NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: Still Children
Year 11, Day 36
Beneath A Canopy
'What do I know of the past…?' Root compiled everything he knew of the past based on everything he could gather from all the sources of information he had. And from what he knew, this world used to be a standard and normal world where cultivators would rise to power, but one day, everything changed when this powerful cultivator offended the heavens and the heavens cursed the world to die, but the story goes that the world refused to die, and adapted. Which is why Qi is so fucking crazy in this world… 'There were various kingdoms, and there is still one alive to this day…'
Surprise! Root learned that there was a single kingdom on the other side of the world - literally - that had survived the Cursed Calamity of Change, as it was called by scholars. This event has been recorded - according to Cui Rong - to have been going on for the last 100,000 years or more, because the longest recorded book that has been found was dated by a calendar that is no longer used by anyone, and this calendar has been known to be used by a kingdom that had fallen due to the Cursed Calamity of Change about a hundred thousand years ago or more.
Compiling all the knowledge he got - under consent - by using his [Root of Knowledge] skill, Root could map how the old world was… There were many cultivators, many clans, cities, kingdoms, monsters, spirits, and life to be found in this world. 'Maybe there are still some treasures around.' Considering the fact that, in many stories, the protagonist ends up finding some sort of inheritance of an old and powerful cultivator, Root can seriously see many, many treasures scattered to the world, just waiting to be found. "How did they leave…?" Apparently, as the tale goes, many cultivators left this world to cultivate in another, which raises the question: How did they leave this world? 'Maybe some sort of technique? A bridge built by them? Some form of Space Qi thing?' There were various ways one could, potentially, be able to cross to other worlds under certain circumstances.
The most plausible is that they somehow used some sort of teleportation technique to move through space to another world, which means Root himself can move to another world.
'And that means I can get more power.' Why did he need power? Well, seeing as this world was fucked up and he loved his children very much - seeing as he literally went to war for them - and knowing that there was probably a lot more people or beings in this world that are stronger than him (and knowing this was a broken and weak world) he needed each and every advantage he could get. He was even thinking of how to move himself or others through worlds just to make sure his children survive in case a disaster happens and he is either killed or severely incapacitated.
It's best to always have some kind of plan, for the worst.
"Father, you worry too much." Tahsm groaned from within his soul, rubbing his eyes as he woke up: "It woke me up…" He groaned as he turned around and got up from his bed within Root's Soul Realm, making the bed dissipate into mist. A manifestation of one's desire within one's Soul Realm is easy to make once you are skilled enough manipulating your own soul. "Also, is that a cow mixed with a camel?"
Right after Root wove the tapestry with his children, Tahsm went back into his soul to rest, and now he woke up due to Root's loud thoughts and worry, which was why he didn't know there was a Cowmel within their home now. In fact, the mortals and cultivators called these things "Spotted Desert Beast" and it was a very peaceful but dangerous if provoked beast. They had natural access to both Earth Qi and Water Qi, which they used to control and manipulate sand and store water within the mounds on their back. Their fur was white with black spots and they had these large horns on their head, beneath their large quadruped bodies, the females had these large eight nipples connected to this large sack known as the utter, and it carried this liquid rich in Qi.
Milk full of Qi.
No one really knew how the "Spotted Desert Beast" came to be, they just appeared and were highly sought out by cultivator families due to their milk that is rich in Qi, they don't need much water since they can survive months without it after drinking and filling their mounds once. When it comes to food, they eat pretty much anything they can find, even hunting other Demonic Beasts to feed themselves, which is scary seeing as these things stand at 8 feet tall and 7 feet long, with three mounds in their backs, two enormous horns on their head, and a long whip-like tail at the end of their bodies that moved around like a snake.
'Maybe…' Well, he hasn't tried any Milk yet…
???
VOICES.
WHY WERE THERE SO MANY VOICES!?
WHY ARE THEY ALL SINGING!?
STOP SINGING!
["Oh we beg thee, bring thy mighty hands, save us, we beg you, save us…"]
["Praise the Divided Whole, that which is whole yet individual."]
["Praise thee, Praise thee, Praise Thee… Savior of Green, grant mercy to us, Cursed Worlds."]
And then-
…silence.
A divine gift from the heavens above that struck his chest like a heavenly spear, sinking into his body.
Silence was like a rare music to his ears after the endless millenium of their cries… He wanted to bring an end to all this suffering.
"Greetings, Celestial World Whisperer God." A voice he hasn't heard in a long, long time called out to him- was this a whisper from his own mind? Or was another world crying for salvation? "Ah…" The endless golden chains that wrapped around his body were like heaven's cruel way of stopping him from saving those poor, poor beings. "Is it you? Jailer~?" His bloodshot eyes looked up, if he could see himself in an outsider point of view, he'd see his previous majestic form no longer there.
Black scraggly hair that stretched across the entirety of his now rotten cell. The walls had marks of his nails that scratched everywhere, trying to find a way to freedom, but this jail was created by the Glorious God of Justice and the Holy Goddess of Restrictions and Regulations.
"...Sympathizers of your cause have reached out to me, seeking to free you from your… unjust and unlawful restriction within this cell for the past millennium." Well, no one here really knew - not even the Celestial World Whisperer God himself - that the Celestial World Whisperer God cultivated even without trying to. Through the last thousand years, his cultivation increased at a snail pace, but it started to pick up speed with the amount of cursed worlds that just kept growing! These corrupted selfish creatures that declared themselves Gods just because they had some sort of understanding over their Dao.
He had sadly developed a Dao when he was too young, leading now to his insane pursuit of mercy by destroying everything- He had the Dao of Whispers. This Dao encompasses words spoken by all, but the Celestial World Whisperer God had developed his Dao to listen to all the sorrows from all beings, seeking to help them. He once was a great and benevolent divine creature, but now seeks the destruction and desolation of any and all things, so their suffering could end!
"They sought me out and asked me to help you…" Chuckling, the old voice of a once highly powerful and respected Elder amongst the Divine Conglomerate under the Divine Emperor God said: "But they were highly foolish… asking me to save a lost man from the darkness of the endless abyss." The Holy Salvation God, a gifted old man that understood the Dao of Salvation and could free other Cultivators from their Heart Demons as easily as snapping his fingers.
If you don't know, Heart Demons are actually Qi constructions that hide within your Soul Realm. They are born of your negative emotions being fed Qi, and they can take any form! They are detrimental for cultivation because they consume the Qi you accumulate, and if they absorb enough Qi, they gain sentience and can simply kill you and take over your body.
Of course, such weak and trivial things were almost non-existent in the Heavenly Realms… Except in this individual. The Holy Salvation God could clearly see the many, many, many Heart Demons that the Celestial World Whisperer God had within his soul, and they all fed from his Qi… Strangely, they did not attack or try to hurt him, but instead they all gathered around his soul in a protective manner, as if they were ready to die to protect their host. '...are they afraid I'm going to hurt him?' The Celestial World Whisperer God was not worth the effort. He is a Mad God now, and there's nothing that can be done to help him or return him to his original state…
He is completely gone.
'And to think his wish to save all worlds would corrupt him like this…'
Hui Residence, Inner Circle
Year 11, Day 32
Cui Rong, Yun Chen, and Da Huren held a hand to their foreheads.
Why?
Well… Let's go back a few minutes, shall we?
It was right after the dinner with the Hui family - Hui Yang and Hui Yonnen - where Wei Wei and the little girl were trying to tear each other to pieces. Da Huren and Anku were making small talk with the mother but Anku's son came and they left for their accommodations leaving Da Huren speaking with Hui Yonnen alone. Cui Rong and Yun Chen were trying to keep the two kids from murdering one another, with Yun Chen dealing with his brother while Cui Rong dealt with the arrogant little girl.
"You're really arrogant for a weak little child." Cui Rong cursed as she held the arms of the little girl. On the other side of the room, Yun Chen also held back his little brother who looked rather angry at the little girl, frost coming out of his open jaw like he was drooling. He looked quite feral too, his eyes widened and his long and fluffy white tail with black spots moved erratically to express his fury: "Like, really arrogant."
"Let me go! I need to teach that little arrogant bitch not to disrespect my brother!"
"Look at that little idiot pussy cat! I want to beat him up- Let me go!"
The both of them struggled to get free, seeking to beat the shit out of each other, much to th Cui Rong and Yun Chen's exasperated sigh.
Why did they hate each other so much, at first sight!? That makes no sense! I mean, she knows that there is the natural animosity between certain cultivators- Like how a Water Qi Cultivator has a higher chance of being hostile towards Fire Qi Cultivators, or how Ice Qi Cultivators don't get along well with Yang Qi Cultivators.
'Maybe it is because Wei Wei is a Cursed Kin?' That thought crossed her mind and she didn't know the answer to this. She looked up at Yun Chen and the goat boy seemed to be thinking of something as well before making a face of dreadful realization, which was worrying.
"I challenge you-" Wei Wei's words echoed out before Yun Chen could stop him: "-for a death matc-" He got a slap on the back of the head for that: "-ouch!" Shaking his head, Wei Wei gave his brother the stinky eye before he grumbled: "...fine, I challenge you for a duel."
"A challenge?" The little girl stopped struggling, simply looking at Wei Wei with a grin: "Very well, tell me, what is the challenge and what do I get when I win?"
"Ha!" Laughing, Wei Wei simply grinned: "The challenge is… Hide and Seek!"
…
Well, they were still children.
