Avery wasn't sure how he felt about this heavenly decree and how it was enforced. On one hand, his inner world history was proof of the destruction and resentment unrestricted powers could cause. On the other hand, he had just gained his freedom, and was not too happy to learn he was shackled by a bunch of apparently man-made laws he had no control over.

  If he had been asked to promise never to meddle with the fates of mortals, Avery would probably have agreed, because he had no attachment to the mortal world and could see the logic behind their policy. However, now that this had been imposed on him without his consent, he found it much harder to accept, and felt a strong urge to fight back and overthrow this unwelcome authority.

  This wasn’t even about whether total non-interference was really a good solution, as it prevented him from saving lives. This was about whether he, as an immortal, believed himself to be above the laws of the court of Heaven, an institution he didn’t know existed before today.

  Unfortunately, it wasn’t like he really had any choice. That heavenly decree was enforced by powers he could not resist, and what he felt about them mattered little. For now, he just needed to make note of them, and he would decide whether he should go along, abolish or avoid those rules when he had the power to choose.

  “What other laws am I subjected to? And who exactly decides what they are? Why am I arbitrarily subjected to some unknown rule-set without having consented to anything?”

  “You are living in this world, so of course you have the same duties and rights as everybody else. Still, you do not have to worry too much, as the Heavenly court has very few rules that apply to all celestials universally, and those that do are very lax. Besides the one you already know, it is forbidden to harm the feng shui of the world, it is forbidden to break someone's Dao path, and it is forbidden to cultivate devil qi. Other than that, there are plenty of accepted conventions and commonly agreed upon practices among immortals, but they are not enforced by the saints' powers in the same way.”

  While talking, the man extended his hand and presented a jade slip to Avery. Sensing some spiritual fluctuations that faintly resembled some of his runes, he rapidly deduced its function. By channeling a little mana into it, he felt several books worth of information flood into his mind, informing him of the code of conduct for immortals.

  Having no time to process all of that data during a conversation, he was about to guide it into one of his runes to be analyzed later. Unexpectedly, a mighty will suddenly rose up from his inner world, immersing itself into his mana and copying all the information he had received. Then it was gone, as if it was just a dream, as if it had never existed.

  Avery immediately reacted, looking inward and trying to track the mana that has gained a certain dreamy quality, but he found nothing. After a few seconds of fruitless searching, he silently suppressed his worries and concerns, knowing that this was yet another matter that would need more careful consideration than the current situation allowed. Besides, he was pretty sure he already knew who the culprit was, and if he was right there was not much he could do about it.

  Meanwhile, apparently unaware of everything that had just happened, the celestial happily continued his explanations.

  “As for who decides on the laws of heaven, they are technically ratified by the jade emperor, but in truth he can only write this level of heavenly law when most everyone is in agreement.

  It was more or less a consensus after the Wu and demon tribe tribulation that such a cataclysmic war could not be allowed to happen again. Unfortunately, the conflicts of interest were too deep, and mortal disputes inevitably escalated into immortal wars, dealing unimaginable damage to the world.

  No one could agree on what exactly was to be done, and since most people even disagreed on what was right or wrong, it was finally decided to simply separate the three cultivation realms and let things develop naturally.”

  As he listened, Avery saw vague visions of those tumultuous times appear in front of him, perfectly illustrating the tale he was listening to. These were not hallucinations or illusions, they were echoes of the past called forth by the words of an Immortal. Even if he did not intentionally infuse them with power, the words of a Son of the Sky would naturally trigger a reaction from the world. It wasn’t a particularly useful or practical power, but it was a symbol of their exalted status, and it made each conversation feel like watching a movie.

  “It is common courtesy to give at least a century to let a newly ascended immortal digest his gains and get accustomed to his position, during which no one would come and disturb you. Only in about forty years or so should you start receiving messages congratulating you for your successful ascension. I myself wouldn't be here if the ancestors of the Gushanhui sect hadn’t informed me that a suspected celestial was preaching to them.”

  Avery looked down in embarrassment, suddenly realizing he had already forgotten about the deadly battle that was still ongoing beneath him. He shivered at how detached and uncaring he had become, a monster who had accidentally ruined lives and thought nothing of it.

  He zoned out as an intense feeling of loss and exhaustion welled up inside him. He had actually started to miss the peaceful abyss that had imprisoned him for thousands of years. Compared to that peaceful life pursuing the Tao, it now felt like he was drowning in thousands of questions about himself, about the world, about the Tao, about everything.

  Unfortunately, the ongoing conversation seemed doomed to add to his confusion rather than resolve his worries, and the immortal’s teasing smile looked downright terrifying to Avery.

  “Some of these rules are to your benefit, of course. Artifact spirits that manage to cultivate themselves to the extent that you did are extremely valuable, and you should be glad that it is now considered taboo to claim you. If these were ancient times, you would already have been branded by some almighty spiritual will, and your consciousness would probably have been dispersed.”

  Avery instinctively took a step back upon hearing those words, horrified. It did not come as a great surprise to him that his hastily made illusions had been seen through, but he had never considered what people would think when viewing his true body.

  “I would still suggest you take some time to improve your camouflage abilities, because not everyone will be stopped by cultural taboos, and you look to be a truly unique and interesting treasure.”

  The celestial held out his hand for the second time, offering a new jade slip to Avery, which he robotically took, before once again feeling that mysterious will rise up to peek at the information.

  “This contains inspirations that should be helpful to forming your primordial Dao body. You will still have to comprehend your own unique Dao body, but once you do, you will have no more need to hide behind low quality illusions.”

  Avery didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing, mutely staring straight ahead. His head was abuzz with questions, but instead of asking them, he only wished he could close his eyes and forget his worries, and crush that crippling social anxiety that was one again rearing its ugly head.

  “If you are still feeling unsafe, you can also join my organization, and we will protect you we are...”

  Seeing no reaction from Avery even after several minutes, and realizing how overwhelmed and lost he looked, the immortal showed an understanding smile and handed him a jade slip with his contact information, before disappearing into the sky.

  Avery stayed frozen in place, at a loss as to what to do. All his cultivation, knowledge and powers were useless here, and the instinct he had cultivated though thousands of years in the abyss, to rely on the Tao to solve everything was even more problematic.

  Only the Tao could let him forget, soothing his soul and resting his mind. However, were the changes brought about by the Tao not the cause of his worries in the first place? Was it not to blame for his indifference and inhumane behavior? Would it not end up exacerbating his problems?

  He struggled with himself for hours, his thoughts too chaotic to offer constructive answers, before giving up with a sigh, drawing a rune in the air and immersing himself into the Tao once more.