I still remember that day clearly...

When I first opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was... myself.

I felt bewildered at the sight of another me facing myself. However, I soon found out that the person before me wasn't me.

Or rather, I was the clone of the person before me.

|"You are my mortal shedding, shed upon ascension to Dao."|

Apparently, I was a unique kind of clone, and that was the reason why I did not possess awareness as a clone... I felt lost at this revelation.

|"You shall hereby be stationed at the sect in my stead."|

Without a moment of wait, the real me left without allowing me a single question.

I presided over the sect as the acting grand elder from that day. However, my connection with my "main body" had halted since our first meeting. I continued to look after the sect for years to come.

At some point, I realized a certain thing regarding my circumstances... Unlike most clones or "sheddings", I did not have a limit set and thus could reach the Dao realm as long as my Dao remained subservient to Zhou Tiandi.

Living as Zhou Tiandi for decades, I took in a disciple—a foolish child but most definitely earnest one—and another after a century and then a few others idiots...

...

Zhou Tiandi was currently sitting on his throne in his so-called 'temple' that resided within the skies of the sect's main branch.

The entire palace was made of black and white materials, as if it was drawn by ink on a sheet of paper, and its name was 'Equilibrium's Embrace.'

Zhou Tiandi spent most of his time here. Well, rather than the main body, this was the clone.

A clone that was semi-independent of Zhou Tiandi, yet bound through the confines of his Dao, a feat far surpassing most Dao realm experts signifying that Zhou Tiandi held absolute authority over all that followed his Dao.

Zhou Tiandi's clone had a smile on his face as he stared at the entrance to his 'throne room' with spring-like warmth in his eyes.

"Thousand greetings to master!"

Just then, a boy stopped right outside the entrance with a girl in tow, both of them giving a deep martial bow in Zhou Tiandi's direction.

"Raise your heads."

Zhou Tiandi's voice echoed through the room. Hearing his ethereal voice, the two raised their heads and looked toward Zhou Tiandi, whose face had an expression that was neither joyful nor sorrowed, unlike the smile he had moments before their arrival.

"Master, junior sister Meng and I have decided to become Dao companions! Please give us your blessings!"

Looking at his disciple who had at this point kowtowed to him, Zhou Tiandi almost had the urge to sigh.

'Always so earnest... This child...'

While one is not supposed to have a favorite disciple, this somewhat foolish child was definitely Zhou Tiandi's favorite.

However, this child was truly innocent and foolish, and Zhou Tiandi simply couldn't bear to see him get fooled for the third time, so he decided to take a 'look' at this junior sister Meng.

Meanwhile, Junior sister Meng and his disciple felt their intuition scream in fear as they felt Zhou Tiandi's gaze.

"Hahaha! Good! Very good!"

Hearing Zhou Tiandi's laughter, Meng Ziyi felt her legs almost give out. However, Li Xian, as his disciple, knew that his master was feeling quite overjoyed.

"Hahaha, disciple! It looks like you've finally grown enough to be able to judge one's character. Very well, both of you have my blessings."

The black and white colors of the palace came to life as they flowed to Meng Ziyi and Li Xian's hand and formed a phoenix and dragon pattern respectively.

"Now leave and let me rest."

"Many thanks to the Grand elder!"

Meng Ziyi gave a deep bow to Zhou Tiandi as she stole a glance at her phoenix pattern and Li Xian, who was still kowtowing.

...

Glancing at the leaving backs of the 'young' couple, Zhou Tiandi had the smile of a parent looking at their child who had finally grown up, a bittersweet yet happy and warm smile.

However, his smile was short lived as his another disciple entered his temple alongside a woman.

"Master! Meet my 4th wife Xuan Yao!"

The rude bastard who intruded upon Zhou Tiandi's solace had to be punished, this was most definitely not because this damned disciple said, 'No way~ Master won't go to such a place.' When Zhou Tiandi was invited to a fancy brothel... Well divine blossom pavilion to be correct, but it's the same thing.

"Get lost, you foolish brat!" With that the two were thrown out of the temple.

As he sat upon his throne, his thoughts began to wander...

"I wonder if the main body would also feel happy for these kids... My link to him has been severed long ago, would you've also liked these kids or are you still the same as you were?"

Looking towards the roof of his palace, Zhou Tiandi wondered.

...

)Oh... how foolish I was...(

It was many many ages later, far beyond what one could've imagined...

The very reality had begun to collapse- it all began with unrest within the abyss, followed by aberrations from 'beyond' the Chaos Sea invading, destroying everything.

And finally, the attack even reached my sect. I fought to save the sect until I was bloodied with my robes tattered. I fought till the entire sect was evacuated to main body's world, created through his Dao Core.

As I stood there tired amid the ruins of what I had nurtured for eons, sorrow filled my heart. I had given up on my survival. I couldn't battle any longer...

"Fuck, I should have gone to brothel that day!"

I amused such thoughts, knowing that I had fulfilled my role as the ancestral lord and the master of my disciples...

Then, with an abrupt shift, reality itself seemed to crack open. Beside me, a 'crack' appeared and a force pulled me in to wherever laid beyond.

...

In the grasp of my main body, I felt like I had been saved. However, I couldn't have been any further away from the truth.

...

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

...

Returning from my memories of the past, I, who was once a simple clone of Zhou Tiandi, faced the man in white who resembled my former main body.

"That day, Zhou Tiandi refined me... forcing his Dao upon me in an attempt to turn me into a new him. He then refined me to envelope her... Li Hua's soul..." I spoke, reminiscing certain foul yet most certainly significant memory, "In an attempt, to be able to save her soul and live alongside her, after his demise, that was all but certain."

"..." The man in white's face crumpled in a frown, knowing what was to come.

"However, there was a mishap, Li Hua's soul was separated and reincarnated. The imprint of his Dao lost it's purpose and began to fade away... and that's how I came into being."

"That is until, I met one of her descendants, yet, I possessed not a single memory of her. However, the Dao imprint never forgot it's purpose."

Concluding my ramblings, I looked into the dark eyes of the one who resembled my former main body.

"As for you, you are nothing but my regrets, lost memories, and fragment of the Dao imprint that believes himself to be Zhou Tiandi," For the first time in so long, I truly had the pleasure of smiling, "In that case, I wonder who's truly the fake amongst us."

"..."

The "inner-devil" or perhaps Zhou Tiandi's apparition... whatever it was, while annoyed, it did not take any action.

"Well then," Raising my blade above my head, I smiled brightly, "let us put an end to this."

"...!" Alerted by my actions, that filth of Zhou Tiandi rushed towards me, Following him the entire world of ink pushed against me with branches of inked trees attempting to claw at me. However, it was too late.

"Mirror Severance."

The world shattered yet again akin to a creation of glass. However, now unlike before I was not in a place unfamiliar, rather it was a place quite familiar to me.

It was my inner-world, the inked world gained color to reveal the truth, and the portrayer of falsehood lay upon his knees looking at me in apprehension, "You... How?"

"I am Xin Jianyu. Is that enough of an explanation?"

Hearing this, he gritted his teeth, it seems like he understood what I meant.

"NO!" It had finally begun, that filth soon began to grow tumultuous, "YOU CAN'T BE! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT AN ERROR!!"

"It seems like you did not understand anything..."

"RAaaaGHH!!" The filth grew larger and filthier, attacking me marking the beginning of our first direct battle.

...

The confrontation was short. After all, within my inner-realm, connected to my sea of consciousness, I could easily suppress such an enemy.

'But... This is truly incredible.' I was truly surprised by this inner realm. After all, the sword art that I used till now was from my "future self."

However, I never had an inner realm in that future... at least not that I remember.

"Now then, farewell!" My blade shot out towards him, ready to pierce through. However...

A golden light enveloped us both, drowning us and the entire inner realm within it.

"FUCK YOU!" Enraged I roared, "DAO SAGE!!"

The golden light drowned us till we faded away in that damned, hateful gold.