Pathway

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality and fate be fate. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way the universe designed and the light within you will make you see clearly"- Dao of true existence.

Ju Feng awoke with a start to find himself in a large garden, the solar high in the heavens. That was strange, he thought. He expected to see the raging darkness. It was just now, few seconds ago, that he was with the phantoms. How did he now found himself staring at the solar? Was he actually seeing the light of heaven's solar or the solar of Radia? Or, a dream inside the belly of the darkness?

He remained motionless as the questions went through his mind. He need a to have the true feel of what was happening and where he was. He could be dead. Slowly, he raised his head as his eyeballs darted madly in their sockets. Despite his state of bewilderment, he was in deep appreciation for the freshest of air that was invading his nostrils. He took a savoury moment to breathe in and out, in order for his lungs to have a fill of this freshness. Softly, he muttered to himself. 

"I think I'm alive."

There was a trace of life essence in the air. Indication of being alive. Still sitting down, he patted himself in quick examination. His robe and spatial sac were also still intact.

"I'm alive!"

He continued to fill his lungs with the fresh air as he smiled inwardly. This was the true meaning of fresh air. Surely, the air in this place was totally different from the other areas of this Heave-world, if he was still in one anyway.

After having his fill of the air, he examined his surroundings. He was sitting on a large garden leaf that resembled a fluffy fishing boat. Some sort of leaf indeed. On the ground to the right of where he was sitting down, was a small mortar containing some mixture of spirit grass and certain medicinal plants. To his left, was his orb of vale,on a heap of straw. This meant someone or some people were here with him while he was sleeping.

Panic took hold of him as realized he couldn't be alone in the place. He quickly rolled to his feet, glaring around wildly. Not seeing or sensing anyone at his vicinity, he quickly picked up his orb of vale. The light of the orb was now down to few threads of faint pulsating fibres. It was an evidence of how close he was to dying. Close wasn't the right word. He knew he should have been dead by now. Whether he had the crystals given to him by the grey tree or not, he knew he should have been dead in the darkness.

How did he manage to escape the forsaken manifestations?

He searched his brain in recollection as he desperately attempted to have a clarification of what happened and where he was. He recalled his encounter with the Rakshasan god and being given the orb of light. The narrow path that opened across the complete darkness, and himself grasping for air from soul suffocation as his legs became deadly heavier. He had a fleeting recollection of a light he saw, but he recalled no detail of the light as he was trying to lay hold of it. It was in an act of desperation. But after that, he had no memory of what happened as he fell into unconsciousness.

And now, not only were the phantoms and their voices gone, but the darkness was nowhere to be seen. It was as if they never existed. After gathering his thoughts together, he surveyed his surroundings more buoyantly. The mortar of mixed medicinal plants, indicated that someone or something was definitely here with him. With his back in a downward arc, Ju Feng decided to take a closer look at the mixture in the mortar.

"The Sailing Spirit."

Ju Feng whirled around as a voice sounded behind him. He took a few steps back as he watched the empty place beside him shimmered. From the shimmering energy, came the true nascent soul of a half-dwarf covered in a refractive nimbus light. The first striking aspect of the half dwarf, was his head. It was as if there was a yellow-gold light inside his head. It made the half-dwarf eyes and braided yellow hair and beard, glowed softly. Wearing a Varthorian battle armour that was glowing brightly, he truly protruded a terrifying figure.

Varthorian battle armour. Definitely, a terran cultivator.

The nature of the battle armour of any true nascent soul varied. It depended on the type of mystical arts embedded in the core of a soul before reaching nascent stage. Although the dwarf presented a mixed aspect, the aura coming from him was that of a peak stage nascent soul at the least.

"Gre...eetings senior. I,...I thank you for saving my life."

Ju Feng stammered in appreciation as he bowed with his cupped hands. 

"Yea, your spirit was departing."

The half-dwarf grimaced as he acknowledged Ju Feng with a shake of his head.

"It's incredibly foolish of you to come here, kid. You could have died in there. How could you decide to face the darkness without you forming a core st the least?. Are you that eager to reincarnate?"

"No, senior. I'm happy to be alive. To you, I owe this."

"En."

Grunted the dwarf, setting down some items before the circle he drew on the ground.

"But let it be known, I didn't save you intentionally. I didn't know you were clinging on to me until I stepped out of the darkness. Your path of sorrow was yours alone to take. In no way did I interfered."

He croaked.

"I only take responsibility for saving you here, in this garden. Do You understand?"

"Yes, senior. I understand. I thank you greatly."

"Mm. Since you're here, I can make good use of you."

As they were talking, they were joined by two other entities. One was a blurring slim and tall true nascent soul, appearing to be that of a human lady. Despite being covered in nimbus light, the brightness of her true features were visible. Long white hair and white eyes that were dancing like lightning's bolts. Her whole body was covered in White-Fortress, a very rare skin armour of the lightning cultivators.

The other was a massive dark figure with scaled boulders covering his body. The big red eyes and a large single horn on his head that curled to his back, was a simple enough evidence of his nature. A demon. The demonic aura coming from him could only be that of a demon lord. For him to be able to manifest his true nascent soul in this spirit world, he must definitely be a demonic cultivator. But Ju Feng had no idea what his mystical nature was.

The three of them appeared to be familiar with one another as they exchanged pleasantries.

"Yu Guiying! Kugau! Thought I won't see you two again."