Against The True Gods

Caine exited a winding path that stretched from the hall of his throne room, weaving through forests and snaking around mountains. The path led all the way up to an elevated courtyard—a wide, airy space teeming with life.

Vibrant flowers bloomed in wild profusion, their colors a striking contrast to the pale sky. At the center stood a grand, majestic tree.

The tree's bark shimmered with radiant gold, its thick leaves a pristine white. Behind the tree, a resplendent pond of thick, emerald-green waters glimmered, reflecting an otherworldly light that seemed to pulse with life.

Caine walked slowly through the courtyard, his steps light and deliberate. His hand grazed the ancient, cool bark of the tree, fingers tracing the subtle patterns etched by time.

A smile tugged at his lips, unbidden. He looked up, watching the sun's rays filter through the dense canopy of white leaves, dappling the ground with shifting patterns of light and shadow. The smile deepened, a quiet peace settling over him.

Ever since forging his Dao Heart, he felt an inexplicable closeness to nature and the world around him. Everything seemed more vivid, more harmonious. He felt grounded, as if the universe itself invited him to exist in a state of constant serenity.

It was fitting, considering this courtyard was home to one of the Timeless Alliance's most treasured sites—the Pond of Serenity.

WHOOOSH

A gust of wind signaled the arrival of Elder Golden Bark.

His steps were measured, his presence commanding. He was tall, his body brimming with vitality, resembling a man in his early forties. A thick, greying black beard framed his face, highlighted by slicked-back hair. Like all members of the Renala Clan, his eyes glowed with a deep, bloody scarlet. But unlike his kin, whose eyes typically burned with hatred, his eyes sparkled with a mischievous arrogance.

Elder Golden Bark's black-and-red robes fluttered gently in the breeze as he surveyed the courtyard, a faint smile gracing his lips. He knew the significance of this place.

Even for an elder of his stature, entering this sacred space was an extraordinary privilege.

Only the Scion, the Alliance Overlord, and the Alliance Knights were permitted to tread here.

His gaze settled on Caine, who stood with his back to him. Caine turned slowly, his silver pupils glimmering with such intense light that Elder Golden Bark's Will shivered and faltered.

'I… lost? A battle of Wills?' The elder's frown flickered briefly before morphing into a grin.

Caine raised a hand, beckoning him forward.

"Go ahead. Attack me. I'll kill you either way, so you might as well defend yourself."

Elder Golden Bark barely had time to register the command before a palm of dense qi slammed into his chest. He collapsed to one knee, his organs rupturing, blood bubbling up and spilling from his mouth.

From a distance, Caine sighed, shaking his head. 'I guess I'll have to restrict myself even more.'

He took a step forward, the space around him warping and collapsing, depositing him in front of the elder in an instant. His foot shot upward, connecting with Elder Golden Bark's chin. The sickening crunch of shattering bone echoed through the air as the elder was hurled skyward, blood spraying in crimson arcs.

'Good,' Caine thought. 'With the foundation I've built, no one except Gods —or those at my level—should be able to threaten me, regardless of their cultivation realm. Even without my crown.'

He chuckled softly. 'Or maybe not. Who knows.'

He lifted his hand and clenched it into a fist. A spectral force seized Elder Golden Bark's broken body, holding him suspended in the air.

The elder's breath caught. Time seemed to freeze, the chill of death closing around him. It had all happened so fast. His heart pounded, a surge of desperate energy pushing him beyond reason.

A roar burst from his throat as ancient runes flared to life across his body, shattering the spectral grip. He landed hard, his injuries healing instantaneously. His eyes blazed with renewed fury, his gaze fixed on Caine.

Clapping his hands together, the runes around him twisted and spun, forming intricate formation circles around his wrists and forearms. Crimson lightning crackled, surging in and out of the circles, pulsing with raw power.

In a blink, he vanished, reappearing before Caine, his hands slashing forward in a deadly clawing motion.

'Bloody Sky Lightning?' Caine mused.

'Interesting.'

He leaned back effortlessly, dodging the strike, then stepped forward, driving his knee into the elder's stomach.

Elder Golden Bark gasped, his mind reeling.

How was this happening? The power dynamic between them should have been the reverse. He had believed Caine's defeat of Ancestor Bloody Eye was due to a one-time artifact.

The strength of a Paragon was supposed to be beyond mortal comprehension.

But now, with Caine's oppressive strength pressing down on him, his objective shifted.

Survival was all that mattered. He had to escape. He had to warn his clan.

Caine could not be allowed to grow any stronger.

"Oh?"

Elder Golden Bark's aura flared. His body dissolved into a mist of runes, reforming several meters away.

Caine smiled, his time affinity sparking to life. A light emerald rune flickered in his pupils, and time rewound by half a second.

His hand shot forward, wrapping around the elder's throat. Caine's True Will clamped down, preventing any escape.

The formation circles spun faster, and Caine felt an invisible force prying at his fingers, trying to force his grip open.

He sneered, his True Will drawing on the power of his stars. The pressure shattered with a resounding crack.

CRACK!

The formation circles splintered but immediately reformed. Crimson lightning surged through them, bolstering the elder's qi.

BANG!

Elder Golden Bark's body contorted violently, tearing away from Caine's grip. His head exploded into a cloud of runes, only to reassemble moments later on his headless torso. Find more adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

Caine's eyes widened.

The elder's body transmuted, morphing into a swirling mass of bark, flesh, blood, and crimson lightning. He moved around Caine in a blur, his speed leaving afterimages that rippled through the air.

But that wasn't what shocked Caine.

'He's… controlling the world.'

A sharp pressure built in Caine's mind, a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time.

'Laws?'

The realization struck him like a thunderclap, his thoughts reeling.