First Cluster: Mandate

The clap of thunder and strike of lightning disrupted the originally tranquil night. Striking without warning, the driver had been terrified that the limousine swerved into the opposite late without anyone noticing. Had there been others traveling on the same route, there would have been a nasty collision.

The first strike of lightning signaled the beginning of a truly odd and terrifying phenomenon. Bolts of lightning would strike the roof of the limousine multiple times a minute, with the sonic roar of thunder shaking everyone's eardrums. Although the composition of the car and modernized safety features prevented any of the discharged electricity from traversing to any of the occupants, the sheer velocity in which the roof was slammed by the lightning caused the limousine to tremble and veer off course.

Unbeknownst to Tai Zi Hua and the driver, the discharged lightning was indeed dispersed towards the ground via the specialized conductive frames, but was then immediately attracted back towards the car from underneath. Within Li Mo Shang, the spiritual core trembled in an unseen frenzy like a famished beast mouthwateringly gazing at a defenseless prey, attracting and assimilating countless streams of lightning.

With each strike of lightning that befell the limousine and was absorbed, the cluster of spiritual qi portraying the browned tome trembled violently, the projection within increasing in clarity.

"Ah, this damned lightning! When did this Father agree to be in some Nature's freak show, to get struck by lighting so many goddamn times!?"

Tai Zi Hua roared in helpless fury as he gazed outside from within. In the sky were three massive clusters of a ghostly light, and all of the limousine's occupants blanched at the massive agglomeration of lightning directly above them.

BOOM!

Without giving anyone else the opportunity to vent their frustration, the three clusters of lightning swarmed together, before slamming onto the hood with an undue ferocity. The driver quaked in terror as the limousine was hurled into the air from the impulse, barely remaining on the road due to the driver's excellent abilities and a factor of luck.

Before the occupants could sigh in relief, Li Mo Shang's unconscious glance outside caused thin hairs on his skin to rise, a chill running down his back. Pulling Tai Zi Hua onto the floor, he yelled at the driver to stop the car.

Forget about the shock and awe caused by the three clusters of lightning in the air, now there were ten.

This time, a sonic roar could not be heard as the clusters of lightning merged before slamming onto the car. Having managed to stop the car in time, the limousine was only hurled vertically into the air, bouncing onto its side several times before managing to land upright.

The occupants, however, were tossed around like burlap bags of rotten rice. If Li Mo Shang hadn't grabbed Tai Zi Hua and infused spiritual qi into the air to reduce the impulse of their collisions, the elderly man would have already broken a bone or two.

When no further strike of lightning occurred, everyone within the limousine heaved a repressed sigh of relief. As they clambered out to examine the damage done, they discovered that other than a few patches of seared metal on the hood of the engine, the only visible damage were a few dents of varying severity obtained when the car was overturned.

The driver opened the hood to examine the limousine for any hidden damages, while Tai Zi Hua rummaged through the refrigerated pantry for a calming supplement. With a shrug, Li Mo Shang headed out to explore the road before them.

An hour later, he returned, his expression completely dark.

"Well? How is it, don't leave us elderly men hanging!" barked Tai Zi Hua, sipping on a packaged ginseng supplement while tossing one to the driver. Seeing Li Mo Shang's bleak expression, the old man couldn't help but feel worried. He had promised to arrive within two to three days, and they had no time to spare!

"The roads are completely ruined, with severe cracks embedded in the asphalt. It may not be stable enough for even a single-occupant vehicle to safely traverse on, not mentioning a limousine."

"Master, Mr. Li, I've finished inspecting the engine and battery block. Thing is…the engine is still operational with minimal damage, but the battery is scrapped. From what I can infer from the results displayed by the soldered terminal, the battery's been overcharged far too severely. The backup battery we have might display the same result."

Li Mo Shang and the driver's replies occurred one after another, with the other's causing everyone's expressions to darken. Tai Zi Hua's countenance paled as he violently trembled, causing the driver to rush towards to support him.

He knew the specifications of the limousine when he purchased it many years ago. The backup battery was always connected with the main circuitry, meaning that without a fix, they were practically stranded on the border between two dispassionate nations.

As Li Mo Shang and the driver exerted to extract the battery block from the engine, they noticed that several of the conductive wires were seared, and all of the capacitors had exploded from overcharge. With the driver methodically opening the emergency repair kit, Li Mo Shang and Tai Zi Hua headed back into the car to rest.

The sun was just beginning to rise on the horizon, but nobody was of the sentiment to view or appreciate the beautiful scenery.

Leaning against the comfortable fur sofa, Li Mo Shang quickly immersed himself into a semi-meditative state, allowing his perception to drift into his heart cavity. Gazing at the dull grey spiritual core maintaining its erratic activity, Li Mo Shang directed his attention towards the first cluster of spiritual qi orbiting the core.

When he was first alerted by the core's sudden movements, he had noticed that the first cluster was gradually increasing in concentration with each strike of lightning absorbed.

Li Mo Shang discovered that the projection within the first cluster had become increasingly clear, every detail visible. A light brown leather covering, gold embossed outline, and silvery lettering written in an ancient and unknown language, the tome was a far cry from the hazy image he had perceived months ago.

Before his eyes, the letters rearranged themselves into the language Li Mo Shang was most familiar in. Traditional Chinese Script, the undying legacy of his ancestors.

"Mandate…?"

Li Mo Shang slowly repeated to himself. Feeling excitement course through his bloodstream, Li Mo Shang restrained his anticipation as he willed the tome to open and reveal its contents. As the covers parted to reveal the pristine pages within, Li Mo Shang heard an indomitable roar in his mind, followed by an archaic voice.

"Demand thyself immortality, and one shall become an immortal. Declare the heavens unworthy, and thou shall replace it. Sunder the laws within, and define them anew!"

"Define them anew…" Li Mo Shang silently echoed as he painstakingly swallowed, his mind reeling from the contents of the archaic voice's words. Simply state himself as an immortal, and he will become one?

State that the heavens were unworthy to possess his soul, and he will become the absolute heavens themselves? Such a thing had to be impossible, no matter the miraculous properties of cultivation and spiritual qi! Mere words could not affect reality, at least not on that scale!

Filled with doubt and skepticism, Li Mo Shang desired to test the so-called Mandate at this moment. To declare himself the almighty being of the universe, the strongest existence as he had dreamed himself to become!

Yet, no matter how he much he attempted to vocalize those words, his lips refused to part. In fact, not even the thought of saying such whimsical words could last beyond germination, mysteriously terminated before Li Mo Shang was even aware.

Although he was clueless how, Li Mo Shang felt that this <Mandate> would possess a world-changing ability, an indomitable will over all creation. It was just that he was unaware how to use such a heaven-defying antique from the ancient times.

To his surprise, the <Hourglass of Eternity> simply refused to accept information regarding the <Mandate> in any form. The moment he attempted to condense any knowledge of the antique into the tiny blue granules of information, they would automatically disperse the instant he thought of utilizing the <Hourglass of Eternity>. Perhaps the <Mandate> was of superior quality compared, and thus could not be analyzed?

With a disheartened sigh, Li Mo Shang withdrew his mind from the first cluster of spiritual qi. Directing a final glance towards the spiritual core, he noticed that its erratic actions had finally calmed, but he noted with surprise that the core itself was rotating.

Although the rotation was barely noticeable, each angular movement of the spiritual core mobilized an unimaginable quantity of spiritual qi. If any other cultivator could witness such a spectacle, they would instantly perish from envy.

Opening his eyes, Li Mo Shang started when he noticed that everything around him had changed. Before him were thin interlocked streams of light flowing at immense speeds, permeating through objects, entities, and the atmosphere.

A decent proportion of these streams were headed towards his body, and some of the thinner and less vibrant streams could be observed infusing themselves into Tai Zi Hua and the driver.

Were these streams of light also worldly qi? How was it that the driver and Tai Zi Hua, both non-cultivators, were able to absorb miniscule quantities of it? Li Mo Shang simply couldn't comprehend.

When he stepped outside, the innumerable streams flowing through the air increased exponentially in magnitude and intensity, causing him to start. As each possessed unique fluctuations and colors, the modified scenery before Li Mo Shang became increasingly disorienting, and his knees nearly buckled.

Massaging his temples, Li Mo Shang willed his spiritual core to diminish its activity significantly after discovering that attempting to infuse spiritual qi to relieve his mind exacerbated the disorientation instead.

To his elation, the streams of light gradually vanished as the spiritual core idled, restoring Li Mo Shang's vision to its original state. Peering around and viewing the driver grumble under his breath as he stared at the disassembled battery case, Li Mo Shang released a slight sigh, noticing that it had been two hours since he had entered the limousine to rest.

Approaching, he discovered that a makeshift capacitor had been constructed, merely requiring an emergency solder to restore the battery to a functioning state. Assisting the driver in installing the hastily repaired battery, Li Mo Shang sat behind the wheel while motioning for the exhausted driver to rest.

Soon, the limousine was able to resume its trip, albeit at a much slower pace due to Li Mo Shang carefully navigating through the demolished road. Countless cracks were embedded in the asphalt, loosening the durability and bulk stress of the road, severely hampering travel.

However, as the damage lessened beyond seventy kilometers due to the short range of the concentrated lightning strikes, the limousine quickly returned to its optimal cruising speed. Although Tai Zi Hua dearly wished to grumble at Li Mo Shang to go faster, he could only vent his complaints within his heart.

Those who attempted to snag that mutant specimen from him, tsk tsk!