PtM 18 - Chapter 29: Conquest

2/2 this week!

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The Dragon Metal Realm was an extremely stable pocket realm, and its laws were of an extremely high level. Cha Ming was curious about how this could be the case, so he asked the Clockwork Ancestor to clarify his doubts.

“It is a simple matter, Clear Sky, which has much to do with the materials involved,” explained the Clockwork Ancestor. “Dragon metals, you see, are immortal materials by nature. Diluting them down to this extent was a difficult task and transporting them to the transcendent dimension required the use of a pocket realm able to contain the laws held within them.”

“In the immortal realms, this place wouldn’t be considered a pocket realm, but a low-level storage treasure. An overbuilt storage treasure, to be sure, which is why it’s so large for a basic immortal artifact. But I assure you that in the immortal realms, this ‘pocket realm’ would be small enough to fit an immortal’s finger.”

“So you’re saying the laws in this place and the pocket are independent?” Cha Ming asked.

“They used to be, but they fused over time,” answered the Clockwork Ancestor. “Such is the nature of dragon metals. They are powerful, domineering, and can’t stand the sight of other metals. Now have you sufficiently rested, or will you be refraining from further attempts.”

“I’d like to try again, if it’s not too inconvenient,” said Cha Ming. In his hand was a piece of saint grade dragon metal. “Please show me again, Clockwork Ancestor, and I’ll do my best to comprehend.”

“Here goes another useless attempt at the impossible,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. She took in a deep breath and sang. The piece of dragon metal in Cha Ming’s hand melted and split up into a hundred equal portions. These portions then turned into gears of various sizes that joined together to form the most expensive clock Cha Ming had ever heled.

Cha Ming’s crystal-jade eyes recorded every moment of it and broke down the associated laws. He sorted them according to category, like material manipulation, structure decomposition, and phase change. There were hundreds of minor laws involved along with three major laws.

“I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of it,” Cha Ming said. “But I’m still short one thing.”

“It is impossible to imitate this talent without our bloodline,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “I warned you when we began.”

“Which is why I need a drop of your blood,” said Cha Ming. “Which is a problem, because you’re a Will clone. Maybe Serrendil’s blood would do?”

“I’m afraid not,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “Her blood has mingled with the will of this world and merged with the Inkwell bloodline.”

“That is a problem,” muttered Cha Ming. “It’s too bad I didn’t think of it before we left Dragon Vein City.”

“There’s no need to look that far,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “You’re holding a piece of my blood in your hand.”

Cha Ming looked at the object in his hand uncertainly. “This is a clock. A very nice clock, but still a clock.”

“It’s as clock made of dragon metals,” the Clockwork Ancestor corrected. “Did you never wonder where such wondrous materials came from?”

“You’re saying dragon metals are droplets of your blood?” Cha Ming asked.

“I am the origin of dragon metals,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “My body has the inherent ability to produce them. It’s only these descendants of mine that lack this ability – they will gain it when they awaken their royal blood and ascend to the immortal dimension.”

“So that’s what I was missing,” Cha Ming muttered. “Then this couldn’t be more perfect.”

In the Clear Sky World, Cha Ming’s incarnation picked up the Clear Sky Brush. He infused all three of his law projections into the brush and pierced the bar of dragon metals. The bar slowly melted and deep into the tuft of the brush. He then began to paint a complex three-dimensional structure. It was an outline containing all the laws he’d observed.

A few hours later, an empty frame floated before him. It was ornate and beautiful, and embodied the core of the Clockwork Ancestor’s metal manipulation arts as Cha Ming saw them.

Cha Ming painted a likeness of the Clockwork Ancestor inside the frame. Doing so was easy, because he had access to her will clone and was painting with her blood. There could be no more perfect an ink to paint her likeness with.

A miniature coiled dragon slowly appeared inside the frame, complete with gear-like golden scales and eyes that looked down upon inferior artisans and thoughtless creations. These were the same eyes that saw ugly raw materials and couldn’t help but shape them into things of beauty.

It took six hours in total to paint the prototype talisman. No, it would be more accurate to call it an artifice or a painting than a talisman, as it was created from Cha Ming’s brushwork but contained moving parts that left off a steady metal-manipulating drone.

Cha Ming threw the talisman at a pile of inanimate dragon metals, and to his relief, the pile melted, then became twin dragons that began to fight each other with their vicious five-fingered claws.

“It appears stand corrected,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “What an ingenious way to work around my inherent laws. You used dragon metals as my blood, then used your will and your interpretation of my character to activate the blood and the laws contained within.”

“It’s not something I can do repeatedly,” Cha Ming said. “I had to use a portion of the wills belonging to the demiplanes in my inner world.” But if they were successful in hunting another queen, he could more than make up for their loss.

Since Serrendil had yet to break through, he continued crafting Clockwork Talismans until he consumed all their remaining dragon metals. There were fifty in total once everything was accounted for.

A day after he finished the last of them, a dragon’s roar shook the Dragon Metal Realm. The projection of a massive clockwork dragon with gear-like dark gold scales appeared above Serrendil. It resonated with the Dragon Metal Realm much like an emperor would with his empire.

“Dragon metals, to me!” Serrendil spoke as she opened her eyes. The pocket realm shook, and streams of liquid dragon metals poured into their cavern and formed neat bricks. Her efficiency was much higher than Cha Ming’s.

“I’ll need you to keep an eye on these for me,” Serrendil said. “I would have claimed the entire pocket realm, but unfortunately, I have competition.”

“But you’ve fused with this portion of it,” said Cha Ming. “That should be useful. Have you found out how many queens there are?”

“Twelve queens remain in total,” said Serrendil. “Some are stronger, and some are weaker. As for the creature controlling them, I can sense her now. She is located outside this pocket realm, and not far from the starry road fragment.”

“Have you cleared this place of the controller’s will yet?” Cha Ming asked. “I could sense it contaminating the realm but could do nothing about it.”

“You mean this stuff?” Serrendil said, throwing three spheres to Cha Ming. “Keep it. It’s useless to me.”

Cha Ming was overjoyed by this sudden windfall. He’d consumed a huge part of the will in all three of his demiplanes to create the fifty Clockwork Talismans. Less than twenty-five percent this will remained. In their current state, it would be difficult to use these planar wills to resist an enemy invasion.

He took the will spheres into the Clear Sky World and handed them to Ninesky and Luther for processing. They began drip-feeding will to his three demiplanes as they converted the masses.

“We should probably get moving,” Silverfish said. “After taking such a huge bite out of this world, I’d wager the controller of these gold mites will panic.”

“Agreed,” Serrendil said. “What are your thoughts, you three?”

“It would be ideal if you could reclaim the Dragon Metal Realm,” said Iridescent Smile. “The best case would be a full fusion into your body. Our kingdom would become mobile.”

“I have a request,” old stumpy said, raising one of his short arms. “Since you’ve fused with a portion of this place, could you please get it to stop supressing me?”

“Done,” said Serrendil. She waved her hand, and the suppression faded. Old stumpy became livelier as his wood laws harmonized with their surroundings and breathed life into their group.”

Muneeba’s suppression was also lifted, and as a result, their five-demon formation reached a whole new level. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to resist the attacks of a queen for several minutes.

“Unfortunately, the queen we fought was only a minor queen,” Serrendil said. “There are still three grand queens out there, excluding their ultimate controller.”

“Should we mop up those lesser queens first before moving onto the grand queens,” Cha Ming asked.

“I think that would be the most prudent course of action,” said Serrendil. “I’ve already marked their locations and have calculated an optimal path.” A gateway appeared in front of them, revealing another part of the pocket realm. Serrendil walked through it, and the rest of them followed.

***

With Serrendil’s newfound powers and Cha Ming’s new batch of talismans, they swept through the minor queen territories without any problems. Strangely, the grand queens managing them did not react to their presence and did not defend the minor queens that fell under their leadership.

This was great news for Cha Ming, as he was able to gain more than he spent. The wills of his inner worlds grew manyfold, and he was even able to condense extra will into will crystals, which could be used to nourish his demiplanes once he broke through to the next level.

After clearing the remaining queens, they were left with ten times as many dragon metals as before. It was so much wealth that even the ancient Dragon Vein Kingdom from tens of thousands of years would be considered poor in comparison.

Serrendil’s control over the pocket realm increased as they hunted queens. By the time they were finished, she controlled a full forty percent of it.

The only thing Cha Ming found a pity was that he was missing a metal-aligned demiplane. The Dragon Metal Realm was a perfect match for him, but he could only give up on it, as it was far too valuable to Surrender and her people.

“When do you think you’ll obtain enough dragon metals to increase your cultivation realm?” Cha Ming asked Serrendil as they rested. “We’d have a lot more confidence in taking on a Grand Queen if you broke through to the saint realm.”

“You make it sound so easy to become a saint-level demon,” said Serrendil. “Isn’t your brother a demon? Shouldn’t he have explained such things to you?”

“He sometimes skips out on explaining important things,” Cha Ming admitted.

Serrendil sighed and explained her current issue. “Dragon metals are essential to my cultivation, but ultimately, they can only provide so much. To reach the saint realm – or half immortal realm as Daoists like to call it – a demon must full fuse with a complete territory.”

Cha Ming was confused. “I thought that demons already did that in the fusion realm.”

“The fusion realm has a different objective,” the Clockwork Ancestor cut in. “Pardon my intrusion, but I didn’t want you misunderstanding certain basic facts based on her simplistic explanation.”

“I will defer to ancestor’s words,” Serrendil said. Cha Ming could tell she was annoyed, but in front of her ancestor, she could only yield.

“Very good, you know when to retreat and when to advance,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “I am gratified to have such a descendent. Now where was I? A yes, cultivation. In the end, cultivation is the same for all beings regardless of their origin. They each have a different starting point, but they move towards the same final goal. Ultimately, cultivation is a journey to fix the flaws in one’s existence and strengthens the areas where one is lacking. The fusion realm Involves developing a demon’s ability to fuse with the land, as well as their ability to fuse with their manifestation.”

“I think I understand,” Cha Ming said.

“You don’t,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “You can’t, because you are a human, and not a demon. You might intellectually be able to reason the process, but you can’t truly understand it. It is just like my understanding of human cultivation. From my perspective, the demigod’s progression is not unlike the progression of a demon.”

Cha Ming couldn’t see how this was the case, but he asked himself a simple question. What does a human body cultivator have in the beginning. What does as human body cultivator lack? “In the beginning, a body cultivator lacks divinity. Without divinity, one isn’t capable of any great things. I can see why you would make that comparison, because a demon lacks awakened blood to use their powers. I don’t know why a human form would be something they lack, but I can see the advantages.”

“Good,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “Continue.”

“To develop divinity, a body cultivator will temper his organs,” Cha Ming continued. “They’ll forge their bones and refine their marrow. All this is done to accommodate divine blood, which is the root of everything.”

“And after that?” asked the Clockwork Ancestor.

His experience might not be the same as others, so Cha Ming was hesitant to answer. “A demigod relies solely on their own strength. This is opposite a Daoist, who relies on a small piece of strength and understanding to control the external world.

“A demigod is therefore inherently lacking in energy and requires a source of power that belongs solely to themselves. They therefore use the voids in their bones to concentrate energy, and when this energy is sufficient, it begins to form incomplete worlds. These worlds then collect energy passively for the demigod and solve one of their critical weaknesses.”

“And what do you think a demigod lacks that a god might lack?” probed the Clockwork Ancestor.

“This…” Cha Ming was quite uncertain about this, as he’d never cultivated to godhood. “Maybe the ability to change things in their inner world? The ability to affect the outside world? Longevity? A better framework for their inner world?”

“These are all good answers,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “Think on these things as you cultivate. Just remember that every god is different, but in the end, everyone moves together in the same direction.

“Now, addressing the question you posed Serrendil, the progression for a demon might is a little strange, but it does resemble the progression of a demigod. At their lowliest, demons are gifted with great strength and inherent abilities. Their souls are merged with their bodies, so they aren’t lacking in this aspect – what they do lack is comprehension and utilization of their abilities. To correct this imbalance, they adopt a human form by shedding off portions of their power and sealing it into a weapon.”

Cha Ming saw where this was going. “So you’re saying their demon armor is a similar development. They gain control over their manifestation, but their human bodies can’t withstand the power required. They store what would have been used for a bestial form into their armor.”

“That is correct,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “So the question remains. What do these demons lack?”

“Harmony,” said Serrendil before Cha Ming could answer. “By forcefully splitting off a portion of their power, demons gain a human form. But in doing so, they fall behind on what makes a demon a demon - harmony with the land, and harmony with themselves.”

“The ability to fuse with the land is a very basic ability among the most common of demons in the immortal dimension,” explained the Clockwork Ancestor. “The fusion realm is about regaining this ability and regaining the ability to assume their demonic forms.

“Once this problem is solved a demon must move in the same direction as a god. They must fuse with a territory, making it no different than their flesh and blood. They became one with the land, and the land becomes one with them.”

“That seems a little different than Godhood,” said Cha Ming. “One process is from the inside out, and the other from the outside in.”

“Isn’t the end goal all that matters?” asked the Clockwork Ancestor. “Form the perspective of a demigod, saint level demons are effectively becoming gods. Conversely, gods build up their inner worlds from the ground up until it isn’t lacking at all compared to a demon’s territory. You might also note that gods condense their power into regalia.”

“We’re making demon armor for ourselves,” Cha Ming realized. “Interesting.

He then thought about immortal cultivators. He’d once heard it told that immortal kings needed to fuse with minor worlds to further their cultivation. Compared to a god, immortals were too dependent on the world around them. Developing their own source of power and laws was a logical next step.”

“I think you understand my main point,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “We’re all moving in the same direction. Everyone thinks they’re special, but in the end, it’s all about fixing the flaws in one’s existence. In Serrendil’s case, her bloodline requires a very perfect territory to even step into sainthood. That is the reason I sent the Dragon Metal Realm to this world in the first place.”

Cha Ming had gained much from their conversation and continued think about the issue as Serrendil recuperated. What were the flaws in his own existence? What did he need to progress?

Cultivating and fusing three paths had eliminated most of his weaknesses, and had transformed his nature to the point that he could no longer be considered human.

His path was unprecedented, unique in this world.

***

The minor queens guarded a relatively small part of the Dragon Metal Realm. From what they’d gathered, their function was merely to assist what Serrendil called Grand Queens in mining precious metals. Slaying them was therefore only mildly inconvenient and wouldn’t affect the core of the gold mites’ strength.

“The first grand queen’s territory begins here,” Serrendil said. The atmosphere changed the moment they crossed an invisible boundary. The air became corrosive, and the laws became uncooperative.

“That’s it, I’m done,” said Old Stumpy. “Send me back to the pocket realms.”

“Relax,” said Serrendil. “The Grand Queen’s territory is ultimately incompatible with this place.” A bubble of supportive laws surrounding their group, relieving both the corrosion and the accompanying laws restrictions.

“Everyone, keep close to me.” She waited for everyone to gather before taking a few unsteady steps. Most couldn’t see what was happening, but Cha Ming could feel an invisible battle raging in the background.

“Why’s she being so slow?” asked Old Stumpy. “Did she drink too much last night?”

“It’s a territory battle, obviously,” said Silverfish. “Why did you bother growing a head if you’re not going to use it?”

“Silverfish is correct,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “This is a Will battle between entities at the saint level. You would all do well to learn from their exchange. Especially you, Clear Sky.”

Cha Ming agreed with this assessment. Thanks to his crystal-jade eyes, what he saw wasn’t an empty tunnel, but a defensive perimeter formed entirely from planar will. It did not approve of Serrendil’s presence and threatened to continuously sap their energy if they dared enter.

Serrendil would have none of this, however. She was also a territory controller, and her laws were more compatible with the Dragon Metal Realm. Since the Grand Queen was an intruder, she chose to use brute force against her. She wouldn’t be diplomatic about the Grand Queen’s presence, and would stamp out any will that dared question her sovereignty.

It wasn’t just her demeanor that impressed Cha Ming. It was the way she used her will. It struck out like tiny golden blades and formed thousands of clockwork calvary that broke the enemy’s pike line and trampled their helpless infantry.

The barrier of will had no choice but to retreat as they advanced and regroup in a more defensible position. They made quick ground over the next few hours but stopped just shy of a forking tunnel.

“This is as far as we can go unimpeded,” Serrendil warned. “Prepare for battle, everyone!”

“It’s about time,” said Old Stumpy.

“I was getting a little itchy,” Silverfish said in agreement.

“We can expect an ambush at any time in this location,” said Serrendil. “The enemy’s will is too thick and powerful, so I won’t be able to detect any traps or ambushes.”

She’d barely finished speaking before the walls to either side of them burst open. Thousands of gold mites poured out and attacked them with skittering claws. Serrendil let out a low hum that destroyed most of them. Those that managed to make it through broke down once they reached Cha Ming’s Crumbling Canvas.

They continued in this way for several minutes without rest. It wasn’t that they wanted to wasted strength, but that the enemy soldiers were too numerous. “We won’t last long with the both of you keeping this up,” Silverfish said. “Rest for now. We’ll take it form here.”

A brush appeared in his hand, and he began to paint. First came waves, followed by a roaring ocean, and an ancient fish. The fish leaped out of the water, where it grew massive wings that could cut through water like it was air. Every8 flap of its wings propelled the creature ten thousand kilometers. “Primordial Roc, predator of the sky and sea!” he shouted.

The roc let out a cry as it plunged down the tunnel, dissolving its solid metal and absorbing them to strengthen its battle prowess. “What are you all waiting for?” said Silverfish. “Let’s move!”

Very few gold mites could survive in the roc’s wake. It demolished insects and purified the laws in their surroundings, then consumed them to prolong its own existence. They ran through tunnel after tunnel following the dreaded creature. It lasted for an entire hour before running out of ink.

“I believe It’s my turn,” said Iridescent Smile. “Flame of Joy, Flame of Sorrow. The seven emotions feed six desires. Rise, Iridescent Phoenix!”

A bird composed entirely of iridescent fire shot out from Iridescent Smile’s body and continued where Silverfish’s roc had left off. Its flames were hot to the point of melting metal but were also surprisingly bearable to those it called friends.

That’s not a normal technique, Cha Ming thought. It uses her fusion transformation as the basis for execution. But she’s not a saint demon, so she won’t be able to sustain this for very long.

The others seemed to realize this as well. They sped up the pace and flew after the phoenix. Gold mites melted under the phoenix’s influence, while found the will controlling them wiped away by the powerful heart flames.

“I won’t last much longer,” said Iridescent Smile. “Two minutes, at most.”

“Keep heading straight,” said Serrendil. “We’re almost there.”

Sure enough, the tunnel opened into a giant cavern. An army was waiting for them, complete with walls and traps and an array of powerful weapons.

The Iridescent Phoenix let out a dying screech before plunging towards the center of this defensive arrangement, where it released the last of its iridescent flames to reduce the enemy formation to puddles of melted metal.

“This… is all I can do…” said Iridescent Smile. Her flames had grown weak to the point that it was affecting her vitality.

“She’s dying,” said Old Stumpy. “What are you all doing, standing around. Muneeba, formations!”

“I’m already on it,” said Muneeba. A formation of golden light appeared on Iridescent Smile’s body, locking down her energy before it could evaporate. Old Stumpy followed up by pouring a massive amount of wood energy into her exhausted body. Only then were they able to stabilize her condition.

Seeing that Iridescent Smile was safe and sound, Cha Ming, Silverfish, and Serrendil flew over to the center of the hive, where the queen should have been. Unfortunately, Iridescent Smile done her job too well.

“We’ll have to search through the rubble,” Cha Ming said. “I’ll collect. You mobilize.”

“On it,” said Serrendil. She let out a soft hum to first solidify the metal, then a sharp hum to break it. Cha Ming pulled the broken pieces of the fortress into the Clear Sky World, netting them a fortune equal to the net worth of three queens, with much more to come.

“Where’s the queen?” asked Silverfish as they dug. “Why isn’t it coming at us with the usual traps and soldiers?”

“It must have learned that old tactics are useless,” said Cha Ming. “Look out!” he shouted, them jumped backward out of instinct. A blur of gold shot out form the ground where he’d just been standing, then arced towards the unprepared Silverfish.

What followed was a lightning quick battle between the blur of gold and Silverfish. They exchanged over a hundred blows in a single second, and ultimately Silverfish came out the loser in the exchange.

“Serrendil!” Cha Ming warned. The dragoness jumped to the side, barely avoiding a second golden blur.

“I sense one more,” Serrendil said. “Over there!”

Cha Ming shot out towards Silverfish and intercepted the creature with a stream of Heartforge Spirit flames, then shot out ten Clockwork Talismans to finish it off. Unfortunately, the creature was too quick, and the talismans hit only empty air.

“What are these things?” asked Silverfish.

“Some type of upgraded soldier, clearly,” said Serrendil.

“Let’s call it a Slayer and move on,” Cha Ming said. “Have you figured out where the queen is yet?”

“I can’t find her at all,” said Serrendil. “It’s like she’s everywhere and nowhere at once.”

“Damn it!” Cha Ming cursed. He summoned Luther, Coral, and Disaster out from the Clear Sky Word, then pressed a painting to them. The three merged together to become Carnage. “Tie up one of them for me and buy me time.”

“Master, that’s as saint,” said three voices in unison. “At least provide some support.”

Cha Ming didn’t hesitate to draw on Descent of the Five Sovereigns. Five mighty painted demons appeared around the three headed and nine tailed cat, who proceeded to take control of them using strings of bloodstorm energy. “Take these and take ten Clockwork Talismans just in case.”

“That’s mighty reasonable of you,” said Luther. He jumped at a slayer that was about to attack Silverfish and used the five sovereigns and ten talismans to completely lock up its movements.

“I can’t find the queen either,” said the Clockwork Ancestor, appearing beside Cha Ming. “Which is strange. This is a piece of my body. I should be able to sense anything.”

“Give me a minute to figure it out,” Cha Ming said. He summoned his regalia and activated Triune Soul Burn, then used his divine ability, Star-Jade Entanglement, to trace karma back to its origin. “There!” Dull gold lines connected the slayers to a single point in the room.

“What a tricky little queen,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “Be careful when facing her.”

Cha Ming charged towards the top of the room, which seemed to be filled with tunnels. He proceeded to pierce through a sheet of reflected metals and an adjacent spatial membrane. Space shattered as it failed to withstand his presence, revealing the Grand Queen and the ruined remains of her emergency pocket realm.

Screeeee!

A deafening sound blasted Cha Ming. Hundreds of golden needles pierced his body – only to see that body break apart and Cha Ming appear not far away. It was a decoy, a glass flame imitation.

“An independent space was an ingenious but a bad idea,” Cha Ming said, summoning his Dao Projection. Space began to shatter under his influence, destroying what remained of the queen’s sanctuary.  He then appeared above the stunned queen and smashed down with the Sky Propping Pillar.

Yet to his surprise, the grand queen pulled a leaf out of his book and broke into several pieces that shot out in various directions. She’s a lot trickier than a normal queen, thought Cha Ming. Fortunately, I’m an expert when it comes to fighting with numbers.

Cha Ming split off a dozen incarnations to block off the grand queen’s path of retreat. Each of them threw out three Clockwork Talismans apiece, softening the parted queen’s metal body. They began to rapidly deteriorate and lose motor control.

He then proceeded to activate Star Jade Entanglement and shot a gush of Heartforge Spirit Flames onto one of the fragments. Thanks to the karmic link between them, each of the copies suffered grievous injuries, and all but one piece had its planar will completely erased.

Cha Ming caught the remaining fragment and crushed it with a gauntleted hand. The entire army, including the three slayers, collapsed into lifeless heaps. What remained was a sphere of angry will that struggled to escape but ultimately failed.

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” said Cha Ming.

“I almost died,” said Old Stumpy between ragged breaths. “And so did smiley.”

“I lost an arm, and Serrendil’s breastplate is a mess,” said Silverfish.

“Now to worry about retaliation,” said Cha Ming.

“There won’t be any retaliation,” said Serrendil.

“How can you be certain?” asked Cha Ming. “Wait, why does the space here suddenly feel different?” The entire Dragon Metal Realm was quickly transforming into a much friendly and more stable space.

“It seems that the two grand queens no longer wish to fight,” said Serrendil. “They started retracting their will the moment this one died. At this rate, I’ll be able to completely fuse with this pocket realm in just a few days!”

Cha Ming let out a sigh of relief. What he’d been most concerned about was reinforcements from the other two grand queens. These gold mites were suicidal, and risked their lives in battle without hesitation.

“Does this mean I can take a break?” said Iridescent Smile weakly. She was lying on the ground, her body cradled by a bed of roots. “Wake me up when it’s time to go.” She lost consciousness and entered a dormant state.

“What do you all think?” Cha Ming asked his companions. “Should we rest here or press onward?”

“We should rest, obviously,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “If we’re lucky, Serrendil will be able to completely fuse with the Dragon Metal Realm. Sainthood will be a stone’s throw away.”

“I think she already made the decision for us,” said Silverfish. He stuck his thumb towards Serrendil, who had fallen into a meditative state. Cha Ming could feel her cultivation increasing at a rapid pace, leaving them no choice but to guard this location.

It was going to be a long intermission, so Cha Ming busied himself crafting additional talismans and sorting out potential tactics for their next battle. Though they’d chased way the gold mites, he refused to believe everything was over.

I still haven’t used my immortal weapon, thought Cha Ming. My painted armies are intact, and assuming we rest long enough, I should be able to recover a second use of either erasure or Heaven Breaker. He hesitated to make any final battle plans, however, as the nature of their opponent had yet to be determined.

“Clockwork Ancestor, could I consult with you for a moment?” Cha Ming called out. The Clockwork Ancestor appeared before him.

“What is it, young man?” said the elderly dragon.

“I have some suspicions about the controller of this place,” said Cha Ming. “I’m tentatively calling this controller the Supreme Queen. And it occurs to me that this enemy excels in controlling planar will. I’d like to ask if you have a more effectively way to battle using will.”

The Clockwork Ancestor grimaced. “I am but a strand of remnant will, Clear Sky. It is difficult enough for me to manifest this body.”

“Apologies,” Cha Ming said. “Forget I said anything.”

“Hold on, young man,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “I didn’t say no. But first, you’ll have to tell me what your suspicions are.”

“Well, it stands to reason that we’re not facing a gold mite, but an entire plane,” said Cha Ming. “We know that the enemy is located outside the pocket realm. Wouldn’t it be possible for another similar pocket realm to exist?”

“This truly a concerning hypothesis,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “What you speak of us a predatory world. They don’t exactly grow on trees.”

“But the Inkwell Plane is peppered in pocket realms due to its unstable space,” said Cha Ming. “It’s like a dying carcass in the middle of the forest. Surely, there’s bound to be high level scavengers looking to pull off pieces of it.”

“Hm… perhaps you are right,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “And such an opponent is not something we are equipped to face with our party composition.”

“It’s not a certainty,” said Cha Ming. “It’s just as likely for this to be a high-level saint that happens to be able to manipulate planar will like I can.”

“Even so, such an opponent cannot be underestimated,” said the Clockwork Ancestor. “I am satisfied with your reasoning. I will exert a portion of my strength to train your will. But let us hope, for all our sakes, that you are mistaken.”