Chapter 469: Realities New King

Ryker was waiting in the lobby of the Ashfallen Trading Company's main building with his Big Sister's disciple, Jasmine. Recently, they had grown closer as friends. Despite how often Jasmine liked to remind him that he was her 'junior' because she was a few years older than him, he was convinced that he was the more mature and powerful of the two, and it was his job to guide her.

However, today's meeting between them hadn't been planned. They had run into each other in the lobby and were both waiting for someone, so they had decided to sit together at a table off to the side. Ryker was waiting for Sebastian, and Jasmine was waiting for her father to finish a meeting.

"Is something wrong?" Ryker asked Jasmine. Usually a bundle of energy, the green-haired girl with cute little white flowers nestled in her hair and behind her ear, seemed rather down.

She turned to look at him—her warm yellow eyes, which reminded him of sunshine, seemed troubled. "Yeah," she said, half distracted by something.

"What is it?" Ryker asked as he looked her up and down. "Feeling ill?"

She shook her head. "Cultivators don't get ill."

"One as weak as you might—" he began but cut the joke short, seeing her serious expression. "It was just a joke," he sighed and went back to surveying the bustling lobby. Despite there being a dozen attendants behind a large counter, there were long lines of customers. Some were mortals, and others were cultivators. Eavesdropping on a few conversations, he was surprised to learn that not everyone was here to purchase pills. Some were merchants looking to cut deals, while other mortals were actually asking if there were any jobs they could apply for.

The room was full of energy and noise, yet Ryker felt drained sitting next to Jasmine. It was hard enough to ignore the bad mood of a mortal, but Jasmine was a fairly strong cultivator. Her bad mood practically radiated off her like a disturbance in the Qi.

"It's Stella."

"Mhm?" Ryker turned to Jasmine. "Did you say something?"

She nodded. "I did. I said it's my link with Stella that's causing my mood..." She looked off in the vague direction of Red Vine Peak. "Master seems incredibly troubled right now."

"How do you know? Oh wait, you have a mental link with her, right?" Ryker leaned back and crossed his arms. "Isn't Big Sister often troubled? I can see it in her eyes. She doesn't see the world like we do."

Jasmine hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I might know my Master better than she even knows herself. She struggles to find joy in anything, is always frustrated, and is also overly competitive to the point of being self-destructive." Jasmine paused and seemed to contemplate something. After a moment, she mumbled, "But this time, it's different."

"Different, how?" Ryker asked. He was curious to learn more about his Big Sister, beside whom he had killed his own family.

It's not murder if they deserve it.

Those were the words Stella had said to him when he executed one of his father's wives. Sebastian had warned him about Stella many times, and from a single phrase that had casually escaped her lips, he had come to understand why. If Stella saw you as a friend, she would treat you well. But if you were her enemy? In her eyes, you simply deserved to die.

"She seems... contemplative. I don't know how else to describe it. Maybe I should go and check on her," Jasmine said.

Ryker raised a brow. "Didn't you have something to give to your father? His meeting should be done any time now."

"Mhm, I guess so." Jasmine nodded but was clearly still distracted.

As Ryker was considering if there was anything else he could say to Jasmine, he felt a presence enter the lobby. While there were already some cultivators here, the selling of cheap pills had led to a sharp increase in the cultivation levels of the Ashfallen Sect's members and the residents of the surrounding cities.

But Star Core Realm cultivators were still rare, and their presence stuck out like a sore thumb. The crowd parted for a tall, silver-haired man with a stream of liquid silver orbiting him.

"Ryker!" Sebastian called out with a grin as he strode over.

"Sebastian, long time no see," Ryker said, returning the greeting. "How did assimilating with my father's Silver Core go?"

It had been over a week since Ryker claimed an overwhelming victory in the Silver Core inheritance competition and gifted it to his loyal subordinate. During that time, Sebastian had gone into closed-door cultivation to absorb the Qi and latent dao knowledge contained within.

"Slow and steady. I still have a few weeks or months' worth of cultivation to do," Sebastian said as he came to stand beside their table. "I could have absorbed it all in a week, but the concerns you shared at the inheritance ceremony made me realize I should treat the Silver Core as a guide and helper rather than a cheat to instant success."

Ryker nodded. "Yeah, while my father's Silver Core contains metal Qi, it was still altered ever so slightly by his soul and dao knowledge. Allowing foreign Qi like that to flood into your soul would have quick results but an undesirable outcome in the long run... I think."

"Exactly, so slow and steady it shall be," Sebastian agreed and then glanced at Jasmine. "You alright there, Jasmine? You look down."

Jasmine frowned. "I'm just worried about Master, is all. Her emotional state seems off."

"Stella?" Sebastian raised a brow. "When is her emotional state not off? Oh... you're serious. Did something bad happen?"

Jasmine contemplated. "No? I don't think so—at least not yet."

"How ominous. An unhappy Stella is never a sign of peaceful times ahead," Sebastian hummed in thought as he glanced toward the door and then groaned. "Why is she here?"

Ryker instantly knew who he was referring to as his half-sister, Valessia, strode in like she owned the place. Her personality was abrasive and overly loud, but he did feel a little guilty about executing her mother and taking the Silver Core inheritance from her. But only a little. If there was one person from his family he didn't want walking around wearing their family emblem, it was her.

"It's not exactly weird for her to be here. I see members of House Silverspire in here all the time since your family became part of the Ashfallen Sect and gained access to the ethereal root network," Jasmine pointed out. "Though she is the worst of the lot from what I've heard."

Jasmine seemed to be proven right as Valessia pushed past the crowd of mortals.

Oh, here we go, Ryker thought, rolling his eyes.

"Where is Kane?!" Valessia shouted, drawing everyone's attention. Ryker winced in embarrassment for being related to this obnoxious person, and Sebastian frowned at her.

A worker hurried out from behind the counter and bowed to Valessia. "My apologies. Kane Azurecrest is working hard alongside the other alchemists to have your custom orders done as soon as possible," the worker professionally explained. Valessia was clearly not happy with the answer.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"What's with the hold-up? I didn't even order that many pills," Valessia said, crossing her arms arrogantly.

The worker straightened up and gestured to the lines of people around them. "The Ashfallen Trading Company has a policy that the pill supply is distributed evenly so it cannot be bought up by a single source. With the Silverspire family having immense wealth, it's natural that your large orders will take longer to fulfill, as we have other customers to serve."

"What a ridiculous rule," Valessia sneered. "Don't you know this is how the world works? The one with money and power gets the last say. If I tell you to beg, you beg. If I tell you to cower, you cower," her lips curled up in a cruel smile, "and if I tell you to make my pills and you answer with excuses? Well..."

She raised her hand resolutely, and it clinked due to the number of silver spatial rings adorning her slender fingers. With a glare that reminded Ryker of Valessia's mother, she looked like she was about to slap the worker in the face. The worker simply stood there frozen in place under Valessia's crushing soul pressure, and the surrounding people didn't want to get involved.

"Valessia, are you trying to die?" Sebastian's voice bellowed through the room, freezing Valessia in place.

She slowly lowered her hand and sneered at Sebastian. "Oh, if it isn't Ryker's talentless servant. Did you think you could order me around now after getting gifted the inheritance?"

Sebastian snorted. "Order you around? Don't make me laugh. I wouldn't even need to punish you if you went through with that slap. You were a second away from being vaporized. Look around you and follow the flow of Qi. You can do that much, at least?"

Valessia seemed skeptical, but erring on the side of caution, she glanced around. At first, she didn't seem to notice, but her gaze eventually lingered on the supporting pillars of the lobby. Hidden under a layer of wood, any decent cultivator would feel the raw power of a formation concealed within. She seemed to follow the flow of power, and her eyes landed on a red jade held in the worker's hand.

"Understand now?" Sebastian continued. "You're standing in the heart of the Ashfallen Sect's capital city. Know your place, and don't sully the Silverspire name here with your unearned and vulgar attitude."

"You're no fun, Sebastian," Ryker grumbled. "She was one second away from being vaporized by this room's defensive formation, and you just had to save her."

Valessia shot Ryker a death stare. She pushed past the worker and made her way over to the table. "First, my mother, and now you want me dead too?" she seethed. "Since when did you become so heartless, Ryker?"

"You were the one who was about to punch a mortal in the face for no reason," Ryker shot back. "Are you going on a power trip to reaffirm your insecurities or something?"

"No? So what? I could kill that mortal if I wanted, and nobody would care," Valessia said, seaming genuinely confused by his statement. "One dies, and another will take their place. There are millions of them. Mortals breed like rabbits and die just as easily. Why should I care for them if they can't do their jobs?"

Ryker was about to shoot back when he felt the air chill with killing intent. Slowly glancing to his side, he saw Jasmine staring daggers at Valessia.

"What did you just say?" Jasmine asked slowly.

"What? Are you a hard-of-hearing kid with all that grass on your head?" Valessia replied with a condescending expression.

Jasmine got out of her seat and summoned her vine whip in a flash of silver. "Go on. Say that again," she narrowed her eyes. "I dare you."

Valessia looked down at Jasmine as if she were a bug. "A Soul Fire Realm cultivator is demanding things from me? How vulgar. But fine, if you insist, I'll humor you," she leaned in closer, uncaring of being within the range of Jasmine's weapon. "Mortals. Are. Worthless."

Jasmine coated her whip with nature soul flames, and Ryker noticed the gleam of poison seeping out from the spikes. At this point, a large crowd had gathered, but they all kept a cautious distance.

"Then let me educate you on what a mortal can do."

Valessia scoffed, "Maybe I need to beat the truth into you." Her Silver Core pulsed, and it looked like she was about to attack, so Ryker decided to throw his dear half-sister a lifeline. Not because he didn't want his sister to get hurt. In fact, it was the total opposite. He wanted her to get hit.

"That's the princess's disciple," Ryker said with a smile. "I wouldn't dare to fight back if I were you."

As expected, Valessia froze mid-attack at his warning. She had witnessed Stella's ruthlessness firsthand and had heard the warnings about what would happen if she harmed Ryker. If death came from hurting Ryker, just what punishment would occur for hurting the Princess's only Disciple?

"I didn't know—" Valessia began, but it was too late.

Much like her Master, Jasmine showed no hesitation in attacking just because Valessia had changed her mind. A deafening thunderclap split the air as the spiked whip lashed out like a lightning-charged serpent. It snapped through the space between them in a blink, slicing across Valessia's face with brutality. A streak of blood arced through the air as the force of the blow snapped her head to the side.

A silence blanketed the room.

Valessia raised a shaking hand and traced the nasty wound across her face. She stared at her bloodied fingers for a long moment in a mixture of shock and anger. "You... what did you do to my face?!" She stared at Jasmine, but her fierce expression faded as she seemed to lose control over her facial muscles.

"What is happening?" she slurred, her decorum totally lost as she began swaying on her feet.

"You'll live," Jasmine said as she finished the attack by kicking Valessia's knee, sending her to the floor. "Just be glad you didn't sprout such nonsense when my Master is around, but I think it's best you don't move or speak for a while." She raised her whip over her head and was about to strike down when she suddenly paused. Her head whipped in the direction of Red Vine Peak. "Something bad is happening," Jasmine said.

"To Stella?" Sebastian asked.

She shook her head. "No—I think to Ashlock."

Ryker's eyes widened. What bad thing could possibly befall Ashlock? The answer came a second later in the form of a terrible, loud cracking noise that made the building shake ever so slightly and seemed to echo through the entire valley.

Everyone in the lobby turned to look at the door in stunned silence.

Jasmine was the first to move as she rushed toward the door. Ryker followed quickly behind, alongside Sebastian. Outside in the storm, Ryker found Jasmine staring at Red Vine Peak in shock. Following her gaze, he soon mirrored her. One of Ashlock's massive branches was curling upwards.

"What the..." Jasmine said, but another bone-rattling cracking noise echoed down from the peak, and a second massive branch seemed to follow suit. Ashlock's branches began to look like gnarled fingers pointing at the heavens.

Mortals and other cultivators came out to brave the storm, and they all watched on with hushed whispers. Even Valessia managed to trudge out and finally remained silent as a third branch began to curl upwards.

"Master told us to stay away," Jasmine said with a communication jade in her palm. "She doesn't know what might happen, but it will be over by nightfall."

Ryker absentmindedly nodded. His focus was entirely captured by the spectacle unfolding before him.

"Let's watch from the top floor," Sebastian suggested and led the way back inside. Once again, the gathered crowd parted for them, and the workers in the building respectfully bowed toward them as they passed. It felt good, but Ryker knew the treatment was because he was walking with Jasmine. He doubted this girl had any idea just how fearsome it made her to be known as Stella's disciple. Everyone knew the rules didn't apply to the Princess or those close to her. The beatdown of Valessia moments ago was proof of that. Any other fight would have been stopped by the array, but who would dare to prevent Jasmine from dishing out some punishment?

Not that Ryker was complaining. Valessia deserved it.

Making their way to the top floor, Jasmine's father, Julian, respectfully greeted them and gave Jasmine a big hug. The meeting room was a mess, with numerous parchments spread across the table. It was clear that Julian and the others in here had been hard at work, but they had become distracted by what was occurring in the distance. Not that he could blame them, of course. The spectacle of a massive spirit tree's canopy moving like that was surely a once-in-a-lifetime event.

"Does anyone know what Ashlock is up to?" Julian asked, his voice tired from long days of working as the head of the Ashfallen Trading Company. There was no doubt that Ryker's half-sister and other siblings' demands were making life difficult for Jasmine's father.

"Only guesses at this point," Jasmine informed her father.

"I see," he said as he looked out through the rain-streaked windows. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it will be ridiculous. Nothing Ashlock ever does is simple."

Ryker nodded in agreement. Hours went by, and Julian's words came true. As the sky darkened, signaling the coming of night, the groaning and creaking of wood came to an abrupt stop. Nine branches had curved upwards, towering over the rest of Ashlock's canopy and forming what could only be described as a crown. But that wasn't all. During the last few hours, Ashlock's height had increased by around fifty meters—or over a hundred if you included the crown—and his canopy now sprawled out further and seemed denser than ever before.

If he had been considered big for a spirit tree before, he was now gargantuan.

Now, the entirety of Red Vine Peak was under his shade. In fact, his towering form was so domineering it was as if Ashlock had become Red Vine Peak, and just looking at him made Ryker's heart tense.

While the movement and noises had stopped, something deep in his soul told him it wasn't over yet. There was more to come, and he didn't dare to miss a thing.

However, absolutely nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

The crown that reached for the heavens...

It activated.

And reality answered the new king.