Immortal Kingdoms

"Would you even believe me if I said I'm not interested?"

"It depends, you're not telling me that an exalted High Saint was simply bored."

"They promised our Sovereign a chance to enter the next realm if he helped them out, but he didn't bring along any of his immediate descendants."

To display his sincerity, the High Saint called off his domain and sat on the edge of his cliff, sword sheathed and whatever left of his battle intent scattered.

Leonardo thought for a bit, closed his eyes to sense something, then smiled faintly. With his dense bloodthirsty intent withdrawing into his body, the once red robes were now a speckless white again, the saint-grade sword in his hand crumbling to bits after the blood enchantment dissipated.

With a step forward, Leonardo arrived next to the High Saint and sat down as well, not showing any reservations whatsoever.

"You mean to say that all of these people are your people? Aren't you feeling even a bit of heartache?" Leonardo seemed to ask casually.

"Between your people and your family, who will you choose?" The High Saint responded with a question of his own. Hearing that, Leonardo had nothing to say as the answer to such a question was pretty obvious. However, another question popped in his mind, what if he had to choose between family and family?

The mere thought caused Leonardo's mood to plunge deeply, not having the presence of mind to talk for a long while. Actually, if the High Saint decided to suddenly attack Leonardo now, there was up to a 99.9% chance of killing the young man, but he simply stared blankly ahead as well.

Some focus then returned to Leonardo's eyes. "Why didn't you do it?"

Although the question seemed very ambiguous and broad, both of them knew what Leonardo meant by his question. Thus, answering wouldn't be too difficult.

"Family. They're waiting for my return." The High Saint answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Somewhere deep down he knew that Leonardo wouldn't waste away his life locked up here, so at least for now, this young man represents the future of his family back on his home planet.

"Your Sovereign is an idiot, you know. He knows that his fate is irredeemable, they know it too, but they still dance to a tone of oblivion, grasping for invisible straws." Leonardo sighed.

"What do you mean?" The High Saint raised his thin and sharp eyebrows.

"If I'm being honest, your chances of achieving the next realm are much higher than his. Although you wouldn't make it far as a divinity, you at least have the basic qualifications; an untainted will."

"As for these Sovereigns, they've already signed the end of their cultivation path the moment they bound themselves to the will of a planet, as it would never allow its subjects to break the shackles of cultivation and become true divinities. Unless of course…" Leonardo suddenly trailed off, his back drenched in sweat.

"Unless what?" The High Saint was startled, the sudden shift in Leonardo's pace catching him off guard. However, Leonardo felt like an idiot all of a sudden, jumping to his feet and disappearing into the clouds of thunderstorms, only his voice echoing behind.

"I have some business to attend to. If you want to wait for me, just stay on that cliff until I make it back!"

The High Saint stared blankly ahead, not understanding anything at all. However, he eventually shrugged and sat down lotus-style, his eyes closed.

…

It was indeed a sky-shaking battle that lasted for three days and three nights, its end coming at the hands of the hidden tribes' warriors. However, the atmosphere on this silent and blood-spanked battlefield was anything but joyous.

The once-united hidden tribes were actually split into three factions at this moment.

One faction of the triangle was the warriors of the older generation, Patriarch Ye at their helm, his eyes swirling with pain and remorse as he looked across the battlefield at a group of once young and innocent tribe warriors, who despite the hardships life imposed on them, killing another human to survive was never an option in their minds, let alone a last choice to make.

Some of them stared ahead, confused.

Some of them sat there, eyes closed.

Some of them shed tears of grief and anger.

Some of them glared back at the Patriarch with undisguised hatred and blame as the words of the invading saints echoed in their heads.

And of course, some of them were looking in a whole other direction altogether. This little some of the young warriors had worship, fear, pain, panic, reverence, and a touch of a feeling unknown to them as they looked at the last and third faction of this triangle.

She was all alone in a sea of fire on a mou of metal and corpses, blood trickling down these spent bodies and flowing into the land like winding serpents.

The invading army tossed in the white towel when their general was decapitated by this woman who represented the pinnacle of wild grace. At that point, the leaders retreated, the young warriors retreated, only she acted as though oblivious to the circumstances and carried a merciless slaughter.

The cries of shock, anger, agony.

The pleas of mercy, tolerance, and forbearance.

From the enemy camp and the tribes, she considered her home and family.

She ignored it all as four words echoed in her mind.

"Their blood or mine."

After the general came his deputies, after them the commanders, after them the vice commanders, then the squadron captains, and down to the last ordinary of soldiers. Not a life was spared as the multicolored fairy of death shuttled from one spacecraft to the next, with death and destruction in her wake.

After a day and night of this senseless slaughter, Wendy stood on the peak of this mountain of death with a blank expression, staring down the face of a once fearsome general as it rested on her blood-drenched hands.

Not a trace of white was on her robes, let alone her face and hair. Perhaps, only her eyes had a touch, or a lack of blood for a better term.

This unbearable silence lasted for a while until a white silhouette appeared in the sky of the battlefield, standing precisely in the heart of the triangle.

"Well, what's wrong with you all?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows at the unexpected atmosphere lingering in the air.

Was this the atmosphere befitting of a victory?

"Teacher…?" Some clarity returned to Wendy's eyes at this moment, and tears began to overflow uncontrollably.

She wanted to ask; why did Little John and Lihua have to die? Was it truly as she speculated, their lives are worth this much? Just a lesson to be taught?

However; she was truly and well exhausted, the only thing keeping her up and standing was the lingering confusion that wracked her mind.

A clash of views and teachings thousands of years old gave her an unbearable headache, but her conviction as a warrior wouldn't allow this lass to step down after she chose a path.

"You can sleep now," Leonardo had a trace of warmth in his eyes as he looked up at this woman who was reborn through a trial of blood and fire. The next moment, his figure blurred, appearing right in front of Wendy's blood-soaked body as he tapped her forehead.

"Sleep…" Wendy muttered in a barely audible whisper as she dropped into Leonardo's chest, but he quickly held her shoulders and brought her into his arms, sighing.

"You ruined this child…" Patriarch Ye hissed through his gritted teeth, unable to contain his anger.

Leonardo gave this man whom he deeply respected an indifferent eye. "It was either this child or all of your children combined. What, did the deaths of Little John and Lihua not pack enough force to slap you awake from your delusions? Would you rather this mountain beneath my feet be that of your children instead?"

Patriarch Ye choked, pain filling his eyes once more. He wanted to say something, but Leonardo beat him to it, "Since when is it my responsibility to protect your people? Let me emphasize, YOUR people."

He then turned to look at the young generation of warriors. "Today, my student was here and so am I. However, when tomorrow comes and neither of us is present, will you foolishly stand there and wait for death? I don't advise so."

"Anyway, there is a region a few hundred miles of purified space in the second ring, it should be habitable by now. If you want, you can start your migration to construct new buildings and the Ancient Hidden City. As for me, something came up and I should take my leave."

Leonardo didn't wait for the response of either party be it the new or old generation of people, quickly turning his back to them and shooting off into the distance. As his figure disappeared, a twinkling silver ring shot over toward Patriarch Ye.

"Give this little thing to Little Yue when she starts cultivating her spiritual energy, it should be very helpful to her later on."

With that, Leonardo disappeared into the clouds of thunderstorms.