Immortal Kingdoms

The black dome of no depth began to gradually compress in size. From the natural limit of a rebirth cultivator's domain and smaller it got.

Wherever the dome retreated, patches of charred land and cracked earth were revealed.

The crust of the earth split open, and fire and lava spewed out like dragons. It was a harrowing scene as waterfalls of pandemonium hailed from the ground and rained on all sides, only to be smitten into smithereens by the erratic lightning from high above.

The heavenly retribution seemed to urge the dome on and on to compress and reveal the one within, a person that must die on this day.

Half a year spent on constructing a body of law was too little amount of time, many people watching from afar had already passed Leonardo a death sentence as there is no way in hell a body of law constructed in haste could withstand the wrath of these heavens.

"His domain is quite large— it should take half a day for it to completely compress I reckon," said a rebirth realm cultivator dressed in black. An air of malice eroded his temperament, eluding to his mysterious background as someone from the black market. These people were dark and eccentric, their goal was wealth and power by whatever means may come at them.

That is to say, they never intended to have their prospects at the mercy of the Blackrain Monarchy, they rather dispatch a rebirth realm of their own.

Only, it was quite the hassle to transfer one over, especially with the lockdown on rebirth cultivators deposed by the Luan Dynasty. The Jin and Dong Dynasties must be enjoying the show as the undercurrents began to affect the surface area of the secular factions.

"It might not take that long," a soft, chime-like voice imputed, drawing everyone's attention to the sky.

A woman in a blue gown stood high on the back of a Cloud Crane, also known as the cloud chaser. This was a 6th-tier magical beast the equivalent of a rebirth realm cultivator at the peak of forming a star core— it could even compare to those in the process of moulding the core into their body of law.

"Someone from a great sect!"

Exclaimed the man from the black market. As for the woman, she didn't seem to hear as her beautiful eyes narrowed, seemingly attempting to pry into this black shell of a domain but to no avail.

She wasn't the only new arrival as many flying beasts began to gather in the sky, each carrying an individual of varying outfits.

The woman from the Luan Dynasty furrowed her brows, "Are people from the martial faction intending to get involved with our secular affairs?"

She was obliged to voice out her question as this matter was wholly unprecedented.

She didn't expect the reclusive great sects to suddenly show up, not to mention that there were at least a few more months of protection offered to the Blackrain County by the Luan Dynasty, making this territory an extension of the dynasty.

"Your secular affairs? Haha," condescending laughter fell from the sky.

"Don't make me laugh any more than I can handle; everyone knows that this land now belongs to Memento Mori, a gray organization without roots in either of the two factions.  Let that brat decide for himself whether this is a matter concerning the marital or the secular factions. For all I knew, he chose the location of a hidden sect to establish a base of operations."

There was an overwhelming number of cultivators from the martial faction, namely great sects, in the area. That wasn't to say that the secular factions lacked their own powerful cultivators— those cultivators are more often than not tied down by their responsibilities and duties to the throne, incapable of making a move as they wish.

When someone hears the ratio of seven great sects and three dynasties, they tend to carry the misconception that the latter has fewer experts.

If the area of influence under each dynasty didn't stretch them thin with the overload of territories and instead focused on a reclusive region, each dynasty would be as strong if not stronger than three or four sects combined.

Above all that, however, resides the Divine Temple, a power with enough deterrence to keep the chips in the balance between the two factions.

And in the cracks of these subtle relationships, organizations like Memento Mori thrive under the label of gray factions.

As more and more people pulled up, a loud crack sounded— as though space shattered.

The dome crumbled into fragments as a massive shadow of a black halberd tore it apart and proceeded to part the tribulation clouds in the sky.

A massive clearance of a vast blue sky appeared across the horizon.

The sky wept.

The land broke.

The Sound lost all meaning.

A man emerged. Clad in black. Stripes of white and patterns of red. Long, void-black tapestry hung on his shoulders, a fluttering black sky.

As starless as it was moonless.

A pair of eyes overflowing with cold malice; sentiment withheld by a pair of slowly rotating triangles.

The domain twisted into an irregular shape before collapsing into a spinning sphere in his left hand, swiftly assimilating into what would soon be mentioned throughout the ages as the regal armament.

The tribulation clouds seemed silent. They seemed mad yet confused. They didn't bear down with lightning or thunder as to be expected, they patiently waited as he merged the figments of darkness into his body and weapon.

Leonardo slowly lifted his head and looked up at the quivering clouds, his body shuddering with unbound power ever-so-slightly.

He didn't care for the quibbles between the martial and secular factions as of yet.

Unbound power thrummed within him; anxious for a release.

Long silver hair whipped about haphazardly as the long halberd swung counterclockwise, an illusion of majesty filling the sky and earth as the shadow of a great halberd covered the horizon, as vast as the tribulation clouds if not greater.

"Sever Karma,"

Leonardo whispered as he swung down, yet it didn't appear as though he did anything at all.

The shadow of the halberd flashed in and out of existence. Three lightning bolts struck down, each resounding with a clap to deafen the ears. Coincidently or otherwise, three halberds one black, one white, and the last red suddenly emerged from the void and struck the lightning bolts head-on.

Boom!

Blasts of air swept the once historical mountain range, carrying lava into torrential tsunamis wreaking havoc across the realm.

"Bind!"

The woman on the cloud crane spoke, her aura unfolding as a heavy domain pressed down, immediately shunning the aftermath of that exchange; whatever remain after crossing several hundred miles of chaotic regions.

A flash of surprise surfaced in her otherwise expressionless blue eyes. She was clearer than most on the power residing within the aftershocks, even if her actions seemed redundant.

"You women from the Winter Fall Pavilion really love to show off; no one here is afraid of some pity shockwaves," a man on another flying mount jeered, feeling disgusted.

When the divinities accompanied by their seniors heard his words, their expressions of awe and reverence stiffened, quickly returning to an indifferent calm.

The woman didn't respond, she instead flew down with the cloud crane next to Rosaline's group, a bit of interest in her eyes as she eyed up the latter's figure and beauty.