339 Cooked

The hum of the great vessel was constant, a deep, steady rhythm that thrummed through the steel bones of its hull. From the wide viewing deck, I could see the pale horizon of Riverfall stretched far beneath us. It was a canvas of silver rivers cutting across the continent's jade expanse. It would've been beautiful, if not for the war in our midst.

Around the circular table sat my most trusted from Nongmin, Ren Xun, Alice, Da Ji, Gu Jie, Lu Gao, Ren Jingyi, Hei Mao, Yuen Fu, and even Ru Qiu, who just wouldn't leave my daughter's side. The air was heavy with tension, with unspoken knowledge that the invitation we'd received was no peace offering.

Nongmin broke the silence first, voice low and measured. "This is a trap."

He didn't need to say more. Everyone here had already come to the same conclusion.

"We are aware of that," I replied, leaning back in my seat. "So, suggestions, anyone?"

All eyes turned toward Gu Jie.

Her eyes gleamed faintly with the Destiny-Seeking Eyes, the power that not even the Heavenly Temple suspected existed. To them, Nongmin's legendary Heavenly Eye had been lost ages ago, its secrets gone with his flesh. It was better that way. They would never suspect that my daughter had inherited something greater.

Gu Jie smiled faintly. "I am glad to know that my opinions are highly valued." Her voice was soft, yet carried an undercurrent of confidence. "This is what I know. The enemy has prepared something that even my eyes cannot fully pierce. Whatever shrouds their plan is thick, deliberate… likely an ancient method meant to obscure fate itself."

Ren Jingyi shifted uneasily beside her. "Then we don't know what we're walking into."

Gu Jie's eyes flicked to her, then back to me. "Not entirely. I caught glimpses… fragments, really. It's beyond their means to truly shut down my sight. If I had more experience, I would probably be able to see more. What I can see is this: the meeting is meant for you, Father. They plan to draw you out. Using some method, they'll attempt to restrain you, and when you're bound… they'll attack."

Da Ji crossed her arms as she frowned. "They'll need more than their pitiful tricks for that."

Alice gave a quiet chuckle. "Still, I wouldn't underestimate desperation. Cornered beasts bite hardest."

Gu Jie inclined her head slightly. "Indeed. However…" Her expression softened. "In the visions that did pierce the fog, I saw you standing amidst chaos, but still unbroken. You fought back. You won, even if the price was steep. To tip the odds further, I suggest you bring both Aunt Da Ji and Lady Alice."

Da Ji's ears twitched sharply. "Aunt?" she hissed, pouting. "Who's the old fox here? You're not getting away with that title, little oracle."

Gu Jie merely smiled, unbothered. "Then consider it a term of respect, Aunt Da Ji."

Nongmin exhaled deeply, breaking through the brief tension. "It doesn't change the fact that it's still a trap," he said, rubbing his temple. "They wouldn't dare invite Da Wei himself without a plan that could at least 'wound' him. Whatever they're using, be it formation, divine weapon, or Heavenly Temple trickery… we must assume it's beyond anything they've shown before."

Ren Xun leaned forward, arms crossed. "So what do we do? Ignore it?"

"No," Nongmin answered before I could. His eyes were narrow, focused. "We attend. But we attend prepared. The Temple has moved too openly for this to be a simple snare. They'll try something…."

He looked at me then, his tone grave. "You've faced them before, Da Wei. What do you think?"

Yuen Fu offered. "Lord Wei, wouldn't it be wiser to wait for the starless night under the dark moon for your coronation? You said yourself the crown possesses immense power."

The crown, the Hollow Star, had been on my mind like a toothache. I wanted it and feared it in equal measure. To crown myself under the dark moon would be to seize power cleanly, away from the eyes of Heaven. The logic of it appealed to me. But a part of me recoiled. There was something in the crown's voice that whispered back, and I could not tell if it was hunger or judgment. I kept that thought to myself.

Nongmin cautioned. "Historical texts show that anyone unworthy who wears the crown gets devoured by it. We can't take chances, since even the Destiny-Seeking Eyes can fail."

Gu Jie lowered her gaze and spoke with a rueful tilt. "Father, this daughter apologizes for her incompetency—"

"You need not dramatize," I told her. "You will grow into your power. None of us was born knowing everything."

I turned my head toward Yuen Fu. "Disciple, the crown will be our last resort," I said slowly, letting the words settle. "It is bait. We already have what we sought: a meeting that draws their commanders together. If we can conclude this now, the war ends faster. If not, we wait for the starless night and then move."

"Maybe we're overthinking it," suggested Lu Gao. "It doesn't mean, because everything is going so smoothly doesn't necessarily mean it has to go wrong at some point…"

It was tempting to say we were at an overwhelming advantage. We have dragons, immortals, resources, and seasoned strategists. We had the edge in many ways. I felt it in my bones: we were not lacking in force.

Ren Xun straightened, the Dragon King's presence filling the deck as he voiced his desire. "If we meet them, I want it known I will be present. As ruler of Riverfall, I have that right."

Ren Jingyi sneered, "But you're weak as shit."

Hei Mao hissed, "Quiet down, will you?"

Ren Xun leaned forward, his tone steady despite her jab. "I have a plan. I won't die so easily."

I smiled, amused by his conviction. "Yeah, I like the spirit. Fuck powerscaling, right? So, Nongmin, what do you think?"

Nongmin swept the room with the tired gravity of a man who had seen the world bend and break and still had accounts to settle. "He decides. I will counsel, but his will is his."

There was a lingering pause after that. However, I was still unsatisfied. I valued fairness and tried to be its agent when I could. In other words, I wanted consensus and clarity. So I proposed a simple thing, a vote.

"Let's do a vote," I said plainly. "Should I meet their commanders or not?"

"Do I get a vote, too?" Ren Jingyi piped.

"Of course you do." I grinned and raised my own hand. "Raise your hands if you are in favor of me meeting the enemy commanders."

Hands went up from Nongmin's deliberate palm, Ren Xun's clenched fist, Alice's graceful raise, Da Ji's flick of fingers, Gu Jie's cautious nod, and even Ren Jingyi's impulsive wave. Only Ru Qiu stayed still, eyes on his scrolls, as if the whole thing bored him… and honestly, I respected that.

I laughed then, a short sound that felt like warming steel. "I love the confidence you guys put in me."

"I'm here too, you know?" said Ren Xun, half a challenge, half assurance. His tone made me turn and meet his eye. "I'm not going anywhere."

I stood up. I could almost hear the distant thunder of armies below us, waiting for the word to move. I rolled my shoulders, feeling the weight of decision settle like a mantle over my frame.

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"Ren Xun," I said, my voice steady, "suit up. We're gonna give them a talking."

The words were simple, but they pulled a rush of energy from within me. Quintessence flared to life, wrapping around me like a second skin. I reached into my pocket dimension and drew out the Wandering Adjudicator Replica. It was forged from memory and legacy, modeled after the first armor I'd ever bound to my oath. Not quite the original, but close enough that my Paladin Legacy accepted it without protest.

The armor clicked into place, plates interlocking with that distinct, weightless resonance that only the divine metals produced. It was rustic gold and blue with hints of emerald light tracing along its seams, and though I knew it wasn't truly alive, the armor seemed to breathe with me. It pulsed once, resonating with the quiet oath that burned in my soul… "To walk is to seek. To seek is to understand. To understand is to judge with fairness."

It was strange, feeling my 'class' stir like a living thing. Stranger still, that I found comfort in it. Maybe I'd gotten too used to these divine quirks of the Paladin Legacy. Maybe that's what it meant to be bound to something greater, that the divine within you learned to recognize your will.

Gu Jie noticed first, of course. Her eyes, always sharp, lingered on the armor's form. "Your armor's new, Father," she said, curiosity softening her tone.

Nongmin folded his arms, chin lifted. "If I still had my Heavenly Eye," he said with an entirely too-proud smirk, "I probably would've done better."

Before I could answer, Ren Jingyi's voice cut through the moment. "It's not flashy enough."

That earned her an offended look from Nongmin. Hei Mao hissed at her for the second time, "You should be more respectful of your elders, you darn goldfish."

Ren Jingyi grinned. "I respect results, not wrinkles."

I couldn't help but laugh, even now, their bickering brought a strange comfort. The chaos felt like home.

Gu Jie pressed her palms together and added, "Actually, Father, I've been designing armor for you myself. But it's going to require rather monstrous materials… things that are not exactly found on this continent and more that I fear you won't be able to let go easily."

I tilted my head, genuinely intrigued. "Oh? Then I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure whatever you create will be terrifyingly overengineered."

Gu Jie smiled faintly at the compliment, though her eyes carried the same faint concern they always did when I prepared for battle.

I turned back toward Ren Xun, who had already begun his own transformation. Golden tattoos flared across his skin, dragon sigils that pulsed with ancient authority. His armor materialized around him with living scales of radiant gold that shimmered like sunlight caught in motion. The air around him rippled with the heat of a draconic aura, heavy and regal.

Ren Jingyi whistled. "Now that's flashy."

Ren Xun smirked beneath the helm forming over his head. "I aim to please."

Before I could say anything else, Alice spoke, her tone final and utterly composed. "I'm coming with you," she said, eyes glowing faintly red. "And it's non-negotiable."

Before I could protest, she stepped forward and her body melted into a living shadow, dark and fluid. In a blink, she merged with mine, her presence slipping into my shade like a whispered promise. I felt her consciousness settle there, coiled and alert.

Da Ji stretched lazily, her tails swaying in amusement. "Well, you heard your lady, brother. The same goes for me."

Her form shimmered and collapsed into that of a fox with silver fur and sharp eyes gleaming with mischief, before she leaped up and vanished into the crevice of my armor. I could feel her qi curling inside, faint and warm against my chest. Shapeshifting was an art I could never truly grasp, and every time she did it, I felt a small spark of admiration.

"Then it's settled," I said, turning to the rest. "Gu Jie… take care of the others. Coordinate with Nongmin. If anything happens, you'll know what to do."

She bowed slightly, eyes steady. "Yes, Father. May fate favor your steps."

I stepped toward the vessel's open deck, feeling the wind bite with the cold breath of destiny. My armor gleamed against the sun as I summoned my movement technique, Zealot's Stride. Qi flared beneath my feet, and the air warped around me.

Ren Xun followed, golden light rippling with each step as he unleashed his own draconic movement art.

We landed on the threshold between Evernight and Riverfall, the sands and the soil, dark and golden, meeting in a jagged scar that marked centuries of blood and ambition. I took a step forward, letting my aura unfurl like a tidal wave of divinity. My voice rang out, amplified by Lion's Roar, each word carrying quintessence that shook the dunes and cracked the glass plains of Evernight.

"I am Da Wei, the Immortal Paladin who shattered the heavens and broke the chains of fate! I have come to grant you this mercy… one chance to speak before judgment is cast! Bring forth your commander and a second, and let your cowardly tongues move beneath my sky!"

The echo of my words struck like thunder, rolling endlessly across the sands. The very air trembled with the aftershock.

To make the point clear, I raised my hand and invoked Judgment Severance. A golden cross ignited in the sky, swallowing all light. Supernatural forces buckled before it; even the flow of qi itself bent, distorted, and fell silent.

A little wasteful, sure… but intimidation was a language even fools understood.

Then, from the fog ahead, Jia Sen emerged, walking as though he owned the world, mist swirling around him in reverent patterns. Not long after, Bai Rong erupted from the ground, twisting upward like a blooming tree, roots retracting beneath his pale feet. It was strange… I didn't remember him having that kind of grotesque power.

Jia Sen smiled faintly. "Da Wei… even now, your arrogance remains divine. Tell me, does your power make you forget humility, or were you simply born without it?"

Bai Rong added, his voice like a knife scraping bark. "The self-proclaimed immortal, preaching mercy while standing atop corpses. How poetic. But Paladin, really? What even is a Paladin?"

Ren Xun's eyes burned gold as he stepped forward. "Enough talk. Where is my wife, Jia Sen?"

Jia Sen's smirk widened. "Your wife? You mean the woman foolish enough to defy heaven's will? Pray she found peace in her insignificance. Know your place, dragon child."

I chuckled, the sound low and heavy. "Know your place? You dare speak of hierarchy to me? The heavens themselves bow to my judgment. You—" I pointed my finger toward them, "—are merely stains waiting to be cleansed."

Bai Rong spat with mixed fury and disdain. "You talk to much… Just do it…"

"Yeah? Says the kettle."

I summoned Silver Steel, and the air itself trembled. Rage poured out of me like divine thunder, my spiritual pressure shaking the earth, a force only Jia Sen could match in that moment

Okay, what the fuck?

The old bastard was already at [Level 26] Ascended Soul, while I was just [Level 1]. On paper, he should've crushed me like a bug. But I wasn't just "on paper." I had Six Souls, a bizarre constitution, and an attitude that refused to kneel.

I wasn't going to cower.

"Heavenly Punishment," I intoned, and cast the Ultimate Skill three times.

Three mote-sized Manasouls twined around me. I felt them like coins sliding into a hungry slot: I had 460 Manasouls in reserve, and I bled three of them in an instant to birth an Ultimate Skill. The motes flared faint blue, then tore themselves inside-out into golden brilliance. Three enormous blades of light coalesced above the sands and fell with judgment.

The swords struck at Jia Sen.

"DA WEI, YOU DARE?!" he screamed, voice ripped with quintessence. "World Devouring Maw!"

The ground answered his shout. A gargantuan maw opened in the air with teeth of shadow, throat of void, while a tail erupted from his back like a sinuous eclipse. That tail itself was a mouth lined with fangs; it lunged and swallowed my three Heavenly Punishments as if eating the sun. The golden swords vanished into the devouring dark.

With Divine Sense, I read Jia Sen's resource pool.

Jia Sen's quintessence dipped. Not vanished, but it thinned. Quintessence was the lifeblood of ultimate technique; it wasn't something you burned like firewood unless you had reservoirs and recovery. He could draw from twenty-six layers of immortality and regenerate, but not at the breakneck pace I had when I overloaded myself with mana and qi. Not to mention, a fuckton of Manasouls. If I pressed, I could force him to bleed reserves he might not recover in time.

He had an Immortal Art. Now, that, I have to be cautious of.

Ren Xun laughed, a low rolling sound, and gestured. The Dragon God manifested beside him, massive and gleaming, half-embrace around its summoner. "I can handle myself, Senior," Ren Xun said, grin like a blade. He moved like a river, confident, predatory… and Bai Rong snapped his own movement technique, slinking toward Ren Xun from the flank.

Jia Sen fled upward in a cloud of mist, hands weaving seals. "With the blessing of the moon, the treasure bestowed upon me, and the spell to imprison all life, I declare to you… exile!"

Formation arrays erupted all around. Runes crawled across the sky, sigils burned into the sand, and the world sang of binding. I smiled because I recognized their function in a single breath with my Divine Sense.

"Is that the best you can do, Jia Sen? An Exile spell?" I called out, voice light with contempt. "Really. How quaint."

He threw everything he had into it: the moon's blessing, the Temple's whispering rites, the maw he'd called on fate itself. The matrices flared and clicked like gears in a clock. The sand shivered. The air thickened and pulled at my limbs.

Then the world folded.

We were ripped free of the plains and spat into a new gravity. The sun vanished. Stars swam. The sky trembled and, for a heartbeat, I felt the soft, cold bite of an exile not as metaphor but as place.

When the world settled, the moon hung enormous and obscene above us. It was not the pale pinprick it had been but a burnished, close thing that filled most of the sky. The surface beneath our feet was a gray sheen of powder and glass. The formation had done what it promised: it exiled us. It branded the battlefield and moved it to the moon.

I laughed. It burst out of me raw and clean, a sound that startled even my own companions.

"Jia Sen," I called up to the drifting mist, my voice trophy-thin in that thin air, "you fucking idiot! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

I laughed until my sides hurt, because where most would see imprisonment and doom, I saw opportunity. The moon was a battlefield all its own with low gravity, strange equilibrium, and no convenient pools of quintessence for an old Ascended Soul to hide in and draw power. For a man with Six Souls and a Paladin Legacy war-forged to survive on quirks and improvisation… the moon was a playground.

"You just gave me the best battlefield I could ask for," I said loudly, letting the cold bite my teeth. My laugh echoed off crater rims and back to us like a bell. I still had Alice folded into my shadow and Da Ji tucked inside my breastplate. "I am sorry, pfft… Ha ha ha ha ha… I guess luck is on my side, after so long, huh?"

In a more crass language, I have to say… Bro, you're cooked…

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