Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Shadow

He did not need his Divine Sense to detect the presence of cultivators ahead as a Human Dao practitioner, but all that was visible to the naked eye was the lush planes stretching out into the distance, light azure clouds overlooking the grassy lands. What would once struck him as mundane now seemed peaceful, making Yao Shen wonder just how much his past life’s memories had managed to impact his personality in such a short period of time.

Well, the term ‘Human Dao Practitioner’ was both accurate, yet at the same time, wildly inaccurate. The Esoteric Dao's were truly both fascinating and utterly bizarre at the same time, for Yao Shen would dare not call him an expert despite being the only one to awaken the Dao since, perhaps, the Era of Turmoil, for the aspects of third stage practitioners was not entirely unknown to him.

It was closer to the ‘Dao of Sentient Beings’, or rather, the Dao that represented the will of the sentient beings. He was certain that his human domain could not be recreated if he were to use a lesser spiritual beast as its core, but if it was a beast emperor whose image he channeled, well it would still fail, but for different reasons. The resonance he felt with the mortal farmer was not an emotion that could be falsified, nor a concept that could be faked. The Heavenly Blessing he had received upon ascending to Soul Emperor had given him many insights and knowledge upon the true nature of his Human Dao, but it had not advanced his understanding of the mysterious 'Dao Path', indicating that the rumors had been false.

Without further adieu, Yao Shen gently landed upon the ground, Elder Han accompanying himself, landing a few steps behind him out of deference. He began walking forward with a relaxed expression on his face, smiling as he gazed at the azure sky. How ironic it was, for the Patriarch of the Heavenly Sky Sect to have incurred the wrath of the heavens, he thought with amusement flickering in his eyes.

He had always disliked the ways of the heavens— unfeeling, uncaring, ruthless and unchanging in its ways, but he had not really realized how abnormal his views were until much later in his cultivation journey. He would not say that all cultivators revered the heavens, but most held a trace of reverence for the heavens that was engraved into their very soul— for the ways of the heavens may be cruel, but its power was not to be disputed. And power was respected in Eliria, that much he knew held true about all seven continents.

 

The sect formation bore down upon them, but Yao Shen continued walking forward as he felt himself make contact. It was walking through a viscous bubble, but the sensation only lasted for a second before they reached the other side.

The loud cacophony of the outer sect made its way into his ears, a smile creeping on his face as he realized that he was back home. Finally, he let his divine sense expand, switching from passive to active mode as he took in the sights and smells. Dozens of young disciples milled about, through the crowded streets that had been smoothed over by Earth-aspected Cultivators and then paved over with flat, even rocks whose dimensions were both perfect and entirely identical. Sure, they did not have gravel roads and concrete houses, but any skilled workman would be floored at the master craftsmanship that had gone into the tiling. In a world of superhumans though, it was a feature that barely went noticed. The Dao Impartment Hall, Medical Pavillion, Sky Exchange Hall, and the various legacy family pavilions did not escape his divine sense, as young cultivators full of energy bundled forward with dreams of ascension. His focus shifted to the Ascension Stage, realizing that a fight was about to commence.

“Patriarch!” A disciple's loud voice rang in his ears as he bowed at a ninety degree angle, his cry stunning the disciples around him. Their gazes focused in the direction the disciple was bowing, resulting in stunned gasps, sharp breaths of air, and shock.

“The Patriarch has returned!” A disciple shouted in incredulous joy, even though the other disciples had already notified their fellow cultivators in advance, and his success in ascending to the fifth level was a hot topic of discussion— even if they had no idea what it meant or represented.

“The Patriarch has succeeded! The Patriarch is mighty!” Another disciple roared, with perhaps a little too much jubilation and a violation of protocol, not that he minded.

“The Patriarch is mighty!” The rest of the disciples, almost in unison, proclaimed, before bowing down with reverent expressions on their faces. Yao Shen did not blame them, for to these young cultivators he was no different than a celebrity back on Earth. Usually, he would choose to fly directly towards the inner sect, his duty seldom giving him time to interact with outer sect disciples.

“At ease, children. Pay me no heed, I only wish to take a light stroll before returning to duties,” Yao Shen smiled and nodded to the disciples, before continuing to walk forward in a straight line. The disciples made way and separated on his either side, but the reverence in their expression did not change. A few though, looked at him with ambition in his eyes, knowing that even if he took the slightest interest in them their lives would be changed forever, and that stood true even for the legacy disciples now that he was a Soul Emperor.

Elder Han walked silently behind him, his own fame shadowed by himself. Finally extricating himself from the mob of disciples, his attention was attracted by the Outer Exchange, a place where any outer disciple of the Sect was allowed to rent a stall and hawk their wares.

“Come, Elder Han. Walk alongside me. It has been a while since I have visited the Outer Exchange,” Yao Shen requested more than commanded, but as Patriarch most of what he said was construed as the latter, whether he liked it or not.

Elder Han tried to hide his confusion with the Patriarch’s actions, but he hid it well. The Council of Elders would undoubtedly be rankled when they realized he was fooling around in the outer sect, but Yao Shen was more inclined to enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds he had previously taken for granted. And as a Human Dao Cultivator, the very action of experiencing the lives of sentient beings was cultivation, though it could not be trained or bruteforced like he had with many other Minor Daos.

The strong sense of spice wafted over from the Outer Exchange, piquing his attention. His divine sense traced the origin, a small stall run by a young girl likely no older than fifteen. Her silky black hair, green eyes and unblemished features were nothing out of ordinary in the cultivation world, as she stirred a large cauldron with her tiny hands, but the motion was completely effortless. Two disciples sat on wooden stools, their expressions satisfied as they enjoyed the warm soup, but there were four more vacant seats adjacent to them.

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Intrigued, he headed for the stall, with Elder Han walking alongside him. He did notice the gazes of the disciples falling upon him but none lingered too long, the disciples likely already been warned by the Foundation Establishment Guardians not to disturb him. He seated himself upon the stool without making a noise, and Elder Han complied, not considering a wooden stool beneath his station, one of the reasons why he was good company. A legacy would no doubt have made his displeasure clear at being in the presence of outer disciples, let alone eating alongside them.

“Two bowls,” Yao Shen calmly asked, a natural confidence flowing into his words even when he did not intend to impose himself upon the surrounding disciples, but a two hundred year old persona was not so easily shattered.

The young disciple looked up, her hands almost fumbling the oversized ladle as she stuttered over her words, like she had seen a ghost, “P-P-Patriarch….”

Yao Shen almost felt guilty, seeing the girl’s spooked expression. Drawing upon his reserves of Human Dao, he envisioned a few memories from his time upon earth and projected the emotion of ‘comfort’.

“It’s okay. We are just here to enjoy the sights of the outer sects,” His voice’s pitch and temper seemed to change, but it would manifest differently for every person and Yao Shen himself did not know how. It was only one of the aspects the heavenly blessing had taught him, making Yao Shen himself curious of the effects.

Elder Han felt a chill down his spine as he heard Yao Shen speak to the young disciple, his hands trembling as he gazed at the Patriarch with an expression of abject shock. His mortal father had passed over a hundred years ago, but Yao Shen’s voice was identical to his father, the words bringing him warmth and unearthing memories that he had long forgotten. The world of cultivation had transformed him from a mortal merchant’s son to a figure that struck terror into the hearts of the Heavenly Sky Sect’s foes, but why…. why….

Why, even after a hundred years, the memory of his rotund, cheerful father embracing him tightly before he left for his sect bring a single, solitary tear to his eye?

“Elder Han?” Yao Shen asked, both confused and slightly concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Hmm…….? Yes, Patriarch,” Elder Han snapped out of a daze as he hurriedly wiped the tear from his eyes, before looking up at the sky. “It must be raining outside,” he added, undoubtedly flustered as he probed with his divine sense to be sure that no one else detected that disgraceful scene.

"Indeed, it must be,” Yao Shen added seriously, his head bobbing in agreement, even though the thought of rain getting past the sect formation was laughable. A cultivator’s pride was a delicate thing, one often more greatly valued than his very life itself— thus certain situations needed to be managed by a deft touch.

“Yes, Patriarch. It is an honor to serve you,” the young girl finally replied, with a bright smile on her face, intriguing Yao Shen. He had no doubt that it was his actions that prompted such a strong reaction from Elder Han, while it seemed to have rid the girl of her insecurities, at least for a short period of time. The act of projecting emotions was a harmless one, it only highlighted the certain emotion Yao Shen had selected, and even then it could not control their actions. But to be able to influence a Nascent Soul Cultivator when he had just used it casually…. Human Dao was truly terrifying.

Two bowls were placed in front of them a second later, the other two customers already having hastily departed after leaving payment. To eat alongside the Patriarch and an Elder was an intimidating prospect for most, let alone two Qi Formation cultivators, so he did not stop them.

Yao Shen’s divine sense detected a disturbance behind him, the shadows his back was casting beginning to roil and shift before they formed the vague silhouette of a human, whose features got clearer by the minute. A woman dressed in pitch black robes materialized behind Yao Shen and Elder Han, but neither of them were alarmed by her arrival. The shadows cast by their backs abandoned them, forming a cloak around the woman’s back that only served to further intimidate the disciples around her. Her white hair shimmered under the sunlight, her violet eyes staring at Yao Shen’s back but her face remained emotionless. She appeared to be in her early twenties, her short, lithe frame concealing the ferocious strength contained within. Her right hand rested upon a sheathed dagger, her eyes suspiciously flashing as she took in the surroundings and every face in the vicinity.

“Shadow,” Yao Shen acknowledged, but the seemingly young girl ignored him as she walked to his side and scooped a mouthful of soup from his bowl with his spoon, before cautiously sipping it.

“It is not poisoned,” she calmly stated, pulling out a fresh spoon from her void storage and gently placing it back into the bowl, before retreating a few steps and maintaining a watchful eye on the surroundings.

Yao Shen just sighed.

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