?As time moved on, the story of the Yang-Sovereign’s betrayal and John’s last stand spread to every single corner of the world, with almost every soul coming to learn of the truth. For the Beasts and Devils, many thought the story to be made up, at least when it came to John’s impossible power and defiant last stand.

Many considered it to be propaganda from the humans, who were trying to shine the spotlight on a heavenly genius instead of the treacherous Yang-Sovereign. In times of defeat and suffering, having a hero to look up to was a motivation beyond comparison, or at least many of these beasts and devils thought.

For the humans, John’s legendary battle turned into something mythical almost immediately. Overnight he turned into a figure more akin to a god than a human, something that the youths of the continent worshiped, and the older cultivators looked to as the new hope of the race, a future powerhouse capable of weathering all storms and obstacles.

Several weeks later…

The lands surrounding the Yang-Dao Sect were bustling with activity, with thousands of experts flooding to and from its lands, each charged with a task to complete in the efforts to restore the Yang-Dao Sect to its former glory.

Incredible progress had already been made in the weeks since the Yang-Sovereign’s betrayal, with Jaxus leading the new sect with a firm grip. The remnant traitors were all rooted out and dealt with, with many executed for their treacherous crimes.

Those with less egregious crimes, but still complicit with the Yang-Sovereign’s schemes, were chained and used as slaves, their labor put towards restoring the sect and the surrounding lands.

On this particular day, the restoration efforts had been paused, as an event no one wanted to miss was taking place within the grounds of the Yang-Dao Sect.

…

At the top of the tallest spire of the Yang-Dao Sect, one that had pierced up to nearly touch the dome of Yang when the Nine-Petal Yang Lotus had been under the sect’s control, stood many figures familiar to the human race.

The Prime Shadow, the Mage Sovereign, Araxus, Lilian, and several other powerhouses from other prominent sects. These powerhouses stood atop a balcony at the top of the spire, overlooking a ceremony taking place below in the courtyards of the Yang-Dao Sect.

In the largest courtyard, one stretching miles in each direction, gathered tens of millions of humans. The crowd ranged from youths to the pinnacle powers of the human race, all gathered for one singular purpose; the ceremony that Jaxus, the new sect leader of the sect, was leading.

This ceremony was created for two purposes; to pay respects to those who had fallen during the Yang-Sovereign’s betrayal, and to pay respects to those who had saved them.

Standing on a podium before the endless crowd, Jaxus gave an emotional and riveting speech, then turned and waved his hand towards a veiled object behind him. As he did so, the veil formation receded, revealing the first of two objects for all to see.

A collective gasp emanated from the crowd as they laid their eyes on the object, a wall that stretched wide to both sides of Jaxus.

“This wall,” Jaxus said to the crowd, gesturing to the obsidian wall behind him that was over a mile long and one hundred yards tall, with white inscriptions covering most of its black surface, “is a wall dedicated to those who fell during the Yang-Sovereign’s betrayal. The wall, forever known as the Tomb of Sacrifice, contains the names of every single person who died during the Yang-Sovereign’s betrayal, as a permanent reminder of their legacy.”

A mournful applause broke out as many in the crowd wept, remembering those close to them that they had lost. Geniuses of premier sects, elders, patriarchs, matriarchs, sisters, brothers, fathers and mothers.

After giving another rousing speech, Jaxus gestured to the second veiled object, at which point the veil fell, revealing the large object for all to see. A collective gasp emanated from the crowd, followed by a thunderous applause that shook the entire sect.

The unveiled object was a two-hundred-yard-tall statue, or two statues connected as one at the base, of John and the Sword-Saint. John and the Sword-Saint stood side by side, their postures firm, their expressions heroic, their weapons held in one hand.

Both statues were so detailed and ornate it felt as though they would come to life at any moment, and were so awe-inspiring that many were reduced to tears as they stared at them.

“This statue,” Jaxus continued, “will forever remain here as a reminder of the heroes that stood up to the Yang-Sovereign and thwarted his treachery, saving millions and perhaps even more. These statues will be a symbol of the new era for this sect, no longer known as the Yang-Dao Sect, but instead the Yang Phoenix Sect. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, our sect shall once more rise again, and…”

As Jaxus’ speech continued, the powerhouses above looked down on the ceremony, watching it unfold. Lilian raised an eyebrow as she saw the statue, which while deserving, was quite gaudy.

“That’s…quite eye-catching,” she couldn’t help but mutter softly, to which the Prime Shadow chuckled lightly.

“True, but it’s also a symbol of hope for many, which is important in times such as these,” he said.

A short while later, Jaxus finished his speech and soared into the sky, returning to the platform where the powerhouses were, leaving the rest of the ceremony to the Elders of the sect. As he landed, he greeted the powerhouses one by one, eventually stopping at Lilian and the Prime Shadow.

“How is he?” Jaxus asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

“Still unconscious,” the Prime Shadow sighed, to which Jaxus and the others nearby did as well.

“Is…is he at least improving?” Jaxus asked hopefully. While they had once been rivals, Jaxus now considered John more important to the Yang Phoenix Sect than he himself, as John was a symbol of its new direction, a hero for the sect and the world to look up to.

He had been hoping for John to attend this ceremony in person, but that had unfortunately not been possible.

“Yes…and no,” the Prime Shadow replied, then elaborated upon noticing the curious expressions of the others. “He is no longer at risk of dying.”

That resulted in a collective sigh of relief from all those gathered, as the worst was finally over.

“However, he is still far, far from recovery,” the Prime Shadow continued.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jaxus asked. “If there’s anything my sect can provide to aid his…”

“Thank you, but his injuries are beyond the ability of your sect, or any of our sects, to heal,” the Prime Shadow said, then explained further. “The first, and most serious problem, is that of his soul.”

“His soul?” Jaxus repeated.

“Yes, his soul,” the Prime Shadow nodded. “The main reason he is still unconscious is because of his soul. While his soul is stable, it still contains the taint of the power he used to defeat the Yang-Sovereign. That taint, while mostly removed, still lingers, and holds onto his soul with unyielding relentlessness. As far as I can tell, John’s soul is trying to break free from this foul taint, but is unable to do so, at least not quickly. Until he’s able to cleanse the taint from his soul, I’m afraid he will remain unconscious.”

“Not quickly? So there is hope he heals after a while?” Araxus chimed in, a hopeful look on his face. 𝘪.𝑐ℴ𝘮

“Yes,” the Prime Shadow nodded, “but we’re talking at the very least a year, if not more.”

A dejected look appeared on everyone’s face again, as this was not good news. A year for John to recover was unacceptable. This was the prime of his youth, and a pinnacle genius losing a year of cultivation was too great a cost to pay.

“The second problem,” the Prime Shadow continued, “is that his body is still far from healed. While his most gruesome injuries are healed, and there’s no worry of him dying, some of the damage is far too profound to be healed through any means we have. If not for the meridian strengthening he went through recently, the power he used would have completely shattered them, turning him into a cripple. Even then, his meridians are quite damaged, with many on the verge of collapse. Even if he wakes up, he will not be able to use any power until his meridians are restored, or else he could permanently cripple himself.”

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