Chapter 60: Entering the East
In a far off land, a white-topped mountain pierced through the clouds as it overshadowed a grassy plain. Within this cast shadow, empowered beasts roamed about looking for their next prey.
At the edge of the shadowy plains, a black-speckled jaguar emerged from a cave. Speckled tigers are a demonic beast with enhanced sight and stealth abilities. Its hazel eyes glinted with white light as it scanned the plains and happened upon a strange sight.
Near the white-topped mountain, a group of people levitated slightly above the ground in meditation. The speckled tiger growled excitedly as it prowled across the plains.
Blending in with the darkness it quickly approached the group. This was a special ability that the Jaguars developed after years of cultivation, Shadow stealth. It allows them to blend in with shadows within a certain range and approach targets easily.
The Jaguar scanned the group examining their strengths one by one. In the group there are four members, one was an older man, the other middle-aged, and the last was a vibrant young man in a blue toga.
Standing in front of the three meditating men was a beautiful young maiden in a white dress embroidered on the seams of the dress were nine different colored swords.
"Father, we have less than a day until the Phoenix trial opens. Why are we still here?" The maiden complained and crossed her hands in exasperation.
She focused her attention on the young man in the vibrant blue toga; he levitated slightly over the ground with electrical streams lingering across his form. His eyes flashed open suddenly and thunder dragons danced in his pupils propagating an endless world of thunder.
This young man was none other than the Verulyim King, Mercer! The woman accompanying him was Emily, Su Yan, and the Ghost Hands doctor. After they healed the Cardinals, the king came to get her and her associates to bring to the Eastern Lands.
"Your Highness, we wait on the commands of Noble Qian." Su Yan opened his eyes and responded to the increasingly annoyed Emily.
It had already been a month since Ye Yuyan had rampaged through Heaven's Realm. With the opening of Heaven's Realm, Noble Qian the head of the Song clan and one of the key heads of the Noble path convened the world's powers to the Phoenix capital.
With the cooperation of the Firelord, Noble Qian opened the Phoenix Trials for the younger generation but this was only on the surface. The real purpose of opening the Phoenix Trials was to gather the overlords of the world, so they can divide up Heaven's Realm.
"Hmph!" The king snorted and suddenly a thunder dragon jumped off his body into the shadows of the valley.
"Rawrr!" The Jaguar growled as it shot out of the shadows jumping towards Mercer. The thunder dragon bolted through the air and instantly crashed into the Jaguar.
BOOM!
"Arrr!" The beast roared its death throes as the lightning's indomitable force crushed it and the intense electrical forces burst into its organs.
The lightning attacked the bonds of the Jaguar on a molecular level, decomposing it in an instant. The jaguar's flesh and blood turned into nothingness as the lightning vaporized into molecular structures.
The king shut his palm and the thunder dragon shrunk down and flew back into his body. Emily stood frozen as she stared with wide eyes full of shock. She glanced at her father then at the place the Jaguar emerged from.
There was absolutely nothing left even her high-level perception could feel any bit of the beast left. The Jaguar with its stealth and power could rival a Rank 3 expert, yet it was absolutely nothing before her father's might.
With the beast dead, the king turned his perception back to the mountain. When space near the mountain peak distorted and rippled like a curtain.
Three dark nodes appeared across the mountain releasing powerful energy from beyond this world. Celestial power dispersed from the nodes and three figures emerged from each node. Behind them were the void of the world and a glittering and glistening sea of stars.
"He's here..." Ghost Hands opened his eyes and said to the king in a soft voice.
The king's eyebrows furrowed as he squinted and saw the three figures flash across the mountain down into the shadow plains. A blue, white, and black light shot across the plain in front of the group as motes of light.
The blue motes of light formed together turning into a white-haired young man wielding a moonlight sword. The second set of lights formed into a dark-haired woman in a black dress. The last set of lights appeared last and formed from dark motes of light.
The energies coalesced according to a heavenly principle turning into a dark-haired dark-eyed man in black robes. He emanated a wispy shadowy aura as the darkness of the plains lingered on his body.
"My oh my, I wasn't a welcome back party upon arrival." The dark-haired young man sneered as he spoke, his gaze fixed onto the Verulyim King as he scanned him over.
"You... you're... Ye Yuyan!" Emily exclaimed with shock as she stared at Ye Yuyan's dark cloaked form. All she ever encountered were stories of Ye Yuyan and she met his will in the immortal graveyard.
Now she has met him face and face and she could feel his terrifying power. Deep inside the inky darkness that surrounded Ye Yuyan was a demonic power she had only felt once before.
The moment Ye Yuyan manifested, shock transmitted through Ghost Hands body as Ye Yuyan aura inspired a fear inside of him, with a stuttering and fearful voice he said: "I had to confirm it myself, but I still can't believe it!"
"You have the aura of Lucifer! How is that possible?!?" Ghost Hands said as he pointed his trembling hand at Ye Yuyan.
"Anything is possible, has age made you forgetful, you old fossil." Ye Yuyan sneered with contempt as his cold dark eyes scanned over the doctor.
"Master, shall we intervene?" Maven asked as he reached for his sword at his side, Song Yue gripped her grimoire tightly as she prepared herself.
Su Yan and Emily suddenly tensed up as they mustered their fighting spirits. Their auras ascended together as their aspects appeared, blinding light manifested behind Su Yan turning into a yellow-robed young man in with a sun inscribed on his back.
Emily's aura tightened turning into a tough lattice structure and condensing a golden woman wielding a golden sword. Emily focused her perception on Song Yue and Su Yan focused himself on Maven.
Maven's eyes flashed with a starry sky as a layer of cyan Qi appeared across his body. The calm lunar Qi condensed behind him into a blue-robed young man who looked exactly like him, the Lunar Qi shot into the young man's back turning into a blue moon.
"He has an aspect... he's Rank 4!" Emily gnashed her teeth as she spoke, to think even Ye Yuyan's subordinates could rival her in strength.
"He's not the only one! Ha!!!" Song Yue exhaled releasing a torrent of immortal Qi. The white aura dwarfed Maven's power easily, as her Chaste Divine Body activated.
Deep inside of her body, the rule fragment of the "Bearer of the White Lotus" released its splendor. The energies condensed together behind her into a sea of petals, the petals coalesced turning into an Illusionary White lotus!
"Rank 4 and not only that her Aspect isn't human!!!" Su Yan intoned with shock as the white lotus swayed behind Song Yue.
One of the defining characteristics of a Bearer is their aspect, any human cultivator would create a human aspect. Their totem might not be human but their aspect will always be human.
This applied to Bloodline, Sealing, and Chivalry. Aspects to humans are like evil forms to demons, they are the defining power of their race and Bearers deviate from this.
Bearers received their Aspect from the Law of Kings and because of that their aspect could take forms beyond that of a human and provide special abilities like the Nine Revolutions Red Lotus.
"Stand down!" The Verulyim King roared with a furious and booming voice. Using his thunder prowess, his voice boomed throughout the plains frightening little animals everywhere and even causing the ground to vibrate.
Suddenly Su Yan, Emily, Maven, and Song Yue felt their auras fall at an alarming rate. The massive pillars of Qi they released instantly lurched as the Verulyim king released his frightening power.
Their energies dwindled as it forced their auras back into their bodies. Everyone except Ghost Hands and Ye Yuyan fell to their knees instantly. Ye Yuyan glanced over at Ghost Hands with a stone-faced expression and turned his attention back to the Verulyim King.
"You're the one who killed my son?" The king coldly intoned as lightning crackled across his body.
"Yes, and I made quite a good use of him..." Ye Yuyan replied with a cold sneer as the darkness twinkled in his eyes.
"I see..." The Verulyim king gritted his teeth and gripped his fist as lightning crackled in his eyes. Deep in his body, lightning tumbled through his meridians and crackled across his skin.
"Then you can perish!" He roared as he suddenly opened his palm up and shot out a giant beam of lightning.
BOOM!
The lightning collided with Ye Yuyan's body and erupted into a sea of thunder dragons. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed as the sea of thunder beasts wrapped around Ye Yuyan attempting to devour him. Inside of the sea of lightning, Ye Yuyan's left eye flashed with a Qilin as he pursed his lips into a cold smile.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Swordfane
Swordfane Big milestone today, PTK has reached 100,000 words! It took a lot of time we've reached halfway there to the end. The deeper I get into the story, the harder it is to write because there is so much to balance but it will all be worth it. Hopefully, in a week or two, we'll be at Volume 4!
If you're curious here is my lifetime word count.
Arcane Slayer: 182,000 words, 114 chapters
Path of the Tyrant King: 100,337 words, 63 chapters
Cosmic Pursuit: 4500 words, 3 chapters
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