Before he could say anything, another figure appeared, shrouded in a cold gray mist, smiling faintly. "How are you, my dear friend? Hahaha. We haven't met since the celebration of the unification of the ruler's path. It's an honor to meet you again."
The figure looked at him with a small smile and spoke telepathically, "Yuto, how are you? You're ruining my work here."
Yuto's expression turned to a frown as he looked at him. "Ruined your work? You completely destroyed my plan to gather the Beast Rulers to fight their rivals and sworn enemies to prepare for this war." Yuto's tone was cold, yet he had no intention of interfering, as he saw some benefit in the other person's intervention.
"Well, get on with your work, you."
Both of them turned their gaze toward the orchestra, which was terrified but couldn't help but smile after hearing the other person's words.
Then, a great power was bestowed, which stirred greed. His heart softened, and his face betrayed his submission.
He knelt beside the figure, saying, "Thank you, my lord, and in the name of the god of war, I declare my submission to your might."
The figure made no comment, simply nodding his head in agreement, and the Orc ruler vanished instantly.
The figure then turned his gaze to Yuta, who was looking at him with a small smile. "So, how are you, Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan?"
A look of astonishment crossed his face as he listened to Yuta's words. He then spoke in a surprised tone, "And why do you think I'm not Venerable, the Last Board, Ping Tao Shen?"
Yuta laughed loudly as he looked at him. "Hahahaha! If you were truly Venerable, the Last Board, Ping Tao Shen, you would have made them face you in chess, since it only grants power to the one who defeats it in a game of chess and takes possession of the loser's soul."
"But you were lending them your power and "You take their souls as payment for a loan, isn't that right? And this is the work of one person, and that person is you, the Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan. Isn't that right?"
His expression was full of admiration as he placed his hand on his chin and bowed his head slightly. "Venerable Great Creator Yuto, you are a wonderful person. You truly deserve to be the Emperor, the Path Ruler, and the Great Creator."
Yuta's expression turned cold as he looked at him, talking to himself in an annoyed tone. "Annoying? What is the Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan, a Level 5 Wing Master, doing here? Even those weaker than me at my level, I wouldn't be able to defeat them. I can only use 3% of my strength. Haaaaa, never mind. Currently, I have no enemies with him."
"Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan is one of the few entities that have recently reached Level 5. He is a difficult opponent to face with ordinary means. However, his collection of the souls of absolute entities like the Black God, Wolves, Orcs, and Goblins at this time indicates..." "He must complete his ability to use his wing, and he must pay for its use to be able to use it again."
After Yuta snapped out of his thoughts, a faint, sly smile appeared, having learned Jihao Yuxuan's secret. "Since you've reached level 5 of your wing, weren't you surprised that the name of the wing is 'The Venerable, Majestic, Heavenly, Absolute, and Kyunai's is 'The Absolute Hunter's Wing'?"
"That's not a more important question. Have you wondered why your wing is slightly darker in its second half?"
A look of confusion crossed Jihao Yuxuan's face as he snapped his fingers, revealing his true form: a man with attractive, well-proportioned features, crimson-pink hair reaching his waist and tied in a ponytail, eyes with lotus-shaped irises, and wearing a hanfu that was a blend of charcoal black and crimson red.
Yuta then revealed his true form, smiling slightly. "Would you like to know one or two pieces of information that might be useful to you in the future? Consider it a fair exchange." "
The eyes of the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan lingered as he listened to Yuta's words. Yuta was a cunning old fox who would do anything to achieve his personal interests.
However, there was no problem in listening to him. He could easily kill him, and he would be welcomed into the other 25 Paths for killing the Emperor, the Path Ruler.
But Yuta's confident gaze surprised him. He was one of the concepts of the Path Ruler, which is why he possessed Level 9 immortality.
Therefore, killing him would lead to the annihilation of the Path Ruler, which in turn would lead to the annihilation and disruption of the story "I am inside my novel."
The annihilation of a Path Ruler would be compensated for by its master, but the death of their conversation would cause disruption, something the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan was unaware of. This also applied to the Guardians of the Sacred Existence Tree, who betrayed him, forcing him to detonate himself and return to his birth.
"I am listening to you, Yuta. Yes, as you said, the power of my wings suddenly increased." Over 30,000 years ago
Yuta snapped his fingers as he looked up to reveal a beautiful table.
On it lay a teapot, two glasses of the finest glass, and some delicious sweets.
Yuta gestured for the Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan to sit, and they both sat without saying a word.
Yuta poured a cup for himself and for Jihao Yuxuan, a slight smile on his face. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned. After all, I'm not a poison-maker."
He handed him a cup without allowing him to speak, then spoke calmly, "The reason for your increased strength is that the Death Path Master Bo 00 01 and I have become one entity once again. That's why the fragments of the Ruler Path found in each wing have merged with the fragments of the Death Path."
The Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan's eyes widened as he listened to Yuta's words. "Once again? Were you one entity before?" he asked in surprise.
Yuta shook his head. As a sign of agreement, he spoke, "Yes, it was me, Death Path Master Bo 00 01, and the rest of the Path Masters within one entity. So, do you understand how to develop your wing to level 5 absolute?"
A sly smile appeared on the face of the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan as he sipped his tea. "Then I must kill the venerables who possess the same wing as mine from other paths and collect path fragments to level up to the final one."
Yuta took a piece of candy to eat and drank his tea. "Yes, you're right, venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan. That's the way. In the end, you won't find it as difficult as Aunt Kyunai, who had to kill the sub-wing masters of Hunter 27's wing after reaching level 5 of her wing to obtain hers, and then kill the people who possessed the same wing from other paths."Another path to reach the ultimate level.
The eyes of the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan lingered as he listened to Yuta's words. He spoke in a calm tone, "What do you want from me? It's time you told me your request, venerable Great Creator Yuta."
Yuta's smile turned cold as he listened to Jihao Yuxuan. "Well, there are only 504 years left until the start of the Paths War and 600 until the end of Era 15 of the Timeline. The beginning of Era 15 is called the beginning and the end, and we will move to Era 1 of the Timeline. The first end is called the beginning, the end, the origin."
The eyes of the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan lingered, more confused and eager to know Yuta's true intentions. "I know that, but what do you want?"
"I want your help in an upcoming war. Fight with me and develop your wing to the ultimate level. Secondly, we will meet in the Federation Palace. Two centuries have passed since then, so I need your help and some things to settle some scores. You can refuse, but there's a chance of survival in the Paths War." Another approaching zero.
The venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yushuan kept thinking about Yuta's words. They were true. The existence of enmity between paths from the pre-Beginning era was simply a matter of straying from your own path, driven by a desire for death.
"But before I answer, Yuta, you are nothing more than a fragment of a powerful entity, the one that created all 27 Existential Paths, right?"
Yuta was taken aback by the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yushuan's deduction. He looked at him, controlling his expression so as not to appear shocked.
"Yes, you're right. I am a fragment of an entity that created this story. I am inside my novel. It's a shame I'm not a reader, a hero, or a descendant."
"Because there are those who have attained them. Being a fragment is enough, isn't it? Life doesn't give you everything after all."
A faint smile still played on his face as he spoke with clear sarcasm. "Yes, you're right. Stealing the role of the hero Nobara or Aron is even considered an achievement worth boasting about." "
Yuta's eyes gleamed slyly after hearing Jihao Yuxuan's words. "You're skilled at manipulating others' feelings, but I have a question: why didn't you manipulate the Snake Queen of Nagazis of all people?"
A sigh of frustration escaped Jihao Yuxuan's lips as he looked at Yuta. "The story begins..." "....."
Flashback
As Azarus Nawazaki advanced toward the Serpent Queen Nagazis, he stopped because rain suddenly began to fall without warning.
"It's really raining, spring rain. It's wonderful and refreshing," Azarus Nawazaki said as he ran, attacking the Serpent Queen Nagazis and dodging her attacks.
The Serpent Queen Nagazis turned her gaze toward Azarus Nawazaki's Sword Saint, who looked at her with a bewildered expression.
Tears streamed down her face; she couldn't control her emotions. It was an ominous day; she had hated rain all her life.
It was the same day that her parents, whom she loved most, had been killed by the Nawazaki family with the help of Daniel de Molière, centuries before Azarus Nawazaki was even born.
The Serpent Queen Nagazis kept looking at the Sword Saint Nagazis while She listened to his words, bursting into hysterical laughter, trying to hide her shock. "A peaceful family? Hahahaha! A peaceful family, he says! As far as you're concerned, you're human. In my opinion, you were monsters, Azarus Nawazaki!"
Her body began to shrink, transforming into a human with dark green hair and serpentine eyes. It was incredibly beautiful.
She held a charcoal-black whip with a pointed tip, and his features were so cold they froze the ground around her.
"Saint of the Sword, Azarus Nawazaki, you are truly pathetic."
Nagazis's expression changed as she looked around, finding herself in an endless void. Before her stood Jihao Yushuan, shrouded in gray mist, with a small smile on his face.
"How are you, Serpent Ruler, Lord Nagazis?"
Nagazis's eyes narrowed as she looked at him, and she spoke coldly, refusing any discussion whatsoever. "I want to go back now." "I want something from you. It seems you're the one who made the Black King strong, and you want the others to do the same. Why? To get something in return? Their lives, perhaps, or my slavery?"
"I don't care about power. Understand? My life is about to end. I didn't avenge my family even when I could. So, goodbye."
The Serpent King of Nagazis left immediately without waiting for a reply from the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan, who was in shock from what he had heard. Both the Wolf King and the Black Goblin Orc wanted her, so why did she refuse and leave immediately?
The reason for her departure was that the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan hadn't made leaving the power-lending place impossible, but rather possible, since no one had refused her free power.
"She's truly admirable. A lone ruler who deserves to be a ruler among those foolish simpletons."
End of Flashback
"The Serpent King of Nagazis is extremely intelligent to have been able to deduce the reason for the increased power." Her companions, however, want to die at the hands of the saint of the sword, Azarus Nawazaki.
The Venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yushuan, calmly drank his tea, then raised his fingers to transform his surroundings into a beautiful garden.
He spoke with relief, "This is better than that cold emptiness... Shall we take a little walk, Yuto?"
Yuta looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds before agreeing, "Okay, let's go."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he and Yuta rose from their chairs, which vanished instantly, along with the table, without a trace.
Yuta and Jihao Yushuan strolled around the garden, ignoring their companions who were fighting the Goblin God, amplified by Jihao Yushuan's strength.
As they walked near the garden, Jihao Yushuan picked up a lotus flower that was close to him.
"Do you know why I'm called the Venerable Lotus Flower?" Jihao Yushuan's voice was calm as he inhaled the scent of the lotus flower.
Yuta looked at him. He paused, puzzled for several seconds, before answering his own question, "Because when you use your wing, a manifestation appears resembling a lotus flower, but with a hundred petals."
The venerable Lotus Flower, Jihao Yuxuan, stood up after placing the lotus flower back in its place. "You're right, Yuta. That's the reason. The manifestation is the difference between us and a human. A human is called a venerable after years, while we are born with our title and our wing is special. It's rare that two people possess the same main wing. They are called by it, which is why their titles are so valuable. There are countless Demon Kings, Heavenly Demons.""Court, Heavenly, Imperial, Heavenly Court, even that Venerable Heaven-Breaker—there are countless people who share the same title, and you, Yuto, are one of them."
"As for the titles we possess, only one person truly owns them; the rest are fake."
"You're right about that. Titles and names are merely things created to make life easier and to cultivate an image of invincibility."
Jihao Yuxuan looked at Yuto with a slight smile, then stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his clothes before speaking calmly, "But let's continue our tour."
The Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuxuan and Yuto continued to stroll through the garden Jihao Yuxuan had created without speaking.
Their focus was entirely on their next move; further conversation would be pointless.
A meeting with the other Venerables was imminent, followed by a Paths War. After that, the unknown lay ahead—perhaps more dangerous than the Paths War itself, or perhaps nothing but peace until the end of Era 1.
While Yuto was strolling, his back... The system screen was directly in front of his eyes.
[The Mystery Market will be held as scheduled a few days after the end of the academic year, on Monday, July 15, 675.]
[All you need is a Level 5 Storage Gu-Kun, a Level 9 Sky Thief Gu-Kun, and several other things.]
Yuta smiled inwardly as he looked at the system screen, thinking to himself, "Very good. The first phase is almost over. I have a few things to do during the break, and then it's finally finished."
"Help her, okay?"
[As you wish, Yuto. I'll visit your other half.]
A faint smile appeared on the face of the Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yushuan as he looked at Yuto and made a face. "It seems the time for farewell has come, Venerable Great Creator Yuto. As for helping you in the Paths War, yes. But killing Venerables, do it yourself."
Yuta said nothing after hearing the Venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yushuan's reply. Participating in the war was considered an achievement, but killing Venerables... The two troublesome Muqrin could have done it without Sunday's help.
He entered a cleft, an ancient ritual between Muqrin signifying mutual trust.
"Good luck, venerable Muqrin, lotus flower, Jihao Yushuan."
"And you too will need it a lot."
[Note from the author: I apologize for the delay; it was supposed to be published last Saturday, but I postponed it until today.
I hope for your encouragement in the comments. ]