The Sword Mound which had acted as his foundation, now destroyed alongside the cauldron, was reforged.
Ten pillars of light revealed themselves in his Inner Sea, the meridians.
The ground had turned into fluffy clouds.
In the center was a circle wherein the many laws connected to each other like sprinkles of starlight with the Primordial Tyrant Law being a small world in comparison.
Beneath the constellations of laws, there was a pool of pure qi where his soul remained submerged.
Fukkatsu coiled through the various pillars as though playing a game, when he appeared there.
His Inner Sea was no more.
It had been transformed into the Dantian.
The home of the soul, and truth of the self.
That place which holds all one is.
A higher form of the Inner Sea.
The ceiling of the Dantian looked directly like a clear sky in the midst of the night with the Primordial Tyrant Law the moon, and the various other laws the stars.
Opening his eyes, he found Fukkatsu outside, prepared for him, and the Primordial Mist Tyrant looking far smaller, standing on his shoulder.
Calmly stepping onto Fukkatsu's back, they took off at breakneck speeds.
An Unchained expert was at the very least, ten times the strength of a regular Law Realm Expert.
However, due to the absolutely fair nature of the Endless Dao, which was neither here nor there, the greater the challenge, the greater the reward.
Therefor, unless the Great Path made it completely impossible, then the more it tried to obstruct him and failed, the greater his power would be than the rest.
Such was the absolute balance.
Speeding through the sky, he could almost not be seen as they threaded the clouds.
Soon enough, he arrived over Fang State's capital.
His peering gaze did not avoid notice of the guards, however when they attempted to hail him down, he was already gone.
"Not here."
He appeared above the inner most area of the capital, where the Feng Clan was, instantly many Half-Step Dao Establishment cultivators locked onto him, and one Dao Establishment peered at him.
Unable to see through them, he spoke.
"Is Feng Wuqing here?"
"Arrogant-!"
"No." The elder about to attack was cut off by a voice which carried a regal nature in it, "My granddaughter went south, with a face of war. You are her husband, correct?"
He shook his head, feeling that it was quite ironic that he would meet her grandfather in this way, "I am not yet. But I will be. I hope you will understand and not be reckless."
"Hoho, are you saying that if I don't give my blessing, you'll fight me?"
"I'm saying, that if you value your granddaughter's freedom and choices, you will give your blessing."
"Are you threatening to take those way from her?" A violent aura began to bubble.
"Never," He replied coldly looking down at the clan, "I am saying that others among you will try and take those away from her, should you try and deny her her freedom to choose."
"So you say you are her only choice, and she will absolutely choose you? You are so confident that there are no better men in the realms?" He slowly stepped out from the Great Hall of the Fang Clan, stroking his beard.
"If there is a greater man, than give me his name and I will strike it off heaven's list." His eyes bore into the clansmen below, those Half-Step Dao Establishment and higher felt that it was quite the funny spectacle, a newly broken through Unchained declaring their intent to fight anyone.
However, the Great Elder did not laugh.
"Then, I expect you to hold up to that claim. If you are truly who she chooses, she has my blessing, though should you fail, I will become your nightmare, son-in-law."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Without a second thought, Shou Xin flew south leaving the clan in a state of shock, though those Dao elder's thought it to be an eventfulness in an otherwise uneventful day.
Word quickly spread through the city, the Sword Dragon had appeared above the Fang Clan demanding the hand of the Young Lady Wuqing, and was given blessing by the Great Elder.
Below in the chamber, as Shou Xin rushed to the south, the Great Elder sat back down before a beautiful young woman whose strength was not weaker than his.
"What are you planning?" Her eyes narrowed into slits, "An old fox should be a little more forthcoming, don't you think?"
He smiled, "Whatever do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean!" She put a hand on the table, "That boy you just gave your blessing to is wanted for the murder of a thousand people."
He shrugged as the tea cup landed on the table, his arms crossing over his chest, "So? They were of the Yan, and they were trying to scrawl evil over his clan's name. Is it not right? If it is the matter of the General sent by the court retreating, then that is no fault of his own. Two titans were fighting there, it could not be controlled."
"You know well that is not the problem!" Her voice lowered to a sizzling, "Hu Ji, the genius meant to have come with him, is also now missing, why else would I be here? And now with word of this, it is highly probable that he will start acting out as well! He is the up and coming next Grand General, we cannot have this!"
Smiling he then spoke, "I don't see how this is any problem of ours. My granddaughter cut ties with the clan, I was simply speaking as her last relative. That was all."
Frustrated, she reached over the table…
—
Sea Spring Ward lay devastated worse than before.
The entire Ward was blown down into a true wasteland, clearly having had someone's wrath taken out on it, though this was within his expectation.
Landing upon the central region of the town, his eyesight turned blurry, and he saw apparitions of people.
His mother.
Servants.
Disciples.
Children.
They were everywhere, going about their daily routine at a hundred times speed, and then they vanished, leaving nothing but a single mute scream behind as they melted into the ground.
Sensing the insanity creeping upwards his expression darkened, "I need to find her."
Shaking his head hard, he proceeded forward into the earth.
Those wisps and apparitions plagued his descent with the silent words he'd heard so often as a child, some harmless merchants selling wares and others lessons he was taught within the manor.
The voices of hundreds, and thousands spoke at once.
"Be silent." Tyrannical Sword Qi poured outwards, cutting the wisps and devastating the underground chamber, yet they only regenerated and returned, "I said silence!"
WHOOSH!
FUUUU!
Fukkatsu tore from the sheath, twirling in Shou Xin's palm, causing a whirlwind of Qi!
As he stepped through the gate, the room collapsed behind him, however the voices did not stop.
They scratched at his mind.
A familiar voice reached out, "Shou Xin?"
He turned, and found a dragon girl, Maqi, and swung his sword in a devastating arc.
Her pupils shrank, and in a split second managed to turn her body.
"You are real." His eyes widened slightly and he stepped back, "Sorry."
She bared her teeth, "You almost cut me in half, what's wrong with you?!"
"Voices." He smiled bitterly as he pointed to his head, "Seems I was too reckless."
Even as he spoke, he could not hear himself.
They were everywhere, blocking his sight of her and speaking at such a pitch he could not hear her either.
She frowned deeply and suddenly slammed into him, sending him flying up in the sky, "Are they here too?"
"Quite." For a moment he could hear and see her, but they followed easily, "How is the clan?"
Her frown deepened, "They are currently on campaign against the Western Plains Bull Clan. They left not long ago. The Bird Demon's of the Northern Wastes seem to be wanting to attack while they are away."
He nodded, "Which way is the northern waste?"
Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed north east of their location.
Fukkatsu appeared at his feet, and he began his journey to the north without a word more.
—
Lady Mu watched quietly the entire proceeding and asked, "Why did you not try and stop him?"
"He can die for all I care. The Demon Realm is better off without them or the surface clans." She replied coldly, "They're a bunch of genocidal maniacs anyway."
Lady Mu silently watched Shou Xin's back, and prayed.
"May the blood shed not be too great."
—
Within a month, he arrived at the edge of the Northern Waste's territory.
The place was full of barren mountains with nothing on them, cliffs full of empty nothingness and cave systems running throughout the earth endlessly.
The Northern Wastes.
As soon as he entered, he sensed several aura's approaching fast.
Once he was surrounded, one called out, "What business do you have in Eagle Demon Territory?"
"Daoist Tenki Shi. I've come for an audience with your King." He said.