"Many who travel the path of power lapse, its a fate that binds all, all the way up to Gods and True Gods, the realm builders with the power of fate and command over the laws that make up the Universe. Each True God is the creator of their realm, and each realm can only have one True God. Thus, the path to power doesn't end at the realm of gods, someone could always take your head." Gefést's statement was a powerful one, killing was the way that most had taken on their path.
"I see, and what of their loved ones? The people who walk beside them in the beginning? What of them?" Wu Hai moved the tongs just in time. Gefést swung his hammer again. A brighter, more color filled light burst from the tip of his hammer.
"Eternity is like a swinging hammer, one does the swinging, the other is a tool in the hand. Eternity as a couple of lovers on the path of power? Nonsense. It is without equivalent, those who claim power cannot share in it. Power is determined by a great number of things, two gods cannot share the same path, because there will always be opposition, there can only be one True God to a Realm."
The Shield, which had been hammered so perfectly at the end, gave off a radiant light. It reflected the light from the Forge, the heat from the furnace and gained a glow. Black flames that matched the Emperor appeared on its surface like a ring of fire along the edge. "Amazing." Wu Hai admired Gefést's work.
'Che' "You leave me no face, at all. No. That luster is from teamwork, your black flames and my celestial hammering techniques worked together. That infused power, though it is great, is only a tool as well. Know this, much greater men than I have died on the path to power."
"Who was it that was important to you that died? What was that man's name?" Wu Hai tried to inquire but it was for no reason other than the asking.
Gefést shook his head. "It doesn't change his fate, nor mine." He held up his hand to stop the discussion about it. "There is a way to enter Ultinia hidden among the wooden city but the exit rests in the upper levels, they treat the world of Shiyan like a pocket dimension. A secret plane that they own from where generations of ancestors and descendants once lived and controlled. Ultinians are the Children of the Gods. They do not fear mortals, they find them contemptuous and worthless in every way. Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for them to attack, once the child went missing only the Father came. In my opinion, we were lucky. Should they have had the inclination, no life would remain on this World."
The Blackfire Mirror Shield, which had been in Gefést's hands was shoved into Wu Hai's awaiting hand. "I see your hesitation." He turned and grabbed the next ingot to temper, throwing it into the furnace.
"This is a wonderful, but I don't use shields." Wu Hai tried to give it back.
Gefést slapped Wu Hai, hard. "Narrowminded disciple, I would have you labor for days if it did any good!" 'che' He clicked his tongue. "The nerve. The Arrogance. For you, who is to travel the path of the Gods, the Path of Power, I offer this treasure. Forged by Fire, by our own hands. I give you this offering, your first offering, to show my belief in your power, may your ambition know no bounds."
"Now, leave this place. I have a forge to run." Gefést turned his face to the forge.
Wu Hai put the shield away. "Disciple thanks Master."
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Greensong was quiet in the afternoon, the clouds had hung overhead most of the day. Wu Hai had left the forge in search of Dragon King Vector, the frequent calls from his wives during and after Operation Earth had put Mike on edge.
"Bro, you've gotta call more often." Vector stood up, Wu Hai had been waiting outside his bedroom, he had come without warning. There were several women in his bed, none of them looked like his wives.
"That's the point, calling doesn't do me any good.. you're still balls deep." Emperor Zao picked up some loose undergarments that were hanging from the doorway. "You have such appetites." Wu Hai wiped his hand against a blanket and some of the girls looked up. He waved.
'ah.. The Emp...' they all quietly hid under the sheets from embarrassment.
"Ha Hah Hahh, haha." Vector laughed and grabbed some clothes. "Well, what are we doing this time? The last gig was 15 years.. even I don't have any ideas about what you're next move is.."
"You've been a friend to me since the beginning, I want you to come along with me into the Land of the Gods, as we discussed before. My past is resolved and I leave no grievance in my heart. Master Xuan still works for Mr. Munju, he said he has what I needed. I only wanted to minimize the risk, we could have left long ago. When you're dressed, we can head out." Wu Hai fixed his own clothes and waited in the hallway.
"Your timing is impeccable." Vector came out of the room and kept walking down the hall until it came to a corner.
He stopped and turned around to speak to Zao. "I gotta get outta here, its like I can't get a minute alone."
"How many wives do you have now? They even run your businesses, so what do you do all day?" Wu Hai pointed toward the back room with his thumb. It hit the button.
The Dragon King's appetite for women was well known throughout the City, in his exploits he was a bit careless. He shuddered, "Too many. Lets go." He hurriedly opened the door and when the fresh air hit him from the balcony, Vector spread his wings. "I'd rather fly." He jumped from the ledge and caught the wind, it carried him across the City.
Wu Hai did the same, it was pointless trying to do otherwise.
Munju was waiting at the top of the Building this time, per usual he had predicted the Emperor's arrival. "Zao, Dragon King, Welcome to the Dragon's Share. Master Xuan is expecting you. This way." Mr. Munju escorted them both to Xuan Kim Li's lab.
"You've really made a place for yourself here." Wu Hai smirked, it was his own hand that had dragged the boy to another world.
"Teacher, you gave me more than I ever would have held on Earth, let the past be just that, the past." He waved it off and stood up from his microscope. Many computers were slaved together and they were connected to a myriad of yellow crystals. There was an entire floor beneath him of such storage devices, all of them were tethered together by cabling and talismans. To say it was cobbled together wouldn't even be an insult, it was masterfully performed and easy to manage with Ying Luitian's student's handling the minor work.
Kim Li pointed to the wall, a formula was written. "Here is your answer, though, it didn't take nearly as long as I had thought, if not for your nephew, we might still be crunching the numbers.
F=Z³2πr was scribbled across the wall in bold letters.
"Z is the force applied to the barrier between dimensions, relative to the moment it begins to stall its rebound and retract. The maximum repelling force of a dimensional barrier during impact by a Mass at its center." Kim Li grabbed a cigarette and lit it. "Man, I'm so glad we have a source for these again."
He exhaled.
Wu Hai grabbed his chin and stared at it for a second, "Basically, you're saying that, and so that I can understand.. that in order to pierce the rift, it requires three times the force that the barrier pushes back from its radius... you think?"
"Well, you're not wrong. It does take three times the force, I believe it is a safeguard to keep the powerless from entering, maybe it serves as the Gatekeeper in that way. No matter, I have sensors installed to warn us if more 'people' come through, I presume they'll work but who knows. It will also serve to let us know of your return." Master Xuan spun in his chair.
"When can you complete the shuttle?" It was just a question, but Kim Li frowned. Wu Hai laughed it off and was about to change the subject when he was stopped, a bright green doorway opened.
Inside, a ship had already been put together.
"It looks a lot different than what I drew in the blueprints" Wu Hai walked up and put his hand along the edge, he could feel his energy being drawn away. Formation lines drew themselves across its exterior.
"Yes, well, we've had some design improvements that needed to be added. This will go much faster than before and can survive all manner of tampering from outside. I've put my best formation specialists to work on it since the first day. Believe it or not, this was made in a single afternoon, yesterday to be exact. I know the Dragon King jokes about your poor timing but seriously, Teacher, could you at least allow me to enjoy my creations before you take them away?" He didn't know what to do, Quanli Jigui had been a big contributor to Xuan Kim Li's development, he threw a remote to the Emperor. "Keys."
"Nice." Pressing a button, Lines appeared from the seamless hull, a doorway too shape.
"Yeah.. Mine will be nicer." Kim Li took another drag from his cigarette. "I've already got some new ideas." 'hehe' He chuckled and put the cigarette out. "I want 100 of the Steeles."
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A Black dot grew within the Tower City Central Pagoda, The Zao Family had gathered together. The arrival of Earth in the heavens had even driven Zao Zhan out of the World Tree's branches, he and Khan Ni were gathered overhead until Wu Hai stepped out of the spellwork.
Thunder boomed and the air was chilled but no one cared, it was an important day. Zhan descended, he was wrapped together with Khan Ni. They touched down on the ground and took up half of the courtyard.
"Brother, I'm glad you came today." Wu Hai spoke loud enough for the Children that still flew overhead, making sure they could hear.
"Its your world, I just live in it, remember." Zhan had grown accustomed to being beaten by Wu Hai in battle. Over the last 15 years they had fought many times as rivals but Zhan was unable to match him. It was slightly bitter but Zhan tried many tricks, if Wu Hai had not been at his peak the outcome would have been far different.
"You make me want to sigh sometimes but that doesn't mean you won't surpass me one day. Your children grow in number every day, perhaps your power will too." Wu Hai laughed.
Vira was playing with Tero's uniform, he wasn't willing to watch his father go. "Your Father will return, you are only 15. Your first adventure begins today as well."
Tero shook. It had been his birthday a month ago but Operation Earth was underway, he had let it slip his mind until that moment. "Mother, do you mean I can finally go out on my own?"
"Vira, this might be the only time." Wu Hai looked at her with pity in his eyes. He had asked her to come along but she had refused because she wanted to look after Tero. Now, when the time came, she was changing her mind. 'She's so protective..'
Grabbing his Son's hand, Wu Hai pulled out a small box. "Inside are treasures you'll never use unless its an emergency."
He took off a storage ring, inside was a Hammer. It was the first Hammer that Wu Hai had ever made back in Yunnan. "I don't expect you'll need much help, you're quite powerful as you are. Still.." He thought it over then turned his hand over once more.
A gemstone appeared.
It had been cut and formed using Master Xuan's best workers, it was white with red letters adorning it in every direction.
"If you use this gemstone, your bloodline will change, slightly. You'll gain an affinity with light. It will change you, so only use it if you're certain." He gave Tero a hug. "So, Vira, you're coming along?"
"It was a hard decision, I've been wondering about it for the past 16 years. Would I accompany you.." 'Hmmph,' "You're not getting rid of me that easily." She grinned and made her way to his side, Kuzunoha appreciated her decision, she smiled too.
"So, Both of my Parents are leaving? Great." Prince Tero seemed a little joyful, he pointed to Tower City's Core. "Tower City goes with you too huh?" It had been his home, he didn't know what was going to happen in the future but Tower City had always been his home.
"No. Just the Pagoda. Qu. Begin separation." Wu Hai gave Qu an order he didn't want to refuse, it would sever his soul in two, leaving a small portion to control the basic functions of Tower City.
The Pagoda began to shrink, it's disembarkation from the City made it shake. A great winding noise and many moving blocks covered the section where the Pagoda had once been. It flowed and floated into the Emperor's hands.
"I don't have much in this world but what I do have, I leave for my Children. Treat your sister with respect while I'm away. We will see each other again." Wu Hai took a token out of his pocket and handed it to Tero.
"Father. How long?" The Prince had questions.
"So many questions. You have your own adventure and calling to find. Don't be blinded by temporary power, find your quest and follow it." Wu Hai hugged his Son once more. "Father, I leave the Demon Region in your hands."
The Dragon King Mike, Vector, had been standing by the City's entrance waiting patiently. Kuzunoha kissed Hana and then Tero. "My Children, you are everything I hoped you could become." She too joined Vector at the gates.
"It looks like it's time." Wu Hai raised his hand into the air. "I WILL RETURN!"
He and Vira took one last look at Tero and walked to the Gates, on the other side, the Wooden City portal was just a hundred yards away.
Wu Hai channeled his strength and sank his power into a beam that cut at the portal's seam. He intensified the power, locking his hands together. The membrane between dimensions shook, it pushed him back a few inches, dragging his feet through the dirt. 'I am not giving up, not that easy!' "Hah, I'll just have to push harder!"
The Emperor brought out the light element power and gave everything he had, a ripple appeared and then a tear. "Go now!"
He watched as Kuzunoha, Mike and Vira leapt into the tear. Taking a few steps forward, he maintained his energy and joined them.
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