Kao Dao Ji sat down in his aperture.
Brief regret appeared in his face.
"Maybe I made a couple of mistakes along the way…" He sighed, recalling the choice he was forced to take.
He could either pretend to be a Land Spirit to the best of his ability, whilst secretly growing in strength, or he could go as fast as he could to outgrow his problems.
He chose the latter, however, he could not help but wonder.
Had he made the right choice? Perhaps a steadier way would have kept him safe.
But he sighed.
"There is no way to know, for all I know. I was caught by her, since the first second I transmigrated."
That was the main reason why he chose this path. After all, if he had been uncovered already ,and was purposefully keeping himself weak and unassuming. He would die without a doubt.
Still.
He could not help but bite his thumb.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
His enemy was Star Constellation.
While the Heavens decreed order and balance, Star Constellation fought tirelessly, unflinchingly, to maintain human supremacy.
She did not hesitate to even sacrifice herself for it.
And on the way, she ruthlessly crushed several species. Overrode a Venerable's prophecy and even condemned several races to a life of servitude or hiding.
And that was just what was shown in the novel, just how many people had she trampled even after death?
However, the situation was not completely despairing, for he recalled one figure that managed to defy her.
"Fang Yuan."
"Star Constellation and Heaven's Will both feared and hated him; they tried to get rid of him. And even increased his Tribulations to the very limit, yet he survived.
In my case, I do not possess the Sovereign's Physique, but while that makes me weaker, it also makes the limit of the Tribulations lower.
The most crucial point is…" He frowned.
"Am I hated or beloved by the Heavens?" While his idea sounded absurd, it was not so much.
Star Constellation and Heaven's Will, while they had merged, were not entirely the same, and often went in opposition.
Especially regarding their stance on Variant Humans.
"Am I considered a threat because my lifespan is infinite, or am I considered an ally because I technically am a Variant Human?"
Kao Dao Ji touched his chin.
"Regardless. The greatest threat to my life is not the Tribulations but the fact that Star Constellation can send somebody to murder me. A member of Heavenly Court or even a random Immortal of the ten great sects would do really."
Once he had this idea, his mind wandered towards a previous project he had considered.
'A world inside a Cloud.'
There was a wide smirk on his face.
"I visualized that to achieve this project, I would need a Grandmaster Attainment in Cloud Path and some Attainment regarding Heaven. Heh Heh."
He pressed his middle and index fingers together.
Around his aperture.
Heaven and Earth trembled in response.
Tiny white particles and orbs slowly took shape and flew towards his fingertips.
It was a grand spectacle of light and beauty.
Once enough particles had taken shape.
Kao Dao Ji pointed his fingers at a nearby cloud in his aperture, slicing through it effortlessly.
Not only that, but it kept advancing for several kilometers until finally stopping.
"While nowhere near as strong as an Immortal Gu is not half bad for being a new ability of mine." He chuckled.
During the Tribulation, Kao Dao Ji had the opportunity to witness how Heaven and Earth Qi flew together, syncing together to produce a Tribulation.
While he could not quite grasp it at first.
He soon discovered a way to apply the already existing Heavenly Energy within his aperture.
It was hard to explain, but before, he could only use his Heavenly Energy in a rudimentary way, using it to influence the clouds or seas in his aperture to indirectly bring out its might.
The only ability he could grasp was of using the surrounding Heavenly Power to block others from using Mortal Gu within his aperture (within certain limits, of course, he could not stop Kao Yu Hun from using them, for example.)
But now he had the ability to concentrate it, to use it as a bullet.
"This is nowhere near the limit; I only need to keep exploring my possibilities." After settling his thoughts, he decided to observe his Aperture.
And analyze his prospects.
Which did not look good.
To say the least.
"During my Tribulation, I also gained 298 Wisdom Dao Marks and 204 Cloud Dao Marks." At that, he could only sigh bitterly.
It was common sense that the more dangerous a Tribulation was, the more Dao Marks it gave.
But.
While the gains could be said to be roughly twice as much as an ordinary Earthly Calamity, in reality, he received even fewer gains on his desired path than those of an average immortal.
That damned Star Constellation sent a pile of garbage into his aperture that he simply could not get rid of.
It affected the ecosystems he had so carefully built, and on top of that, also had a huge friction with the Paths he Cultivated.
The only silver lining was that Clouded Thoughts Gu would grow more efficiently in his aperture.
"As if! That damned bitch is going to use my Clouded Thoughts Gu as the fuel to strengthen my future Tribulations." Kao Dao Ji cursed aloud.
"Not only that, but my Clouded Thoughts Gu also serve as an anchor. If one does not possess attainment or resources, it's basically impossible for a Tribulation of unrelated Paths to take place.
But it is precisely because I have those fairyflies and Clouded Thoughts Gu in my aperture that I am at risk of suffering yet another Wisdom Path Tribulation.
In other words, the only way to solve this crisis is going to be to get rid of all the Clouded Thoughts Gu in my aperture!"
His eyelids trembled.
That was his greatest source of wealth.
As for Thunder Rocks, they were a second fiddle at best, while he had profited heavily, it was conditional.
He profited because he took a relatively rare resource, but that was considered worthless by the community of Immortals; in other words, it had a low offer, but an even lower demand.
But if he were to accrue absurd numbers during a large period, the prices would naturally rise steadily until they affected his gains.
In other words, no matter what.
He could not get rid of those Clouded Thoughts Gu for now.
"I could also try to get rid of almost all my Clouded Thoughts Gu before a Tribulation begins, but that means killing my fairyflies. Which means that the population rates will never reach their maximum potential."
He gritted his teeth.
That hateful Star Constellation truly gave no way out to others.
"I need to see if there's a way to counterattack." With this idea, he began to write a few letters.
"Kao Yun Yun is a Rank 7 Wisdom Path specialist, whilst Le Tu is a Fated Venerable; his luck is off the charts, he may somehow stumble upon the solution all on his own."
…
Kao Yu Hun stood before the Supreme Leader, bowing deeply, while in his hands there was a jade showing the recorded video of the Tribulation as well as his conversation with Bai Lin Hua.
Kao Zha Ji observed patiently with his eyes narrowed; he remained silent with his arms behind his back.
But as he kept observing, vague excitement appeared in his face.
At the very end, he had a huge grin on his face.
"Hahaha! So, he truly is alive? That cheeky brat. To think he would hide this from the rest of us…" Despite his words, there was genuine joy in his face.
Whereas Kao Yu Hun remained frowning, while he had observed several suspicious things, he had yet to find something completely incriminating.
As if noticing his reaction, Kao Zha Ji explained.
"Ordinarily, Land Spirits face far weaker Tribulations than the ones of living Immortals; on top of that, Variant Humans face, on average, weaker Tribulations, and the two factors stack together.
That is why we can keep our Blessed Lands protected for several centuries.
It is only during the fifty or so Tribulation that the Heavens finally stop their clemency and each subsequent Tribulation becomes harder and harder than the last."
"Yet despite those advantages, Kao Dao Ji's Tribulation was so difficult. Do you not find that suspicious?"
Then he shrugged.
"If we add that and all the other flaws he has shown, the reality becomes obvious. He is alive."
He closed his eyes.
"I can more or less figure out why he would do this. He is worried I would covet his method, that I would read his memories and attempt to become one myself…"
Kao Yu Hun naturally held such thoughts; inwardly, he thought.
"I cannot blame him, I would do the same…"
But to his surprise, the Leader chuckled.
"He is just overthinking."
Kao Yu Hun raised his eyebrows in bewilderment, appearing in his expression.
"Considering that he's a newly ascended Rank 6 and his Tribulations are this difficult already, I can tell for certain that the Clan cannot afford to elevate a Rank 8 or even a Rank 7 to his state.
Moreover, we are also surrounded by enemies.
The Clan needs at least one Rank 8 protector, and if that is my burden to bear, so be it." He shrugged nonchalantly.
But then his smile turned wide and uncanny.
"But just like I have my responsibilities, he has his. One day, he will become our blade against humanity."
"Huh?" Kao Yu Hun could not help but say.
Kao Zha Ji noticed his reaction; he squinted his eyes.
"Do you believe that to be impossible?"
"Huh…No, sir. Is just that I-"
"Enough. Those thoughts of yours are all too frequent in the Clan." Kao Zha Ji waved his hand in dismissal.
Then he smiled.
"Do you not find that ironic? We Featherman, we pride ourselves in our hearts for freedom.
The desire to explore and roam the world, to fly in the skies and observe the bright, beautiful heavens.
Yet. What life do we have? Our people have remained trapped for eons.
And the few who dared to escape our Clan have mostly been exterminated, killed, their inheritances and legacies crushed, their homes burnt to ashes.
They are pursued with no end, tortured, enslaved….
There is no ending to the cruelty of humans."
"The Featherman who live here understand this, and they no longer yearn for the outside world.
And yet their hearts still desire and pursue freedom to the absolute.
So where does that lead us?"
"Hedonism."
"During those eons, our people have become more hedonistic, more vulgar. They no longer dream of a better future, but instead only try to satiate their carnal desires to cope with reality."
"Their Dao Hearts have been utterly and absolutely shattered beyond repair."
"But there are those among us who still yearn for greater sights, I am sure your wind and lighting Cultivation, and your focus in pursuing speed and flight beyond all were borne out of your desire to explore the wide world, isn't?"
A faint smile appeared on Kao Zha Ji's face.
"I too have not given up in such a dream, and neither have our predecessors…"
"The Sky Lord tried to uncover the secrets of Venerable Invincibility. His Condensed Steamy Cloud Gu House was his attempt to elevate himself to Rank 9.
And while he failed, his legacy remained; it has become the foundation in which our very Clan stands…"
"And it is not just him, every generation of the Supreme Leaders has dedicated themselves to such a pursuit, the day when we Featherman become free again.
That is the beautiful dream we all share.
But such a beautiful future.
It can only exist in a world without humans." Kao Zha Ji expression grew cold.
"Humans are greedy, hateful even towards their own, let alone us, 'Variant Humans.'
They will never accept us. There is only one way the war between our races can end."
"Kao Dao Ji will become our blade to exterminate them."
Finally.
He concluded with.
"And unlike them, we will finish the job. Star Constellation could not find us, but a Cloud Path Venerable? Will be able to find each and every single one of them, no matter how well they hide in the two Heavens!"