NOVEL NEXT 1: Black Lotus
I, Li Muchen, have lived two lives. That's one hell of a way to start a conversation, isn't it?
My first life was in an ordinary world, where I lived simply until my uneventful college days. Then, on one rainy day, I died in a traffic accident and found myself reborn in the world of cultivation. At first, it was unbelievable—but what else could I do?
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
Those words helped me come to terms with my second life. Though it took time, I understood my circumstances and moved forward in this cutthroat world.
Now, a third chance had arrived.
"It can't be..." My hands shook as a chill ran down my spine.
The calendar slipped from my grasp and thudded to the floor. My head throbbed as flashes of memory passed before my eyes.
Sent back 200 years into the past, I felt the ground shift beneath me. Sitting on the wooden floor, I tried to make sense of the situation.
This is impossible...
Tampering with the flow of time shouldn't be possible. I'd neither seen nor heard of such a thing until now. But this happened right after my disciple fed me that pill in my last moments.
What was it? He never mentioned possessing something like that.
One moment, I was prepared to meet King Yama after killing the Disaster God of the South; the next, I awoke before the war began.
As far as I knew, I didn't possess an item capable of this. No golden finger, no system, no miracle at the moment of death. I tried everything I knew to check if this was an illusion, a dream, or some elaborate formation—but nothing turned up.
Not that anyone would benefit from tricking me like this. My thoughts swirled with questions, dizzying me.
But if I truly had returned to the past...
I wandered into my courtyard in a daze. The familiar scent of flowers filled the air, butterflies flitting among five lush trees. The warm sun rose, shining over the Azure Sky Sect. I closed my eyes and let the cold air kiss my skin.
The sect still stood proud, its seven peaks piercing the clouds. As if nothing had ever challenged its might. Yet, this couldn't be possible. An attack had once destroyed half the sect, including this very residence.
It was impossible, yes. Ridiculous even. But...
I had already experienced the impossible before. A reincarnator, now possibly a regressor, had no business declaring what was possible or not.
"As expected, it looks best when all seven peaks are standing together," I chuckled.
It seems Sherlock's words would serve me well once more. Still, there was no time to dwell on my circumstances.
The real problem came when I passed the ice mirror in my room.
I retraced my steps and stood before the mirror. Its crystal-clear reflection made my eyes widen. Clothes, spotless. Save for a loose belt. My long black hair, lush. My skin, fair and unblemished enough to turn any woman green. Everything appeared as it should.
Except for the Black Lotus imprint on my forehead.
"What the fuck is this?!" For the first time in years, I cursed like a sailor.
Leaning closer, I examined the imprint. I rubbed, scratched, and tried everything to erase it. But no matter what I did, it remained.
Was this a joke? If so, it was a harmless one.
Focusing on it, the mark led me to the Mind Realm Gate. That shouldn't have been possible.
It had appeared on my body without my knowledge, couldn't be removed, and now connected to the Mind Realm Gate. In just a few breaths, I grasped what had happened.
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A Divine Grade Spiritual Root?! I had seen one before. This matched it with 99% certainty. But how had it appeared on me?
Before, I only had an Earth Grade Spiritual Root. And now, after waking in the past, I have a Divine Grade one?
If this was my golden finger, it was 589 years late. Not that I ever expected one. I wasn't the protagonist of this world.
Still, investigating this became a priority.
"This might be the biggest clue I have about the regression." Sitting cross-legged, I closed my eyes and focused on the imprint.
Spiritual Roots existed in the soul, an integral part of being a cultivator. Typically, one couldn't access them until halfway through their journey in the lower spectrum of cultivation.
But it became possible if one possessed a Divine Grade Spiritual Root or higher. Otherwise, one would need to reach the Nascent Soul Realm, which I hadn't achieved yet.
Now, that condition no longer applies.
Focusing deeply, an irresistible itch formed on my forehead. Instead of scratching, I zeroed in. My breath stabilized, and Qi gathered around me. Then, the path appeared again—straight and clear.
Eyes closed, I saw the distant light. To access the Spiritual Root, I had to enter my Mind Realm through the gate. The gate was a beacon at the tunnel's end, a trial of sorts. Even if visible, reaching it took time for first-timers.
But I wasn't a first-timer. I had surpassed the Nascent Soul Realm before. I knew this place like the back of my hand.
Without delay, I flew through the void with qi as my footholds. In seconds, the light consumed my vision.
Blindness lasted only a moment. When it lifted, I beheld the familiar realm. Mountains stretched toward the heavens, forming a boundary. A city floated at the center of a vast lake, like a leaf on a tranquil pond.
Then something else appeared.
Grrrkkkkk...
A low snarl made my soul tremble. Even in this form, goosebumps rose across my body.
Behind me, it devoured mountains whole. A massive form, as large as twenty elephants, yet lacking a full body. The black, obese, deformed head floated alone. A blood-colored tongue swayed between crooked teeth. Mouths replaced its eyes, nose, ears, hands, and legs. It was a grotesque mass of flesh, all devouring.
It turned toward me.
The Disaster God of the West. Taotie, the Insatiable.
Why is a Disaster God in my Mind Realm? It hadn't even been unsealed yet.
It is supposed to be within the Grand Illusion Palace on the Western Continent. That's how it should have been.
Its many tongues pointed toward me. Crooked smiles formed on flaky lips, and my stomach turned.
Its presence was suffocating—a mountain of pressure bearing down on my soul. But before it could strike, I ran.
This Taotie was weaker than the one I'd fought in the future. That surprised me. The reports claimed it was strong enough to kill a Human Sovereign.
Yet, it couldn't suppress me here. Weakened. If it had been in top form, I'd already get consumed, starting from my mind realm.
This was only a fragment of the future Disaster God. Why it was here would have to wait. For now, it was trying to devour me.
The Mind Realm was pure soul territory. If I were to be eaten, my spiritual root would become defenseless. Normally, a damaged soul or root could get treated in time.
But Taotie refined what it consumed into itself.
If it ate me or my root, there'll be no trace left of me.
Running wasn't enough. It would go after the root. So, I had to act now.
It blocked the path to the city. Each time I looked for an opening, all I saw was a gaping maw lined with crooked, black teeth.
It had zeroed in on me.
But I smiled. Dealing with this thing here?
Of course, it's possible.
This was my Mind Realm. No one knew it better than me.
"Come at me, you giant ballsack!" I beckoned.
If I couldn't reach the city from above, I'd create another way. I stopped using qi to keep myself up in the air. The lake drawing closer like an old friend as I zipped through.
Its growls echoed behind me. Taotie's reflection closed in on the lake's surface. But the water reached me first, pulling me into an icy embrace.
Like a fish, I swam deeper.
Soon, its enormous body crashed into the lake.
The calm waters surged, peace shattered. But it moved forward, intent on devouring me.
It won't end like this. I have too much left. I need to see my disciple again. I must stop the war. I have promises to keep. Memories of the bleak future burned in my mind. I couldn't let that happen again.
I dove deeper—buying time.
Then came the inevitable. The dark shadow loomed, and the gaping mouth swallowed me whole. As its teeth pierced me and my vision blurred, I smiled.
Gotcha. A silent cry of triumph that I shared with myself.
Above the disturbed lake, a sigh escaped me.
Pain lanced through my body as Taotie shredded my clone to ribbons. But the sacrifice was necessary.
Knowing Taotie would block my path, I made a plan and split my intent. The 25% clone lured Taotie, while I reached the city using the distraction.
Taotie had no eyes, no ordinary senses. It located prey via Qi and emotional resonance.
Filled with fear and panic, my clone became the ideal target. I remained calm, hidden.
Creating a clone and hiding intent in the Mind Realm took years to master, but the effort paid off.
No one should be able to intrude upon another's Mind Realm. And yet it happened.
Even if they did, the Spiritual Root provided natural protection. But this time, that luxury wasn't available.
Now, I landed in the city's grandest estate. A garden stretched behind the lavish palace. Flowers bloomed in lines. Crimson petals fell from spirit cherry trees, coloring the breeze.
And amid this beauty stood a single plum tree.
Its sturdy trunk bore the marks of time. Its branches arched with grace, green leaves dancing in the wind. This had been my Spiritual Root before regression. Now, I felt nothing from it.
Just an imitation.
Then I turned. A connection pulled at me from another direction.
A thread stretched from the pond, wrapping around me.
There, a black lotus floated on the still water. Twelve velvety petals, dark and spread wide. From its center rose a crimson hue, casting a fog over the pond.
"A Black Lotus,"
This was my new Spiritual Root.