Chapter 1606 - Sequence
Indeed, after Clara confessed to the Ice Phoenix Mistress that she would still save her brother no matter what, even after knowing the significance, the Ice Phoenix Mistress forbade her from entering the inheritance site again.
Unlike the Dragons, the Phoenixes viewed dual cultivation as a sacred act and would only do it with one partner in their lives normally. It could be said to be ingrained in their blood. Therefore, the Ice Phoenix Mistress was disappointed with Clara's answer, perceiving that she was merely doing it for duty or out of familial love.
She could only see familial love and the trepidation of losing her brother in Clara's eyes, so how could she let Clara walk the path of burden?
Moreover, this technique wasn't permitted to be used on others but only their significant other, so it was all the more vexing for the Ice Phoenix Mistress to hear that Clara wanted to help her brother despite the significance of the matter.
The Phoenixes valued their purity so much that they even stated virginity as a requirement in their trials for females. Furthermore, they treated their significant other as their life, placing extreme importance on love, so how could she let Clara lose herself like that?
At the same time, the reason why Shirley was warned not to dual cultivate was that she would lose her ability to cast the Revival Of The Ashes Technique as it required energy as massive as the primal yin essence other than the Phoenix Soul, and not because she would lose her chunk of potential.
The Phoenix Immortals and most Immortals never cared about their female inheritors losing potential from dual cultivation because it would mean that they would birth a worthy successor with the same or more talent.
Women marry powerful men the majority of the time. Not only would she give more power to her men to protect her when she becomes pregnant and weak, but she would also give birth to a child with equal or more talent, depending upon the talent of the father.
The potential was never truly lost if one thought like that. It just goes to her love and offspring, multiplied into two!
If possible, the Ice Phoenix Mistress didn't want to lose Clara as an inheritor, but if it meant that her life becomes ruined, she ultimately decided to ban her from the inheritance and even explained the reasons to Clara for her own good.
However, Clara wasn't disheartened and went to find Shirley. Her thoughts didn't collapse, nor was it disappointed as she solely aimed to save her brother.
In truth, the thirst for power didn't necessarily disillusion the others. They understood power was the foremost requirement in order to help Davis. If at all they tried to help in their current state, they would only stumble and die.
That's why Evelynn didn't spare any concern for her own well-being, nor did Sophie and Niera for their own.
Clara understood this as well. Her current prowess was enough for her to dominate the Immortal Grade Trial, which gave her extreme confidence to help her brother. Therefore, vengeance didn't cloud her mind on the quest for power because she already knew of a way to help Davis.
However, when she was faced with the enigma of whether she would still help her brother with the risk of having to sacrifice the innocence that she treasured the most, her mind became clouded, and she desperately nodded.
The result? She got kicked out of the inheritance even though she was a compelling candidate because her decision to save her brother through dual cultivation wasn't met with acceptance by the Ice Phoenix Mistress.
Nevertheless, she successfully brought Shirley back with Nadia's help after striking a deal with Ancestor Cornelia.
For the next seven months, Shirley took the Immortal Grade Trial of the Fire Phoenix, and even though her Soul Forging Cultivation wasn't enough, her will to save Davis reignited and helped her manage to obtain the Immortal Inheritance, causing her to ultimately spend seven months absorbing the true blood essence and soul essence, which is the Fire Phoenix Soul before she came out and performed the Revival Of The Ashes Technique on Davis.
Clara knew that she was responsible for this miracle since she brought Shirley back.
Before, everyone had respected her for her choice, but looking at them laugh at her now that her brother was saved, she clenched her teeth in embarrassment and unexpectedly screamed.
"You're all bullies...!"
"Ahahaha!~"
Natalya, Fiora, Isabella, and Shirley had huge smiles on their faces as they laughed out louder.
What else could they do? Make it awkward? They could only laugh it off, for Clara's sake.
Meanwhile, while Davis laughed on the surface, his heart stopped pounding faster inside. If he had to wake up and see his little sister in Shirley's state, he wouldn't know what he would've done or felt. Fortunately, the Ice Phoenix Mistress stopped her, although he felt that it was unfair that Clara was banned. However, it wasn't the first time he experienced unfairness from the Immortals.
They had their own set of rules and morals: was the answer he arrived at.
Nevertheless...
"Thanks, Clara. So what if you got banned? Your uniqueness is in your eyes, the ability to see the truth, command, and rule, not make others freeze. You don't need that inheritance to show who you are or what you can become. Just leave it to brother if you want resources. I'll plunder the Heaven Mandate Temple for you if they say no to sharing their secrets."
"Brother..."
Davis patted his chest while Clara felt moved before she shook her head.
"There is no need to face danger again."
"Danger...?"
Davis sneered.
There was something widely different about Fallen Heaven that he couldn't help but feel rejuvenated already.
"No, Davis. You need to rest."
"Yes, you need to rest."
Isabella and Shirley's smiling faces disappeared, replaced with solemness. Fiora also pulled away from him, looking at him with the same look.
"Let me reflect for a few seconds..."
Davis returned their solemness before he looked as if he was contemplating, but in truth, he descended into his soul sea and saw the changes.
First, his soul essence had recovered to ninety-seven percent, meaning that he was required to reach this level before obtaining consciousness. Until then, he could infer that he was in a coma state, just after Shirley began to cast her Revival From The Ashes Technique.
Before that, where did his soul disappear to?
"Fallen Heaven, do you have anything to say?"
"How about some words of gratitude for saving your soul from death by suicide?" Fallen Heaven's voice echoed.
Davis's lips twitched as he saw Fallen Heaven near his soul essence. It was no longer a book but appeared like a scroll. Surprisingly, Glyn's soul essence was also there, swirling around Fallen Heaven.
"Well, thanks for saving my life while also devouring my soul essence."
"You're the one who had me devour you."
"Alright, alright. I'm not here to argue." Davis quickly realized he was fighting a losing battle, "Looking at you, it seems that you've grown?"
"Indeed, I devoured the soul essences of the people you had me kill. They were delicious than I expected."
"Glad that you liked it, but can you tell me what happened after I commanded you to kill them all?"
"I collected all their soul essences and started to devour them. In half a year, I was able to digest all of them and grew to the ninth stage if I had any cultivation, triggering a change. My appearance changed, and my powers increased as well."
Davis couldn't help but frown, "So you were not the one who showed my original fate?"
"What? Original fate? I didn't do anything as far as I know. It could merely be the changes in myself affecting your near-death soul that I saved when your soul sea collapsed from the sheer pain you experienced. I took you in and hid you, but since the other soul essences were out of my prowess, I had to devour them first or risk losing them."
"Only after I digested the soul essences did I begin to heal you through life energy, but it was slow, considering that I didn't have your soul force to increase the healing rate. Therefore, I estimated that it would've taken two years before you gained consciousness."
Davis didn't know what to think about this. So he didn't need Shirley's help to revive? No, with the Calamity Light inbound, the sooner he woke up, the better the chances he could do something about it.
"I took you in and hid, but if someone had destroyed your body, that was the time I would've devoured you as you no longer have any vessel."
However, Fallen Heaven's next line made him deeply thank Isabella and Nadia.
"But since one of your women decided to blast you with a unique energy that I found would heal your soul a month later, I released you. Being bathed by that massive unique energy, your soul healed and reformed your soul sea. As a result, you woke up in two weeks."
Davis sighed in relief, thinking that it was typical and practical of Fallen Heaven. It was extremely reasonable about the situation, and he could only thank it for saving him by protecting his homeless or soul sea-less soul in the first place.
"That's reassuring." Davis spoke, "I was afraid you didn't follow my command of securing the soul essences, but I also conflictingly wished you prioritized my life this time. But, that's just human nature, my selfishness. Nevertheless, I'll ask you this: are you consciously changing my fate and the people around me?"
"Changing fate? As far as I know, I'm just chilling in your soul sea, doing nothing unless you command me to do something, although I won't deny that there are fluctuations I'm discovering to be new with every breakthrough."
"Like the karmic and life energy?"
"Yes..." Fallen Heaven answered.
"I see..."
Davis mused that there was something new to discover. However, he returned from his soul sea and finished summarizing his bedridden seven months from his women's account and Fallen Heaven's account.
The first six months, he was simply hidden by Fallen Heaven while it devoured soul essences and strengthened itself, and when Shirley used the Revival From The Ashes Technique in the seventh month, Fallen Heaven released his soul and allowed him to bath him in that energy, allowing him to gain consciousness in two weeks.
As for Shirley, she became pregnant with his child.
Davis realized one more thing. His soul had not grown, perhaps due to the critically injured state, but with Fallen Heaven's prowess that reached the Ninth Stage, doesn't that mean he was already invincible in the Fifty-Two Territories, no longer needing to sacrifice any soul essence whatsoever?
"!!!"
His mind couldn't help but tremble at this assumption that was most likely a fact.
"You're still not going to take some rest? At least lie down first..."
Isabella admonished before Davis came out of his reverie.
"No, I'm already healed. Time for a walk after seven months of sleep."
Davis stood up, his expression filled with confidence and that signature smirk of his, making Isabella and the others dumbfounded.
He stretched his arms and legs, looking good as new. It was as he thought. Fallen Heaven's increased power was massively powerful, quickly healing his entire lethargic feeling of a massive soul injury under a few minutes.
His soul sense extended, covering the entire Purple Guest Palace before his expression froze.
There was Tina Roxley in the next room sleeping on a bed, but she was with white hair, not making him understand. However, many other points suddenly came to his notice!
"Isabella, where's Evelynn, Sophie, Niera, and Mo Mingzhi? Where's father and mother? Didn't you say that they were all safe!?"
His expression couldn't help but tremble as he grabbed Isabella's shoulders.
"Calm...! Calm down! Everyone is safe! They're all just training!"
"So-sorry..." Davis took his hands off of her as he saw her startled expression before he rubbed his forehead, "I just saw a really bad dream..."
"It's fine..." Isabella uttered before she lowered her head, "It's just Evelynn..."
Davis's heart skipped a beat.
What about Evelynn!?