Chapter 237 - Sacrifice

Somewhere hidden within the clouds, in a far, far, far away land. There was an upside-down mountain hanging from the rims of the skies.

The mountain and anything that lived on it was all upside down, or that would be the case for anyone not living within the mountain. Even its waterfalls didn't fall down and went up. The gravity on that area was reversed, and to keep something like that from bending to the laws of the world, you must be someone of extraordinary talents.

There was a small pagoda at the top of the mountain where a single man always had his morning tea, listened to the chirping of birds, and worked on his endless pile of documents.

The man was old and wore a purple gown. In each of his hands were five rings, and on each of these rings was the symbol of a beast. The man used began by shaking his index finger calling out a massive crane into existence.

"The temperature is too hot in the lower region, adjust it slightly." The man said, and the crane nodded then headed out.

The man continued looking through the massive pile of documents and sighed every now and then.

After his eighth or ninth sigh, he heard a knock on his door.

"Get in, Song," the old man said.

"Yes, Master…"

"What brings you here?" asked the old man.

"Well, I don't know how to explain this, but it seems that your law of Qi Reversal and Supplement has been corrected and is now…functional."

The old man stood up, grabbed the young kid by the scruff of his neck, and said, "Corrected you say? You say that someone else managed to do what I couldn't! and CORRECTED ME?!" 

The man's words were so loud that the very foundation of the mountain he was on began shuddering and shaking, and it threatened to fall down.

"Who is it! Was it Zu? Was it old man Ji? Who could have done what I couldn't?!" the old man asked.

"Please, a moment! I don't think it's either of the two…" the young man replied.

The old man frowned, among his peers, no, not even peers, none of them was capable of contending with his brain when it came to inscriptions… then who could have managed to understand his law of Qi Reversal and Supplement then actually find an appropriate application of it. It was a theory that was plausible but impossible to execute.

"It was actually someone from the barren lands…apparently, your law is currently being used to protect a planet from the Fire King's assault."

"Huh? The barren lands? Planet? The fire king is going to war? What's going on in the world."

"Master Rain…you've been secluding yourself for too long, it might be time to come back and show yourself…" the disciple said.

"You're probably right… but I have a very bad feeling about going out now… a certain someone might want to break a few of my bones." Master rain said as he rubbed his beard.

"Are you talking about the Wind King?" asked the disciple.

"Oh, no, I'm not worried about the Wind King, it's his wife that scares me… anyway let's go and check this out, apparently, a nameless child managed to do what even I couldn't… this should be interesting."

***

On top of a celestial compass, big enough to carry ten people with room to spare, a couple of cultivators with heavy wounds steered it as they moved through space.

One of the cultivators was sitting at the front steering the compass using his divine sense, while the other was standing, and looking behind them at a massive number of cultivators chasing after them.

"Brother Han… We won't make it like this," said the standing cultivator.

"We will! Have some faith, Yulan" The one steering said as he grunted.

"Not with our wounds, and especially once we're out in deep space and outside this enclosed space," Yulan replied.

The standing cultivator, Yulan turned, smiled at his comrade, and said, "Tell master Zhang Tian to take good care of my family."

"What the hell are you talking about! Brother Yulan! You'll tell master Zhang Tian this yourself! Don't do anything stupid!" Han said as he forced the compass to twist, dodging an incoming wave of sword Qi that tore through space itself causing spatial rifts to manifest in its wake.

Yulan then jumped off the compass and said, "Don't look back and keep moving forward. For the King, and for the Wind Realm I'll gladly give my life!"

Almost immediately, the cultivators chasing after the group stopped. Because what happened next was enough to cause an entire army to stop, as chills began running down their spines.

A white bright light shone from Yulan's head as he began manifesting his Saint Qi. Against the laws of this enclosed space. 

Thunderous booms echoed from within Yulan's own body as Saint Qi began surging through his bones and veins. Exploding with immeasurable might as it reinforced him with power never before seen in these Barren Lands.

The law dictates that no Saint Qi be used in worlds where Saint Qi cannot be birthed. Lest it is naturally formed, like Saint Crystals.

And once Saint Qi is manifested in these words, the heavenly law strikes with a heavy hand.

Yet before the punishment is served, a desperate man can still have one shot.

And Yulan was not going to miss this opportunity.

"By the King's grace! AND FOR THE WIND REALM'S GLORY! Northern Wind heed the call of one of your children and bring forth rampage, rage and roar, and clear way for your children!" Yulan's words came like the decree of a god as the brightness from his own Saint Qi surged within this dark domain became like a beacon of hope in an endless dark abyss.

The fire King's army, not willing to face what is to come spread fled in all directions.

And then it came, as the heavens rumbled in rage at someone daring to defy its laws, dark red clouds manifested within space. Where if Shen Bao was here, would doubt his eyes a hundred times due to how impossible this notion could be, it was true as the red tribulation clouds manifested.

Then they darkened and became darker than black as they shot black lightning towards Yulan.

"Winds of the North! Pave the way to safety, and block the way to doom!" he spoke.

Turning Yulan looked at the compass in the distance and smiled as he saw his friend weeping.

"Do not weep for me, Han, it is our duty to our king. It is the least we can do…" Yulan's words were sent directly to Han's mind before the black lightning struck down against his body.

There was no pain, no suffering, and no sound coming from Yulan as the black lightning struck down.

Laws of the world decreed that life came to the universe through a bolt of lightning that struck against water, creating all life as we know it. And in that bolt of lightning, were laws of life.

This was not the red tribulation lightning. This was the black Heaven's Punishment Lightning, it is not meant to aid and grow, it is not meant to help and build. It is not meant to assess and improve. It is a lightening, void of all notion of life.

This bolt was darker than the abyss, it was not meant to do any of this, and its sole purpose was to end, eradicate, and extinct. It was the cruelest punishment that heavens can send upon an existence for it is meant to end one's life. 

Yet Yulan didn't care, for he knew well enough that if the prince had asked them retrieve the item in Han's hands, it was worth it. If he could give his life for his prince, he wouldn't hesitate a second. For he knew how kind and generous the prince could be. He knew him before he was imprisoned for a thousand years. For if the prince knows of Yulan's sacrifice, then his whole family, children, wife, his parents, and siblings would be taken care of.

It was the ultimate sacrifice. And Yulan would be more than willing to do it again.

Just as the bolt eradicated Yulan's existence, a wind, so powerful, so grave and so vengeful at the death of the one who called for its aid came rushing through the void of space.

If one would give an ear to listen, they'll hear the wind cry in bloodied agony at the death of one of its children. If they would listen they will know for sure that whoever were to stop in this turbulent and raging torrent, this powerful gale of destruction that charged through the realm, nothing would ever remain.

The wind came like a visible tidal wave, it made space itself shudder and morph, it made it wheeze as it tore through it, creating spatial rifts. Space looked like a torn cloth and this wind had two objectives.

It went around Han, and boosted his compass far away into space and towards the rim of the Barren Lands, while for the rest of the cultivators, it shaped itself into swords, spears, arrows, and many other lethal weapons and charged ahead.

For if the Wind couldn't avenge the death of its son against the might of the elusive heaven, it shall take unprecedented, tyrannical, and brutally ravishing vengeance against those who caused her son to sacrifice himself.

On this day, the planet of Si Xue knew no assault, no attacks, and their formation took a day of rest.. A well-earned rest that not many knew the reason of.