“Wu...Wu Tianhun?!” Bai Yunfei nearly felt his soul leave him again. “You—I uh...Your Majesty Wu Tianhun of our empire?!”

“Why, yes.” Wu Tianhun smiled.

“I...I...”

Bai Yunfei could hardly believe his ears. He couldn’t see the exact features of this person, but he could at the very least see some similarities from the historical records. His regal aura was also a little similar to the current ruler, Wu Hong, but stronger.

He heard of Wu Tianhun’s legends many times before. The man was naturally an idol to Bai Yunfei and so it was no surprise that Bai Yunfei would be excited to see him.

“Ah...this junior Bai Yunfei pays his respects to Your Majesty.”

“Be at ease, I have no longer such a title. I am but a soul cultivator just as you, call me senior.”

“Yes...” Bai Yunfei complied, “Senior Wu...what brings your esteemed self here? Were you trapped here as well? Ah...no, were you the one to leave behind the white cloth?!”

“Ah yes. That was one of mine. Did you come here with that in hand? Very good...that was my wish so many years ago....so you are that person? A Late-stage Soul Emperor....you are graced with fortune it appeared...”

“I...I actually came with two Seniors but were separated due to an unexpected event. I only wanted to see if the cloth was real or not, I didn’t think my soul would be brought into here...”

He paused briefly as another question hit him. “Senior Wu...how did you manage to come here?”

“My ‘real’ self isn’t here. This is only a strand of my consciousness, not my soul. Dormant until the door was opened, my strand laid here, waiting to see who would be the next to obtain the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance.”

“A strand of your consciousness?!” Bai Yunfei was surprised. He didn’t think such a thing was possible, but then again, he shouldn’t be that surprised. The world had plenty of things he didn’t know about. Wasn’t the concept somewhat similar to having a Regalia with a soul? But then again, a ‘strand’ of consciousness required a soul to function, did it not? Didn’t that mean...

Another hard bombshell was dropped onto Bai Yunfei. “Senior Wu...are...is your distinguished self...still alive?!”

It was a little rude to ask such a question, but Bai Yunfei was far too shocked to even consider his impoliteness.

Wu Tianhun barked with laughter, “If this strand exists, then it should stand without reason that I am still alive...”

He smiled, gratified about something. “It would appear that ‘I’ have found a higher realm. I have gone to the legendary realm...”

“What?” Bai Yunfei sounded incredulous. “What was that, senior Wu? What ‘legendary realm’? If you’ve reached a higher realm...then there’s still something after a Late-stage Soul Saint?!”

“But of course.” Wu Tianhun chuckled, “The truth is a concept of infinity, what ‘peak’ can there be? If such a peak exists, then it is the peak of that plane of existence only. Hm...in our terms, being a Peak Late-stage Soul Saint is the peak. Should such an individual wish to seek higher ground, then they must sever the chains that shackle us to this plane and go to a plane of higher existence....When I became a Peak Late-stage Soul Saint, I traveled the continent in hope of finding such a method. It was because of that journey I found the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance, but such a thing was useless for me. I found no use for it.”

“......”

Bai Yunfei was speechless. It boggled his mind to think that what Wu Tianhun was saying could be true. There was still an even higher realm after becoming a Saint? A legendary realm...he never even heard of such a term.

“What lies beyond the realm of Saints is what the legend calls the ‘God Realm’. With our terms, individuals that have attained such a realm are called ‘Soul Gods’. It is said that such individuals are capable of breaking their chains to this plane and ascend to the ‘God Realm’. Very few individuals have heard of this legend even during my time, thus it was never able to be confirmed. However...if my person is still alive, that means I have attained a higher realm and extended my lifespan. It is possible then, that I have ascended and entered that domain.”

He gave Bai Yunfei an observing look, “I must admit, I am quite impressed by you. Finding the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance means a chance to pursue higher grounds. The previous ‘Supreme Saint’ was unable to do such a thing, but perhaps you will...”

“I...I’ll be able to reach that realm with you?!”

“Do not devalue yourself. I can see the uniqueness of your soul. You were able to come this far, you being here now is proof of your good lot in life. Everything is possible in your future and nothing can be guaranteed.”

It elevated Bai Yunfei’s sense of self-worth to unprecedented levels upon hearing such high praise from Wu Tianhun. “This junior is honored! Thank you senior Wu for your guidance!!”

This entire time, Bai Yunfei always thought Sainthood to be the finish line, the ultimate goal. But to think that it was simply the prelude to something greater! What was once thought to be a dead end was now the start to an even greater path! He couldn’t even begin to describe the emotions he was feeling.

“It is imperative to have such confidence. How is one to achieve something greater if doubt fogs their mind? But I digress...this strand will soon unravel. Prepare yourself to absorb the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance. This is your destiny.”

“Eh?” Bai Yunfei ‘blinked’. He still had so many things he wanted to talk with Wu Tianhun about, such as how he came across the Core Stone and the other Regalias. He also wanted to tell him about the current state of the empire and all the problems that were happening, but it disappointed him to hear that time was running out.

There was no delaying time. Already, Wu Tianhun’s person was starting to fray at the seams to disappear from this place.

“This junior prays for another time to meet again, senior Wu!”

“It was but a short time, but I see greatness in you. Take the last of my energy to aid your taking of the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance...work hard, young one. Your destiny should not end in this plane, but another one. We will meet again...”

Wu Tianhun was gone, but the last words he spoke were directed into Bai Yunfei’s mind and stunned him.

It went without saying that anyone would be stunned. This was the founding father of their empire he had just talked to!

“Eh?”

Something strange entered Bai Yunfei’s soul. It felt warm to his ‘body’ as it surrounded him. ‘Looking up’, Bai Yunfei noted that the surrounding white light was starting to swirl around him. Drawn in by his body, the light quickly became a whirlpool for it all to converge on his person!

“So...all of this was the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance?”

Bai Yunfei concluded to himself. This entire time, he had been speaking to Wu Tianhun while surrounded by the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance. Was this what it was? His soul had been transported into a ‘world’ of the Supreme Saint’s design so he could absorb it all. Was this what it meant to ‘inherit’ the Inheritance?

It was said that the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance wasn’t something that anyone could inherit. But Bai Yunfei didn’t sense any ‘rejection’ or ‘resistance’ as the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance continued to flow into his soul. Was he, then, someone that was ‘destined’ to have the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance?

Chasing every superfluous thought from his mind, Bai Yunfei began to concentrate on the flow of energy coming into him. Though he had no physical body, Bai Yunfei imagined himself to be seated on the ground in the proper meditative posture. He was at the core of the world and the light around him his to bend to his will.

Soon, the whirlpool became a maelstrom that only continued to pick up in speed...

......

While Bai Yunfei’s soul was busy absorbing the Supreme Saint’s Inheritance.

Outside the door, Bai Yunfei’s real body began to mimic his soul’s actions. Taking a seat, his body adopted the meditative form his soul was imagining himself to be in and began to circulate his soulforce within him...

Originally the body didn’t have much soulforce in it due to the door using up the majority of it. But now, his body was practically exploding with the ripe energy of a Late-stage Soul Emperor.

It didn’t take long for his body to regain his regular levels of energy. Instead of stopping there, however, his energy levels continued to skyrocket to even greater heights!!

Ten seconds later, his aura spiked to the level of a Peak Late-stage Soul Emperor!

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. It continued to rise to unprecedented levels of power!

At this, Jing Mingfeng found himself unable to do anything but stare at Bai Yunfei with wide-open eyes and mouth.

“What’s...what’s going on here!?”