Divinity

Celestial Seizing Core New Descendant

After months of relentless searching, Elder Blue finally resigned himself to the painful conclusion that Bia Xiao had either perished in the burning forest or had been slain by members of the Gue tribe. His sorrow soon morphed into rage, and in his fury, Elder Blue unleashed his wrath on the surrounding areas, killing several members of the Gue tribe. The reasons for his rampage were unclear to many—was it grief over the forest, or something deeper? Only the elders of the Bia tribe knew the true cause of his violent outburst.

"The joint operation failed, Father!" Bia Suju's voice rang through the Great Hall, echoing off the walls of Phoenix Burning Wood. "I implore you to detain Elder Blue. He ruined our plans—now the Gue tribe will be watching us. We’ve lost our element of surprise! Our chance for revenge on those bastards is gone, and it’s his fault!"

The hall was constructed of Phoenix Burning Wood, a rare and sacred material found only in the forests nearby. The wood was highly prized, not only for its durability but for its subtle ability to channel and store energy. The Bia tribe used it to build their homes, shops, warrior camps, and other essential buildings. But with the forest burned down, the tribe faced a grim future. It would take years, perhaps decades, for the forest to regrow, leaving the tribe vulnerable and without vital resources. This gathering in the Great Hall wasn't just a meeting—it was a council to decide the tribe's future, a future in which revenge and survival were intertwined.

"He's right, tribal leader," another elder agreed, his brow furrowed in frustration. "We’ve lost our only chance to strike. The Gue tribe will be on guard now. Elder Blue went too far—killing several low-ranking members won’t make a dent in their strength, and now they’ll retaliate."

No one paid much attention to Elder Blue, who sat in the corner, his eyes closed, meditating. He seemed entirely unfazed by the heated discussion taking place, as if the events unfolding around him had no connection to him at all. If one looked closer, they would see the calm of a man at peace, utterly unconcerned with the clamor around him.

"Tribal Lord!" Bou Jin's voice was sharp as he stepped forward, his eyes darting between his cousin Bia Suju and the tribe leader, Bia Anue. "Look at him! He shows you no respect, no regard for the tribe! He ruined our plans for revenge on the Gue tribe. Yes, he killed some of their members, but they were insignificant. It doesn't hurt them, and now they're alert! They will come for us, and we’re not ready."

Bou Jin's words echoed the unspoken intent of the meeting. The elders were not just discussing a failed operation—they were orchestrating a subtle but calculated move against Elder Blue. His recent actions were enough to justify removing him from the council, and though their maneuver was indirect, they believed they were acting in the tribe’s best interests. The survival of the tribe depended on unity, not reckless vendettas.

"Enough!" Bia Anue's voice boomed across the hall, silencing the bickering elders. His stern gaze swept over the assembled council members before settling on Elder Blue, who remained as composed as ever. "This wild talk about Elder Blue had gone far enough. Whether he killed valuable members of the Gue tribe or not is irrelevant. In the end, we took lives, and for what they did to our forest, they may have taken only one life. But that is not a life I take lightly. Bia Xiao was one of our own, orphaned after his parents' tragic deaths. We owe him a lot. But as a tribal leader, I must look at the bigger picture."

Bia Anue’s voice softened, but the weight of leadership bore down heavily on his words. "Yes, we can kill a few members of the Gue tribe, but open conflict is dangerous. I'm not afraid of war, but I cannot risk the lives of the 3,000 souls in this tribe for one act of revenge. War must be calculated, not reckless. We must act in the shadows, not in broad daylight. A full-scale retaliation may lead to the destruction of us all."

Turning to Elder Blue, Bia Anue offered a respectful nod. "I understand your pain. If I were you, I might have done the same. But as the leader of this tribe, I must weigh every action carefully. We cannot afford to be reckless."

Elder Blue opened his eyes, and his calm demeanor remained unchanged. His voice was low, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. "Rest assured, Tribal Leader. If those old fools from the Gue tribe dare take even a single step in our direction, I will be the first to meet them in battle. I will grant them the death they seek and deliver them to eternal darkness."

In the heart of the Gue tribe’s stronghold, a council of their own had gathered. Seated at the center of a grand hall, surrounded by a group of stern-faced elders, was the leader of the Gue tribe. His chiseled features bore the marks of many battles, his eyes sharp and calculating. This was a man who had earned his leadership through blood and victory, a man feared and respected by his people.

"The Bia tribe seeks war with us," the Gue leader growled, his voice laced with venom. "The deaths of our people will not go unanswered. If it's war they want, then war they shall have. We will bring death to their doorsteps, just as they have brought it to ours. We are not the ones who die; we are the ones who kill."

The gathered elders, all seasoned warriors in their own right, nodded grimly. "Leader, it shall be done," one of them affirmed.

Meanwhile, deep within the cave where Bia Xiao lay unconscious, a profound change had occurred. The once-blazing blue lava had vanished, leaving only an eerie stillness in its wake. Floating in the air before Bia Xiao was Zeng Zue, the last Fiend God, his hand outstretched. In his palm hovered a small core, no larger than a baby’s fist, yet radiating a heat so intense that the very air around it seemed to ripple and distort.

The core pulsed with the raw energy of creation and destruction, life and death. It was as if the essence of the universe itself had been condensed into this single, burning sphere. The truths of the world—the rise and fall of nations, the birth of stars, the howls of wolves, the songs of birds—were all contained within it.

"This," Zeng Zue said, his voice filled with the weight of ages, "is my blood, the lava from below your feet. The manual you call the Raging Tiger Art is but the latter part of my heart. Together, they form the Celestial Seizing Core. In a sense, you will have two hearts."

As he spoke, Zeng Zue’s eyes burned with a deep, ancient power. Though he was but a remnant of his former self, his will was indomitable, surviving for thousands of years. His very essence lingered in the cave, far beyond what should have been possible.

"You have soaked your body in my blood. The manual you trained with is the foundation of my heart. This is the way of the Fiend God. I now give you my soul. Within this core lies my past life, my knowledge, and my path. You are no longer merely a human. With my blood running through your veins, you are a fiend, God. My descendant."

Zeng Zue held the core aloft, its blazing heat a testament to the immense power contained within. The future of Bia Xiao, the Fiend God’s successor, hung in the balance, as the universe itself seemed to hold its breath.