NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77: After the test
“I amend my previous statement, you inherited more than her stubbornness” He amended while ignoring my lack of respect
“Thank you Oh Immortal Lord for the compliment. What is your name?” The immortal sighed
“I cannot tell you my name. You can continue calling me Oh Immortal Lord” He teased with a smile. I hated that fake smile
“So you are from the same plane as this Ji FangFang but you prefer not telling me your name” My suspicion was getting confirmed
“More like I am not allowed to tell you who I am. You see, I am here temporarily on a mission”
Here we go “And your mission is to torture me with a set of tests twice?”
“My mission was to find someone who had the requirements to save this world”
...
I just had a very emotionally draining test. I was still shaking internally and anxious to verify what was real and what was fake.
I wanted to swear really bad... So I did!
“What kind of f*cking bullsh*t is this?
We need a hero to save the world and you are the chosen one bla bla bla.
Do I look like someone who would believe that d*mn trash speech?”
“You are still disturbed by the last test so I understand and forgive you talking to me this way” said the immortal with a sad face “Let me tell you the full story at once”
“I am all ears” I replied with a snort
“There is a being that forcibly entered this world to steal its karmic fate. We found out a bit late and I was dispatched to fix the problem but I cannot do it directly as I am on a different plane.
Before you ask, normally, the Heavenly Dao does not not allow us to affect this plane after ascending but there are some exceptional circumstances that made it temporarily suspend this rule for me. Thanks to that, I created this cave to be able to contact you.
That being mode of operation had always been the same. Find a host and make him steal the fate of those who were supposed to ascend. This being is weak in this plane but would turn into an unfathomable one if his host ascended. By then, my plane would turn into chaos and it would affect countless others”
The man before me was trying to make me think that the bast*rd Wu ChengLiu had a system - the evil being - that he used to steal my fate to ascend. This was so cliché that I was offended. Did he think I was this stupid?
At least, with his bullsh*t speech, part of my questions were answered. I now knew why the test missed my 2nd life’s regrets. Why I hated instantly the immortal in front of me and why I had no problem swearing at him.
Sh*t, if my assumptions were correct, I had to deal with something really Bad. I needed to get help ASAP if I wanted to survive!
Stealthily, I sent my spiritual energy into my bracelet to activate one of its emergency settings. In the meanwhile, I had to stall for time until help - hopefully - arrived
“So you came here to find someone or a way to save your plane, not ours” I replied
“If my plane goes down, yours would too. If that being ascended from your plane, it would explode”
Another lie
“Then why not block the road of ascension for our plane? Isn't that what the Heavenly Dao does to avoid these types of problems?” At least based on novels
“That was done too often already and that affected the karmic fate of multiple worlds. Blocking the road for good or destroying a lower plane could not be done anymore” I snorted. If what he said was the truth, we truly were ants for the Heavenly Dao. I did not understand why cultivators would work hard to ascend.
Let’s go back to my immediate emergency.
“So to save my plane and everyone in it I have to work with you?” I asked
“You were not the initial chosen one but you came first here and passed the tests 3 times so our fate is tied now”
What the F...
“I came twice not 3 times” I replied slowly
“I had to erase the 2nd time due to unforeseen circumstances”
“Start.From.The.Beginning” I said with clenched teeth. I was not in the mood for this play.
Actually I was, I was acting to get as much time as possible and was curious how much bullsh*t he had in reserve
“Allow me to show it to you directly by linking to your sea of knowledge. It would be faster and easier for you to understand”
So this was his purpose all along; have access to my sea of knowledge
“Do you think I am stupid enough to allow you to do that?”
“I can vow on my immortal cultivation that I would not hurt you. I will even put back your lost memories” Vowed the immortal
“Tell me, temporarily projecting yourself here affects you grandly. No?” I asked changing the subject
“Yes but I am ready to sacrifice myself for the greater good” he replied
“If you are ready to sacrifice yourself, you could easily break your vows on purpose to lose your immortal cultivation and fall to this plane. This way you would deal with that evil being by yourself before cultivating again to re-ascend”
…
“Isn’t it why you did not tell me your name? You are originally from this plane and this is not the first time that you played this trick. Or is it because a demon could not say their name after ascension or they would lose some of their powers? Oh evil being”
I was not stupid enough to fall twice - or was it trice? - into this pit. With his last request I understood how long and how big the trap he weaved was. For some reason it helped me calm down instead of panic.
“It looks like you are too smart for your own good” The evil immortal had an ugly scowl. This suited him better than the fake smile
“Too bad you can not do anything to me” I showed him my wooden bracelet, my mother’s heirloom
“As I have a heavenly protection artifact to protect me against evil beings like you” He could only erase my memories and bind to me if I allowed him access to my sea of knowledge
“How did you know?” he asked calmly
“Why? So you could try it again after going back in time?” I asked. I was gambling big time. I already used the space bracelet to call Ji FangFang hoping she would hear me out. I was not even sure if she heard my call and if she would even care.
“I don’t mind telling you actually. I don’t think you could do it again. I am not sure if you erased my memories too. I think this was a lie to make me curious enough to allow you access to my sea of knowledge” I was halfway bullsh*itting and analyzing on the fly. The longer he was hooked the better.
“First mistake, your illusions. Immortal orthodox cultivators do not lie, they don’t have to when they lived for so long. Your illusions are a form of lie and they were too cruel for you to not be done by an evil immortal. Testing physical pain, yes. Mental one? Never.
Second mistake, the Heavenly Dao never openly mandates others to do its bindings. Immortals could find workarounds or loopholes behind its back though. It could also make some minor adjustments here and there but you outright lied to me”
The man's face turned uglier. I was spot on
“Let me tell you my theory; you were able to move to a higher plane a long time ago but were defeated by other immortals and you ran to this plane to hide. However, you had to destroy your body or you were too injured to keep it which helped you descend.
You hid in this cave and tried to find some naïve and stupid victims like myself to latch on for your next try and new identity.
You did not have enough energy to test everyone coming to the cave so you got minions to find the perfect fool, me.
I wonder, are your minions fragments of your soul or you paid some humans?” I asked offhandedly
“I promised power to some demonic cultivators” he replied with clenched teeth
“Ah, so they are fragments of your soul” I concluded. I enjoyed his distorted face for a second before continuing
“My former dear aunt Liu was one of your fragments. Don’t deny it, I could recognize that fake smile anywhere. She spied and brainwashed me with the help of those around. I wonder how she got my grandmother to help her though?”
“It was easy, your father was not her child. He was the orphan nephew of the Yu patriarch. He had a single spiritual root so he was adopted by the patriarch who forced old lady Yu to take care of him like her own.
This was a well hidden secret. Even your father never knew. I found out by luck1via fake aunt Liu.
It was funny that the patriarch adopted your father for his abilities but later got jealous of him to the point of selling his whereabouts to your mother’s enemies” The man was ecstatic telling me this story and I believed him
I was, however, relieved. This explained the behavior of the toxic family toward me. Patriarch Yu was smart enough to keep me as a hostage in case my parents came back alive and wanted revenge. I was lucky to get Uncle Huai protecting me in this life.