Three days later Jared handed daily alliance affairs to Jadeinfinity and the others, then turned to ready himself for the trip to Nether City.
Madam Nightfox tilted her head, tails flicking. “Mr. Chance, do you need us to accompany you to Nether City?”
Jared shook his head. “No… The city’s nature is too peculiar. Your presence could backfire. Luther alone will come.” He swept his gaze across every leader. “While I’m away, manage the alliance. If the Fourteenth Firmament stirs, tell me at once.”
“Rest easy, Mr. Chance!” the group answered in one sure voice. Jared nodded once, and he and Luther shot skyward, twin streaks of light racing toward Nether City. On returning to Nether City, Jared found the welcome more elaborate than he had ever known.
Elder Gloam stepped beyond the gate himself, hundreds of Ghost Clan elites arrayed in strict ranks behind him. When Jared revealed even a hint of mingled Golden Dragon Bloodline and chaotic force, the whole city erupted in wild cheers.
Elder Gloam’s beard quivered. “Golden Dragon Bloodline and chaotic force! Young friend Jared, you truly are heaven’s chosen!”
Jared spoke plainly. “Great Elder, I’m here for two matters: to harmonize my powers and to learn how to free souls from soul crystals.”
Elder Gloam led him deep within Nether Hall, lifting one sealed barrier after another until silence wrapped them tight.
“First matter,” the elder said, his tone turning grave. He explained, “Dragon blood is blazing yang, chaotic force embraces all, nether aura is extreme yin. Blend them, and one misstep could tear you apart.”
Jared’s resolve hardened. “However dangerous, I will attempt it.”
The elder nodded. “I’ll give you the full Nether Codex. Inside is the Twin Essence Convergence Art, supreme for uniting light and darkness. Yet…” He paused, warning, “You must endure pure light and pure darkness flooding your body at once. The pain is savage, success under thirty percent. Are you certain?”
“I am…” Jared didn’t hesitate.
Approval flashed in the elder’s eyes. “Training starts today. Luther, guard him.”
“Yes!” Luther’s answer rang firm.
Over the next seven days Jared secluded himself in the Ninefold Abyssal Coldspring hidden beneath Nether City’s core. The spring’s water ran so frigid and yin-laden that an ordinary cultivator would freeze solid on first touch. Jared sat in the black water, circulating Dragon Bloodline and chaotic force while drawing nether aura as the bridge, working the Twin Essence Convergence Art.
On the first day, ice sheathed him until he resembled a sculpted statue. On the second day, cracks split the ice and golden blood seeped out. On the third day, the blood ignited, cloaking him in living flame. On the fourth day, the flames died, leaving flesh half gold, half gray.
On the seventh day the Abyssal Coldspring suddenly roared to a boil. Jared stepped from the pool, each breath carrying a seamless, unified aura. Golden, gray, and black lights coursed through him in quiet harmony, no longer at odds. The Twin Essence Convergence Art had succeeded. His realm stayed at the peak of Top Level High Immortal Realm Level One, yet his battle strength might rival Level Nine. More critically, the three powers now coexisted peacefully, removing his greatest hidden danger.
“Congratulations, young friend Jared!” Elder Gloam stroked his beard, smiling wide. “With three supreme forces in one body, your future knows no bounds.”
Jared cupped his fists. “Thank you, Great Elder…”
“No need for courtesy.” The elder’s voice sobered. “Second matter, freeing the souls demands celestials of the highest tier.” He thought aloud. “The Fourteenth Firmament has three main factions: the orthodox Celestial Palace, the light-leaning Celestial Basilica, and the neutral Celestial Pavilion. Soul-path experts gather mostly in the Celestial Basilica.”
Jared’s eyes lit. “The Celestial Basilica?”
“Exactly,” Elder Gloam affirmed. Elder Gloam’s snow-white brows rose, then settled as he dipped his chin. “The Celestial Basilica sits among the celestials, yet their creed is gentler,” he said, voice low but steady. “They oppose ripping souls for crystals. If you can win over one of their masters, the Morse couple may truly see daylight again.”
He let the words hang, then drew a longer breath, as though weighing dangers that could not be ignored. “But the Fourteenth Firmament teems with powerhouses,” he added. “High Immortal Realm Level Nine is common, and some have stepped into the True Immortal Realm. When you go, tread with care.”
Jared straightened, fingers curling at his sides. “I understand,” he answered, every syllable firm. “No matter the odds, I have to try.”
From his sleeve he produced the soul crystal that imprisoned the Morse couple. Soft light pulsed inside the dark gem as his thumb brushed its surface. “Mr. Morse, I will bring you both back,” he whispered, the promise settling heavier than the stone itself.
Preparations finished, Jared turned toward the city gates where Luther waited. The two checked the last of their storage talismans. Their breaths fell into one measured rhythm, the unspoken signal that departure was next. Before they could step away, Elder Gloam approached and pressed a black token into Jared’s palm.
“This is a Ghost Clan insignia,” he explained. “Some of our people may be scattered in the Fourteenth Firmament.” The elder’s gaze slid past Jared toward the far horizon. “I hope Mr. Chance and Luther can gather those drifters,” he added. “Help them rebuild the clan and see light once more.”
“Understood…” Jared closed his fingers around the token, its cold edges biting pleasantly into his skin.
“Come, I’ll see you off,” Elder Gloam offered, turning toward the avenue of gray flagstones. The small party crossed the threshold, Nether City‘s black walls shrinking behind them with every step. Wind rolled in from the wastes, lifting cloaks and muting footsteps. At the arched gate Jared and Luther halted, facing the open sky. Behind them stood Elder Gloam and a line of Ghost Clan Elders, silent but resolute.
“Young friend, the road to the Fourteenth Firmament is perilous. Keep vigilance at all times,” Elder Gloam cautioned. He produced a pitch-black bone slip and set it on Jared’s upturned palm. “This is a hidden route between realms. The Skyreach Path is gone, yet cracks remain. Our ancestors charted this trail; it hides better than the celestials ever knew.”
Jared swept the slip with his spiritual sense. A twisting corridor through void sprang to mind, markers for maelstroms, dead zones, lurking beasts—each note etched with the precision of someone who had risked everything to leave it behind.
“Thank you, Great Elder,” he said, voice earnest. He stored the slip in his inner robe. The weight of Nether City’s favors settled over his shoulders like a mantle he refused to shrug off.
Elder Gloam waved the sentiment away with a soft chuckle. “Favor?” he said. “You returned Luther to us and shattered the celestials’ chokehold on level thirteen. Gratitude should be ours.”
The elder’s expression sharpened. “Yet one more reminder,” he went on. “The Fourteenth Firmament lives under fuller laws, its aura ten times richer.
Most cultivators there sit above High Immortal Realm Level Five,” he continued. “True Immortal Realm experts guard every power center. Even with three supreme forces, face them with respect.”
The title “True Immortal” rolled through Jared’s mind, cold and heavy. For a moment his pulse slowed, measuring the gulf he still had to cross. Above High Immortal Realm stretched that next order, True Immortal—remote yet unmistakable.
The step looked small on parchment, but experience said otherwise; it was the divide between mountain peak and boundless sky.
High Immortal wielded the laws of the world. True Immortal bent the essence beneath those laws, remaking whatever lay before them. A True Immortal could move the heavens with a thought, shatter stars with a single palm—images that flickered behind Jared’s eyes like distant thunderheads.
He drew a breath that steadied the tremor in his chest. “Understood, Elder. I will proceed with care.”
“Good.” Relief softened the elder’s features. Elder Gloam’s palm swept outward in gentle dismissal. “Go, then…”
Jared bowed low. Beside him Luther mirrored the motion. Twin streaks of light shot upward, clearing the ramparts before the sentries could blink, and vanished beyond Nether City’s gray horizon.
