Heaven, Earth, Me

Chapter 602: Yasenia's heart.

A month later, Yasenia was sitting cross-legged in her private cultivation area. It was set up on the top of a mountain.

The sect went from the valley to the other side of the mountain basin, and the sect leader's, or Yasenia's home, and the main areas for the top elders were built here.

Yasenia's mansion took the highest mountain's top area, where the energy was the purest in the entire mountain basin.

Then, in the surrounding mountains, and the one Yasenia's residency was on, there were about two hundred houses with plenty of space for a lot of disciples.

This was for the core area of the sect.

After considering the size of first-rate powers, having two hundred places was more than enough to give each of the Epoch Core top-level powerhouses that would eventually reside here.

Low-level Epoch Core cultivators usually didn't qualify as the core fighting force of a first-rate power unless they could surmount levels.

Anyway, let's focus back on the more important matters at hand. Yasenia was sitting cross-legged in her cultivation area while waves of energy rushed toward her.

Being about twenty kilometers up the mountain, the energies from the cosmos were quite thick.

Angel had created an advanced energy-gathering formation across the entire house, increasing the purity of energy. Therefore, the purity of these energies was astoundingly high.

The torrents of energy that rushed toward Yasenia as she practiced the [Convergence of the Celestial Bodies] cultivation technique while absorbing the Yin energy in her Dantian released from her dears were almost visible because of how dense and high the energy was.

Anybody seeing this would be quite surprised. A phenomenon like this usually happened only with Dantian Spiritualization Realm cultivators.

After reaching her nearby area, Yasenia breathed in constantly and deeply, absorbing and digesting the thick spiritual energy with the aid of the [Primordial Energy Core] in her dantian. It wasn't only her breathing, though. Her blue dragon tail with golden rings and glittering white lights glowed with Empyrean beauty as the energy-absorbing organs there swallowed as much energy as she did with the rest of her body.

After being purified, it rushed across her meridians, making cycles and nourishing her soul and body. What the body couldn't absorb was stored in the Dantian.

As multiple energies cycled through her, Yasenia felt her soul, body, dantian, and mind becoming closer as if they were slowly fusing into one being.

The Dantian slowly expanded, making her realize that she was breaking through. 'I'm reaching the Seventh Level.'

Yasenia calmed her mind and slowed down her absorption, being more thorough with the body and soul energy absorption. 'I want to have a perfect foundation. For that, I need to feel as if the rest besides the Dantian can't absorb anything more.'

Her spiritual sense followed the energy that entered her body, and she ensured she was filled with energy.

Then, she felt tight when she tried to store it in her dantian. Her Dantian couldn't hold more energy.

'Perfect now, I need to accumulate enough energy to break the barrier and increase my level.'

Increasing the cultivation level was similar to increasing the existence level of a being. When the cultivator broke through, the energy in the dantian would compress and jump in quality. At the same time, the Dantian would become more extensive, the meridians would widen, and the new energy would nourish the body and soul, effectively increasing the strength of a cultivator.

Body Cultivation was similar, but the difference was that the amount of energy the body could "store" was much higher.

Besides the energy requirements, an understanding of Heaven's secrets was necessary to advance beyond the first level of the Unification Realm.

That's why reaching the Unification Realm was a matter of hard work, but reaching further was a matter of talent, hard work, and comprehension abilities.

It was not a fair world, and those who were born with low talent were bound to be normal unless they found treasures that could reverse their fate.

Heavens were fair in this matter, so treasures like these were abundant. Talent, bloodline, constitution, etc., were fixed at birth but could be enhanced.

Some sects even valued hard work more than talent, although they were not the norm but the exception.

The dragoness began thinking about the soul. "An essential part of life. A part that holds our everything. A body without a soul can only be a puppet. A sword with a soul can become a living creature."

She had [Draconic Heart] on her lap during this whole time, and her hand caressed it slowly, feeling the surface and energies flowing through it.

While she cultivated, the sword also did so.

The giant sword was like a small and long table, but since she got it, the appearance had changed so much that you wouldn't say they were the same if you compared it side-by-side with the sword she originally acquired in the armory.

At first, it had a stony surface with a dim reddish core at the top. However, as her energy nourished it, the sword slowly shed the rocky layer and became smooth and bluish-green after the trial.

Yet, that wasn't its ultimate form, nor was the one it had now.

The previous smooth body had become scaly as if dragon scales surrounded it. And the edges were sharp to the point that leaves falling on it would be cut by their own weight.

The previous dim core was now swirling with energy and power.

Moreover, when Yasenia used Sun energy, the core transformed and shone with golden radiance. When she used Moon energy, it glowed softly and aloof like the Lone Moon in the sky. And when she used her star energy, the core glittered with white light, like a night filled with stars.

The most noticeable change was when Yasenia used her Celestial Energy.

The sword would glow with a galaxy of blue colors as rivers of white lights ran across it. As if a small universe was hidden in that core.

Yasenia's understanding of the soul increased, and her body was processing the rivers of energy inside her while [Draconic Heart] shone beautifully with the different colors.

However, the dragoness ignored it and took a step forward in her dragon form and slowly spread her wings.

Her innate skill [Empyrean Galaxy Domain] unfolded, swallowing the surroundings with Yasenia's profound Celestial presence.

The Sun, the Moon, the Stars.

All felt within her reach.

Her entire being felt like some chains were about to be broken, and she ignored the part telling her not to do so.

"It can be only The Heavens, The Earth, and Myself if I leave everything else behind and fly!"

The Celestial Dragoness's golden eyes glowed with radiance, with expectation about such a future.

"Fly!"

Her massive wings completely unfolded, creating powerful wind currents, and when she was about to flap them and fly free...

The enormous dragon stopped moving.

CLANG!

The sound of metal.

A crisp sound tingled her ears and made her flinch.

As if the many chains that tied her to every limb called her.

The chains that were about to be broken seemed to be speaking to her mind.

Yasenia frowned and looked at herself.

However, as soon as her eyes landed on those metaphorical chains, Yasenia's expression eased, and she smiled softly.

"...But I can't."

Her extended wings slowly folded back, and the [Empyrean Galaxy Domain] gradually disappeared.

Yasenia chuckled, looking toward the sky with a calm expression and without reluctance.

She knew and felt the things holding her back from soaring and becoming a free and unhinged creature.

She could feel the presence of her dears.

Her family.

The weight of being Kaleina's mother.

She could feel... her chains tying her firmly to the ground.

However, Yasenia knew that they didn't only hold her back.

She could feel that although she could only walk on land, those at the other end of these chains helped her push forward.

Maybe it would be faster to fly.

Maybe it would be a better experience to soar the skies freely.

Maybe becoming a creature without a match and with no ties or chains was what she was supposed to become.

However, she could not.

The joys and love she could find while firmly walking on land was something she would not change for anything.

Not for unlimited freedom.

Nor for cutting herself from responsibility.

Nor for gaining unlimited strength.

This was Yasenia's heartfelt desire to walk alongside her dears.

To see every step and every footprint they left together.

The Celestial Dragoness's body became smaller by the second, and the Empyrean Dragon changed back to the loving and alluring dragoness.

Yasenia gave the sky one last glance and smiled. "It's already late. I have to prepare dinner."