Chapter 26 - Hevenly opposers 17

Ruibo could hear it everywhere, the news filling all over the Empires, and perhaps now sharing the continent, the whispers of how beautiful the child was such that he would take your breath away, his mightiness, the words of how powerful, talented, beautiful, and great kept filling all the place around, and Ruibo couldn't take it!

The anger, helplessness, sadness, everything all coming together to form his jealousy! Uncontrolled and greatly burning jealousy that can't seem to back down at all, it rearing its ugly head from inside Ruibo. No matter how much he tried, Ruibo couldn't help but dream of him being in that situation, and thus without meeting this child, a great amount of hatred boomed in Ruibo's heart from his jealousy.

The further coming news only forth to made Ruibo feel even worse, a powerful fiancée from the third heaven, a powerful teacher seemingly taking the child in, seeing his hidden talents and raising him up to awaken his true potential, and more. Thus Ruibo dreamed of himself in all those situations.

And thus the day came for the ball of Azrail.D.Xavon to grace the palace. Even with Ruibo being hidden away, he still came to gaze at the landing, a coincidental meeting where Ruibo came up to see Azrail's group and he was blown away by what he gazed upon, the brilliance from Azrail being enough to blind Ruibo's eyes with an extreme amount of greed and jealousy.

His heart seemingly beating faster than he could count as his eyes had landed upon that veiled beauty, her pink and amethyst hair mixed together subtly playing at his heartstrings, while those pink eyes seemingly called upon him. Never had Ruibo felt so rawly attracted to anyone before and thus just made his heart break even faster at the fact that none of it is his.

The whole group showed something Ruibo lost, and just like a loser, all Ruibo could have done was walk away, many dirty feelings filling his mind, along with such thoughts.

'Why am I suffering like this?'

Asking this question to himself, Ruibo soon arrived upon the opening of the garden, a place he used to play around with his mother. But the moment he arrived at the place, his eyes came upon a scene that almost blinded his eyes, his heart started to beat faster than he ever felt in his life.

There on one of the benches sat the very beauty that kept filling his mind, a beauty's face he couldn't see yet fills his mind. The very same girl, sitting silently on the bench, the light of the moon falling upon her, the beautiful flowers seemingly adding a way with her presence. Even before Ruibo could speak, he felt a very subtle yet saddening presence leaking from the girl in front of him, she seemingly sighing and looking at the moon.

'Is she sad?'

Ruibo's heart started to beat faster at that thought, a chance perhaps showing off for him to enter into, the thought of going after another man's fiancée isn't nice or acceptable, but to the current Ruibo with dark feelings filling his heart, nothing else can seem to bring back his reality to his mind. Right now, only the beauty in front of him filled his eyes.

She spoke in a light tone, her words deeply affecting Ruibo's heart. He turned to look at the moon, a thought that raised his heartbeats passing through his mind as he suddenly asked.

"Are you against your will being engaged to Azrail?"

This sudden question caused Valencia to look at Ruibo in 'surprise,' a bit true, her thoughts even asking how this idiot could reach such a thought, yet she maintained her facade, playing with the role that Azrail spoke would happen.

"That's none of your business."

Valencia replied a bit defensive as she said so. She lightly raised the side of her veil, just a little bit flashing to the world and that way, the heart of Ruibo almost burst out from within his heart.

'So... so beautiful....'

Even that thought barely formed in his mind, his heart seemingly forming a connection between the two of them, a sense of lost connection being felt by Ruibo, he felt as if fate was at play. And just as he spoke.

"Well, then I-"

"What's happening here?"

A voice called out, cutting out Ruibo's words, the voice itself belonging to a male but with the same attraction and quality as Valencia's. Thus, Azrail entered the scene with Xuanyin and Huifen.

'This guy looks down.'

Azrail mused as he looked at Ruibo dumbly staring at Valencia as if he had never seen a girl before. Even a dumb guy can see what's going on here. After Valencia left, Azrail spent some time talking and chatting with Huifen, getting a bit closer, and the moment Valencia communicated with him, Azrail moved, saying to excuse wanting to find Valencia.

And Huifen accepted it as Azrail started to lead the way, speaking of how Azrail could track his fiancée's movement, and things went perfectly from then on, leading to the group perfectly arriving at the same time. Thus, Azrail gazed at the half-crazy-looking guy in front of him. Ruibo has the Imperial family's red hair flaming above him, though arranged in a mismatched way, looking bad, he has red-burning eyes too, though that too looks half crazy and done. Right now he has the face of a horny kid as he gazed at Valencia, while Valencia looks like a girl that's about to leave because he is disturbing her.

"Brother?"

Huifen was the first one to break the awkward silence that had formed, and the moment Azrail appeared in front of Valencia, she made sure to change her atmosphere to a more relaxed one, which was quickly caught by Ruibo, whose face turned seemingly calm. At least he tried to, but the jealousy and greed on his face ain't going away that easy.

"Hu? What are you doing here?"

Ruibo asked with confusion, his eyes seemingly passing over Azrail but they didn't forget to light up a bit when they landed on the stone-cold Xuanyin, her beauty still blooming, and the sense of coldness around her ever awe-inspiring to make boys want to break that cold expression on her face. The only reason she didn't get much attention was due to the very fact she was overshadowed by the other extreme combination that came up.

'Guess that side of his has already started to awaken.'

Ruibo didn't suddenly start to turn into someone whose eyes beam at a stunning beauty with a special constitution without any reason. A very powerful reason still remains for his sudden change. The change is just beginning, the legacy that chose him is slowly influencing him, along with his special bloodline and physique, one that will help him overcome his disadvantage in a very pleasurable manner.

'Guess the starting stages are still hard to control, oh well, it's more useful for me anyway.'

Azrail already has a plan on how he will be leading the life of this prince in front of him, cutting him off and suffering him till he breaks and his legacy forces him to take action to quench that thirst that has been filling his body. Something which will finally break the last restraint, though of course right now Azrail can kill Ruibo, but where's the fun in that?

Well, leaving aside the fun, there is the part of using the guy in front of him as a whetstone, this guy will surely find some treasures and such in the future. He would be the one to face all the dangers and Azrail would reap the benefits of his action. More than that Azrail has a specific plan that he wants to implement, a certain idea he doesn't know will work but if it does, then provided Azrail can open a path to greatness for the people who will come to follow him.

"You are Prince Ruibo?"

Azrail suddenly asked, making Ruibo flinch and to this, Huifen came to the rescue. She quite hesitantly inched a bit closer to Azrail as she spoke.

"This is my older brother, Prince Ruibo."

Her tone of whisper was very shy and Ruibo didn't need to see too much to tell the attraction happening here.

Suddenly Ruibo snapped at Huifen, which made her take a step back with a sad expression. Seeing so Ruibo suddenly recovered, feeling a pang in his heart as he spoke to his sister.

"Hu, I didn't mean that, let's go from here I have some things to talk about with you."

Once again Ruibo was being very disrespectful by completely disregarding Azrail's existence. And the funny thing was that while he did this, he flashed a smile towards both Valencia and Xuanyin.

'He is dumber than I thought.'

Valencia talked into Azrail's mind, making him chuckle a bit, his voice spreading within the heated area, making it such that the jealous Ruibo finally focused on Azrail, whose eyes had turned deeply calm. And thus Azrail without any words snapped his finger, and Ruibo was brought to his knees. He didn't even get a chance to stop himself as he found his head kissing the ground.

"Prince Ruibo, don't take my patience for weakness."

Azrail spoke, his calm voice resounding within the whole garden, the atmosphere itself turning dark and weary. And all Ruibo could do was take the whole humiliation, not even being able to move an inch of his skin. Thus, Azrail turned his head towards Huifen, looking at Ruibo with worry filling her eyes. And thus her eye met Azrail's.

"Lord Azrail..."

She didn't say anything, but the tone of her mutter spoke what she wanted to ask. Thus, with a thought, the pressure from Ruibo snapped away.

"In regards to your sister, I can take the slight. I like the strong character your sister has shown. Thus, I shall let this go, plus I know how it feels to have been wronged by your own family, that's why I wanted to talk with you, but now it seems you weren't worth my time at all."

A hint of coldness flashed at the end of Azrail's sentence, his words making Huifen look at Azrail as she looked at him with a shy expression. But in the end, some things are meant to happen. Thus, under the eyes of the group, Ruibo started to struggle to even move his body, slight blood flowing down from his eyes and nose, his eyes now fully looking red like a demon.

"I-I..."

He kept stuttering with such words as he tried to stand up, creaking sounds filling the place around, his wobbly hands forcing himself to the ground, while Ruibo seemed to be gritting his teeth.

'As always, these guys don't stand down at all.'

Azrail mused, enjoying the scene in front of him. But he ain't an idiot for him to wait at, thus this time he applied a bit more pressure, focusing on his head, causing Ruibo to hit his head back at the ground with another full force, which easily knocked him out.

"Now that was quite distasteful."

Azrail spoke, looking at the knocked-out Ruibo on the ground, his words making Huifen flinch. The act of Ruibo trying to stand back again after Azrail placed him down, giving such a light punishment for his actions, was a slap to Azrail's face. Not many would object if Azrail took any drastic actions, thus, Huifen flinched, the fear of taking his wrong side being heavily present all around.

"If you didn't care for him, I might have done more."

Azrail replied, looking at Huifen, who blushed lightly at the words. Though her concerned gaze kept traveling towards the knocked-out Ruibo.

"Go help him, we can see ourselves out for the moment."

Azrail's words made Huifen flinch. She looked between Azrail and Ruibo, hesitation passing through her eyes as she finally spoke with a shake of her head.

"You asked me to lead you, Lord Azrail, and it's my responsibility to make sure you are well-kept within the palace."

A subtle smile came to Azrail's face at Ruibo's words, thus leading him to lightly ruffle Huifen's hair, making her eyes widen.

"Don't worry about it, just go and help your brother. I am sure my sister would do the same. Also, I would like to have you visit my home at times if you are ever free."

The subtle hints at the last of his words to show his interest in strengthening the connection between the two of them, this making a shy smile come to Huifen's face. A touched expression crossed across her face for being understood, the help, gentleness, and understanding all being small killer things to this struggling little girl.

"Um... thank you."

With those last whispers and her face being filled with a blush, Huifen ran towards her brother, trying to help him up and take care of him. In retrospect, all of this can be solved by calling a servant, but then the truth of how Ruibo ended up like this must be spoken of. Because even if Ruibo is useless, he is still a prince of the Rexion Empire.

And if the truth comes out about how Ruibo acted, then his already struggling life within the Imperial family would get exponentially worse. It's taking all of this into account that Azrail spoke, at least that's how Huifen would feel, because no matter what Azrail does now, the situation has already spread to the ears of the Emperor from Meng Yao with explicit details.

Not to mention the fact that the Heavens itself had manipulated a bit the program of fate the Heavenly Rulers created. The Heavenly Tree placed talents upon talents to be born. And normally, for the presence of the chosen ones to take over the position of Heavenly Rulers, the chosen ones would go through several trials to rise from being poor to power. So they can respect and use power in a very controlled manner.

Thus, the Heaven itself liked the idea and instead of fully deleting the fate-twisting AI-like control stuff that was created, the Heavens tweaked it. Keeping the fate twist to make the first part of their lives bad, keeping their talents locked such that they would face powerlessness a bit later into their life, their suffering would calculate towards their stopped Karma to give birth to an extreme amount of luck for them to use. A way to balance the scale and blessings to the several chosen blesses that the Heavens created, their darling warriors.

The Heavens made it to push the fate in many ways, arranging things such that several of them would come together to support and help the truly chosen 11 ones to replace the Heavenly opposers. The Heavens itself went out of its way to make truly powerful, overpowered, and heavily blessed ones for the 11 chosen replace values.

The whole of this Era is a feast, with the Heavens itself going to do some more tweaks to the system. Cause the chosen ones aren't just being born into lower families but also powerful ones, and it thus raised it to affect such places, going forth to mess with some families that wouldn't hesitate to challenge the heavens themselves.

While Valencia wouldn't see the ends of everything, she can still tell the subtle layers playing around. And while in her mind, it would be better to use them, she is more than willing to kill them all or use them if her hubby wants to. Thus, with suppressed feelings, Valencia asked.

"What's the full picture here?"

"I will tell you what it is when your fate line is strong enough to handle it."

Azrail's reply made Valencia's eyes flash, her words now being questions from Adria.

"Why not use him, why make him an enemy? My master is asking that."

To this, Azrai, still walking with the duo with Xuanyin listens intently, cause she too is one affected like this by the heavens, though she still doesn't know deeply about anything yet.

"Tell me, Lady Adria, you can see more, so what do you think will happen if I take someone with his chosen legacy into any team I make?"

No reply came from Valencia, the words that Azrail stressed being something that both Valencia and Adria understood. The way he will be increasing his powers, and the legacy that chose Ruibo is one of the lustful paths and it would certainly not match with Azrail's group.

"For me, I think it would be better to use him and how, why, and all. Why don't you all just watch the games that I play?"

Azrail threw the subtle hint with a smirk, his words causing an extraneous pull of pink energy to rile within Valencia due to how cool he looked. Okay, perhaps that only looks within the eyes of the completely love-sick and mentally obsessed girl, whose soul is still being twisted.

"Don't worry, Xuanyin, everything will be clear in the future."

Azrail is sure that his words are making Adria feel more and more of what Azrail really is. After all, unlike Valencia, Adria can see into the subtle setting of fate around, and he is more than sure that she is disgusted by this, the subtle arrangement of playing around with fates as if they are toys to be messed around with. Though that's what Azrail is doing.

The actions Azrail takes are fully confusing, but to someone like Adria, it would look like the movements of someone who can gaze into the future. None of the people truly who care for him are idiots, and neither are they some trophies that would just stand behind some glass wall and watch as things happen.

No, all of them are headstrong and believe in achieving their own things. Women with their own aspirations and goals, and they are intelligent too. Trying to play them for idiots would only come to mess with him and would be bad for the future. Thus, a subtle line has to be drawn; there are secrets in all relationships, plus there still lay two ticking bombs that Azrail still has to deal with.

Xuanyin: "..."

"Yes, yes, I won't hide everything from you, and I will tell you everything when you are powerful."

Azrail replied to Xuanyin, who just pouted, silently and unseen.

"Guess you have achieved what you set out to do?"

Valencia asked with a low tone to which Azrail looked towards the sky for a moment, a slow smile starting to cover his face as he spoke.

"A bit, you could say..."

Azrail actually wants to take and control the mind of the Emperor, having that guy as his puppet would be very useful. But in the end, Azrail would have to have the Emperor die. After all, there is Yunbai still rearing for revenge, sharpening his mind and killing intent for the day he will be able to plunge his weapon through the throat of Liang.

'Plus his mind isn't easy to break through.'

The power of mental cultivation is extremely a sharp edge. Azrail needs to use that power in tandem with control. If not, his own personality and mind might get twisted from it, and he might even end up losing his own self. Those problems will all go away as he gets stronger, but at this current level, it's better to take things slow. After all, even with everything he swallowed up, Azrail himself needs to test and understand this path by himself on his own level.

Thus, the group quickly brought themselves back to the majestic hall, their entrance once again catching the eye of all. Though the first thing that Azrail gazed into when he entered was a man, one he remembered very well, the 30-year-old-looking man. And if Azrail's memories serve, the man is the current patriarch of the Min family and the grandfather of the woman who married his father.

A tense atmosphere flooded the place once Azrail with his group walked in, the eyes focused on the man facing the Emperor. Cheêck out latest novels at novelhall.com

'Guess someone took some action.'

Several of the powerful ones turned to look at their own shadows, suddenly the trust in their own life being theirs flowing helplessly out of their hands. A dark cold chill now filled this merry place that was, and this small move broke through the thin layer of democracy that was forming around them, the little kid they were trying to use could take their lives and their thoughts.

That thought is more chilling to these people who live like kings in this frog's well.

All the malleable movements and actions from Azrail painted a calm picture but this small action of his shows that he doesn't need anyone of them; it's them that need to clutch to Azrail's thighs as strongly as they can. Because for someone like Azrail, this would just be the beginning, and above that, they weren't all idiots not to see at the very rare element of shadows popping up.

An element rare among the rare now being effortlessly wielded by Azrail. Heck, none of them might not know anyone who wields the element of shadow!

"Father!"

A 20-year-old looking man screamed as he ran up to the shadow twisting up and holding the other man, and to this Azrail didn't do anything much as he let the shadow be, leaving the patriarch of the Min family to helplessly fall to the ground, his body leaking with pain.

"With respect to the Emperor, I haven't done any permanent damage, but it would take some months for the Min family Patriarch to regain his full strength."

Azrail spoke in a calm tone, as the young-looking man fed a pill to the patriarch, no doubt the boy being the patriarch's father. And with a single action from Azrail, the entirety of the people here wouldn't dare be too friendly to the Min family as a whole in the future.

"I thank young Lord Azrail for that."

Liang replied with a light smile while he seemed to be biting his lips. Azrail could see the same fear in the man's eyes as the rest, all of them being quite jumpy in their seats. Even the hidden experts protecting the Imperial family are feeling like a guillotine is on their necks, the atmosphere of the ball now being fully ruined. Even the Emperor not raising up the balls to say anything bad to Azrail, not when they can't even get the full picture of how deep Azrail's power lay.

And it's within this blooming atmosphere Yun took the lead and spoke.

"Looks like the mood of the ball is ruined, hence we will take our leave. In regards to the auction, the information will all be passed in from the future, and we appreciate any calls for meetings done priorly."

Saying so, Yun looked at Liang, who even with his thick face had to force a smile to his face as he spoke.

"I see, then you may leave."

While Liang felt like he was giving permission, it felt more like he was groveling to give the permission.

"Thank you."

Thus, with that, Yun, Azrail, Valencia, Raena, and Xuanyin set out of the room, already having placed a big announcement to the world.

Leaving behind the messed-up ball, Azrail's group coolly left the place, not at all minding any sort of issue they might have left behind.

"That was a good touch," Yun spoke with a hint of pride as she ruffled Azrail's hair with a gentle touch. He accepted the praise with a smile as Azrail responded.

"It's just a small push for them to see the reality all of them have been denying."

His words made Raena smile as she spoke.

"It's better you did so, sometimes it's better to have your eyes brutally opened than to face the consequences of your actions later down the line."

Her words were calm and controlled, but Azrail could see more of the complex feelings rising through her, all of them being complementary and opposite of each other. Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

"Guess we have succeeded in getting the word out, but will you be able to get it all ready in time?" Yun asked, to which Azrail responded with a sly crooked smile.

"Don't worry about that, Nayan will make sure to get it all ready in time and soon after this we will be the first ones to hold the very first continental auction and even go forth for the greatest continental and intercontinental tournaments."

The conviction in Azrail's tone made the greed in Yun's bloom out, the group in quiet discussion with themselves soon reached out of the palace, coming out to the same landing area they came from as they gazed at the very futuristic yet beautiful chariot they arrived in.

Nestled amidst verdant landscapes and cradled by majestic mountains, Ailin City stands as a testament to the grandeur and prosperity. Situated in the heart of a fertile valley, this city is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty, vibrant culture, and rich history, making it a jewel of the realm.

At the heart of Ailin City lies the Ai family's magnificent palace, a sprawling complex adorned with intricate carvings and elegant gardens. Positioned atop a gentle rise, the palace offers panoramic views of the city below and serves as the focal point of both governance and cultural life.

Surrounding the palace are bustling streets lined with ancient stone buildings, their red-tiled roofs gleaming in the sunlight. The city's layout is meticulously planned, with wide avenues intersecting neatly arranged neighborhoods. Elegant bridges span the tranquil rivers that meander through the city, adding to its picturesque charm.

Ailin City is steeped in a rich cultural heritage, with numerous temples, pagodas, and shrines dotting its landscape. Each structure bears a testament to the city's spiritual devotion and reverence for tradition. The air is often filled with the melodious strains of traditional music, and the streets come alive with vibrant festivals celebrating the city's diverse cultural tapestry.

Artisans ply their trade in bustling marketplaces, crafting exquisite works of pottery, textiles, and jewelry that are coveted far and wide. The city's renowned cuisine tantalizes the senses, with aromatic spices and fresh ingredients combining to create culinary delights fit for royalty.

As the economic hub of the region for a certain treasure, Ailin City boasts a thriving marketplace where merchants from distant lands converge to trade goods and commodities. Silk, spices, and precious metals are among the treasures that pass through the city's bustling ports, enriching its coffers and fueling its prosperity.

The city's strategic location along key trade routes ensures its continued importance as a center of commerce and industry. Skilled craftsmen ply their trade in workshops scattered throughout the city, producing fine goods coveted by nobles and commoners alike.

At the heart of Ailin City lies the Ai family's ancestral palace, a magnificent edifice that serves as a symbol of their power and influence. Guarded by towering walls and fortified gates, the palace is a bastion of strength and stability in a tumultuous world.

Within the palace walls, the Ai family holds court, presiding over matters of governance and justice with wisdom and authority. Their rule is characterized by benevolence and fairness, earning them the loyalty and admiration of their subjects.

Surrounded by lush gardens and shimmering ponds, the Ai family's residence is a sanctuary of peace and tranquility amidst the bustling city. Here, they gather to dine, entertain guests, and plan for the future, secure in the knowledge that their dynasty's legacy is secure.

In Ailin City, the Ai family's influence is felt in every corner, from the grandest palaces to the humblest cottages. Theirs is a reign marked by prosperity, unity, and a steadfast commitment to the welfare of their people, ensuring that Ailin City remains a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come.

"This city never changes," Yun muttered beside Azril, who too nodded his head at his mother's words, the chariot floating above the beautiful city. While everyone looked down at it, the city nestled between the valleys of a mountain boasting several things looked beautiful, and Azril's eyes flashed with a hint of nostalgia as he looked down at Ailin City.

For a moment, the past memory of the half-destroyed city flashed in his mind, the cries of agony and death filling his ears, but those thoughts went as fast as they came with Valencia suddenly tightening the hold on his arms, breaking him out of his thoughts as he gazed at his beautiful fiancée, even with the veil hiding her beauty, a smile gracing her face.

"The place isn't bad, it feels...warm," Raena muttered, her eyes too seemingly flashing with several complex emotions, while Xuanyin just looked down with her normal face, she not being very keen on meeting the relatives that would jump up to take her and hug her, while the grandparents would try to pinch her cheeks, to someone like her, the actions themselves being very irritating if it isn't Azrail.

"Shall we land?" To Azrail's question, his mother nodded her head, and the beautiful chariot soon descended into the city, just like all the other powerful cities, the Ailin city itself had its own powerful defense covering fully over the city, but it easily gave way when the chariot came in contact with it due to the access already provided over.

The descending of the chariot wasn't missed by the keen eyes of the powerful cultivators in the city, their eyes all widening from the mysterious chariot descending downwards, though it didn't take for long to understand whose chariot it was and who was riding in it after all it's no secret about Azrail, not to mention that Azrail's grandpa had conducted a three-day full-blown festival when the news of Azrail's talent, power, and actions reached the ears of the Ailin city.

All the residents themselves could seemingly hear the flashback sound of the leader, Guo Ai, the grandfather of Azrail, laughing out loud, filling his voice through the entire city. Thus, under the fervent eyes of everyone, the chariot soon descends into the high walls of the palace, it being marked towards the landing bay as it softly touches down.

The door to the chariot opened up as Azrail first walked out, his eyes first coming to meet his grandfather, Guo Ai, standing beside his grandmother with a hearty smile filling the man's face. Guo Ai looked to be in his late 30s with dark back hair and eyes, along with a stylish beard filling his face, pride, and happiness oozing out to the man as he ran and picked up Azrail, spinning him into the sky.

"Hahahaha...now there's my genius grandson who is now trembling the realm!" His loud laughter and call fell to the whole area, lauded with the other workers and soldiers of the palace moving around, they like the rest still having their eyes widened and almost falling into an utter daze by just looking at Azrail, though for Guo Ai, the changes only fell in later, Azrail's look making Guo Ai give a proud smile as he spoke still holding Azrail.

"So am I!" Guo Ai shouted from the back catching to his wife's words, making Azrail smile and it was within this atmosphere that Yun suddenly spoke.

"Cough...you two know I am here too, right?" The sudden intrusion brought the focus to Yun, which made Guo Ai smile as he walked up to his daughter, taking Yun in a hearty hug with a hearty smile, holding Yun in the hug for a moment he soon broke it up, his indulging words leaving his mouth.

"My Yuyu looks good as always." Yun smiled at her father's words as she lightly spoke.

"Father, you look healthy as always, that's good, you are sparkling today too."

"How can I not when I have such an amazing grandson?!" Guo Ai exclaimed with a proud smile, his happiness practically oozing out of him, but that didn't stop him from settling his eyes on Xuanyin who was already hiding behind Yun, trying to keep her cheeks safe, though sadly for her, she wasn't able to fight against the overflowing love of a grandpa as Guo Ai quickly appeared in front of Xuanyin and found her cheeks, starting to pull on them lightly as he spoke.

"My little Xuxu is already growing up into a beauty!" He shouted with happiness, to which Xuanyin tried her best to fight it, alas, her cold gaze didn't do anything to deter Guo Ai at all, in fact, Xuanyin's little 'rebellion' only looked cute in front of his eyes as he started to 'torture' Xuanyin more.

Meanwhile, that happened, Valencia, like the quick-witted girl she is, quickly reached beside the glowing duo of Azrail and Fulu Ai, her voice being soft and very respectful as Valencia spoke.

"Hello grandma, my name is Valencia, I am Azrail's fiancée." For this moment Valencia went all out to push forth her charm to a greater degree than she ever did, each of her actions looking very cute and honest, making Fulu Ai quickly melt to Valencia's cuteness and beauty, her hand going forth to lightly pat Valencia's hair, the softness making Fulu Ai only feel more at comfort as she spoke.

"Welcome to the family Valencia darling."

The atmosphere in the landing bay only went on to get even warmer as Fulu Ai patted Valencia's head, the woman's eyes lit up at the sight of Valencia, and as the rest of the older experienced people out there, it only took one glance for Fulu Ai to notice that Valencia is, in question, a very outstanding girl.

Plus, she didn't even need to speak out about the special background that Valencia has. After all, even without the rumors moving around, it's more than clear from the words Yun herself had spoken to the Ai family.

"It's wonderful to have such a bright girl beside my little Azi," Fulu Ai spoke, her words being warm and welcoming as she bent forth to place a light kiss on Valencia's forehead too, Valencia restraining her charming show to the full as not to get Azrail's grandmother to a daze. Within that time frame, the very hearty Guo Ai finally let go of the reddened cheeks of Xuanyin.

Whose cold gaze only got colder as she gazed at her grandfather, after which her light grudge-filled eyes focused on Azrail, who had ignored her inner plea call for help. Guo Ai's eyes focused on Valencia as he appeared right beside his wife, his eyes peering down at his granddaughter-in-law, with a twinkling gaze as he spoke.

"Welcome to the family, little Val."

Azrail felt the little twitch that took place within Valencia's feelings from the mentioning of the new nickname that his grandfather gave Valencia, but she, being who she is, kept all her inner feelings locked up there and displayed the perfect girl she has to be.

"Thank you, grandfather, it is very nice to meet you too. Azrail has spoken a lot of good things about you," Valencia replied, she giving a light bow as she did so, making Guo Ai chuckle a bit, his hand too going forth to place a light pat on Valencia's head as he spoke.

"Well, aren't you a little minx?" His voice was fully playful as he said so, to which Valencia smiled under her veil, and it was within this the focus of Guo Ai landed on Raena who in her disguise stood there near the chariot looking at all this with a very calm gaze.

"Where else do you think? That girl must have lost herself in her own training that she even forgot about anything happening outside. She reminds me of you, well without your extra fixation on business," Guo Ai's words making Yun smile as her gaze turned towards the training center of the palace. Kia Ai, being the little sister of Yun, the aunt of Azrail, who is currently just 15 years old, a very talented prodigy and a powerful cultivator and above that a training and battle maniac too, Kia Ai's birth and conceiving itself being a very unplanned thing that just happened between the loving couple of Guo Ai and Fulu Ai.

The case here is the fact that Guo Ai has only one woman in his life and has never gone out of his way to marry another, the love between the two being too much strong for another woman to even get any space to enter, thus with control, the two of them had two planned children, stopping there to not have anymore.

But fate seemed to have planned something else as even within their old age, Kia Ai came into existence, an aunt of Azrail who just happens to be just a few years older than him.

"She doesn't even know you are here yet, after all, if she did, she would have come rushing forth to meet her idol older sister and her loving little nephew and niece," these words made Azrail smile, but deep within his eyes, the mention of Kia Ai bringing forth several other streams of feelings, this situation being picked up by Valencia as she asked.

'Are you okay? Do you have any problems with your aunt? Is she an enemy?' At the end of her question Valencia's words turned very cold, to this Azrail kept his cool, his eyes flashing forth with several emotions as he boiled them all down.

'No, it's fine. As for the things there, I want to deal with it on my own,' Valencia inwardly nodded her head at those words as Yun suddenly spoke.

"Then why don't we first move through the training grounds, take up Kia, and then go to have some food?"

"You couldn't have placed it better," Fulu Ai spoke, as she started to take the lead, taking in Valencia's hands, holding it tight as she started to have some small talk with her, Guo Ai didn't even hesitate as he quickly took up Azrail and placed him on his shoulder as he started to walk forth, his prideful words filling Azrail's ears, while Raena, Yun, and Xuanyin formed another small group and caught up behind them.

And as they walked, they left all of the soldiers and servants who gazed at them fully in shock and daze, their eyes falling slowly to the charms of Azrail and Valencia that leaked out in small gaps, just the natural look is enough for many to take some time to even process the image.

And thus the warm group kept on their march, soon reaching towards the training room.

The group moved with slow yet warm steps as they reached upon the training rooms and grounds of the Ai family. Within the grounds, several powerful figures were being trained and spread around, all of them being the soldiers and future soldiers of the Ai family, their bodies being trained to be robust before any of them could be given the chance to take the steps towards true cultivation. Thê source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

The arrival of the group brought in silence and focus from the entire group in the training ground, their eyes widening as they gazed at Guo Ai, and they all shouted at, "We greet the leader!" The combined shout filled up the ground, though most of the people in the training grounds, ones without any cultivation and many without any great mental fortitude, directly went into their dazed state as they gazed upon Azrail.

"That must be annoying," Guo Ai spoke with Azrail still being on his shoulder.

"Well, you get used to it, Grandpa," Azrail replied with a light smile, his eyes going forth to see Valencia getting along with his grandmother, while the other three followed him and just kept to themselves, with Raena taking in the scenes and of the family with just a neutral gaze, the thing in front of her not being enough to astound or even arouse any sort of curiosity or amazement from her.

"Where is Kia?" Guo Ai asked in a commanding tone, and one of the soldiers, seemingly one more powerful and of much more well-trained mind, stepped forward, his gaze traveling to Azrail once after which focusing on Guo Ai he spoke, "Leader, the young lady is in the fourth training room!" His voice was loud as he spoke so, to which Guo Ai nodded his head, his eyes traveling through the majority of daze-filled members as he spoke, "Tch, most of their minds are still weak, plan for mental strengthening challenges in the coming days."

"Yes, leader!" The one that spoke before replied, saluting Guo Ai, as the group moved once again, reaching in front of the fourth training room, while avoiding the rest of the observers that kept gawking on, everyone got the hint and just moved away and gave space to the gathering of this family.

'I know,' Azrail spoke quickly, cutting Valencia off who could see the shining ominous threads circling around Kia, Valencia's eyes turned cold and calculating for a moment, and seeing so Azrail intervened.

'Don't do anything, I will deal with this on my own,' his strict words made Valencia take a step back, though even then contingency plans to take down Kia already bloomed within her mind.

Back to the scenes, Kia's eyes widened the moment she came to see what was in front of her, her eyes going forth to look first at Azrail seated atop Guo Ai's shoulder, a moment of daze filling her eyes after which she burst forth in front of her father, she bounded up in front of Guo Ai as she shouted, "My little nephew is here!" Her words were happy and excited as she waved her hands towards Azrail seated atop his grandfather, he smiled as he waved up and Azrail's grandfather quickly placed him on the ground which resulted in Azrail being pulled into a big hug by this little aunt of his.

"Ohh!.....how I missed this!" Kia spoke with a powerful tone as she hugged Azrail tighter, holding him for a few seconds after which she left the hug, her eyes going forth to look through Azrail's face, taking in the extreme beauty of Azrail that kept attacking Kia's mind, her hands going forth to lightly touch around Azrail's face in wonder.

"Just what kind of miracle drug did you take? and do you have any of it left?" Kia asked in a rapid tone, her words making the adults smile, though that still didn't break Kia out of her wonder as she kept touching Azrail's face in wonder to which Yun suddenly intervened.

"Cough....are you forgetting your older sister now?" These sudden words made Kia focus on Yun, her eyes lighting up in admiration and love yet even then with hesitation, she looked at the soft face in her hand and then at her older sister, hesitation filling her being to just let go of this softness from her hand and Azrail could see it too which he holding over Kia's hand spoke, "You know I am not going anywhere!" These sudden words of Azrail made Kia smile as leaving Azrail's cheeks she headed towards Yun, quickly embracing her older sister in a loving hug as she shouted, "I missed you big sis!"

"I also missed you too," Yun replied, the smile lighting up her face being very sweet as she hugged Kia back tightly, they broke the hug a few moments later and before anybody could get any words in Kia quickly pointed her hands at Azrail and shouted out, "Fight me!" Her entire momentum goes forth to disregard everyone else standing nearby, which once again is her very character.

"You want to fight me, Aunt Kia?"

Azrail asked in a confused tone, though his voice didn't betray any surprise, the rest of the family members being gathered also not feeling blacked out by this sudden change and outburst from Kia, the situation itself being something normal and seen within Kia, the teen hellbent on getting better and stronger, the two things being the major things filling that battle maniac mind of hers.

"Um!..... I have already heard about how strong you have become! and I want a taste of the peak! to see how far I lay from the top of this realm!"

As she spoke the last of her words, Kia's tone became sharper, those innocent jumpy eyes of hers turning much more reserved and sharp, making Azrail inwardly smile as he turned to look at his grandfather who could only shake his head with a wry smile, seeing so he turned to his mother, who just gave him a nod, giving him the control of what he wants to do in this situation, seeing so he turned to his aunt as he spoke.

"Sure why not, I would love to bully my aunt before eating some food!"

The way Azrail termed his words made many chuckles, and Kia took it all in, her face turning serious and understanding the fact that she is really going to get her ass kicked, well, that is if it was a full-on fight.

"I want a battle of pure skills and abilities, not your full cultivation!"

Her shout made Azrail nod his head as he spoke.

"Well, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"And after I win or lose, I will keep rubbing your cheeks!"

Kia shouted with a happy tone, easily changing between several tunes, her words making Azrail smile as he responded in an amused tone.

"Then what do I get from this?"

"To make your aunt happy!"

"I don't want it any other way."

Kia replied, to this Azrail nodded his head, his presence staying still within the training ground as he placed his hands on his back, Guo Ai walked to the center of the field as the referee, his eyes looking towards both, nodding at them, his cultivation at the peak of Mortal Core Realm flowing out as he spoke.

"Begin!"

The moment Guo Ai's voice echoed across the training ground, Kia surged forward like a tempest unleashed. Her greatsword whistled through the air, leaving behind a trail of Qi that crackled with the intensity of a thunderstorm. Azrail remained calm, his eyes locked on Kia as if he were studying a puzzle waiting to be solved.

With a swift movement, Kia swung her greatsword towards Azrail's midsection, aiming to catch him off guard. But Azrail sidestepped effortlessly, his movements fluid and precise. He danced around Kia's attacks with grace, his footwork being very light and breezy.

Kia pressed on relentlessly, her attacks coming in a barrage of strikes from all angles. Each swing of her greatsword was filled with raw power, enough to cleave through stones. But Azrail evaded each blow with ease, his movements a mesmerizing display of skill.

As the battle raged on, Kia's frustration grew. She couldn't land a single hit on Azrail, whose calm demeanor only served to fuel her determination. With a roar of fury, she unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one faster and more ferocious than the last.

But Azrail remained unfazed. With a flick of his wrist, he countered Kia's attacks with precision strikes of his own. His movements were like water flowing around rocks, effortlessly adapting to Kia's relentless assault.

The spectators watched in awe as the two combatants clashed, their movements blurring together in a whirlwind of steel and Qi.

Despite Kia's relentless onslaught, Azrail continued to evade her strikes with ease, his movements fluid and calculated. As Kia launched herself forward once again, Azrail's expression shifted ever so slightly. With a subtle movement of his hand, he tapped into the depths of his power, channeling his Qi into a single, focused point.

Suddenly, flames erupted from Azrail's palm, swirling and dancing with an otherworldly brilliance. The air around them grew thick with heat as the flames intensified, casting a fiery glow over the battlefield.

Kia faltered for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise as she watched the flames consume Azrail's hand. But before she could react, Azrail unleashed his attack with blinding speed. A torrent of fire shot forth from Azrail's palm, engulfing Kia in a sea of flames. The intense heat licked at her skin, threatening to consume her in its fiery embrace.

For a moment, Kia was completely overwhelmed, her movements faltering as she struggled to contend with the sheer power of Azrail's attack. The flames seemed to dance around her, taunting her with their ferocity.

But even in the face of such overwhelming odds, Kia refused to back down. With a defiant roar, she gathered her strength and pushed back against the flames with all her might. Slowly but surely, Kia began to gain ground, her determination shining through the inferno. With every step forward, she pushed herself harder, refusing to let Azrail's power crush her spirit.

And then, with a final surge of energy, Kia unleashed her own counterattack. With a mighty swing of her greatsword, she sent a shockwave of Qi rippling through the air, shattering the flames, and making Azrail smile.

"That was a nice warm-up, isn't it?"

Azrail asked, already having moved a bit distant away from his aunt Kia, his eyes looking through her postures, to which Kia smiled, her eyes getting sharper and sharper, her special talent in battle slowly starting to shine out as her postures started to change in small manners here and there, the hold of her greatsword even changing a bit.

And Azrail could see her muscles trembling here and there and thus within a blink of an eye, having already understood and moved through Azrail's blind spot by using a quickly burst footwork, Kia appeared right on the right side of Azrail, swinging her weapon to Azrail's waist.

"Yes, it was."

She spoke in a quick manner, a smirk lighting up her face as she hit towards Azrail but sadly for her, that smirk of hers froze up as her weapon missed. Azrail, as if he is simply made of air, melted and waved away like fire with an open fiery burst from his position as he appeared in another place, his eyes gazing at Kia as he twirled his finger towards her, asking for more from her.

This only went forth to ignite more of Kia's fighting spirit, she channeling her call to the earth, the whole of the ground simply shaking a bit as Kia managed to channel much more of the special energy from the ground, the amazing ability of the earth to hold and live all the species that walk on it subtly rising within Kia.

This strengthened Kia's body in a humongous manner, her healthy body gaining a bit of a healthy bronze glow, her muscles which kept trembling and feeling tired from the constant use of her muscles calming down, another certain sort of powerful protection covering over Kia, as even her weight increased.

Azrail raised his eyebrow at the technique that Kia was using, his voice softly as he asked.

"Where did you learn that from?"

"It's a secret!" Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

Kia shouted as she burst out from the ground, cracks appearing on the ground from her movements as she appeared right in front of Azrail, the whole atmosphere within their battleground getting heavier.

'I feel as if even gravity around me got a bit higher.'

Azrail asked, looking at his little aunt, her sword drilled to the ground, she holding it with one hand, her head on the ground as she kneeled on one knee, huffing out from the single punch that Azrail gave out, her words soon coming out.

"Huff...dispiriting...huff...but...entertaining!"

As Kia said her last words she raised her head, she once again used the very technique to gain the stance of the grounds to stand up, her Qi rumbling around her, protecting her tighter than before and she soon once again appeared in front of Azrail. who still kept several floating 'fireflies' around him, they sparkling almost fairy-like around him.

Kia didn't pay any heed to it as she started to swing her greatsword once again, which once again missed with the popped flow, she swung not tiring as she started to swing again and again.

Puff!...Puff!...Puff!...Puff!...Puff!...

Her attack not even landing once as she kept doing so but Kia didn't seem to give up her eyes all the while kept seeing and interpreting the technique, trying to find any weakness she could exploit, but even with her next 15th attack she couldn't see any weakness that she could use, Azrail being a very tight closed defense that no opening can be seen.

"Sometimes there are no weaknesses that you can use, aunt."

Azrail spoke still standing strong without a break of sweat on his head, his eyes boring into the still shiny eyes of his aunt and before she could react, those 'fireflies' that surrounded Azrail moved, within seconds before Kia could react they latched all over her body, she trying to use her Qi to disrupt it but nothing affecting it and that's when she understood that each 'firefly' was adjusted to match the technique she is using now!

They latched onto the special energy protective layer of the earth, using it as sticky glue to fill her entire body, which meant Azrail had even changed the composition of the whole attack itself to match her! All of this being done within just this battle alone!

Thus the truth of the real talent started to settle in as Azrail, looking at his aunt with a smile spoke.

"Boom."

Boom!

Just as he finished so all the 'fireflies' on Kia's body exploded!

Small clouds of smoke filled the training grounds, Azrail standing tall without even breaking a sweat, while Kia fell to the ground, her complete protection from the earth having withered away as she fell panting on the ground, small several dark spots of burns all over her body, yet her eyes stayed to the sky, several conflicting emotions passing through her as Azrail walked up to her and stood above his little aunt.

"How did it feel Aunt?"

To Azrail's question, Kia didn't directly reply, she kept panting on the floor, several emotions passing through her as she asked.

"Huff.....Is everyone...huff.....huff...above...huff....like this?"

Her question was asked with difficulty to which Azrail spoke, looking down into her eyes.

"Yes."

A simple yet direct answer, that only went forth to increase the despair in Kia's mind, Azrail could sense his grandfather wanting to intervene, not having the desire to see Kia's spirit break and wither but Azrail's mother blocked it, keeping Guo Ai at bay as Kia asked another question.

"Huff.....how much....huff.....did you.....huff.....put in?"

To this, Azrail bore deeply into those black eyes of Kia's and he could see Kia going into a certain gaze from his eyes but he pulled his charm in as he spoke.

"Not enough to even lose 5% of my Qi."

This answer now fully blooming the despair in Kia's eyes and Azrail doesn't plan on stopping it at all, either this swallows her up or she breaks it all apart and walk her own life, it will be her own mind that will be the decider of that, perhaps Azrail might just give her some push here and there to reach that train of thought.

Thus with a smile, Azrail bent down, he going forth to help his aunt sit up straight as he spoke.

"Well, look at the bright side aunt, you at least get to play with my cheeks."

Raena took a seat beside Yun, while she gazed at all this with a calm gaze, Azrail'd grandfather Guo Ai, went froth to sit at the head seat, while still having a happy goofy smile on his face

As the feast continued, lively conversations filled the air, weaving a tapestry of laughter, stories, and shared memories. Azrail found himself drawn into the spirited banter, his heart light and his mind at ease in the company of his beloved family, one he never thought he would have or ever get again.

"Remember the time when we went on that adventure in the mountains?" Yun exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "We thought we were going for some family adventure time, but ended up getting chased by a pack of wild Qi boars instead!"

The memory brought a chorus of laughter from the group, each member chiming in with their own recollections of the misadventure. Azrail chuckled along with them.

"And who could forget the time when Mother accidentally turned Father's hair bright pink?" Kia added with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I don't think he's ever lived that down!"

Azrail's grandfather, sitting beside his grandmother, rolled his eyes playfully, a fond smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It was a small price to pay for a good laugh," he conceded, raising his glass in mock surrender.

The conversation flowed effortlessly, weaving through tales of triumphs and trials, triumphs and tribulations. Azrail's aunt Kia shared stories from her own adventures, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she recounted her encounters with many different people and beasts. Azrail listened with rapt attention, hanging on her every word as if hearing them for the first time.

Meanwhile, Valencia who sat beside him spoke into his mind, she lightly ate the food while the veil still covered over her face.

'This is a nice family'

'It's your family too'

Azrail replied back, he gazing through the happy atmosphere within the dining room, several memories of the past trying to push into his mind, the broken castle, the dead bodies of his grandparents and his uncle, the falling blood, and more, those memories just being the reminder to Azrail on what he should never give up on.

And it was then that Azrail asked.

"Where is uncle, he hasn't come back yet?"

And before any reply could be given the door to the room blasted open, and a heavy weighty man, bearing the resemblance to Guo Ai appeared in the room, the man looked to be in his 20s with sharp features, along with black hair and eyes, his body being more of a very well built bodybuilder as the man could say to be handsome, his voice filling the room as he spoke.

"Where are my cute nephew and niece?"

"Where are my cute nephew and niece?"

Max Ai, the man bearing a close resemblance to Guo Ai, entered inside the room, his eyes boring into Azrail's as a happy smile filled his face, the man soon appeared right beside Azrail to place a light kiss on his forehead as he spoke.

"My... my look at this, looks like the family's good looks have been fully passed on!"

Max's voice spread across the room, as he stood tall with pride, Azrail slowly washing away his forehead as he spoke.

"It's good to see you too, uncle."

As he said so, he could see his grandfather and grandmother shaking their heads with a wry smile filling their faces, even Kia was looking forth with an exasperated face as she spoke.

"Elder brother, can't you see we are eating, at least keep that decorum!"

Her voice seemed to fall on deaf ears, though the moment the cold voice of Yun fell, Max shriveled up.

"Looks like you are in need of some training for good mental growth."

These words seemed like the order from the king of hell itself to Max as he comically turned around to meet his older sister with pleading eyes as he spoke.

"Please, sis! Be lenient! I was just excited from having known you were here!"

"Then why did I not hear you missing me from your mouth? Also, why did it feel like to me that you were avoiding me?"

These questions back to back hitting right at the mark but seemingly having grown thick skin, Max quickly recovered, a shocked look blooming on his face as he spoke back. Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

"How can that be?! It really was an emergency, or else I would have rushed back to meet you first, sis! I swear!"

Seeing his uncle act like a trembling dog in front of his mother, Azrail couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. It's a good fact that the servants are outside, or else the complete status of his uncle would have been fully ruined, though from what Azrail could remember, it's already a very weird reputation for his uncle. The man itself fears his mother more than the judgment of the heavens themselves.

'I also wonder, what kind of shit did he go through to be so... well trained.'

Azrail, for a moment, even thought of having his mother train all the other ones under his control cause make no mistake from all the actions that Max makes, he is no wimp, and even above that, he is not a dumb person. Anyone who thinks and works with that assumption would only have a living hell waiting for them at the end.

To his prayer, Azrail could see Max trembling a bit in his seat, the man looking around the room as he spoke out.

"The hell, is anyone churning this handsome man out there?"

Once again to his slow shiver, the rest of the family could only shake their heads, Yun taking the lead as she introduced Max to Raena.

"Sigh... this idiot here is my brother, the future head of the Ai family."

As she pointed out, Max looked at Raena with a toothy grin, flashing those white teeth of his as he spoke.

"Hey there, how you doin'?"

Seeing this, Azrail shook his head while Raena, the very crazy one looked on with a confused look, she turned to Yun as she asked.

"Will the Ai family be okay in the future?"

To this question, even Azrail's grandparents couldn't go forth to say anything, thus turning his attention away from Raena, Max focused his eyes on the veiled Valencia as he peered into her face, a few moments later Max turned to look at Azrail giving him a thumbs up as he spoke.

"Nice catch! Looks like all the techniques of wooing girls I taught you has worked out."

The man boasted.

'But you are still single uncle.'

Azrail went to speak that out but in respect to the poor man's heart, Azrail kept silent, cause this time he didn't have to say anything, his eyes falling onto his mother who seems to be a little pissed as she spoke.

"Did you really go forth to teach those stupid things to my son?! Those things that have kept girls farther away from you than perhaps the most powerful curse of virginity out there?!"

'Uff... ow.'

Azrail thought, seeing his uncle almost freeze up, the man seemingly having become a frozen statue from Azrail's mother's words, Azrail could see the bubbling emotions within his uncle, though for now, he would have to deal with his mother's wrath.

'Once again uncle, rest in peace or better pieces.'

Azrail prayed.

The conversation in the room went forth in a light tone after Azrail's mother fully destroyed Max, the large man now eating in silence as he just kept poking at his food like a 10-year-old pouting kid, the whole situation itself being very funny, though the main conversation as predicted soon moved to the future rise of Azrail himself.

"So tell me Azi, how does it feel to have all the eyes of the realm on you?" Azrail's grandmother asked, her black eyes on him, while the focus of the table also became him, even his now pouty uncle focused on Azrail, who took in the attention with stride as he spoke.

"It's nothing much, though it's annoying a bit when I keep having to prove myself all the time," Azrail's words made his grandfather have a proud smile as he asked.

"So how did it all happen, for your mother spoke to us of your genius talent awakening but where is the root of all that?" To this Azrail looked at his grandfather, a light smile filling his stunning face as he spoke.

"Well let's just say the road to that is a very complex story that involves two other girls before this," Azrail's wording made his uncle jump in with renewed energy as he spoke.

"You also seduced two other powerful girls?" Max's voice was quite low as he said this, to which Azrail just gave a light teasing look to his uncle, who soon deflated like a balloon as he fell to the table.

"My nephew is better than me..." Is the low whisper that kept leaking out of his mouth as he lay there on the table, thus now having happily dealt a little blow to his uncle Azrail turned to his grandparents, he could see the subtle look his grandmother gave Valencia when he spoke of the other two girls, his grandmother's expression only turning for the better when she saw that Valencia didn't have any reaction at all.

While at the same time, his little aunt Kia interfered.

"So go on tell me how it all bloomed," A little romantic light playing in the eyes of his adolescent aunt, to which Azrail leaning to the chair spoke.

"Well, the story is long so I won't bore you fully with it, the string comes from a phoenix entry that I did to the second being towards a very dangerous set of beings that walk the void," The first half of Azrail's words brought a great surprise to the family, while the second half just brought a whole hell lot of confusion and it was within this that Azrail's grandfather with a recognizing voice spoke.

"Wait! That phoenix cry that filled the lands all those time ago! Is it from you?!" The question only heightened the focus on the room as Azrail nodded his head.

"Let's just say you are not powerful enough to handle that info."

This only went forth to make Kia pout even more but she relented in the end as she asked another more detailed question.

"So what's all your affinities?" There was a sly mark at the end of her face as she asked so, all of them believe that some sort of changes must have taken place when Azrail had a rebirth, to this Azrail smiled as he spoke.

"Well, I have a lot of affinities."

The confirmation only made Kia chuckle as she spoke.

"Let me guess they are a secret too."

"It's dangerous enough that less the people know the better, 'cause if it ever got out by accident, I don't want any problems coming forth."

The cryptic words from Azrail gained several head nods from the elderly, while the anticipating Kia could only pout, though she found her own way to mess things up as she spoke.

"I have heard that all the phoenixes are very protective of their mate, does this first phoenix's niece-in-law of mine know about my nephew's dangerous collection?"

To this, Azrail lied through his teeth.

"She knows enough."

His reply was met with a tongue point by Kia. Azrail chuckled at his aunt's antics, her playful curiosity a welcome distraction from the weightier topics of conversation. He glanced around the table, taking in the expressions of his family members as they listened to his tale. There was a mixture of awe, concern, and pride reflected in their eyes.

As the evening wore on, the conversation continued to flow, weaving through a myriad of topics and stories.

The jolly atmosphere, though soon turned serious as Guo asked.

"So what's your plan? How long do you plan to stay in this heaven?"

The question was heavy as it was directed toward Azrail. He didn't answer it directly, his eyes first meeting all of the members gathered within the room and thus, with a simple command over his powers, Azrail shrouded the entire room from the whole world, a small precaution for what he was about to speak of.

First, Azrail focused his eyes on his grandfather, his words flowing smoothly.

"I do not wish to be a name of genius out there, grandfather. I wish for my name and the name of the family I lead to be of the greatest power that masks the cosmos."

The heavy desire of Azrail loomed out, as the atmosphere turned to be extremely serious. Even the jolly Max's eyes flashed, his gaze hardening as he took the lead, speaking something important for the first time.

"Do you know the weight of what your desire can do to you?"

A subtle amount of Max's pressure started to ooze out, but it easily dwindled under the existing pressure of Azrail's as he faced his uncle, nodding his head as he spoke.

"I know what I desire, I know what its pressure will be, and I am more than willing to face it all." Cheêck out latest novels at novelhall.com

The pressure behind Azrail's words filled the entire atmosphere, his little aunt turning quiet, shrinking down as she kept looking around the room. Max not going down as he spoke.

"You know there is sometimes only a small line between ignorance, arrogance, and pure stupidity."

Azrail doesn't get angry with his uncle's words, knowing for the better that everything his uncle is saying is all because the man cares for him. And before Azrail could speak, his grandfather raised his hand, pointing towards Max to shut up as he spoke to Azrail.

"You know I have seen those same eyes of yours before, it's the same eyes your mother had when she set out to have the world in her palms."

The certainty in Azrail's voice brought a tremble all around, the one with the greatest reaction being Kia, whose eyes sparkled all around. Though Azrail wasn't done as he turned to his grandfather, the two eyes clashing as he spoke.

"I need to know, grandfather, and I will accept any of your desires. If you wish to have simple happiness here, then I will make sure to completely safeguard this family till the end of time. If you wish to rule over this realm, then I will make this family so. But if you wish to follow my desire to the top, then it will be a whole other point of action that will have to be taken up."

The stress in Azrail's words spoke the seriousness of the situation, the Ai family members looking all around as Fulu spoke with a wry smile.

"Little Azi, I don't think all of us have the talent or the powers that would come to keep up with the dream you so wish to achieve."

The truthfulness in those words made both Max and Kia bite their lips a bit. To these words, Azrail smirked, leaning deeply back in his chair, his voice resounding out.

"You don't have to worry about all that, just tell me the dreams you wish to have, and I will deal with it all accordingly. I have my ways to make your talents shine anywhere in the cosmos, to make your powers not fall back everywhere else in the cosmos."

There was no joke in Azrail's words, and the Ai family could see the rest much older of the women nodding at Azrail's words, showing the power behind the promise. They couldn't understand where the confidence came from, but the sight of the upper Immortal Raena showing forth several options they never thought would be possible.

Azrail could see and even feel the shifting tensions and desires in the room, and he knows for the better that such decisions cannot be made on the fly. Thus he eyes his mother who, in her turn, spoke.

"None of you have to decide upon the future now. Take all the time you need, for the decision you make now will only go forth to decide how your future will come to be. And don't worry, no decision you all will make any of us disappointed."

The last of Yun's words being brought out with a rare light smile on her face, those words bringing a halt to the very expanding desire, each of the four members of the Ai family having their own thoughts about the opportunity in front of them.

"Hahaha... I never thought that I would be able to feel such happiness and pride at such a point in time, especially not more than when I hear of what you did to that bastard. My only sadness is that I couldn't do it with my own hands."

Guo spoke up, skillfully turning the table of the talk, the minds of the rest swirling around as Yun spoke back.

"You don't have to worry about it, I left that bastard alive for a reason. I can take you up to him whenever you desire, and you can torture him as your will."

'Guess my father has been upgraded from father to bastard,' Azrail mused, feeling no pity. Though just as he thought this, he felt a small sting in his hands, the formation ink of a tower appearing.

Azrail's focus broke off for a moment, his eyes falling upon the tower symbol that appeared in his hand for a moment and then disappeared.

'Did she enter the tower?'

Azrail asked, to which Mia replied.

[[Yes, she did]]

The enslaved reality now living under Azrail's control and being the servant of All-Seer, a poor controller that rules over the tower that made constellations bow, now being a simple errand girl. Oh, how fast did the winds change?

'Um.....looks like it's all going well for now,'

Azrail mused. Lysandra now is also making her move of power within her family present in the void realm, not to mention she has started to go through the trials left over there on her own. Of course, Azrail could still join, but he had already spoken to her about his lack of interest in it. This dimmed her spirits a bit, but since the prospect of getting to travel through the realm tower together came, Lysandra quickly changed her tune, being happy to oblige.

After all the trials there at the first are meant for Lysandra to go through and only once she reaches a specific level of power can she finally enter the true first floor of the tower, a place of great danger for everyone that bears their mark from the outside, and even above that, Azrail still wishes to go there with Lysandra. He wishes to start exploring his powers there too.

Not to mention the extreme amount of different resources and powers being present inside the tower, there is also the fact of having Mia with him, thus its knowledge being something that will move Azrail towards great and still unfound hidden pieces spread all around, just as he was thinking this Azrail's grandmother spoke.

"Now why don't we all just go and freshen up?"

Her words being the deeper linker of desire to just get everyone's mind straightened up from all the info that just kept popping up, and everyone nodded their head at the orders, the whole of the Ai family itself just moving about as Azrail's group that arrived moved to another room led by one of the servants.

The whole of the group soon being led to their own room as Azrail sat in his bed, his mind going through the situations that might arise due to the desires that are being harbored in the hearts of each of his family, though just as he was thinking of this a ring sounded out in his mind, a message from All-Realm having arrived.

Opening up the message, Azrail read through it, a light smile filling his face as he went through the information.

'Well took them long enough,'

Azrail thought the message itself was from one of the extremely powerful organizations formed within the revolving centers of the Cosmic Games and the foundation of the All-Realm itself. After all the talents and powers that Azrail 'subtly' showed, he expected to get an invitation some time ago, though the moment the invitation came, several new messages soon arrived with it.

All of the messages being pointed from several other powerful factions fighting for power within the All-Realm, their call for Deathmark being close, it would seem the first sent message landed towards a whole landslide of several other messages, Azrail started to look through them, his eyes peering through the much more potential factions he can make use of.

Strength: The Daevas possess dark powrrs and infernal powers that can corrode the very fabric of reality itself. Their strength lies in their cunning and their willingness to embrace the darkest depths of their own depravity.

3)The Jötnar Confederacy

Origins: The Jötnar are a coalition of frost giants, fire giants, and other primordial beings who embody the chaotic forces of nature. Led by Ymir, the Father of Giants, they seek to disrupt the cosmic order.

Power Structure: Ymir presides over the Jötnar as the ancient progenitor of their race, with other members ruling over domains such as frost, fire, and chaos. They operate with a savage ferocity that knows no bounds.

Realm of Influence: The Jötnar hold sway over the frigid realm of Jotunheim, where ice and fire collide in a never-ending struggle for supremacy. They also exert influence over the mortal realm of Midgard, sowing discord and destruction wherever they tread.

Strength: The Jötnar possesses elemental powers that can freeze the very heart of creation or reduce it to ash. Their strength lies in their sheer size and their willingness to embrace chaos as a means of achieving their goals.

4)The Tuatha Dé Danann Confederation

Origins: The Tuatha Dé Danann are a confederation of deities and supernatural beings who embody the essence of nature and magic. Led by Dagda, the All-Father, they weave the tapestry of reality with their enchantments.

Power Structure: Dagda stands as the High King of the Tuatha Dé Danann, with other members governing domains such as the land, the sea, and the Otherworld. They operate with a deep reverence for nature and the cycles of life.

Realm of Influence: The Tuatha Dé Danann hold sway over the mystical realm of Tir na nÓg, where certain energy flows like a river and the boundaries between worlds blur. They also protect the mortal realm of Éire, guarding its ancient mysteries.

Strength: The Tuatha Dé Danann wield primal magic that taps into the very essence of creation, shaping reality according to their will. Their strength lies in their connection to nature and their ability to harness the raw power of the elements.

5)The Aesir Alliance

Origins: The Aesir are a coalition of gods and goddesses led by Odin, the Allfather. They are known for their warrior ethos and fierce determination to protect the cosmic order.

Power Structure: Odin presides over the Aesir as the supreme ruler, with other members governing domains such as thunder, fertility, and death. They operate as a close-knit council, consulting each other on matters of cosmic importance.

Realm of Influence: The Aesir maintain control over the Nine Realms, including Asgard, Midgard, and Helheim. They safeguard the Yggdrasil, the cosmic tree that connects all worlds.

Strength: The Aesir are formidable in battle and possess divine magic that can reshape reality. Their strength is bolstered by their unwavering loyalty to one another and their commitment to upholding cosmic order.

============

'I need to meet with 5 of them before I make my next move.'

Azrail in his heart already has an idea of which side he wants to join, but before that, he needs to drive the market price in. DeathMark needs to put in and show his place and talent to make it such that Azrail will receive better offers when he wants to join any faction.

'Gotta be careful on how I move this.'

None of them are idiots or useless ones. Once Azrail joins, he needs to lay low till he gets the full picture. Be it the lowest sect or even this humongous organization in front of Azrail, all of them will have at least one small weak leg for him to break, which will create the domino effect that Azrail wants to, he would be more in sight then.

Thus having made his plan, Azrail quickly sent his reply back to the 5 of them he chose. The reply that Azrail gave wasn't all that conventional, but in this case, Azrail has the right to put forth this arrogance. A small deal is put forth by Azrail and knowing the ego of the ones who wrote these messages and the ones who receive upon them, Azrail knows that he will be in for a good show.

'Guess that's dealt with.'

Thinking of that, Azrail sat cross-legged on his bed, deep breaths filling his lungs as he felt the shifting Qi all around him, the World Spirit energy in him tumbling out in his World Spirit core, the energy shifting and phasing all around, while the soul energy in his body kept its smooth phase, keeping a certain balance in between all.

Deep within his mind, Azrail's mental realm stayed firm, his increase in talent helping him achieve more levels of control over his mind and the minds of the rest. Right now, Azrail is making steady growth in his World Spirit powers and trying to learn more about the mental realm masters, him cultivating the first one and learning more about the latter.

'I need to maintain a steady flow.'

Azrail has too much to grow about him. Leaving aside his own unique paths for cultivation, there is his bloodline to deal with, the blessings of Death, and his powers that equate towards Death, cause from what he was betrothed on, Azrail's bloodline has been fully blown away to become something much more sinister and dangerous.

Then there is Azrail's connection to 'that' domain, the one left to him by Torez, the powerful domain of swords forged from realms itself, swords with their own minds, powers, and strength to fight against all. They are, in a sense, a living breathing army completely being suspended in a death-like state within that domain. Azrail could feel his connection to it, but he still couldn't enter it.

Trying to grasp any of the swords there, for now, feels like death because even though Azrail is now the owner of that domain bequeathed by Torez, it doesn't mean that all the swords there are happy with him. All of them loved and adored Torez, and with the respect and duty given to them, they would listen to Azrail when the time came, but going out of that would need serious time from Azrail.

He would need for them to recognize him, to earn their true loyalty, cause swords like those with such immense might to cut literally anything is something even the Gods would fight for, not to mention that Azrail has thousands of such swords at his command, swords capable of cutting through even the strongest hearts of the most powerful organizations.

There is another fact that, with his powers getting stronger, Azrail's inner world is being connected to the domain, which means their connection is getting better and better. That also means that the domain of the last and the most powerful Centuriarchs is getting linked to him on a soul-like layer, a connection that is similar to that he has with Raven and Ravenna.

That also means that as the connection keeps happening, it's also going forth to change Azrail's body in several ways that aren't seen before.

Effect: As sovereign of the Sword Realm, The host wields absolute authority over the fabric of reality within its bounds. He can shape the realm to his will, summoning legions of spectral swords to do his bidding and commanding the very essence of the cosmic Sword itself.

6. Astral Swordsmanship Calibration:

Astral plane linkage: Forge is a connection to the lost astral plane of Swords.

Effect: The host's swordsmanship transcends the physical realm, leaving behind ethereal afterimages that sow confusion and disorientation among his foes. He becomes a master of astral combat, manipulating the very fabric of reality to his advantage, this being done by connecting to the lost astral plane of Swords of the Centuri.

7. Celestial Sword Fusion Activation:

Cosmic Fusion: Merge swords with celestial bodies.

Effect: Each sword becomes infused with the power of stars and galaxies, emitting blinding light and cosmic energy upon activation. The host wields the very essence of creation Swords itself, leaving behind trails of stardust in the wake of his devastating attacks.

8. Voidblade Mastery Progress:

Void manipulation: Shape formless essence into blades of darkness.

Effect: The host gains mastery over the primordial void, the gift of the past Empress connecting to the sword, using it to create blades that cut through reality itself. Each strike leaves behind trails of nothingness, erasing all traces of existence in its wake and plunging foes into the depths of oblivion.

9. Ethereal Swordsmanship Enhancement:

Ethereal realm connection: Channel incorporeal properties through swords.

Effect: The host's swords become conduits of ethereal energy, passing through solid matter with ease to strike at the very soul of his opponents. His attacks cause spiritual devastation, leaving behind no physical wounds, only existential despair.

10. Sovereign's Resonance Integration:

Cosmic authority resonance: Command loyalty of all swords.

Effect: The host becomes the embodiment of cosmic authority, commanding the allegiance of all swords in existence. He bends them to his will, unleashing their full potential in service to his cause and establishing himself as a sovereign presence on the battlefield.

================

'This is just the beginning.'

Azrail, thought reading through the gifts that he is receiving, the subtle connections getting stronger isn't just giving him these gifts, it's also making Azrail's whole body the best to wield a sword, giving his whole self a level of talent in the sword that is unseen and had only been seen in the past Centuriarch species.

The new physique slowly went forth to combine with Azrail's original physique of flexibility and like always a certain evolution is always happening within Azrail's body, a new species of himself is slowly being created, and Azrail could tell it, the first evolution that he will have will set it all in motion, to build a base towards his species that has never been seen before.

'There's a lot of powers that I have to adjust to.'

Azrail's strength keeps getting stronger without him doing anything much due to the changes that keep happening in his body, his skills too following the same evolutionary path, as shown before, his skills are slowly developing different things, and thanks to that he is now able to fully talk along with any members that have his connection on them, it being very useful.

'Not to mention the special connection I have with Yurou.'

The special bond he formed with her gives a certain touch of the phoenix to him, the lover's connection that many dreams of giving her certain other benefits too, of course, this also affects Yurou who seems to be enjoying some perks of the Asura's flowing to her. But right now what Azrail has to focus on is polishing his powers.

He needs to get better control and idea of his own powers such that he will be able to utilize 100% of his strength without any issues and that's not an easy thing to do when you have many different things about you.

'I need to start from the base, keep the basics in mind as I grow forth.'

A small smile filled Azrail's face as he thought of his teacher's words, the old man might have been slightly crazy but there's no denying that he was a monster of a man and a teacher, thus Azrail closed his eyes, slowly his breath getting lighter and lighter, while the Qi around him started to feel a certain warmness and coldness to them.

As he did so, two pairs of eyes popped up from Azrail's shadow, one with full vigilance locked around the room, if Raven even detected a hint of a problem she would hesitate to jump and deal with it, while Ravenna, its daze-filled eyes still learning just gazed out into the world, though the innate love and loyalty that Raven holds still flows within Ravenna.

That is one way, there is another way of cultivating the consciousness. This esoteric path of cultivation, known as the Dreamscape Weaver, harnesses the boundless potential of the subconscious mind. Unlike traditional methods, Dreamscape Weavers tap into the dreamscape – a vast, ever-shifting realm where memories, emotions, and imagination coalesce. Their power lies in weaving the fabric of this dreamscape, shaping it into a potent tool for growth and manipulation.

A potential Dreamscape Weaver experiences a unique awakening. During their first deep sleep, their consciousness merges with the dreamscape, not as a passive observer, but as an active participant. The vividness and vastness of this initial dream world determine their innate talent. The more expansive and lucid the dream, the greater the potential for a powerful dreamscape.

Cultivation for a Dreamscape Weaver is a process of meticulously shaping and refining the dreamscape. Here's how it unfolds:

Dream Anchors: The first step involves anchoring their waking consciousness within the dreamscape. This is achieved by focusing on a familiar object or memory during sleep, allowing it to serve as a bridge between the two realms.

Mnemonic Landscapes: Next, the Dreamscape Weaver begins weaving memories and emotions into landscapes. A joyful memory might manifest as a sun-drenched meadow, while a traumatic experience could become a churning storm. By shaping these landscapes, the Weaver refines their emotional control and resilience.

Dream Guardians: To protect their dreamscape from external intrusions, Dreamscape Weavers create dream guardians. These guardians can be fantastical creatures born from the Weaver's subconscious or even projections of their own willpower.

Lucid Interweaving: As their skills grow, Dreamscape Weavers gain the ability to enter the dreamscapes of others. This "lucid interweaving" allows them to plant suggestions, gather information, or even manipulate memories by subtly altering the dreamscape's landscape.

Unique Cultivation Techniques:

Dream-Sharing: By weaving a shared dreamscape, a Dreamscape Weaver can facilitate communication and collaboration with others while in the dream realm.

Precognitive Dreams: By interpreting symbolic elements within their own dreamscape, a skilled Weaver can gain glimpses into the future.

Dreamscaping Alchemy: Highly advanced Weavers can manipulate the raw essence of the dreamscape, transforming nightmares into tools for self-improvement or manifesting dream-born creations into the waking world.

'There are too many paths to walk in this'