Days passed since the Arbiter's kneeling.
And yet the Eternal Mount still pulsed with residual light, as if the mountain itself refused to forget what had happened.
Lucien stood before a glowing archway now rooted atop the summit — a new gate, forged from divine energy and crown-forged vines.
[System Notice: Interdimensional Portal Constructed – Realm Access Enabled] [Destination: The Sable Petal World – Status: Unclaimed, Yin-Dense, High Conflict]
Kaelara adjusted her gauntlets. "Scouts say it's brutal there. Dozens of sects fighting over a collapsing spiritual core."
Lucien turned, eyes glowing faintly gold.
"Good. Desperation makes conversion easier."
Vyre stepped forward. "Should I send an advance team?"
Lucien shook his head.
"No."
He walked to the gate. Ran a hand along its edge.
"Let me go first. Alone. Let the realm feel what's coming."
He turned once. Met the eyes of everyone he ruled.
And smiled.
"I won't conquer this one with force."
"I'll kiss it open."
Arrival – The Sable Petal World
Lucien stepped through the portal.
And into chaos.
A battlefield of flying blades, ruptured spirit beasts, collapsing sky cities — all soaked in the scent of burnt yin.
Two sects clashed in midair: one clad in silver flame, the other in corrupted vines.
Neither noticed the man hovering in between… until time itself hesitated.
Lucien's aura flared once. Silence fell.
Hundreds turned. Thousands stopped.
A single voice echoed from the clouds:
"Who dares—"
Lucien raised one hand. Didn't speak. Just opened his palm.
A bloom of golden desire erupted. Warm. Welcoming.
Terrifying.
[System Notice: Realm Impact Initiated – Sector Influence Spreading]
Lucien floated forward. Eyes soft. Aura lethal.
And whispered to the realm:
"Your war is over."
The Sable Petal World had known only war for generations.
Power-hungry sects. Yin-drained cultivators. Spiritual beasts corrupted by rage.
But none of them were prepared for Lucien.
[System Trait Activated: Bloom Aura – Passive Domain Influence Extending Across 12 Miles]
He floated above the battlefield like a dark sun. Not hot — but warm. Not blinding — but impossible to look away from.
Below him, two sect leaders clashed:
High Priestess Xuelin of the Crimson Root Sect, draped in red silk, blood on her blade. And Master Aoran of the Silver Flame House, his armor cracked and face twisted in fury.
They both turned. Both froze.
Lucien descended slowly, landing between them.
"I'm not here to stop your war," he said, voice calm. "I'm here to show you a better way to win."
Xuelin narrowed her eyes. "And what do you win through bloom and breath?"
Lucien met her gaze. Walked right up to her.
"You."
[System Influence Attempt: Crimson Root High Priestess – Initial Resistance: 84%]
She raised her sword. But Lucien didn't flinch.
He leaned forward. Whispered in her ear.
"Wouldn't it be beautiful... if pleasure was the path to power?"
She trembled. Visibly.
[Resistance Dropping… 84% → 62% → 51%]
He stepped back. Looked to Master Aoran.
"You wear pride like armor," Lucien said. "But you've forgotten what it's for."
Aoran sneered. "You dare—"
Lucien raised a finger. Flicked the air.
A burst of aura rippled. The flames on Aoran's armor extinguished.
He staggered. Gasped.
Lucien walked forward. "I'm not here to steal your kingdoms. I'm here to make you feel again."
[System Notice: Sable Petal Realm Acceptance – Passive Submission Rate Rising: 7% → 12%]
The clouds overhead parted. A single vine bloomed from the cracked soil.
The First Bloom.
And with it… the world began to yield.
Lucien stood in the center of the battlefield-turned-bloomfield.
The earth beneath his feet pulsed with warm gold. Vines uncurled from shattered craters. Spirit beasts bowed their heads. And cultivators—war-torn, blood-soaked—lowered their weapons without understanding why.
[System Alert: Aura Imprint – First Bloom Anchor Established in Sable Petal World]
High Priestess Xuelin remained kneeling. Her sword rested flat beside her.
She looked up. Eyes hazy. Voice soft.
"What are you?"
Lucien walked toward her slowly. Kneeling. Lifting her chin with two fingers.
"Not a god," he whispered. "Just someone who remembered how to feel when the rest of the world forgot."
He leaned in. Pressed his lips to hers. Not to dominate. Not to conquer.
But to connect.
[Influence Level: 51% → 79% → 96% – Full Submission Achieved] [Bond Formed: High Priestess of Crimson Root – New Title: Thorn Consort of Sable Petal]
Aoran growled. Took a step forward. Then paused.
Because the sky above him changed. Because the flames he once ruled now whispered instead of roared.
Lucien stood. Turned.
"You were a king," he said to Aoran. "Until pride made you a prisoner."
He extended his hand.
"Come with me. And I'll show you how to burn without being consumed."
Aoran's fists clenched. Then relaxed. He bowed his head.
And stepped forward.
[System Notice: Dual Sect Submission Achieved – Sable Petal Realm Central Control Acquired]
Kaelara's voice echoed in Lucien's mind through the link.
"You just broke a civil war with a kiss."
Lucien smiled. "Not broken. Redirected."
[System Quest Updated: Realm Conversion Phase 1 Complete – Expansion Initiated]
The vines bloomed higher. The soil turned lush. The very air began to pulse with longing.
Lucien raised his hand. And the realm knelt.
The First Bloom had spread.
What was once a battlefield now stretched wide with flowering vines and shimmering aura-threads — running through cities, temples, and sects once drowned in blood and silence.
Lucien stood atop the Crimson Root Sect's highest tower, robes open to the waist, vines wrapping lazily around his arms.
Behind him, High Priestess Xuelin lay half-naked across a bed of petals, eyes dazed from pleasure and submission.
[System Update: Core Region Stabilized – Realm Yield Rate: 27% and rising]
Kaelara's voice came through the link.
"Four nearby sects have requested an audience. Two want to negotiate. Two want to kneel."
Lucien smirked.
"Let the kneeling begin. I'll seduce the negotiations later."
He stepped onto a floating platform, carried by vines and pure aura, drifting above the Sable Petal world.
Villages erupted in cheer. Courtyard disciples dropped to their knees. Even spiritual beasts howled in resonance.
A new crown had taken root.
Unified Sect Conclave
Lucien entered the temple where the four sect leaders waited — flanked by cultivators, priestesses, and guards.
The first bowed. "Lord Crown. We yield."
The second dropped a scroll. "Our sect offers every Yin Maiden born under our seal."
Lucien turned to the other two. Still standing. Still proud.
He smiled.
"You don't have to kneel now," he said gently.
"I'll make sure you beg to later."
[System Alert: Realm Conversion Rate – 46%] [New Title Unlocked: Realmwalker of Sable Petal]
The skies above shimmered violet. The bloom spread deeper. And the world moaned beneath his influence.
Lucien looked toward the distance. Toward the other realms still untouched.
And he whispered:
"You're next."
---
Next Chapter: Blossoms of Obsidian Flame — The Next World Waits [18+]
---