'I definitely don't remember anything related to having a sister in the memories you showed me, am I right?'
{It must've been a malfunction, the memories were incomplete or flawed} "You're getting more unreliable...." Yan Ming muttered then hurriedly stepped aside to avoid the impact. She had blonde hair tied up in braids, tiny freckles on her face and a cute face. 'That was close.' The girl paused in her steps, raised her head and stared into his eyes with puppy eyes, tiny drops of tears beside her eyes "Brother, don't you love me anymore?" 'Okay what's going on here?' {I have no idea} --- "Do I really have to stay here for so long?" Yan Ming grumbled with a muffled voice. He was walking across the villa after barely escaping from the clutches of his half sister Aurelia. Draxus was the only son of his mother who died shortly after giving birth to him, he lived in his mother's courtyard with Aurelia who was taken in by his mother from a young age. Unlike Draxus who was barely able to cultivate to the third stage of the body tempering realm, Aurelia was unable to cultivate at all, she had zero talent for cultivation and was declared a cripple, ignored by the family. The only reason the two could stay in the villa was because of his mother who had once been a member of the family, they couldn't just throw them out after all, Draxus was still the fifth son of the family head. She was worried when the seventh son Chris suddenly invited him for a hunt, she almost passed out from fear when an unconscious Draxus was brought over to the courtyard with bruises all over his body. Fortunately they were just minor bruises that healed up in a few hours with the help of the medicines given to him. The maids nearby would stop and point towards him, whispering inaudible words to each other, he could've strained himself to listen or amplify his hearing with Qi but he couldn't be bothered with them, he walked along with a carefree smile on his face. {Master I'll suggest you cultivate for a while} 'Don't worry, I'll just check around for a while then return to the courtyard, a few minutes won't hurt. You should focus on unsealing the flames.' {We're in a race against time master, the faster you regain your strength the better it will be for us or the consequences might be dire} Yan Ming halted his steps, right in his sight was a huge dragon statue over twelve meters tall with wings spread wide, it's head raised high, a proud look on it's lifelike expression. 'A race against time, that's the same thing he said right? I can still remember it, even though it's been long.' --- "Yan Ming what are you looking at?" The sudden voice caused him to lose his standing, almost falling into the deep gully stretching far ahead just a few feets away from him. "What is wrong with you Ai Ming? You could walk about normally without moving like a ghost and it'll be fine!" Ai Ming scratched his head with an awkward look on his face "You know it's not my fault Yan Ming, I can't make a sound even if I want to." "Forget that, what's wrong?" "The barrier broke again, The others are waiting for you." Ai Ming said with a solemn look on his face. Hearing this, his face changed once again, he let out a huge sigh and said "The gully is expanding, the longer this drags on the worse it'll be, at this point it might go out of control." The two fell silent for a few seconds, Yan Ming's red hair were slumped like autumn leaves on the verge of rotting. "Come over, we'll know what to do there." Ai Ming said then walked away with light steps, Yan Ming followed behind with a thoughtful look on his face. After walking for a while the two reached a clearing, a little campfire was set with logs of wood arranged round it. "Tian Yi! you're back." Ames said with a smile. Tian Yi in pure white clothing, her long hair drooping over her shoulders raised her head and said "Yeah I returned early, there's no reason for me to stay there anymore, they're all dead. I failed, there was little I could do." The campfire fell silent, the others had crestfallen looks on their faces, Yan Ming walked over and sat beside the campfire with a light snort. "You should've just let me go over, I knew she would mess things up." "You aren't making things better Yan Ming, the gully might break out at any moment we need you and Ai Ming stationed there, there are only ten of us and there's only so much we can do." A young teen said, he had black hair and eyes, at first glance he looked no different from an average human but the rest fell silent when they heard his words. "What do we do?" Tian Yi asked with a light voice. "There's no other choice, we have to proceed with our initial plan regardless of the cost, everyone of us. We're in a race against time and we must treasure every minute we have." --- "It's been long I felt that thrill, millions of years idling around doing nothing but managing the infernal realm, I've gotten way too dull, ever since the end of the dark age." Yan Ming thought with a light shake of his head, everytime he recalled the incidents during the dark age was like torture, a thorn gnawing at his soul. "Alright then, the earlier I leave the mortal realm the better it is..." "Draxus!!" The sudden voice made Yan Ming who had decided to return to the courtyard raise an eyebrow, turning around he could see Chris standing a few meters ahead staring at him. "Well, well... What have we here!"Latest Chapter
What Remains: End Of Book One
A year later, the coalition that had once formed purely from desperate necessity had settled into something considerably more permanent — a genuine, lasting alliance between eleven territories that continued cooperating on trade, mutual defense, and the ongoing work of ensuring the Concord's dissolved structures never again coalesced into anything resembling their former, coercive unity. Tian Shen, now formally recognized as the alliance's primary coordinating voice, had proven himself as capable a peacetime leader as he'd been a wartime commander, the Tian clan's territory flourishing under his continued, thoughtful governance. Long Xue had settled into a role as the alliance's primary liaison to the void dragon clan's reforming leadership, her own journey from grief-driven hunter to genuine, trusted ally now complete in ways that had transformed her entirely from the cold, calculating figure who'd once ambushed Yan Ming at the Withering Garden's threshold. She vi
A Quiet Return
Nearly six months after the convergence's collapse, with the coalition's rebuilding efforts finally settling into sustainable, ongoing rhythm rather than urgent, demanding crisis, Yan Ming and Qing Chun found themselves, for the first time since their tournament victory so long ago, with genuine, unhurried time to simply exist together without the weight of imminent catastrophe pressing against every decision. "Do you remember," Qing Chun said, as they walked together through the same tournament city where their journey had first properly begun, its streets considerably more peaceful now than the chaotic, celebration-filled days following Yan Ming's unexpected victory, "when you told me jade necklaces were useless, and then bought me one anyway?" "I remember," he said, managing a genuine, warm smile at the memory's simplicity, so distant now from everything they'd since endured together. "You still have it?" "Always." She touched the necklace at her throat, the s
Rebuilding
The weeks that followed brought the considerable, demanding work of transitioning from war back toward peace, the coalition's eleven territories gradually shifting their focus from coordinated military preparation toward the equally challenging task of helping the Concord's absorbed sects and territories reestablish independent governance, free from the coercive unity Feng Lie Zun's ambition had once imposed upon them. Tian Shen took a leading role in this transition, his diplomatic skill proving as valuable in peace as it had been in building the original alliance, carefully navigating the complicated process of restoring trust and autonomy to territories that had spent years under the Concord's controlling influence. "It's slower work than the battle itself, in some ways," he admitted to Yan Ming, during one of their regular strategy sessions turned peace-building consultations. "Fighting has a clear beginning and end. Rebuilding trust, restoring genuine inde
The Warden's Confirmation
Three days after the battle's conclusion, as the coalition's forces settled into the considerable work of managing the Concord's dissolved territory and beginning the delicate process of reintegrating absorbed sects back into independent governance, Yan Ming found himself once more drawn toward quiet solitude, old habit of reflection reasserting itself amid the aftermath's demanding, ongoing activity. He found Qing Chun and Long Xue already waiting near the makeshift camp's quiet edge when a familiar, layered voice broke the evening's stillness. "You've accomplished something remarkable," the Warden said, materializing with the same unhurried, patient grace that had marked his previous appearances, grey robes settling around him as though he'd simply always been present, watching quietly from just beyond ordinary perception. "I confess, even I hadn't fully anticipated this particular resolution." "You knew about Feng Lie Zun's manipulation?" Yan Ming asked, old
The Battle
They emerged from the spire's shattered entrance to a scene of considerable, ongoing chaos, the coalition's massive diversionary force still locked in fierce engagement with the Concord's outer defenses, though the battle's character had visibly shifted in the time they'd spent within the spire's confines. Concord soldiers, no longer receiving coordinated command from whatever central authority had directed their earlier, disciplined resistance, fought now with the scattered, uncertain desperation of an army that sensed something fundamental had changed. "The convergence's collapse must be affecting them," Yan Ming observed, studying the battlefield's shifted dynamics with old, tactical assessment despite his considerable exhaustion. "Whatever loyalty bound them to Feng Lie Zun's cause, it's clearly tied at least partially to the array's continued function." "Then let's make sure that collapse continues," Long Xue said, already moving toward the nearest cluster
What Remains Between Brothers
They rested amid the chamber's settling wreckage for a long while, exhaustion from the confrontation's staggering demands finally, fully catching up to all four of them. Qing Chun leaned heavily against Yan Ming, her cultivation reserves depleted almost entirely by the containment technique's considerable exertion, though her eyes remained open, alert despite the fatigue. "You're alright?" Yan Ming asked, old concern evident despite his own considerable exhaustion. "I will be," she said, managing a tired but genuine smile. "Tianyi says the depletion is significant but not dangerous. Just needs time to properly recover." Long Xue settled nearby, void-attribute qi finally quieting after the confrontation's demanding exertion, her gaze drifting toward Feng Lie Zun's kneeling, exhausted form with old, complicated wariness that hadn't entirely faded despite his genuine cooperation. "What happens to you now?" Feng Lie Zun looked up slowly, old weariness and somethi
You may also like

My Path To The Supreme Peak
Oluebube faith165 views
Dark Ruler’s Blade
Hieronimus1.5K views
The Alchemist of Broken Realities
Tasneem1.5K views
The Immortal's Secret Tavern
Vallie796 views
Journey of the Immortal’s Cultivation
Hieronimus5.7K views
Eternal Beast Cultivation
AbyssKid2.3K views
sign in system, I dominated the apocalypse.
Soulless void 8.0K views
My Scourge Wife can't be this Cute
HikaruYa1.5K views