The Licentious Cultivator

The blood tendrils stilled as Lu Zheng stopped his technique. The Vermillion Branding Chains retracted from Yu Er Dan before dissipating into pure bloodline power.

The blood pool reverted into the four drops of lifeblood essence and all seventeen drops of lifeblood essence floated into Lu Zheng's body.

Lu Zheng bowed deeply before Yu Er Dan before smiling: "I am sorry. Do not take it to heart"

"Hmm" Yu Er Dan nodded as she felt her wrists. "I understand. If I was in your place, I'd have done the same too"

Lu Zheng nodded as Byron waved his hands. White lights formed on the corpses that filled the hall and within a few breaths of time, they disappeared.

"Lu Zheng, follow me" Byron said deeply as he gazed around the hall.

"What about me?" Yu Er Dan asked.

"Hmm, you may stay here. You did not die after all. Whatever happens next depends on you and him" Byron said after some thinking before turning to leave the hall.

Lu Zheng waved at Yu Er Dan before walking after Byron.

The temple on the stone island was very large and the hall where they had just fought was merely one of the many buildings in it. The buildings were built around a central one which was made of blue walls and red pillars.

It was the shrine of the temple.

Byron entered the shrine and Lu Zheng followed after unhesitantly. He knew that was where the time path true inheritance was most likely to be.

As Lu Zheng entered the shrine, he was stunned by the dense Essence that filled the place. The Essence was so dense that faint mists formed along the walls and ceiling.

Lu Zheng felt that the Essence presence in this shrine rivalled even that of the fragmented Qi fruit. It would not be surprising if all the Qi that filled the aperture fragment came from here.

As Lu Zheng continued to observe the shrine, he could see that the shrine was very large and empty. At the centre of the shrine was a small pedestal on which a man sat on.

The man had deep jet like skin and from his build; he was certainly taller than even Byron. Three pairs of wings as black as night folded at his back as dark patterns unique to the Black Feather Race spread out from them to the man's limbs and neck.

He sat with his legs crossed and eyes closed like he was cultivating and a sense of tranquillity seemed to emanate from him. His dark hair was dread locked and draped down his back.

Lu Zheng felt that this was a grand statue of Reverend Divine Prime Jade.

Byron walked towards the statue before kneeling on one leg and bowing deeply. His voice was filled with respect as he spoke: "Lord Divine Prime Jade, I have completed my task"

All of a sudden, a great change occurred right before Lu Zheng's eyes.

Byron transformed into a streak of darkness before flying into the statue's forehead. From there, a new pattern formed and mended with the ones that stopped at the neck.

The statue opened its eyes and revealed a pair of pupils that seemed darker than darkness itself: "Oh, how time has passed. Then, I presume that you are Lu Zheng, right?"

"Reverend Divine Prime Jade!" Lu Zheng was greatly stunned by the sight before him. Without even thinking twice, he bowed to the great persona before him.

"Lu Zheng" Reverend Divine Prime Jade's voice was deep and rough. Lu Zheng was stunned by how fierce the man before him sounded.

"I am no longer a Revered. My era has come and gone. I am merely a spent force struggling to escape my own fate"

Lu Zheng straightened his back as a puzzled expression formed on his face: "I don't understand"

"Of course, you don't!" Divine Prime Jade revealed his perfectly white teeth as he laughed crazily. "It took me almost thirty million years to discover this secret. How can a simple junior like you know it?!"

Lu Zheng smiled awkwardly as Divine Prime Jade continued. His tone was rough as an expression of self-satisfaction glimmered from his eyes. It was the satisfaction of sharing the results of one's work to others.

"Listen well, Lu Zheng! Have you never paused to wonder why there is a system of cultivation in this world? You have never stopped mid-fight to wonder what the exact point to everything is, have you? Well, I have!" Divine Prime Jade ran his hand to his hair as he smiled.

The former Reverend continued: "Tell me, Lu Zheng, why you cultivate? Why do you fight? What is the purpose for which you struggle on even as the world itself opposes you?"

Lu Zheng's eyebrows creased into a frown as he thought for a moment: "It is simple, to obtain greater strength than others and protect my interests. Isn't that the point of cultivation?"

"Wrong!" Divine Prime Jade's voice was loud that even Lu Zheng stilled in shock. "This entire world, the system of cultivation, everything, is merely a farm!"

"A farm?"