Infallible Race Emperor, Yuan Zhen

Qi Zixie involuntarily took a few steps back until the distance between her and Yuan Zhen satisfied her spirit. Though she did not fear Yuan Zhen, his aura was beginning to scare her more than anything else had to date.

In his changed, bedeviled and bestial state, Yuan Zhen appeared savage and wild. Long and jagged claws grew from his hands and feet and tongues of dark violet fire came to life on the tips of his horns. As he exhaled, a blue-green fog began to surround him, further adding to his already mystical image.

His manifestation, the three spears, was actually evolving. It had been missing a certain element in order to reach perfection, and now that element was slowing being introduced. Yuan Zhen's soul power entered the tablet, immediately bringing him back to feeling like he was about to be crushed.

Only this time, his confidence was restored thanks to the addition of the three spheres. He stood under the weight, knees slightly bent but holding their positions. His glowing red eyes narrowed, then he crouched as low as he could while fighting the terrible pressure.

He placed each hand at one side of the tablet, then dug his claws and fingers into the earth. "For the power to seek my revenge, I will accept this inheritance!"

Once he had a grip, his tensed muscles bulged as veins began popping up all over them. His feet sank into the ground and he curved his toes to allow his nails to further anchor him.

As he struggled, the three spheres were growing ever closer. There was just one final obstacle, an invisible barrier between them that refused to break.

Yuan Zhen's enlarged fangs pierced his lips as he bit down on his teeth, yet he had not managed to make the tablet budge. Still, he did not waver. Qi Zixie, behind him, was beginning to gleam that there was a certain secret behind the three spheres floating beside Yuan Zhen and the stone tablet.

She took a few more steps backwards, of her own volition, then galvanized her energy to begin circulating just in case she needed to protect her body.

She observed Yuan Zhen's fruitless efforts with a pained expression, but she said nothing. She was unsure of what she could even do in such a situation, but she was unwilling to just do nothing.

Resolved, she balled her hands and almost shouted, "Do it, Lord Yuan. Nothing can stand in your way, not even the forces beyond."

He didn't react to hear her, but Qi Zixie knew he had heard her. Yuan Zhen had closed his eyes after she spoke and begun taking slow, deep breaths.

'She's right. All this time, I was worried about having to suffer the fate of the Infallible Race, the Primordial Beasts and the inhabitants of Hell, but that's not like me at all.'

'Was I ever one to fear consequences? Me, who mercilessly slaughtered the brothers and sisters of human kings. When have I ever feared something as feeble as death?'

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he turned his head to look at Qi Zixie. She froze under his gaze for a moment, because she had stared directly into his eyes, but managed to smile at him in the end.

"Thank you, Zixie, for reminding me that Yuan Zhen does not worry about consequences. He welcomes any attempt to punish him with fangs and claws! He does not change, not even in the face of right or wrong." At that point, he turned and glared at the stone tablet that he had yet to pick up.

"Yuan Zhen does not give in, not even under the pressure of the myriad worlds! That is who I am!"

The final barrier shattered like a mirror, allowing the three spheres to inch even closer. As they neared, the dark violet flames surged, the glow of his eyes brightened and his energy and blood burst out of their vessels. His body was like a geyser springing forth endless water.

Beams of red light burst out of his eyes, piercing through the clouds. Colorless energy intermingled with golden blood oozed out of his pores, covering him from head to toe. The land around him was beginning to be singed under the raging flames on his horns.

Qi Zixie was forced to rely on her own power to resist the heat, amazed that her cold energy could stand up to such a temperature.

The rocks on the mountaintop began to soften before melting into a sludge completely different from regular magma. Even the ground started to soften into a porridge.

Qi Zixie froze the earth where she stood, and she found that the ground beneath Yuan Zhen was perfectly fine. However, the tablet had still refused to budge.

'Damnit! Why won't this thing just let me lift it! Am I unworthy of the true inheritance!?' Yuan Zhen was going off in his mind. His nails had snapped and even his bones were cracking, but the table was still in its initial position.

Qi Zixie herself was beginning to wonder how something could be so heavy. She could feel how many times stronger Yuan Zhen's energy was compared to hers, yet he was still unable to pick it up.

Then and there, the three spheres touched. In that very moment, Yuan Zhen's core shook as his soul essence began to be affected. The link between his manifestations and his soul, or spirit, was being utilized to bring about massive changes.

The colors of his core, instead of being separated, began to twist and turn until they had properly mixed together, an equivalent amount on each side.

Within his core, the void brightened. Endless specks of red lights, like tiny stars, filled Yuan Zhen's core. Miss Huang and Ye Lingzi were startled, but Ye Lingzi suddenly gasped.

His smile devolved into a nervous chuckle as a trace of fear surfaced on his face.

"This Yuan Zhen... I thought it strange that my soul could not usurp his, but if that is the case then..." Ye Lingzi closed his eyes and sighed, but unexpectedly began laughing triumphantly.

"Ahahaha!!! Do you see, Miss Huang? His soul essence is being transformed. The essence of all Hell, the Primordial Beasts bloodline and the inheritance of the Infallible Race are becoming one with his soul."

They each shared an excited look, despite Miss Huang not fully understanding the situation-- though she felt like she did.

What Ye Lingzi was describing was the beginning of Yuan Zhen's soul being nourished by the true inheritance.

That true inheritance was equivalent to him receiving the 'life' of everyone that perished because of the Celestial Emperor. King Yan, Yin itself, had used its power to allow such a thing.

Yuan Zhen basked in the feeling, meanwhile his soul power finally began to meet the standards of his changed body. It was the only thing holding him back, as it was the only thing he was lacking in order to lift the tablet.

As his soul power grew, the tablet finally shifted as one corner of it was raised from the ground.

Yuan Zhen let out a fearsome roar, then pulled with even more might than he felt himself to have. Thanks to his soul being nourished continually, it was able temporarily boost all his other sources of strength.

This allowed him to finally pick the tablet up, just a few inches above the ground. As soon as the tablet stopped touching the ground, the pressure on his entire body vanished.

Now, all of that weight was transferred to the stone tablet.

He groaned through gritted teeth, feeling his muscles tearing. Popping sounds escaped his limbs, and the colorless energy around him quickly rushed to those limbs and locked them in place.

The spheres continued to merge, supplying him with even more of that power. The tablet in his hands vibrated slightly, alerting Yuan Zhen to something.

Sparks flew in his mind as a single thought forced itself into Yuan Zhen's mind. When his brain processed that thought, he stopped in place for a moment, eyes unfocused.

Once the fierce glow returned to them, Yuan Zhen smiled his signature smile that made one feel they were about to violated in every possible way.

"Fuck it!"

He yelled with all his bodily might, forcing his energy into his arms and legs. The bones were out of place, but used his energy like a tendon to hold them in place until he was finished.

Once he was done, the dark violet fires on his head surged one last time. Like two blazing suns on each horn, they burned the world around him, scorching the Grotto entirely. Even some of the land beyond the Grotto was set ablaze.

In that world of fire, his dark violet flame stood at the top with him at the center of it all. The aquamarine mist around him tightened onto him, like an armor, to reinforce his body.

He had been preparing for the final burst, which came as soon as his preparations ended.

A bright red warlord appeared behind him in the sky, and even the cracked masked that leaked bloodlust had arrived on his face.

That was the moment the spheres merged completely, and also the moment he went beyond his past limit one last time. His feet cracked the earth, and those cracks spread out throughout the entire mountain.

At the base of the mountain, the ground was beginning to sink below. Pieces of mountain broke away and fell, but the situation worsened as Yuan Zhen kept pulling.

His core was now a replica of the universe, but filled with red 'stars' instead.

The energy holding his bones together was unable to withstand his strength, and so his flesh was beginning to be stretched and torn. His arms were pulled so intensely that they began to rip away from his shoulders, spurting blood.

The energy in his ankles was also unable to withstand it. Not only were his feet now bent off to the sides, but his legs and hip were no longer connect by bone.

He was ruining his body, all for the sake of lifting that tablet. No matter what happened, Yuan Zhen was resolved to lift that stone tablet. He didn't care how long it took him, or how badly his body would be injured.

All that mattered was him being able to pick it up, and stand tall despite the weight of that destiny. For as he inheriting their 'lives,' he inherited their fates. That fate was their destiny and karma, meaning he would be the single person to represent them all.

One of him to represent the myriad worlds that had been wronged. One of him to seek revenge against the Celestial Emperor on their behalf. That will was what had caused the tablet to respond to his efforts, showing him something.

As his flesh was ripped and torn, the glow of Yuan Zhen's eyes vanished. He looked down at the tablet that remained a few inches off the ground, then his smile deepened.

"It is mine."

In a sharp, quick motion, he brought the tablet up to his chest. As he did that, his body instantly regenerated, good as new. The fires on his horns died down, remaining as wisps of flame. His energy and blood, even the spilled blood, returned to his body after that.

He had now completed the inheritance. Yuan Zhen now took on the mantle, standing tall with the tablet in his hands. The pressure slowly diminished, confirming his accomplishment.

He almost cried out in celebration, but he reigned in that excitement and kept his cool. He turned to Qi Zixie, his smile softening when he saw her worshipful gaze.

"I did it, Zixie. Thanks for your help."

Before he could finish, she had already started to run toward him, freezing the soft ground with each step so she wouldn't sink into it.

She leapt into his embrace, and Yuan Zhen realized that the tablet was now weightless as he held it with one hand and hugged her with the other.

He proceeded to thank her a few times, and she smiled in delight before playfully asking, "Are you saying you couldn't do I without me?"

"Were you not with me, I'd have failed to remain true to myself. You reminded me of the person I am, Zixie, and that was why I managed to succeed."

Yuan Zhen reveled in the softness of her chest against his, but she was focused entirely on his lips. They had been bleeding previously, which was why she had been having thoughts about tasting them.

Though they weren't bleeding now, she couldn't help but glance at them with desire. It soon got to the point where she couldn't resist, and she had to act.

She pulled herself of to his face, planted her lips on his own.

Yuan Zhen was at a loss for a few seconds, but then he returned her passion with some of his own, just for the sake of not letting her down. He knew how she felt, and had no intention of shying away from her emotions despite their relationship lacking development.

Yuan Zhen picked her up, but as he did that the mountain trembled violently. Beneath them, it was beginning to crumble and fall into a large hollow space below. This was what was caused by the terrifying pressure Yuan Zhen had been under.

As the mountain fell to ruin beneath him, Yuan Zhen urged his energy and allowed himself to float in the air with Qi Zixie and the tablet.

As he diverted his attention to do that, he felt her bite into his lips and draw some blood.

"If you're kissing me, then I want all of your attention," she said as she licked his blood from her lips.

Yuan Zhen could only smile at her, thinking she was being a bit cute, then kissing her again. They remained there for a few minutes before their lips parted, and Yuan Zhen saw the glaze in her eyes.

"Zhen..."

When he heard her all but moan his name under her breath, Yuan Zhen tensed up involuntarily. He could tell what she wanted, as he was no stranger to lustful, aroused women.

With a gulp, he forced himself to say, "Not yet, Zixie. When that time comes, I want the world to be made ready for my children. I have to cleanse it of all filth before that, okay?"

Softly, she said, "I understand ...Husband..."

If he wasn't such a naturally concentrated person, Yuan Zhen would have let out a voluminous 'eek.' Instead, he nodded and then began to fly away.

As he was flying, and she was still clinging to him, he lifted the tablet and looked at the front of it.

He had seen a series of things in his mind as he was lifting it, and that had bolstered his conviction.

"Zixie, this tablet actually held a number of secrets even I didn't expect. One of those secrets is the method to go beyond the Immortal Spirit realm."

Though she was surprised, her reaction was reserved. She rested her head against him and just nodded, causing him to smile.

As for the words on the tablet, they had changed. Before, it read, 'The Infallible Race Empress, Ye Huang.' But now it read, The Infallible Race Emperor, Yuan Zhen.'