Immortal Paladin

371 Drooping Ears and Hidden Fangs

The Beast Court sat beneath a mountain wrapped in clouds, quiet on the outside yet heavy with the scent of ancient beasts. I stood in the middle of its inner courtyard with Chen Wei and Ren Jingyi, trying not to show how unsettled I was as the connection to my main body finally snapped. The sudden emptiness rattled through me like a dropped chain. My Animal Soul curled in on itself, shaking in panic, and I had to calm it with steady breaths and deliberate will. If the unification stalled for too long, I feared I’d regress into the Dog Da Wei mindset again. That mutt version of me had always been unruly, stubborn, and frustratingly proud of ignoring orders.

“Master, your ears are droopy… Is there a problem?” Ren Jingyi asked. Her tone had changed these past months; her childish innocence had faded into a gentler curiosity. She had shot up in height, her features now softer and more grown, and she moved with the self-assured confidence of someone determined to prove herself. “Is there anything your disciple can do to ease your worries?”

“Just cultivate,” I told her, flicking my tail in annoyance at my own state. “And call me brother while we’re on this mission.”

“Okay.” She reached up and patted my head without warning, as if I truly were a golden retriever in human form, then scampered off toward one of the sacred chambers the Beast Court had prepared for us. “I swear, I’m going to catch up with the others soon!”

Once she disappeared behind the carved stone door, Chen Wei glanced at me with that quiet concern of his. “Uncle, isn’t that body uncomfortable?”

Chen Wei had once been a candidate vessel crafted by the Supreme Void using Da Ji’s womb and Chin Enlai’s seed. I still didn’t understand the exact process, and part of me feared the Supreme Void’s influence might not be fully gone from him. He had grown more open, more normal, but shadows sometimes clung to his expression in moments like this.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, stretching my shoulders to settle into the form.

This body was shaped like a youth around Ren Jingyi’s age, somewhere in the late teens. Golden hair, soft golden retriever ears, and a frame deliberately chosen to be disarming. When I focused, I could shift into a sharper, wolf-like look, but appearing harmless was better for now. These clone bodies carried different faces to avoid drawing attention, and with the Human Soul’s shapeshifting, I molded mine into something unrecognizable from my usual self. My cultivation sat at Fifth Realm, Soul Recognition. It was low enough to avoid suspicion but high enough to defend myself.

“Also, Chen Wei, what did I tell you?”

He flinched. “Ah. To call you young master or junior brother. Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Chen Wei was officially here as Da Ji’s attendant. The plan was simple: use the Beast Court’s neutral ties to both the Heavenly Temple and Martial Alliance to slip into the Heavenly Temple’s exchange program. Many sects sent their promising juniors to the Heavenly Temple’s special education camp, making it the perfect entry point. The only problem was the Martial Alliance’s worsening condition. Rumors said the administrative offices were crawling with Temple agents now. If that was true, then the Alliance was no longer a balancing power, since it was already compromised.

Before I could speak further, a soft ripple spread across the courtyard.

Da Ji appeared at the steps with her usual calm grace, fox tails swaying behind her like a drifting breeze. She looked exactly the same as always. She was elegant, distant, and mildly annoyed at the world.

“We’ll be leaving in two hours,” she said. “Prepare yourselves.”

“How did your interview go?” I asked while brushing stray fur from my sleeve. My golden retriever form always shed a little when I was anxious.

Da Ji casually examined her nails. “Not bad. I passed their tests and became an Elder of the Beast Court. They didn’t mind adding another strong master to their ranks. I suppressed my cultivation to the Ninth Realm, and not one of them suspected a thing. As for our true affiliation, they believe we’re either tied to the Union or the Martial Alliance thanks to Tao Long and Tan Jin’s recommendations. And since Shouquan gave a private endorsement, the Beast Court has no intention of probing deeper. They’ll play along with whatever scheme we throw at them.”

That was good news. It had only been a week since my link to the main body vanished. None of us clones dared share the issue with the people around us, and that might have been the only reason we weren’t being questioned or forcefully recalled.

We had already agreed: trust the main body to survive whatever trial he was facing.

If he failed… well, we had contingencies.

The six of us were shards of a single soul. If the worst came, we would have to choose which soul devoured the rest, kill Jue Bu, and inhabit the vessel he crafted. None of us truly understood why the main body was so unique, why we six couldn’t simply become six new lives of our own. Everything about us, from our fragmentation and our existence, was unnatural. In the end, we alone were responsible for pushing forward.

How bad could it be?

…Extremely bad, probably.

“I have a question,” Da Ji said lightly. “I heard something rather interesting from the elders.”

I was mid-crunch in a bowl of peanuts.

“What got into your head to make you declare war on the Heavenly Temple?” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

I choked so hard that Chen Wei had to slap my back. When I caught my breath, I gaped at her.

“Who declared war on the Heavenly Temple?!”

“You.”

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“…”

Silence.

Deep, stunned, and annoyed silence.

What the hell had I done? Why would I, of all people, declare war on the Heavenly Temple?

Wait.

Wait…!

A very bad suspicion crawled up my spine.

I marched toward one of the sacred chambers.

“Don’t follow me,” I ordered Da Ji and Chen Wei.

Inside, Ren Jingyi was flicking her whip with impressive form, at least until she saw my face.

“M-Master!”

“Out. I need the room.”

“Is there a problem?”

I forced myself to soften my expression and rubbed her head. “No problem. But I need the room.”

“O-Okay… Brother.” She bowed and left quickly.

Once the door closed, I sat in lotus position and took a deep breath.

As fragments of the same soul, we were inherently drawn to each other. When the link to the main body broke, our consciousnesses instinctively created this shared inner space. From one soul, we had become six, each representing one of the Six Paths. Entering meditation meant entering that place.

The world blurred.

A moment later, I opened my eyes inside an old, dim tavern. A single round table sat at its center, with six seats arranged around it. Looked like someone was already here.

The Human Soul was already sitting there. Her appearance shifted depending on emotion, but today she had taken the form of Tan Jin with emerald hair, soft green robes, and that calm, thinking expression she always wore. Without the main body anchoring us, each of us manifested as the host body we were currently inhabiting.

She looked up as I took my seat.

“You heard the news?” she asked.

I slammed my hand on the table. “Who the fuck’s idea was it to declare open war on the Heavenly Temple?!”

A low laugh echoed behind me as a chair scraped back.

“That would be me,” said the Asura Soul as he materialized, grinning like he wanted to punch the heavens. “Let’s talk.”

Asura looked almost identical to the main body with the same height, same build, and same irritatingly handsome face, but his aura was nothing alike. If the main body was a mountain, Asura was a volcano. His presence was heavy, hot, and filled with a tyrant’s fury, the kind that made my hackles rise even in this soul-space.

One after another, the others appeared at the tavern table.

Ghost Soul drifted in wearing black robes, a porcelain mask hiding all expression except two cold, glowing eyes.

Hell Soul took form as Lu Gao in royal purple robes, arms folded with an infuriating smirk.

Heaven Soul arrived last, taking Yuen Fu’s shape, radiating that calm, radiant pressure that made me want to bite him just out of spite.

“Y-You fucking idiot—!” I charged across the table and grabbed Asura by the collar. “I’m going to kill you!”

Asura tapped my forehead with a single finger.

I went flying back into my seat like someone slapped me with a divine decree. Stars flashed in my vision. What the hell? Since when was this guy so strong?

“I can use the power of faith,” Asura said blandly as he dusted off his robes. “Don’t rebel or I’ll end you.”

Fantastic!

Just spectacular!

Because Asura handled the Empire’s administrative duties while the main body handled everything else, everyone in the Empire saw him as the Holy Emperor. Meaning all the citizens’ faith poured directly into this lunatic.

It wasn’t helping he shared the same image as the main body!

“And who put you in charge?” Human asked coolly.

Heaven, Hell, and Ghost silently raised their hands.

Human’s eyebrow twitched. “Declaring open war with the Heavenly Temple? Why? Please, explain your reasoning. And if it’s not good enough, I promise you won’t like what I’ll do.”

A pulse of power spread from him. The Human Path: Enlightenment of the Fool made the tavern flicker like a candle flame with rules bending and logic warping. Human had the highest natural compatibility with his Path. He didn’t even have to try.

Not to be outdone, I let the Animal Path: King of the Wild surge through me. My soul roared with instinct, dominance, and pack authority.

But then Heaven exhaled… and the Heaven Path: God of Creation washed over both of us like a tidal wave. Raw quintessence hummed through the tavern.

Ugh. Why did my power always feel like the runt of the litter next to theirs?

Human spoke through clenched teeth. “We shouldn’t break harmony. It’s only been a short time since we lost contact with the main body, and we’re already slipping back into primal instincts. If this continues, the True Self might not maintain stability. If he becomes completely Soulless, it will be a disaster.”

Hell snorted. “And whose fault do you think that is? You and Heaven were the ones supporting him the most. What did either of you actually do to help the True Self? Don’t get me started, Human. My host has already reached Divine Transformation. Once I manifest the full Hell Path, you’re toast. So no, Human and Animal, neither of you scares me. Back off, or I’ll drag both of you into hell.”

The air crackled.

The table trembled.

Six instincts warred under one roof.

Asura finally raised a hand.

“This had to happen,” he said with cold certainty. “Declaring war was the necessary move. If we wish to achieve victory… if we want the True Self to survive what’s coming… we must take the initiative. Otherwise—”

His eyes burned with a primal warning.

“—we will lose terribly.”

Heaven steepled his fingers and let out a quiet breath. “Like you, I was closest to him before the connection snapped, so I know the weight of the emptiness we now feel. You must discard your human foolishness—”

“It’s called being soft,” Hell interrupted with a mocking grin. “And speaking of soft… Heaven, maybe if you didn’t cling to Yuen Fu so desperately and ignored the True Self’s wishes, you might’ve been able to save him instead…”

Heaven’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent.

I slammed a hand on the table. “Why are we talking like the main body is dead? Idiots, all of you! Of all times to panic… Why now!? In this war, we’d be fighting blind. Did you morons already forget Yuan Shen? His information-gathering was unmatched. With just stealth and insight, he probably unearthed every secret we tried to hide. Alice had to use Jue Bu as bait just to keep him from spying on us again! Even if he’s dead now, there’s no guarantee he didn’t pass everything he learned before dying.”

Asura gave me a sideways look. “Rare for you to sound so wise, Animal. However, none of that mattered if they’d already begun attacking.”

Human frowned. “What exactly are you saying?”

Hell crossed his legs and leaned back smugly. “They’ve been twisting faith, hard. Their activity spiked right around when the True Self vanished. That whole mess at the Martial Alliance? It wasn’t random. It was a trap meant to isolate him and corrupt the flow of faith while he was out of reach. If Asura hadn’t still received faith from the Empire, we wouldn’t have noticed a thing. And don’t forget that they have prescience. Gu Jie’s future sight is worthless against them. Worse, they hold every advantage in information thanks to Yuan Shen and their spies. Intelligence, espionage, counter-intelligence… it's a losing game. We must escalate now, break their momentum, or we’ll be crushed by it. Tell me I’m wrong, Human. Your host is the Alliance Master, isn’t she?”

Human hesitated, hands trembling slightly.

“…The situation is worse than any of us predicted,” she admitted softly. “The great clans of the Martial Alliance, their core sects, and their ancient families… many of their leaders are sworn to the Heavenly Temple. Tan Jin was coerced into fighting Da Wei because her entire lineage was threatened with annihilation. As the ancestor of her clan, she had no choice.”

Hearing Human falter made my stomach twist.

Yeah, I knew I was naive. My Animal Soul made me softer, simpler, and easier to sway by instinct. But I was still Da Wei. All of us were. If Da Wei ever learned that it was his own souls who started this war without him…

It would hurt him.

The tavern grew silent. The dim lantern light flickered across our faces.

For the first time since we gathered, Ghost Soul finally spoke. His porcelain mask tilted toward me, voice quiet, calm, and almost sorrowful.

“You must understand,” Ghost said. “This isn’t about pride… or dominance… or fear.”

His eyes glowed faintly behind the mask.

“This is about survival… ours, and the survival of the people we care for.”