Unsealing Emptiness

Chapter 476: Disappointment.

In the Realm of Abezan, the dawn of war appeared in the form of Jidu, one of the Heavenly Virtues.

As he closed the spatial gate through which he had entered, he immediately hid his intense aura to not alert the Celestial Phoenix of his presence.

"Huh? It’s only been a decade and that brat has already made progress in the Empyrean Realm?"

Jidu made a thoughtful face as he looked in the direction of Phoenix City.

He was immediately notified of the birth of the new Empyrean and also the fact that he had clipped her wings before.

’She will certainly resist, hmm...’ He thought, before moving in the direction of the Immortal Sect, ’No matter. She will have to submit one way or another.’

Even though it had been a long time, he still remembered why he had destroyed her cultivation.

It was when he was looking to research the Celestial Beasts that he decided to start with the Beastkin of lofty heritage like Dragons and Phoenixes.

From his contact with the Immortal Sect, he was immediately informed of such an existence, who was a Sage at that time.

When he met her, he knew that she would contribute greatly to his musings. After all, she was a Wild Beastkin who had transformed originally from a pure Dragon.

Only Beasts of such lineage would give him any insights into the Celestial Beasts.

He wasn’t going to dissect her body or anything, but still, the woman refused to follow him. His wounded pride didn’t allow him to return empty-handed as he destroyed her Mind’s Eye while letting her keep her meager life.

Only he never imagined that the same Beastkin would rise again to become an Empyrean instead.

. . .

In Ember’s estate, the days continued with everyone cultivating except for Ozul.

Ember occasionally came to Ozul to have a conversation with him as he and Rai were the only two people who she could converse with normally.

Although annoying at first, Ozul occasionally got used to her presence.

"Whose side will you choose?"

Ozul looked at her, knowing she was confused, "Whichever you decide." He wasn’t too keen on dwelling on this either.

As he understood it, the war wouldn’t be one-sided. As they were unrelated to both factions involved, he didn’t care as long as they won.

Ember, on the other hand, was stunned. Her widened eyes stared back at Ozul, "And what if I chose wrong?"

He understood at once that she was worried for their safety. Not only them but all the people who followed her.

In this dog-eat-dog world, she was one of the few who still cared about the trivial lives of those below her.

’Getting her cultivation sealed helped, huh...’ He thought, observing her emotions carefully.

"It doesn’t matter if you chose wrong," He answered her, carefree. As if it wouldn’t affect him in any way.

Ember mistook his indifference as a sign of faith in her abilities instead. She quickly asked,

"You trust me that much, huh... But what if that gets you and everyone killed?"

"Hmm..." Ozul tilted his head, "I think you are misunderstanding something."

"I do not know if you will choose right or wrong. And about it getting us killed... I will simply leave if I see that you are heading toward a certain death. Why will I follow you?"

He eyed her as if she was an idiot for even thinking that they would follow her in death.

Ember’s smile broke as her eyes twitched in annoyance. It was her fault. She shouldn’t have expected something like that from him in the first place.

It was sudden when two Sages appeared near Phoenix City, not going any further in fear of angering the Celestial Phoenix with their sudden intrusion.

Ember recognized the Spiritual Essence of one of them. He was Ying, her friend from the Wilderness. The other person she didn’t recognize, but she knew was a human instead.

She, Rai, and Ozul seemed to teleport from the estate and appeared in front of them in a matter of a few seconds.

"Fancy seeing you again," Ember commented before throwing a glance at the other person beside him. At once, a cold glint flashed past her eyes as she narrowed her eyes at Ying.

The person beside him was an elder from the Immortal Sect.

Ying and the elder cupped their hands, bowing slightly, "The Empyreans are summoned for an emergency meeting."

Rai and Ozul exchanged glances. Something big had happened for the elders of the two opposing factions to come together for the invitation.

"And who has the authority to summon the Empyreans?"

Ying and the Elder of the Sect both looked a little panicked at her question.

Evading his eyes, Ying answered, "I am not sure..."

Ozul didn’t hesitate to state, "He’s lying. Both of them know."

Both the Elders looked alarmed as they only now noticed the presence of Rai and Ozul. In front of an Empyrean, one simply couldn’t afford to look anywhere else.

With a cold glint in her eyes, Ember spoke, "You were better than this, my old friend."

Ying looked ashamed. Having been caught lying, he was so embarrassed that he even forgot to deny the claim.

"So it is him." Ember looked past the two Sages in front of her.

She couldn’t sense his presence in this Realm, but the shame in Ying’s eyes and the fact that this person had the authority to summon the Empyreans was enough for her to make an educated guess.

There was once again disappointment in Ember’s tone as she instructed Ying to leave, but not before telling them that she would arrive there shortly.

Turning around, they went back to the Estate.

"I want to go with you."

Ember refused, "You have to stay here and protect the estate." Rai was the only Sage she had after all.

If she brought anyone else with her, they would only be a hindrance.

Although Ozul was curious about this Heavenly Virtue named Jidu, he didn’t insist on going with her.

"What if it is a trap?"

It was Raven who had spoken up this time.

She shook her head, "He doesn’t wish to reveal his presence. Although I am not sure from whom he is hiding, he shouldn’t make a ruckus at the very least."

As for the Sect Leader of the Immortal Sect, although she couldn’t guarantee her victory against him, he wouldn’t be able to stop her if she wished to retreat.

Meanwhile, Ozul was thinking just who the Heavenly Virtue Jidu could be hiding his aura from.

’Is it Old Gu or the Celestial Phoenix?’ Those were the only two names that came to his mind.

. . .

Atop the same mountain peaks that they had met previously, Ember arrived to see 3 men conversing.

She recognized all three of them.

Kai and Hakuja, and lastly the face she could not forget even if she wanted to. There stood the man who had made her suffer all those years.

She could sense his suppressed aura and it only made her more annoyed, ’I can’t do anything to him even now...’

The first thing that she noticed as she arrived at the peak was the familiar shade of shame on Hakuja’s face.

She knew at that moment that they had really betrayed her faith again.

’So that’s how it is going to be, huh...’ She thought, taking a deep breath to calm her emotions as she met the prideful eyes of the Virtue of humility.

"You kept us waiting," he started, his hands folded behind his back as he circled the table.

Ember didn’t reply to his comment. Folding her hands instead, she asked,

"What’s the reason for this meeting?"

"Take a seat, it could be a long conversation," Hakuja coughed, gesturing toward the wooden chair around the table.

Ember turned to glare at him, "I am not here to laugh with you geezers. Just get to the point."

"You might not know, but the Realms are on the brink of a great war." Kai, the Sect Leader of the Immortal Sect spoke with a condescending tone.

Unfortunately for him, Ember didn’t show any reaction.

"So what?"

"You knew as well?" Hakuja spoke out in surprise.

Ember only glanced at them, shrugging her shoulders. Because of the Celestial Phoenix, she was aware of this a decade ago.

"It seems these guys underestimated you," Jidu spoke, stroking his beard.

"Didn’t you as well?"

Jidu didn’t mind her words, and continued, "Since you are already informed, it makes things easier.

Join me and the cause of the Son of God."

Ember squinted her eyes. With this, she at least confirmed that Jidu was supporting the Son of God instead of the Demonic Emperor as she had expected.

"What then? If I join you, what will I have to do?"

She tried her best not to let her hatred for him show up on her face.

Jidu grinned, "If you join hands with me, there won’t be much for this Realm to do except for protecting itself."

Ember realized that Hakuja and Kai had already made their decision. And so if she also chose to go to their side, the Realm of Abezan would only have external threats from the Demonic Emperor.

The next words uttered by Jidu made her realize what he was really after,

"After we convince or slay that Phoenix of course..."

The anger in her tone was palpable as she spat, "And what can you do if I don’t agree?"

"Hahaha..."

Jidu laughed, and a mocking expression appeared on his face as he looked down at her.

"Have you forgotten what happened before? What makes you think the outcome would be any different if you rejected me now?"

He spoke as if her becoming an Empyrean did not change anything.