Heavenly Wheel Ascension

Zhi Xuan did not turn around immediately. He continued to gaze toward the sea of clouds, letting his brown robe flutter against the increasingly fierce mountain wind. Behind him, Mo Chen remained frozen. The youth did not dare to lift his face, yet his irregular heartbeat was clearly audible to Zhi Xuan’s sharp ears.

"Hundreds of years have passed, yet the Southern Region will always remember that time," Zhi Xuan’s voice broke the silence without him turning. "Little brat—or should I call you a Soul Transformation expert—have you come to seek your revenge?"

Mo Chen jolted, his body feeling as though it had been struck by an invisible sledgehammer. That voice—low, raspy, yet possessing an authority capable of shaking the very foundations of his soul—was the same voice that had echoed in his dreams for a hundred years.

Slowly, with stiff movements as if every joint were made of rusted stone, Mo Chen lifted his face. His reddened eyes stared at Zhi Xuan’s back. Disregarding his dignity as a respected Soul Transformation expert under the protection of the Shen Ancient Clan, Mo Chen bowed his body low.

"That black-and-white robe... I finally see it again, though it is different," Mo Chen’s voice trembled. "When I was hated by the Mo descendants themselves for seeing a Devil as my senior and teacher, how could I still harbor a grudge?"

"I ensured I cared for my mother until the end of her life," Mo Chen continued, lifting his gaze once more. "Then, Holy Maiden Shen picked me up... no, she gave me a path to grow from a small boy until I could stand here today. I have come to understand many times that the sadness I once saw in that Devil figure was the way humans lose their humanity when they become practitioners."

Zhi Xuan turned his body slowly, letting the moonlight illuminate his face, which was usually as cold as marble. But this time, a tiny ripple of humanity appeared behind his sapphire pupils as he looked at Mo Chen. He saw a remarkable transformation; the boy who once wailed upon the mud of blood now possessed steadfast bones and a mind tempered by storms.

However, it was Xiao Die and Ao Sheng who suddenly darted out from the collar of his robe, the two of them manifesting back into a young woman and a young man. Their eyes showed recognition as they stared at Mo Chen, remembering how they had witnessed Zhi Xuan destroy the Mo Family, only to leave behind a seed that had now grown beyond what Zhi Xuan had ever imagined.

"You truly did not fall," Xiao Die whispered, her voice like the rustle of wind through leaves. "Back then, in the courtyard filled with blood, I thought the seed Senior planted would wither from hatred. Yet, you instead absorbed that darkness to become a light for yourself."

"And a Soul Transformation expert?" Ao Sheng interjected, stepping forward until he was directly in front of Mo Chen, their heights equal. "Reaching Soul Transformation in just a hundred years... even Senior took longer to achieve that. Such speed would make even the geniuses of the Ancient Clans envious."

Mo Chen merely gazed for a moment at the two figures before him who had emerged from Zhi Xuan. He could feel an aura of existence equal to his own. He quickly shifted his expression, showing a thin smile filled with both recognition and challenge.

"Perhaps that is true," Mo Chen replied, clasping his hands in front of his chest, his eyes flashing with acknowledgement rather than subservience. "Holy Beasts that have transformed... it is an honor to meet such ancient bloodlines. And, thank you for the compliment."

"You consider that a compliment?" Xiao Die countered, the sash adorning her arms glowing faintly. "To me, you are merely a sword whose blade hasn't been sharpened. You have your own light, but that does not mean you can stand here and look at us like that."

Instantly, a heavy pressure from the celestial moth struck the air, attempting to force Mo Chen to lower his body. Mo Chen stood tall and did not budge. Instead, his aura clashed with Xiao Die’s, creating an unavoidable tension. Mo Chen smiled coldly as he stared at the two figures.

"A blade thought to be blunt often hides an unimaginable edge when unsheathed," Mo Chen retorted. "It does not mean you can make me kneel beneath this sky to anyone other than Senior. If you are displeased with my achievements, do you dare to exchange a few techniques with me?"

Mo Chen blurred into a streak of light and reappeared beneath the starry sky. He walked upon the air, looking down and extending his hand. It was as if he were inviting an ordinary person to spar, rather than celestial insects that had undergone transformation.

The atmosphere on the peak, which had been calm, suddenly turned razor-sharp, as if thousands of invisible needles filled the air. Xiao Die narrowed her jewel-like eyes, feeling the surge of energy from Mo Chen that was so pure yet filled with hidden lethality.

"How bold," Xiao Die hissed, darting forward and reappearing in the sky, dozens of zhang in front of Mo Chen. "Thinking you can be arrogant just because you met Senior again? You are nothing more than the little brat from that time who is now biting back. A sheep will never know what it feels like to be the shepherd."

Mo Chen only responded with a low laugh. "And what if all of that is reversed? If the sheep crawls from the deepest darkness, then the shepherd shall no longer command the sheep."

"Enough nonsense!" Xiao Die roared, raising both hands. Her sash glowed, creating a golden circle in the air. "Beneath this sky, I will show you the meaning of true power!"

She spread her arms, and instantly, thousands of golden light petals emerged from nothingness, swirling around her like a beautiful yet deadly storm. "Transformation Art: Thousand Wings Piercing the Night!" The petals shot forward like thousands of spiritual needles, slicing through the air with a deafening whistle. Each shard of light contained an illusory poison capable of paralyzing an opponent's consciousness in an instant.

Mo Chen remained calm amidst the rain of light. He took a deep breath, and suddenly, a dark purple aura exploded from his presence. Above the sky, a circular formation with a black-and-white vortex appeared. From it emerged nine embers followed by overflowing lightning, forming a massive dragon that roared sharply.

"Nine Embers Burning the Heavens!" Mo Chen moved his hands downward, and the great dragon roared and lunged through the air. The dragon descended, colliding with the thousands of light petals.

Above the sky, successive explosions of light occurred, drawing the attention of the Heavenly Path Pavilion disciples in the distance as they stared wide-eyed at the two figures battling in the heavens.

"Who is that?!" one disciple shrieked, eyes wide toward the sky. "Who is fighting above the hill where the Shadow Elder is?!"

"Two experts who look like Soul Transformation... how can they be fighting?!" another disciple exclaimed. "Is there a guest who met an old friend and is fighting to greet them?!"

The explosions on the midnight horizon created ripples of energy that swept away the mist around the Pine Peak of Silence. Mo Chen’s ember dragon lunged fiercely, swallowing Xiao Die’s storm of light petals in a roar that shook the mountain's foundation. The meeting of the two opposing energies created flashes of lightning that painted the sky with contrasting shades of purple and gold.

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Xiao Die charged forward, and Mo Chen met her head-on. They clashed in the air like streaks of light colliding repeatedly; every time the two lights met, a bone-shaking boom echoed like thunder from the heavens.

The battle above the midnight horizon grew increasingly intense, like a dance of death between two clashing stars. Xiao Die, with the elegance of a fairy yet the ferocity of an ancient insect, darted between the gaps of Mo Chen’s lightning aura. Every time her sash snapped, the air froze and shattered into sharp fragments.

"Is this all your hundred years have yielded?!" Xiao Die cried out, her voice echoing between the thuds of energy. She spun in the air, creating a vortex of golden light. "Transformation Art: Flapping of Heaven and Earth!"

Instantly, the air around Xiao Die became as fine as thread, yet capable of slicing clouds and as sharp as a sword. Feathers began to manifest from the sky. With a light motion, Xiao Die raised her hand, pointing toward Mo Chen and directing those feathers toward the youth without restraint.

"Go," Xiao Die’s voice sounded like a judgment, signaling one of her most powerful arts. "Carve every inch of skin off that youth for me."

Mo Chen narrowed his eyes, feeling the incredibly sharp cutting aura from the golden feathers rushing toward him. He did not retreat but took a firm stance in the void. His hands moved quickly, forming complex hand seals, and suddenly his Divine Wheel radiated a blinding light from behind his chest.

"Bell of Creation: Gods and Devils!" The echo of Mo Chen's voice was like a struck death knell. A transparent shadow of a giant bell, ten depa high, appeared to envelop his body.

The surface of the bell was carved with a strange sight: one side displayed serene, holy faces, while the other side showed the roars of devils from the deepest hell. Ting—! The ripples from the bell's tolling traveled outward, canceling the sharpness of Xiao Die’s golden feathers just before they touched Mo Chen's skin. The resulting explosion of energy created a dome of light that momentarily blinded the disciples below.

The violent tremors from the collision of two high-level techniques created spatial ripples that nearly tore the cloud veil. Xiao Die was pushed back several steps in the air, her breathing slightly labored, while Mo Chen stood tall within the protection of his giant bell with an increasingly sharp gaze.

"That bell..." Ao Sheng muttered from below, his golden eyes narrowing. "That technique contains the essence of two polar opposites. How can an ordinary human balance holy intent and devil intent in one vessel without exploding their own meridians?"

Zhi Xuan remained standing calmly, but his heart vibrated at Mo Chen's progress. That bell was the manifestation of the technique Mo Chen had developed over the last hundred years—a struggle between gratitude toward the Devil who saved him and the burden of honor from the Holy Clan that took him in.

"Interesting," Xiao Die hissed in the sky. Her beautiful face was now shrouded in a dense purple aura. "If you want to play with bells, then I shall give you a death song!"

She no longer attacked with flower petals, but concentrated her entire essence into a single point in her palm. A ball of light that pulsed unstable appeared, radiating a sense of destruction capable of erasing a Soul Transformation expert in an instant.

Mo Chen responded by concentrating his entire essence in his palm as well, forming a disc that glowed with an aura of darkness and smoldered like black fire gathering in his hand. Both of them smiled coldly and, for a moment, threw the two techniques imagined to be the end of the fight.

"Perish!" Xiao Die screamed, thrusting the ball of light.

"Crumble!" Mo Chen countered with a roar that shook the sky.

BOOOOM—!!!

The collision created an explosion that produced no sound in the first second, but rather a shockwave that swept away all clouds within a radius of hundreds of zhang. Blinding light swallowed the mountain peak, turning the dark night into a brilliance as bright as a cursed noon.

However, before the two forces could truly explode and collapse the peak, a far more majestic pressure—an unquestionable authority—descended from the sky. Zhi Xuan moved his hand, his palm closing and canceling the collision of techniques as if they were swallowed by the void.

"Enough." He waved his hand again, making the night sky above the hill calm once more.

Xiao Die and Mo Chen returned to stand before him. Both figures clasped their hands in front of their chests, though they still shot sharp glances at one another. The tension between them remained, causing sparks of lightning to clash between them.

Zhi Xuan let out a soft sigh, shaking his head for a moment. "You would truly level the newly risen Heavenly Path Pavilion if you exchanged techniques without considering your surroundings."

Zhi Xuan stepped forward, each footfall in the air creating transparent ripples that calmed the remnants of wild energy still crackling in the atmosphere. He stopped exactly between Xiao Die and Mo Chen, his brown-robed figure appearing like a pillar separating two storms that had just subsided.

"Xiao Die, return. You have tested the depth of this pond enough," Zhi Xuan said flatly.

Xiao Die huffed, her golden sash dimming as she floated gracefully back to Ao Sheng’s side. Although her face still showed displeasure, there was a glimmer of recognition in her hidden eyes. "Hmph, next time I will truly level that arrogant face of yours."

Ao Sheng merely shook his head slowly. "Enough, Xiao Die. He... truly deserves recognition. Besides, there would be no winner even if you fought for hundreds of years."

Zhi Xuan turned his gaze, now focused entirely on Mo Chen, who was still regulating his heavy breathing. The youth immediately lowered his body, no longer showing sharp fangs as he had when facing Xiao Die. Before Zhi Xuan, Mo Chen returned to being the figure staring at the back of the Devil amidst the rain of blood a hundred years ago.

"Soul Transformation," Zhi Xuan said, his voice now softening. "You have truly exceeded my expectations, Mo Chen."

Mo Chen knelt on one knee, his head bowed low. "Every breath I have taken since that day has been a gamble, Senior. To chase after your receding shadow, and now, I have finally met you again."

"Never kneel, if you do not want yourself to fall into the abyss," Zhi Xuan interrupted. "Beneath this sky, all mortals are grass waiting to be cut by the blade of heaven."

Zhi Xuan moved his finger, causing Mo Chen to rise with his energy. "You are no longer the boy adorned in blood like that time. Now, you are a follower of the Shen Ancient Clan, and you have your own Dao."

"But Senior," Mo Chen countered, finally lifting his gaze. "After meeting you, I wish to follow you on your journey."

Zhi Xuan was taken aback. He stepped closer to Mo Chen and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The bond you share with the Shen Ancient Clan is not something you can sever with a single word, Mo Chen."

"Holy Maiden Shen gave you a place of shelter and sharpened your fangs," Zhi Xuan continued. "I am one who will always wander, encountering many dangers and untold destruction. One day, if you are strong enough to tear the sky above your head with your own hands, then you will be worthy of following me."

Mo Chen was stunned, feeling the weight of Zhi Xuan’s hand on his shoulder not as oppression, but as a heavy recognition. "Does Senior mean... I am still too weak?" Mo Chen whispered, his voice hoarse. "For a hundred years I forged my body, crawling from the abyss of death, only to hear that I am still not worthy?"

Zhi Xuan released his hand, turning his back to Mo Chen to look at the moon tilting westward. "Weak and strong are like the turning of a Divine Wheel. If you feel you are strong, then why do you seek my shadow? Strength is when you become your own shadow, not someone else's."

"The Dao is not about how fast you run to chase someone’s back," Zhi Xuan continued. "But about how deep you plant your footsteps upon this earth. If you only follow my shadow, then when the sun sets, you too will vanish in a darkness that is not your own."

Zhi Xuan turned again to face Mo Chen. His brown robe disappeared, replaced by the familiar black-and-white robe. "You worship me, looking at me as your path. Without realizing it, worship will only bring you closer to your own death. Your path is your own. The Dao is the path you have established for yourself."

Mo Chen froze upon seeing the black-and-white robe once again draping Zhi Xuan’s body. The sight was like an ancient painting emerging from a historical scroll, bringing with it a cold aura so dense that the dew on the tips of the pine needles instantly turned into ice crystals. He felt as if time had stopped, and the figure before him was the sole center of the world.

"Senior..." Mo Chen murmured, his throat choked with swelling emotion. He saw a silent majesty, a void that was nevertheless filled with every form of power.

Zhi Xuan lifted his hand, his pale fingers moving slowly through the air, catching a shard of moonlight. "I destroyed the Mo Family not out of hatred, but because of a curse from heaven. I let you live not out of pity, but because I wanted to see if a seed grown upon blood-soaked soil could pierce the heavens."

"You came to surrender yourself and become my follower," Zhi Xuan stated. "I will not be your teacher, nor will I be your guide or consider you my follower. Instead, I shall consider you my junior."

Mo Chen closed his eyes, letting the tears he had been holding back fall down his cheeks—not out of sadness, but because the heavy burden on his soul finally felt slightly lifted. "Junior..." he whispered with a trembling voice. "I... this junior accepts Senior’s decree."

Ao Sheng and Xiao Die glanced at each other. They did not dare to speak, knowing that if their Senior considered someone a junior, it was not like a follower serving someone they followed. Rather, it was an acknowledgement that the person was strong.