Against Heaven's Will

"No, it's not who I want to protect the most but rather who needs it the most. I want to protect everyone equally."

Xuefeng didn't fall for Wuying's trick and suggested seriously, "I was thinking either Wu or Lisa. Both are lacking when it comes to defenses."

"You didn't think about keeping it to yourself? It should give you additional protection if someone tried to kill you," Wuying countered concerned. "What if another ambush like earlier happens again and we are not there to assist you? We worry about you just as much as you worry about us." 

"Hey, I will be fine…" Xuefeng promised as he pulled her in and caressed her cheek. "I'm strong and I will keep getting better so I can protect all of you. I already have an Elemental Bracelet that provides me protection. I want to share my blessing with you." 

"Mhmm… Okay then," Wuying agreed as she snuggled to him. Only he could bring out her soft and loveable character. 

She returned back to the serious leader as they continued walking back. 

"I think it's better if Lisa has it," Wuying suggested. "Since Wu can't use her knowledge in business once she follows us, she needs to specialize in something else. We can help her find what suits her but I don't think it will be frontline fighting. When it comes to Lisa, she is already a core of our group with an important purpose. She is really vulnerable so it wouldn't be a bad idea to give her better protection." 

"I see," Xuefeng approved with a nod when the door to their bedroom opened. 

"Xuefeng!" 

All his women exclaimed his name and he was momentarily surrounded the moment he entered the room. 

"Tianshi, Nuwa, Yiren, Wu, Xinyu, Katherine, Bella, Yi, Wuying, Wen, Shan, Lisa, Mona," he called back with a loving smile. "We don't have much time but I just want to tell you how much I appreciate that you are here with me. Let's create good memories and enjoy lives together." 

Seeing their smiles, he reached out to Lisa and pulled her closer. 

"I have something special for you. It's an Artefact that will protect you from danger," Xuefeng explained as he put on the necklace on her. "If I could, I would give it to everyone but I only have one so I want you to have it." 

"Ah!" Lisa's eyes widened. "I can feel it!" 

"Mhmm, since you can't battle, I thought it would be fair to give you some defense," Xuefeng added softly. "Do you want to see how it works?" 

"There is no need. I just heard the Artefact's Spirit. He said I'm his new master and he will protect me from anything he deems dangerous," Lisa replied happily as she hugged him. "Thank you~" 

"Mhmm, you are welcome." Xuefeng rubbed Lisa's back and gazed at the rest. "Are we ready to leave? We should be approaching the Capital, right?" 

He was glad none of his wives seemed envious about the gift. It was the most logical solution after all. 

"Yeah, we are close. We can fly directly into the Sect's territory and then find ourselves a place to stay," Xinyu explained as she gave her mother a glance. "We can stay in my place if you want. I have a big mountain only for myself with a spacious mansion as well. It's close to the center of the Sect where we can make use of the Sect's resources." 

Xuefeng caught that, guessing Xinyu just knew more about House of Dragons than Katherine. 

"Oh, sure. That would be perfect," Xuefeng nodded in approval. "I heard House of Dragons have a place where one can get great Arts, right? I hope we can all visit it." 

"Yeah, it's a place called Dragon Tower, located in the center of the Sect. It's actually the most important Artefact in the House of Dragons," Xinyu replied before suggesting, "Let's go up on the deck. I can show you around as we fly through the Sect. We are supposed to stay here for a while anyway." 

The original plan was to stay in the House of Dragons and use its facilities to improve their overall strength and cultivation. Even though they didn't need to hurry and Ascend within a year, Xuefeng still wanted to meet that deadline for his personal satisfaction. 

Since their time was tight, they had to make the best use of their next year. 

"The Capital consists of nearly half of the Spirit Land. It's the biggest city in the Heaven Realm," Xinyu informed as they crossed the gigantic Safe Zone barrier. "Because of that, it allows many Sects to have large territories for themsevles, creating small cities within the Safe Zone." 

Xuefeng could immediately feel the powerful Spirit scan his body, realizing it was definitely much stronger than other cities. He could break through a Safe Zone barrier using his Judgement Vine but it wouldn't be possible in this place. 

It took them a while to even reach their destination even though their speed was faster than many. Although it was early in the morning, the traffic in the sky was slowly becoming dense. 

"We are here. The main city of the Spirit Land Capital. Can you see that tall black tower in the distance? That's the Dragon Tower I was talking about." 

Xinyu didn't even need to mention it as his eyes were already glued to the massive structure. The black tower was so tall it disappeared in the clouds and even pierced on the other side. 

"It's the oldest and most important treasure left behind by our Ancestors, the same ones who created the Ancient Realm. It contains so many treasures, arts, and secrets that so far only half were discovered," Xinyu introduced, surprising everyone.

"How come?"

Xinyu smiled at his question. 

"That's because it's not as easy as you think. Dragon Tower is not controlled by anyone. It's acting on its own. The most we can do is refill the Artefacts that were taken out from the lower floors but the higher the floor, the harder it is to enter inside. Even I only reached the sixty-ninth floor and there are almost a thousand of them." 

Xuefeng's eyes momentarily brightened. 

"Can we check it out now?"