Three figures sat on Bai Lin's broad back as she gracefully soared through the skies, cutting through the wind, and leaving a trail of faint gold. Before, in the Scarlet Solaris Sect, Bai Lin's short tail had been pure white. However, it had now suddenly taken a golden color giving it an impressive alluring feature.
Her entire body was still in the midst of its evolution due to consuming that unknown golden fruit. In fact, her aura had grown far stronger, and so did her flight speed. When Wei Wuyin had inspected her, he came to the discovery and realization that her golden blood was becoming far more vibrant in color and viscous in texture.
He had never seen blood that looked so pure, brightly colored yet resembled tar. Extracting a few drops, he realized that it shimmered with motes of white lights that looked like stars in the night sky. These tiny white stars contained an abundance of world force within. It was similar to the world force within his Divine Spirits of Qi, which combined yin and yang energies together.
"Did she come into contact with something relating to the Astral Core Realm?" The Astral Core Realm was the stage of cultivation that surpassed those at the Qi Condensation. Its said those at this level had immense control over ambient energies and world force, even capable of creating Yin-Yang God Spheres.
He had only heard from Bai Lin's account about the fruit, its tree, and what she felt after consuming it. However, as he knew, the heavens could miraculously birth spontaneous yet marvelous bouts of good fortune for no real reason. The grassy plains he had been in when the Black Skeleton called for him was blessed with Meadow Life Wood Essence, an essence that was as rare as seeing a falling star.
Whatever Bai Lin consumed was definitely a result of heavenly fortune. A blessed lucky chance that had no true rhyme or reason except that she existed and she was there, and therefore deserved it.
That being said, the result was miraculous. She had a fleshy body that nearly rivaled his own. Her strength was absolutely phenomenal and it was likely that average Mortal Gods wouldn't be able to dent her feathers, let alone match her in combat.
Furthermore, he knew that Bai Lin's abilities were still developing with the changes to her bloodline and psychology. He had no idea what her limits would be.
Dai Fei felt odd as she sat quietly on Bai Lin. She had been brought along to direct the way to the Jade Lotus Sect. At first, she was going to immediately refuse, but Wei Wuyin didn't wait for her answer. Her body was clasped by his qi and forcefully brought onto the back of the crane.
She realized at that moment that he wasn't giving her a choice earlier with his question. It was more a courtesy of invitation, but when she was about to reject that courtesy, he took her anyway.
Since becoming a Mortal God, she had never been manhandled in such a way with no regard for her. For some odd, inexplicable reason, that domineering way of doing things caused her heart to race, and her cheeks to grow hot.
She had long since surpassed a hundred years of age, having had a family, grandkids, great grandkids, a husband, and a life. After all, when she cultivated, she didn't know what cultivation she would reach in her lifetime, so she settled early. Unfortunately, the dynamic in the household had changed drastically.
After all, her husband hadn't even reached the Fourth Stage of Qi Condensation, remaining at the Elemental Birth Phase. Because of that, he looked like an elderly man near his death bed while she looked completely filled with youth, life, and beauty. His lifespan barely touched a hundred and fifty year while she could live for five hundred; this difference was massive.
Jiao Ning had experienced the exact same situation.
In fact, this type of situation was extremely common amongst powerful female cultivators without powerful backgrounds and developed by their own talent and merit. Unless one had a Godlord behind them, there was no true certainty of reaching the Mortal God level, or even the Fourth or Fifth Phases, so they would settle for a partner that, at the time, wouldn't match up to their future achievements.
With the vast difference in lifespans, it made having a single partner difficult. This was the purpose of Dao Companions. They were lovers who had similar talents or sufficient background support. They'd swear an oath to the heavens to rise together, fall together, face all together as a single unit, so only one was needed.
Wei Wuyin didn't care about Dai Fei's budding feelings. Instead, he inspected his cultivation base. It had been nearly two weeks since their departure from the Scarlet Solaris Mountain. They had been traveling at a leisurely pace so that he could consolidate his cultivation.
"After absorbing nearly all my remaining essence stones, I've fully consolidated my cultivation." He sighed, knowing that his liquid wealth had pretty much been completely expended. He only had the pills, elixirs, pellets, pastes, and material resources for alchemy from storage of the Eden Earth Sect from his time there. However, many of those products were inferior and mostly useless for the current him.
Luckily, he didn't need cultivation resources. For now, his goal was to find another Yin-Yang God Sphere and directly absorb it into his Alchemic Heart of Eden Qi, ascending to the Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation instantly.
As for the products he had, he could sell or give them to Su Mei. However, he was somewhat reluctant due to their quality not being of the highest standard. Su Mei deserved better in his mind.
"Should I start concocting pills to make money and to cultivate with?" His other 'self' had trained for seven years as an elite alchemist, guided by the upper-echelon of the Eden Earth Sect. With enough time, he could bring in quite a bit of wealth.
As he ruminated on this possibility, he lost track of time.
"We're here," Dai Fei announced.
Breaking free from his formulating thoughts, he looked forward and was struck with a sudden sense of awe.
"That's!" Su Mei's eyes widened as her heart started to race. The sight before her was nearly unbelievable, an absolutely phenomenal visual. While she had heard about the Jade Lotus Sect's features before, she didn't dare believe it to be true.
However…
"The entire sect is placed on a gargantuan jade lotus!" Wei Wuyin exclaimed in amazement. He saw a lotus that spanned dozens of kilometers in every direction. There were eight petals and at its middle stem sat a gigantic jade palace that could be considered a mountain. It was far more luxurious than the Scarlet Solaris Palace.
The petals were like pure jade, flawless and beautiful, while the lotus itself quietly floated on a large body of water! It was a humongous clear water lake, and the lotus floated on its surface naturally. The most shocking part was that it was still rotating ever-so-slightly.
It reminded him of the Tree of Eden, but not quite. On the surface of each petal was a myriad of buildings and established locations. It was as if the lotus petals were the ground.
Unlike the Tree of Eden, the giant jade lotus didn't produce wood energy or attracted any form of elemental energy. In fact, it produced Jade Qi. It's power was akin to the Scarlet Solaris Mountain.
However, unlike Scarlet Qi, Jade Qi was insidiously difficult to form for anyone. Not to mention, males had almost no chance to use it, with females being the most observed wielders. Despite that, the Jade Lotus Sect was not like the Aqua Echo Sect that only accepted females. This was because the difficulty to create a Heart of Jade Qi was far, far too high.
That being said, it could still be used to temper one's yin, yang, and inherent energies regardless of gender. It was a suitable cultivation holy ground that could support a high-level sect.
"Who are you?" Dai Fei abruptly asked. She felt she needed to ask this question. Now that she was nearby her sect, her courage had also returned. After all, there was a Godlord in the sect with a sect-tier spiritual formation and qi arrays.
Wei Wuyin turned towards her, an innocent smile on his face. "I'm Wei Wuyin," he answered plainly.
Wei Wuyin? She had never heard of a Wei Wuyin before. At least, nothing that linked her thoughts to a Godlord. Godlords were legendary figures with no more than twenty in the entire Wu Country. They were heralded as true powerhouses with awe-striking powers.
Su Mei nudged Wei Wuyin softly, her gaze revealing a cue. He was confused for a brief second before coming to a realization. With renewed gusto, he said heroically, "I am Wei Wuyin, the Saber Ascendant!" He proclaimed proudly, his chin slightly raised and his eyes far forward.
"...Saber Ascendant?" She quietly muttered, unable to recall the name in her memory. Even the surrounding countries Godlords were known by name or title, yet she didn't recognize or recall anyone of that title.
Rubbing his nose after witnessing her blank expression, Wei Wuyin changed the subject as he turned towards Su Mei. "It's best if I make this flashy, no?"
"Flashy?" Su Mei suddenly had a bad feeling, recalling the rocketed gate of steel that had been blasted away.
Wei Wuyin grinned, his eyes flashing with elemental qi. From within his gaze, the world of elements could be seen. He bolstered his physical power, taking a deep breath, and with a bellow that shook the heavens, he voiced a few words:
"I, the Saber Ascendant, have arrived! Why have you not welcomed me yet?!"
His rambunctious words were filled with arrogance, domineering to the heavens, and filled with power. The soundwaves spread outwards like a chaotic wave, battering the ears of all the residents within the Jade Lotus Sect - even the mortals.
If Wei Wuyin had infused his qi directly into his voice, the heads of all these mortals would have exploded or lost their hearing for life! Yet, he controlled it just enough for it to be audible and filled with a powerful aura.
While they may not die, they would never forget those words for as long as they lived.
Since he decided to live to his fullest, he didn't wish to hold back his own inner arrogance and desires. He was no longer embroiled in schemes or systemic hierarchy. As a lone wanderer, one with a clock on his life, he would act as he pleased. That being said, he wouldn't throw his life away or act against his conscience.
In the Jade Lotus Sect, within the Grand Jade Palace, the main palace situated at the center of the lotus, was a group of figures diligently cultivating. They formed a perfect circle with their bodies. It was created by various men and women. Each was surrounded by a gob of white qi that tightly hugged their bodies and gave them a pure glow.
This white qi was pure and didn't seem to have any fixed shape, but strands of it were being drawn out and quietly seeped into the bodies of these people. There were a total of seven of them, each one opened their eyes as the soundwave whizzed by their bodies and entered their ears.
Within each of their eyes were potent vitality and a myriad of images generated naturally, these images contained that vitality as if they were truly a part of the world! All seven were Mortal Gods!
A female cultivator, who was middle-aged, but had outstandingly smooth and flawless skin, stood up. Her gaze was filled with challenge and discontent. For someone, anyone, to use such a straightforward method to announce their presence, did they have any respect towards their sect?!
"It seems many have forgotten the Jade Lotus Sect's power. We have been too low-key for far too long!" A young looking, handsome man with auburn hair, and light freckles on his face, sneered. For someone to swagger in and be so insolent only showed that they had softened their clenched fist a little too much.
The others revealed various expressions, but one was calmer than the rest. It was a woman, her eyes emitted pure white light and seemed to penetrate space. Her qi had reached a peak state, becoming sublime in essence.
She was the Jade Lotus Sect's Vice-Sect Leader, Qin Shui. Her cultivation base was at the Seventh Phase of the Qi Condensation Realm, Sublime Qi Phase, much like Su Lanyi and could be considered a peak-Mortal God.
"God Dai is with this person," she calmly stated. Then, all of their expressions underwent a subtle shift, some with confusion, others with vigilance.
"Why?" The flawlessly skinned, middle-aged woman asked. However, when she said that word, a myriad of thoughts entered everyone's minds.
"First, let's see what this is about before acting with haste or coming to conclusions." An elderly man, his skin wrinkled, hair greyed, and his eyes filled with aged wisdom, softly spoke.
"I agree," an elderly woman with a similar aged appearance echoed. They were Dao Companions, and so their agreement with each other's words were obvious. They stood on the same platform, one mind and one life.
Qin Shui stood up, as she did, the rest also rose after. This was a sign of the utmost respect. She walked out of the God Jade Hall. This location had a qi array that gathered concentrated Jade Qi from the lotus that they could use to refine their cores or spirits. It was incredibly useful and one of the highest cultivation grounds in the entire sect.
Many of the Sect's Upper Echelon would stay here for weeks, months, or even years in cultivation. As they were Mortal Gods, they could live for three to five hundred years, so they focused on reaching the next realm. With that, it would be accompanied by a further extension of lifespan, authority, and power.
They walked out in unison, Qin Shui in the lead, and they held stones in their hands. Various mounts took to the skies, avian creatures that resembled hawks swiftly arrived on scene. They were large, like the Black Cranes of the Scarlet Solaris Sect, and had powerful physical bodies.
Not one of them were any weaker than a Third Stage of the Qi Condensation, Elemental Birth Phase cultivator.
They rode these beasts and took to the skies, flying was a sight as eight incredible beasts graced the air. Many of those lower-ranked members lifted their heads with reverence flitting through their eyes and awe in their hearts.
Wei Wuyin calmly stood upright on Bai Lin, unperturbed by this majestic sight. His expression was calm, but he revealed a deep, incredibly fierce degree of arrogance and haughtiness. Even his chin was raised a little, his eyes looking slightly down as if there was nothing that could reach them.
Su Mei quietly observed Wei Wuyin and was somewhat shocked in her heart. She knew that all talents were arrogant, and Wei Wuyin had always had a fiercely confident heart even thirteen years ago, but she had never seen him take such a stance. Oftentimes, he would be more carefree and showed restraint in his arrogant actions. That being said, he was far more terrifying than someone who was so overt.
As for Dai Fei, she panicked slightly in her heart. She didn't expect Wei Wuyin to be so direct and imposing. A conflicted feeling formed in her heart as she watched the back of this powerful, young, profoundly handsome Godlord that seemed as if there was nothing in this world that could enter his eyes.
When she witnessed the eight supreme experts of her sect taking to the skies, with Qin Shui at the lead, her heart couldn't remain calm. She wanted to scream: "Bring out the Sect Leader!"
However, she couldn't nor did she try to communicate with them via spiritual transmission stones. As a Mortal God, she knew they could be intercepted and hindered by Mortal Godlords. She didn't dare to do so in case Wei Wuyin took it as her taking aggressive action against him.
It wasn't long before Qin Shui's group and Wei Wuyin hovered in the sky, facing each other, with only a hundred or so meters between them.
Qin Shui's expression was calm and confident, glancing briefly at Dai Fei, before focusing her entirety on Wei Wuyin.
"Who are you?" Qin Shui asked.
Wei Wuyin's eyes flashed as he inspected her cultivation base. While others would find it difficult to determine a Mortal God's exact cultivation, he had a profoundly powerful and piercing spiritual sense.
Seventh Stage of Qi Condensation, Sublime Qi Phase!
He disdainfully scoffed and grinned, "I'm here for my women, bring them out!"