"Im here because of an agreement between your clan's ancestor and myself." Master exhaled eloquently commanding respect with every word.
"I'm sorry but my clan's ancestor has been in secluded cultivation for four hundred years now." The old man replied in a cold and unwelcoming tone.
"That old fool Yan Lou dare not have a banquet ready for this old master's arrival?" Master seethed.
"Yan Lou? Don't you mean Yan Zhou?"
The old man seemed surprised.
"Yan Lou's great grandson?" Master eyed the old man her annoyance finally bleeding through. "For what reason would I need to see that brat? Call Yan Lou out immediately or I'll destroy this mountain peak."
"I think there's been a misunderstanding," The old man stated finally before. "Great senior left the myriad mountains over a thousand years ago in search of the greater path."
"So that impatient old fool also tried to ascend." Master sighed.
It was clear that there was a story behind the two however this didn't seem like the appropriate time to ask.
"Then is the ascension peak, masterless right now?" Master probed.
The old man's demeanor suddenly shifted.
"Hmph, regardless of your identity I'm afraid I'll have to asked you to leave. As The affairs of my clan has nothing to do with outsiders, even if you are a former monarch." The old man replied while turning to leave.
"Your very presence here is an unfortunate encounter that will undoubtably bring the wrath of the other monarchs down on us."
"Not until I get what's mine! Do you dare refuse this old master's request?" She seethed. The hou she had channeled around her had turned a dense and very visible purple. Causing the air to vibrate over my skin humming loudly in the surrounding space.
"The ascension peak's void gathering jade is our clan's treasure!" The old man replied displaying hou control on par with master's!
"And I'd be hard-pressed if it leaves while I still draw breath!"
The situation seemed to lean in master's favor but how skis this strength dragon using hou?
The intense clash of violent energies caused the sky to grow dark and winds to pick up.
They hadn't even begun fighting, yet the destruction both seared and tore at everything in range.
Leaving me unscathed only because I had pulled up my ki forming the shroud and repelling the rouge and violent hou waves which came in my direction.
There was a problem however. And if I could see it, there was no doubt the old man could too.
The reality of this situation was that Master was weakened, even to the point where some old fart could contend with her.
Then even if she was a monarch, she'd treated me well since I met her more than two years ago. Keeping only my best interests at heart asking for nothing in return.
But even if the reason I came here had something to do with her, It was something I'd want to hear her speak about on her own terms.
This old thing on the other hand….
I looked at the tattooed, muscular old man.
He seemed quite strong and in terms of physical strength alone he could probably easily overpower me, not to mention with hou.
However.
I smiled a little.
"Master, please leave this matter to this disciple."
She looked at me surprised as if I had asked something impossible.
After a pause she returned her gaze to the old man and sighed with a smile affirming my request.
"Thank you master, this disciple won't let you down!"
She retreated a few steps before, "alright then I'll leave this matter to you, keep him occupied for a few minutes while I retrieve the jade."
"I won't let you!" The old man tried as master disappeared promptly also trying to follow suit but failing.
"What's your name old man?"
He looked at me with steely anger.
"I don't know what technique you just used to seal the area but it doesn't matter."
He sighed, "former void monarch or not, she severely underestimates our sky rending pavilion.
But you, is it customary for humans to bite off more than they can chew?"
"I don't know about that, but I've always had a really big appetite." I shifted my weight.
Compared to this, my previous fights were a joke. This time round if I'm wrong my life could easily be on the line.
I really needed to take this seriously as this was the one fight I couldn't afford to lose. First I would try to get a feel for his style of combat. But the methods to do that as master explained were always round-about.
And I need to quickly finish this and catch-up to master.
"I've decided."
I took a bold step forward releasing my condensed hou and pulling up my ki causing the law of fire and wind to lash out sharply. The loud humming roughly resonating from the opposition of the two colliding forces.
"There's no better way to defeat an opponent than with a straightforward approach."
Forming my ki-shroud from my internal ki Then compressing the blinding white mixture of my two mastered laws into a singular edgeless halo.
This felt much easier to use since the conversion of hou to ki was automatically done thanks to the one of the runes on the now sleeping 'ethereal roaring hydra' that resided in my boundless ocean.
The space seal was also one of its abilities even though I could barely get a feel for it. It was a pity though since the space seal could only work on a single person at a time.
The edgeless halo floated lightly over my head supplying the light thin glow that enveloped me.
This version of the ki-shroud was barely visible but more than ten times as strong if used in short bursts. This made levitating with the law of wind as easy as breathing. But this method had severe drawbacks that could just as easily harm my future cultivation.
"I don't care much for fighting a brat like you but I'll for the future of my clan I'll make an exception."
He waved at the guards and watched as they hurried in the direction of the stairs that went below before meeting with a small bridge which then lead to more stairs and then into one of the many openings into the steep mountain faces.
There were a lot of buildings built into the mountains. The scene cast a serene albeit dangerous picture in the evening light which was largely obscured by the surrounding mountain peaks.
I slowly made my way from the platform.
"Do you honesty think that they're going to be able to stop my master?"
"No, their only job is to protect the disciples." The old man responded as he held his ground until we were face to face.
"You know, our clan accepts human disciples, I'm willing to accept one such as yourself as my personal disciple, you'll slowly inherit all my techniques and eventually my position, only if you yield now." He stroked his long beard.
"I'm not really interested." I smiled.
"Well then," the old man sighed. "Don't blame this senior in you next life."
He raised his left.
Flash-casting a simple flower fashioned from interwoven hou which suddenly exploded tearing in my direction with a resounding thud and crack lighting up the area and blinding me temporarily.
Rubble from the blast fell around me.
The surrounding area had been damaged substantially.
Leaving me with a dull ache on my arm as I'd used it to shield my eyes.
With a sigh I breathed, "old man, are you going easy on me?"
He was surprised. But quickly hid the expression behind anger. I was abruptly surrounded by the same translucent flowers which exploded on all sides.
The damage this time wasn't something the shroud could've guard against.
The edgeless halo was unaffected but this time I had taken the brunt of the explosion.
I had fallen to a knee and could taste blood on my tongue however, I was right.
This wasn't the power of a fifth level strength dragon. The sisters from before could've easily taken him down.
Slowly I pooled the power from my first star source lifting myself from the ground with the law of wind. My ponytail had come undone and a small trickle of blood made its way down my cheek from above my hair.
I was now floating gracefully, the old man stepped back upon seeing this.
"This is, the wind law?!" The old man sputtered while backing away slowly, "The power of the monarchs and at such a young age! If I let you grow any further you will undoubtably become a thorn in my clan's side!"
"Drop the act already." I breathed with a smile meant to invoke fear.
"Kuhk!!" The old man rolled before sliding to a stop after I had attacked.
"Old man. Didn't anyone tell you? Strength dragons don't use hou."
"You know, master told me a story once. How humans were banished to a sealed world space because they'd been too powerful, many of them killed because they didn't want to obey."
I laughed "but when I first came here I was bullied and looked down on at every turn! The dragonborn were strong and I couldn't even imagine how humans could have ever been strong enough to match let alone surpass them. I could tell though, the Dragonborn hated me even more so they found out that I was vehetra."
I walked over towards him and stooped down beside him pressing him into the ground with my oppressive hou.
"they spat at me, looked down on me even threw waste water at me! But I endured it. For two whole years I endured. Trying to understand, why I had been ostracized when I myself was a victim."
"Just let me live I beg you." The old man coughed. "This was all just a ruse, the new sect master knew you were vehetra and wanted to separate you two. So that he could take your master's source for himself."
"Fine I'll give you a chance but first, tell me how you knew master and I would come here and secondly, that coward Jiya I know she's here I can feel her aura, why is she here and where the hell is she?"
The old man stuttered while trying to choose between two evils.
"What is it?? fake!"
I snapped.
The old man coughed more as I pressed harder.
"There, incentive!" I purred.
"G-grand master Jiya, former earth region proxy and soon to be queen of the iron region. Is the one who planned this!"
Huh?
"Your master's source was meant as a gift for what she'd done."
I released the old man.
No.
No no no!
***************
With every leap I slingshotted my self across steep ridges and bottomless valleys.
This was still easier than flying. Maybe I just didn't have the nerve for it.
I reached out momentarily with my true divine sense.
Master!
Please be safe!
I should never have left your side…
EARLIER.
No!
The thought of what jiya had done cycled over and over again in my mind. How could she do this? Is there no low she wouldn't go to just for the sake of hurting me?
My usual response to her screwing with me was rage but this time I could only think of finding master. I pulled up my ki and branded the old man's martial heart with an enslaving rune.
"Your name!" I yelled.
"Ch…Chen shu!" The old man replied quickly trying in vain to suppress his fear and trembling.
"Old man Chen, Where is this void gathering jade?"
NOW.
I had finally arrived at the area old man Chen had told me about.
It was literally the tallest peak among the myriad mountains.
What looked back at me was simply the grandest out of all the buildings I'd seen before.
It stood extremely tall and had grand decorations carved into its outer wall. It's doors made of wood and a strange green material that glowed brightly illuminating the area and path that lead to it.
But with my concern for master at it's peak I only pushed the doors with all the force I could muster. Just short of breaking them from their hinges.
But the moment I entered another scene greeted me, one that I could not easily comprehend.
Jiya stood off to the rear of the building. At the top of many stairs next to an altar, a purple gem suspended above it.
Jiya was dressed like I've never seen before, the elegance she radiated was something akin to the glow of a one being presented to another. On her head an extravagant ornament that glowed brightly radiating a hou so pure that even I was jealous.
Below them however was what pulled my attention the most.
At the very bottom of the lowest part of the stairs where there stood naruk with a mean grin and excitement in his eyes.
He held a blade which was lodged in the slender torso of a tall woman with long flowing hair and piercing black eyes that visibly radiated power.
The woman turned her attention to me, sorrow overcoming those midnight eyes.
"Lalie." She sang, voice both powerful and soft simultaneously and though her mouth didn't move I knew she was speaking. And to me.
"It seems that my sins have finally caught up to me."
That's when I realized what was so odd about the picture.
This woman wore the clothes I had given master.
The same clothes which were loose and baggy now completely filled out to the point of being revealing.
It couldn't be…
Could it?
The blade glowed while resonating the with black and purple ki from the woman's body, thick liquid ki gushing as the man twisted the blade and pulled it from her.
Watching as she fell to the floor. But with a dash I was there to catch her.
It couldn't be… could it?
"M….Master?" I tried my voice trembling as I spoke.
"This form, it's ugly isn't it?" She struggled.
A single tear rolled down my face dripping from my upper lip and falling to the wound my hand pressed on to slow the bleeding.
"No," I forced out through a sob which tried its best at strangling my words.
"You're pretty, more than I could've ever imagined."
She seemed surprised at first, before a gentle smile appeared. The power in her eyes dimming momentarily.
"If only I could tell you how much you mean to me," she breathed. Her once strong words now low and barely a whisper.
"It's fate… that I met you and fate… that this has happened." The radiance in her eyes dimmed again before returning slowly.
"Even so there's nothing I'd like more than to stay by your side as you grow, teaching you good things and… and protecting you. But I don't… think I can anymore." She frowned as her frustration and sadness shone through even though she wanted to act tough.
A cough and then two.
She struggled to breathe, weak breaths and then, "Lalie… it's so cold, w…where are you?"
I held her uplifted hand to my face now a hot wet mess as endless tears streamed seemingly with no intention of stopping.
She smiled again, "there you are, my beautiful daughter…" her hand fell to the floor as the power in her eyes finally faded and she stopped.
"Ahh!!! Ahhhh!!" I couldn't breathe, something in me just wanted to burst, a dam holding back all the emotions I couldn't understand.
"No!" I screamed "please no! Ahhh!!! Master!!!"
Then as the realization that she could no longer hear me sank in, "no…" softer now.
Master…
At this point all I could do was remember my time under her care. She never spared herself anything, any treasure even exhausting her refined hou to create tribulations allowing me to breakthrough.
But this…. Is this how I repay her kindness?
I wanted nothing more than to accompany her to the next life.
Naruk approached, "our one year anniversary isn't even here and yet you chose to appear before me."
He chuckled dryly.
"Why didn't you run when you saw me?"
He placed the edge of his blade against my cheek. "Do you want to die that badly?"