The cultivation master

"Our decision is their fate!"

The ruler whispered this as he stroked his lover's neck. The scent of jasmine flowers filled the room. Thick velvet curtains blocked the light, and now that a torrential rain had descended, the room was darker than before.

Their breaths intertwined, and their cries were lost among the thunder. Sudden caresses and the creaking of wooden beams tickled their wild nature. Lost in pleasure, they thought of nothing but the moment. Suddenly, a lightning bolt lit up the entire sky, and the great bell rang.

An unusual flow of energy surrounded the bell. The ruler immediately donned his silk robe, drew back the curtains, and stepped onto the balcony. The rain slapped his face. The wind tugged at his nightgown. Only a dark halo of the bell tower was visible; when lightning struck, for a moment, those ghostly shapes took on a material form and then were swallowed by darkness again. He couldn't see anything clearly. Suddenly, his body trembled, and he instinctively stared at the forest. He didn't know how, but he clearly saw someone smirking at him. He pounded his fist on the balcony railing, and the face vanished.

He couldn't bear it. The pressure on his soul was immense. Blood flowed from his nose. His capillaries swelled. He collapsed to the ground. Dark blood spilled onto his hands. His eyes became bloodshot. He couldn't bear it, and if he had come to his senses a second later, he would have died on the spot.

Screaming, he summoned the hunters.

In a fraction of a second, everything changed. The sweat of pleasure was replaced by the sweat of fear. The ruler's lover wrapped a blanket around herself and watched him leave. Suddenly, a dark halo enveloped her body, and her pupils turned red.

Cyrus was soaked.

The rain wouldn't stop. It was as if the sky was angry. There was no shelter to be found, and he couldn't reach the mountain. The sound of the river's flood could be heard from behind the trees. Cyrus sighed. The stone bridge was broken.

He wanted to use his power, but Ammonia's laughter echoed.

"Hahaha… Cyrus. You've made many mistakes. And now I give you the chance to correct one of them."

The voice came from the depths of the dark forest.

Cyrus drew his sword.

"Come out, bastard!!! I'll get out of this maze of memories! I…"

Suddenly, a dark halo shot from a distance.

It tore through everything in its path.

Cyrus immediately turned towards it. His eyes trembled. A power beyond this world was behind that attack.

The shadow of that power fell over his eyes, and suddenly everything exploded.

White steam rose from Cyrus's body. The rain suppressed the cloud formed by the explosion. He cursed under his breath and aimed for the ruler's palace.

"Another Whisperer…?"

Now everything was different.

Two Whisperers were present in this world. One in the city and the other in the mountains. Which one should he go after? Cyrus gritted his teeth. His power was limited. He couldn't use his full strength. This was part of the world's rules.

"What kind of Whisperer is that bastard?"

Whisperers had unique personalities based on the belief that gave them existence. This made them appear human at first glance, but most of them were one-dimensional beings whose existence was based on a single moral aspect.

Zhu Fan came to his senses.

"Damn it!!! What's going on here!!! Why did I so easily accept Cyrus's identity?? Why am I acting like I'm Cyrus??!!!"

A sinister aura descended from the mountain.

"Another Whisperer!"

Zhu Fan and Cyrus, which path would they choose?

"That Whisperer… I know it!!!"

He looked at the mountain. A waterfall of clouds rode the jagged peak, flowing turbulently down the mountainside.

"The Whisper of Hatred… it's taking victims."

He wanted to head towards the mountain, but suddenly a hateful aura spread from the city.

With a massive explosion, the bell tower collapsed in a cloud of dust.

"Damn it…!!!"

Which one would he save?

Cyrus, no; Zhu Fan couldn't do anything. It was as if fate had placed him at a major crossroads. The city or the castle? The answer seemed simple, but he heard from Cyrus that he was trapped in a maze of memories.

"There's only one answer, but which one is it?!"

Zhu Fan put himself in Cyrus's shoes. He wasn't Cyrus; he didn't remember anything from the realm of memories. But somehow, he felt he was both Cyrus and not.

He was confused.

Another building collapsed. A bloodbath was happening in the mountains.

Zhu Fan remembered the world of cultivation.

Arrays and structures, poisons and illusion techniques; he was familiar with all of them. When these techniques were used, the answer was always the most unexpected option.

Ammonia had put him in big trouble.

"It doesn't matter what choice Cyrus made, this isn't the real past. You can't save everyone; no, you can't save anyone…" Zhu Fan thought.

Was he forced to choose?

What if Ammonia wanted him to taste defeat over and over again? What if, when he chose one, he arrived too late and lost everyone? Would he be trapped in this maze forever? Would he lose the answer and become someone else's puppet?

"It doesn't matter what choice I make, in the end, both paths lead to failure… so the only way to wake up from the nightmare…"

He plunged the sword into his stomach.

"is death…"

Ammonia's laughter echoed.

"Cyrus… your answer was wrong…"

It was then, when he finally realized it was all wrong.