A few minutes earlier….

Yao Shen’s robes fluttered in the wind as his gaze fell upon the elders of the Divine Mountain Sect and the Sacred Flame Palace. A small strand of his divine sense focused upon the hourglass, sensing each grain of sand trickle down the slender tube as he took the time to mentally prepare himself.

The comprehensive might of two hegemonic sects of the Azlak Plains lay arrayed against him, the elders exuding an oppressive aura as they readied their weapons for battle. Their sharp, focused gazes tracked his movements with a scorching intensity, staunch determination reflected in their eyes.

However, Yao Shen’s expression remained tranquil as he faced down the elders unflinchingly. It was a pity that he had to reveal his trump card so soon, but Yao Shen held no illusions of concealing his secrets from external forces— the Azlak Plains may not possess complete records upon the fabled Soul Emperor stage, but the same could not be said for the true powerhouses of Ionea. Discarding the mortal body and fighting with the soul… was an unfamiliar concept to Yao Shen, since he understood the risks associated with such a maneuver.

Yet, much like Yao Shen’s ascension tribulation, his soul was far more potent than it ought to have been at his cultivation stage, even beyond his wildest expectations. While he could not mitigate all the risks involved, he believed the tradeoff to be worth it. He entered a state of absolute focus as the final grain of sand trickled down the funnel, letting go of any lingering inhibitions as he braced himself.

The first thing that he felt was a sensation of profound loss, as his soul rapidly expanded beyond the constraints of his mortal body. A few seconds passed before his form stabilized, the originally imposing elders now appearing frail and insignificant upon being confronted by his towering physique.

The world immediately slowed down in his perception as his control over divine sense reached an unprecedented level, the dissonance between his body and soul no longer limiting his abilities. Yao Shen’s indifferent gaze landed upon the volley of attacks headed in his direction, capable of easily evading them but choosing not to— his soul form had a certain heft to it that slowed him down, but he was confident that none of the Nascent Soul level attacks could faze his natural defenses.

His prediction turned out to be correct as the attacks slammed against the exterior of his soul form, fizzling out before they could cause him any real harm. However, Yao Shen’s fears materialized into reality as he felt a burst of irritation well up within him that swelled into a burgeoning rage directed towards his attackers— in his soul form, any emotion he felt was magnified multiple times, for while his physical body dulled the true capabilities of his soul, it also formed an equilibrium between the soul and the physical body that allowed him to function without being overwhelmed.

Had it not been for Yao Shen’s intricate understanding of emotions as a practitioner of Human Dao and his decades of cultivation experience, the raw, unadulterated anger he felt for the once enemies of the Heavenly Sky Sect might have overwhelmed him. Instead, he harnessed the power of that rage, since attempting to fully suppress it was a futile effort— over a century of bitter rivalry along with the frustration, angst and fury it had brought him were released with a mighty roar that served as the carrier for a concentrated blast of divine sense.

He watched with glee as a third of the elders crumpled under the force of his attack, their protective rings, amulets and talismans shattering before their souls slipped into unconsciousness, the power of a soul emperor forever imprinted onto their minds. Yao Shen had not attempted to suppress the rage coursing through his soul, for whilst the emotions he felt in this state may be magnified, they still belonged to him— as one who could see and interact with human emotions, he understood the futility of running away from them.

The lofty and overbearing elders of the Divine Mountain Sect and the Sacred Flame Palace that he once feared, then came to acknowledge as equals, were now unable to receive a single blow from him. Perhaps the part of him that belonged to Earth would be unable to understand, but as a cultivator who lived his life in pursuit of the Grand Dao this was an accomplishment that deserved to be acknowledged.

For let it not be said that Yao Shen was an unfilial disciple— the date of the Modern Sect’s establishment would also be recorded in historical records as the day the Heavenly Sky Sect shone the brightest, after decades of stagnation. The day whereupon the Patriarch of the Heavenly Sky Sect alone confronted the entire might of the sacred Divine Mountain Palace and the fearsome Sacred Flame temple on his lonesome and achieved victory! The historical day when the Patriarch of the Heavenly Sky Sect united the Azlak Plains, establishing all three hegemons under one banner!

This was Yao Shen’s pride, and his final tribute to his late master.

A jolt of anticipation ran through Yao Shen’s soul, as he realized the full magnitude of what he was about to achieve. He let the magnified emotions influence him, charging forward with renewed vigour.

While the other elders were still reeling from the impact of Yao Shen’s divine sense attack, a single pale faced cultivator dressed in earthen brown robes stepped forward to confront the charging giant.

“Earth Domain: Divine Mountain,” Patriarch Kang Long’s voice boomed out with an echo, as if his words were spoken in resonance with the very earth itself, slamming both his hands into the ground with a loud bang.

The ground beneath Yao Shen’s feet started trembling before a layer of topsoil engulfed him from all directions. He tried to evade, but immediately lost footing as the earth beneath his feet transformed into quicksand. Yao Shen was on the verge of channelling his Wind Qi to escape the encirclement when the topsoil rapidly transmuted into a thick layer of bedrock, entombing him within a thirty meter tall mountain.

This was Kang Long’s Domain—his will imposing order over the natural law, allowing the Earth to shift between its various forms freely.

Yao Shen watched as another layer of topsoil reinforced the interior of the mountain, before transmuting into bedrock and further thickening the mountain’s defenses. The longer he hesitated, the more time Kang Long had to reinforce the mountain’s interior until the nigh-impenetrable walls crushed him from both sides.

He laughed.

“Good!” Yao Shen roared, a burst of magnified exhilaration flowing through his soul. “This is how it ought to be!” he proclaimed, the Wind Qi within his soul lake flaring to life. The quicksand was unable to hold him any longer, as he careened towards one end of the mountain wall without any intention of decelerating. Instead of utilizing his own Major Dao of Earth or Fire, Yao Shen simply pulled back his fist before slamming it against the harsh bedrock.

The mountain trembled under the sheer force generated from the impact, but ultimately managed to hold. That prompted Yao Shen’s laugh to grow even wilder, as another punch rocked the surface of the mountain. His fist penetrated deep within the bedrock, causing a web of cracks to spread across the mountain’s surface. The third, and final punch shattered the mountain, and by extension, Kang Long’s domain.

The bedrock reverted to clumps of qi-infused soil as it harmlessly rained down upon the ground, but Yao Shen ignored it as his hulking figure snaked forward at Peak-Nascent Soul speed, a step down from his maximum, but enough for his current purposes.

A few moments later Yao Shen found himself staring down the Patriarch of the Divine Mountain Sect, who was panting heavily after having his domain shattered. His gigantic fist slammed into the chestplate Kang Long was concealing under his vest, a loud bang sound echoing out as the Patriarch of the Divine Mountain Sect was knocked dozens upon dozens of meters away, largely unharmed but unconscious and no longer able to fight.