Destiny in Cinders

The cooldown cycle of the void altar was five days. It would finish charging at noon the next day.

As their plans neared success, they began to relax. Ming Guangchen brought some spirit wine from the Brightmirror Sect and began drinking with Jin Yanhua, who made sure to pour An Jing a diluted cup as well.

Spirit wine was surprisingly easy to drink, but it burned somewhat intensely once it entered the belly, releasing waves of heat. An Jing had no choice but to circulate his spirit energy to digest the extra vitality that the unfamiliar spirit wine released into his body. By doing so, the strain that gathered in his body from all the cultivation he did gradually scattered. To cap it all off, An Jing used Ailment Swordfinger to expel the wine qi that carried all his toxins out of his body, piercing a hole through the ground.

"Oh? You've managed to gain insight into your ability and learned a spell." Jin Yanhua seemed even more active than usual under the influence of alcohol. "I've encountered many central-continent geniuses at East Ocean, quite a few of whom are quite talented and managed to learn their ability right after awakening their lifearcs. That's a sign of having a high affinity with the Grand Dao. But those among them who gained insight into a spell from their abilities are few and far in between. They simply don't have the pure imagination and creativity required for it!"

She pointed at Ming Guangchen and continued, "Naturally, that's not really a problem. Your master is one of those with weak imagination. His cultivation is by the books every step of the way. Many lofty geniuses of the central continent wouldn't be able to surpass him even with the support from their clans or factions."

"I appreciate the compliment." Ming Guangchen took a sip of wine. Though his expression was the usual, he did speak more boisterously than before. "I can't possibly rival those dao progenies of upper and heavenly sects. However, I'm arguably the best among those from intermediate sects!"

Jin Yanhua flicked her finger and sent another cup of wine flying toward him. "How meek of you! There's no need for an Endmost Walker like you to compare yourself to those commonfolk."

Ming Guangchen's hand glowed as he caught the flying wine cup. He took a swig immediately and shook his head. "Sis, you're the daughter of a dragon god. A mere mortal like me wouldn't have such lofty ambitions. Being able to strengthen my sect is probably the limit of what I can achieve."

"How pathetic! I won't allow you to call me 'Big Sis' any longer!"

Jin Yanhua and Ming Guangchen encouraged An Jing and You Ruhui to join in for a bit longer before they went on to discuss matters about the two continents.

Despite being otherwise serious people, the moment they got into it, they began to boast uncontrollably. They cursed the Greater Ebony Cult for not fulfilling their responsibilities, discussed the conflicts within Grand Chen and the Northblack Sacrifice Continent and even complained about how fishing sects kept on exploiting East Ocean even as the number of spirit fish dwindled day after day instead of switching to aquaculture. They should really be reined in by force.

An Jing felt an itch from the depths of his soul. A middle-aged man's memories of getting drunk began to surface in his mind. He learned quite a bit about Jin Yanhua and Ming Guangchen's roles through their idle conversation.

Ming Guangchen hailed from the legacy of one of the Brightmirro Sect's eight peaks, Dawnlight Peak. He was the vice lord of Dawnlight Peak and the lord of Dawnlight Hall as well as an elder of the enforcement hall of the sect. He was qualified to go to Brightmirror Mountain to listen to Transcendent Rising Light expound the dao.

His usual duties were to patrol the southern border of Dustdawn, which was right next to the northwest area of Grand Chen. It was an easygoing post with great authority. That was what allowed him the opportunity to enter Grand Chen and work with them to fight the Heavenly Demon Cult and to seek out You Ruhui.

Jin Yanhua's role, on the other hand, was more vital and came with many more responsibilities. "I am East Ocean's conquest divine general. My task is the extermination of man-eating feys and fiends across the Four Oceans to ensure the safety of the Thousand Islands. I also have the obligation to attack any known lairs of demonic cults like the Heavenly Demon Cult.

"The rest of the world believes that I'm in temporary seclusion right now. While that is fine for a short period of time, trouble will start to brew if I don't report back to the troops of East Ocean after ten days. Fortunately, I already dealt with all of the known lairs of the Heavenly Demon Cult, so central command won't give me too much trouble on account of Ancestral Dragon Hall."

"Lairs? East Ocean? The central continent?" An Jing started to feel puzzled. "Didn't the Greater Ebony Cult already drive out all of the Heavenly Demon Cult's forces out of the central continent? Why do they still have that many lairs?"

"They're like an insect with hundreds of legs. Even after they die, their legs still wriggle. Not to mention, the demonic cult itself is not actually dead. New cells sprout after old ones are eliminated. They keep coming back," Jin Yanhua said, taking a swig and chewing on a piece of metal essence. She ate it like a snack to replenish the armament essence in her body.

She said somewhat vaguely, "The Heavenly Demon Cult isn't our real enemy in East Ocean. Instead, it's the Blood Ocean Fiend Sect. Fortunately, these evil cults are not on good terms with each other either, so it saves us some trouble."

An Jing didn't think that the Heavenly Demon Cult's influence actually spanned continents. Then again, their influence at the central continent was merely remnants left behind in their old home, so it didn't amount to much. It was completely unlike how the Greater Ebony Cult had proper dao temples within heavenly sects like Grand Chen."

"Don't look down on upper sects," Jin Yanhua said after swallowing the metal essence. "Upper sects always have some kind of backup plan. They once competed with the heavenly sects of the present for the spot at the top. There are also times when heavenly sects falter. That was exactly what happened to the Greater Ebony Cult when the Heavenly Demon Cult splintered off from them. However, the Greater Ebony Cult used that crisis to rise again from the ashes. They were fortunate enough to emerge after their many critical tribulations cleansed and tempered them like fire. Other heavenly sects haven't been so lucky. Speaking of which..."

She shuffled over and said something that piqued An Jing's interest. "Do you know about celestial arcs?"

"Ah, celestial arcs?" An Jing didn't show it on his face, but his internal tension shot up to the maximum. As naturally as he could, he said, "Of course I do. Then again, all I know is that they exist. I don't really know the details."

"Heh! There are five names for four lifearcs." Jin Yanhua behaved like a completely different person once she was boozed up enough. She sounded like an old veteran in an army camp as she boasted about her knowledge and experiences. "The more common ones are Natural-Born Master, Lord Under Heaven and Seven Ruins Tribulation.

"Those that bear the Natural-Born Master arc are people who would go on to propagate a completely new path of the dao. It's said that some fifty thousand years ago, the founder of Heavenly Mystery Mountain observed ants that were controlled by fungi and got inspired to make anima automata, establishing a completely new path for martial cultivation.

"Lord Under Heaven is a bit of a unique one. It's a celestial arc that one obtains after achieving great things. For instance, the heavenly sect that preceded the North Chen Empire, the Hallowed Grand Court, had a founder that united the Northblack Sacrifice Continent under his rule. The Heavenly Dao sensed his grand achievement and bequeathed him a celestial arc. What followed was nearly ten thousand years of bliss for all sentient life. The Four Oceans were peaceful and tranquil. Fiend qi left over from the grand calamity was completely wiped away. The Hallowed Grand Court rose to heights like never before in the founder's custody. The Greater Ebony Cult and Grand Chen aspire to unite their respective continents under their rule to once more obtain this celestial arc. However, it doesn't seem like Grand Chen will have this chance any longer."

The dragon lady clicked her tongue and switched to a delicate tone. "Even though the Greater Ebony Cult is fair and just, even if Ancestral Dragon Hall joins up with them, Heavenly Court willing, we'd only rule the regions encompassing East Ocean and South Ocean. If they're really trying to unite the whole continent under their rule, we wouldn't be able to relax as we have been doing so far."

"What happens if someone unites Void Embrace?" An Jing asked, immersed in the lecture. "Uniting a continent elevates one to become Lord Under Heaven. What kind of celestial arc would the Heavenly Dao grant once someone unites all of Void Embrace?"