37 Chapter XXXVII: End Of An Adventure

Time passed as I sat in a meditative state. Then the day came when the great furnace burst into pieces and Situ Qing was reborn. Stepping out of a ball of flames, completely nude, Situ Qing trembled and nearly fell.

Her body was still foreign to her, but I was there to catch her. I called for a robe and wrapped it around her as the world came into a complete picture for her. She blinked a few times as she looked up at me.

Her eyes narrowed then widen, like her to me, I was also foreign to her. I had aged six years and she now had the body of ancient sovereign with refined beauty that even I could not match. But holding each other and peering into each other's soul deep within the other's eyes, we recognized the familiar love.

"Orym..." she said with a light smile, "You've grown. And I'm... different. I died, I died under countless swords."

"You're back now. And things will be different this time. Forget your death, the person who killed you and forced my hand is dead."

"Not yet, I'm not." Kaesha chimed in and I sighed.

Killing intent erupted from Situ Qing and Kaesha laughed. "Is that how you treat your..."

"Enough!" I interrupted. It was hard enough that Situ Qing had died. It only cause deeper problems if she knew her killer was her savior. It was a good thing that Kaesha was too weak to compose an ethereal form.

"Wake them up!" I gestured to my people.

Kaesha's power fluctuated and inscriptions appeared on each of us. "That will give you free rein of Thunderbird Temple," she said.

After another moment, my people woke up, one by one. Each of them aged six years. Everyone except Shane had higher cultivation. Naturally, Kaesha had calculated this and wanted Shane to get the Thunderbird Bloodline before stepping into Houtian. This way, he could establish a better foundation.

As for Nimue, Wu Zexi, Alessia, and my legionnaires, Kaesha informed me that they had all been cultivating in Thousand Dautra Pavillion after she saved them from their trials. This woman was absolutely diabolical. She all but admitted that she could have saved Situ Qing... This is what it's like to be weak.

While they all looked confused and worked to recollect their wits, Kaesha and I continued. Along with Situ Qing, we walked into the Inner Sanctum.

Three books appeared.

"Body, essence, soul. Heirs and highborn of immortal clans all cultivate three ways. Now you will too." Kaesha spoke as the three books landed in Situ Qing's hands.

She then added, "These techniques are most suitable for your body and bloodline. Even better than what I cultivated in the past. Be happy that I know Lunar Demon's well. As for Martial Skills. you can check the library and choose as you please."

The conversation carried on as Kaesha explained that how to hatch the Heaven Swallowing Python along with gifting a manual and detailed explanation of how to perform contracts for the Situ Clan.

After an hour and a half passed. Keasha focused on me and Situ Qing.

"Lunar Demons, especially with your purity have extreme Yin natures. Even our men. So during the first time you love birds ger together, You must eat the Yin Yang fruits and follow this dual cultivation technique. Thank me later. Now it's time for you to refine the temple core." Kaesha instructed as a large two-foot-tall pillar amethyst floated to me.

Taking it into my hands, I slit my palm on its edge. Blood soaked into the pillar and I began to refine it. Time passed, the secrets of the temples rushed into my mind and when I opened my eyes, Kaesha was gone.

"Good riddance." I sighed.

"Kid!" Nimue shouted as she tackled me. She was a fully developed woman now. The spitting image of my aunt. It was shocking. But I didn't say anything as the coy smile on her face told me that she already knew.

"Stop staring at me," she murmured.

I chuckled as I hugged her. When we were back on our feet, I reunited with Little Wu. The Eight Colored Water Lily had done wonders for her. Her platinum blond hair held a celestial rainbow shimmer. Her eyes were blue-green and fiery orange. Her demeanor is like a sword. And own her back was the Miaodao I had left her with all those years ago.

"Master... I..." her first words was stopped by Situ Qing.

"It was my job to protect you..." said Situ Qing, "I'm back now. We're together, so let it go less it affects your sword or worse, your cultivation. And that's when your master will truly be disappointed."

It seemed like Wu Zexi and Situ Qing were together when she died. Little Wu surely beat herself up over the years.

Wu Zexi's eyes trembled. "L-lady?!"

Situ Qing giggled. "Mmmm." she nodded.

Wu Zexi jumped into her arms as she cried, apologizing for not saving her.

"Still a cry baby," I commented.

"Brother, what happened to her?" Shane whispered.

"New body," I told him. I then went on to tell every that had happened. Naturally leaving out that the Temple Spirit was the Lunar Demon King. And because of the misleading title, no one made the connection between the Lunar Demon King and QingQing's new body.

Once I told them that Temple Spirit refined the soul and vessel together, they all assumed that Temple Spirit was just a powerful existence that could make anything happen. But I couldn't hide the contract from them. Especially not from Nimue as it affected her as well.

I explained the Terms and tactfully grazed of term 1 to keep the secret.

"Is all of the even possible?" Alessia asked.

"Yes, if approached the right way. And the right way is by taking the Thunderbird temple and heading home" I replied.

"Haa! will they even recognize us?" Shane asked. " A year and a half outside and we return Six and a half years old. Maybe even seven or eight years older depending on how we handle the next temple."

"They will. Our aura is the same. And they're our people, they could never forget us. Come!" I controlled the tower with my mind. A moment later we appeared in the sky outside of the temple. Night Empire Guards surrounded the place.

I carried Situ Qing and Alessia carried Shane. Though I was still in Houtian Realm, my Qi was so dense, that flight was possible. While everyone else was initial Xiantian Realm experts, the minimum realm to achieve flight.

We still had a temple to take so I didn't say a word to any of the Night Empire Guards. Focusing on the Lunar Temple, it shrank in size then opened a portal. One after the other, Shane, Nimue, Wu Zexi, Alessia, and QingQing entered.

I then face my two legionnaires that survived. "A lot of people died, but you two survived. I need you to return home and tell them all that we're fine. Also, inform my father, that you two will be the first of my Night Guard. He'll set you up with proper accommodations. We'll be back shortly, all of our people must return to the capital, those are my orders."

"Yes, Lord." the two legionnaires saluted then rushed.

I was happy to have two more Xiantian people. But still had a long way to go to be considered a powerful force in the Cultivation World.

Sometime later, I appeared in the Thunderbird Temple that had an Identical setup. The only thing that was different was that there was no temple spirit. Unlike Kaesha, her husband didn't have a powerful Faye to save his soul.

"Everyone, follow me," I announced as another portal opened.

In an instant, we appeared in the Inner Sanctum. "Don't touch anything, there's a process to this," I instructed.

Time passed as I refined the Temple Core. I then followed Kaesha's instructions to extract the bloodline from her husband's corpse that was also in a diamond coffin. Shane then took the blood into himself and began to assimilate with it.

Everyone soon joined him and silently cultivated as I used the safeguard built into the temple to kill anything in Larger Earth or Heaven Realm of cultivation. In mere breaths, Thousand Enuch Hall had lost all of its people, while many beast clans in the preliminary lands lost their elders. Once the one-time function finished, the space then rippled.

Deamon Beast and Eunuch Corpses appeared in the Refining room.

"Oh, blessings really do come from misfortune. Not only do I have many bloodlines but I also have a few Elemental Spirits. Wind, Water, Lightning, and Light." I spoke to myself. "And the beast meat is priceless. It'll surely make me a fortune."

On the market, Beast corpses sold high because the meat was good for the body and was free of impurities. The meat could also increase one's cultivation. The higher the rank, the more beneficial it was. For my parents and Fei Rong, the Heaven Realm beasts were true blessings. The stronger I became the more I could gauge my parents' strength. I was sure that they were Initial Earth Realm.

That meant, once we entered the cultivation world, our tyrannical might in the Deep South will be reduced nothing by sects with hidden experts. The meat of the Daemon Beast will be a big help for increasing the cultivation of my forces.

As for the Elemental Spirits, they were the greatest treasure. For me, they were useless in this high-quality state.

Elemental cultivation coincided with Concepts and Dao. Let's use alchemist as an example. They cultivate fire and many use beast fire to intensify their flame. After Beast Fire, there are Fire Seeds, Fire Souls, Fire Spirits. Fire Spirits are the last step a cultivator can take without comprehending the Dao of Fire.

After comprehending the Dao of Fire, the ranks are as follows, Fire Conduit, Fire Manifestation, Fire Embodiment, Initial Source Law. But Naturally, even a Fire Spirit isn't possible without attainment in the concept of fire. This ranking applies to all elements.

However, While an Elemental Soul is a treasure, if someone wants to go far in cultivation, it's best to find an elemental seed born from heaven and earth. If I were to take an Elemental Soul, I would take the comprehension of someone else and fail to comprehend my own way.

Finally, the reason they were truly valued by knowledgeable people is that the Elemental Soul can be refined into a high-grade Elemental Seed. The grades follow the same scale, Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Cosmic.

Storing everything in the Refining Room, I returned to my group and place a pile of Spirit Stone on the floor before dropping to the lotus position.

A moment later, everyone locked on to the Spirit Stones and used the rich energy within them to cultivate. At the same time, I explored the changes in my Soul Realm.

During my time in Thousand Dautra Pavilion, I had many brief enlightenments that save my life in a pinch. One Style had reached Intermediate Mastery. My Spear arts and Polearm technique merged and created the 'Seven Turn War Arts'. My mind was torn between so many variants that my Martial Intent then changed my Soul Realm to reflect my martial path in its entirety. Easing the burden on my mind.

Looking around, Two Avatars practiced One Style and Storm Dancer, emitting their corresponding concepts of fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind, and water.

Two more avatars practiced Tide Master Step and Seven Turn War Art, radiating their corresponding concepts and Intents, Sound, Wind, Water, and Polearm.

I then found that Hands of Eros was swallowed by the Lightning Fire, and Metal technique. Two avatars practiced this together. Next, I recognized four avatars representing the four arts, Painting, Guqin, Calligraphy, and Weiqi. But only the Guqin emitted the concept of sound.

Finally, Two avatars practiced Alchemy and Arrays, while the final three avatars worked to comprehend the Nature Sutra, Six Natured Limit Breaker, and the Ecliptic Battle Body Technique. Above this amazing sight were six dazzling shards and above the shard was a miniature sun that represent my Martial Intent.

Only the Star Trotting Divination Map remained unpracticed because I had yet to begin to cultivate the art. As for my Sword and Archery, I had directly done away with their avatars for the time being.

I watched the great scene for a long time. In the ancient text, this change in the Soul Realm was never recorded as an ability of Martial Intent. But I recognized it as True Mind Separation, expert Alchemists could achieve this state after years of practicing alchemy.

To achieve it just by having Martial Intent explained the secret as to what made Martial Dao Cultivators so talented.

In the greater world, the number of people who cultivated Martial Intent was slim to known. Those who actually achieve Martial Dao were none existent. But looking at this phenomenon of True Mind Separation comprehending my skills on its own, I understood why Kaesha told me that my Martial Intent was the reason for my name, Orym -Ten Thousand Skills.

And I slowly realized why we were so rare with little records. If I encountered someone like me who refused to join my side, I would have to kill them as well. The potential of Martial Dao was just too devastating.

Leaving my Soul Realm, I opened my eyes to see a massive avatar of a black and blue Thunderbird. With every caw, Black blue lightning lashed out and covered Shane's body.

"Brother Orym, I think it's time we returned home," Shane spoke haughtily. Proud of his new awakening.

"What about your Thunderbird Physique?" I asked.

"It will take time. And I miss my father." He replied.

"Hahaha! Alright, then let's be on our way!"