Ascension of the immortal Asura

John's eyes went wide as Laia's soft lips pressed to his without warning. An ocean of emotions flooded his mind instantly. Shock, disbelief, perplexation, euphoria. He raised his hands to push her back, and then his mind went blank.

His raised hands wrapped around her tightly, pulling her into his embrace. He didn't know why he did this, but he didn't care either. This was what he wanted, as much as he had tried to convince himself otherwise.

A soft sound escaped Laia's lips, the sound making John's knees weak. The feeling of her hot breath, the sweet taste of her lips, all of it nearly overwhelmed him. The soul-seed within him burned with passionate emotions, as Laia's feelings flooded into him from both her lips as well as the soul-seed, amplifying the sensations he felt tenfold. His mind burned with passionate wanting. He wanted more, so much more. He embraced Laia even tighter, feeling her soft body press against his.

And then through the passion, John finally regained a shred of awareness. Lilian, his master, as well as the Grand Abbot, were right there, watching. After what felt like only a second as well as an eternity, their lips parted as John pushed Laia away softly.

She gave a brief resistance as if she did not want to part just yet, but gave in and took a step back. John's heartbeat raced within his chest, and sped up once more as he saw the rosy-red complexion of Laia's perfect face stare at him, blushing with embarrassment.

"I…." Laia mumbled, her face red and thoughts swirling chaotically.

Ahem!

A light cough sounded out beside them, the two of them turning to look at Lilian. Her expression was blank, unreadable, as she stared at the two of them.

The red blush on Laia's cheeks reddened even more as she realized the company she had kissed John in front of.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically to Lilian as well as the Grand Abbot.

"Youthful passion is nothing to be sorry about," The Grand Abbot said, a wide smile on his face. "You should appreciate such things while you are still young."

Laia nodded at him thankfully, and then glanced sheepishly towards Lilian, whose expression was still blank.

"Do you need some more time alone before we leave?" Lilian asked, turning to John.

"No," John shook his head, pushing down the emotions he was feeling as best he could. While he wanted to say yes, now was not the time for that. In fact, it was the absolute worst time for that, which was something he greatly regretted. Lilian nodded her head.

"The plans are set," she said evenly, "the sooner we leave, the better. I don't know what those two are planning, but giving them more time to plan is not something I want to do."

John nodded his head, his hazy gaze firming up. He wanted more, but that was impossible for now. He turned back towards Laia, who stared at him with a slightly dazed expression. Clearly she had not been able to push down her emotions yet as John had just done.

"I'll be patiently waiting for your return," she said cheerfully, a radiant smile appearing on her face. It was as beautiful a smile as John had ever seen, or perhaps would ever see in his entire lifetime.

John smiled back at her, and then turned his attention towards the Grand Abbot.

"I know you cannot help me per your monastery rules," he said firmly, "but…"

The Grand Abbot smiled lightly, knowing what was on John's mind. He always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"While I cannot help you, the monastery has no rules on providing shelter for those not on the path of the Divine," the Grand Abbot said warmly. "I will shelter this girl for as long as I can, but do know that such a thing will only be a temporary buffer from the Asura's grasp. There will come a day where he will come for her despite the risks, and I'm afraid I must choose my monastery over her when that day comes. That is all I can do for you, I'm afraid," he said, his voice and face apologetic.

John nodded his head thankfully. "That is more than enough for now. Thank you," he said, and then turned back to Laia.

"Wait for me," he said, gaze firm and unwavering. "When I return, the fate that has burdened you will be eradicated from this world for good."

Laia smiled radiantly once more, her face having zero doubt on it at all.

"Until we meet again," she said softly, grabbing his hands, leaning forward again, kissing his cheek lightly. John let the moment consume him for an instant, before his mind firmed up once more. Laia took a step back, and smiled at him warmly. It was a smile of love, tinged with sadness.

Who knew how long it would be until he returned. It would be years at the very least, as he would need to raise his strength to a level that could defeat the Asura. John stared at Laia for a moment, painting a picture of her face in this very moment in his mind. It was a moment he would want to never forget.

And then he turned around, his gaze firm, his mind steeled with resolve. His gaze locked with Lilian, and he nodded his head.

"Let's go," he said.

Lilian nodded, and her power began to flare in the rock garden. Her hands began to move in a mesmerizing motion, while a thick aura of the Dao of Space began to radiate outwards. The aura gradually condensed towards her hands, until it appeared as her hands had turned into spatial chaos itself.

Her hands then moved in a wide circle before her, carving a line into space wherever they moved. The line in space remained locked in place, as if she were carving runes into the very fabric of space itself. Her hands formed a complete circle, which then started to glow with a multitude of colors, the colors of spatial chaos. The process had taken a few minutes, but now seemed complete.

The circle then enlarged outwards until it was seven feet wide, large enough for them to step through. A hazy image of a land on the other side of the spatial circle came into view, with several figures waiting on the other side.

"Prepare yourself. Once we step forward, there is no going back, " Lilian said, and then stepped into the portal.

John stepped up to it, and wanted to turn around once more, but didn't dare do so. He had finally firmed his mind and resolve, and needed both at a pinnacle state for what was to come.

His hard gaze stared at the spatial portal before him.

'All this time, I pushed away anyone who showed me any form of affection,' John thought to himself. 'At the time, I figured such things would only be a distraction, one that would lead me astray, and make me weak,' he thought to himself.

When it came to the emotions of others, John was not stupid. He had noticed the gazes of the females who had been interested in him, including the likes of Iris as well as many others. He had ignored them all, as he thought of love and affection as nothing but a distraction. He needed full focus on his cultivation until he reached the pinnacle of the martial world, and only then would he allow himself to feel such things.

He shook his head at himself, and how foolish he had been. Affection, love, was not a distraction. It was a motivation. The ultimate motivation. John had never felt more motivated in his life to raise his strength, to obtain power that no one could defy. Motivation to obtain strength to shelter Laia from the rains, the Asura, and even the heavens itself. Laia had given him a gift more wonderful than she could ever know.

"Thank you," John said out loud without looking back, and then he stepped toward the spatial portal, disappearing within.