Against Heaven's Will

"Wait, are you trying to tell me you can get into the Abyssal Vault with that cube of yours?" Emi questioned speechlessly. "I thought you could only travel to places you have visited before or if you established a link like the vision you had from the Elemental Bracelet."

"Not at all. We can travel to any location as long as we have enough Fate Qi to fuel the cube," Xuefeng replied casually. "It can bypass any kind of restrictions, even if the Realm is completely sealed off. It worked once so I don't think the Abyssal Vault is an exception."

"This... Do you realize how powerful this artifact could be in the hands of a Constellation?" Emi asked with wide eyes. "They could easily sabotage other Constellations' Realms without being discovered. All you need is a few high-ranked Nightmares that would wreak havoc and kill all their future blessing candidates."

"Well, it's in my hands so it doesn't matter what others would do," Xuefeng replied with a shrug. "Besides, I only use it for transportation and maybe looting. Even when I become a Constellation, I am not going to use it for evil."

"Do you think the Divine Council will allow such a risk?" Emi questioned as she gazed at the sky in worry. "Even if you are a good person, they won't leave such a powerful Artifact in your hands. Not only because someone might steal it from you and abuse it for personal gain, but also because you could go against them by breaking into their sacred grounds. Once they find out you have it, I'm sure they will confiscate it."

Xuefeng couldn't help but frown. "Have they ever done that to someone?" 

"I told you about the Shadow King already. There is a rumor going around that he was so powerful that the Divine Council had to do something about it. Apparently, they demanded he relinquish one of his Artifacts to weaken the bonus power of the full set and he refused, eventually causing his banishment," Emi explained. "If they ever consider you a threat and ask you to hand your artifact over, there is nothing you can do to change their mind." 

Xuefeng couldn't help but ponder over Emi's words, finding it hard to give up such a great Artifact. "So, you think they'll come after me as well?"

"They might be powerful, but they cannot supervise all existing Realms, especially if they aren't ruled by any Constellations. You should be fine until you become too high profile and they start to monitor your actions," Emi replied with a sigh. "If I were you, I would only use it inside the Rogue Realms and places like the Abyssal Vault where the Divine Council can't see you. In any other places, you should keep it hidden." 

"I guess I will have to abuse it before we get discovered. It would be a shame to lose it before I became a Constellation," Xuefeng muttered, pulling Emi closer to look into her eyes. "I can fully trust anyone here, but I'm not too sure about you. I order you not to tell anyone about it, even to your Founder. It's best if you forget about it until the next time we meet." 

"Huh? What about the Shadow King Crown? We need to get it before someone else steals it from us. How are you going to kill a Tier 5 Nightmare without a Constellation?" Emi complained.

"I am quite busy at the moment and I can't trust your founder to let you two go alone. You will have to wait until I'm done gathering all my Elemental Stones before I can do anything else," Xuefeng replied with a shrug. "It's also dangerous for me to visit the Abyssal Vault without even reaching the peak of Ancient Celestial." 

"Why don't I help you then? The sooner we are done, the better," Emi suggested excitedly. "I was going to prepare for the incoming Challenge myself, but if I can get the Shadow King's Crown, it's all worth it. I'm sure no one has found it yet, so it should still be in that Tier 5 Nightmare's hands." 

Xuefeng looked into Emi's eager eyes. "It would be nice if you joined us when we depart to the Ancient Realm, but delivering the pills to your founder is more important right now. We need as much additional firepower as possible, so I hope you can gather some treasures for us."

"How much budget are we talking about?" Emi questioned as she gazed at Lisa who was busy at work. "Judging how she can produce 300 Tier 5 pills every minute, we have a lot of capital to trade with. You all can just tell me what your specialty is and I will pass it on to Founder Miara. She has access to the Dimensional Market where she can trade with other Constellations for the Legendary Artifacts that suit you." 

"Can we also buy Arts or like weapons and armor?" Xiao Wen wondered out loud. "I would like a nice sword and a couple of Sword Arts that combine with Fire Arts. I wouldn't mind a few sets of armor either." 

"Dimensional Market sells everything, Arts, weapons, Artifacts, Bloodlines, and even living beings. As long as you have enough Dimensional Coins, there is almost nothing you cannot buy," Emi explained. "Arts and pills are one of the cheapest items in the market, usually selling under ten thousand coins. Each Tier 5 pill will net you about a hundred coins which kind of explains Founder Miara's pricing." 

"How come it's so low? I thought pills would sell for more," Xuefeng commented in surprise. 

"That's because pills are rarely sold on the Dimensional Market as you can buy them directly from the Alchemist Guild. You need to set a lower price or else no one will buy them," Emi replied with a shrug and continued, "Weapons and armor are second most expensive, ranging between ten and a hundred thousand coins. The price is high mostly because there aren't many skilled Blacksmiths who can produce weapons for Constellations. The last are Legendary Artifacts and Bloodlines which can reach a staggering million Dimensional Coins. The price mostly depends on its rarity since you can buy some cheap bloodlines as well." 

Xuefeng raised his eyebrows. "Wouldn't that mean we need ten thousand pills to buy a single artifact?"

"You don't need to buy the top-tier Legendary Artifacts. In fact, you can't even get them because no one is going to sell them to you," Emi informed with a chuckle. "I think you forgot what kind of situation we are in. Founder Miara is being targeted by all the top hundred Constellations that control most of the Legendary Artifacts. Until this conflict is resolved, you can only settle for low or mid-tier Artifacts." 

"Alright then, we have a few hours so let's decide what everyone needs. Emi will help everyone choose, so just ask her if you have any questions," Xuefeng addressed the whole group and sat cross-legged, his eyes closing. 

"What about you?" Emi asked curiously. 

Xuefeng only smirked as he withdrew the Dragon Stone into his palm and resumed his production. "I'm going to earn us some more money." 

***

Emi took a deep breath as she stepped through the portal and soon found herself on a platform within the clouds. The sky was filled with millions of shiny Spirits flying around aimlessly, their eyes hollow as if dead inside. It was one of Founder Miara's pocket dimensions, an esoteric space where gravity was a mere suggestion and souls a haunting backdrop.

She spotted Wu hovering in the sky, repeatedly stepping with a single foot which sent ripples through the air. The Spirits seemed unaffected by her attempts, but Wu wasn't disheartened and continued to train with sharp focus. 

"What are you doing here Emi? Don't tell me they want to negotiate the price?" Founder Miara's voice came from behind, her body appearing from a whirl of clouds. "Tell them I cannot go lower than—" 

"That's not it, Founder Miara. I have the pills ready," Emi cut her off with a bow as a greeting. "Lisa made higher tier pills which is why it took her less time." 

Founder Miara was about to scold her, but her interest got piqued. "I already expected her to be more talented based on Wu's descriptions. Show me. I'm curious how many Tier 4 pills she managed to make. Is it at least a few vials?" 

"Actually, I didn't bring any Tier 4 pills with me," Emi replied awkwardly. "They are all Tier 5." 

Founder Miara's eyebrows lifted slightly. "I have to admit that I underestimated her skills. No wonder you came back so fast. Hurry, let me see that vial. I'm guessing she only made a hundred pills, or did she manage to make more?" 

"A bit more than a hundred," Emi nodded and waved her hand, summoning all vials stacked in her Storage Ring. The whole cloud platform filled with color while the herbal aroma penetrated the air. 

This was the first time she saw Founder Miara with her eyes widened, completely speechless. "If you tell me she made it all in a single day I will slap you." 

"She made it in a single day…"

Pa!

Emi heard the sound of a slap but instead of her own face, she saw Founder Miara slapping her own face to check if she was dreaming. "How many of them?" 

"Around a hundred and fifty thousand." 

Founder Miara staggered forward at her words and teleported to Emi's side, pulling her into her embrace while laughing maniacally. It took her a minute to calm down before she faced Emi with a bright smile. 

"My great disciple, from today onward, you can just call me Miara."