Chapter 635: Soul Projection

Thalos Tessellate was now the ruler and overseer of the Tessellate Citadel in name only.

The true ruler of the Citadel had become an outsider, specifically Stella.

"It's been five years since I was last able to contact the mainland," Thalos muttered as he held a dead communication jade. "Will she really not leave this place until she destroys the Citadel by ascending to the Sovereign of Realities realm?"

Honestly, at this point, he didn't care if the place was torn apart. His authority over the Citadel had been stripped when Stella managed to bribe his family into ignoring him. Not that he could blame them—so long as her lockdown on the Citadel continued, she was the only source of food and resources.

He had nothing to offer or threaten them with.

"Maybe I should just kill her myself," Thalos murmured.

I'm in the Astral Sovereign Realm. Killing her would be a trivial matter for me, but it's what happens after that I can't deal with. She's likely a Princess from a 1st Layer family, as only they could be powerful enough to lock down a pocket dimension and manipulate time on such a large scale.

Thalos let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. His gaze fixed on the ceiling.

But I really want to kill that bitch. I worked so hard to be put in charge of the Citadel, only to be humiliated like this for years. He ran his hands through his black hair in frustration. At this point, he had been fantasizing about killing Stella daily for years but knew he would never act on it. After all, there was no future for him or his family after killing a 1st Layer Princess.

The doors to his office abruptly swung open.

"Not even a knock?" Thalos asked. "Have I really fallen so far as not to earn that basic courtesy?"

"It's not like you're up to anything important," Elder Virelia, his cousin, snorted as she strode into his office and looked down her nose at him. "Stella's servant manages the distribution of her resources, so you're nothing but an office decoration now."

Thalos just glared at her.

"A gaze that once would have instilled fear," Elder Virelia sneered, "oh how far you've fallen, cousin—"

Thalos rose out of his chair and flooded the room with his spiritual pressure. "Virelia, I may not be able to kill Stella, but that doesn't extend to you."

"Speaking of Stella," Virelia continued, barely managing to hide her efforts to resist his spiritual pressure, "her Father is here and wants to speak with you."

Thalos dismissed his pressure. "Really?"

***

Thalos found himself standing before the tree in Stella's courtyard, surrounded by kneeling members of the Tessellate family. The only ones who dared to stand were he and Stella, who stood beside the tree with a massive grin on her face.

"Hello, Thalos. It's been a while since I've seen you out of your office," Stella said. "Thank you for making time to hear out my father."

"It's my pleasure. I've been wanting to meet with him for years now," Thalos said, keeping his irritation out of his tone and expression. His attention turned to the demonic tree behind Stella and cautiously probed it with his spiritual senses.

Is her father managing a flawless Monarch Realm-level soul projection from multiple Layers of Creation away? Thalos couldn't stop his eyes from widening ever so slightly in surprise. Also, within that desolation haze around the tree, I can feel the presence of multiple Laws. I've heard of legendary dual-affinity cultivators knowing two Laws, but this many?

Thalos gulped. Stella's father continued to surprise him.

"Thalos, would you prefer I speak on behalf of my father, or would you prefer to discuss matters with him personally through telepathy?"

Such a powerful cultivator wishes to speak to me personally? Thalos glanced over his kneeling family. You hear that, you worms? Groveling at Stella's feet didn't earn any of you such a privilege.

Thalos smiled. "I'd prefer to discuss matters directly with your father."

"Perfect," Stella gestured to the ground beside her. "Come here and kneel before the tree, place your forehead against the bark, and lower your mental defenses so he may engage a telepathic connection."

Thalos faltered. He had never needed to do such a humiliating thing to engage in telepathy before.

"Is that really necessary?" he asked.

"Most certainly," Stella said with a straight face, but he could see the amusement in her eyes.

This bitch, there's no way that's necessary. She's just demanding this of me because I've never taken her bribes and bowed to her before.

"Is there a problem?" Stella asked, tilting her head. "My father doesn't like to be kept waiting. If you aren't fit to accept the telepathic connection, perhaps the pressing matters he wishes to discuss can be disclosed to someone else?"

Thalos coughed into his hand. "It is no matter."

Floating over his family, he descended before the tree and knelt before it with as much grace as he could muster. He ignored Stella smirking at him and planted his forehead against the bark. The sheer weight of the presence lurking within the tree caught him off guard. It was no doubt only at the early stage of the Monarch Realm, but it couldn't belong to a mere human. The Laws aside, divine energy flowed within the tree, and he felt that its roots were part of something far vaster than he could comprehend.

Hesitantly, he lowered his mental defenses in preparation for receiving a telepathic message. The moment he did, he felt an immense presence invade his sea of consciousness. This wasn't a method of telepathy he was aware of—it felt more like an attack. Desolation came into his consciousness like a haze, and within it loomed a titanic shadow in the vague shape of a... tree? He wasn't sure, but he felt like a pebble beside a mountain within his own mind.

A simple distinction: the chapter belongs on the author's official page, and this copy was taken without permission from that publication.

"Cultivator," a thousand overlapping voices thundered, "are you the overseer of the Citadel?"

Thalos had to raise his mental defenses just to stop his soul from trembling.

"Y-Yes, my name is Thalos Tessellate. The Patriarch of the Tessellate family, my father, appointed me as the lord of this pocket dimension. I don't want to seem too presumptuous, but might you grace me with your esteemed name?"

"You may call me the All-Seeing Eye."

That's a strange name, Thalos thought, only to remember the All-Seeing Eye was currently inside his mind. Ah.

"I assure you, my name won't seem strange should we ever meet in person... or if you ever cause me trouble." The voices laughed in unison. "Not that I'd assume you would after you have been so tolerant of my daughter causing you and the citadel problems."

"No, no, it's been my pleasure," Thalos chuckled awkwardly. "Though I'm curious, what did you wish to discuss personally with me?"

He now understood why the All-Seeing Eye had conducted the telepathy in this manner. It gave him an overwhelming advantage, as he could read Thalos's emotions and inner thoughts directly. Meanwhile, Thalos couldn't glean anything about Stella's father's true identity or thoughts.

No matter what, he needed to end this conversation before the All-Seeing Eye learned what he really thought about Stella.

"A man who gets straight to the point. Very well, Thalos Tessellate, the only matter I wished to discuss with you was the deal with your father."

"It's off?" Thalos assumed.

"Quite the opposite. Now that the war I was fighting has concluded, I've found myself with some free time and figured out a way to connect the 4th, 5th, and 6th layers of creation, as agreed."

Thalos froze. Everything he had seen from the All-Seeing Eye surprised him, but it was a fundamental law of reality that moving between the Layers of Creation outside an Era of Ascension was impossible. All their efforts to date had been fruitless, and crossing the void was impossible without the help of Worldwalkers.

Stella does have a pet Worldwalker... so perhaps crossing the void is the method they plan to use?

"No. Crossing the void is far too primitive," the All-Seeing Eye dismissed his thought. "I will establish permanent routes between the desired layers of creation."

"Permanent? So they won't be portals?"

"They will be spatially compressed tunnels," the All-Seeing Eye said casually, as if that wasn't even more ridiculous than using a long-range portal. "Do you believe your Patriarch will find that agreeable?"

"I... believe so."

"Mhm, good. Stella will disclose the rest of the details, as there will be some setup required." The desolation haze began to withdraw from his mind. "We will speak again soon."

The immense pressure finally vacated his mind, and with a gasp, Thalos withdrew his forehead from the trunk. His whole body felt deathly cold, and he couldn't stop his erratic breathing.

Stella came into view with a carefree smile.

"How was meeting my father?"

"It was..." Thalos gasped for air, much to his embarrassment, "an experience for sure."

"He can be a little mean to others sometimes, but I put in a good word about you before the meeting, so he should have been gentle with you!" Stella giggled. "I also told him how hard-working you are, always beavering away in that office for the good of the Citadel."

"Well... you know..." Thalos wheezed.

"Thalos," Stella crouched down and met his gaze. Her expression darkened. "You're the only person from the Tessellate family I haven't gotten practice sparring with yet. Since you're here now, why don't we go for a round?"

Thalos glanced at the tree that still held the projection of the All-Seeing Eye's soul and sighed. "I'd be honored to spar you, Princess."

There was an eruption of cheers behind him.

"What's got into you all?" Thalos asked, standing and glaring at them.

"None of us have managed to best Stella in a spar," Elder Virelia answered him, and everyone else nodded in agreement.

"You all allowed a Monarch to best you?" Thalos was in disbelief.

"Obviously, you have to suppress your cultivation to the Monarch Realm as well to make it fair," Stella chuckled. "It is a spar after all."

Thalos frowned. "I see."

But considering nobody else has bested Stella, this is a perfect opportunity. If I beat her, I'll regain my standing in the Citadel as its true ruler...

***

Thalos was lying on his back with a blade pressed against his neck.

The duel with Stella had lasted a grand total of ten seconds.

"Ten seconds is the longest anyone has lasted against Stella," Elder Virelia called out from the sidelines. "Don't be too discouraged, cousin!"

Stella, who was looming over him, laughed. "She's not wrong. But to think you're the best this Citadel has to offer. I'm disappointed."

Thalos clenched his jaw. Today was possibly the most humiliating day in his entire life, and it was all because of this bitch. But he could recognize skill when he saw it, and Stella hadn't used any cheap tricks to get the upper hand. Her mastery over the aether was far beyond his, despite her being two realms below him.

Frankly, it was humbling.

So this is what a Princess from the upper layers is like. He slapped the blade away from his throat and sat up. Despite looking to be in her early twenties, she must be secretly thousands of years old to fight like that.

"How many centuries did it take you to learn that aether sword art?" Thalos asked.

Stella looked at him strangely. "Centuries? Do I look that old?"

"No, you hide your age well," Thalos said carefully. Old hags could get touchy about their age.

Stella turned to Kael. "Do I really look old?"

Kael shook his head. "Thalos is simply confused. Usually, it would take a cultivator centuries to be as capable as you, but you got this good in only a few years."

Now it was Thalos's turn to look at Kael and Stella strangely. "What are you talking about?"

Stella pointed to herself. "I'm not even twenty-four yet. You came to the eighteenth birthday party I held here a few years ago!"

"Oh, I see," Thalos said, not believing a word coming out of her mouth.

Stella studied his face and clicked her tongue. "You think I'm lying."

"I know you're lying. It doesn't matter if you're a Princess from the 1st Layer of Creation—this level of battle instinct can't be learned in a mere two decades." He shook his head and laughed. "The others might buy your facade, but not me."

A tense silence spread between them, with everyone holding their breath.

Stella shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"That's it?" Thalos blurted out. He wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to get out of the Princess, but he wanted something more. He had so much bottled-up rage towards her and no outlet to do so that the duel had been his only option, which he had lost in a humiliating fashion.

"Your worldview is small, leaving you blind to possibilities." Stella crossed her arms. "You say I'm centuries old, but then why would I only be in the Monarch Realm?"

Thalos paused. That was a good point.

Forget thousands of years old—she can't only be in the Monarch Realm at a hundred years old if she has access to the resources and Qi density of the 1st Layer. Even a bumbling Elder in a mid-tier sect could reach the Monarch Realm on the 6th Layer... wait, does that mean she is really in her twenties?

"Clearly, arguing with you will only make me frustrated, and when I get frustrated, I lash out. And that's exactly what you're secretly hoping for," Stella narrowed her eyes. "But it seems you're starting to understand."

"As impossible as such a talent at a young age seems, it would appear I was short-sighted," Thalos admitted, deciding to swallow his pride and switch topics. "Now that the duel you wanted so badly is over, your father told me that you would disclose the way to set up these spatial tunnels. Should we arrange a call with my family to discuss this project, as I'm sure such a project will require an immense amount of resources, which my family will gladly coordinate—"

"Just take these," Stella said, shoving something into his hands and walking past him toward her house.

Thalos opened his palm and furrowed his brows. "Seeds?"

"Once I leave, hand those over to your family to plant across the 6th Layer. I'll handle the rest of the setup alone."

Thalos's eyes widened. "You're finally leaving?"

"Yes, I'm going home." Stella smiled, and for the first time, it seemed like a genuine one born of happiness rather than of seeing another's suffering or humiliation. "But I'll be back soon, so don't waste time."

Kael followed her inside, and the door slammed shut.

Thalos looked down at the seeds in his palm.

Seeds? Really? He clenched his hand. Is this some kind of joke?