Heavenly Domain
Heavenly Domain
"Mm, yes, I sense Lao Yang's presence here. Please step aside, I merely wish to speak with him."
Despite that Ao Qin didn't move, he just looked at the Ascetic icily. His hand was already wrapped around the handle of his saber. But he didn't pull it out just yet. Seeing this, the Ascetic sighed.
"I suppose you wouldn't be very friendly to a stranger at your doorstep but I only wish to talk more with Lao Yang, nothing more", he said.
Ao Qin felt a hand on his shoulder, glancing over to see Ruishi Lei pulling him back. As the lion-kin stepped forward, he looked at the Ascetic before turning to let him through.
"He is waiting for you in the courtyard", he said.
The man nodded and floated in, the door closed behind him without anyone touching it. As he moved through the manor, the Ascetic saw Zhu Xie and Shu Yi as well as Lao Yang's understudies, who had finished unloading everything.
Then he suddenly stopped right before reaching the door leading to the courtyard, looking at his surroundings.
His eyes narrowed for a moment.
"Hm, how strange. There's something else here... something... different" he muttered out loud.
Everyone that heard him tensed up, ready to take their weapons out if need be. The Ascetic was here for Lao Yang but they knew that he was here for someone else.
But before he could think any further, the old goat called for him.
"Ah, stranger! You've come to visit me, have you? Please tell me, what are you here for?!"
Seated in the courtyard, the goat-kin was reading through a book with a cup of tea. He looked up from it, beckoning for the Ascetic. But he did his best to hide the heavy breathing.
In the little time he had, Lao Yang quickly set himself up in the courtyard.
"As long as I can distract him long enough, the elder and the girl can escape", he thought.
The Ascetic did not smile or frown, he just turned around and looked at Lao Yang, approaching him.
"Would you like a seat? There's also a fresh pot of tea for you too."
The goat-kin then pointed towards the steaming pot of tea and the two cups on the table beside him.
Despite the offer, the hovering man didn't move at all. He just stood there and looked at Lao Yang thoughtfully.
"Seeing as you were the one tending to the library, you must know everything there is about the knowledge there. Is that right?" he asked.
Lao Yang nodded.
"Yes, I am the one in charge of the Library. Since you've come to find me, I assume that there is something you are looking for?"
"Indeed, do you have any records of other powerful experts from the past? Particularly, is there anything about immortals?"
Asking this, the Ascetic waited patiently for Lao Yang to answer.
In the meantime, everyone else watched from inside the manor. Elder Shen suddenly peeked from one of the other rooms, looking around before seeing Lao Yang conversing with him.
"It is dangerous to leave now but... it would be even more dangerous to stay here any longer", he thought.
Looking next to him, the elder face Hongyu as well as the four beasts that were accompanying him. She then glanced over at Ao Qin and the rest.
His eyes met with Ruishi Lei's gaze.
The lion-kin had his arms crossed but Elder Shen saw the hand signals that he made. The elder nodded before quietly making his way to the doors.
He constantly glanced at the courtyard, checking to see if the Ascetic had made any moves. But the plain made did nothing of the sort, he was engrossed in a conversation with Lao Yang, speaking about past warriors.
But as Elder Shen reached for the door, he grabbed the handle and pulled it but the door wouldn't budge.
"Hm?!"
His eyes widened with shock as he pulled even harder, trying to open it but just like before, it wouldn't open.
And in that moment, he heard a voice echoing throughout the manor.
"I had long noticed you and your peculiar group. Most importantly, the owl and the fox, they're her pets, aren't they?"
Elder Shen spun around, holding Hongyu's hand tightly. All four beasts did the same, though they bared their fangs and claws at their enemy.
The Ascetic was no longer with Lao Yang but standing in the hallway, looking at them.
"Since they're here with you, does that mean that she is here as well? Or do you know where she is?"
He stared at them emotionlessly.
With the situation getting worse by the second, Ming Yue who had just finished absorbing the energy of the pill and Grand Elder Huang had revealed the aftereffects.
"My... my lifespan? So I only have a hundred years to live instead of the thousand you would get at the Fifth Sky."
She digested this information quietly. Not knowing what to make of it.
And the Grand Elder confirmed it.
"Yes, while the pill's energy has pushed your cultivation by leaps and bounds, nourishing your meridians and bolstering your strength. Your body is at its limit, it's like a vase trying to carry as much water as a dozen vases. For now, it's enough but cracks will form. To fix that, you will need to reach the Heaven Realm, you are just a hair away from it", he explained.
"Then, I have a hundred or so years to do so but I must deal with the Ascetic first. There is no point in worrying about that when I still have this to deal with."
She looked down at herself, examining herself inwardly.
"So I couldn't reach the Heaven Realm and I am so close to it. Would it be enough to take him on?" she wondered.
"All three elders have informed me that you plan on confronting the Ascetic, He is an opponent that even I am wary of", said the Grand Elder, "His Heavenly Domain is what makes him a formidable opponent."
Ming Yue looked up at him with a curious look.
"Heavenly Domain?" she repeated.
The Grand Elder nodded.
"Yes, the Heavenly Domain is an ability that every expert at the Heaven Realm has. You can consider it the evolution of one's Dao", he explained, "In my case, my Heavenly Domain is the Star of Light and Darkness. As for the Ascetic, I have only fought him once years ago, it was something done on a whim but it ended in a stalemate. Neither of us could do much against the other without truly committing to a duel."
Ming Yue leaned forward, her expression was almost hopeful.
"Then do you know what exactly his Heavenly Domain is? And is there a way to counter it as I am now?"
With the two of them alone, the silence was everpresent as the Grand Elder tried to recall the fight.
"It's hard to describe but his domain allowed him to be untouchable or unstoppable. No matter how much force you use, you cannot stop his actions nor can you slow him down but you can avoid it if you are able to. As for countering a Heavenly Domain, the easiest way would be to create your own Domain. But for you, there is not much that can really be done."
Elder Huang sighed before looking away.
"Your talent and your diligence are commendable but in the end, you aren't an expert at the Heaven Realm. You are still at the whims of luck and perhaps when you do confront the Ascetic, a miracle may happen."
"And if it doesn't?" she asked him.
The Grand Elder turned partly, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"You fight until you can no longer do so. Even if you lose your life, it is worth it if you bring your opponent down with you."