Ch.4

A month later Duan Jian returned with Nie Li and his group of friends. They'd even brought Ye Ziyun this time. Nie Li saw me and actually bowed saying. "Thank you for protecting our home."

I waved it off with a sigh. "I didn't do it for you or even the city lord. Hell, I didn't do it for anyone. I did it because I wanted to, nothing more or less."

Ye Ziyun asked. "Is it true Ye Han is dead?"

I nodded. "If it helps I tortured him for hours until he died screaming in agony. I'm not a fan of betrayers."

She paled and looked to be sick while Nie Li grunted. "A little less detail for the light hearted please."

I smirked. "That is the light version. The heavy is detail by detail of how I boiled the blood in his veins till his eyeballs burst and he coughed up pieces of his lungs as his shit and pissed himself while falling over dead, and that's just the last five minutes of it."

The males and females looked sick while Duan Jian kept his cold expression. Nie Li gave me an exasperated sigh and I shook my head. "Don't coddle them, they need to know what the real world outside of Glory city is like. Death is always gruesome and life is just as bad at times. Ye Han paid the price for trying to sacrifice an entire city over greed and petty revenge."

I gave them each a cold look before saying. "I'd do the same to any of you thinking to do the same thing. While I'm an ally to Nie Li for personal reasons, it doesn't mean I'm a nice guy or even good. I've my own wants and needs just like everyone else. What you take for granted in Glory city, like food and water, others would kill for if given half the chance. Keep this in mind while you venture out."

I turned back to Nie Li and asked. "Are you here for the nether lords test?"

He nodded and I passed him a ring saying. "Whether you pas or not is up to you. I cannot help in it. But I can do Glory city one last solid. Inside is the demon lord's body. It's a supreme body, one of a hand full in existence. Have the alchemist association repair it and you'll find a scroll inside with the inscriptions to turn it into a body Ye Yan can inhabit until he reaches heavenly fate realm and rebirths his old one. It will be one last thing I give the city."

I turned to Duan Jian saying. "It's time we left. The inn is getting crowded and I've much to teach you."

He nodded and we disappeared in a whirl of wind, leaving Nie Li, his guards and his friends there to wonder where it is we went to. In point of fact we went just outside the entrance to the testing ground and sat there while I connected with his mind, showing him all I'd learned of laws and this world.

I spared him Nie Li's sex life and the details of his day to day but the major hits and talents I gave freely. I filled his mind with the knowledge of fighting techniques I'd learned over the thousands of years I'd been alive before finally showing him what I truly wished to achieve.

Tiny world wouldn't stay safe forever even with the experts guarding it so I intended for him to carry the burden once I finally left this place for good. He accepted his charge after learning all I had from Nie Li. The sage Emperor could be dealt with in time but the real problem lay in the temporal demon spirit book.

If it could seal space and time once, it could do so again and again. I would give him the enochian tattoos I would soon sport to hide myself from other's sights before we entered the draconic ruins realm. That should be enough to obscure the sage Emperor's sight even with divination techniques.

The last thing I taught him was to utilize the spirit force separate from the law energies and together as well by utilizing the senses. When he got all I wanted him to know, I released him and made camp there outside the gates of the testing ground.

When some ass clowns from the bigger families tried to move us with oppressive numbers, I turned them into paste as a warning to the rest. The Demi god ranked experts were no exception either. When the rest of the gathering people saw this they backed off quickly because if I could do it once, I could do it many times.

I tossed the dead family's rings to Duan Jian and told him to see if there was anything interesting in them while I went to take a nap. Three days passed in the blink of an eye and the time for the test was about ready to begin.

I left my tent and ventured out after a good nap and meditation session as everyone went quiet around us. Duan Jian came out once he sensed me leaving my tent. I waved a hand and put the tents away as I turned to the gates.

A huge vortex formed as the gates opened to the seventh layer of the nine layered death lands and the testing grounds of the netherworld's lord. The others around us hesitated until I nodded and flew through the vortex with Duan Jian, the first of many.

We appeared in the air where many ravines below crossed. Circular pillars below each of us allowed for this that could not fly to stand. The city lord's lackey's started talking about mercy and some such but I tuned it out as I enjoyed a good brawl to the death even if it were someone close to me in power.

I'm an equal opportunity killer here. When they finally got on with the test, I indicated to the laws with a flick of my finger and Duan Jian understood. The trick of the test was to balance all the energy's inside the ball of liquid and stretch the string with your control of laws or soul force.

I stretched mine to twenty feet before getting bored, I then just waved a hand popping it intentionally. The examiners were stunned but I couldn't care less. When the test finally ended we were teleported to the eighth layer of the nine layer death land.

Here it was mostly wilderness with a sudden scorching heat. When Duan Jian appeared I told him. "Try to enter the void mind state and stay there while absorbing as much of these flames as you can. Your black dragon lineage will protect you. This is an absolute good thing for you."

He grinned before his face went blank and mine did as well. I wasn't about to pass this opportunity up. These flames refined them mind body and soul of those burning so long as your mind or soul doesn't break first.

My vine happily absorbed the flames as it grew and grew the closer we walked to the black tower in the distance. I heard Nie Li not far away warning his friends about the flames and what it could do. He looked to me and I shrugged. "No one will fight in here without risking death. I doubt you'll find anyone else like you and I so enjoy the moment."

My dead tone let him know I was already in the void state as I fed the void all my thoughts and emotions. I continued my trek to the tower as it got much hotter. When Duan Jian and I entered it we went directly to the second then third and even fourth layer. The third had some annoying demon beasts inside it so it was a useless place. At the fourth layer we refined our minds, bodies and souls until I stood once more.

He followed and we went up to the fifth layer. There I felt pressure so I waved him on. His body already had flames all over it as he was refining them at an extremely fast pace. He went to the sixth layer while I meditated here and released my vine.

It began sucking up all of the flame energy inside the fifth layer as I meditated. In a burst of energy I felt the vine start to give birth to the next fate soul. When the last of the flame energy was gone and more flooded in from the sixth and fourth layers, the second flower bloomed. I immediately went to the sixth layer and filled the fate soul with the heavenly energy it could take from the flames.

When I was done I sat beside Duan Jian who was completely burning now like a bon fire. I sensed a soul coming near and grasped it with my law of souls. It must've been extremely powerful when it was flesh because even now it was able to struggle.

Snorting I drop kicked it into the distance before waking Duan Jian. "Lets go see what the seventh floor has for us."

He nodded and followed me out while I kept a weary eye on the soul in question. When we left and it didn't follow, I released my weary state and took up the void again. Duan Jian was loving the feeling of being on fire at this point that I decided to join him and refine my body more. It was after all only at the peak of legend rank.

My mind and soul weren't effected by the flames any longer and I'd probably drain the whole tower before entering the three fate realm. Duan Jian on the other hand was having a hell of a time and was damn close to finishing his first fate soul.

I decided to give him a boost when I felt the battle raging outside the tower between peak experts. I've no idea if Yu Yan, the fire spiritual goddess had tried the enochian sigils or not but she was most definitely being followed.

Either it's a damn good guess on his part or she's not using them. Either way it's not my problem. After a while I tapped Duan Jian and told him. "I'll be right back, stay here and complete your fate soul."

He nodded and I went to the lower floors. On the sixth floor I found Yu Yan burning and she looked angry while Nie Li had a duck like creature with him and most of the sixth floor's fire energy was depleted.

I shook my head and went farther down until I saw the person I wanted. One of those that would be potentially selected to become a divine feather sect disciple. I waved a hand and crushed him to paste.

His death was quick while those around me lost their void states in terror that they could be next. I waved them goodbye and went to the floors below, killing everyone there and looting their bodies. On the way back up I tossed a lot of space rings to Nie Li's friends and the rest of those their eyed me wearily.

I smirked at them before heading back up. I found Nie Li with Duan Jian now who had just completed his first fate soul and was refining it further with the sparse heavenly energy in the flames. I spoke up. "Go to the with floor immediately and use the flames there."

As the words left my mouth Duan Jian disappeared as if he was waiting for my order. I turned to Nie Li and sighed. "I just killed all but a few inside the tower."

He frowned and I shook my head. "I'll either become a disciple of the divine feathers sect or I'll kill the remaining ones besides your friends."

His frown lightened. "Why?"

I shrugged. "There's something there I need and I'm willing to kill for. Besides, if we're both selected for the divine feathers sect, I know a few things that will make our power skyrocket into martial ancestor realm within a year's time."

He was shocked by my words and I chuckled. "I know what you fear, and I know there is no need to rush. We can return through the portal in five years time and wipe the demon beast gods out, returning their power to the human and other creatures gods. As for the hordes, they cannot get passed the array I've left Yang Xin so easily. It really does have infinite potential and with enough demon beasts dying near it, it could take on anything below heavenly star realm given enough time."

He was doubtful but kept it to himself while I turned and left. I headed passed the eighth floor and up to the ninth. There's were I sat, engulfed in flames while I felt nothing. No pain or need, no sorrow or joy. My body was in a state of constant refinement while my mind and very soul was void.

I'd entered the deepest parts of my mind, going over every Nei Li had experienced over and over again as if I'd experienced it myself. I'd edited the personal stuff out while I ingrained the rest into my own memories.

All he'd learned and done I committed to memory and used my first life's memories of the book to modify my plans for the future. Ten days passed like that in blink of an eye and soon enough we were all teleported out of the tower and to the ninth layer of the nine layer death lands.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt the aura of those in cloaks around us. A few of them gave me sour looks but I merely glanced to the next until I saw the leader, the nether lord. I stood up and brushed off while Duan Jian did so as well. I was happy to see his cultivation had stabilized at one fate soul and it was fully formed from the feel of it.

The others that had survived my slaughter were glancing nervously around now. The nether lord though met my gaze. "You've taken it upon yourself to eliminate potential allies before they could possibly mature and you've done so with the sole intention of getting into the divine feathers sect of the draconic ruins realm. One has to wander why you'd go so far to achieve such a goal."

I smirked. "I'd go a lot farther if it achieved my goals, and excuse me for saying but unless you've decided to accept me as a student then I don't owe you or anyone here the answers you seek."

A man amongst them snorted. "Impetus."

I grunted. "Idiot. See, I can use one word to describe you as well as you can me."

He went to move but the nether lord stopped him before saying. "Very well, you've peeled my interest and while I fear you've eliminated one too many, I'm apparently the only one willing to take you in after what you've done."

I raised an eyebrow and he sighed. "You've shown talent beyond all here save a few and you killed an uneven amount of people to be shared among us as disciples."

I nodded and held up a hand. "If that's the case then give me a moment and I'll make the numbers even again. It shouldn't be too hard to kill off a few more."

They all sweat dropped and the nether lord shook his head. "That's unnecessary. The disciples have been chosen, now, as your master, would you care to share why it is so important you get into the divine feathers sect?"

I chuckled and sent a beam, a thought of sorts to the nether master. They didn't react which clearly spoke of their confidence in being able to kill me if necessary. It struck the nether master in the head and all it said was that I was a reincarnated being with memories of the sect and how I planned to use those memories to grow.

When I lowered my hand he looked me over and I shrugged. "I'd have killed off almost everyone here if necessary to achieve my goals."

Nie Li gave me a looks and I shrugged. "What? I said almost everyone."

The nether master sighed before they announced the students. Duan Jian went to some sword sect I really didn't pay attention to. It was me, Nie Li and Lu Piao that would be entering the divine feathers sect.

When the nether master said that, I bowed and cupped my fist as the rest did. They gave us a month to say goodbye to whomever but I staid anyway telling the nether master. "I've no one and nothing to say goodbye to that I haven't already. I'd like to stay and discuss a few things with you if you'll let me."

He agreed after sending the rest away. Duan Jian requested time return to the tower until it was time to return and his request was granted as well. While the rest disappeared, only the nether master and his friends stayed.

Sighing I told him while showing him the various laws I could utilize. "This world was made of laws, not added later, but made of them."

I showed him the law of nether as I made it grow and grow until he felt control slipping away. I let it go and told him. "The being that made this world was stronger than you realize. Instead of just killing the sage Emperor for his arrogance of sealing the space time of this universe, he turned it, this universe and reality into a testing grounds of sorts."

My words sank in amongst them as I continued. "The laws you so arrogantly assume are for you to utilize, are simply tests for beings like me. I said I was a reincarnated being and I didn't lie. I am a god of rebirth."

The nether lord frowned and I waved him off. "Not those pitiful beings that utilize one law and integrate it into their being. They are at best essence spirits. To a god, a real god, this entire planet you call tiny world, is a spec of dust. If I wasn't being trained right now, against my will I'll add, I'd be able to utilize the full power of my might and wipe the sage emperor, the draconic ruins realm and any other planet or dimension out of existence."

The nether lord finally spoke up. "What proof could you possibly show us that would make us believe you?"

Lucifer took that moment to appear before us. He chuckled. "You sure keep things amusing kid. Here your proof."

He snapped his fingers and half off the nether realm's population died off instantly. All bursting in showers of blood. The nether lord paled as he felt what had happened.

I stopped him saying. "I really wouldn't try anything if I were you. He's a god of destruction, one of the original six beings birthed to continue the eternal cycle. The one who forced me, a twenty thousand year old god into the body of a child for amusements, my father, Lucifer."

They all paled with fright as he basked in their fear for a moment until blew a raspberry at me and disappeared. I told them exasperated. "The reason I wanted to go to the divine feather sect is because I know of it and it's the fastest way for me to leave this universe, reality or whatever you want to call it. If it helps I'm fairly certain he'll be following me out if for no other reason that to torture me some more."

They were terrified beyond words now so I sat down and meditated while they called themselves. Meeting Lucifer can have that effect on people. He's not evil in the strictest sense. He's just a god of destruction, no more evil than the next guy but doing his duty destroying the realities that-

A stray thought hit me and I suddenly felt bad for these people. The only time I'd met him inside a reality like this was when it was slated to be destroyed soon. It was my original one. Sighing I truly felt bad for these people if that was the case because that meant no matter what I did or didn't do, these people were fucked.

I heard his demented laughter in my head and sighed before concentrating on the task at hand. I needed to stabilize my body's strength and get used to it. The flames had nourished it to the point that it had broken passed the legend rank shackles.

Not by much mind you, but enough that I was sure I could take blows from Demi gods head on and not receive half the damage they meant to inflict on me. In front of them I did a one finger stand and used the law of gravity to increase the gravity around me slowly, stopping at a thousand times gravity as it was the limits of what I could do without killing the god of that particular law.

I sighed and knew it was pointless now so I stood up and asked. "You wouldn't have any weights I could train with would you master?"

That amazingly shook them out of it as he fumbled with his ring before summoning a set of weighted training gear around two tons. He scratched his head. "Sorry but that's the lightest I have."

I shrugged and took it, it was a bit heavy but my body could take it. I put it all in before taking my stance a little awkwardly at first, on my single finger. All the muscles in my body burned at once as I entered the void state once more.

I sent pulses of soul force to heal the muscles that tore and repeated the process only when necessary. It was an improvement on the original technique that would simply stop when the body could no longer take any more. This way the foundation stayed solid and rapidly strengthened.

The only downside was the lake of sweat that pooled below me as my body burned it all off through the process. I still had to stoop ten times a day to drink plenty of water and eat light meals.

I repeated the process the entire month I was there. When the weight wasn't enough I just upped the gravity a degree and it became a whole new problem all over again. I was on ten times the natural gravity when Nie Li and the rest returned.

Duan Jian had gotten another fate soul during that time to his master's satisfaction. They'd chosen not to talk about what had happened with Lucifer.

When it was time to leave I gave the nether master one last gift, I grabbed his hand and channeled the law of the nether into him that is grasped, using it as a gate way I showed him that the gate souls didn't really disappear, they just faded.

He was shocked at the revelation and I smirked because now that he knew it was there all he needed to do was fill it with heavenly energy. There were in fact three of them he'd temporarily lost but now there was a real chance he could revive them.

With the tower below and the resources he earned from the sect, it shouldn't be hard at all to return to his former glory. I knew Nie Li intended time give him a proper cultivation manual as his gift so I backed away and watched him do so.

I turned to Xiao Yu now. "Seeing as your father is my master now, I might as well tell you, your cultivation manual is flawed, that's the reason you haven't entered heavenly fate realm. I can fix it with a few acupuncture needles when we reach the sect. There your body will adapt faster and absorb the nearby heavenly energy. You should reach three or four gate souls from what you've built up alone."

The female hiding as a male was stunned, so was her father. Sighing I continued. "It's not so much flawed as incomplete. I believe that's what Nie Li is giving master now-"

Nie Li nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "I happened upon the full manual of the myriad dragonroars cultivation technique a while back and I figured it'd make an excellent parting gift to master."

The nether lord took the box and gripped it right before I told him. "Relax, I've read it and I'll give a copy to Xiao Yu when I've completed helping him break through to heavenly fate realm."

He nodded and saw us off as the last to leave tiny world. The portal was a bit unstable but it got us there in one piece. Where we arrived, the sect was bustling with activity. Hundreds of other candidates were just arriving as well and they all needed sorting out and tested.

What they were looking for what's the spirit root or in a word, the natural talent of the individual to connect with heavenly energy. It was all around us now and while thin, it was more than the tower held. I couldn't resist causing a bit of commotion as i draining the heavenly energy near us for a long ways as I grew my next fate soul.

I sat in meditation right where we arrived and pissed off quite a few people. The rules of the sect protected me though so I held nothing back as I gathered the energy of heaven and earth and my vine sucked it all up like a vacuum.

When there was enough, the next flower bloomed and my third fate soul appeared. The first was a sky blue, while the second was a burning green and the last was a deep royal purple.

I stabilized it before standing up and brushing off my pants. The looks of the bystanders was enough to tell is both pissed them off and shocked them. The heaven and earth energy here was sparse now and thus useless for others to try mimicking my feat, not that a few didn't try anyways.

Xiao Yu looked around before warning me. "You shouldn't try that out in the open again. While violence against others is forbidden, they could still interrupt you and cause injuries that way."

I shrugged. "Then they'd be in for a treat as I'd simply take the heavenly energy out of them, draining their fate souls. I wouldn't even need to touch them either."

The bystanders around me shivered and backed away while Xiao Yu frowned. "That would be harming them."

I shrugged. "You say to-mato I say toma-to. Besides, they'd have no proof, all it would be like is if they fell down crippled."

There were several coughs and words like demon and devil were whispered about. I ignored it as they really were just bags of resources for me. A few minutes later, Hua Ling, a classmate and rival of Xiao Yu showed up.

He threw his weight around and talked shit for a bit. Nie Li contradicted him with a metaphor about bamboo shoots and talent. I ignored it for the most part and waited my turn. If us, Lu Piao was first, then Nie Li, both having a five heaven spirit root and eight heaven spirit root respectively.

When it was my turn I asked the examiner. "If it breaks because my talent is to high, I'm not responsible for it right?"

He snorted. "If your talent breaks the heaven spiritual crystal then I'll pay for it damn kid! Hurry up I haven't got all day!"

I shrugged and placed my hand on the crystal. It flashed to life and rapidly grew in branches while changing colors until it turned black and the crystal shattered before the examiner's eyes. I gave him a cold glare. "See what you did? Now I don't know what I tested as!"

He gulped as his mouth refilled with saliva. A moment later word spread and an old man appeared out of nowhere saying. "Calm down, I'll test the kid personally."

He held out a hand and touched my chest. A moment later he jolted back as if electrocuted before saying. "Peak nine heaven spirit root. The heavenly spirit crystal must've collapsed from over use them finding a peak talent while it was worn out."

He gave me a disgruntled look before sending me on my way and disappearing. I followed Xiao Yu along with Nie Li and Lu Piao back to the West district where we were to apparently wait until the next tests to get to the next district like everyone else.

When we got there Xiao Yu gave us two spiritual stones out of her own supply before telling us we could crash in her spare rooms as she'd rented a house in this district. I immediately offered to take care of her cultivation problem and she agreed though insisting that we do it behind closed doors.

I couldn't care less and agreed. A few minutes later a vast suction of heavenly energy came from the room as she broke through three consecutive times, becoming a three fate soul expert. When she was done consolidating her cultivation, I tapped her forehead, giving her the complete myriad dragonroars manual.

After that I went to the room I shared with Nie Li. I tossed him the two stones saying. "They'll do me little good at this point. Besides, I've other ways of getting stones when needed."

He raised an eyebrow and I chuckled. "Perhaps you should heal someone of some sickness or other to get enough to reach heavenly fate realm. Do that and we'll talk business."

I had a few thousand god growth rate demon spirits but none of them had a dragon bloodline which is what mattered in the draconic ruins realm. The demon spirit I'd given Duan Jian only had a trace, while what we needed were ones with solid bloodlines.