Chapter 5: Chapter 5 - Through Time.
"Sigh, coming up with a plan to lure people here is tough. I would like to avoid involving innocent folks, but if it comes down to it, I might have to do so. Hopefully, after I impart some knowledge about cultivation to Wei Yu, she can help me draw in some bandits or brigands. At least using them to regain my body's functions wouldn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. Tch, this would be so much easier if I wasn't stuck in this immobile body..."
Xue Tian, in his soul form just existed as a small light within his body. He couldn't move, smell, taste, feel, touch, or hear as he was now. The only reason he gained the ability to speak with others mentally was that he had taken the life, knowledge, experiences, and soul from his mother at birth.
The life that flowed through his body at this moment all came from her.
"I'll have to give her a proper burial when the time comes. A curse of nothing huh...what a tragic start to this life."
While he felt guilty about the entire situation, he knew in his heart that if he had to redo it, he would take the same path he did now.
His survival was paramount.
"Anyway, I'll deal with that when the time comes, now I need to figure out my soul distribution so far. The first was my mother, then Wei Yu, then...from what I could feel, the third is a man. Using the process of elimination among all likely suspects, the most obvious culprit would have to be my father. Sigh, another death waiting to happen. I wonder, what happened to him? Why wasn't he the first one that I spoke to? Only Wei Yu was there and from the condition of her soul, she was in dire straits. How did this happen?"
Being this isolated from the world and the information within it was not a position Xue Tian was fond of. But, it made no sense to think about that aspect at this time as Wei Yu was his solution.
"Lastly, those wolves. Their souls were so weak that I could merge mine with theirs almost immediately. But I wonder, when I finally retrieve them...what would the effect be on my body? Hm...I guess I'll just have to wait."
With that thought, time passed by quickly as Xue Tian plotted and schemed in his shackle of a body.
Many years had passed by but he had yet to gain any of his senses. It was not because his plans had failed or anything of the sort, it was because he had yet to act.
See, Xue Tian had discovered a crucial point in his plans after going through countless rounds of trial and error with his abilities.
The longer a piece of his soul stayed within someone, the more they would nurture and in turn, the more power he would get when he takes it back.
While it caused their lifespan to decrease greatly, as soon as his soul merged with theirs, any spiritual and physical ailment would be healed, no matter how dire it was.
Also, because of how this world and its "Profound Energy" worked, a surge of cultivation followed suit.
It was almost like a deal with a demon. Anyone who touched him would find themselves "gaining something which they lacked."
As their wounds healed, the various aspects of each person became imprinted upon the part of his soul within them and when they died, it was returned to Xue Tian.
Over the years, this has caused many legends and geniuses to rise in Floating Cloud City.
The city itself became a place that was renowned all over Blue Wind Empire for producing heaven-defying geniuses that were seen once every century.
All of this was because of one woman, Wei Yu. She was the one who lured all these 'geniuses' into becoming pawns for Xue Tian's plan.
Sixteen years had passed since Wei Yu started serving under Xue Tian and since then, she had become quite the name in Floating Cloud City. Even the City Lord didn't dare speak her name without the sound of fear within his voice.
In fact, the woman in question was luring another talentless young man into Xue Tian's clutches right at this moment. The duo had moved from the forest to the largest courtyard in the Wei Clan. All achieved by Wei Yu's Quincy power which hadn't even matured yet.
She was known as 'The Woman Of Miracles'.
It was quite the title.
"So young Xiao Che, Elder Xiao Lie, what do you say? You have nothing to lose from this offer."
The now young and slender Wei Yu crossed one leg over the other as she said this, causing her long black hair to flutter slightly along with her white robes. Xiao Che, one of the members of the esteemed Xiao Clan of Floating Cloud City was a young man who was going to be married to one of the many geniuses, Xia Qingyue.
So as a cripple who was unable to cultivate, he felt...inadequate when measured up to his fiancee's talent.
It was a natural feeling for a young man to want to protect the one he cared for.
And these were the feelings Wei Yu were preying upon.
All Xiao Che had to do was agree.
Just as the Xiao Che was about to respond to her question, Elder Xiao Lie cut in and said with a bright smile on his face, "Miss Wei Yu, hehe, before we continue...the patriarch of our Xiao Clan would like to know if you can forgive him for the situation that occurred in the past. He says that his men acted barbarically and he will send them over for you to discipline them if you so desire."
Wei Yu's expression was unmoved by his words but inwardly, she scoffed at his request. How could such a thing be so easily forgiven? The patriarch didn't even come himself to apologize nor did he take responsibility for the situation. He blamed his men.
So his stance was clear.
"Haha, no matter Elder Xiao Lie, that situation is in the past, there's no need to bring that up at this time."
But, she put her personal feelings to the side so that her mission could go on.
'After all, the day His Majesty awakens, is the day Xiao Yunhai and any associated with him will meet their end.'
After hearing Wei Yu's response to the matter, Xiao Lie was beaming with smiles. While he was sure that it wasn't completely resolved, it looked like the other party didn't take the matter too seriously.
"Thank you for being magnanimous, Miss Wei Yu! Xiao Che, hurry and answer the kind lady, you're wasting time!"
Xiao Che glanced at Xiao Lie for a bit and then fell into deep thought. Of course, he had thought this situation out before, but now that he was about to make the decision, he wanted to be sure.
After a few minutes, Xiao Che said enthusiastically, "I will do it! I can't walk with my head high in the future if I stay as useless as I am now."
Xiao Lie nodded in approval while Wei Yu followed suit. They both agreed with Xiao Che's decision, albeit for different reasons.
"Great! Come back tomorrow morning and I'll have everything prepared by then. You can pay the woman outside for the service."
After saying that, Wei Yu quickly saw the duo out of the room where she conducted business and headed back to her bedroom in a hurry.
In the middle of the transaction earlier, she suddenly received a mental message from Xue Tian stating, "It is time."
She hadn't heard from him since he said he was going to 'sleep' 9 years ago. He had said that when he contacted her again, it would be time to "awaken".
Her excitement was palpable as she disappeared into her own shadow and appeared in a large room filled with expensive furniture and exquisite architecture.
The massive bed in the middle of it was made of pure gold and the mattress with the softest cotton. Every single piece of drapery hanging upon the walls was laced with either gold or another exquisite mineral.
All of it was personally requisitioned by Wei Yu herself. To her, it was a room fit for a king.
On the middle of the massive bed laid a young man with pale skin, chest-length black hair, thin eyebrows, and a thin, above the average-looking face. His body was completely still as if he had no life within him.
One would conclude that he was dead if they didn't look carefully.
His eyes were wide open as his red pupils darted all across the room, surveying every possible inch that they could see. It was like they belonged to a child who had just laid eyes upon the wonders of creation.
When Wei Yu arrived next to the bed, she gasped in surprise.
'He has gained skin, hair, and the rest of his external organs. Even his sight works...did he start the plan already?'
Just as she was deliberating this, a voice echoed in her mind.
'Wei Yu...how many years has it been and you still have the habit of speaking inwardly knowing that I can hear you?'
Contrary to the stern exterior she shows to the world, when she spoke to Xue Tian, there was always a smile present on her face.
'Hehe, Your Majesty, forgive me for being rude. I was just a bit confused about your body.'
As usual, Xue Tian laughed as he responded, 'Your Majesty huh? You make me sound like this impressive king that rules many nations but I'm just a young teenager in this life. It makes me feel like you don't look at me as a friend.'
Wei Yu shook her head when she heard this.
'Your Majesty, I know better. I've seen the things you've done for many years now so this title only belongs to you. If you can do all these things while being in that state...what could you achieve when you had finally awoken? That question causes me to look forward to the future with great anticipation. My old heart beats wildly with excitement at the things I'll be able to see as I travel at your side.'
Xue Tian wasn't shocked at her speech at all. Wei Yu was always someone who conformed to the rules and always demands there be a hierarchal structure.
Maybe it was from her life of being a midwife or maybe she was just born like this, who knew? The only thing that could be confirmed was that she refused to change this outlook on life.
'Then I wouldn't disappoint you, my friend. It is time. Although I received a few pieces of my soul back early because their holders died, it didn't affect my plan. Today is the day Xue Tian finally enters this world at the forefront.'
Excitement was overflowing within Wei Yu as she heard this.
'What shall I do, Your Majesty? What do you need? Are the conditions optimal? Maybe I can supply you with some spirit par'
'Heh, no worries, Wei Yu. Just watch.'
Suddenly, Xue Tian opened his mouth for the first time and said in a deep, almost monotone voice, "Return."
It was like a command from the heavens.
All over the Blue Wind Empire, geniuses started dropping like flies. Some were in the middle of cultivation, some were in the middle of social activities while a few were even taking part in tournaments at the moment.
There was no exception for either of them as they turned into skeletons, looking like they had been drained of all life.
It was a dark day for the Blue Wind Empire.
Tears of despair, bouts of confusion, and the flames of anger spread across the entire nation, which even included the four great sects.
Some of the 'geniuses' from Floating Cloud City were so dazzling that they got accepted into the four great sects and had become important figures. Unfortunately, even they weren't spared, causing a mass panic within the sects about the gruesome deaths.
But Xue Tian already made peace with the fact that those who touched him were destined to die. It was just a matter of when.
Xue Tian lay on the bed in bliss as he felt all the pieces of his soul returning to him.
He could feel his body getting stronger, more muscular as time went on. The profound veins within him became thicker and widened considerably with every soul fragment he gained.
Even his Profound Entrances were all opened!
But, something strange was happening. His cultivation wasn't rising at all.
No matter what method he tried, he couldn't get profound energy to come near him.
It was like the energy was trying its best to avoid him.
Not only the energy, the air itself refused to even touch his skin.
Everything in a few meters around him was a dead zone filled with no profound energy or air.
But, knowing what the one who sent him to this world said, how could he not be prepared for this?
Now that he had regained his motor functions, Xue Tian jumped out of bed and stood up as he raised his palm to the sky.
"Slavery!"
At that moment, roman letters appeared out of his palm and formed multiple blue chains of spiritual power that entrenched themselves into the profound energy around him.
The chains then wrapped themselves around his entire body and burrowed into his profound veins as they forcibly drew profound energy into them, immediately solving his cultivation problem.
For now at least.
This was a combination of the two Quincy techniques Slavery and Usurpation Altar. Both of which he had spent years practicing in his mind. It was the first time that he had actually pulled it off.
"Now for my second problem, Air."
Just as he was about to activate another technique, a voice suddenly rang out in his head, disturbing him greatly.
'Another son of the King struggling bitterly to survive in a reality where his father doesn't exist...interesting.'
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A/N: No, I'm not gonna include the soul king in this story as a character. If you want an image of how Wei Yu looks now, imagine Unohana from bleach. I'll describe her better next chapter.
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