The rain fell even harder now but, although Te Rin's clothes were now damp with water, not a single drop fell on the figure of the red skinned woman with golden eyes.

The young girl stared upwards and down in disbelief. As she did so, her mind tried to fill in information so that she could understand what she was witnessing in that very instant.

The two mysterious beings, the hazy man and the illusory woman stared at each other for a while as the earth turned into mud under the fierce assault of the raindrops.

The woman was the first to break the eye-contact, sighing "That nickname, I don't dislike it to the point of sowing bad karma between us. However, you should not try me..." the air began to heat up as flames appeared in her dazzling golden eyes "WORKER."

The man's blurry image trembled and, for a split second, a wide grin and two piercing eyes could be seen on the man's face "Now, now... Of course we wouldn't wish for that to happen, Miss Jin"

The woman rolled her eyes and then her attitude turned back into her laid back appearance again "He is so intriguing..."

The man nodded enthusiastically "Yeah! Isn't he just... Beautiful?"

"Don't let me in your twisted sense of beauty, Worker. Your interest is born simply because you see him as a weapon with feelings, an animated object with a consciousness, capable of self-awareness..." Jin FengHuang glared upwards "He isn't a sharp blade to be worn at the waist!"

The man's eyes widened "Of course not! Such a beautiful weapon should not be worn... It should be used..." Noticing the woman's glare intensifying, the man smirked "Come on, I was just kidding, it was a joke! Don't you trust me, Jin? Jinn? JinNY?"

"Who would trust you, shrewd bastard?" She sighed but then looked up again "At first I wondered why my daughter chose him... I guess there was a reason! This boy is indeed quite charming..."

The hazy man nodded, an excited grin the only thing discernible of the blurry figure "I understand the feeling. If I think that I almost lost my chance to witness such a spectacle..." he shivered, grabbing his shoulders as if he was cold.

He shook his head, recovering "I will stay here a bit longer, to see what is going on exactly and what brought all these events to the current state. What about you?"

The blurry woman pondered for a while then shook her head and bowed deeply "I am afraid I have to decline... You see, if she were to see me, I am afraid she would lose all motivation..."

The man smirked but then nodded "That's fine. Feel free to pass by my 'Level' sometime. I will keep you entertained with a few jugs of bloodfire-liquor of the highest quality!"

The golden eyed woman nodded and then bowed in the direction of the hazy figure in the sky. She then smiled to the spot where Cheng Hao had disappeared to and winked.

"Just go easy on her, would you? I won't hinder you, but she is my daughter after all" she put one of her hands on her chin as if she were pondering and then smiled.

She looked up "I think a few kids would be fine, but please do not go over the three digits! Please tell them that, would you?" The red woman stuck her tongue out then she faded away, leaving behind a stunned hazy figure and an even more shocked Te Rin.

The hazy man's eyes grew wide but then he grinned and rebuked "Eccentric as they say, aren't we..."

He sighed and nodded "I shall deliver the message. Now... Let's see what that boy is up to!" The man waved his hand and then slowly faded, as if he had been absorbed into his surroundings.

Te Rin blinked a few times and then shook her head. She tried to recall what had just happened, and sighed with relief when she noticed all her memories were still there: what she witnessed was beyond the likes of her, for a lowly character such as herself to know so much was a lot already!

She wasn't an idiot, she could connect some dots, but most things were beyond her as she didn't have enough information. She was even more confused than she had been before witnessing the strange scene!

Still, she now felt calm. She didn't feel the pain she had felt before, nor did she feel sad. Instead, she felt somehow reassured. It was a weird feeling, she didn't know how to explain it.

Still, yeah, she was now sure. In the whole world, at this very moment, she was amongst those few people who could say for certain that...

"Cheng Hao... Is alive!"

...

'Wow... Where exactly am I?' Cheng Hao floated in some sort of void. The tyrannical pressure that had been so imposing before was somehow being held back by an illusory, golden tower.

The boy turned to his right and stared at the single drop of bloody flesh that once was Yin Hei "I wonder... What would have happened if I hadn't summoned the Immortal Ascension Tower back then!"

Holding the boy within was what seemed to be a pagoda made out of precious metals: it glowed with strange light that blocked off the great pressure and at the same time looked breathtaking.

Cheng Hao sighed in relief and looked around him: everything was dark, slightly brightened up by some stars up above, without any kind of light brightening up his surroundings, the glowing pagoda was like a lamp in the night.

Cheng Hao looked around himself and his expression couldn't help but change: gigantic beasts could be seen moving in the distance, each of them terrifying to the most.

The boy stared in disbelief at these monstrous beasts swimming through the incredible pressure as if it wasn't even there: the pressure here was nothing that should be joked about and he had a really bad feeling about his current situation.

Suddenly, a bluish light appeared off in the distance and a loud roar reached the boy's ears. He turned and his pupils shrunk: what appeared to be spectral giants were heading towards him.

They were completely white, wore little to no garments and held in their hands, that were as big as whole continents, gigantic blades made of blue light.

Although their huge frame would suggest otherwise, their speed was astonishing, each step seemingly shrinking the space between the beast and its target.

Cheng Hao shivered as he felt an imposing pressure coming from the monsters... It was way more powerful than anything he had experienced previously, except for a few special occasions! Even the pressure from the void couldn't compare!

He backed away but soon realized that he was locked in place, without any way to run away. He began to sweat profusely and his eyes filled with terror as the distance between him and the giants decreased quickly.

He heard loud roars coming from behind him and what seemed to be a gigantic lion with the head of a cow charged towards a whale that had crocodile legs instead of the fins.

Although the lion seemed incredibly imposing, it could be seen that the whale's power was much higher, both in terms of pressure and size.

Each beast held incredible might and the fight drew the attention of even more beings as many powerful presences scanned the battlefield.

Cheng Hao shivered as he witnessed the scene "So... Courageous, to actually risk its life against an opponent he knew he might die if he fought with..."

"Courageous? So Foolish." a voice coming from behind him corrected "Courageous or coward, the winner is king and loser is thief. That monstrous whale comes from the third Level. Judging that cowlion's cultivation, it still has not reached the second level!"

As soon as the man finished speaking, the lion-cow wailed in pain as his lower body got bit away by the monstrous whale. The monster swallowed down the huge chunk of flesh and then howled in excitement.

The lion couldn't resist as it was thrown up. In its powerlessness it could only stare with terror at the row of white teeth the monstrous whale was exhibiting as it prepared for the finishing blow.

The whale opened its mouth wide, and bit down again, fresh blood splattering everywhere. Its eyes glowed with excitement as it proceeded to swallow a whimpering cow-headed lion in one last, big gulp.

Cheng Hao flinched and noticed a blurry figure standing beside him: his appearance was not clear and his expression couldn't be discerned.

The figure turned and stared deep into the child's eyes "Why would he fight a battle he knew he would lose before he even began? Why not build up his strength and try again later? He wanted a glorious victory that would have allowed him to rise to prominence easily... To reach the Heavens in a single leap."

The figure shook his head "Pathetic. All he got was a swift death!"

Cheng Hao gaped and recognized the mysterious figure as being the same presence he had met earlier. He pondered as his expression darkened "You... Do you consider my choice of fighting Yin Hei foolish?"

The person stood silent for a while and then tilted his head mysteriously "Possibly. Why did you do it? Why did you choose to risk your life in the process? Your gamble would have failed if I had not intervened..."

Cheng Hao closed his eyes and then he tightened his fist as the image of the bright, red feather appeared in his mind "Sister... After everything that had happened, she is always the one that saves me at the end..."

The boy stood still for a few breaths, as if to recall a memory to his mind and then his eyelids rose, revealing a pair of calm, golden orbs.

They were like a pond of crystal clear water: once the ripples got extinguished and the water calmed down, you would be able to see your own reflection within...

The eyes are the windows to the soul. Look in someone's pupils and you will find their true self.

At that time though, the hazy man couldn't see nor guess any of Cheng Hao's thoughts... Instead, he felt as if the boy was reading him.

He could see himself within the pupils of the young boy: it was like looking into a mirror, a mirror of the self, reflecting not the physical body but the soul!

"It is because of other people's effort that I am here right now. They found the strength to aid me even in the worst situations and died with a smile on their face..." the boy smiled and the hazy man trembled inwardly and recovered from his state of shock.

"I..." Cheng Hao sighed "I also want to experience that feeling..."

The man gritted his teeth, embarrassed of losing himself at that time, and coldly scoffed "Experience what? Death?"

The child nodded resolutely "If that would mean that the lives of my dear ones would be saved, yes. I would be more than glad to die for the sake of my loved ones! What use is power if you can only use it for yourself?"

Silence.

The hazy figure stared at Cheng Hao's face full of determination and finally muttered, almost as if he was talking to himself "He... Is serious... He really defies all logic..."

The blurry man grabbed his stomach and chuckling sounds could be heard.

"Eh... Ah... Ahah..." the chuckle soon turned into laughter and it rose until it every other sound.

"Ahahahahaha!!!"

The laughter reverberated into the void...