Raon had left on a treacherous journey to conquer more land, but his goals weren't boosted by his greed for power or resources but by something much more fundamental.
It was rights, as all he wanted was to create a place where his daughter and future descendants could live with proper familial relations, unlike what he had to phase through.
He wanted to create an empire, which was quite ideal, even to him, as all cultivators cared about was strength, and he was going the exact opposite of their beliefs.
His goal wasn't childish world dominance but a change in the cultivators themselves, who threw their lives away for the minimalistic benefit thrown at them.
He had killed and tortured countless people to be called a pacifist, so what he wanted to achieve had already failed, which is what he had accepted.
He didn't care about it anymore as his goals had changed due to Altair's birth and his connection with Lia, which shouldn't have elicited any feelings in him yet it did.
He wasn't changed or became kind due to those feelings, but quite the opposite; he became more ruthless and brutal in his methods in the following years.
His entire demeanor towards the world had been transforming as he forcefully annexed and subjugated nearby kingdoms and empires.
Due to the major powers being busy with inter-world traversal, he got the chance to make his neighboring territories attack him.
He used his shadows to cause chaos by spreading rumors that would make those nearby him attack his empire in hopes of gaining benefits.
The Liakroso Empire was being attacked on all fronts, yet he didn't take a single step to help them but rather let them fight it out.
The reason was that when a stronger cultivator appeared, the other side would retaliate, making the reason for war meaningless.
The only reason he caused his targets to attack him and get surrounded was to create a depressing feeling inside his empire.
The only ones aware of his plan were the shadows who participated in it, as he wanted it to appear to be a normal war of conquest.
Even though his empire was being surrounded and attacked at every front, he didn't go out and fight to protect it.
One might think of him as heartless or emotionless, but he wanted to test the ones he had taught to see if they were even worthy of his teachings.
He had become a tyrant at this point, and he was well aware that even Altair was participating on one of the most difficult fronts.
He didn't allow any extra resources to be allotted to any side to make it fair for all his subjects, as he isolated himself from the forces after the war started.
He had been disconnected from the world except for his shadows, who brought him the latest information, as well as the group that was there only to save Altair in case she faced someone far stronger than her.
Raon spent the next century and a few more decades like that as he fished in troubled waters to find more talented cultivators and nourish them.
Real-life battles were where the potential of a cultivator was actually tested, and he was doing just that, as he could end the wars by killing the enemies at any moment.
He had already entered a realm that allowed him to fight and even kill someone at the level of the Tier-2 Empire's ancestors.
During one such day in his isolation, he suddenly felt stiffened as the entire room had a nature-like smell, just like a dry forest after rain.
His state didn't last long, as he felt a warm feeling as if he were in a mother's embrace, but all he felt was warmth, as he was unaware of how a mother's embrace truly felt.
Right in front of him, a female took form, but he didn't feel any fear, danger, or willingness to attack from the being as it silently took form.
The female had flowing hair like ocean waves with colors ranging from blue to green to brown to red that were dancing with the wind.
Her eyes were like jewels carrying amber-colored irises that appeared like the sky during sunset, while her face was structured with sharp intones yet plump.
Her limbs carried fire and water themselves as she was draped in leaves and branches above her green, ashy clothes.
Her form was the most beautiful Raon had ever witnessed, and he could swear that she was probably the most beautiful female in this world.
Yet his countenance was cold, detached, and unattracted towards that female, except that he felt a strong connection to her.
"Who are you?" Raon asked the female, while keeping his hand on his sword's hilt, to be able to attack her at any second.
The only reason he conversed and did not directly attack her was that he didn't feel her presence except the visage that he could see from his eyes, smell from his nose, hear through his ears, or notice through goosebumps on his skin.
"Fret not, my child. I carry no ill intentions towards you" answered the female.
As if her tone carried a beguiling sense, Raon's guard relaxed, yet he was conscious enough to not remove his hand from his sword.
That too went awry as she gave a gentle, warmth-filled smile, seeing Raon still on guard as she snapped her finger.
Raon felt all the effects on him disappear as he found no one in his room, but the next second he returned to the previous state.
He didn't know what was happening to him and was on guard after experiencing the mysterious effect himself.
"Why do you worry?"
"Wasn't it you who started those wars?"
"Wasn't it you who sent your beloved daughter?"
"Wasn't it you who wanted to fix this twisted world?"
"Wasn't it you who crippled himself just to enjoy a fight?"
"Wasn't it you who gave up on your family?"
...
"You did everything you wanted, yet you regret it now. Why, my child? Why?"
Yet it was all for naught as the woman's beguiling tone had changed from an icy tone to a lullaby to a fiery tone as she continued to ask Raon questions.
All her questions were personal and affected him on a mental level because, despite his strong mental fortitude, he had never faced such attacks in his life.
Suddenly, he stopped feeling all the effects as he appeared in front of the female, who carried a gentle feeling as he saw her create different people next to them.
He could see every person he had met in his life who left a deep impression on him to the lightest encounter with them.
His heart clenched upon seeing all of them die one by one, be it his mother, whom he never met, or Lia, or even Altair.
Even if some of them were alive, he saw their deaths, feeling like his world collapsed right in front of him, yet he couldn't do anything.
The female finally stopped after Raon had started crying as she put him to sleep.
"My name is Hexine, my child" muttered the female to the sleeping Raon as she patted his head like a mother would.