Ascension of the Immortal Asura

Far from the Bloodfiend Sect, a group of three male cultivators could be seen walking through an incredibly beautiful valley. Picturesque snow capped mountains, lush with life, surrounded them in all directions, as towering waterfalls cascaded down on the earth below.

In the sky above the valley were dozens of floating land masses, each defying gravity as they hovered in the sky. Each land mass contained an incredibly grand and luxurious palace, while lush vines and vegetation hung down on the underside of the landmasses.

Exotic creatures of incredible power flew through the sky, each mounted by one or more cultivators.

The valley below contained thousands of exquisite buildings as well, making the entire area look like an immortal paradise. Surrounding the mountains and valleys was a sprawling empire, one that stretched out farther than the eye could see. It was as if the sprawling empire was the very center of the world, as nothing could be as grand.

The group of three men stepped on a formations platform, and their bodies suddenly vanished. They instantly appeared on one of the landmasses high above and continued walking as if such a thing were a normal occurrence.

Their destination was the palace that was built on the floating landmass, which was over two miles in diameter, and many miles tall. Just with a single glance, one could tell that this building was of incredible importance to the area, as it was the largest and most luxurious by far.

The palace sprawled for nearly the entire width of the landmass, and was colored white, light blue, and gold. As they walked through the main courtyard of the palace grounds, they passed by many fountains shooting water. However, unlike normal water, the water within the fountains was infused with incredible life and vitality, as if taking a single sip would heal any wounds and extend one's life.

The group continued forward as if such things were beneath their notice. One man was leading the group, followed closely behind by the other two, as if they were advisors. The one leading the small group was a middle aged man, who had long black hair, piercing eyes, and a handsome, clean shaven face. He seemed to emit no cultivation at all, but it was beyond apparent that the man contained incredible power.

The man listened to his two advisors discuss various things as he strode into the massive palace. The front doors were opened by several guards, who bowed as they greeted him.

"We pay respect to the Esteemed Emperor," they shouted out in unison.

The man ignored the greetings and strode into the palace, as he continued to listen to his advisors speak of various things. The interior of the palace was even more luxurious and grand than the exterior, and was far beyond anything that existed on the Yuan Continent.

While it was smaller than the Heavenly Lightning Palace, the Heavenly Lightning Palace paled in comparison to the luxuriousness of this palace. Every inch of the palace was created using only the most heavenly of materials, and just this one palace was worth more than the entire Heavenly Lightning Sect.

"That brings us to Laia," one of the advisors spoke up as they made sure to maintain pace with him.

The man's face slightly perked up slightly as he heard that name.

"Has she resumed her training?" the man asked.

"Not yet," the advisor replied, his voice slightly tepid. "We have tried everything to get her to cultivate, but she refuses to do so."

The man frowned as he heard this.

"Stubborn girl," he grumbled out loud as he continued to walk deeper into the palace. "Doesn't she find that maid of hers to be quite a close friend? Use that maid's safety as motivation to resume her training. I'm sure that will change her mind."

The advisors both nodded their heads in unison. "It will be done."

They continued walking forward, when all of a sudden, the man stopped without warning. The two men behind him nearly bumped into him, but avoided doing so at the last moment. The man at the front stood there motionlessly for quite some time, before his eyes looked in a certain direction.

He was staring at one of the palace walls, but his vision seemed to be piercing through time and space instead. Both men behind him were confused as to what was happening, but didn't dare to make a sound as they could tell something important was on their Emperors mind.

The man remained emotionless for quite some time as he stared into the distance, before a slightly surprised look appeared on his face. Both advisors noticed this look, and looked at each other with great curiosity. They knew not many things were able to surprise their master.

"Interesting," a small smile appeared on the man's face as he once again resumed walking. The advisors quickly followed behind, and one couldn't help but ask what had just happened.

"Esteemed Emperor, did...did something catch your attention?" one of them asked.

"Indeed," the Emperor replied, his smile still lingering on his face. "It seems as though we were wrong as to what happened fifteen years ago. Or at least, partially wrong."

"Fifteen years-" the advisor's words cut off as a certain event came to mind. "You mean?"

"Indeed," the man replied again in a similar fashion. "I just now felt that aura, the Dao of Death. It's incredibly faint, but it's unmistakably her."

Both advisors opened their eyes wide in surprise, as they had not expected to hear such a thing.

"How is such a thing possible?" one of the advisors asked, shock evident in his voice.

"I am not sure, but I aim to find out," the Emperor replied as his eyes narrowed, a devious glint easily apparent. "Our plans have changed. We must find her, find out how such a thing happened, and make bring her back. If we do that and make her as she once was, our position in this world will become absolute."

The advisors glanced at each other, before they looked back to their Emperor.

"Were you able to locate where she is?" one of them asked.

"No," the Emperor replied. "Her aura is incredibly faint, so she must be quite far away. If she never revealed her power, I would have remained clueless as to her existence. However, she chose to do so, which means she no longer wishes to hide her existence. With this in mind, I'm confident my precious daughter will reveal herself before long."