Cultivation is Creation

You know, there are certain moments in life when you realize that maybe, just maybe, you should have listened to that little voice in your head that was screaming "run away!"

This was definitely one of those moments.

I forced what I hoped was a respectful smile onto my face and gave my best courteous bow to the ancient spirit floating before us. "Honored ancestor," I managed, while internally channeling every scrap of recovered red sun energy into preparation for the fastest Blink Step of my life.

We'd done our scouting.

We'd confirmed something weird was happening.

Time to make a strategic withdrawal and let the sect send someone qualified to deal with whatever this was. Like maybe an army of Life Realm cultivators. Or better yet, someone from the Civilization Realm.

I would rather miss this particular family reunion.

But before I could activate the rune, something... odd happened.

The being's qi signature began to fluctuate wildly.

One moment it radiated the overwhelming pressure of what I assumed to be a Civilization Realm cultivator, the next it dropped to barely Qi Condensation levels. His form seemed to waver, like a reflection in disturbed water, the edges of his spectral body becoming momentarily indistinct before snapping back into focus.

The floating figure suddenly plummeted toward the ground.

For a brief, hopeful moment, I thought maybe he'd just... break apart.

But no such luck. He caught himself at the last instant, landing with the kind of casual grace that made it look intentional.

"Tch," he clicked his tongue in annoyance, examining his semi-transparent hands with a critical eye. "Even with the Divine Spirit Reclamation technique, true resurrection is... problematic."

His qi signature finally stabilized at what felt like peak Qi Condensation – still dangerous, but not the realm-destroying monster he'd apparently once been.

"No matter," he said, dropping his hands to his sides. "Even this level of power will be sufficient."

"Sufficient for what?" Liu Chang asked.

Ke Jun's smile was cold enough to freeze a Fire Spirit. "Sufficient to take what's mine." His eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. "After all, blood calls to blood."

I glanced around at my companions, hoping to see someone suggesting a tactical retreat. Instead, I saw Liu Chang subtly shifting into a combat stance. Bing Lan's hand had already drifted to her sword hilt. Even the other disciples were moving into defensive formations.

Which... made a certain kind of sense, I supposed.

We had five Stage 9 cultivators, another five at Stage 8, two at Stage 7, plus myself. And these weren't just random cultivators – Liu Chang and Yan Li had already demonstrated they could punch well above their cultivation weight.

Against a single opponent whose power seemed unstable, they probably thought this was a perfectly manageable situation.

Still, something about this felt wrong.

The original Ke Yin's memories might not have known anything about this ancestor of his, but I'd read enough cultivation novels to know that someone who reached the Civilization Realm didn't just... forget all their techniques just because they were temporarily weakened.

I held back a sigh. So much for retreat.

"You're the one who killed Chu Feng?" Liu Chang's question cut through my internal monologue.

Ke Jun seemed entirely unbothered by the fact that we had gradually spread out to surround him. If anything, he appeared amused by the attempt at tactical positioning.

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I wasn't sure if his casual attitude stemmed from absolute confidence in his abilities or if he was just one of those villains who couldn't resist a good monologue. Either way, no one was going to interrupt him - this was our best chance to understand what exactly we were dealing with.

"That useless waste?" Ke Jun waved a dismissive hand. "He failed to uphold his end of our arrangement. His fate was sealed the moment he proved himself inadequate."

Liu Chang's fists clenched at his sides, stone-like skin already beginning to spread across his knuckles. I could feel his qi gathering, the Immutable Titan Scripture's energy making the air heavy.

Even though, I didn't get along with Chu Feng, I could understand Liu Chang's anger. Chu Feng had been under his command, his responsibility, possibly even his friend. Finding out the young cultivator had been manipulated and discarded like a broken tool had to hurt.

"You know," Ke Jun continued, either oblivious to or simply unconcerned by Liu Chang's reaction, "I had such hopes when I first awakened. I founded this lineage, elevated a family of simple mortals to heights they could never have dreamed of reaching. We were meant to be a dynasty of cultivators, each generation stronger than the last."

His expression darkened. "Instead, I wake to find my descendants have fallen so far they don't even remember what they were meant to be. Simple villagers, barely able to sense qi, much less manipulate it. It's... disappointing."

"Why me?" I asked, partly to keep him talking, partly because I genuinely wanted to know. "Why do you need my body specifically?"

His blood-red eyes fixed on me again, and this time his smile held something almost like fondness. It was not a comforting expression.

"The Divine Spirit Reclamation technique allows a spirit to slumber, to persist beyond death," he explained. "But it cannot restore true life. This form?" He gestured to his semi-transparent body. "It is temporary, unstable. Without a proper vessel - one that shares my bloodline - my spirit will eventually dissipate."

He began to pace, his movements carrying him in a slow circle that just happened to force several of our cultivators to adjust their positions.

"I planned for this, you know. Years before my death, I established the shrine, created the formation network throughout these mountains. The plan was for my descendants to sacrifice their most talented male children to the shrine, ensuring I would always have a suitable vessel waiting when I was ready for one."

His expression twisted into something ugly. "But they forgot. Generation after generation, I waited. Watched as they made their pitiful offerings of food and wine, treating me like some local nature spirit to be appeased with trinkets. Not once did they fulfil their true purpose."

Those red eyes fixed on me again. "And then just when I decided to take matters into my own hands, you simply walked into my shrine of your own accord. The irony is... delicious."

"The heavens will not permit this." Yan Li said. "The Mandate's Guardians will not allow such a perversion of the natural order."

I didn't miss how Ke Jun's form flickered at the mention of these 'Mandate's Guardians.' Interesting. What kind of organization could make a former Civilization Realm cultivator nervous?

"The heavens?" Ke Jun's laugh held no humor. "The heavens are distant, and their guardians are not omniscient. Better to exist in defiance of their laws than to fade into nothing."

He rolled his shoulders, the motion too smooth to be human. "Now then, since we've gotten the tedious exposition out of the way, shall we proceed? I've quite missed having a warm body."

I felt the change in spiritual pressure an instant before he moved. The air itself seemed to grow heavier, like the moment before a massive storm breaks.

"Ke Yin, get back!" Liu Chang barked.

"Don't listen to him, my child," Ke Jun pointed at me, "come here."

Before I could retreat, I felt something pull at me, a force that went deeper than physical attraction. It resonated with something in my blood, in my very essence. The bloodline connection he'd forged earlier was being used as a channel, trying to compel my body to obey.

But he wasn't the only one with tricks.

I activated the World Tree Sutra, drawing deeply on the stabilizing power of my cultivation method. Roots of pure qi spread through my meridians, anchoring my consciousness firmly in place.

"Interesting," Ke Jun's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, you really do cultivate the World Tree Sutra? How did one such as you manage to successfully cultivate such a monstrous technique? And there's something else..." His gaze seemed to pierce straight through me. "Your qi signature is... peculiar."

I didn't reply, too focused on maintaining my resistance.

Around me, I could feel the others preparing to attack. Liu Chang's stone skin had spread to cover his entire body. Bing Lan's sword techniques were creating patterns of azure light in the air. The Heavenly Jade disciples raised their jade weapons.

But Yan Li moved first.

"Heavenly Titan's Judgement!" Golden light exploded from him as he thrust his hand forward. The air crystallized into the form of a massive fist, each finger larger than a man, wreathed in the authority of heaven's mandate.

Ke Jun raised his hand, fingers moving in what should have been a devastating counter. But nothing happened. His eyes widened a fraction before the golden fist slammed into him with the weight of divine authority.

His body... didn't so much break as explode, scattering into a red mist that painted the ground in a wide circle.

We all stood there for a moment, staring at the empty space where a Civilization Realm ancestor had been standing moments before.

"That seemed..." Liu Chang frowned. "Easy."

Bing Lan's sword remained unsheathed, her eyes scanning the area. "Too easy."

I wish I could tell them that it really was over, but I'd read too many stories where the ancient monster played dead only to come back stronger. More importantly, I could still feel that unsettling resonance in my blood, that connection he'd forged.

It wasn't gone. Which meant...