Sovereign of the Three Realms

Jiang Chen was exceedingly upset. He was a god now, so why did the chain seal’s mysteries remain firmly raveled? What exactly did it contain?

He desperately wanted to know the answer to that question, but the seal was unreachably distant. It showed him absolutely no face and repelled his mind’s attempts to communicate.

This was exceedingly frustrating.

Jiang Chen wasn’t in the mood to give up though. He tested the waters more carefully the second time around, using a different approach to find an opening.

Perhaps each luminous dot was a key node upon the chain seal. All he needed to do was find the most yielding one.

Alas, reality disappointed him once more. Every point on the chain seal radiated stubborn refusal.

Still, he wasn’t discouraged just yet. He stubbornly kept pursuing every clue he could. He had a feeling that though the chain seal ignored him and bounced him off, it wasn’t repulsing him. In fact, it seemed to be accepting of him in some way.

He wouldn’t be nearly so persistent otherwise.

Jiang Chen kept at it for most of the day. Just when he had lost almost all hope, the chain seal suddenly underwent a strange change.

A starry expanse filled the space all around it, following which one of the luminous points fell away like a ripe fruit.

The remaining eight quickly whirred to repair the hole. In an instant, the gap vanished as fast as it had appeared.

The light stormed out of Jiang Chen’s mind in a flash, landing like a descending meteor in front of him. It was no bigger than a rice grain, but an aura of majestic power enveloped it.

Jiang Chen was astonished. This new development was positively startling, as was the miraculous reformation of the chain seal afterward.

What on earth was going on here?

Despite his curiosity, he knew that at least a fragment of truth was right in front of him.

He trained both eyes unblinkingly upon the light, which spun round and round before him until it exploded in a burst of radiance. Something emerged from it that shocked the young man a great deal.

It was a gold-plated ferule with a classical, noble design.

Not a particularly extraordinary item, to be sure, but it caused Jiang Chen’s eyes to redden. He was on the verge of tears.

Father!

He nearly blurted this out as he saw it. He hadn’t expected to see this ruler again in his life at all.

Yes, he remembered the ferule’s design and measure well. When he was very young, he had studied within the celestial imperial library as an impotent child. Because he couldn’t cultivate, learning was the only thing he could do – not that he had liked it much at the time.

His father had often accompanied him, striking the palms of his hands whenever he entertained thoughts of giving up.

Much like any father eager for his son to succeed, he had made a strong impression upon the young Jiang Chen.

His father had always been so strict, hiding a deep adoration within his solemnity. Jiang Chen hadn’t been able to understand his father when he was younger, especially since he’d known he couldn’t cultivate to help his father in any meaningful way.

Now though, it seemed that there had been a point to all that studying after all.

If not for his father’s discipline back then, would he have managed to thrive on Divine Abyss to nearly the same degree?

His scholarship had done precious little for him in his other past, but it was the primary reason he had been able to come so far in this life.

The sight of the ferule profoundly touched him.

Though there were no explanatory words inscribed upon it, the mystery was all but laid bare. It was indeed his father’s decree that had brought him to Divine Abyss Continent.

Why would this apparently useless tool be here otherwise? Why would it have been in his consciousness?

Jiang Chen firmly believed that his father’s hand was firmly involved in all this. The old instrument couldn’t tell him anything specific, but it did serve to strengthen his resolution and judgment.

He grabbed the ferule and caressed its surface. It had disciplined him many a time in his previous life, but was now nearly his dearest treasure. He couldn’t bear to let go of it.

Holding the ruler brought to mind his father’s looks, voice, and smile.

Reminiscent nostalgia filled Jiang Chen’s heart.

“I finally understand your good intentions, father. Maybe you divined the catastrophe in the heavenly planes long ago and planned my fate around it. Did you build me up back then so I might change my fate now?”

Murmuring, Jiang Chen scanned the ferule with his consciousness over and over.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up in wonder. The gold around the ferule faded away to reveal intricate formation lines.

“Measure of Heaven!”

Jiang Chen saw three ancient words upon the ferule, carved with incredible artifice. Various exquisite formations surrounded them, boasting to the world of their carrier’s extraordinary nature.

This…

This ruler was actually a weapon? A treasure?

Jiang Chen stared at the Measure of Heaven with disbelief. His father hadn’t left any message in it with his consciousness, but two lines were carved among the byzantine letters of power.

“As remote heaven and earth may extent span,

So too, life and death in samara for man.”

Twenty two sparse, meaningful syllables.