Chapter 441: Death Flower

Jasmine saw fear in the man's eyes as he stared at her. His posture and muscles were tensed, and he seemed frozen—his mind processing something unknown.

She tilted her head, confused. It wasn't often that people had such a strong reaction to her, especially people she had never seen before.

"Do we know each other?" She hesitantly asked, looking up at the looming giant of a man while blinking.

The large man didn't answer. She studied him, trying to put a name to his face. His scarred cheek and brutish appearance perfectly matched the definition of the rogue cultivators her dad always complained about, but he didn't match her memory of Mister Choi. Maybe this man was one of his subordinates?

Jasmine looked over her shoulder at her father. He was one of the people Stella's tree dad put in charge of Ashfallen City and interacted with Mister Choi sometimes, so perhaps the man was afraid of him and not her.

Yet her father looked at her with confusion.

Not someone my father is acquainted with then. Jasmine looked back at the man. He didn't look like the type of person to be this terrified by mere rumors circulating about her, so it must be something else.

Due to the solemn and quiet mood despite the vast number of people present, their somewhat tense confrontation was drawing attention. Many sets of eyes were now on them, and people were starting to walk over, forming a loose circle around them.

Jasmine wanted to defuse the situation as soon as possible.

Let's think. Why would someone like this be terrified of me? It's not like anything about me is particularly scary...

She paused, remembering a certain someone stood behind her like an ever-present shadow.

"Are you acquainted with Stella?" Jasmine asked aloud, and the brutish man visibly winced. "Ah... you poor soul." Jasmine shook her head. "I have no idea what your experience with her entailed, but I can only apologize. I'm here at this funeral not as her disciple but to accompany my parents in their grief, " she said, gesturing to her parents behind her.

I'm just a mortal girl with her mortal parents for today. I'm not here to cause a scene, just to honor the death of my parent's friends.

Murmurs spread through the surrounding mortals, and the man seemed to awaken from his stupor.

"No, no, no." He shook his head, "There's no need to pity me. The Princess saved my life."

"Really?" Jasmine raised a brow. That wasn't something she heard every day. While she knew Stella could have a soft side, this man didn't match the usual profile.

"I was under Vincent Nightrose's control, driven to absolute madness." The man continued as he noticed the growing crowd's unspoken questions weighing in the air, "I rushed up the mountain with the others—your family and friends, convinced that all my dreams would come true if I reached Red Vine Peak. It was a lie. The vile scum was using me and the others as a way to test Ashfallen's defenses and tire out the cultivators of the sect before he moved in for the finishing blow. I was treated like disposable trash for his evil scheme."

His speech was gathering quite the crowd, and due to his size, his voice was being carried quite far, much to Jasmine's growing unease.

A grief-stricken mother clutching a toy stepped out from the crowd. "Were you really one of the people driven to madness?" She questioned.

Sullivan nodded.

"How come you're alive, and my little boy is dead then?" The woman suddenly shouted, and two nearby bystanders held her back from lunging forward. While being restrained by the bystanders, she continued hollering, "Why did the Princess save you over him or anyone else who died that night?!"

The surrounding mortals murmured and nodded in agreement, but no one dared to step forward—at least for now. Tensions were rising, and her presence likely kept it from escalating. Everyone here lost someone precious to them, so to discover that someone had survived that night of slaughter raised questions.

Jasmine frowned. This wasn't good, but she had no idea how to diffuse the situation. Is this my fault? She wondered as she scanned the crowd and saw the growing distrust and anger in their gazes. Maybe I shouldn't have come with my parents and interacted with these people—what am I thinking? These are Ashfallen's citizens. They deserve to know the truth.

As she was getting stressed, she felt her mother's hand gently squeeze her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder, her mother smiled and mouthed, 'It's going to be fine.'

Jasmine wasn't so sure.

"My life is no longer my own!" the man replied to the woman's shouting, "I was once known as Sullivan, a rogue Soul Fire Realm cultivator, owner of a brothel, and downright scumbag. I did not ask to be saved, nor did I deserve to be. But I was and paid the price. My cultivation was crippled, and I became mortal once again. Furthermore, saying I'm alive is disingenuous. My life is owned by the Princess. If she commands me to die, then I shall."

The woman tightly clutched the teddy in her hands and shook it, "I thought the Ashfallen Sect was different, but it seems the rumors are to be believed after all!" tears streamed down her face, "Cultivators only look after other cultivators. The Princess would rather save scum like you and leave the helpless mortals like my little boy to die!"

Sullivan was about to retort when a woman appeared in a flash of white flames adorning the cult of the All-Seeing Eye's attire. Her appearance commanded an instant silence. Pulling back her cloak, the young woman with short blonde hair, red maple leaf earrings, and slightly crazed pink eyes scanned the crowd.

Jasmine recognized her Master immediately, and it seemed that without saying a word, her oppressive presence clued the others in on her identity.

While the tension had reached a new height with her Master's appearance, Jasmine sighed in relief. With Master here, she will surely de-escalate the situation.

The circle that had grown tighter around them slowly began to disperse, with nobody wanting to get close to the slaughter princess. After all, the latest story going around about her was how she tore a person apart at the tournament in Ashlock's Inner World.

Only the woman remained frozen in fear despite the bystanders restraining her, having stepped back and disappeared into the crowd.

"Princess... I—" she stammered, unable to form a sentence.

Stella gestured to Sullivan with her thumb while maintaining eye contact with the woman. "I didn't hear everything you claimed as I just returned from a trip, but do you really think I wanted to save this guy of all people? I mean no offense, Sullivan, but just look at him. He's one ugly and useless bastard."

An almost awkward silence followed.

"Princess, I couldn't make such an assumption..." the woman bowed while shaking like a leaf.

Stella approached the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey," she slowly made the woman straighten up and looked her in the eyes, "Today is a day of grief and celebration for those who died. I have no plans to add to the list of the dead, so just relax."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Oh—okay."

Stella wrapped her arm around the woman's neck like an old friend and put her other arm out before them while sweeping the air, "Now picture the scene, the night of slaughter. Millions of mortals, empowered by an unknown force to the level of Soul Fire Realm cultivators, charged through the rain like savage beasts toward Red Vine Peak from all directions. Do you know how many people a million is?"

The terrified woman shook her head.

Stella gestured down the road where people were still pouring out of portals, "More than everyone gathered here. Now think how terrifying a Soul Fire Realm cultivator is to you."

The woman mutely nodded.

"How terrifying are they?" Stella insisted.

"Quite..." the woman gulped, "They are quite terrifying."

"Right? Now imagine a million of them. Usually, there aren't that many Soul Fire Realm cultivators in an entire sect, let alone rushing up a single mountain all at once. The attack was sudden and ferocious. We didn't know what to do." Stella paused and glanced around, "Everyone following so far?"

There was a round of hesitant nods. Jasmine was in awe at how well her Master commanded everyone's attention. Despite how many were gathered around them, nobody dared to even murmur. They were all listening intently, their focus entirely on Stella.

"Do you also all understand that the enemy in control of your loved ones who orchestrated this attack was Vincent Nightrose, the overlord of the Blood Lotus Sect? An old monster not in the Soul Fire Realm or the Star Core Realm like me... no, he was near the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm. While he shepherded your loved ones like cattle toward us, he lurked in the clouds above, waiting to strike." Stella gestured to Sullivan, "That's where this man comes in. We had previously been working together to locate Vincent Nightrose before the Night of Slaughter occurred. Due to him using clones and manipulating people, we failed, and Sullivan succumbed to the madness like so many others. Right?"

Sullivan nodded sadly. "It's true."

"That's why I brought him back to Red Vine Peak and quickly experimented on him to see if there was a cure to the madness. I wanted to save as many as I could." Stella paused, "As you can see by Sullivan standing here, there was indeed a cure."

"So why did you kill them all if there was a cure," the grieving woman hissed under her breath. Her rage seeped through her restraint.

"Because the cost was too high," Stella said simply, "Remember, Vincent Nightrose was using your wives, husbands, children, and friends to test our defenses and weaken us. The amount of resources it took to cure Sullivan was far too high. At best, we could have saved a few thousand, but that would have resulted in our annihilation. It didn't matter who won the war, whether it was us or Vincent Nightrose, your loved ones were doomed to die."

A heavy silence followed as everyone processed her words. Stella unlocked her arm from around the woman and stood before Sullivan. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him.

"You restored your cultivation."

He nodded, "Not by my own will."

"That's a strange answer," Stella tilted her head, "Your life is mine now, you know? I don't have any use for someone who isn't a cultivator."

"I know, and I deeply appreciate the second chance you gave me," he clasped his hands, "But I do not wish to retread the path of cultivation."

Jasmine sharply breathed in through her teeth. That was not an answer her master would like, as cultivation was everything to her, and she could feel Stella's growing rage through their mental link.

Stella's eyes narrowed, "Explain." Her tone cut through the air like a chill.

"I have come to realize the pursuit of power is pointless," Sullivan said, seemingly unfazed by Stella. Like a sage, his tone was neutral and pleasant to listen to, "Immortality is a myth, and there will always be a bigger fish or a higher mountain to climb. It took me losing everything to stop looking to the skies and appreciate what I have here and now. I thought myself a god compared to mortals, yet we walk the same earth and breathe the same air. I want to live out the rest of my life without being enslaved by the intoxicating promise of power from the heavens."

Jasmine contemplated Sullivan's words and looked at the reactions of gathered mortals. Their hate-filled gazes had softened, and she saw many nodding along in agreement and discussing it quietly amongst themselves. It was certainly a unique perspective she hadn't heard before.

She glanced up at Red Vine Peak. Ashlock, the overlord of the entire region, loomed over them from his mountainous throne. His branches of desolation fanning out and drowning out the skies.

There is always a bigger mountain to climb. Jasmine mused. He looks like an untouchable existence to us and is even worshiped as a literal god, but I know the truth. He's just a vulnerable tree trying his best.

"What a selfish perspective," Stella said, regaining everyone's attention. "Do you think we are all unaware of the endless fight for survival?" She stepped forward, the ground cracking under her foot, "The more powerful I become, the closer to death I seem to dance. Your perspective, Sullivan, is one that can only be held by someone with nothing

to lose. I don't chase power for immortality. I do so I can cut down the fuckers that try to take those I care about away from me."

Sullivan didn't back down, his gaze steady. "You pursue power to protect, yet the more you gain, the closer death creeps. Forever lurking over your shoulder, trust me, I know. You're right; I'm a dead man walking. But I've decided not to kneel to the heavens anymore and live my life as a mortal."

Jasmine stepped forward to try to intervene. Nobody talked to Stella like that, especially in such a public situation, and got away with it. But a murder at a funeral like this would only further Stella's terrible reputation further.

"Master, please don't—"

She was too late.

Stella's hand was already near his throat—Jasmine winced, only to be surprised. Stella didn't decapitate Sullivan as she had expected. Instead, she had rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I was wrong about you," Stella said, her eyes locked onto Sullivan's like a vice, "Your resolve and perspective... It's interesting. I don't know how to say it, but it's as if you have comprehended a different path—there's an aura around you that's hard to ignore. A cultivator that fell to mortal-hood only to deny reascension. How interesting—I wonder if I would think the same should the same happen to me?"

She stepped back and looked him up and down before smiling, "You're not wrong. Cultivation is glorified by the mortals, but it sucks sometimes." She then addressed the gathered mortals. "As I'm sure you are all aware, the Ashfallen Trading Company has made cultivation available and affordable to everyone, but you can leave the fighting with other sects and defending against the beast tides to us. Take a note from Sullivan here, cultivate, but enjoy life too."

With that, she turned, her long-sleeved cloak wafting with her movements.

"If I had been stronger, nobody's loved ones would have had to die," she whispered, yet everyone heard her. It was as if her voice was carried by a gentle breeze. "For my weakness, I can only apologize. But as Sullivan has discovered, death comes for us all. That's unless I can figure out how to become death itself."

White flames flashed around Stella, and she vanished into the aether. Her parting words lingered in the minds of everyone present. Sullivan bowed his head and took his leave, his large frame vanishing into the endless sea of mortals that had gathered for the funeral.

The spatial rifts lining the empty road began to close one by one. Motes of fire drifted down from Red Vine Peak, illuminating the darkened skies with fading embers. Through the fire, cultivators on swords flew overhead. Their spatial rings flashed with power, and ghostly blue, almost ethereal flowers slowly floated down alongside black seeds in their wake.

Confused, people, including Jasmine, caught the falling flowers and seeds. Twirling the flower between her fingers, she felt the chilling whisper of death emanating from it while the seed radiated a faint divine glow.

"Does anyone else see that?"

"What are those?"

"Monsters? How did they get so close to us!"

Jasmine heard chatter all around her. Following the confusion, she glanced at Red Vine Peak and saw orbs of blue light marching out of the darkness, only to realize what they belonged to.

The Mudcloaks were here, and they came from all sides.

"Do not fear, followers of Ashfallen." A voice Jasmine recognized as Elysia radiated across the land, carrying an oppressive authority to it. "These are servants to the All-Seeing Eye and have come to assist in the funeral ritual that will soon begin."

Mortals all around Jasmine stepped back with fear as the Mudcloaks closed in. They stopped before people, and from the folds of their skin, they brought out... tiny shovels.

"As instructed, it appears everyone has brought an item of value that might contain a lingering trace of their loved one's soul. While we do not have the power to revive the dead as they once were, we hope to give the souls of the deceased a permanent anchor on this world. They will become spirit trees and will forever be nurtured by the All-Seeing Eye."

Jasmine looked to the sky and saw Elysia standing upon a grand pillar of purple smoke with Stella at her side.

"The ritual is simple." She continued, "The servants of Ashfallen before you will dig a hole. In it, you will place the soul-holding item alongside the seed of our god. The seed and item will be buried once you have said your prayers and goodbyes. Once that is done, you will place the death flower on the grave and say one final prayer for the All-Seeing Eye to bless the seed. The flower is important as it serves as a beacon to your loved ones and will call them back from the cycle of reincarnation."

"Can she really do that?" Jasmine's dad whispered behind her.

"If Elysia says something is possible," Jasmine whispered back, "Then she can make it happen. All you have to do is believe."

Her Father looked at the flower in his hand with a determined expression. "Ashfallen hasn't failed me yet," he looked up at Stella, "so I will believe."

Jasmine wasn't sure, but she swore she saw a faint divine glow around her father dissipate into the air around him.