Paradise Sect
As the 1st Supreme Elder of the Divine Hydra Clan faced the red-robed child before him, his gaze briefly flickered towards the other two imposing figures behind this terrifying 'child', and he couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. The other supreme elders, grand elders, great elders and elders, around and behind him, were even worse off…
However, when Yaan smiled at them, and even chuckled lightly when he saw their unease, somehow, their nerves were set at ease.
Naturally, this wasn't merely Yaan's natural charms, he was utilising illusions to enhance the charisma that surrounded his body and seeped into his unseen aura. Just by standing there, he was gradually affecting the hearts, emotions and mental states of those around them, gradually helping them to calm down and face him without breaking down completely.
The more astute individuals present realised that something was amiss - there was no way that they could be feeling relaxed in this situation, right? Clearly, the person before them was interfering with their emotional state…but even so, it really did seem like he came in peace, without any intention of harming them.
At this moment, right as their nerves somewhat eased, but before they could properly think about this change and have too many doubts, Yaan spoke, distracting them from their uncertainties.
"1st Supreme Elder of the Divine Hydra Clan, please rest at ease, I truly mean you and your clan no harm. Even if you reject my offer to accept my leadership and come under my wing, I won't harm you or your people. That said…with the current state of the world, if you do not accept my offer and join me, others will arrive shortly, and I assure you that they will not be so amicable to deal with."
The 1st Supreme Elder slumped slightly, before slowly nodding.
Naturally, he and the other higher ups in the clan had some degree of understanding regarding the current situation…however, they were still somewhat in the dark, making it difficult for them to accept right away.
"Lord World Demon- ah, I apologise, should I call you Lord World Saviour?" He quickly realised his mistake and apologised, anxious that he might offend this mighty figure.
Yaan wasn't so petty, and besides, he was trying to build a good impression. He knew that he could not undo his reputation as a demon, and his actions would continue to align with the demonic path going forwards, but he at least wanted to show the world that he was not a petty person and was willing to let bygones be bygones, putting past grievances behind him as he focussed whole-heartedly on the pursuit of his goal.
Yaan chuckled and lightly shook his head.
"I truly do intend to be this World's Saviour, but in the end, it's just a title. I understand why people call me the World Demon, and I frankly, my actions truly are reminiscent of the demonic path. Call me whatever you want, I do not mind. That said, should you accept my offer and join me, I will go by a new title by my subordinates. So before anything else, 1st Supreme Elder of the Divine Hydra Clan, will you or will you not join me?"
Yaan got straight to the point, cause the 1st Supreme Elder to hesitate. Yaan wasn't in a rush, smiling and adding:
"If you have your doubts, just voice your questions. I am confident that once you learn of the full truth, behind my group's power, and the alternatives which you will be faced with if you reject me, then you will accept my offer."
The 1st Supreme Elder nodded slowly, then cautiously asked:
"Truthfully lord, whilst I am aware of some matters, and I understand the general state of chaos throughout the world, I am still clueless on most of the specifics. Before I make a decision for my clan, would you be so kind as to explain the current state of the world as of this moment in time…?"
Yaan nodded, then freely explained everything.
Everything.
He started by casually mentioning that he and the Primordial Sage had joined forces with 15 Deities underneath them, with the goal of conquering the Four Divine Star System and taking this region as their territory.
He then added that the Divine Court was under attack by the demonic path, and had no time to spare dealing with their group. He also made clear that the Divine Court had betrayed the righteous path, choosing the use a monstrous formation to obliterate one half of the life-planets throughout this entire star system.
This alone left the 1st Supreme Elder and the others in complete shock. Actually, even Shadow Deity and Typhoon Deity had not realised that the destruction of those life-planets was caused by the Divine Court…
Yaan then briefly mentioned that Shi - Destruction Empyrean - had destroyed the Divine Stairway, further damaging the Heavenly Dao, and making it impossible to transcend to the Divine Step via the orthodox means since the beginning of this Era.
Again, those who had not known this were shocked.
Lastly, Yaan revealed the most recent event…
"And so, after Defiance Sovereign clashed with the Heavenly Dao, Destruction Empyrean interfered with their region of collision, creating a giant spatial tear that dragged the entire Qi Plane into the Blood Plane. Many stars and planets were lost, some exploding, others falling into the sun, many crashing down to the continent and moon."
Yaan paused, allowing the pale-faced supreme elders to process all of these things.
"Why is all of this happening…why is the world like this…what did we do to deserve this…?" A woman who looked quite young, but was actually a hundred thousand years old and the 5th Supreme Elder of the Divine Hydra Clan, muttered under her breath with a pained expression.
Yaan answered her without hesitation, startling the woman, but drawing in everyone's attention.
"These are the signs of the end of the 2nd Origin Era. It started with the destruction of the cycle of reincarnation, then there was the collapse of the Spirit Plane, the karmic river and the dao of karma. As you probably know…these things were caused by me."
Everyone stared at Yaan, stunned that he would admit this so freely and calmly.
The look in his eyes was strange…he wore a slight smile, but this smile was both sad and melancholic…yet more so than that, filled with a blazing fire, an unshakeable resolve…and not a trace of guilt or regret.
"You see, no matter what actions we take, no matter what death or destruction we cause, or what we try to do to help or prevent further damage, it will change nothing. The fate of this world dictates that the 2nd Origin Era will last for 3 million years from start to end, an that end will come about in less than 30 millennia from now…and there is nothing that anybody can do to stop it. The world moves forwards relentlessly and without a care, continually inflicting suffering and despair upon the lives within…this is the fate of the world…this is the fate that I aim to overcome, in order to create a true utopia; a true paradise."
For a long while, there was silence.
Finally, the 1st Supreme Elder, this old man who seemed to have aged several more years since Yaan's arrival, looked up with a gaze…filled with wisdom and understanding.
"Lord World Demon, you truly wish to mend this godforsaken world?"
"I do. This is my only wish, my only desire." Yaan nodded.
"And you wish to recruit us as your tools to do so? You wish to conscript our Divine Hydra Clan to utilise as you please, to help you pursue your dao and overcome the Origin, to further your cultivation, such that you can take a step closer towards your goal; obtaining the power to fix this broken world?"
Yaan couldn't help but smile.
He had found another person who understood.
"Exactly. I have already gained the support of the Divine Phoenix Clan - Elder Zue Yin will be my primary point of contact with the immortal world. Now, I wish to gain the support of the four Divine Clans in order to take control over the immortal world in the Four Divine Star System."
The 1st Supreme Elder nodded slowly. However, he couldn't help but glance at the two Deities behind Yaan, before looking back at Yaan with a complex sigh.
"I will not ask about why you wish to pursue conquest, I assume that this is your way of seeking dao. Lord World Demon, I think I understand what you want from us…you are not just looking to conquer the immortal world in the Four Divine Star System - for someone with an ambition as grand as yours, just this would not be enough. To accomplish your goal of conquest, just us immortals will not be enough…"
Yaan chuckled and nodded.
"Indeed. Right now, I am barely considered equal to the Primordial Sage when it comes to leading those 15 Deities, and from your perspective, I only have these two." Yaan nodded behind him casually.
Yaan suddenly turned to look in the distance, then his eyes shone brilliantly, illuminating the world with a light of indiscernible colour.
Far off in the distance, hidden amongst the many bolts of lightning high up in the sky, a vague silhouette could be made out within the scope of the all coloured light.
Unknowingly, the world had once again become a painting as Yaan released his pseudo-domain. Only now, the entire painted world had been painted with the colour of Reveal Truth, forcefully revealing...
"Kiwi, why are you spying on me from up there? Get down here now."
Yaan's voice was extremely commanding, shocking Shadow Deity and Typhoon Deity. The Transcendents of the Divine Hydra Clan could only see a vague silhouette, but these two Deities felt an immense pressure from that figure, informing them that Yaan had just revealed…another Empyrean!
With a flash, as Yaan deactivated Reveal Truth and retracted his altered pseudo-domain, a stunning woman appeared by his side.
The fact that his cultivation body had used Reveal Truth was very strange, but Yaan would only come to understand this later on…
Nobody aside from Yaan recognised the stunning woman, but they were all enraptured by her beauty.
The beautiful woman in her pristine white robe and various stunning jewellery and adornments, this woman with an aura that transcended the most breath-taking fairies in this world, this woman whom all men would lower their heads before and beg in their hearts to be noticed…
She lowered her head before Yaan, her heart racing wildly with joy, excitement…and a love so strong that she was completely unable to hide it.
Even the most ordinary of elders present could feel from her aura that this woman was hopelessly in love with the World Demon!
"Husband, your speech just now truly moved me to tears, I could feel your sincerity in each and every word! You are truly a man with a heart filled with love, you are the true World Saviour, a paragon of misunderstood righteousness, you-"
"All right, enough, enough." Yaan coughed, quickly making her stop before she said too much. If she went on like that, people would think that he had set this up, asking her to praise him excessively.
Yaan regained his composure and turned back to the stunned 1st Supreme Elder with a smile.
"This is Love Empyrean, a member of the Divine Court who decided to follow me in my pursuit of my ambition. If you are worried that my group is too weak and small and cannot stand against the powerhouses in this world, you need not worry so much. I have only just started to recruit those who believe in my ambition, more will soon follow…including at least one other Empyrean."
Hearing this, not just the 1st Supreme Elder, but the others could only nod dazedly.
"So, I will ask you again, 1st Supreme Elder…will your clan join me, and serve my ambition well?"
The 1st Supreme Elder of the Divine Hydra Clan took a deep breath, taking a few moments to calm down his racing heart.
In the past, he never would have submitted to another group, no matter what, even if it meant the potential destruction of his clan. They had refused to submit to the Divine Court back then, so just who in this world had the right to subdue them?
But this time, it was different. Both the situation, and the person asking them to join him…both were far too different.
This was not a matter of a struggle for power, but simply, helping one cultivator pursue his dao. In the past, he would have laughed at the mere idea of agreeing to such a thing…but now?
The world was coming to an end, the various catastrophes that had struck the world one after another was more than enough to prove this fact.
What Yaan brought them, was not the opportunity to accept safety under his wing. No, in fact, the elder didn't doubt that the World Demon would sacrifice his entire clan, if he felt the need to do so…
But either way, his clan would be no more in just 30,000 years at most. To the 1st Supreme Elder, this was far, far too short a period of time.
"One day, if you truly do become omnipotent, and you truly manage to create the paradise you speak of…will you please find a way, somehow…to bring back my Divine Hydra Clan…to resurrect my clansmen, so that we too can live in your perfect world?"
Yaan nodded seriously, without a trace of deceit.
"Of course. Only by doing this, only by bringing back those who died along the way, could the world truly be considered a paradise."
Before long, Yaan turned to leave Planet Hydra, with one more person accompanying him than before. Love Empyrean - or Kiwi as she insisted Yaan call her - was all too happy to join him on his journey.
Just before Yaan left the planet, he heard a voice hastily call out to him.
"Lord! Before, you said that if we were to join you, we should call you by another title! Just what title should we use to address you? And…what is the name of our group?"
Yaan did not pause and continued flying, but as he left the planet, his voice echoed out across the Solar Planet.
"From this day forth, you may address me as Sect Master…Sect Master of the Paradise Sect!"