The Dust Settles

The Dust Settles...

Qin Wentian had resolved to relinquish the inheritance.

The nine golden guardians, puppetized humans in truth, would have successfully deceived him if not for the advancement of his heart sense, which activated his third eye. Their guise as Puppets would have ensnared him.

Though the nine golden guardians abstained from releasing their Astral Souls, their cultivation in an arcane art had led to their puppetization. Reading through the Gold-Element Ancient Scroll made Qin Wentian ponder—had these guardians embarked on this path?

Further doubt clouded his mind after absorbing the Ascendant's words. The Ascendant had cautioned his successor about the formidable nature of the art, warning of unforeseen bodily alterations during its cultivation. The voice also reiterated the imperative of keeping the art's existence hidden from clan and sect elders. This web of information aroused suspicion in Qin Wentian. Though the voice revealed it was betrayed by kin, leaving behind this legacy for a vengeful successor, Qin Wentian found the narrative unreliable.

If the sole aim were to locate a successor, why restrict entry to Yuanfu-level cultivators? Why not welcome Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns as well?

One potential explanation might center on the decline of potential in older Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns. But this contradicted the golden guardian's assertion that Qin Wentian's low cultivation barred him from succession.

Furthermore, despite his current cultivation deficit, Qin Wentian recognized his remarkable heritage and possession of the Azure Emperor's legacy. Faced with the Ascendant's inheritance, his resolve remained steadfast.

Qin Wentian possessed an unwavering, decisive nature. In light of the doubts regarding the Ascendant's statements, he opted to discard the inheritance entirely.

His choice was marked by an absence of remorse.

The gift wasn't destined for Bailu Jing or Bailu Yi; from his vantage point, serious issues lurked within this cultivation art. Qin Wentian's focus shifted to the cultivators outside the grand hall. Motionless, they gaped at the cast-off ancient scroll—an unforeseen move from him.

Nonetheless, Bailu Yi and the others donned expressions of disbelief. The inheritance was an arduous acquisition, and now, without hesitation, Qin Wentian surrendered it?

Among the off-hall cultivators—Zhan Chen, Yang Fan, Zhao Lie, and Hua Feng—whose formidable patrons represented the Moon Continent, the full confluence of their powers could potentially trap Qin Wentian in flight. This flight, in turn, would disrupt his Moon Continent establishment aspirations, as well as thwart the Bailu Clan's White Deer Institute plans.

"The Gold-Element Ascendant's cultivation art resides within the scroll I release. I renounce all claims to it, fellow cultivators. Yet the other scroll harbors the Ascendant's Divine Inscription wisdom. For a Grandmaster, no temptation rivals this. Therefore, I shall keep it. Thus, know this—I, Qin, have strived to meet your expectations. Let us commence anew after we exit this realm. Naturally, should any grudges persist, I'm more than willing to indulge you."

Qin Wentian's words lingered, though he recognized that spoken absolution didn't magically absolve animosities. For instance, Qin Wentian had exposed Zhan Chen's hidden truths; could forgiveness still be expected?

Still, by candidly voicing his sentiments, Qin Wentian avoided inviting an onslaught. He wasn't so reckless as to become the collective prey of many. Given his relinquishing of the inheritance, the transcendent power's chosen figures lacked credibility to beseech their elders for action against him.

His utterance concluded with a sleeve's flourish, slamming the grand hall doors shut, paying no mind to the inevitable bloodshed poised to erupt outside its walls.

Outside, the collective gaze bore an inscrutable glimmer as it affixed on the ancient scroll—a treasure left behind by the Gold-Element Ascendant.

Amidst the tense air, Zhao Lie sprang forth, his flaming sabre ablaze, igniting the atmosphere around him. With unhinged laughter, he advanced toward the scroll.

A ripple of motion, and the others snapped out of their stupor, reacting in tandem. Yang Fan's palms extended, conjuring a massive handprint that lunged for the scroll, ready to ensnare it.

"Cease!" Zhao Lie's sabre cleaved down, rupturing the very fabric of space.

Simultaneously, Zhan Chen and Hua Feng sprang into action.

Qin Wentian's disclosure had resonated, lending credibility to the scroll's authenticity. A counterfeit would inevitably unravel, and in the realm beyond, it would expose his falsehood. By then, Qin Wentian would be hunted relentlessly.

An 80% chance that the scroll was genuine.

Yet the space trembled anew, echoing the golden guardians' proclamation that the inheritance's acquisition would trigger realm disintegration.

Gales intensified, whipping desert sands into a blinding frenzy. Fixing on the crumbling Ascendant statue, cracks spiderwebbed through the space. The realm itself was unraveling.

Within the great hall, a dissonant rumble resonated.

Bailu Yi turned, her gaze locking onto the quaking chamber. "What now?"

Qin Wentian's voice cut through the tumult. "Time to leave." He surged toward a wall, unleashing a devastating force that cleaved through it, obliterating the barrier. Those trailing him vanished through the opening.

...

The tempest's might intensified, spiraling sands blinding the eye.

"Space is breaking, but we're not in immediate peril!" Bailu Jing's voice battled the howling wind, a hand outstretched for Bailu Yi. However, the tempest's power was relentless, their grip slipping through the gusts.

Qin Wentian's eyes shuttered, a contemplative cast to his senses. Yet, his composure crumbled; his senses jolted.

"Damn," he murmured.

The windstorm lofted a massive wave of sand, poised to smother them. United before, the avalanche of sand upended their cohesion, flinging them in disparate directions.

Three days elapsed. News rippled: the Divine Inscriptions secret realm had vanished. In the place where the ancient city thrived, the desert reigned supreme.

Curious gazes converged on the landscape, formerly the ancient city's hub. But beyond the fading remnants of sand-draped ruins, an expanse of golden sand unfurled, erasing all trace.

"What transpired within?" Murmurs of curiosity rippled among the bystanders.

The prevailing rumors hinted at the realm being a Celestial Phenomenon Ascendant's Dao Cultivation Ground, potentially concealing an inheritance. Yet now, the question loomed large: How could the realm vanish, and who had emerged with the Ascendant's legacy?

The news spread like wildfire across the Moon Continent. Soon after, word circulated that Zhan Chen, the 11th on the Heavenly Fate Ranking, had reappeared at the Pill Emperor Hall.

Yang Fan of the Star-Seizing Manor, Zhao Lie of the Skyember Sect, and Hua Feng from the Hua Clan followed suit, returning to their respective factions.

Whispers swirled about Zhan Chen securing the Ascendant's inheritance. Admirers sighed in admiration. His prowess had upheld his rank, elevating the Pill Emperor Hall's stature.

As for the exact events inside the realm, only the survivors held that secret.

Bailu Jing and Bailu Yi returned to the White Deer Institute, ear to the ground regarding external gossip. The tale's omissions struck Bailu Yi as amusing. Qin Wentian's name was conspicuously absent—evidence of the chosen's collective embarrassment.

The elite chosen, masters of peak-level Yuanfu, had leaned on a third-level Yuanfu Inscriptionist to access the hall. Worse, they'd been outmaneuvered, their foe claiming victory and then magnanimously relinquishing the prize. Even in the ensuing melee, he'd outshone them, injuring Zhan Chen. The irony couldn't be richer.

Thus, the tale's verity remained privy to those within the realm or buried beneath the desert sands. Bailu Jing and Bailu Yi, for Qin Wentian's sake, abstained from disseminating the full truth.

Revelation would set the Moon Continent abuzz with Qin Wentian's name, a double-edged sword that could thrust him into fame's blinding spotlight while making him the target of countless arrows.

Let's not overlook that even though he relinquished the cultivation art, the scroll of Divine Inscriptions remained his possession—a priceless gem in the eyes of Divine Inscriptionist Grandmasters. What if these fourth-ranked adepts decided to pursue him?

As it stood, Qin Wentian's whereabouts were a mystery.

...............

Perched atop a pavilion's roof, Bailu Yi gazed at the horizon.

Somewhere amidst the golden expanse, within a timeworn hall, Qin Wentian sat cross-legged. Beside him stood a Puppet.

This was the Puppet he'd acquired from the trial grounds—the Golden-Armored King Puppet. With his expertise in Puppet refining, seizing an unclaimed treasure was a no-brainer. The Puppet's might was substantial; a fourth-ranked powerhouse.

To Qin Wentian, crafting Puppets mirrored forging Divine Weapons. By inscribing Divine Inscriptions onto a weapon, it gained the desired traits. With Puppets, the only divergence was forming a mind-link, enabling seamless control. This link endured unless forcibly severed by an external force.

At the present, Qin Wentian repaired the Puppet's head Inscription while forging a mental connection. The Puppet's build afforded formidable defenses. Unless facing an overpowering Heavenly Dipper Sovereign, their link wouldn't yield easily. Naturally, this didn't hold true if the adversary was someone capable of bypassing external defenses while excelling in the Dao of Divine Inscriptions.

It took a few moments, but at last, the golden-armored Puppet rose. Its eyes glinted with a golden luminescence, as if a mere gaze could pierce through anyone's eyes.

Amusement danced in Qin Wentian's eyes as he stowed the Puppet into his interspatial ring.

Having established a mind-link, the Puppet's assimilation into his ring proved effortless. Were the Puppet still under the guardians' sway, he would have first severed their control before confinement.

Not yet ready to depart after refining the Puppet, Qin Wentian shut his eyes. He focused on the changes within him.

At the instant his eyes closed, a radiant gleam emerged from his brow's center. His third eye opened, casting a golden hue. It recorded everything it beheld, etching them deep into his consciousness.

Upon reopening his eyes, Qin Wentian's expression shifted.

Golden radiance burst from all three eyes, pulsating with the Mandates he had understood.

To his astonishment, his eyes could channel the will of his Mandates!