Pathway

"So, you need my life-essence in-order to get a fragment of a key in-order to get the legacy. Pfff. Why would I want to do that?"

After Zhang Xiu Ying's question, the Thorne-Viper began to hiss dangerously making her took a step back. This made Zhang Wei to calm it down with a gentle wave of his hand. He tried to maintain an uneasy smile as he continued looking at the other demigod.

"Is there something you want to know about the events of your past, Asura?"

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Xiu Ying replied with furrowed brows. The question really caught her off-guard as her brain processed different informations. Events of her past? Was that a joke?

"We were five nascent soul demigods that arrived here, inside this very hall. It was a long journey for us to get here. Long dangerous journey but we made it. When we reached here, we met quite a number of others here trying to decipher and attempt the infernal arrays. We waited and we observed. By the time hey figured it out, many had died. But that was the beginning. The hardest part was getting back once you get inside the blackholes of the images."

He shook his head as he let out a soft sound.

"After many years had passed, the very last ones of us, finally figured it out. The solution? There must be one of us here, on the outside, that must make a life-essence connection with the one going in. The connection must be maintained while the other is still inside the image, if not, the lock would come into effect. And there's no known way of beating the lock from the inside when its locked. But, you see Asura, there's a good in all these madness. Each of these images, can reveal a secret of the past. And the only image remaining, is that of the Death-Necron. Thus, I ask you, is there any death or sorrow of the past you wish to know?"

"Are you truthfully serious?"

"I am, Asura. So, can that and the vanishing copy of the legacy, be enough bargain to gain your interest?"

"Can you make this bargain of yours under eternal oath?

"That I can do, Asura. By the way, Call me Chang Wei."

"Zhang Xiu Ying."

"Alright Zhang Xiu Ying. Let's begin with the oath."

After the eternal oath was made, Reena agreed to help with the life-essence connection. But she couldn't help but wondered how this demigod had managed with the images until only one was remaining.

"Insanity. You stayed here, for that long, because of a legacy? Total insanity."

"You know little of the martial world, Asura. What stage of martial arts are you even on? Yinhu? I'm already knocking on the doors of Jinlong. With my eyes closed, I can still kill you. Not that I need the sight to do that anyway. But, in the world of true martial arts, I mean nothing without a graded martial arts technique. And what's better than a supreme technique. You want to be at the top, where no one bothers you? You have to be the best."

Chang Wei floated to the mid air before landing gently in front of Zhang Xiu Ying.

"I know that not many could boast of it, but as you advance in your arts, the aim is to form a mythical art. No better mythical art than a combination of a supreme martial arts and a total-grade mystical arts. An artist will be a supreme divine."

"How many cultivators have you ever seen that have combined their martial arts and mystical arts together to form one mythical art? Even if they are low grade arts?"

Asked Zhang Xiu Ying with a raised brow.

"Good question, though, I won't answer that one. But the point is, you have a chane to form an excellent mythical art with a legacy like this. And for someone like me, it's the top of martial arts or nothing at all. Enough with the talk, Zhang Xiu Ying."

Chang Wei gently swiped his hand as he acknowledged the other demigod expectantly.

"So, is it a death or a sorrow you want to know about? Either way, I will need something of the dead or of sorrow."

Recieving the item from Reena, Zhang Wei gently flicked his hand and it disappeared. 

"If you are ready, please let's proceed."

Composing herself, Zhang Xiu Ying circulated a massive amount of Chi energy as shenade the connection with Zhang Wei. The moment the connection was made, Zhang Wei made some hand seals as the space at the top of the last image started shimmering. Sensing the life-force connection of her, Zhang Wei stared at her before nodding his head in agreement. With a mirage step, Zhang Wei disappeared into the shimmering space.

It was several hours later that Zhang Wei returned massive cuts and slashes. Breathing heavily, he collapsed on the floor beside her. Fully exhausted from the amount of energy and life-force dispensed, she was solemnly looking at him with great expectations and eagerness. Was he saying the truth about the elements in the images? Did he manage to find anything out about her request?

After resting for a while, he told Zhang Xiu Ying about the outcome. Zhang Ju Huan exist. Information at the netherplane in the Mourninghall. She must go before the next lunar alignment which was not too far away.

A demigod in the netherplane. They would rip her apart. She would have to go with adequate powerful forces, to have any chance of survival. But at the least, she now knew what she had been longing to know for ages. With the vanishing copy of a lunatic celestial in her spatial sac, Zhang Xiu Ying left the immortal cave with joy and complete anxiety. What would the future hold for her? In time. Waking up from her memories of the past events, she adjusted the position of her head properly as she smiled anxiously.

"Soon."

And she fell asleep.

***

As the march of dawn besieged the stars, brilliant orange poured out of the sun and across the horizon. The sky was blood red as the light consumed the sky with ferocity. The furrowed clouds were every shade from palest pink to deep crimson. Dawn broke over the horizon, the brilliant orange egg yolk sun spilled across the clouds as far as the eye could see. Thus, returning it to its uplifting powder orange appearance of an early morning. Wispy cotton clouds gradually accumulated high above, only adding to the blissful ambiance of the morning that marked the beginning of the second day of luminary week.

Stepping outside, Ju Feng took in a long deep breath before slowly releasing the air. He bathed himself in the soul-soothing comfort of the sky while tracing some patterns in the air with his fingers. He was back in a familiar territory and seeing familiar faces. Well, both familiar and not too-familiar faces!

Immediately, he remembered Su Ming and the other core disciples that faced the revenant when he was down. They all had fought the heaven's forsaken entity, but it was Su Ming who had saved his life. If not for her quick intervention with the pill, he would have died for sure. But, seeing the conditions of others, surely, she came out worst for wear, from the encounter. And from the words of the elders, she could have died too. The last time he asked about her, he was told she was still recuperating. Though, it had been a couple of days since the events, to him, it seemed years had passed. He would have to check on her and the rest, later.

He lifted his head up to sky and gazed at its glory.

Despite being a glorious morning, the words of the world oracle were still ringing at the back of his mind. Her words that predicted his death. Knowing you would die no matter what happened? Not so good. But, there was something nagging at his mind from the very last words of the oracle.

'There are many ways to die'.

Of course, everybody knew there were many ways to die in a martial and mystical world. Disintegration, decomposition, granulation, combustion, explosion, implosion and many other ways. What could the oracle have meant by that? After much thought on it over the night, he had made a decision.

First, he must be stronger. He had to be stronger. In this life, he had a family, his hamily! Reincarnation was not of an appeal to him at this stage in his life. He would only accept it if there was no other option. Second, he would secretly ask the elders about the meaning of those words. Apart from these, he couldn't think of any other way.

Closing his eyes, he didn't even know when his mind initiated the Soul-Serenity technique. Inner peace!  It had been quite a time since he had a feeling like this. After some minutes, he slowly began walking towards the location of the cafeteria. As he walked, he observed the joyous atmosphere in various location of the sect premises. All the disciples of the Last-Sword sect were really having a fill day from different events and competitions.

It was indeed a beautiful morning.