On his return trip, Zar coincidentally found Hua Ling bent over, her plump butt sticking out a little too enticingly. She was plucking a Spiritual Flower growing on the lip of a steep cliff, totally unfearful of the thousand-ter fall that awaited her if she were to trip off the side.
For a mont, Zar considered sparking up a conversation with her but ended up deciding not to. It was best for both of them if they stayed little more than acquaintances.
On the Path to Immortality, people never remained close for long. Eventually, they’d separate, embarking on paths of their own.
So why not end things before they even began?
It was more efficient that way.
Plus, Hua Ling may be astonishingly beautiful and talented, but she was still a Therian. And though Zar couldn’t tell you why exactly his hatred for Therians was so deeply rooted, he just knew he didn’t like them.
’Now that I think about it, why do I hate them so much anyway...?’ he wondered as question marks flew out of his head. ’Sure, they treated harshly—like trash even—while in the Great Forest of Jargon. But I doubt a civilization of Godlings would treat any differently if I were instead born a Therian. I wholly understand this, so why... Why does looking at a Therian make so mad...?’
Even with his Peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, Zar couldn’t comprehend it. And no matter how he thought about it, whenever the image of a Therian passed through his mind, he grew angry.
"Junior Brother Zar?"
Hua Ling’s cold voice took Zar out of his stupor. He imdiately realized that he had let himself get distracted, allowing her to catch him off guard.
"Senior Sister Hua," he said with a warm smile, doing a good job of not letting his true emotions show. "What might you be doing out here?"
Hua Ling eyed him, her eyes thinning. "You went to see Master?"
Zar choked, coughing like a sickly patient. "W-Why are you talking about , Senior Sister?? I’m just a nobody! But you, on the other hand—aren’t you about to reach the Top 100 in the Inner Sect???"
Hua Ling’s suspicions worsened, but a bit of happiness washed over her upon realizing that he had been paying attention to her.
Nodding, she said, "Un, as soon as I break through to the 7th Layer of Core Formation, I should be capable of beating most of the 9th Layer Core Formation Realm Inner Disciples. This would subsequently place at the end of the Top 100."
Zar threw up a thumb, praising her awesoness to no end. He did this while using the sa tactic that he had used with the Valley Master. With his proficiency in sneaking away, he naturally didn’t falter this ti either.
By the ti Hua Ling noticed sothing amiss, Zar was already long gone.
A tiny pout ford as she muttered, "Jerk."
After arriving at his ho, Zar entered and closed the door behind him. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he sauntered over to his cultivation mat, feeling most at ho while imrsed in the comfort of cultivation.
"Although I doubt I’ll be able to achieve the Soul Transformation Realm naturally, I’ll still see if it’s possible," he declared. "Then again, if I reach 100,000 years of lifespan first, I’ll just forcefully advance everything."
While Zar engrossed himself in his cultivation, a certain eting was ongoing among the Minor Representatives of the Blazing Sun Sect and Quixan Dynasty. It just so happened to be centered around the cultivating mad-lad in question.
A Godling who simply refused to leave the peacefulness of his dicine Valley to venture out and involve himself with the unknown...
"If the recent influx of Demon Beast deaths really is the result of a miraculously intelligent Demon Beast appearing among their kind, then do you think the Demonic Faction is making a move?"
This question was voiced by a Soul Transformation Realm Inner Elder of the Blazing Sun Sect, and it was one that had the others around him raising their voices in exclamations. They outwardly disagreed with such a preposterous claim, but in their hearts, they knew that it was certainly a definite possibility.
"What if this is just a standalone occurrence?" asked a Soul Transformation Realm Minister of the Quixan Dynasty, soone who was planted by a different sect, for Mortals were not naturally capable of cultivation. "It has happened in the past, with no evidence of the Demonic Faction being involved."
Many nodded.
"I agree!"
"It’s not out of the question. Demon Beasts are unpredictable and savage, so sudden evolutions among an especially savage one are within the realm of reason."
But then an Elite Disciple from the Blazing Sun Sect interrupted the flow of agreents by saying, "What if... What if it really is the work of the Demonic Faction...? You were all there 300 years ago when the Demonic Faction invaded the Rising Dawn Province—the province that our branch of the sect and your Quixan Dynasty live in."
The bringing up of this subject soured the expressions of many. A few even displayed clear murderous intent as recollections of the day the Demonic Sect invaded filtered through their mories.
Millions lost their lives, including many of whom they knew...
It was only after a Peak Void Crossing Realm Core Elder made his grand appearance that the forces of the Demonic Faction were pushed back. Up until that point, though, it was absolute pandemonium, with death and destruction wrecking through the Inner Sect, Outer Sect, and Quixan Dynasty.
The Demonic Faction was a force to be reckoned with; that was a fact.
Which was why those gathered around the table centered in the dimly lit room were put so on edge. It was not so simple to call upon a Core Elder, for they were almost always busy with the higher-level problems of the sect.
Very rarely was the well-being of one of the many branches of the Inner and Outer Sects put high up on the list of priorities for the upper echelon of the massive behemoth that was the Blazing Sun Sect.
"Should we take precautionary asures just in case the worst cos to pass?"
The expressions of everyone in the room were covered in shadows as they pondered the options. But in the end, they felt there was no other choice but to nod.
"Very well then. Let us all return for now. Assuming this unknown anomaly and their faction killing Demon Beasts don’t do anything too drastic, we can just leave them be. But if the Demonic Faction were to rear their heads..."
"We strike," everyone stated in unison.
— Ti unassumingly passed, churning the wheels of reality —
2 years later.
[Lifespan: 23/86,500]
It wasn’t long now that Zar would reach his goal of 100,000 years of Lifespan, but since passing 80,000, the amount he received from Spiritual Plants and Nascent Soul Realm Demon Beasts had greatly lessened. This made him guess that he was still roughly a year away from exceeding 100,000.
"If only there were more Rank 4 and above Spiritual Plants to harvest," Zar said with a sigh while leaving his house for the first ti in a month.
He was almost instantly greeted by the grating voice of ng, who ca up, asking if he had broken through or not. Yet, even though he asked in a manner befitting a senior brother, he was really just trying to indirectly show off the fact that he had broken through to the 7th Layer of Foundation Establishnt.
"Yes, I broke through, and there arose no problems," Zar replied respectfully, projecting his 4th Layer Foundation Establishnt Realm cultivation base. "See? The breakthrough was a huge success."
"Haha!" ng laughed as he smacked him on the back, much to his dismay. "I just knew you could do it after entering secluded cultivation, Junior Brother Zar! Aren’t you glad that I recomnded it to you??"
’Yes, I am,’ Zar thought to himself. ’After all, I achieved the very pinnacle of the Half-step Soul Transformation Realm with it. In fact, I can begin my Lightning Tribulations whenever I wish to. But I won’t, for I want no trouble; I just want to live a peaceful, easy-going life—sothing that I couldn’t have while living a shunned lifestyle outside Verndale.’
"Say, Junior Brother Zar," ng leaned next to his ear, whispering with a vigilant gaze. "There’s this famous brothel in Yellow Leaf City. Wanna go ’inspect’ the place with your senior brother, heh~?"
Zar slickly backed away and, with a crooked smile, said, "I think I’ll pass this ti around, Senior Brother. There’s this thing I need to do..."
"Thing?" ng looked less offended, more confused. But then a cheeky grin ford as he playfully asked, "Does this thing have to do with Senior Sister Hua?"
"Yes...?" Zar lied.
ng’s grin beca more prominent as he patted him on the shoulder, all while crying tears of blood. "I’m jealous as fuck, but good for you, man. Good for you... G-Good for you...!"
Not stopping there, he sniffled, "W... What’s so bad about that makes so much worse off than you, Junior Brother Zar...? Is it my face...??"
Seeing that he was about to tear up, Zar awkwardly said, "There, there...? I hope you get well soon," he added while not entirely knowing what they were talking about.
"Th-Thanks, Junior Brother Zar," ng said through sniffles. "You’re always so good to ... If things don’t work out between you and Senior Sister Hua, don’t worry, this good brother of yours has your back! I’ll pay for your ti in the brothel!"
"Thanks?"
Zar then watched as ng walked away. The further he got, the more a lascivious smirk began to show itself, urging a helpless sigh from Zar.
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