The Kori Federation. Ten kilometres east of the Uncharted Wilderness.
Shizen took two deep breaths in, absorbing what scents he could from the northern atmosphere. It was cold, just like the winter winds of the Lantis Republic. This far north, although snow was rare, it was still cold enough to lower the temperature of any who dared to venture up here. Shizen was a nature boy who grew up in a rainforest. His default setting was a damp, humid environment rife with thousands of earthy aromas. Thus, coming this far north, where the canopies were replaced by coniferous trees… It took Shizen some time to get used to his new reality.
"Venerate Maurice, are you sure this is the right way?" Shizen cried, bringing in the attention of the old man who was just a metre ahead of him. The man was dressed in a grey robe and warmed himself up with a thick, brown bear's coat. His sharp, chiselled face didn't go away with his age, and his movements seemed as fine as they were a hundred years back.
The Spirit Venerate looked back at the young, impatient man and showed all of his pearly white teeth with a smile. "Definitely, junior. I've been to the Illusory Canyon multiple times before. Although there are many ways to get there, this route is by far the best. No bandits or powerful wild Spirit Beasts are present on this uneven road. All you need to do is endure the cold for a little bit more..."
"Okay..." Shizen replied, his tone showing that he was still unconvinced. It has been a few weeks since he'd last departed from the Highgarden Duchy. Before the nature boy could get to work, Shizen demanded that the primary clause in his contract be fulfilled. It has been more than five years since he'd last signed the employment contract with Kanari.
The contract claimed that Shizen was to be given a ranking position within the Duchy as well as a safe environment to bolster his skills. Be it a luxurious mansion or a seasoned teacher that could match any that the Imperial Family had. However, before Shizen signed the contract, there was one clause that he wanted to fulfil no matter what.
And that was to be escorted to the Illusory Canyon while he searched for the Tree of Illusions.
It was Kanari's mistake to expose Shizen to the Soul Tree back in Imperius Academy. After being bathed in that glorious mana, Shizen had become obsessed with the Tree of Illusions. The Adivinar Tree had been growing at a tremendous rate with Shin's Celestial Dragon Aura by its side. However, that wasn't enough for Shizen. Something was calling him to the Illusory Canyon… Something primal…
'I can't keep leeching off Shin forever… It's best that I absorb the mana from the Tree of Illusions and hopefully trigger a Spirit Evolution.' Shizen thought to himself. After watching Shin's masterful display, the nature boy had become inspired. In his view, if he visited the Empyrean Wonder, there was a high chance of him advancing. In what manner, he didn't know. However, that didn't stop the young man from trying.
Kanari's mother, the Duchess of Highgarden, reluctantly allowed Shizen to make the trip into the Kori Federation. However, he had to be heavily guarded. And that's where Venerate Maurice comes into play. A Spirit Venerate that loved his freedom, Maurice had explored every corner of the globe. Well, at least the more well-known ones. He was an expert when it comes to the Empyrean Wonders and had made tremendous strides to visit every single one of them. Among all of the high-profiled explorers in the world, Venerate Maurice's name stands out. It was by sheer luck that the Highgarden Duchy had managed to bring him in as Shizen's escort.
The group of two continued to tread forward, not daring to lift their feet up into the skies for a single second. Although it would be time-efficient to fly, it was far too dangerous to be soaring this close to an Empyrean Wonder. Mainly since Shizen was just a mere Spirit Spectre.
"Mmmm?" All of a sudden, Venerate Maurice stopped in his tracks. Shizen, who had been following closely behind, collided with the firm back of the Spirit Venerate.
Rubbing his nose to ease the blood flowing into it, Shizen cried out. "Venerate Maurice! Please stop doing that!" The nature boy pouted at the Spirit Venerate's constant abrupt actions.
"Haha, sorry about that… Anyway, you don't have to worry anymore..." Venerate Maurice pointed his index finger at a distant rocky surface. A late autumn's wind blew past the entire vicinity, and both the Spirit Users took massive steps back. The spiritual energy had spiked to astronomical proportions, and the elements were in disarray. Well, those that ran amok were mostly the mind-elements, but even Shizen's Adivinar Tree could feel the immense pressure.
The nature boy gulped once to control his breathing. The world was void of any wildlife, even though there were countless trees littered all over the place. Even Spirit Beasts were deterred from stepping one foot closer into the immense canyon.
"We're finally here," Venerate Maurice smiled and turned to the young man that he had been escorting. "Welcome, Shizen… Welcome to the Illusory Canyon!!!"
❖❖❖
The Lantis Sea. Fifty kilometres west of the Nineteenth Artificial Island ruins.
Whooosh… Whooosh… Whooosh...
The constant crashing of waves against the cold, icy platform floating on the ocean reverberated through Shin's silent skull. Nothing was surrounding him in a hundred metres. Shin stood on top of the ice floor Bingbing had created, protected by Zishen, the Azure Dragon Lord and the familiar Tier 8 snowy gerbil that had yet to evolve. And that was just Shin's left. On his right, there was a muscular man, who seemed to be nearing his twilight years. However, if one looked at him from afar, there was no way that they could link that intimidating stature to someone who was reaching the end of his life.
"Hah… It's cold..." Shin groaned as a thick translucent mist flowed out from his mouth like a dragon's breath. The winters of the Lantis Republic were already cold enough, and now, the youth was situated on top of an entire ocean, where the temperature routinely dipped under freezing point. Even for the young man's heightened resistances and body armour, it was too much.
Therefore, Shin opted to wear the specially tailored navy officer's uniform that Longyu Tian had painstakingly sewn. When Shin first joined the Navy, there was substantial debate on what rank he should obtain. Should he be instantly promoted to an Admiral, due to his new Royal status? Or should he start from the beginning and work his way to the top? In the end, the High Council simply decided that Shin should become an honorary Commander, the same rank that Meijing Bingying had. However, since he wasn't under anyone, the young Prince had the free jurisdiction to do as he pleased.
In honour of his promotion, Longyu Tian did something that she had never done in a hundred years. She personally sew Shin's uniform. Since Shin was holding an honorary rank, it didn't make sense for him to wear the same attire as the rest of the Commanders. Not to mention, he was the first of the new generation of Royalty in the Lantis Republic. Therefore, there was a need for a specialist to come in and craft his uniform.
Longyu Tian volunteered to fill that gap and swore to make the best clothes that ever existed. Using her time element, she was able to fit in as many defensive abilities as she could. Additionally, Lady Seph joined in the fun. Creating golden threads using her mana, the Divine Healer single-handedly created the world's most valuable fabric… One that could regenerate itself back into shape.
Thus, Shin's uniform not only looked good, but it was also an authentic defensive armour, without the clunky metal of a knight. Longyu Tian had even considered the heat properties of the uniform. In case of a terrifying winter such as this, she created an entirely white trench coat with bits of comfy black mink fur warming his collar. Coloured in white and little bits of black, gold and blue, Shin looked like a Prince straight out of a fairy tale… And some might argue he already was.
"My Prince, it's about time..." The Spirit Venerate sent by the Fleet Admiral took a few steps forward and graciously bowed to the young man. "The Fleet would be sending the signal at any moment now, please be prepared."
"Thank you, Senior Heigui," Shin promptly replied. However, he didn't even bother to turn back and acknowledge the Spirit Venerate's existence. Why? Because Shin's attention was fully attached to the enormous hole that had been broken through by the Black Masks.
The Lantis Republic has always prided itself for having a secure border. The navies from the Himmel Empire and Kori Federation had always tried to breach the barrier created by the artificial islands they had. However, it was always to no avail. The Lantis Navy was simply far more advanced and far more potent than any other.
Yet, the Black Masks had created a path outwards… Shin watched as the numerous longboats stood stationary on the northern side of the Lantis Sea while the Navy's warships took the southern. They were at a stalemate. Whoever moves first would most likely suffer the most deadly blow, so they were all waiting patiently for the perfect moment.
Zishen, who had a lazy look all day, finally raised his eyebrows for once after hearing a report by his subordinate. Nodding twice, the Azure Dragon leaned in closer to Shin's ear, whispering: "Mmmm… My Prince, just as you've anticipated, the Black Masks had sent some of those submersible tubes towards us."
"Have you sunk them?"
"Obviously..." The Azure Dragon replied with a broad smile. "Lishen and Guoshen are patrolling the deeps, making sure that no more hindrances can come our way."
"Send two more to assist them," Shin ordered with confidence. "Once my Domain of Dreams is unleashed, there would be some Tier 6 and 7 Spirit Beasts that would come swimming over. We'll need more Tier 8 Azure Dragons to stop them."
"Mmmm… As you command..."
The two wanted to discuss future scenarios but all of a sudden, a flare flew up from the grey hull of the warship nearest to Shin. Heigui Xuegang, Shin's guard from the Lantis Republic, instantly released a torrent of green and black mana particles. An Aegis-like barrier, formed with the might of the Obsidian Xuanwu, surrounded the ice platform like a turtle shell, protecting Shin from any type of harm. Then, the man shouted: "My Prince! It's time!"
"I know!" Not expecting the signal to be fired this early, Shin's body moved about in a fluster. However, his experience adventuring on the Terre Continent and sailing with the Lantis Navy had shown. Instantly calming down, Shin murmured his signature cultivation technique, as the elemental particles flowed out from his body in droves.
Just like before, the Domain of Dreams, influenced by the Celestial Dragon's Aura, was fully unleashed. Billions of elemental particles seeped into the dark oceans below Shin, and the temperature was raised by quite a bit. With speed incomparable to before, the Spear of Aiglos formed within Shin's palms, and this time, it had some significant modifications. It grew by about twenty centimetres, and there were more elaborate details to its tip. A carving of a coiling dragon decorated its shaft, and the mana it stored was at least a hundred times more potent. In every single way, the Spear of Aiglos was a superior weapon than it was before. However, that wasn't Shin's only purpose for bringing his favoured weapon out.
CLINK!!!!
The Celestial Dragon Aura generated an unsettling disturbance all around the young man. The winds were far more rapid than before, and the waves were turning deadlier by the second. However, Shin unleashed all of his mana as scales formed all over his pale white skin. Now, instead of looking like a Prince, Shin seemed to become an incarnate of Poseidon himself. He slammed the bottom of his spear down, creating a huge ripple that pulsated out into the oceans.
When the Emperor screams, everyone listens. Shin's wrath had calmed the turbulent weather around him, and all eyes are now glued to his visage. However, Shin didn't care. He could sense it… The thousands, no… Tens of thousands of mana signatures running in his direction.
The Celestial Dragon's eyes glowed in a menacing red, as Shin's mana continued to peak. In one single movement, the man pointed the Spear of Aiglos towards the north. Badum… Badum… Shin's heart trembled at what's to come. He hadn't actually attempted this technique in an open battle before. It could either go very well, or it could backfire and bite him in the ass. And fortunately…
VVVVRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
Thousands of Spirit Beasts jumped out from the depths of the ocean, emerging like dolphins and Great White Sharks. Majority of them were at Tier 1, while the rest were evenly split between Tier 2, 3, and 4. Only a select few reached Tier 5 and 6. However, they all had one thing in common. They were listening to the Prince of Water's command.
'I'm… Far too powerful...' Shin's narcissistic side came out as he watched the army of Spirit Beasts leap out of the ocean to follow his every command. He was just a Rank 50 Spirit Lord, and he could command a Spirit Beast horde just like the Allfather could. That much power in a twenty-three-year-old's hands… It would be unhealthy if there were no pride in his achievements.
'No, I can't lose focus… There're still many people way stronger than me!' Shin immediately curbed his enthusiasm and snapped his head back into place. Right now, the Lantis Navy was about to face its toughest battle in the war thus far. There was no time for Shin to be slacking off.
'I did my job, so Fleet Admiral… Please do yours!!!'
✵✵✵
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