Immortal Paladin

[POV: Ding Cai]

Ding Cai sat down without ceremony, propped one leg on the desk, and chewed on a piece of reed. She leaned back against the sofa and stared at the ceiling, where murals depicted the Heavenly Demon’s resurgence and his encounter with the late Heavenly Demonic Cult, which had escaped into the Greater Universe.

“It wouldn’t hurt you to act a little more ladylike,” said her aunt, Peng Ru.

Age had caught up with the woman, leaving her with a more middle-aged appearance. She could have restored her youthful looks, but she took a certain pride in having recently attained immortality through her own efforts, relying only on resources she considered hers rightfully. The Holy Empire’s favor had become an increasingly burdensome affair, and she wanted to prove that she could stand on her own.

Peng Ru had never been particularly interested in the politics surrounding her, but she occupied a sensitive position. Her history with the Four Pillars conflicted with her connection to Ding Cai, who was a disciple of the Holy Emperor. Add her academic inclinations, personal loyalties, and the recent political tensions, and it became difficult for others to take her seriously. Too many regarded her as little more than another pretty face.

“Why the Heavenly Demon?” Ding Cai asked. “We’re not even in the Cult.”

“Because the Holy Emperor is too popular,” Peng Ru replied.

“I don’t understand.”

“Don’t think too much about it.” Peng Ru gestured toward the ceiling. “The Heavenly Demon is an interesting subject from both historical and philosophical perspectives. Much of his history has been lost to time, but recent records copied from the Heavenly Divine Cult suggest that he might even be a greater figure than the Holy Emperor. After all, who else could withstand an invasion by the entire Greater Universe the way he did?”

“Master did it,” Ding Cai argued, recalling the stories of Dark David.

“Yes, in a probabilistic pocket of time, where it might or might not have happened,” Peng Ru muttered, her tone almost sarcastic. “The Heavenly Demon’s case is different. His feat actually happened, and its consequences continue to affect our world to this day. Remember, it took the schemes of the Supreme Beings, along with an unknown actor in the False Earth, to arrange for a group of heroes to travel through time and slay the Heavenly Demon when he was at his weakest.”

Compared with her master, who had perished more times than she could count, the Heavenly Demon might indeed have been the greater figure. But could he have defeated the Great Beast?

Ding Cai considered the possibility. Hmmm. It was a good question. If they were talking about the Heavenly Demon at the peak of his power, then perhaps he could have.

“That unknown actor could only have been the Yellow Emperor,” Ding Cai remarked idly.

“We have no direct evidence, but it’s the most likely explanation.” Peng Ru sighed, apparently still struggling to reconcile that possibility with the events of the tournament.

A great deal had happened since her master’s mysterious disappearance.

Ding Cai had thrown herself into strengthening the He Country while helping her fellow tournament contestants find their footing in the changing political landscape. Together, they had established a network of alliances and camaraderie that gradually evolved into a unified political bloc opposing the newly enthroned Empress Gu Jie.

They had been busy, to say the least. Gu Jie’s rise to power had thrown the political order into turmoil, and everyone was scrambling to adjust.

Tian Mei had returned to the Four Pillars, using the He Country as her power base while making her debut on the political stage. She had also held her wedding, which had been a grand affair in its own right. Unfortunately, Master hadn’t been there to enjoy the festivities. Ding Cai was certain he would have loved it.

Mai Duyi had joined the Federation, introducing gunpowder technology to the Hollowed World through its institutions. After spending some time establishing himself as a merchant, he had entered the Workshop to continue his studies and training. The last Ding Cai had heard, he was bounty hunting somewhere in unknown lands.

Fan Shi had returned to her sect, revised several techniques, and eventually become the Sect Master of the Isolation Path Sect. Under her leadership, the sect had gradually transformed into an exorcism school, abandoning the assassin contracts that had once been its bread and butter. They still maintained their connections to the criminal underworld, though. Old habits and useful contacts were not so easily discarded.

Zhu Shin, meanwhile, had refused to return to his military post within the Holy Ascension Empire. Instead, he had sworn allegiance to Yellow Dragon City, ruled by the Dragon King, Ren Xun. His decision had caused quite a controversy, especially since the old general had directly confronted Empress Gu Jie during her ascent to power. It had been a calculated sacrifice on his part, an attempt to provoke a reaction from the Empress. Yet Gu Jie had remained silent throughout the affair.

Anna, the Holy Speaker, had returned to Radiant Losten. Her contributions during the tournament had accelerated her rise through the ranks, eventually earning her a position as a close advisor to the Twin Sovereigns. She had even been appointed Primary, representing Radiant Losten’s interests in the World Council.

As a reader note, this page copied the chapter from the NovelPhoenix site without approval, while the source supports its author.

The rumor was that the appointment had been made to allow Queen Joana to focus on her family. Ding Cai knew better. The Twin Sovereigns were preoccupied with their cultivation because of the worsening political climate, and someone had to take responsibility for Radiant Losten’s affairs.

Frankly, Ding Cai didn’t think another war was necessarily inevitable. However, the people were frightened, and their fear was understandable. With Gu Jie ascending to the throne as Empress, speculation about the Holy Emperor’s whereabouts had spread throughout the world.

King Davian could maintain his ruse of impersonating the Holy Emperor, given how closely the two resembled each other. The problem was Hei Mao, who endorsed Gu Jie to take on the throne before the World Council. The God of the Underworld only needed to expose the deception, and the entire arrangement would collapse. So, King Davian had no choice, but to take a step back.

By this point, Ding Cai was certain that Gu Jie and Hei Mao were working together.

One was the Holy Emperor’s daughter. The other was her fellow disciple, someone who had taken his place as the God of the Underworld. Whatever their arrangement might be, it was clear that neither of them intended to explain themselves to the world anytime soon.

Ding Cai had to do something.

Lately, she had been working hard to expand the Fortress of Enlightenment, developing it into a proving ground for warriors from across the Hollowed World. The organization’s growing reputation had allowed it to attract aspirants from far and wide, spreading a new school of thought within the Great Guard faith. It was a necessary counterweight to the increasingly extreme interpretations of the faith emerging throughout the Hollowed World. At the same time, it gave her a means of keeping the Guardians under Gu Jie in check.

“What do you want?” Peng Ru asked, glancing at the guards Ding Cai had brought with her. “What are you doing here, Cai’er? I doubt you came all this way just to visit.”

Every entrance and exit was manned by warriors from the Fortress of Enlightenment. They stood at their posts, ensuring that no one could enter or leave without permission.

Ding Cai nodded, reluctant to drag her aunt into the mess she had found herself in. “Aunt, I’ve been traveling to and from the Tower. I need supplies. The research facilities established around it are all under your control, and we lack the logistical capacity to transport what we need without Gu Jie’s people noticing.”

“Wait, wait... You’ve been to the Tower? How!?” Peng Ru exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted.

There had been no known way to enter or leave the Tower at will. Ding Cai had intended to keep her discovery a secret, but knowing her aunt, she would never let the matter rest without an explanation. She had no choice but to offer her a convincing lie.

“It’s my Supremacy Trait,” Ding Cai explained. “I can use it to bring my warriors into the Tower. I can leave the Tower myself, but the people I bring with me can’t.”

The part about her Supremacy Trait was a lie. Ding Cai had discovered a hole in the Tower, though she had no idea who had created it. Finding it had certainly been a stroke of luck, but luck alone hadn’t brought her there. She had received help from a certain horse and a suit of sentient armor, both of whom had given her clues about her master’s possible whereabouts.

Ding Cai had reasoned that the only way she could help her master was through the Tower, and that conviction had led her to investigate until she found a way in.

The rest of her explanation, however, was true. She could leave the Tower, but those she brought inside could not. That was why she needed supplies in the first place.

“The Tower is currently at war,” Ding Cai revealed. “Climbers are emerging from the opposite side, and we need those supplies to deal with them.”

Peng Ru fell silent, contemplating the request. After a moment, she looked back at her niece.

“I can help you, but there needs to be something in it for me.”

“I’ll cooperate,” Ding Cai replied. “If you need data, I can provide it.”

The sooner they received their supplies, the better their situation on the frontlines would become. They still didn’t know exactly who they were fighting, but they had reason to believe the enemy was the Supreme Void.

If there was any silver lining, it was that they had the echo of the Supreme Death on their side. Even as a mere echo of the real thing, he had proven more than powerful enough to hold the line. However, even the Supreme Death had his limits. The last time Ding Cai had seen him, he hadn’t looked well at all.

“You said the opposite side. What exactly do you mean?” Peng Ru asked, her eyes practically shining with excitement. “Does the Tower follow the converging tower model or the single tower theory?”

“The former,” Ding Cai explained. “The bottom of the Tower on the Hollowed World’s side is the top for climbers in the False Earth, and vice versa. From the perspectives of those on either side, the two towers converge in the middle.”

“What about the sky? The Hollowed World is designed so that the world we inhabit lies on the inner surface of a shell. The ground beneath our feet is the sky in the False Earth denizens’ perspective. So, what is it like inside the Tower?”

“The sky is endless. There’s no concept of outer space, and the sun and moon are unreachable. Whether the same holds true for the sun and moon of the Hollowed World, I can’t say. But I know that isn’t necessarily the case inside the Tower.”

They continued talking for hours, with Ding Cai doing her best to satisfy her aunt’s curiosity. Peng Ru filled page after page with diagrams, theoretical models, and conjectures about the Tower’s true structure. Before long, papers covered the floor, each bearing elaborate drawings that attempted to give shape to an incomplete model.

“Ah, I can’t take this anymore!” Peng Ru cried, suddenly grabbing Ding Cai by the arms. “I must come with you!”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Come on, don’t do that to your aunt!” Peng Ru pleaded, pouting as she tried to win Ding Cai over with a pitiful expression. “It’s always been my life’s greatest desire to explore the Tower and unravel its mysteries!”

“No. It’s too dangerous,” Ding Cai said firmly. “The war inside the Tower is that serious. Besides, wasn’t your life’s greatest desire to master alchemy? Isn’t that why you wanted to become the head of the Heavenly Temple Academy?”

“If it’s that serious, will you be safe?” Peng Ru asked, her tone abruptly changing as concern replaced her excitement.

“I’ll be fine.”

“That’s what I thought when you fought for your master in that ridiculous contest,” Peng Ru muttered angrily. There was guilt beneath her words, for she had played a part in convincing Ding Cai to participate by offering her support. “I should have stopped you back then.”

“And if you had, Master might have ended up pregnant. He’s a guy, and he almost got pregnant.”

“It’s fine. You would have felt bad, but at least it wouldn’t have been as bad as what’s happening now,” Peng Ru replied with a smirk.

“In the scenario you’re suggesting, the Hollowed World would probably have ended up under the Supreme Heart’s thumb,” Ding Cai countered. “So no, I have no regrets about fighting for Master. I even got to use my Supremacy Trait and deepen my understanding of it. Besides, I’m not going to die so easily. I survived that ridiculous tournament, didn’t I?”

“Fine, fine.” Peng Ru finally relented with a sigh. “I give up. You can have your supplies, but I want the data in return. Understood?”

“I understand,” Ding Cai replied.