A Will Eternal

As they left, the Vile-Emperor cultivators began to discuss the matter in hushed tones.

“You know, I heard that when Bai Xiaochun kidnapped Ghostmother, some really unspeakable things happened…. I guess those stories were true!”

“Heavens! If that’s the case, then this Bai Xiaochun’s incredible!!”

“It seems highly likely! Otherwise, why would Ghostmother leave Vile-Emperor City of her own initiative, and set up camp all the way over here…?”

Regardless of their speculations, they left, and Mistysea Prefecture was virtually sealed to the outside. No one came to offer aid to the Vile-Emperor Dynasty forces within it, who were struck with fear by the fight between Bai Xiaochun and Gongsun Wan’er.

With their will to fight having been sapped, the Grand Heavenmaster and Giant Ghost King were able to easily crush any resistance they met. As for the demigod from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, he made a hasty retreat with his forces, worried that Bai Xiaochun might capture him. After all, such things were not uncommon.

And thus, the campaign which the Grand Heavenmaster had estimated might take a month… only took a few days.

When Bai Xiaochun came to the heart of the prefecture, Mistysea City, the Giant Ghost King was waiting for him there, hardly able to contain his excitement. Even the Grand Heavenmaster was having a hard time remaining calm.

Bai Xiaochun felt the same way. At long last, they really had a place where they could settle down, a place that no one would simply take away from them. After all, the Saint-Emperor Dynasty paid close attention to law and matters of face. Since Bai Xiaochun had conquered this territory in an open and aboveboard manner, anyone who wanted to challenge him over it would have to think twice.

The Giant Ghost King looked around at the city with open excitement. After all of the years he had been in the Eternal Immortal Domains, this was the first time he felt somewhat stable.

“Although we technically still belong to the Saint-Emperor Dynasty,” he said, “we’re no longer living on someone else’s charity!”

“Only the strong qualify to carve out their own destiny,” the Grand Heavenmaster said. “Exalted one, if you can achieve a cultivation base breakthrough, then Mistysea Prefecture… will only be the beginning!”

Bai Xiaochun nodded. He knew that the only way to truly have a stable foundation in the Eternal Immortal Domains was to get stronger. That counted both for him, and also for the people of the Heavenspan Realm.

“One’s cultivation base is the key to everything!” Bai Xiaochun thought, taking a deep breath.

No matter how boring or tiring it was to practice cultivation, the things he had seen in his life ensured that he would by no means slack in his cultivation. Furthermore, even he knew that he was not the most qualified person to manage the affairs of Mistysea Prefecture. That was the specialty of the Grand Heavenmaster and Giant Ghost King.

After officially assigning all of the various responsibilities to those two, he went into secluded meditation. His goal: to finish absorbing the energy in the damaged fan’s command medallion, and then see if that caused any further developments.

Time passed. As Bai Xiaochun went about his work in seclusion, Mistysea Prefecture transformed on an almost daily basis. The Grand Heavenmaster and Giant Ghost King were the leaders and planners, and they worked perfectly together. Furthermore, as news spread that Bai Xiaochun had occupied the prefecture, Heavenspan Realm cultivators from all over began to head there.

In the past, Celestial Aged Spirit might have tried to interfere, but after his conflicts and dealings with Bai Xiaochun, he decided not to. In some cases in which large groups tried to make it to Mistysea Prefecture, he would stop them, but most of the time, he turned a blind eye to what was happening.

The Grand Heavenmaster and Giant Ghost King worked hard to improve relations with the surrounding prefectures, both those who were part of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, and also the Vile-Emperor Dynasty. There were no personal grudges with either side, and most of the time, cultivators would prefer to keep a peaceful balance in situations like this.

Because Bai Xiaochun was stationed there, the Grand Heavenmaster and Giant Ghost King usually took a hard line in negotiations, but that just earned them the respect of the surrounding prefectures.

And thus, in the second immortal domain of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty, Mistysea Prefecture transformed on a daily basis. Although Bai Xiaochun remained in secluded meditation most of the time, he occasionally came out for a break. He could sense the changes in the prefecture, and could see the increasing number of Heavenspan cultivators bustling about. To many of them, it finally felt like they had a home again, and sometimes they even forgot that they weren’t in the lands of Heavenspan.

However, Bai Xiaochun knew that despite how nice things seemed, they lacked stability. One day, if he ever possessed the power to actually stand up to the Vile-Emperor and Saint-Emperor, then he would truly have a strong foundation. Only then… could he think about proactively seeking out all of the missing Heavenspan cultivators.

It was that thought that kept Bai Xiaochun completely focused on his cultivation. A few months later, when he was securely within the peak of the early Celestial Realm, he finally absorbed the last bit of energy from the command medallion.

It had taken nearly a year of study and hard work. In the very moment that the energy left the medallion, all Bai Xiaochun had to do was send some divine sense into it, and it began to vibrate.

His mind began to tremble, and if anyone else had been in the private chamber to observe him, they would have seen him suddenly turn translucent. Bai Xiaochun, in contrast, didn’t notice it at all.

He was now completely sunk into a vision in his mind. It was like an out-of-body experience, in which he was flying through a starry sky!

The damaged fan was already far, far away from the Eternal Immortal Domains, drifting slowly through the void. Although it seemed to be moving slowly, it was actually moving faster than either of the two archaean emperors.

This was Bai Xiaochun’s first time encountering the fan in this fashion. As he continued to speed closer and closer to it, he realized that… he was probably going to enter it!

That feeling got stronger and stronger, until he started to imagine what it would be like. As soon as that thought appeared, his body in the Eternal Immortal Domains distorted, and then vanished from the private chamber!

There were no fluctuations or other signs. In fact, even if one of the archaean emperors came to investigate, they wouldn't find any evidence that he had vanished!

When he reappeared… it was to his shock that he found himself standing… in the main square of the damaged fan!

Everything looked very familiar. It was exactly the same place where he had spent those months with the others from the Eternal Immortal Domains. Except… that he was now alone!

It was almost too much to take in. Taking a few steps forward, he looked up, and saw the darkness of the void….

“I can’t believe I'm actually on the fan!” Almost immediately, his heart began to pound as he worried that he might not be able to get back to the Eternal Immortal Domains.

That made him extremely nervous. He quickly pictured himself leaving the fan and returning to his private chamber in the Eternal Immortal Domains, and as soon as the thought rose up, the command medallion in his hand turned into a black hole. His vision blurred, and when he could see again… he was back in the private chamber!

“This command medallion… is actually a key to enter the damaged fan!!” He rose to his feet and began to pace back and forth excitedly. After he calmed down, he pondered the significance of this development and realized… that he actually did fully qualify to acquire the legacy of the fan!

After all, he was the only one who could challenge the trial by fire now!