, my anger and denial created new rives and flat lands, until a young woman approached me a girl I had never met before which wasn't new, generations of mortals in my lands passed by like the seasons to me. That woman had hair velvet and a smile bright like a sunset, she told me stories of my wife, things that I had never known about her, things that I wished my wife herself could have shared with me. This woman's name was Li, she became the reason I would leave seclusion and stay attached even slightly with my worshipers and lands."
"I understand, Young Lord"