Poison God's Heritage

"Golden Scripture," I muttered, and two clones of myself manifested immediately. Without missing a beat, they moved to tackle the mountain of documents. Having clones handle the paperwork was like sending smaller parts of my mind to deal with the minutiae, freeing me to focus on more pressing matters.

"The Darkest Sun has sent an invitation, Emperor Shen Bao," the councilor said, his tone hesitant as he approached.

I groaned. "What does he want now? I'm already up to my neck in responsibilities."

The councilor shuffled nervously. "It seems he wishes to smooth over a misunderstanding between you and one of his disciples…"

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Fire King? There's no issue between us. It's Meng Hao he needs to worry about. I'll visit the Darkest Sun when I have time, but not now."

"Oh, and one more thing," the councilor added, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You have other guests… I didn't want to allow them in, but your puppets made the decision for me."

"Let them in," I said, waving a hand dismissively. Whatever it was, I would deal with it.

The doors to the palace slammed open with a deafening crash, and in marched a familiar figure in blue robes, with Y trailing behind him. Master Rain stormed in like a tempest, his usual flamboyance on full display.

"Damn this place! Who the hell do you all think you are, stopping me? And you!" He jabbed a finger at Y, who looked surprisingly exasperated for a puppet. "Ungrateful brat! You dare disobey your creator!"

Behind him, several of my generals, including the General of the Spear and General of the Shield, were frantically trying to rein him in. But their efforts were in vain. The formations around Master Rain were so complex that they stumbled over themselves just trying to get close to him. It was a hilarious sight, considering they were far stronger than him in terms of cultivation.

I couldn't help but grin as Master Rain stomped up to me, his white-robed retainer following closely behind with an apologetic expression.

"You bastard," Master Rain spat, his eyes narrowing at me. The councilor looked like he was about to throw himself between us, but I waved him off.

"Master Rain," I said, still grinning. "It's good to see you."

"I'm no master to such an ungrateful brat!" he snapped. "Who the hell do you think you are, going off and dying like that, only to come back? You should have stayed dead! My damn tears went to waste!"

"You cried for me?" I teased, a smirk pulling at my lips.

"Who the hell would cry for you?" he growled. "It's a figure of speech, you idiot! Figure of speech!"

His retainer, however, sent me a quick Divine Sense message: He did cry. For three days straight. But don't tell him that.

I couldn't help it—I burst into laughter and pulled Master Rain into a bear hug. He wriggled and cursed, but after a few moments, he relented with a sigh.

"Glad to see you're well," he muttered, begrudgingly patting me on the back.

"Same here," I said, releasing him. "How was your trip to the Beyond?"

"Annoyingly long," he grumbled. His eyes scanned the room, and I could see him searching for someone. "Where are Liang Yu and YuYu? They nearly tore down the White Sect when they thought you were dead."

"They're around," I said, though a part of me was curious about what Master Rain had said. Had they really caused that much trouble in their search for me?

Before I could say more, Master Rain continued. "Oh, and Meng Hao—despite all my warnings, that kid went off to fight the Rakshasa. He's hunting down stragglers now. Said he can't come meet you until the job's done."

"He's grown," I said, nodding thoughtfully. Meng Hao was always headstrong, but I knew the sight of me would stir something deep in him.

"Bring us a table!" I called out, and within moments, two servants arrived with a large table and set it down in the center of the hall. "Come, sit with me, Master Rain."

Master Rain glanced at the throne, then at me sitting cross-legged on the cold floor, and with a resigned sigh, he followed suit, plopping down across from me. The councilor and generals looked scandalized, but I paid them no mind.

"Seems like power hasn't changed you at all," Master Rain said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Power's just a tool," I replied, pulling out the Dragon Tears jug and slamming it onto the table. "Friendship and loyalty are what really matter."

"For immortality," Master Rain toasted once more, raising his cup as I poured.

"For immortality," I echoed, downing my cup. The wine burned like fire on the way down, but I welcomed the sensation—it made me feel alive.

Just as I handed him a pill to counteract the effects of the wine, Tao Yang took a seat beside us, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. But before we could start talking, another figure approached the table.

"The smell of that wine is enough to wake a man from the dead," the man said, his deep voice cutting through the moment.

I turned, surprised to see the last person I expected standing next to us. His presence was like a shadow falling over the group. His aura, though restrained, still carried the unmistakable weight of a Sun Stage cultivator.

Master Rain's face turned slightly pale, the jovial light in his eyes dimming as he realized who had joined us. After all, standing before us was not just any cultivator but one of the great Suns.

"Dusking Sun," I greeted, a touch of surprise in my voice. "Seems like you've recovered faster than expected."

"I wish," Dusking Sun replied with a weary sigh. He tapped the table beside the nearest cup, his fingers heavy and slow, betraying just how drained he truly was. "I feel like shit," he admitted, grimacing. "My energy reserves are depleted, my body's like a dry husk, and it'll take years for my Qi to fully replenish."

He sighed again, his normally vibrant energy replaced with a kind of exhaustion that I hadn't seen in him before. The once-imposing presence of the Dusking Sun was reduced to a weary shadow of its former glory.