Chương 390: A Vow (III)

The air grew thick with indisputable tension; as the kids emerged from behind me, they all seemed to stagger at the sight, braving a moment later to try and step in front of me, but I signaled them to stay back. There was something... odd about that thing sitting over there. For one, I am beyond certain it wasn't 'merely' at Shedding Mortality Realm. In fact, within a moment, I knew. Because, horridly, it actually 'revealed' itself to me, sort of like Eternity did, in a way. As though it knew.

[--Creator's Eyes used] [Target's partial status has been volunteered] [...] [Target: King '???'] [Age: '???'] [Talent: '???'] [Cultivation Realm: Imperial Mandate Realm] [Cultivation Method:???] [Cultivation Arts: '???'] [...] [Traits] [Immortal (???) -- immune to rot of time and death] [...] [Numerous anomalies detected...] [Only one among them is being volunteered] [...] [Unbound (???) -- a sentient, living thing unbound from Dao] [...] [Recommendation: Listen]... right. So. What the actual fuck?!

Why?! Just why do we keep 'chancing upon' things like this?! What the fuck is Imperial Mandate Realm?! Does that mean that thing over there is an Emperor? No, no, no, no, no. I refuse. System, I need you to jolt me from the depths of my soul and send me back to Earth. Yeah, I thought I was adjusting and that I was ready for everything, but evidently I was dead-fucking-wrong. No. Just send me back to my depressing apartment, and my depressing job, and my depressing life, and my depressing... everything.

"You seem as though you've seen a ghost," the thing spoke, clearly to me as everyone else tensed up.

"... what do you want?" I'm tired. No, seriously, just... tired.

"Well, for starters, one of your little shadows is rather brave." The thing's eyes veered from me and left, which probably means that's where Long Tao is.

"Don't hurt him."

"Oh, I have no intention of hurting any one of you," it said.

"But... I'm afraid they cannot be privy to what we must discuss." It snapped its fingers, I think--well, there was a snapping sound, at least--and everything froze. I mean, everything. I couldn't even breathe, yet I was fine. Qi movement stopped. Everyone became statuesque. Even Long Tao emerged from his cloaking, frown etched deeply into his brow.

"He's an amusing lad."

"... lad? Wow. You must be..."

"Old? Oh, I am quite old," it said, chuckling.

"Younger than some concepts, though."

"Brilliant. So, why is something older than most things but younger than some concepts hanging around in this backwater nothing?"

"Waiting for you, of course."

"For... me?"

"Well, not you specifically, I wouldn't say," it continued.

"I never do know who will come; it's the beauty of it. I'm always surprised."

"..." Okay, I'm quite lost here, I think.

"So, why were you waiting for me? Or, well, someone like me?"

"Because it's my duty," it said.

"Do you know about the Six Writs?" If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"... yeah. This is the face of somebody who knows about Six Writs."

"You are a rather fearless one, aren't you?"

"No. I'm terrified, in fact. But what can I do?"

"... that's the question we're all behooved to ask, is it not? What can we do?" it sighed, its expression twisting into one of melancholy, strangely enough.

"What did you learn of me through your eye?"

"..." shit. So, so he really did actually know? Something even Long Tao couldn't see through?

"That, uh, that you're immortal."

"Uh-um. What else?"

"... that you are unbound from Dao." I said.

"Were you surprised?"

"Well, I wasn't calm."

"Ha ha ha," it suddenly laughed, rather coarsely at that, yet there was something genuinely warm about it as it filled the entire chamber.

"My, you are worth the meeting for your wit alone. I am so depressingly tired of dull morons who only ever want the answers in pursuit of their own little ideals."

"..."

"Do you know what it means to be Unbound from Dao?"

"... no," I replied rather honestly as I felt this is my moment to get some answers, indeed.

"That's odd," it said.

"Seeing as you are Unbound, too."

"..." welp, looks like my little theory is confirmed. Am I really gonna have to go to war with Dao?!!

"You misunderstand," it said.

"Though we are unbound from Dao, it does not mean we exist outside of it. Without it, there is no life--well, not the kind you know, at least."

"..."

"You're still rather young, so telling you any more than that would be pointless," it said.

"But there are three things that you must know: that fledgling over there that has somehow avoided the Scrying might actually give us a chance to achieve what we have been failing for countless eons now."

"... what?"

"Fix that which never should have been broken. No, you're distracting me. Three things.

"One: that fledgling has glimpsed the Void and is earnestly wanting to stop it... after his heart is shorn of hatred and vengeance. Two: you must never, ever, ever accept the Song of Dao. If you do, you will die, body and soul. And three: you must never, ever, under any circumstances, kill somebody Blessed by Dao. If you uphold the latter two, you shall naturally remain cloaked, even as you emerge upon their gilded gardens and vast palaces."

"..." Okay, that's great. But you've told me nothing. Just made me more confused.

"Why me?"

"Hm?"

"Why did I get selected for this?" I asked.

"... I don't know," it said.

"The same way I don't yet know why I, of the literal billions of mindless Demonic Beasts, was chosen to self-actualize."

"Can... no, is, is my home still there?" I asked.

"Your home? Ah. I don't know," it said.

"What I do know is that the few records of Travelers never mentioned a way back."

"... right. So, my big quest is to fix something that's broken? And you won't tell me what that is?"

"Because--""--because I'm young. So, why did you even show yourself to me? I already kind of figured that, even if I don't have to fight Dao, I also can't 'seek it'. And I didn't need some malformed demon to tell me that Long Tao has goals beyond revenge. The only thing you told me that I didn't know was to never kill somebody 'Blessed by Dao'--something that, I'm fairly certain, I would have instinctively known not to do, regardless. I'm tired.

I'm tired of old-ass shitheads always speaking in vague riddles and in a mysterious tone, as though that makes them sound wise. You don't sound wise. Just stupid."

"... you've been holding that in for a while, huh?" the thing chuckled yet again, its eyes shifting rather oddly for a moment.

"Fair. Ordinarily, when I meet the fledglings, they are even younger than you. Hm. Very well. Your current destination is a pocket dimension, no?"

"Uh, yes. A Secret Realm. Phoenix Realm."

"Hardly a secret and has about as much to do with a phoenix as thyme does. Though I seldom pry into the affairs of children, I do get bored; and, in my boredom, I have discovered a malevolent design. All those who are to be ushered in that pocket dimension will be sacrificed. There is a fool among the mountains desperately trying to ascend beyond her talents and will try and use the blood of everyone there to achieve it.

Of course, they will fail; if Heavens were that blind, they would never have become the sovereigns. Does that mean anything to you?"

"... it does." It... actually does. In fact, it means so much that I now feel kind of bad for just going off on it like that since it wasn't even entirely about it and more so my entire experience in this world.

"Thank you."

"All others before you attempted to do it alone," hm? They tried to do it alone when they had a system designed specifically for Disciples?!

"It's quite strange to see you accompanied by so many."

"You... you have no idea what my Eyes can do, do you?"

"... oh? I truly don't. But how do you figure?"

"No. Just lamenting whoever picked all my 'predecessors.' If they truly had the same gift as me, then they might just be the dumbest selection of people that has ever lived. Ever. In all of time. Literal and theoretical."

"... well, you would know that better than me," it said.

"I wish you good luck, child. Perhaps this may finally be the age... we are freed..."

"Hey, wait, what about the stones--" It was gone, in a puff of smoke, as though never there.