Shin opened his eyes. The seven obelisks had been replaced with the gorgeous, perky face of his beloved blonde master. Gone was the celestial skies that inspired Shin's every dreams as a familiar mist filled his vision. Shin's five senses were still a little numb, so he wasn't able to make out the words that came out of Lady Seph's mouth. Even his trustworthy lip-reading skills had failed him this time as her cherry lips were blurred out by the fuzzy vision that he had.
However, the young Prince slowly sat upright as his mind cleared up. His five senses were slowly being recuperated. The air was moist and refreshing, and each breath brought a new wave of calmness to the young man's heart. There was nothing but silence surrounding Shin, as any and all wildlife had long retreated.
"Shin! Are you alright?!" Slowly, Shin started to hear the concerned voice of his master. There were radiant golden lights on her fingertips, all laced with a massive dosage of her healing power. It brought serenity to any who were enveloped by the Iofiel Angel's light, and Shin was no exception. After coming out from the disturbance in his Spectre Soul, the young Prince needed that familiar, warm energy to calm his emotions.
"Master..." Shin's fatigued voice called out to the woman, which in turn, brought a relieved smile to her face.
"Thank goodness you're alright!" Lady Seph grabbed onto Shin's neck and brought his small head into her bosom. Her voice was choked up and her eyes, misty. Who could blame her? Right after the battle was won, Junius had actually sent his Azure Water Blade flying towards Shin's chest, piercing it in the process. Not only that, after Junius surprise attack, Shin fell onto the ground with no visible injuries and yet… He slept for over an hour. Worst still, even with her plethora of experience, Lady Seph was unable to identify the cause of Shin's coma. All she could deduce was that something had happened within Shin's Spectre Soul. Fortunately, Shin had awakened from his temporary slumber completely unharmed.
"You really have a knack for making me worry!" Lady Seph pushed Shin's face out before gently slapping it twice.
"I'm sorry..." A bitter smile crept up the black-haired man's face as he felt his strength returning. "I just… had to do something..."
"Hah… Honestly, Shin, you shouldn't..."
Just as Lady Seph was about to give her signature lectures, the perceptive Spirit Venerate noticed that something was off with her disciple. The elements swirled around Shin like never before, and a mind bending aura was being emitted out from his pores. Although Shin looked like he had just recovered from an incurable disease, the young man's inner soul was anything but weak. Mana that would dominate over any Rank 50 Spirit Lord pulsated out from the youth's body, dropping the jaws of all who witnessed it.
"Shin… You..." Lady Seph's lips were chapped, and her heart was beating wildly. She had been monitoring Shin's condition from the moment he fainted, but she was primarily focused on any external injuries. The Divine Healer would have never guessed that Shin's Spectre Soul would have undergone such a drastic change. "Shin, don't tell me you..."
"It's a long story, Master..." Shin slowly stood up. Bingbing, in her human loli form, shuffled her feet towards the man and held him up with her icy wings. Just like the Spirit Venerate, Bingbing could sense the drastic change in Shin's inner body. The vast mana ocean within his soul had almost doubled, and his mana circuits had widened tremendously. Any and all impurities had been dispelled into the air, making the young man seem like a different person altogether. "But yes, I'm now a Rank 60 Spirit King."
"You what?!"
That statement instantly drew shouts from everyone present. The long-living Azure Dragon Lord, Zishen, knew that his Prince was an enigma. Still, he would have never guessed that Shin was capable of skipping an entire cultivation realm. The same went for Venerate Maurice, perhaps the one human who had seen more than any other. A master explorer, Maurice had seen sights that Shin could only dream of. However, never in his long years had he seen or even heard of the miracle that Shin had pulled off.
Heigui Xuegang gulped, thankful that the Heigui Clan had stood behind the Prince without much resistance. Shin was a bona fide freak of nature, and his ascent to the top was all but inevitable now. A Rank 60 Spirit King at twenty-three-years-old… Even novelists wouldn't dare to imagine that kind of progression. Maybe… Just maybe… Shin might be able to beat Spirit Immortal Dream's impeccable record that many thought wouldn't be surpassed until the end of time. Alas, Shin wasn't done shocking people just yet…
"I'm currently hovering just above Rank 60. Once I absorb the rest using the Hymn of Origin, I could possibly increase my cultivation by a few more ranks..."
"You still can advance?!" At that moment, Venerate Maurice exclaimed with everything that he had. Breaking through into the Rank 60 Spirit King realm wasn't enough for this little genius. He was able to promote even further, becoming the undisputed cultivation juggernaut of his generation.
"Like I said, it's a long story..." Shin shook his head as all of his mental functions came online. Now, he could sense everything within the Illusory Canyon. The gentle movements of the grass as the winter's breeze passed on by. The sweet mist that brought a mixture of Mind and Water elements to the already humid area. And most importantly…
Shin turned his attention to the Tree of Illusions, shooting out a sharp glare. Mind-Elements showed themselves in the forms of wisps, orbiting around the white weeping willow tree like moons. Snowlike leaves fell from the tree, gracing the mossy ground with its glorious splendour. It was a beautiful sight, to say the least, but Shin wasn't interested in admiring the Empyrean Wonder's beauty.
A scoff ran out of Shin's annoyed face as he cursed the peak existence: "Hmph! Why should I accept the blessing of a maniac that takes pleasure in watching people kill each other? Keep your fucking Mind-Elements to yourself!"
That sudden burst of emotion startled Lady Seph and the rest of Shin's entourage. Just like it had done to Junius, the Tree of Illusions was looking to make Shin its new champion, the one that would carry out its will. Shizen and Junius, both tremendous geniuses of their own, had fought to the bitter end for the said blessing. However, Shin wasn't interested in the Tree of Illusion's proposal. In fact, Shin's honest feelings were to uproot the dastardly Empyrean Wonder that used human lives for its own entertainment.
The wisps stopped their jubilant cheering and had halted mid-air. Evidently, the Tree of Illusions was stunned by Shin's swift rejection. However, after a given amount of time, the weeping willow tree resumed the movements of its floating wisps and slowly shrouded itself back into the mist.
"Shin… What in the world just..."
"The Tree of Illusions is something that shouldn't be interacted with," Shin gave a succinct reply even before Lady Seph could complete her sentence. "In exchange for taking its power, I will always be a toy for it to play with. Just like how Shizen and Junius were. I can't have that kind of weakness in my life..."
The Prince… No, the newly ascended King looked at the Tree of Illusions as if it were a maggot that had to be crushed. Deep down in his Spectre Soul, Shin could feel his Celestial Dragon roar as well as the rising aura of the Celestial River. Junius may have been the one that killed Shizen, but it Shin knew that the real culprit was the Tree of Illusions. If not for its playful meddling, Shizen would still be alive and kicking, smiling alongside Shin and the rest of his friends.
'No… There's no need to overthink...' Shin sighed. The Tree of Illusions had now returned back into hiding and god knows how long it would take for it to re-emerge on the Terre Continent. Even if Shin wanted to burn that bloody tree down, there was probably not a single chance to do so anymore. Sighing, the young man sauntered over to the unmoving corpse that was sprawled out on the floor.
Heart pierced, and complexion turned green, Junius' unmoving body was unfit for embalmment or burials. Well, not that Shin had intended for Junius to be buried anyway. How could he justify honouring the death of the Blade of Death, the man responsible for the Land of Dreams massacre? Not to mention, many people had lost their lives to Junius' nefarious schemes. Even if Shin wanted to bury him, the whole world wouldn't sit back and watch it happen.
Therefore, Shin had opted for a different route.
"Yip? Shin?" Bingbing was holding onto the stumbling youth's hand, hoping to support him if he fell over. However, Shin gently peeled the young girl's hands off his body.
Flashing the brightest smile, Shin said: "Stand back, Bingbing. I don't want you to get caught up in what's to come..."
"Yip, yip! Okay!" Always the obedient one, the Kamaitachi leapt once and was ten metres away from Shin. The rest of the entourage were perplexed as well, but Shin's determined face kept their doubts at bay. Taking two deep breaths in, Shin peered deep into his Spectre Soul. The vast ocean began to boil rapidly, and the Celestial Aura seeped out of Shin's pores without even him calling for it. The air distorted wildly, while the temperature of the winter evening rapidly rose.
"Junius… Please forgive me for not giving you a proper burial…" Shin's voice cracked as the final burst of energy surged into the forefront of his Spectre Soul.
All of a sudden, a dense single drop of liquid emerged above Junius' unmoving body. It was just like the one encased in Shin's seventh crystal obelisk. Deep viridian in colour, sprinkled with a touch of majesty that few could hope to emulate. The appearance of the single teardrop took every single spectator's breath away as the mana continued to rise inside of the newly promoted Spirit King's soul. It continued to rise up like a high tide at night, until…
Plop…
A single ripple disrupted the space-time continuum. Junius was a martial artist, a peak one at that. His body had been trained to the highest degree, and even though he had passed, the physical attributes still remained constant. The muscles had been developed with years of mana strengthening, and the skin had been hardened by millions of hard labour. An average steel blade would crack if it dared to strike at the body. However…
Sssssssssssssssstttttt
A low hissing sound could be heard as the iron-like body disintegrated into ashes. There was no way to protect the corpse from Shin's seventh spiritual ability. Black goo dripped out of the corpse as the ripple tore through every skin cell, vein, and muscle that Junius once had. And in less than five seconds. Junius' body had returned back into nature.
The Dragon's Tear. Shin's newly created spiritual ability was one that reflected all the sacrifices that had been made for the Prince to reach this point. It used almost half of Shin's innate mana to instantly disintegrate anything that Shin targeted. Be it a lifeform, a barrier, or even space itself… As long as Shin had given it enough power, the Dragon's Tear would do his bidding and rid any threat that stood in his path.
It would turn out to be Shin's greatest offensive ability to date, excluding a fully charged shard attack with the support of the Celestial Dragon. Also, there was one attribute that differentiates it from any other spiritual ability… It didn't care about the cultivation realm of its opponent.
While most spiritual abilities were proportionate to their caster's cultivation level, Shin's Dragon's Tear didn't care about such restrictions. In theory, if he possessed enough mana to sacrifice, Shin could theoretically kill off a Spirit Saint. A terrifying ability and if word got out that it existed, it would shake the foundations of the world; but Shin didn't care.
The Dragon's Tear was his answer to the enigma that was the Allfather. Shin didn't have the patience to wait until he cultivated to the Spirit Saint realm. He was plenty strong now, and it didn't make sense to wait any longer. Now that he'd learnt that the Allfather was mortal, there was a chance… There was a chance for him to beat down the bastard that had caused himself and so many others that much harm.
Once the ability had run its course, Shin took a knee and grabbed a single gourd from his belt. He emptied the contents, a clear liquid meant to be the reversal poison in case Junius had managed to turn the tables during their bout. Alas, there was no need for that nerve-agent anymore. Instead, Shin tenderly scooped up as much of the ashes he could retrieve. So what if he can't give Junius a formal burial? Shin could at the very least place his ashes right next to Lily's grave, a deed that he's sure Junius would appreciate.
"I'm sorry, Junius..." Shin's mournful voice echoed out in the silence of the canyon. No one disturbed him as the young Prince paid his final respects to the man he once called a brother.
'What do mean the cockroach grew?!'
Memories that Shin had hidden came gushing up into the surface, forcing tears to fall out from his eyes.
'Hey! Stop slacking around, Shin! Don't you want to become strong?!'
Tears stained the black ashes beneath Shin's palms.
'Shin, I won't abandon you! No matter what, I'll always be your brother!'
Shin was an emotional wreck. He had achieved what he'd sought out to do. Shin had rid the evil that was the Blade of Death… Unquestionably, once Shin returned to the Lantis Republic, they would all hail him as a hero that slew evil. But so what? In the end… Shin had lost far too much. He had lost… A person that he cared about with that decisive victory. He had lost… A brother.
As the sun hid under the horizon, the warmth from Shin's mana dissipated, leaving the world in a cold and putrid state. Alas, that wouldn't stop Shin from pouring out the words that he'd always meant to say to this foolish elder brother of his. Forcing a smile, Shin relayed his final goodbye:
"Rest in peace, Junius… I loved you."
~~~ End of Book 11 ~~~
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