Ascension of the immortal Asura

John raised an eyebrow as he heard this, as her explanation was what he expected, but it didn't diminish the immense value of what she was giving him. John's gaze shifted to Laia's face for a moment, which was a bit paler than normal, while her aura was clearly weaker as well.

Clearly this orb she had taken out had been incredibly taxing for her to make, and weakened her in the process.

"Your vitality? Are you sure you want to give me this?" John asked, slightly concerned as replacing spent vitality was an incredibly hard thing to do.

"It's fine," Laia replied and smiled gently at him, appreciating his concern. "While others find replacing their vitality incredibly hard to do, it's much easier for me with my Dao of Life. I just need to rest for a few weeks, and I'll be back to normal eventually," she explained.

"I started on this a few weeks ago, but this orb is all I could make by today. If you absorb it, it will act as if I have healed you personally. Unfortunately, it is a single-use thing, but it's better than nothing. Take it," she explained what it did and handed it over to John.

She had already stated that she would have to return to the Astral Empire soon, and her giving this orb to John was the only way she could help him from afar. John felt warmth at her concern for him, and reached out to take the orb.

"Thank you," John replied as he took the orb of condensed vitality and life, as he could tell Laia had spent a lot of time and effort on creating it.

Laia smiled with relief as he took it, and gazed at the lake for a while in silence, as if something was weighing on her mind. John remained silent as he stored the orb away in his spatial realm, saving it for a time when he would truly need it.

After sitting in silence for some time, Laia's gaze shifted back towards John, the soft warm replaced with guilty remorse.

"What is it?" John asked, as he could tell that something was weighing on her mind. With their unique soul-connection that they formed in the Dao Transformation Realm, John could feel some of her emotions, and was able to tell that something heavy was weighing on her conscience at the moment.

"I…I haven't been fully honest with you," she said after a long silence, as if saying these words had taken incredible effort. She fell silent after saying this, as if she were figuring out how to pick her next words.

"I already have an idea about what you're trying to tell me," John spoke up, causing Laia's expression to change to surprise.

"You do? She asked.

"Let me guess, it has to do with a danger that will befall me now that you and I are linked by our souls," John replied, while Laia's reaction clearly indicated that he was right.

"How…how did you know?" she asked, lips trembling.

"Did you forget already? The words you told me back in the Dao Transformation Realm when I needed more healing during my Heaven Tribulation and opened up my soul to you?" John asked, while Laia thought back to that time.

"If you don't remember, then I'll repeat it," John said.

"When you said you could heal me by establishing a direct soul-connection, you also said a future calamity might befall me as a result," John explained, repeating what she had told him at that time.

"I'm sure this future calamity for me is also a calamity for you, and that the reason you followed me into the Dao Transformation Realm in the first place was to intertwine our fates so that I could eventually help you through it…as you noticed my talent and combat prowess back in the Ancient Yuan Continent Realm, am I wrong?" John asked.

"Ah…I…" Laia mumbled, unsure of how to reply, but her silence was silent confirmation of his words.

"I figured this out quite early on when you joined me in the Dao Transformation Realm, but I'm not judging you for it. I already knew accepting your help back then had risks, but at the time it was the only time to get through the tribulation. Without your help, I would have died during that Heaven Tribulation, against the Demon, against so many things in that realm. You saved me, and so it's only natural that I do the same when the time comes," John replied, his words causing Laia's lips to tremble harder, as if she were unable to contain her emotions.

"Can you at least tell me a bit about this ‘calamity'?" John asked, while Laia calmed herself down to explain a bit of the truth.

Boom!

A loud boom blasted over the entirety of Alliance City, while everyone looked up to see a powerful attack slam against the formation barrier in the far distance, causing a shockwave to ripple through it.

Laia's face scrunched up as she stared at the distant attack, while John looked on curiously as well, as an attack on Alliance City was practically a suicide mission. The attack faded away and calm returned to the city once more, and after some silence, John glanced at Laia, who seemed to have an odd expression on her face.

"What is it?" John asked curiously.

"You need to leave, now," Laia said to him hastily, causing John to frown slightly, confused at what was going on. However, he could tell that Laia was sincere in her words, and prepared to leave when…

Flash!

As if answering his questions, a figure suddenly appeared before the two of them, hovering above them a short distance away.

Surprise appeared on John's face as he gazed at the figure who had appeared like a ghost without any warning at all. The figure wore an immaculate robe as if it was spun from the most heavenly materials, and appeared to be in his thirties, with long black hair, a handsome face, and piercing eyes as if they could see through everything.

John had never seen the man before, but he could tell with the briefest of glances that the man's power was beyond his imagination, at the level that only someone like Thunderzen could compare to.

John frowned as the man gazed at the two of them without saying a word, like a hawk staring at prey.

"Who the hell are you?" John asked, displeased at the manner in which the man was staring at him and Laia. While the man was beyond powerful, John did not back down when treated with such disrespect, especially in a place like Alliance City where his safety was ensured.

The man glanced at John for a brief moment before looking away, as if looking at John was nothing more than an eyesore. His gaze locked onto Laia and a frown appeared on his face as he inspected her closely.

"Tch, you appear to have been cursed by the Heavens. It seems you went ahead and did what I forbid you to ever do, daughter!" the Astral Emperor said with displeasure, revealing his identity to John.