Chapter 182 180- The First Crossroad

“It was during this time that I stumble upon Chaos Qi. My focus shifted slightly and my desire and greed for knowledge thrust me into another obsession. But I eventually succumb to that insatiable greed and died.”

“But to my surprise, I woke up here in the body of a baby. I struggle to adjust a lot, I couldn’t come to the reality of my situation. I was relieved that I had escaped that tortuous life, but at the same time, I was feeling regret. And that’s despite the demons I now possess in this life because of keeping my past memories.”

“My emotions had returned but even though I studied them before, having them was not the same thing.”

The different language, the different people, and simply wearing shoes and dressing appropriately wasn’t the only thing Xi Shen struggled with after he reincarnated.

He also struggled with having emotions he had long gotten used to not having.

His mother would have called him temperamental if anyone asked as a kid growing up, but he had gained some control over his child-like outbursts and kept them to a minimum.

But it became harder about two years ago when puberty started to kick in. It had completely baffled Xi Shen how he was behaving.

He didn’t remember it being like this when he was young in his past life. But then again, his childhood was stripped away from him so this puberty phase had flown over his head entirely.

And that was just one of several factors as to why his emotions were out of wack.

All of it had accumulated until now and just recently it had reached a boiling point when he injured a few people.

So Xi Shen was here ready to do something about it.

He had full control over this plum blossom now. If that’s the case, what if he used this to relegate his emotions?

It was daring and he was a bit worried that his emotions would seal once again, but even though he could wait a few hundred years before confirming it was safe, just the fourteen had assured him it was.

Probably…

“Well, after so long without it, I kind of miss having the feeling of it leeching on my soul. Here goes nothing.”

Xi Shen then absorbed the multicolored plum blossom in his palm.

It fused with his orange petal and it became a seven petal plum blossom.

As if an activation mechanism was awakened, the multicolored plum blossom rush towards Xi Shen's soul.

Xi Shen had his eyes clothes and after exerting his will, he saw the plum blossom pausing.

He released the nervous breath he was holding.

After, Xi Shen’s heart let out a thud.

He was about to complete something he had planned for thirteen years. But a couple of months ago it had evolved into a completely crazy idea. He wanted to do something about his emotions but that was somewhat secondary.

What if he fused this plum blossom, something that was created from heaven’s will with his Spiritual Qi cultivation, with his Qi Sea?

He went over the process numerous times in his mind, and he observed the do’s and don'ts when it was crudely attached to Fu Wei’s soul.

The plum blossom under Xi Shen’s will entered his dantian space.

A black and barely formed Qi Sea was seen inside.

The strong power of time radiated from it despite it only being 2/3 complete.

As the plum blossom move to the center of the Qi Sea it wasn't affected by the power of time radiated from it.

Xi Shen became excited because of this.

After reaching the center, the plum blossom released the tentacles from before and fused them with the Qi Sea.

Xi Shen’s Qi Sea began to shake and he could feel a strong repulsion towards the plum blossom coming from it.

Xi Shen frowned at this, but he didn’t give up and forced the fusion. He was sure something amazing would happen from this he just didn’t know what that was yet.

Xi Shen's mind and body shook as a few minutes passed with the Qi Sea adamantly refusing to combine with the plum blossom.

Xi Shen’s projection formed inside his dantian to better control the process.

It was only after an hour and a half that sighs of them fusing could be seen.

However, something happened.

Xi Shen sensed something within his Sea of Consciousness.

Appeared inside, Xi Shen was suddenly dumbfounded when he saw another illusory plum blossom here inside his Qi Sea Projection.

“I think I should have predicted this, after all this seems like an obvious outcome, right?”

Xi Shen asked since he himself wasn’t sure what the outcome was supposed to be. He was truly flying in the dark right now.

Xi Shen watched as the plum blossom slowly fused together with his Qi Sea.

After two hours, Xi Shen fully concentrated on them as they fully combined.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Xi Shen waited a full 30 seconds for something to happen but nothing ever did.

“What?! How can nothing happen?!”

Xi Shen scanned his entire body and his current cultivation, but he found no change whatsoever.

The only thing that changed was that a miniature multicolored plum blossom had appeared on his forehead.

Xi Shen felt that he had been scammed.

How can nothing happen?

He was sure that this was a formula that would bring him some kind of fortune. Maybe it was like a destined event or like those times in the novels he had read in this era about people stumbling upon godly treasures and fortuitous encounters one after another.

Didn’t the God Archive say being bless by the heavens would bring him good fortune every time?

Was he wrong and it was like a roulette?

He must have rolled a bust with this then.

“Ugh!!!”

“This is bullshit!”

Xi Shen's eyes flew open before he shot up off the ground and began cursing using every curse word in his vast vocabulary.

While throwing a temper tantrum around the chamber, Xi Shen clenched his fists turning them white in the process. He was trying hard not to punch a hole through the chamber walls.

After a few minutes, Xi Shen calmed down somewhat.

“All this planning to end up with this result. I wasted so much of my time on this. I could have entered the Sea Expansion Realm but I put it off since this cultivation realm was the best one with the highest chance of fusing with the plum blossom successfully. But now-”

Xi Shen look into his dantian, but the plum blossom was just floating there motionlessly above his half-finished Qi Sea.

Xi Shen was about to leave and count this as his loss, but he decided to check his Sea of Consciousness as well.

“Huh?”

Xi Shen's eyes open and surprise could be seen in them, but confusion was prominent as well.

Closing back his eyes, he watch in complete stupefaction at what was happening in his Sea of Consciousness.

The illusory version of the plum blossom petal was slowly moving like it was blowing in a light breeze.

“It’s attracted to something.”

Xi Shen said after observing it for a bit.

Xi Shen turned to his large soul and his eyes narrowed when it landed on his forehead.

“What’s that?”

Xi Shen floated up to the head of his soul to get a better look.

Reaching closer he saw that a faint stream coming out of his soul and was being drawn towards the plum blossom.

“Huh? Why is this happening? No, how is this even happening?!”

Xi Shen sensed the stream again and confirmed what it was.

It was the Mantra for the Seven Carnal Sins Manipulation Soul Art.

Xi Shen watch and didn’t interrupt this process. He was excited.

Was this a fortune in disguise all along? A destined outcome?

How else was it that the Soul Art he had ignored until now was suddenly begin called upon?

The entire Soul Art was withdrawn from his memory before it branded itself onto the plum blossom.

Its petals were covered in numerous characters and the aura it gave off amplified tenfold.

All the seven sins of mankind were gathered together into a tangible form.

“Even that person wasn’t able to do this. Does that mean I’m greater than an Epoch Pivoter?!”

Xi Shen was ecstatic upon this sudden revelation.

*Chuckle*

“Not quite Avarice.”

Hearing that melodious chuckle and those following words, Xi Shen's face instantly stiffened and his body went completely rigid.

“Long time no see.”

“You-”

Xi Shen was about to speak upon seeing the face of the woman that appeared inside the plum blossom, but he was unable to complete his words as his mind suddenly blanked out.

His beating heart then slowed down before it came to a stop.

He was completely and utterly dead.

“I just want to take a peek to see what you’ve been up to.”

The voice of the woman echoed in Xi Shen’s mind as his life slipped away.

Little Snow, upon sensing the connection being severed between her and Xi Shen, began calling out to him but she got no response.

Inside the Celestial Academy, Tai’s plump body shook, and his eyes immediately widen before he cried out.

“M-Master!!”

“Wh-why is my connection severed, he-”

“Waahhh!!”

Tai began crying.

“That idiot, did he get himself killed?”

“Waahhh!!”

“Who’s going to be my Master now?”

Ye Fei who was next to him had to cover his ear because of Tai's sudden wailing.

“You-what are you crying so loudly and so suddenly for?”

Sniffling, Tai said through his tears and snot.

“The connection I had with Master was just severed. That only happens if one of us dies! He’s dead!”

“Waahhh!!”

Ye Fei was taken aback by those words.

“What? Disciple Shen is dead? Are you sure?”

Ignoring Ye Fei’s question, Tai suddenly turned to him and asked.

“Hey, would you become my new Master?”

*Sniffle*

“...Uhh”

Ye Fei looked around his cultivation chamber and saw countless wine jugs. His reserves were almost depleted from the short time Tai was with him.

His demand for spirit wine was completely disproportionate to what Ye Fei asked for.

He was hesitant to even keep him around for much longer much less forever.

Seeing his hesitation Tai snorted.

Somewhere else inside the Celestial Academy, Dongmei suddenly looked up to the sky inside her world.

Her eyes were glowing with enumerable profundities.

“This is it, the first crossroad.”

“What will you choose little Shen? Don’t let my hopes become disappointments. I’ve finally found you after searching for so long for a solution.”

“Don’t give in, you must overcome this obstacle and walk on the right timeline, or else everything will be cast into the dark void.”

Dongmei’s hands on her teacup clenched lightly, showing how anxious she was.

In the chamber, Xi Shen’s lifeless body lay there motionlessly.