Against Heaven's Will

.

Xuefeng was seated in a meditative posture, his eyes closed and his face etched in a peaceful smile. The Earth Flame he had absorbed was a fascinating entity, a molten sphere of scorching energy that throbbed and pulsated within him. It was a force of untamed power, yet it responded to his commands, merging seamlessly with his own Fire Qi to create a fiery concoction of unimaginable power.

His eyes suddenly snapped open, locking onto the multiple sources of golden flames that danced around him and his group. With a flex of his wrist, the Fire Stone embedded within his Elemental Bracelet shone brightly, as if a miniature sun had taken residence on his arm.

For a fleeting moment, the golden flames that danced around everyone seemed to freeze, their flickering movements ceasing, held in suspension by an invisible hand. Xuefeng only smiled as the flames obeyed an invisible command and converged around him in a hypnotic swirl, spiraling like loyal subjects around a king.

"Now I can not only resist the flames with my Dragon Bloodline but also control any flame that's weaker than a Golden Earth Flame," Xuefeng muttered in satisfaction, his gaze turning toward the Earth Flame Spirit that attempted to rebel against his authority. "You can resist all you want, but you are powerless against me."

The Earth Flame Spirit roared and spat out a torrent of fire, but Xuefeng didn't flinch. He waved his hand, halting the flames in midair. He took a step closer and collapsed the Earth Flame with the full force of the Elemental Bracelet. The Earth Flame Spirit cried out as it failed to resist, finally calming down as Xuefeng gained access to its power. He didn't actually want to take the spirit for himself, but he needed to restrict it enough to let Lisa absorb it fully.

"Lisa, now that everyone has gotten their portion, it's your turn to receive the rest," Xuefeng suggested as he encouraged her to approach. "You worked the hardest and you will make the best use of it. Now that I control it, you can safely do what you want without much resistance."

He gave her a choice: to fully absorb the Earth Flame or invite the Spirit to use her Soul as its new home. She didn't hesitate to choose the latter.

"It's okay, you can release it. I want it to follow me of its own accord since the synergy of the flame with an Alchemist is quite helpful for Alchemy," Lisa replied as she extended her palm to the Earth Flame. "We helped you recover your strength and reach a new peak. Would you rather sit in this pit doing nothing forever or would you rather follow me and create wonders?"

The Earth Flame Spirit hesitated, uncertain about what to do, but the decision was already made. With a dance of its arms, the Earth Flame Spirit shot forward and entered Lisa's Soul, fusing with it and becoming a part of her.

"How do you feel?" Xuefeng asked, sensing no discomfort.

"It's a little stranger than before, but I'm fine. I can sense the Spirit's presence and it's eager to cooperate," Lisa replied as she looked at him excitedly. "Since I have a lot of herbs left, I can now start experimenting with new recipes. I will try to produce a couple of Tier 6 pills and see how they work."

"Take your time. I don't know how long we'll be in the God Realm, but we will return as soon as we find the two Elemental Stones," Xuefeng informed her as he pondered numerous possibilities. "I will be canceling my Time Manipulation ability in case we are forced to stay longer. I don't want you to end up alone for months."

"It's okay; I will have Yiren stay with me, so don't worry about me. Just do what you need to get stronger," Lisa replied while hugging him goodbye. "After all, you're the one who is going to become a Constellation. You need as much power as you can get, and completing the Elemental Bracelet is a major step."

"I will do my best," Xuefeng nodded as he kissed her, knowing how important this was. Unless he could gather all the Elemental Stones and potentially control Fate Qi, it would be hard to fulfill his destiny of defeating the King of Heaven.

That was also only the first step in raising his power, as he still needed to gather high-quality sources of Qi to strengthen his elements. He had only the Earth Flame to boost his control of the Fire Element, but he couldn't guarantee victory against any other element. Anyone who had completed their second refining would be able to overpower him with their Qi alone, and he couldn't allow that to happen.

Xuefeng turned towards Yiren, her elvish beauty preserved despite the blood of dragons flowing through her veins. It turned out she had been able to regain her Elvish Bloodline and could keep it as long as she didn't abuse the Half-Dragon form.

"We'll be back soon, Yiren," he promised softly, taking her hands into his own. "Make sure to tame lots of beasts while we're gone."

"I will," she whispered, taking her time to savor a kiss she knew she would miss for a while. "Now, go. It has been a long time since we discovered the location of the stones. I'm sure that man has already left."

"Alright," Xuefeng nodded, holding her gaze for another lingering moment before releasing her hands and turning to the rest. "Everyone, you heard her. Gather around and let's depart."

His wives nodded, their faces reflecting a complex cocktail of anticipation, excitement, and uncertainty. They had been in this Realm for a whole month and they yearned for a real fight. Xuefeng pulled out the mysterious cube from his spatial ring, and Ling absorbed everyone into her world, leaving only Drakos outside.

As Xuefeng prepared to activate the cube, both spotted a figure in the sky, and a distant voice interrupted their departure.

"Wait! Wait for me!"

It was none other than the red-haired Ryan who had come with them to Emi's Realm, but they had completely forgotten about his existence. "Ryan! You came just in time. We were about to leave for the God Realm," Xuefeng informed him with an awkward smile. "Where have you been all this time?"

"What do you mean? I've been training this whole time in the nearby forest. I just didn't want to stay near your wives while you were away," Ryan explained as he landed. "I'm down to follow whatever plans you have. I've been bored just training and killing beasts."

"Well, then let's go," Xuefeng nodded and activated the cube.

It momentarily enlarged and sucked them inside, filling their surroundings with darkness. The journey took much less time this time; the cube spat them out a moment later into a familiar dark room within the tree.

Xuefeng went on alert, expecting an ambush from the opposing party, but they were greeted by a single old man sitting on a wooden throne. He seemed to be sleeping, but the moment he sensed the intruders, his eyes snapped open, a pair of blue eyes staring at them.

"You've finally decided to show up. I almost thought someone had already killed you before I had the chance," the old man said with a sigh, his eyes gazing at the group. "I know what you've come for, so let's cut to the chase. Why don't we fight one-on-one, just the two of us?"

"I don't mind. Just come here with your real body instead of your avatar," Xuefeng replied as he relaxed. "You might be able to fool my eyes, but you can't fool the Elemental Bracelet."

It was clear the old man in front of them didn't have the Elemental Stones on him, or else his bracelet would have gone crazy in alarm.

"Hah, to think I got exposed so quickly. I knew you wouldn't fall into my trap this easily," the old man laughed, his body morphing into a tall and lean figure. "Anyway, my offer still stands. If you can make it to the Godly Arena alive, I will fight you for the two Elemental Stones in my possession."

As the old man spoke, his body began decomposing and turning into a swarm of dark bugs that soon blocked the exit. "Just to be fair, I'll reveal that every expert in this Realm knows about your arrival. Once any of those bugs touch your body, you'll be forever marked and chased until you're dead. Good luck."

The old man's head turned into bugs as soon as he finished speaking, and they all flew towards Xuefeng in an attempt to bite him. Despite being surrounded, he only snorted and snapped his fingers, releasing his newly acquired Earth Flame.

A wave of golden flames rushed forward and devoured the swarm, burning them into ashes. The fire quickly spread onto the tree, and the entire room was soon engulfed in flames. It took only a few seconds before they saw the sky again, the sounds of the forest greeting their ears.

"This is where the real fun begins," Xuefeng muttered, his lips curving into a grin.