Immortal Paladin

“So, what’s your angle here?” I asked Jue Bu.

We stood atop a weathered cliff overlooking what remained of the Heavenly Divine Cult. The once-glorious sect had become little more than an expanse of broken temples and fractured courtyards reclaimed by nature.

Far below, the white sand along the shoreline bustled with activity as dozens of Ezekiels worked tirelessly without pause. Massive beams were lifted as though they weighed nothing, foundations were laid with impossible precision, and entire buildings seemed to rise within hours.

Judging from the open terraces, luxurious villas, and the enormous bathhouses they had already outlined, they were building something resembling a vacation resort. Somehow, they had looked upon the remnants of an ancient battlefield and collectively decided that the place desperately needed tourism.

I folded my arms before glancing at the man standing beside me.

“Jue Bu, there has to be a reason why you came to me, didn’t you? No need to be shy.”

“I’ll be gone for some time.”

His answer immediately swept away any trace of amusement.

“What do you need?”

“It’s related to the curse that the Supreme Void cast on me,” he replied. “I might've found a lead on how to deal with it, and you wouldn't be able to get a hold of me for quite a very long time. It's gonna be dangerous, but I have to do it.”

I quietly stared toward the sea.

One by one, the people around me were leaving.

Ru Qiu had embarked on his absurd hunt for the Origin King because he believed fighting that guy would allow him to transcend his current limits. Alice had vanished just as abruptly, refusing to properly explain why she had to leave.

Now Jue Bu was following the same road.

“That’s why I won’t be able to act as your 'double' for some time,” he continued. “I heard through the grapevine that you have a contest with the Supreme Heart. Well, I'm privy to the details. If it's me, I don't really mind being used as collateral if you happen to lose on your bet. I can suffer the consequences in your place. It would be nothing more than an embarrassing memory for me in the long litany of my madness, drifting between non-sentience and sentience. The problem is, I don't have time either.”

The immortal dispersed the technique that constantly concealed his body.

Darkness immediately spread across his right arm.

The flesh rippled before dozens of blinking eyes opened across the limb. Veins pulsed beneath skin that no longer resembled anything remotely human. Several mouths briefly emerged before melting back into the darkness.

“As you can see,” he said calmly, “I am not in a good shape.”

“Is it the backlash and the damage on your soul?”

Resurrection had never been my problem.

Repairing souls was.

Depending on the extent of the damage, I could occasionally intervene, but souls possessed limits that even my authority could not casually overwrite.

I activated Ophanim.

The countless eyes hidden beneath reality peeled away every layer of his existence until his soul lay bare before me.

My expression hardened.

It had already deteriorated beyond anything I could restore.

“No,” Jue Bu answered. “This was more recent. The curse within me just suddenly started acting up. According to your daughter, the Supreme Void might be trying to incarnate through me, another reason why I have to leave.”

Ouch.

She had gone to Gu Jie first, before me.

“Oh, don't give me that look,” Jue Bu laughed. “It's showing too much on your face. I will be fine.”

The grotesque arm gradually returned to normal until not a trace of corruption remained visible.

I sighed.

“Could you at least tell me where you're going?”

“To the False Earth.”

I frowned.

“Wouldn't that just make your situation even worse?”

“On the contrary,” he answered without hesitation. “That's exactly where I need to go. Besides, I do need something from you.”

“What is it?”

“I'll be taking Hei Mei with me as my disciple. We've already been in a master-disciple relationship for quite some time. Your disciple simply has no idea.”

I blinked.

“…Hei Mao is going to hate this.”

“He absolutely will,” Jue Bu admitted with a chuckle. “Still, you only need to say the word and I won't bring her. I'll obey your decision.”

His smile slowly faded.

“But if that happens, I'm almost certain I'll die.”

Silence settled between us.

“And if I do die,” he continued, “I'd rather it happen in the False Earth. Should the Supreme Void successfully take over my body, the damage can be minimized there instead of inside the Hollowed World.”

That... was difficult to argue against.

Rather than answering immediately, I reached toward countless branching futures.

An instant later, another version of myself appeared inside Gu Jie's office.

She barely looked up from the mountain of reports covering her desk.

“You're here because of Jue Bu.”

“You already knew?”

“You're predictable.”

Fair enough.

After listening to the situation, she calmly placed her pen onto the table.

“This is the most optimized decision we can make,” she said. “We aren't exiling them to the False Earth. We've already established a foothold there through the research teams investigating the section of the Tower connected to that world. Jue Bu can make use of those facilities however he sees fit, while our personnel quietly monitor his condition. If something changes, we'll know almost immediately.”

“So you're approving it?”

“I am.”

She leaned back in her chair.

“Sometimes the best way to protect someone isn't to keep them close. It's to let them walk the path they already know they must take while ensuring they never truly walk it alone.”

The future dissolved.

I returned to the present.

Even then, uncertainty lingered.

Jue Bu's Weight of Existence had become so overwhelming that even Ophanim refused to peer directly into his destiny. Every attempt dissolved into incomprehensible static as though reality itself rejected the observation.

If I couldn't see him, then I would look elsewhere.

My gaze shifted toward Hei Mei. The threads surrounding her future were far lighter, allowing Ophanim to weave through them with ease. Fragments appeared before my eyes of a bleak world, an endless wasteland, a familiar figure walking ahead without ever looking back, and a young woman quietly following several steps behind.

Through Ophanim, I reached across distance and established a connection directly with Hei Mei's consciousness.

She answered almost immediately.

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“You're wondering whether I've already made my decision, aren't you, Your Holy Majesty?”

“I am,” I admitted. “You understand where Jue Bu intends to go. You understand the risks involved. Once you leave, there may come a time when none of us can reach you.”

“I know.”

“There is still time to refuse.”

“No.”

Her answer carried neither hesitation nor uncertainty.

“If my master needs me,” Hei Mei said softly, “then I'll go with him. I became his disciple because I believed in him, and I won't abandon him simply because the road ahead has become dangerous. If he walks into darkness, then I'll walk beside him until either we return... or we don't.”

The connection slowly faded.

I let out a long sigh before looking at Jue Bu.

"Go with confidence," I said. "Just make sure to stay in touch. Send me a letter every now and then, even if it's only to tell me you're still alive."

A helpless laugh escaped me.

"Ru Qiu is terrible at that. Sometimes decades pass before I receive anything from him, and on more than one occasion, I was fairly certain he had forgotten letters existed altogether. Then there's Alice." I rubbed my forehead. "She literally ghosted me."

Jue Bu chuckled.

The last report I had received from Ru Qiu came not too long ago. Apparently, he had stumbled upon a coalition of tribal clans that worshiped the Origin King as a living god. Rather than exterminating them outright, he had somehow managed to subdue the entire group in an astonishingly short period. Knowing Ru Qiu, he was probably planning to extract every piece of information they possessed before resuming his pursuit.

As for Alice...

I simply hoped she was safe.

She had always possessed a habit of carrying burdens by herself, smiling all the while as though nothing was wrong. That worried me far more than any enemy she might encounter.

Jue Bu gave me a respectful nod.

"Thank you. I'll do exactly that. You have my word."

"I'll hold you to it."

The False Earth had become increasingly difficult for even me to observe.

Every passing day, the presence of the Supreme Void grew stronger, smothering reality itself. Ophanim could still peer across countless worlds without effort, yet whenever my gaze approached the False Earth, the vision became increasingly obscured. Entire regions disappeared beneath an immeasurable darkness, and each attempt to force my perception further only yielded less than before.

The Supreme Void was waking.

That fact alone made Jue Bu's journey all the more dangerous.

"Take care of yourself," I told him. "And don't be stingy with the resources available to you. We didn't build connections in the False Earth just to let them gather dust. If using our people, our research stations, or our supplies makes your task even a little easier, then use them without hesitation."

I paused before adding another condition.

"Before you leave, get Hei Mao's permission. I've already given my approval, but this concerns his sister as well. He deserves to have a say."

Jue Bu inclined his head.

"Thank you for understanding."

He turned toward the horizon.

For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.

Then, without another word, he disappeared.

I remained alone atop the cliff.

The sea breeze brushed against my robes as I watched the waves roll endlessly toward the shore. They were all independent people. Ru Qiu. Alice. Jue Bu. Each possessed convictions they were willing to stake their lives upon. I had neither the right nor the desire to chain them beside me simply because I feared losing them.

"...I guess I should do my job, then."

Four hundred years remained before my contest against the Supreme Heart. With a single thought, I summoned my chosen. Moments later, six familiar figures appeared upon the cliffs. Ding Cai. Zhu Shin. Fan Shi. Tian Mei. Mai Duyi. Anna. Each of them had survived the trial I had personally prepared.

I looked across the six champions before speaking.

"Congratulations."

My voice echoed against the cliffs.

"You've overcome the trials I prepared for each of you. That alone proves you possess both the talent and the resolve to stand among the champions of the Hollowed World."

My gaze swept across every face.

"But our preparations are only halfway complete. The next stage is to equip you. You are free to pursue whatever additions you wish to make to your arsenal. Travel throughout both the Hollowed World and the Underworld. Gather rare materials. Refine your techniques. Challenge yourselves further. I'll assign each of you a master whose expertise best complements your strengths. Learn everything they can teach you."

I smiled faintly.

"And remember this. The Workshop stands behind every one of you. So does the full weight of the Hollowed World."

Without hesitation, I reached into my own chest. My fingers dug through flesh and bone until they closed around one of my ribs. With a sharp pull, I tore it free. Blood welled up for only an instant before divine vitality surged in to repair the wound. The missing rib, however, did not return.

“Anna.”

She stepped forward at once and lowered herself respectfully. “Your Holy Majesty.”

I held out the gleaming white bone. “This is for you.”

Anna accepted it with both hands, cradling it as though it were the greatest treasure in existence.

“I’ll be assigning you to my twin sister, Da Ji, for your next stage of training,” I continued, nodding toward the rib. “Use this bone of mine to fashion yourself a harp. Under her guidance, you will learn how to make that instrument sing with both faith and divinity.”

Anna lowered her head until it nearly touched her knees. “This humble servant thanks Your Holy Majesty. May your radiance illuminate every corner of existence.”

With a wave of my hand, the Dark Veil unfolded. Shadows rose and swallowed Anna whole, instantly transporting her across continents to Da Ji’s residence.

I turned toward the next champion.

"Mai Duyi."

He stepped forward immediately.

I repeated the process.

This time, my hand sank into my abdomen.

Pain barely registered as I grasped a section of my own intestines and slowly drew out a lengthy strand glowing with divine vitality. Blood stained my robes for only a heartbeat before my stomach regenerated completely, sealing every wound as though nothing had happened.

The length of intestine remained in my hand.

I extended it toward him.

"I'll be assigning you to Gu Jie, my daughter."

Mai Duyi accepted the offering solemnly.

"Use this to lengthen the red rope I previously entrusted to you. Under Gu Jie's guidance, you'll learn how to turn that treasure into something worthy of standing beside you on the battlefield."

He clasped the divine organ with unwavering hands before bowing deeply.

"I won't disappoint you, Your Holy Majesty."

"I know."

The Dark Veil blossomed once more. Its darkness wrapped around Mai Duyi before carrying him directly to Gu Jie. When the shadows disappeared, only the remaining four champions stood before me. My abdomen had already healed completely. The missing length of intestine, however, remained absent.

"Tian Mei, step forward."

She immediately answered my call.

Without the slightest hesitation, I reached into my mouth, wrapped my fingers around my tongue, and tore it free in one clean motion. Warm blood spilled down my chin before divine vitality immediately rushed to close the wound. My voice disappeared, but speech itself was merely a convention.

I spoke through Qi Speech instead.

Every syllable resonated directly within the souls of those present.

"Tian Mei, your training is far from over. I shall entrust your future cultivation to Shouquan, your father. Return to him and continue learning beneath his guidance. As for this..."

I held out my severed tongue.

"Have the Workshop fashion it into a divine whip. Let every strike carry my authority. Let your enemies remember your name each time it falls upon them."

Tian Mei accepted the bloodied tongue with both hands, her eyes already beginning to glisten.

"Thank you, Your Holy Majesty."

She lowered herself into a deep bow.

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reunite with my father. I won't waste the chance you've given me. I'll prove myself on the battlefield."

The Dark Veil opened beneath her feet and darkness embraced her before carrying her directly to Shouquan.

I reached into my pocket dimension and retrieved an unassuming bronze cup.

Despite its modest appearance, the artifact contained a pocket dimension whose capacity exceeded that of even the finest storage rings I had ever encountered. It had been one of the treasures recovered from this ruins, and it served this purpose perfectly.

A thin strand of qi sharpened itself along my fingertip.

I slit my wrist.

Divine blood poured steadily into the cup, filling it with liquid that shimmered like molten crimson jade. Every drop contained a fragment of my vitality, enough to forge artifacts beyond ordinary imagination.

Again, I spoke through Qi Speech.

"Zhu Shin, step forward."

He approached without hesitation.

I handed him the cup.

"You'll continue your training beneath Horse-Face and Ox-Head in the Underworld. They possess experience that no one else in existence can teach you."

I gestured toward the cup.

"Bring this blood to the Workshop. Have them forge your armor from it. Wear it proudly, and let it become the shield that carries you through the battles ahead."

Zhu Shin accepted the cup carefully, almost reverently.

"I'll return victorious, Your Holy Majesty."

His voice carried absolute certainty.

"I promise you."

The Dark Veil expanded once more. Its shadows enveloped him before transporting him directly into the depths of the Underworld. Only Fan Shi and Ding Cai remained beside me.

"Fan Shi."

She stepped forward.

This time, I reached toward my face.

My fingers dug beneath my right eye before slowly pulling it free.

Pain blossomed through my skull.

Along with the eye, nearly half of Ophanim's authority detached itself from me. My perception immediately narrowed, yet I knew it would return once the eye fulfilled its purpose as an enchantment catalyst.

The divine eye rested within my palm, countless microscopic pupils opening and closing across its surface.

“Find Alice and continue learning from her. Learn everything she has to teach you.”

I placed the eye into her hands.

“Take this to the Workshop. Refine it into a bangle and a series of chains. Let Ophanim become your eyes when your own sight fails.”

Fan Shi hesitated, concern coloring her voice. “Your Holy Majesty… Are you truly alright?”

I laughed softly. “Don’t worry about me.” I gently pushed the eye toward her. “Just make me proud.”

She bit her lip, then nodded firmly. “I will.”

The Dark Veil swallowed her whole, sending her directly to the Workshop.

Silence settled over the cliffs once more. Then I felt a steady hand on my shoulder.

“Master,” Ding Cai said quietly, “don’t push yourself too much.”

I smiled at her. “I’m not that fragile.”

Before she could reply, I reached into my own chest again. This time, my fingers wrapped around my beating heart. With one decisive pull, I tore it free. The divine heart continued pulsing in my palm, each beat echoing like distant thunder.

Ding Cai’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Without a word, I held it out to her. A faint smile crossed my face. “I don’t know exactly what you’ll create from this,” I said, “but I know you. You’ll make something incredible.”

She looked between me and the heart, then shook her head. “…I don’t need this.”

“That’s not for you to decide.” I gently closed her fingers around it. “Find your own way from here. You no longer need another teacher.” My gaze met hers. “I have great expectations for you. It is time for you to spread your wings.”

For the first time since becoming my disciple, Ding Cai seemed completely at a loss for words. She simply stood there, clutching my still-beating heart against her chest. That was enough.

I cast Egress. Space folded, and an instant later I reappeared an immeasurable distance away so far that daylight had already surrendered to night. The false stars of the Hollowed World stretched endlessly above me as I floated alone beneath their pale light.

Even from here, Ophanim allowed me one final glance. Ding Cai remained on the cliff, looking down at my heart with unmistakable sorrow etched across her face. For several long moments she said nothing. Then she slowly inhaled. The hesitation vanished. The grief settled into resolve. When she finally raised her head, only determination burned in her eyes.

“…Looks like I’ll be weakened for a while,” I muttered to myself. “At least until they’ve all finished making use of what I entrusted to them.”

The words had barely left my mouth before I coughed. Blood splattered into the empty night. I wiped the corner of my lips and chuckled quietly. Giving away pieces of myself had never been painless.

I slowly looked up toward the countless artificial stars shining across the heavens.

“I want to win.”

The words drifted into the silent night. Not because my pride demanded it, nor because defeat would disgrace me. I wanted to win because every one of them had placed their faith in me.

And I refused to let that faith go unanswered.