Hegemon Of The Nameless Tenth Realm: All Hail Empress Lu Xie Tong.

Chapter 22: Undercurrents: The Dawning Of New Times And New Beginnings.

Mortal Realm~

Domain Of The Celeste~

Primordial Carp Nation~

Ying-yang City~

Ying-yang Dynasty Residence~

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The first day of the Year of Flaming Fire.

It was early in the morning, and the sun had just begun to rise, casting a warm glow over the landscape. The sky was set ablaze, painting the early clouds a soft shade of crimson.

Accompanying the morning glow was a warm day, and no one needed to be a soothsayer to predict that it would be a scorching hot one. After all, it was the very first day of the Year of Flaming Fire, and the temperatures would only continue to rise as the year progressed.

In a serene pavilion, a lone man sat sipping piping hot tea as he watched the day break. If one paid attention, it was clear that his gaze was unfocused, and he was lost in thought. The deep lines on his forehead made his concern all the more apparent. This lone man was none other than the Yang Emperor, Yang Jiang.

"What's troubling you?" a gentle voice whispered in his ear. A graceful figure slowly approached him from behind, leaning over to place her hands on his shoulders.

Her hair was a beautiful white-blonde color, bundled loosely with stray locks flowing down her elegant figure. She wore a stunning red-golden imperial robe that hung off her perfectly sculpted jade shoulders. Her enchanting pale gold eyes twinkled fondly as she gazed at Yang Jiang.

Yang Jiang turned to face her, his eyes betraying his calm composure. "What's wrong?" Yin Fei Yu asked, her brow furrowed in concern. "Your expression is troubling."

Yang Jiang's voice was laced with disappointment. "I had planned to wait outside the endless catacombs until Xie'er returned, but who would have thought she would take so long?"

Yin Fei Yu's expression turned worried. "She's still in the endless catacombs? How is that possible? Could her trial not have ended yet, or could she have encountered some mishap?" Her questions poured out, filling her with even more concern. Never had any trial lasted this long in the dynasty's history.

"The ancestral primordial carps informed me that her trial had long since ended, but..." Yang Jiang's sentence was cut short by Yin Fei Yu's interjection.

"Then why hasn't anything happened yet? She hasn't even triggered the Taichi Reverse Phenomenon, so how could the trial have ended? What's going on in the endless catacombs?" Yin Fei Yu's eyes became misty with worry.

"Reaping benefits!" Yang Jiang proclaimed out of nowhere, leaving Yin Fei Yu completely baffled.

Yin Fei Yu, "( @ _ @ )"

"I was informed by the Yang Primordial Carp Lord Yang Chen that she had passed the highest level of difficulty in the trial and was now reaping the benefits," Yang Jiang explained.

"What kind of benefits?" Yin Fei Yu questioned, her heart filled with a mix of curiosity, caution, and newfound joy.

The trial had been their last hope in enabling Lu Xie Tong to cultivate once again, hence the joy and weariness she felt.

"That, I have not the slightest idea about," Yang Jiang replied. "We can only wait and see by the time she comes out after triggering the Taichi Reverse Phenomenon. I just hope she doesn't become too disappointed when she exits the endless catacombs and doesn't find me there, waiting as I promised her before she went in."

A forlorn sigh escaped his lips, accompanied by a deep breath.

"So..., if Xie'er wasn't the reason why you were worried, don't tell me it's because of those Yan pests," Yin Fei Yu said, her demeanor suddenly taking a 180-degree change as her voice dripped with disdain.

Upon discovering that Lu Xie Tong was in a good state and even 'reaping benefits', her previous gloomy demeanor faded away, replaced by heartfelt disgust at the thought of the Yan clan.

"The spar between our dynasty and the Yan clan is set for today, and in a few hours' time, at that. The Yan clan will arrive soon, but I have a foreboding feeling that those good-for-nothing Yan people certainly have an ace up their sleeves. They've been plotting to reveal their hand, slowly building up the scene for it, and something tells me this battle is the climax of the scene they've been waiting for," Yang Jiang said, setting his tea cup on the table.

Yin Fei Yu sat beside Yang Jiang, gently squeezing his hands to comfort him.

"I don't believe those vermin could amount to anything good, but whatever they're scheming is bound to fail. The gap between our dynasty and their clan is akin to the difference between the heavens and the earth. Everyone knows the Yan clan enjoys flaunting their power and bullying others. We've let them run amok for too long; it's time we put them in their place. This is the perfect opportunity."

Although she sounded confident, Yin Fei Yu knew deep down that the Yan clan was not to be underestimated. They wouldn't have decided to have a total fallout with the dynasty if they didn't have an ace up their sleeves.

Her words were intended to calm Yang Jiang's worries, but she didn't truly believe them herself, and neither did her husband. She knew the Yan clan was now a real threat, but her ego wouldn't allow her to admit it. Now the real mystery was the ace up their sleeves.

Yang Jiang picked up the tea cup and took the last sip before setting it back down. Yin Fei Yu's words hadn't alleviated his worries at all but somehow aggregated them; Yang Jiang chuckled to himself, he knew how egotistical his wife could be, hence his lack of good faith in her reassurances, but he appreciated her efforts nonetheless.

Just then, a crisp bell rang out. Turning to the source, Yang Jiang and Yin Fei Yu saw a frail old man accompanied by a dashing youth. The old man's face was filled with wrinkles, and his bald head had only a few strands of grey hair left.

He wore a ceremonial robe, which hung loosely from his shoulders, and an oversized bead necklace around his neck. His bare chest was visible under the robe, which wasn't fastened, revealing black tattoos that stretched from his feet to his neck. He held a staff adorned with silver bells.

The old man was Old Man Weng, also known as the Soothsayer or Seer. He was born with a rare tri-pupil that favored him with the to see, what has been, what is and isn't and also what is to be. Throughout his life, his predictions had never been wrong.

The dashing youth beside the frail old man was his young apprentice, Yang Wei. Like the old man, Yang Wei had his upper body bare, revealing black tattoos that covered his skin. Yang Wei had been taken in as the old man's apprentice at a young age and was trained to be a seer as well.

Born with strange, amnesty pupils, a glance at his eyes could be unsettling, and people often avoided his gaze, but his most striking feature was his quiet nature. He wouldn't speak a word even when asked to, his words were worth more than gold to him.

"What brings you here today, Old Taoist Weng?" Yang Jiang asked politely.

On a normal day, this old-young duo would be holed up in their residence. Clearly, today was not a normal day. They only appeared when there were dire matters or a significant vision to share.

"Please, come in and have a seat," Yin Fei Yu said, gesturing to the duo. "Join us at the table."

Without further courtesy, they took their seats. Yin Fei Yu gestured to one of the servants to bring in some fine liquor. The servant quickly returned with a fresh wine jar and served its green contents to all at the table.

The frail old man picked up the wine bowl, sniffing its contents gently as though enjoying its rich aroma. "Dragon Snap Liquor, it's truly worthy of its name."

The old taoist commented offhandedly as he gulped down the liquor almost in one gulp.

"Old Taoist, I'm sure you have something to share with us. Please, waste no more time," Yang Jiang said, anxiety creeping into his voice. He already had a foreboding feeling, which grew stronger with each passing second.

The appearance of the Old Taoist only further fueled his growing anxiousness, and Yin Fei Yu seemed to share his concern.

Setting his wine bowl down, Old Taoist Weng met eyes with Yang Emperor Yang Jiang. In the entire Ying-Yang dynasty, apart from the Yang Emperor's family, he was probably the only one capable of meeting the emperor's gaze and remaining completely unfazed.

His tri-pupils suddenly lit up with a golden hue, which grew increasingly resplendent until a golden hue appeared in the eyes of Yang Emperor and Yin Empress.

In a flash, the scenery before them changed. They were currently in a trance induced by Old Taoist Weng, but they didn't try to break out of it. Instead, they immersed themselves in it even more, staring at the scenery before them intently. Whatever was about to unfold before them was the reason he had come to see them.

Old Man Weng was currently sharing a vision he had seen with the Yang Emperor and Yin Empress. In the vision, the sun and moon rose and set rapidly, and the time and seasons changed continuously. Suddenly, the sky was torn in two, with one part ruled by the sun and the other ruled by the moon.

In the west, the sun strangely rose, accompanied by a thick and ominous fog. The sky turned crimson, as if painted with fresh blood that precipitated softly. Crackling and screeching bolts of lightning connected the heavens and then the heavens and earth.

To the east, a night sky dotted with twinkling stars was ruled by a fingernail moon. A lone figure sat on the curves of the moon, fishing for souls below. It was an eerie contrast.

Below, in the west, stood a massive thousand-foot-tall red stallion with a bony skeleton garbed in a black cloak. It sat on the stallion, holding a bony red whip in its hands.

The whip lunged at the lone figure sitting on the moon in the east, occasionally snuffing out stars in the sky. However, its attacks were always held back by the fishing line held by the lone figure.

Beneath the red stallion was a sea of red toad-like creatures, each the size of a fist. They possessed sharp fangs, three pairs of human-like legs, and a pair of arms. Furthermore, the shade of their lips was deep red, akin to applying lipstick. They could spit out corrosive venom capable of corroding all.

The sight was offsetting, and they filled one's sight, completely overtaking the west. They were in an all-out battle against the human cultivators in the east. From time to time, figures would fall, never to rise again. Entities would drop dead, taking their last breath.

However, amidst this chaotic scene, an inconspicuous bronze scale stood atop a mountain. As the battle raged on and more people and toad-like creatures died, the scale would tip from left to right, rocking slowly to depict the stalemate between both sides.

Suddenly, the scenery changed in a blurry wash. A shadowy figure with its back facing them stood beside a reverse waterfall, hand raising a golden prism with eyes on each facet. Its resplendent golden rays could tear through the fabric of time and space, displaying the grim scene from the Torn Heavens. The all-seeing eyes on each facet blinked from time to time.

The shadowy figure wielding the golden prism possessed the power to tip the scale in either side's favor. Slowly, the shadowy figure became clearer, but just as the figure was about to turn and reveal its face, the trance ended.

Yang Jiang and Yin Fei Yu snapped out of the trance simultaneously. Old Taoist Weng's tri-pupils reverted back to normal as well.

"What is the meaning of this vision?" Yin Fei Yu couldn't help but inquire, the scene still leaving shivers in her soul.

"It's the beginning of an old prophecy, one as grand as the Great Cataclysm that tore our world apart from the Primordial World eons ago," Old Taoist Weng proclaimed.

"This might as well mark the beginning of trying times ahead," he continued.

"But who is the shadowy figure with the ability to tip the scale of that dreadful calamity?" Yang Jiang inquired, his anxiety deepening evenmore.

"I'm just a soothsayer, or seer, as some call me. I don't have the answers you seek. All I can say is that this is the dawn of new times and new beginnings."