Close to the heart of the Divine Martial Continent, a massive city that stretched farther than the eye could see rested at the base of a picturesque mountain range, which housed several majestic valleys in between.
On top of these mountains and within these valleys was another sprawling city, much smaller but far more grand than the empire around it. Floating islands hovered above the lush valleys, each housing multiple grand buildings.
The highest and largest floating landmass housed a massive palace, far grander and more luxurious than even those around it. The palace was colored white, light blue, and gold, and was surrounded by luxurious fountains, statues, and other ornate decorations.
Deep within this luxurious temple was a massive chamber with a kingly throne on the far end, which was currently empty except for one person on the throne. On this throne sat a singular figure, who had long black hair, piercing eyes, and a handsome, clean shaven face. The man appeared to be in his thirties or early forties, but it was clear that he was far older than that.
The man sat in silence with a scroll in his hand, reading over something of importance. His actions were calm and simple, and yet he still carried a regal and kingly aura around him, like it was as natural as breathing. Just looking at the man would make weaker cultivators feel the urge to bend the knee before him and serve.
While reading the scroll, the man's gaze suddenly shifted upwards as he stared at the ceiling above him.
At that moment, two figures appeared high above the floating palace, hovering as they stared down at it. A powerful yet translucent barrier blocked their way towards the palace, as it was guarded by a profoundly powerful formation barrier. A scoff of disdain boomed out of one of the figures' mouths, who curled back an arm as if about to unleash a devastating punch.
Inside the palace, the man's eyes narrowed slightly, and after a brief pause, he waved his hand to the side. Above the palace, the formation barrier silently parted just as the figure was about to unleash his attack, which would have devastated the surrounding area and alerted all to his presence.
"Hmph," the figure scoffed once more as he flashed forward, followed by the one standing beside him. They both quickly appeared within the throne room, standing directly before the man seated on the throne. The two parties stared at each other in silence for a moment, as the black-haired man closely inspected the two before him.
His gaze was calm and collected, but it was easy to tell that he was quite interested in what had happened to the two.
"I recently arrived at the outskirts of a battle," the black-haired man started to speak and tilted his head slightly to the side as he rested his right cheek on his closed fist. "A battle which seemed to exceed the limits of this world. It's caused quite the clamorous discussion, as everyone is trying to figure out the truth of what had occurred, and who had taken part in that battle," the man said, as a small yet calm smile appeared on his face.
"I had my suspicions as well, and it appears that my suspicions were true," the man continued as he eyed the one before him up and down. "What I didn't expect is that the outcome of that battle would leave you in such a sorry state. Just who could have pushed you, an Asura, to such lengths?"
Boom!
The Asura stepped towards the man, his angered step shaking the entire palace. Clearly he had been enraged by the man's words, and lack of fear or respect.
"Your cultivation rises a bit with the gifts I showered you with, and you think you are worthy of speaking as an equal to me?" the Asura growled menacingly as he stood directly before the man. Despite the man being seated on the elevated throne, the two were eye to eye, only several feet apart. The Asura stared at the man as if he were contemplating on whether or not to kill him for his insulting words, his actions causing the man to scoff in amusement.
"Do not try to scare me with these petty threats," the man replied dismissively, as if the devil-like Asura before him was of no concern to him. "Your strength may still be beyond mine, but your recent…battle…has lowered your combat prowess to a level that even I dare to wonder what would happen should we fight to the death right now," the man continued, amusement and curiosity clear in his tone, while his gaze narrowed as if he were truly considering it at the moment.
The Asura narrowed its eyes and growled with rising displeasure, but did not make a move on the man before him. The man before him was of no concern before, but after his battle with the Jade Dragon Emperor, his strength had fallen considerably. Until he recovered from the battle, the man before him was potentially strong enough to cause him trouble.
The two stared at each other with testing gazes for a moment before the black-haired man's testing gaze was replaced with a slightly amused one once again.
"Naturally we both need each other to fulfill our goals, so killing each other would not be in the best interest of either of us," the black-haired man said. "And as for you, you needed my help to recover your full strength before your battle…and it now appears that you need that help more than ever, so do not try to scare me into doing your bidding. You need me far more than I need you right now."
The Asura growled once again in displeasure, like a beast staring at prey it wanted to devour but could not reach. However, it made no actions towards the man, proving his words to be right.
"Fulfill your end of the bargain," the Asura growled. "You have yet to provide what you promised, and you best provide it quickly. Should I find another method of recovering my strength, I'll make sure that you are among the first to perish when I bring this world to ruin!"
The black-haired man gazed calmly at the Asura as if its threats were of no concern at all.
"You will receive my assistance, when the time is right," the man replied calmly. "You can only blame your own nature for the time this is taking. Your aura alone would kill my daughter should she try to heal you right now, let alone what she will have to endure while actually healing you. She will need to be at least in the peak of the Dao Transformation Realm to withstand your malevolent energy, or perhaps even higher. Once she has reached the required realm, I will uphold my end of the bargain, and even then, she will most likely perish in the process, which is a monumental loss for my Empire. Until then, all you can do is wait, for if there was another option to regain your former strength, you would have done it already."
