Destiny in Cinders

Proper formalities and titles would end up really messy when a dragon like Jin Yanhua was involved. Even though she looked like she could be You Ruhui’s elder sister, she was over two thousand years old, making her many times Ming Guangchen and Xuan Guangyun’s senior, let alone the two children’s. It was pointless to track down the precise form of title and address she was due.

Ming Guangchen introduced the armored dragon lady as a member of Ancestral Dragon Hall, one of the 108 upper sects from the Central Balance Dao Continent.

The continent at the center surrounded by the other nine had a heavenly sect like no other: the Greater Ebony Central Tianshu Cult. They were the largest and most influential heavenly cult in Void Embrace. The Greater Ebony Cult also had branches in the Northblack Sacrifice Continent. Even though they didn’t seem to have a strong presence, they were no doubt the most significant heavenly sect across the ten continents.

Apart from that, the Central Balance Dao Continent was also different from the other nine continents in significant ways. It was part of the Dao Sect’s legacy and was also where the Heavenly Pillar stood. As such, the continent had far more legacies and ruins of the Dao Sect compared to the other nine. There were all sorts of crypts that contained many precious spirit items waiting to be excavated.

However, the central continent was surprisingly peaceful unlike the other nine continents that were constantly mired in factional conflicts or sect machinations behind the scenes. The Greater Ebony Sect was at the top of the central continent, and together with other large sects like Ancestral Dragon Hall, they formed a union that ruled more than ninety percent of the entire continent.

In Yvelbane’s words, the union of sects somewhat resembled the Heavenly Court in structure. Different sects had different strengths and were given jurisdiction over different areas. Accomplished people in their respective fields also managed those fields. It was as if heavenly rule reigned over the human realm.

”This sounds like what the Grand Chen Empire is trying to become,” An Jing said, nodding in thought after hearing his master’s explanation.

Ming Guangchen nodded too and said, ”There are similarities, but they’re far from the same. In the Northblack Sacrifice Continent, the Grand Chen Empire started off as a family with a single emperor and an imperial bloodline and court before expanding their influence to conquer more and more territories, forming something like the Heavenly Court.

”The central continent, however, started with the Heavenly Court and ruling seats prepared from the get-go. When a worthy and powerful cultivator appears, they would rise to take a seat in the Heavenly Court to rule over their territory. As for Sister Jin...”

Ming Guangchen secretly signaled An Jing to look at the dragon lady that was hugging You Ruhui with her arms and tail and softly asking her questions. ”Sister Jin is the youngest and most spoiled daughter of one of the Present-Past-Waxing-Waning Dragon Gods of the Four Epochs, the Dragon God of the Present.

”Even though she’s only a threefold Treasures Realm sage, the arcanum of Ancestral Dragon Hall, Nine Tribulations Ascension, allows her to add a layer of lightning to her arcane domain for every heavenly tribulation she overcomes. Once she overcomes all nine, she’d have a ninefold arcane domain that would allow her to shatter the heart palace to forge an undying dao heart!”

Ming Guangchen seemed rather awed. ”Only dragons that grow slowly are capable of using such an arcanum. Humans have to break through faster to extend their lifespans and can only slowly construct their inner-universe arcane domain after the Sanctification Realm, which consumes far more lifearc power.

”Dragons, on the other hand, take advantage of the moment they break through from the peak of the Void Divine Treasures Realm to manifest their arcane domain with the power of heavenly tribulations. It is a sublime mastery of the Heavenly Dao. Naturally, Sister Jin’s own magnificent power is a huge factor in this. It is incredibly hard to even get started with this arcanum unless one can master the Sanctification Realm dao incantations at the Treasures Realm.”

Jin Yanhua had a really impressive background and was one of the most talented people ever. It was no wonder that she dared to stick her hands into such a matter.

An Jing immediately understood Ming Guangchen and King Jing’s plans. Given the power Grand Chen wielded in the Northblack Sacrifice Continent, typical factions wouldn’t be able to hide Xuan Mingjing completely. If people within the empire were serious about working together to track her down, there was no way the five Dustdawn Sects combined could keep her hidden, let alone the Brightmirror Sect. It was better to send her to a different continent entirely.

While Ancestral Dragon Hall wasn’t a heavenly sect, they were a top-tier upper sect with many transcendents of the Pure Yang Realm and a living empyrean of the Soaring Realm.

The sects of the central continent were also rather tight knit. Ancestral Dragon Hall ruled two of the four oceanic regions, including many of the rivers and lakes across allied territory. They were also incredibly close allies with the Greater Ebony Cult. Hypothetically speaking, if Grand Chen ever were to discover that You Ruhui had been transferred to Ancestral Dragon Hall, there was nothing they could do to force them to give her up.

”Master, you must understand the factional relationships across the ten continents rather well for you to be able to come up with something like this,” An Jing said. ”That aside, I can’t imagine how King Jing of Grand Chen managed to become such close comrades with the daughter of a dragon god of Ancestral Dragon Hall. Endmost Sky must be far more amazing than I imagined.”

”Sister Jin was the one who brought Brother Guangyun into Endmost Sky. It’s said that he hadn’t awakened his imperial blood back then. Even though Sister Jin looks strict and stern, she’s actually a warm-hearted dragon and a bit of a softie,” Ming Guangchen said. ”Our desires are also aligned. In fact, even those from enemy factions in Endmost Sky are able to understand each other even if our interests don’t align. You should know that Endmost Walkers don’t just come from Grand Chen and Ancestral Dragon Hall. There are also many members who are part of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

”Oh? Demonic cultists can join too, and there are quite a lot of them? What about the True Fiend Cult?” An Jing asked.

”Naturally, they aren’t allowed in. The True Fiend Cult is filled with devils while the Heavenly Demon Cult only has madmen,” Ming Guangchen said, shaking his head. ”An Jing, there’s something you’re misunderstanding. The reason the Heavenly Divine Cult is also called the Heavenly Demon Cult is because they research the demonic matters of heavenly fiends as well as heaven-ordained lifearcs. They also indulge in their demonic impulses freely and let them fester intensely.

”However, the proper name of the demonic cult is the Heavenly Will Divine Cult. They actually originate from the same source as the Greater Ebony Cult. In a way, their legacy and tradition are even more legitimate than the Brightmirror Sect’s!”

So, the inverse of all things dao is demons and fiends, huh? To think that a sect from a proper legacy would lower themselves to commit such atrocities. They deserve to die! An Jing pursed his lips tightly. Does that mean that Endmost Sky’s criteria for membership isn’t anything unique, but simply down to curiosity? But I’m not that curious of a person myself. All I care about is why the world order ended up in such a pathetic state.

”Oh, I just remembered something,” Jin Yanhua said, tilting her head slightly as she turned her purple-red dragon eyes to An Jing. ”You’re originally from the Heavenly Divine Cult, right?”

”Yes.” An Jing didn’t think there was any point in refuting it.

The dragon lady nodded. ”In the earliest of days, the Heavenly Divine Cult was founded by an empyrean from the Greater Ebony Cult who had engaged in a Grand Dao Struggle with the other empyreans in the cult. Eventually, this empyrean took the Celestial Divination Atlas, a dao armament, with him and left the Greater Ebony Cult with a group of trusted followers. This group eventually absorbed many others who betrayed their own sects, crossed the Celestial Ocean, and reached the Northblack Sacrifice Continent.

”Since the Heavenly Divine Sect’s founding, they’ve been considered one of the intermediate sects and never fell even after the many tribulations they’ve endured. At their peak during the previous grand calamity, they even had territorial disputes against the Hallowed Grand Court, a heavenly sect of the previous generation. Alas, their gambit failed, but that is still proof of the kind of might they possess.

”It’s only in the recent seventeen thousand years during which the Greater Ebony Cult produced two subsequent peak-level transcendents that they managed to completely wipe out all traces of the Heavenly Divine Cult’s influence in the central continent. They also crushed the many of their hideouts scattered across the Celestial Ocean’s islands. Only then did the Heavenly Divine Cult begin to decline.”