Chapter 835

Chapter 835

Pride.

Contentment.

And complete, utter insanity.

There were no other words to describe the scene unfolding before this Sovereigns eyes, one buried behind Falling Rains cold, distant gaze and deep within the confines of his deranged mind. The transmigrator made for an uninspiring sight, hanging limp and slack in this Sovereigns grasp with ribs, chest, and back shattered and lungs filled with more blood than air, yet his amber eyes burned with defiant impudence even at the bitter end. A half-smile graced his bloody lips, not a warm, amused smile or heated, defiant one, but one overflowing with scorn and mockery as if he held the upper hand here, rather than the reverse. This was not courage or bravado, for though the boy had plenty of both, he lacked the fearless spirit of a dauntless hero willing to die for a noble cause. No, this was a gaze of reluctant resignation, a begrudging admission of defeat he was unwilling to wholly embrace. Falling Rain had given this effort his all, fought tooth and nail in an ill-conceived attempt to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, one so overwhelming he knew hed never had any hope of victory to begin with, yet he cared for not for the consequences of his failure because he believed it mere a single step back in his Path, rather than the obvious end this Sovereign intended.

What was this if not insanity, Falling Rains total lack of any awareness regarding his current, dire circumstances and a rejection of reality without blinking an eye?

A special sort of madness this, the ability to see the facts laid out before him and arrive at an absurd and illogical conclusion. Despite having witnessed this Sovereigns strength first-hand, Falling Rain was still indignant over his loss, for the transmigrator possessed arrogance unmatched and believed himself superior to this Sovereign in every way except age. This unfounded hubris would almost be comical were it not also infuriating to the extreme, for this Sovereign could have killed the boy a thousand times in a thousand different ways during their first exchange, and countless times thereafter. Only this Sovereigns magnanimous curiosity allowed Falling Rain to struggle for so long, that and the hidden Nascent Immortal protecting him, and yet the boy wholeheartedly believed that he could have emerged victorious if not for luck and happenstance.

Why else would he be so unresigned to his fate? Even now at the moment of his death, Falling Rain maintained that hed achieved some small measure of success, having succeeded in the role laid out for him by the Heavens Above and thus deriving satisfaction from this insignificant accomplishment. A most vexatious and illogical outlook regarding his ultimate defeat, one which robbed this Sovereign of much satisfaction, for he had been eagerly awaiting the moment when Falling Rains hateful smirk fell away and the rage in his eyes gave way to desperation and despair. This Sovereign had expected him to struggle to his last breath, perhaps even plead for mercy or appeal to this Sovereigns grace and goodwill. Instead, Falling Rain made peace with his fate and maintained that his efforts had planted a seed of progress and potential, one which would eventually see the populace rise up to topple this Sovereign from his throne, a transition inevitable as the changing of the seasons from which there was no escape.

Or at least thats what the transmigrator wholeheartedly believed, demonstrating a level of blind faith and baseless conviction which went beyond the fanatical.

In reality, while the boys book of ideas and innovative spirit had already spread like wildfire across the Empire, it would amount to little in the end. Weapons like crossbows and Runic Cannons would certainly place more power into the hands of mortals and their ilk, but Falling Rain was downright delusional if he believed this Sovereign would be overthrown so easily. Even if the powerful weapons depicted in the transmigrators memories were to become widespread, this still wouldnt be enough to vanquish him on their own, for this Sovereign was the Eternal Emperor, a Nascent Immortal who had long since cast off the shackles of mortality and was no longer beholden to the cycle of reincarnation. Even if a thousand Runic Cannons firing in concert were to render his physical form to a pulp, this Sovereign could find a new host to inhabit as easily as turning a hand. A fact his foe should have accounted for, considering how he unravelled the mystery of this Sovereigns eternal existence so quickly, almost as if hed been expecting it all along. Another mystery that, but one this Sovereign was confident he would solve in time, unlike the growing enigma which was Falling Rain.

As absurd and illogical as the transmigrators confidence and conviction might be, there was a quality to Faith that one should always be wary of. One could not reason with faith, nor could one easily go against it, for the faithful paid no heed to logic or rationale. That was the definition of faith, to hold complete trust or confidence in a belief, without any need for proof and at times in spite of it. In recent centuries, the Brotherhood used charity and beneficence to wrest the hearts of the people away from this Sovereigns grasp, which was why he took steps to remove their influence from the Eastern Provinces, and then the outer provinces in turn, but they were merely the latest in a long string of would-be religions cropping up within the Azure Empire. At first, he took a hard stance against all religions and sought to uproot all denominations of faith wherever they sprang up, but one might as well try to remove all the air from a room or empty out a lake with two hands. In time, he learned to change tack and quietly did away with all the sham religions and pagan beliefs of yesteryear by encouraging the now wide-spread but vague belief that the Emperor was the Chosen Son of Heaven, and in turn, the Mother Above. Not only because the common people of the Empire rested easier by believing in a higher power, but also because in this Sovereigns eyes, this was merely the truth. The Heavens had blessed him with the strength to conquer the Azure Empire and sheltered him from the calamity that rendered the rest of this worlds landmasses only a half-step up from uninhabitable.

Might made right, this was an undeniable fact, yet in spite of having learned this lesson repeatedly today, Falling Rain refused to accept the facts as they were. The boys faith in technology and collective humanity were fallacious and even somewhat self-contradictory, for there were plenty of logical arguments against them. How many innocents would die once his crossbows and Runic Cannons made their way into the hands of warlords and bandits? How many non-combatants had died to those city-destroying explosives depicted in his conjured memories? What of the progress lost in terms of the Dao once humanitys focus was split along two divergent Paths? This Sovereign could argue until his voice grew hoarse and spring turned to autumn, yet he suspected Falling Rains conviction would not be shaken, for there was a power inherent in faith that this Sovereign was unable to wholly quantify, an allure to it that every mortal in existence was susceptible to. Faith was almost necessary for most human existence, for faith represented an unending wellspring of hope and a reason to aspire to more than mere survival.

Or in Falling Rains case, a reason to fight on to the bitter end in spite of all the odds stacked against him.

Once again however, the transmigrator boy evaded death by the narrowest of margins for this Sovereign wanted to use him to draw the hidden Nascent Immortal out of hiding, and once again, Falling Rain used his continued existence to annoy this Sovereign to no end. Rather than quietly accept his defeat and submit to his unenviable fate, the fool rushed headlong towards it, disappearing from this Sovereigns grasp and appearing within his hosts Natal Palace. A feat so unexpected this Sovereign stood stock still for a half-second in shocked surprise, unable to come to terms with what just unfolded before his very eyes. This should have been impossible, for how could one bring the material into the immaterial whilst remaining unchanged and unaffected by the transition? Had Falling Rain merely dispatched his soul, then there would be no need for surprise, but the transmigrator had made his way into Liang Wu Shengs Natal Soul in body, mind, and soul combined, somehow slipping through what should have been an impassable blockade in ways this Sovereign could only imagine. Whats more, this marked the second time today that Falling Rains soul passed through the barriers formed by Liang Wu Shengs Domain as if they didnt exist. A barrier created for the express purpose of stopping this very thing from happening, and one which Falling Rain treated like air, coming and going as he pleased without so much as leaving a ripple in his wake.

A wave of horror and nausea almost brought this Sovereign to his knees as he considered the implications of this act, one which shook the very foundations of his Dao. Could this Sovereign have erred in his Path? Falling Rains Refined Physique was already superior by every measurable metric, and he was even able to bring his combined body, mind, and soul into the Void with seemingly little more than a thought, a feat this Sovereign would never had dared to even think of, much less attempt on his own. The dog was capable of doing the same, for this Sovereign realized how the floppy-eared hound was able to phase through the sand at will and emerge unscathed. The creature wasnt hiding under the ground to avoid attacks, but rather leaping over to the Void and reappearing in reality a short distance away, a distinction which made all the difference in the world. One foot in both worlds, straddling the divide between the real and immaterial, was this the true meaning of One with the Heavens and One with the World? If so, then this Sovereign had stepped foot down a dead-end Path, for he had long since abandoned his physical form in exchange for an eternal Spiritual existence, one which had served him well for all these millennia, or so he thought. Was his lack of a physical form to call his own the reason for his lack of progress and inability to even discern the next step? If so, how could he remedy this? What should be his next step moving forward? Would he have to abandon all these millennia of preparations and accumulations to start over anew?

This crisis of conviction in this Sovereigns personal Dao was only exacerbated by his Natal Souls amused derision, cackling up a storm in the back of his mind while mocking this Sovereigns panic and lacking comprehension. There was a sense of superiority as well, as if his Natal Soul had known these facts all along, but those memories were guarded too tightly to access without time and effort both, and this Sovereign had none to spare. Putting aside his crisis for the moment, he retreated inwards whilst leaving a strand of Will behind to control Liang Wu Shengs body and guard against surprise attack, for the hidden Nascent Immortal was likely still lurking about just waiting for an opportunity to strike. Why he or she had not attacked already was a mystery to be sure, but now was not the time to contemplate the thoughts and motivations of an unseen assailant, for there were more pressing matters to attend to. All this Sovereign could do was ready himself for an ambush, for fleeing outright might well embolden his hidden foe and spur them into attacking.

Arriving within Liang Wu Shengs Natal Palace at the speed of thought, this Sovereign personally secured his throne against intrusion before fixing his attention upon the invader, Falling Rain. It irked this Sovereign to look up at the transmigrator, for hed chosen to float above the court rather than appear upon it as a petitioner, a conscious decision which spoke volumes to his inborn arrogance. That being said, even though Falling Rain was ostensibly here in body, mind, and soul, this Sovereign would never have been able to guess it, for the transmigrator appeared no different now than he did in life, like a bloodied, bedraggled prodigal son dressed in poorly fitted robes and lacking any and all adornments save for the hairpin just barely holding his hair together in a bun.

No, that wasnt entirely true, because there was as profound significance to his presence that was not there before, an invisible pressure that both emanated from him and drew everything in towards him. This wasnt the weight of presence this Sovereign was more familiar with, one which hinted at the attainments and accumulations of ones Dao and their compatibility with it, but rather a more subtle veracity to Falling Rains existence that was difficult to determine much less define, as if everything in the Void was slightly blurred and indistinct save for his presence and his presence alone.

A subtle yet unequivocal distinction which remained in place even after Falling Rain divided himself into an army of ten-thousand amber-eyed Natal Souls.

Ten-thousand exactly, no more and no less, information gleaned by this Sovereigns Spiritual Senses the instant those Natal Souls appeared within Liang Wu Shengs Natal Palace. An impressive feat considering Falling Rain had already divested himself of an untold number in reality, a last-ditch effort to swing the battle of Shi Bei in his favour despite knowing that this Sovereign intended to kill or capture any and all survivors. More evidence of the boys insanity, yet a high-functioning one as his Natal Souls wasted no time in launching a barrage of wildly varying attacks all directed towards this Sovereigns throne.

Not across all reality as we know it, but within the confines of my mind as I push the State of Enlightenment to new limits made possible by the completion of my Refined Physique. Bullet time, as I like to call it, for reasons I cannot remember, yet I find amusing all the same, but now is not the time for mirth and merriment. My inability to take things seriously and resist the urge to crack wise has bitten me in the ass before, but here and now, I cannot afford to make any mistakes, because the chips are down and I have everything riding on success. Thus, in accordance with my recent revelation regarding cultivation requiring a thorough understanding of ones self in order to understand the Dao, I need to be serious for a moment and face a harsh truth about who I am if I am to have any hope of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

Namely the fact that I am arrogant beyond all belief.

Granted, Ive already acknowledged this as an issue more than once, and yet I have never taken any steps to correct it. Why? Because in my infinite arrogance, I figured I had good reason to be arrogant. I am a man with memories of another world, a world which has far surpassed this one in almost every conceivable metric. Ive seen grand works of art made by the most celebrated artists, and listened to the greatest symphonies of the ages played by the finest musicians of my time. Ive studied or borne witness to all manner of momentous occasions, and am more educated than most nobles would care to endure. I have scoured the dark depths of the world wide web and seen all the horrors it has to bear, whether it be lemon parties, blue waffles, or two girls with one cup, to say nothing of all the hateful rhetoric and ignorant echo chambers Ive had the displeasure of stumbling across. Ive also seen the wonders to balance it out, from people helping people to all manner of adorable animals curled up in blissful harmony, plus hilarious memes and other miscellaneous good shit.

So you could say that I am a man who has seen more than the denizens of this world could ever imagine, and because of this, I have always maintained that I know better.

Not in an obnoxious, um ackchyually sort of way, but rather in a sense where I rarely care for the opinions of others and tend to go my own way once my mind is made up. Thats on me mostly, and not just because of my past lifes memories, but rather a character flaw I developed all on my own, with a little bit of help from my deadbeat Defiled birth parents. They wanted me to compete, to fight for resources in order to survive, but I decided that was stupid and I would much rather die, a decision I made long before I became reacquainted with the glory of indoor plumbing. Since awakening to my past lifes memories however, I have identified with Rayne far more than Amigui, because lets be honest, Rayne had a lot more going for him. That isnt to say Amigui has nothing to offer, but if given a choice, I would much rather be a transmigrated fish out of water than the boy who murdered his brother in order to survive, only to immediately give up on life once again, but alas, I am both Amigui and Rayne, a truth I continue to reject even now. Harsh facts, but ones which I must face in order to move forward from here, because like it or not, my arrogance has grown into a massive problem which needs to be resolved.

Because in my arrogance, I have placed the memories of my past life up on a pedestal, extolling their virtues and the lessons theyve taught me, while ignoring most of what Ive learned over the course of my current life. I have come to accept that I am no hero brought forth by the Heavens to right all wrongs and bring Balance to the world, that Im just a guy, ya know, as opposed to that guy, and thats okay. So what if Im not destined for greatness? Even if I die here today, this world will survive without me, but more than that, life will go on. Since Im not some hero of destiny, my failure does not mean the end of the world, so its not as bad as Ive built it up to be. Sure, death will suck, and many people will die alongside me as the price of my hubris, but such is life. Ive done my part, lit a figurative spark which could one day grow into a blaze of progress and advancement, one brought about by the people of this world even if Im not there to lead them every step of the way. Ive shared my perspective, put my ideas out there, and hopefully, society as a whole will see that there is something of value to be gleaned from what Ive shown them and the ideas Ive introduced will become more widely accepted.

So why is it that even after acknowledging that I am no one special, that I am not, in fact, a hero fated to save the world, do I continue to insist on shouldering the massive burden of defeating the Eternal Emperor all by myself?

In a word? Arrogance.

I still want to be the hero, but like I said, Im not that guy, so while my army of ten-thousand Natal Souls serves as distraction, I Conceal my true self and do something I shouldve done a long time ago, but in my arrogance, refused to.

I bow my head, press my hands together, close my eyes, and pray.

Not to the Heavens, or to the Mother Above, or to any other god, deity, devil, or otherwise who may or may not exist and be listening from on high. This prayer is nothing like the ones I make so often, appeals to a higher power to just make all my problems go away. A contradiction, I know, because I have a bias against all religion in that I am almost completely certain that no higher power exists, and yet I often beseech said higher powers for help all the same. Why? I suppose because in the grand scheme of things, I find comfort in the prospect that the possibility still exists, that there could besome all-powerful being looking out for me from on high. In truth, even though I believe none of my previous prayers have ever been answered, it would be inaccurate to claim that the Heavens, or the Mother, or some other deity has never offered me a helping hand, because I dont know that for a fact, not beyond the shadow of a doubt. Over the course of my many trials and tribulations, Ive had more than my fair share of dog-shit luck to get me out of some really tight spaces. My little brothers mercy, my fathers greed, my slavers incompetence, and stumbling across what might well have been the only group of people within a thousand miles willing to help out a sickly and tormented slave, these are but a few of the happy little accidents that helped me get to where I am today, to say nothing of my good fortune of stumbling across Blobby and Pong Pong in succession.

So yea, it is entirely possible that there really is some higher power looking out for me, albeit one far more tolerant of pain and suffering than I would care to endure.

That being said, even if this is the case, my prayer now is not for them, or even an anthropomorphized Energy of the Heavens which may or may not possess a form of Will all of its own. Instead, I pray to humanity, because I have always had faith in other people, because when you get right down into the brass tacks, humans are generally pretty okay. Hardly a glowing recommendation for us as a species, but a fairly impressive accomplishment, all things considered. Sure, humans are capable of great evil and destruction, but most people are a pretty decent bunch, a fact which I have empirical proof to back because if they werent, the Empire would have a hell of a lot more Defiled and Demons running loose. The Eternal Emperor and the powers that be like to think that fear and a lack of strength keeps us all in line, but thats like saying most people are going around thinking, I could steal, murder, and rape so much if not for those stupid laws. Which is dumb, since most people refrain from doing those things because that would be a dick move, and not solely because some higher authority tells us its wrong.

So people are generally good, and while there are many, many, many exceptions to the rule, you also have to remember to focus on the good, which will almost always far outweigh the bad.

This is the premise upon which I pray, though I suppose prayer isnt quite the right word for this. Im making an appeal to all of humankind, or at least, those close enough to hear me, a plea delivered through the medium of Heavenly Energy. There are no words I have to share, no rhetoric to rattle off, just an emotional entreaty for aid against an enemy who would see us all dead, a call to band against a foe too powerful for me to face on my own. The Eternal Emperor is a genius cultivator and undefeated tyrant with tens of millennia of experience and accumulations in the Dao, and yet, at the end of the day, still just a man, and no man is an island. If little old me was enough to cause him trouble, then with enough like-minded Warriors to stand alongside me, Im certain we will be strong enough to shoulder the weight of the Heavens and bring him down together, because like my Natal Soul just told the Eternal Emperor, quantity has a quality of its own.

Okay yea, it sounds stupid when you lay it all out, but at this point, Im willing to try anything. Theres so much more to this than an empty plea however, a logic that I cannot entirely put into words just yet but trust all the same, and as time stands still within the confines of my mind while my Natal Souls buys as much time as they can, I pray with all my heart in the hopes of finally hearing an answer for once, else all my hopes will soon come to an end.

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2

Chapter Meme 3 Prob NSFW? I dunno man, stop reading at work.