Sovereign of the Ashes

The two cultivators Sein and Lorianne had encountered were nothing more than a minor interlude during their journey through the network of teleportation arrays.

There was no dramatic scene of Sein drawing his weapon to help someone in trouble. He had no interest in meddling in other people’s affairs.

Besides, as Lorianne had pointed out, if Immortal Realm cultivators started fighting within the Magus Civilization’s territory, the Magus Civilization would most likely intervene.

One was Rank Four and the other Rank Five. If the two of them truly came to blows, there was no way the commotion would remain small.

The knights and mages stationed throughout the surrounding star domains were not decorative statues. If anything serious happened, someone would naturally step in.

So why should Sein bother himself with such trivial matters?

Still, this brief encounter once again reminded Sein of one major difference between the Immortal Realm Civilization and the Magus Civilization.

At the very least, very few law-wielding black mages would dare openly target other Magus Civilization powerhouses on the Magus Civilization’s own battlefields.

Sein and Lorianne encountered many other Immortal Realm cultivators and Magus Alliance members during their journey.

Many Immortal Realm cultivators could be heard complaining that things had been getting more and more expensive lately.

Meanwhile, beings from the Magus Alliance would occasionally let slip bits and pieces of information about the surrounding star domains and planes.

Of course, most of what Sein overheard came from beings below Rank Four.

Still, listening to the conversations of these low-ranking beings could be quite interesting at times.

At the Collector Starport earlier or during his journey toward the Apocalypse Star Domain, Sein had purchased quite a few “local specialties” from street stalls run by Immortal Realm cultivators.

There were Mustard Seed Pouches, which served much the same purpose as space rings; Soul-Gathering Banners capable of collecting wandering souls; Fasting Pills used to replenish physical stamina; Spirit-Restoring Pills for restoring elemental energy; Five Elements Flag Arrays capable of creating small barriers and defensive shields; and all sorts of other stuff.

Sein had even purchased two “spirit beasts” native to the Immortal Realm Civilization to serve as subjects for vivisection in his daily research.

These items, all deeply characteristic of the Immortal Realm Civilization, would likely occupy much of Sein’s free time for the foreseeable future.

Seeing so many Immortal Realm cultivators also made Sein think once again of the panda he had encountered in Beastmen World.

Ever since the Clash of Civilizations began, Sein had no idea where that panda had gone.

And the more Sein thought about it, the more intrigued he became by the panda’s cloning ability.

Over this period, Sein had collected quite a few so-called cultivation techniques from the Immortal Realm.

Yet not a single one could compare to the Drunken Panda Immortal’s ability to instantly split into three clones, each possessing nearly the same level of strength as the original. That technique truly was extraordinary.

“Next time we meet, I’ll have to draw a few more vials of blood from him so I can study that ability properly. His cloning technique must involve some rather profound principles of soulology, which isn’t exactly my area of expertise,” Sein mumbled, stroking his chin as he gazed into the distance.

While passing through this teleportation node, Sein happened to encounter another black bear.

This one, however, came from the Immortal Realm. It was a Rank Five feybeast dressed in a monastic robe.[1]

Surprisingly, the creature was quite polite. When it noticed Sein and Lorianne staring at it for a moment, the black bear simply smiled at the two of them before continuing on its way.

After it had left, Lorianne leaned closer to Sein and whispered, “That robe it was wearing looked quite nice actually.”

Sein nodded in agreement. “Agreed. That monastic robe was already comparable to a high-tier divine artifact. With just a slight improvement in quality, it could probably be considered a quasi-world-class secret treasure.”

“These Immortal Realm beings really are wealthy,” Lorianne could not help exclaiming.

Sein immediately thought back to the Rank Four Immortal Realm cultivator with the machete whom they had encountered earlier. That man’s clothing and equipment had been remarkably ordinary.

“The wealthy ones are only a minority,” Sein replied. “Most Immortal Realm cultivators are actually quite poor.”

***

It took Sein and Lorianne nearly two years just to reach the Grand Apocalypse World.

Lorianne was the one most pressed for time. After meeting with her mentor, senior disciples, and the others, she would have to hurry back to the frontline logistics base.

On Primeval Wilds Plane in the Apocalypse Star Domain...

Sein finally reunited with Feylis and his other elders on this medium-sized world that the Verdant Flame Faction had only recently conquered.

Across many parts of this plane, wrecked Gallant Federation warships still lay scattered across the landscape, some piled atop one another and yet to be recovered or cleared away.

The native resistance forces, however, had already been all but wiped out.

Barring any unexpected developments, the Verdant Flame Faction would remain here for another two years before moving on to their next combat zone.

In that sense, Sein and Lorianne had arrived at just the right time.

At present, members of the Verdant Flame Faction were stationed throughout Primeval Wilds Plane and its surrounding space.

Sein’s Ashen Fortress was also here. Several allied legions that had maintained close ties with Sein over the years had gathered here as well, including the Klytheran Legion, the Shadowbat Civilization Legion, the Huusian Legion, and several others.

However, upon arriving, Sein’s first priority was naturally to greet his grandmaster and the other elders.

His Ashen Fortress, along with Reina, Marie, the other women, and the powerhouses from the various allied factions, would have to wait for now.

“Sein! I never expected that after such a short time apart, you’d already surpassed me!”

Inside the towering command center of Primeval Wilds Plane, Gregory greeted Sein with a crushing bear hug the moment he arrived.

As expected, the man was still as eccentric as ever.

Still, only he could greet someone with such hearty enthusiasm and make it feel completely natural.

“You flatter me, Master Gregory. I still have plenty to learn from you,” Sein replied, quickly taking a step back after freeing himself from the man’s powerful embrace.

Gregory’s aura was now fluctuating at the peak of Rank Five as well, but not all peak Rank Five beings were the same.

Gregory had only recently reached the peak of Rank Five and was still in the process of stabilizing his foundation.

Although Sein himself had only advanced to the peak of Rank Five a few hundred years ago, he had already roughly mapped out the path toward Rank Six.

As a result, whether in terms of progress or aura, Sein was already slightly ahead of Gregory.

And judging purely from their past battle records, the difference became even clearer.

Sein already had several Rank Six biological specimens sitting in his laboratory. In that regard, he was indeed a cut above Gregory.

Even without fusing with Fermera, and relying solely on his Ashen Flame and tempered body, Sein would still hold a slight advantage over him.

That said, the paths Sein and Gregory followed were fundamentally different. There were still many things they could learn from each other, and compared to other pyromancers, the two naturally shared far more common ground.

That was why Sein had said he still had much to learn from Gregory.

It was not modesty. It was simply the truth.

After Gregory finally released him from his bear hug, Bernice seemed tempted to follow suit. Like Sein, Bernice also practiced body tempering and possessed an abundance of pyro elemental energy.

Her figure was far more striking than Lorianne’s, and for a brief moment, Sein found himself somewhat overwhelmed. Bernice’s wheat-toned skin also gave her a healthier and more vibrant appearance than Lorianne.

Just as Bernice seemed about to embrace him, Sein noticed Berecca, the Rank Four knight standing nearby, purse her lips ever so slightly.

Fortunately, Bernice never actually went through with it. She had merely been teasing Sein.

Seeing the awkward expression on his face, Bernice finally burst out laughing.

“I see you’ve already surpassed Gregory before any of us even realized it. Not bad, not bad. The last time we met, Gregory kept teasing me about this. Now he’s got nothing left to say, does he?” she said with a chuckle.

Gregory could only laugh awkwardly. He really did have nothing to say this time.

Sein was undoubtedly the most promising talent to emerge from the Verdant Flame Faction.

He had successively surpassed his mentor and both of his elders, reaching the peak of Rank Five ahead of them. At this rate, he might just surpass his grandmaster next.

Being praised so openly by both of his elders left Sein genuinely at a loss for how to respond.

Yet instead of coming to his rescue, Lorianne simply walked over to Feylis, who was seated at the head of the magic tower’s hall, and quietly struck up a conversation with her.

Judging from the smiles on their faces, mentor and her apprentice were clearly having a good time.

Lorianne had always been Feylis’s most favored apprentice. And as Sein watched the two of them, he gradually began to suspect that they might actually be talking about him.

After all, every now and then, both of them would glance in his direction.

Just as Sein was beginning to feel increasingly awkward under their attention, another mage present finally stepped forward and rescued him from the situation.

“It’s been a long time, Sein,” Selphy said as she stepped forward with a smile on her face. She had already advanced to Rank Four.

“Indeed,” Sein replied, turning toward her and giving a respectful bow.

Selphy’s advancement did not surprise Sein in the slightest.

She had always been one of the more highly regarded members of the Verdant Flame Faction. When the time came for her to attempt her breakthrough, the faction would naturally provide whatever support it could.

As long as Selphy herself possessed sufficient talent and potential, that support alone could raise her chances of successfully advancing by another one or two percentage points compared to an ordinary demigod-level mage.

Now that Selphy had reached Rank Four, coupled with Sein’s return, the overall strength of the Verdant Flame Faction had undoubtedly grown considerably.

And Selphy was far from the only one who had changed.

Aelid had already reached the late stage of Rank Four. His rate of advancement could be considered relatively fast.

Bernice had also broken through to Rank Five and was currently in the early stage of that realm.

As for Berecca, the grand master of the Order of the Green Bounty who shared a rather special relationship with Bernice, she had practically become an unofficial member of the Verdant Flame Faction by now.

She was frequently invited to the faction’s gatherings and even took part in some of its internal discussions.

Berecca herself had also reached the peak of Rank Four.

Sein still remembered that the first interplanar war he had launched in the name of the Divine Tower of Ashes had been fought alongside Berecca.

It seemed everyone remembered their first time rather vividly.

While chatting with the other members of the Verdant Flame Faction, Sein gave Berecca a friendly nod in greeting.

Berecca, however, did not seem particularly interested in returning the gesture. Instead, she simply turned her head and looked elsewhere.

Her reaction probably had something to do with how overly friendly Bernice had been toward Sein from the moment he arrived.

Sein did not take it to heart. He already knew what kind of person this female knight was—cold on the outside, but far warmer than she appeared.

1. Translator’s Note: The Chinese character used here is 精 (jīng), as in 妖精 (yāojīng). This is my first time introducing the term “feybeast”. In Chinese mythology and fantasy, these are beings that have gained sentience through cultivation and may eventually become capable of shapeshifting. They can be benevolent or malevolent, depending on the individual. They are not limited to animals either. Beasts, plants, and even other natural beings can cultivate for long enough to awaken their intelligence and become this kind of creature. ☜