Chapter 112: Life 62, Age 143, Martial Master 1

During the carriage ride, I considered what was about to happen. No matter what the fallout was, my death was guaranteed. I had to prepare for what would happen next. I emptied my storage space of almost everything. All I kept was a small jade bottle with two poison pills inside, Emperor Li’s coin, and the small bag of seeds SuYin had given me. Each item was tucked into a separate corner of the space, allowing just enough room for me to then place the spherical-shaped seed of the Cold Mountain Fire within. We arrived at the capital city late in the day, but the prince didn’t even consider resting. He quickly rushed us all deep into the palace complex. At a large intersection, a team of guards was stopping a small horde of people from entering a blocked-off corridor. The prince advanced and spoke to their leader. “Guardsman, I am Prince CaoHan, I request entry into the ancestor’s chambers.” The guard smirked. “You may enter, Prince CaoHan, but none of your... followers are allowed to join you.” The prince’s upper lip curled in a snarl. “Steward Fang will attend me.” “That will not happen. You–” the guard was about to laugh, but his voice quickly cut out. A moment later, he looked at me. “Steward Fang, you may enter.” I bowed my head to the guard and followed after the prince. I was to be a servant here, not a chancellor. We entered an enormous room where a sizable group was crowded around a large bed. We approached, and I saw that it held a withered old man who looked to be on his last breath. Despite his aged appearance, whenever I looked at him, I felt a deep sense of foreboding, like he could end my life with only a thought. “Father,” said a man who looked only slightly younger than the one on the bed, “it is time for us to depart. May your journey be swift.” The speaker, along with everyone else, gave the old man on the bed a deep bow and turned to leave. The prince, who had just arrived, quickly spoke up. “Ancestor, forgiveness.” He dropped to the floor in a kowtow. “Please allow my steward to accompany you in these final moments.” The elderly man who had just spoken was about to angrily chastise the prince, but the old man waved him off and gave me a deep, knowing look. “Very well,” he said in a soft voice. “The rest of you may leave. Chancellor Fang shall accompany me on this journey.” My eyes widened in shock that the old man knew who I was, but I did my best to reign in my reaction. “As you say, father.” The elderly man gave the prince a stern look and hurried him out of the room with everyone else, leaving me alone with the old man. I leaned on my ability to know what the slave technique would have me do in this situation and headed to the side of the room where a kettle and teapot had already been prepared. There should be a cup by the old man’s bed in case he needed it. After pouring and delivering the tea, I moved to place myself near the room’s entrance, but the old man spoke up, halting me in my tracks. “I really admire people like you. I always dreamed of having what you have.” I turned to look at him. He was staring right at me. “Sir?” He laughed heartily. All traces of weakness had left him. “Don’t worry, everyone else is gone. We can speak freely.” My heart began to race. What was he talking about? What did he know? With another chuckle, the old man picked up a glass of water that was sitting on his bedside table and placed his right hand over it. “Do you know what my blessing is?” I could hear a wistful tone in his voice. There was sorrow mixed with acceptance. He began moving his right hand like he was a puppeteer controlling a marionette. As he did, the water in the glass started moving. It turned into the detailed shape of a small girl in a long flowing dress. The girl gave a deep bow and started dancing to music only she could hear. As the performance continued, the old man spoke. “This is it. I was given control over small quantities of water. This is the limit of my abilities. To be sure, I have done amazing things with this little trick of mine. It has even helped me climb to the peak of the continent, but that’s my limit. I can’t go any further. People like you, people with such powerful blessings... I really admire you.” I froze. I could only croak out a single word. “How?” He let me sit there for several moments but finally had to ask a question. “How did he plan on stealing away this fire seed you spoke of?” “He was working to become a Pill King. He believed that with such a title, he would be allowed to tend to the person as they died.” The old man barked a laugh. “You— He actually believed the imperial family would allow a Martial King to be anywhere near me when I died? Even with my help, the only reason you were allowed to step foot into this room is because it is impossible for a Martial Master to absorb a fire seed. Every Ruler that’s not of the imperial clan was expelled from the capital weeks ago.” I slumped further in my chair. All my plans, all my efforts, had always been futile. “You said that this person... that I have a ‘valuable fire seed,’ right? Do you know why it’s so valuable? Do you know why empires would go to war over it?” I shook my head. Any seed was valuable. This one had importance to me, but I didn’t know any specific reason others would value it so highly. “As I told you, my blessing is weak, but I used it to climb to the absolute peak of this continent. I am at the limit. It is impossible for me, for any emperor, to take a single step further.” I listened quietly. I had questions, but this was his story to tell. “My name is Du XiongMing. I reached Peak Emperor at age 168. Stagnation had already set in, and I wasn’t far from the onset of true calcification of my energy body. I wanted to become a Sovereign, but everything I had learned said that if I tried to do so, the powers that rule this continent would find out and come to slaughter me, likely my entire clan as well. If I wanted to advance, I needed to travel to the Central Continent. Do you know how to get there?” I shook my head. “The Nine Rivers Saint. You need him to take you. Only with the Saint’s help can you make the journey, and with my aging body, he swiftly rejected me. I didn’t give up though. I believed, many still believe, that the seed I possess holds the secret to reaching the Central Continent without the Saint’s assistance.” He began to shed his own tears. “I did everything I could to acquire it. I betrayed friends and killed innocents. I destroyed my entire life in pursuit of my obsession. In the end, after centuries of study, I found that it was all meaningless. The seed doesn’t have the powers people claim. Now, after years of solitude, I’m on my deathbed, and you are the only person here to see me pass. You want to know if it was worth it? All I can tell you is that for me, the answer is no. Nothing is worth that.” We sat together in silence for long moments, but Du XiongMing made his decision before I did. He used his will to freeze me in place and put his right hand on my chest. “I’m sorry for this burden, but I don’t believe this is the end for you. If I don’t do this, it will mean the destruction of my entire family after my death.” I felt a massive surge of power move from the Formation Emperor’s chest, down his arm, out of his hand, and into my chest. It forced open my soul and buried itself deep inside. The Emperor used his strength to seal my soul, not allowing any energy to leak out. “I expect my death to come within the hour,” he said, looking at me with sad eyes. “You have that much time to make your escape.” I looked at him as my soul burned. It was painful, but I suffered worse soul pain at the end of my last life, so it didn’t overwhelm me. “Do you still want to advance to Sovereign?” I asked. “If I could raise you to Sovereign, give you another hundred years, would you want that?” A faint smile crossed the old man’s face, but he shook his head. “No, this is my time. I’m ready for it. I’m no longer willing to pay the cost of advancing.” He gave me a long look. “I don’t know what secrets you have, but if you want an opportunity to become a Sovereign, you have to go to the Nine Rivers Sect. They can guide you, but you may not like where their path leads or the cost you will have to pay.” I cupped my hands in a martial salute and gave him a deep bow. “Goodbye, Formation Emperor Du. May your journey be peaceful.” I walked to the corner of the room and sat down in a kneeling position. I reached into my storage space, grabbed a poison pill, and placed it directly into my mouth. The last thing I saw was a smile on the old man’s face. You have died. Calculating... You died as a Martial Master 1. 1,000 credits awarded. Total Credits: 125,761,775