"I've kept your original personality as a courtesy. But from now on, your soul is mine and so is your allegiance. The fulfillment of my will stands as your highest aspiration."
Konrad declared following Berken's new greeting. And hearing this, though his stubborn mind wished to disagree, Berken couldn't. And in a flash, all his desires to restore the human's glory fell in the shadow of his complete and utter devotion to his master's will, to Konrad's will!
"Your wish is my command."
Berken replied without a ripple.
"You may rise. And rejoice, you no longer need to rely on Ashara's Seal and can burn your blood indefinitely. Henceforth, you can consider yourself restored to greater heights than ever before."
Those words of Konrad resounded in the still confused Berken's mind like a thunderclap, and without hesitation, he activated his Blood Burning. And indeed, he could feel the limitless essence his blood pool had turned into allowing him to go on forever!
There was absolutely no limit or need to deactivate this state!
Berken stood up, and his eyes remained locked on his stretched arms, or rather, the veins lying beneath them. Unlike Konrad's other immortal servants, Berken's mind hadn't undergone full transformation. Therefore, he didn't possess a preternatural understanding of his abilities and was full of confusion.
Konrad ignored him and shifted his attention to the remaining Serkar elders.
"As for you, congratulations, you too shall join the new immortal clan. On the blood and bones of my maternal house, I shall build my new legion, the Three Realms' number one force:
The Chthonian Immortal Legion.
And you have been chosen to serve within its leading, elite corps:
The Blood Shadow Pavilion. What a glorious day."
Konrad proclaimed, and stretched out his right hand for a finger snap!
*Snap*
With that one move, the ninth elder, Berken and Gulistan aside, all followed the second elder's footsteps, and burst into a feast of blood and gore. But as their bone debris and blood dropped onto the ground, from that puddle of gore, they seamlessly reformed, and the second elder included, all rose from destruction to ascend to a greater state than ever before.
Unlike Berken, however, there was no confusion within their mind, and as disciplined servants, they knelt to greet their master!
"Greetings, master!"
They hailed, causing Gulistan to no longer comprehend the events going on. What was this? Could it be that Konrad became possessed by the incarnation of death? Or worse, did he, by some incomprehensible turn of event, become Death Incarnate?
Yes, that was the only possible explanation, and as her thoughts reached that territory, Gulistan recalled Konrad's previous words…
"I indeed have no cultivation. Cultivation is so overrated by the way. You'd be surprised by the things you can do without it."
…and her eyes widened in greater disbelief. For now, she no longer doubted his words! From beginning to end, since Konrad stepped into the Serkar Domain, not an ounce of Divine Power or God Force erupted from him. Even in that one punch that sealed Berken's fate, none lay.
Laws and flesh! It was all Laws and flesh!
"Where did such a monstrous body emerge from? How did his abilities experience such a startling transformation? This is no longer about growth. His life form and path have completely changed."
Gulistan pondered. But even she didn't know how right she was. For indeed, following his rebirth, Konrad didn't plan to set foot back on the normal cultivation road. If not for that, he would have never left his original cultivation in his previous body. As for why? It was quite simple.
Having reached this higher state of existence, he was starting to realize things others couldn't. From the first to the fourth step, the very essence of the cultivation road within the Three Realms contained startling secrets that bade no good for a pursuer of Supremacy.
Therefore, Konrad dared not thread it rashly.
With a wave of his hand, Chimera appeared by his side. And with a spin, Konrad turned toward Gulistan to flash a broad smile.
"Mother, after you. Today we make history."
Konrad asserted before leading Gulistan and the Serkar elders toward the Infernal Cult's Merit Hall. On the road, they picked up Hejin, and added him to the immortals' ranks.
…
Meanwhile, in a distant location beyond the Three Realms, a white-robed man sat crossed-legged amidst ethereal clouds, with his face shrouded by inscrutable mirages. Beside him, a young man around the age of twenty with shoulder-length, black hairs stood. Though colored in the average human black, that youth's eyes seemed to contain innumerable principles that would cause the most Gods to lose themselves in a realm darker than night.
If he so wished, of course.
In a twister of white light, another youth appeared, with hairs held in a topknot and features sixty-percent similar to that cold, standing youth. Clearly, they were relatives. But while one seemed to represent the epitome of disciple and darkness, the other brimmed with freedom and heroism.
As for his identity, if not Qehreman, who could it be?
And as soon as he appeared, the cloaking fog around the sitting man's face dispersed to reveal looks that put all men to shame. With sky-blue hairs and blood-red eyes resting on an otherworldly face, there was no accurate way to describe the beauty of that man.
Yet, those blood-red eyes ensured, that none could face him without a crushing mixture of awe and apprehension.
"Cloud, welcome back."
The System's True Owner, and Qehreman's eldest brother, greeted with a smile.
"Eldest brother, long time no see."
Qehreman replied in a polite, but slightly nonchalant tone.
"I see you've kept yourself busy. You even helped the boy complete his Death Conversion and took him as your sworn brother. Interesting, should I call him little brother now?"
The System's True Owner inquired in a jesting tone. Though, when he mentioned the Death Conversion part, Cloud knew he jested not.
"Eldest brother, in the past you helped Night achieve Death Conversion, and before that, the Undying Blood Monarch helped you achieve it. Considering that we're all people of the same camp and he's your chosen candidate, I gave him a push.
Why does it bother you?"
Cloud inquired, for having spent trillions of years by his side, regardless of smiles, he knew full well when his eldest brother was annoyed and when he wasn't.
"On that topic, I must say that he's better than Night. To say nothing of the millions of revolting souls, without your help, Night couldn't even take Death into himself.
I guess too much darkness makes even Death feel disgusted."
Cloud pursued with a smirk. But Night who stood by the System's True Owner's side made no comment.
"Enough with the snide. You could have just undone his Death Conversion. But now that he reached Embodiment in a Primal Law, he can see through some mysteries he should not, and develop thoughts I need not. If this happened late in his cultivation path, it would not matter. But I'm afraid that now, he will breed unnecessary thoughts."
The System's True Owner replied. But hearing this, Cloud merely shrugged.
"So what? Eldest brother, throughout creation, who can rebel against you? Even if he has the will, even if he miraculously managed to achieve Transcendence, there is still nothing he can do. What you want from him, he cannot refuse."
Cloud stated in a nonchalant tone and the echo of his words made the System's True Owner's smile grow broader.
"Indeed, what I want, no one can deny, for I am Supreme."
