While all was calm within the divine realm, the outside world was a buzz of clamor and chaos. The makeshift city was alive with activity, as most of its inhabitants celebrated the outcome of the trials, feasting and drinking to their hearts content.
Most of the inhabitants that were unhappy with the outcome of the final trial had already left, leaving only the happy celebrants remaining. The Honorable Alliance was a buzz of joy and elation, and many neutral powers were joining in as well. The Honorable Alliance was swarmed with offers of alliances with these neutral powers, or requests to join it outright.
Many of these powers had been neutral for tens of thousands of years, and had remained powerful beacons of might on the Divine Martial Continent, but they had changed their minds without second guessing themselves at all.
Many of these neutral powers knew that cozying up and even joining before that happened would bring more benefits than it cost them to join, and so the Honorable Alliance was flooded with requests to join or ally, from lowly powers, to pinnacle ones that stood at the top of the world.
The events of the final battles were too shocking to ignore. The two strongest remaining were John and Lilian. Both had shown levels of genius and combat prowess that shocked everyone to their core, their talent at a level that no one could ignore. If both were able to grow to their limits, both would no doubt become paragons of the world, standing above all else.
And both belonged to the Honorable Alliance, and even more shockingly, a single sect within the alliance, the Heavenly Lightning Sect. The members of the Heavenly Lighting Sect that had gathered felt happier than anyone else in the city, elated by both John and Lilians performance, and the attention they were currently receiving.
While Sect Leader Thunderzen and Thunderfist were not present, almost everyone else from the sect was. Two of their disciples had joined the realm, and none of them dared miss such a historic event. Many were gathered in plazas that had established makeshift food booths or restaurants, enjoying their fill. Most had crowded around disciples of the Heavenly Lightning Sect, or other powerful members of the Honorable Alliance.
"You fought alongside John in the Jade Dragon Realm? How amazing was that? Seeing him fight there?" an excited disciple of a neutral power asked one of the Heavenly Lightning Sect disciples that had been there during the final battle between Asuros and John in the Jade Dragon Realm.
"It was amazing! John even fought Asuros back then, and kicked his ass just as hard! Asuros only managed to survive because he fled away like a scared child!" the disciple replied, boisterous and drunk.
Almost everyone was drunk right now, drinking the finest of cultivator wines.
"Amazing!" many surrounding that disciple exclaimed, fully caught up in the stories of John's past ordeals.
While most of the boys asked about John, many of the young female cultivators asked about Lilian. They were awed and inspired by her battle, and looked up to her like a guiding light on their cultivation pathway.
"Really? She's so young, and yet she's a Vice-Sect Leader? Amazing" a female appearing around eighteen exclaimed, enthralled by the tales some of the female Heavenly Lightning Sect members were telling.
"What about John? Is he single?" a bold female disciple of a powerful sect that wanted to join the Alliance asked. Her face turned red upon asking it, but she needed to know.
The other females around laughed at such a straightforward question being asked, but were obviously listening to the answer, eager to know as well.
"No one knows," one of the Heavenly Lightning Sect disciples replied with a shrug, "but he was seen together in the Jade Dragon Realm with a heavenly beauty that was beautiful beyond compare."
Disappointed looks appeared on many faces.
"But apparently that heavenly beauty is a princess of the Astral Empire," a nearby youth, with short blonde hair and an angled face added. He was not part of the Heavenly Lightning Sect, but was part of the Honorable Alliance, and had been there during the final battle in the Jade Dragon Realm.
"The Astral Empire?" many exclaimed in surprise. They thought about the battles, and their eyes went wide.
"But isn't Lilian originally from the Astral Empire," one female youth asked.
"And she killed her brother, Zeras, the genius of the Astral Empire," another added.
"What a confusing situation that all is," another shook their head. They couldn't make heads or tails of just what was going on with the Astral Empire.
"Still, there could be a chance," the first girl who had brought up John's relationship status said eagerly. She had been absolutely enthralled by him. She had also been terrified of his transformation and power, but her captured heart overruled her fear of him, as it did for thousands of other young female cultivators who had watched John battle.
Not only was he incredibly handsome, but he was a genius without compare. What girl wouldn't have their heart captured by such a young man?
"As if you have a chance," another girl from the same sect as the bold female quipped, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, you never know unless you try," the bold female replied, blushing. The others felt the same, and the boisterous and merry atmosphere continued for a long time as the celebrations continued.
Outside the city, the news of what had happened spread like wildfire through the Divine Martial Continent. John had been famous before as his status of Asura and his twenty steps had been revealed through his bounty, but now his fame was incomparable to before. Overnight, he went from famous to the single most talked about person on the continent.
Before long, there was not a single soul that did not know of the Immortal Asura. Of the Draconic Warrior. Of John.
…
Flash!
John and Lilian were midway through a conversation when the artifact spirit golem materialized like a ghost within Lilian's flying ship. Both paused and looked at it.
"Are you healed?" the golem asked.
"For the most part," John nodded his head. Thanks to the formations healing, as well as his limiter of healing and natural healing rate of his Immortal Asura Body, John had practically been healed to full.
His body dantian, and thus his blood reserves could not be replenished by the formation, but thankfully he had prepared thoroughly, and had purchased a fortune worth of beast blood essence in Five-River Freeport. His beast blood reserves should last him quite some time.
The golem nodded its blocky head.
"Then it is time for you to enter the final area of this realm," it said. "Are you ready?"
John's gaze became firm and serious. The time to uncover the truth of what existed at the very center of this divine realm, of what was so important that the Divine Source Monastery found it worthwhile to guard for hundreds of thousands of years had finally arrived.
John glanced at Lilian, who nodded her head firmly, silently encouraging him.
"I'm ready," John replied, his voice and face firm. "Let's go."
