Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: JADE RINGS

Their mother’s stern expression cracked first, a tear sliding down her cheek even as she maintained her battle stance. “My precious children,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. The sight of her three children—no longer the small, helpless babes she’d once cradled—standing together with such determination made her heart ache with both pride and fear.

Their father’s hands clenched and unclenched, years of protective instincts warring with the pride shining in his eyes. He looked at each of them in turn: Li Wei, nearly a man now, standing tall and protective; Li Hao, caught between childhood and maturity, his usual mischief replaced by fierce determination; and Li Hua, their youngest yet somehow seeming the most prepared for what was coming. “You’re all as stubborn as your mother,” he said finally, his gruff tone barely masking his own emotional turmoil. “None of you will go, will you?”

“Not a chance,” they replied, their voices overlapping in perfect harmony despite their age differences. Their combined spiritual essence erupted around them—Li Wei’s water spheres catching the dawn light like liquid crystal, Li Hao’s golden flames painting the air with dancing shadows. Li Hua’s power flowed between them, her mastery of multiple elements creating a devastating harmony: her wind essence strengthened Li Hao’s flames into a brilliant inferno, while crackling threads of her thunder essence wove through Li Wei’s water spheres, transforming them into orbs of lightning-charged rain.

The perfect synchronization of their powers spoke of countless hours training together, each element amplifying the others until the courtyard blazed with their combined strength.

Their father shared a long look with their mother, years of unspoken communication passing between them in that single glance. Finally, he nodded, his stern expression softening into something between pride and resignation. “Very well,” he said softly. “But you’ll follow our instructions exactly. No heroics, no unnecessary risks.” His hands moved through the air, drawing complex patterns that shimmered with protective energy. “Stay behind the spirit beasts, near the house. If we tell you to run, you run. No arguments.”

Their mother stepped forward, her movements carrying both grace and urgency. From her jade pendant, she retrieved three identical jade rings, each thrumming with ancient power. The rings’ surfaces bore intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change, like maps constantly redrawing themselves.

“These were meant for your eighteenth birthdays,” she whispered, pressing a ring into each child’s palm. Her fingers lingered as she passed them out, memorizing the feeling of each child’s hand one last time. “They’re not ordinary spatial rings. Your father and I… we spent years preparing them, creating safe havens across different realms. Places where you can hide, survive, and stay together.”

Their father moved closer, his hand resting on their mother’s shoulder. “We mapped the same locations in each ring—places where the realm barriers are thinnest, where crossing is possible without detection. Secret valleys, hidden cities, forgotten sanctuaries.” His voice grew stern, “But they can only be activated once you break through your current cultivation ceiling. The energy required for realm travel would shatter your meridians otherwise.”

“Promise me,” their mother’s voice cracked slightly as she looked at each of them in turn. “Promise me you’ll use them if there’s no other choice. Promise me you’ll stay together.” Her eyes glistened. “Better to flee to another realm than—” She couldn’t finish the sentence, but her meaning was clear: Better than watching you die.

She drew back, composing herself. “Each ring holds the same paths, the same sanctuaries. We made sure of that. No matter what happens, no matter which realm you flee to, you’ll always be able to find each other.” Her fingers traced the patterns on Li Hua’s ring. “The rings will resonate with each other, showing you the way to your siblings.”

“Use them only in absolute necessity,” their father added gravely. “And remember—you must break through to the next realm first. The rings will recognize when you’re ready.” His eyes met each of his children’s in turn, memorizing their faces. “Now show me you understand how to activate them.”

The siblings nodded solemnly. Each touched their ring, channeling a thin stream of spiritual essence. Li Wei’s fingers traced the activation pattern with scholarly precision, his essence flowing in steady, measured pulses. Li Hao’s movements carried an unusual focus that belied his typical restlessness, his powerful essence surging like a contained storm. Li Hua’s hands moved with the practiced efficiency of someone who had memorized escape routes, her essence weaving through the ring’s pathways with precision, though her heart ached at the necessity of it in this one.

The jade rings began to glow with a soft, pearl-like luminescence, responding to their touch. Their father nodded, satisfaction mixing with pride in his expression. “Good. Your cultivation has progressed far enough—you can access the sanctuaries in the Ascending Plateau realm if needed.”

Their mother pulled all three into a fierce embrace, her usual gentle demeanor giving way to the protective fury of a cultivator protecting her young. “Remember your training. Watch each other’s backs. And know that no matter what happens—” her voice caught slightly, “—we are so very proud of all of you.”

The frost tiger moved to flank them, its crystalline fur casting prismatic lights across the courtyard. The thunder rabbits took position on either side, their small forms belying the deadly lightning that crackled between their ears. The wind fox pressed against their mother’s legs, its otherworldly howl rising to challenge whatever approached.

Together they turned to face the dimming morning light, where something terrible stirred in the distance. Not just parents protecting children, or siblings standing together, but a family united against whatever threatened their home.

Li Hua could feel it. The presence of many cultivators approaching. Because of the cultivation cap in this realm, they all appeared to be Martial Rank 2, but her instincts screamed warnings at her. They weren’t just strong; some of them were overwhelmingly powerful, far beyond anything that should exist in this realm.

“Bàba, that explosion?” Li Hua asked, her eyes fixed on the horizon where the morning mist seemed to thicken unnaturally.

Her father’s face darkened, knowledge replacing his farmer’s simplicity. “It was the array I set up when we first arrived here,” he said, his voice heavy with implications. “A barrier meant to protect us, to keep those with malicious intent from finding this place.” His hands clenched at his sides. “For it to shatter like this… whoever’s coming isn’t just powerful. They’re desperate. Hunting.”

“The array should have held for at least another two years,” their mother added softly, her fingers weaving protective symbols in the air. “Unless…”

“Unless they knew exactly how to break it,” Li Hua finished, the words tasting like ashes in her mouth. In her past life, she’d learned that timing was rarely coincidental. First the falling stars, then her nightmare, and now this. The pieces were forming a pattern she didn’t want to see.