Chapter 832 (Patreon)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ah-03-Z2rW0mlXjmsUB4JRHBVCFsHljWSu8FF0RafR4/edit?usp=sharing

Failure. Wastrel. Disappointment.

Lies and slander the lot of it, for this Sovereign knew well his own worth and the validity of his Dao, so there was nothing his Natal Soul could do or say to change this. If there was a flaw to be found in his Path, it would be found in his faulty implementation, for his methods and goals were in accordance with his Will. So it has always been, and though he had erred in the past and could have done better, could have made better choices to be more effective and efficient, this alone was not enough to deem him a failure, and thus there was no sense in abandoning the Path he’d set out to conquer so long ago. As such, this Sovereign’s Natal Soul lacked the ability to shakes his foundation and overwhelm him with emotion, for there was no substance or significance to its claims. All the Natal Soul could do was parrot Falling Rain’s arguments and distract this Sovereign with a deluge of intrusive thoughts and observations, but the subtle manipulation combined with impeccable timing made for a most vexing tribulation in combination with the information he’d gleaned from studying the Predator’s inconceivably powerful Dao.

A Dao so simplistic and effective that this Sovereign was no longer so certain of the legitimacy of his own.

Though unable to replicate the Predator’s Dao, seeing it was enough to show this Sovereign the error of his ways. For too long, he sat idle waiting for the Heavens to guide him along his Path, to bring him to the answers he sought in the perspectives of others. A mistake, for this passive investigation was based on secrets others had stumbled across, when instead he should have set out in pursuit of the truth so that he could experience those secrets for himself. A mistake, but not an irrevocable one, and one he could well be forgiven for in light of his love for the Empire, for he’d been too busy protecting the last bastion of humanity to allow himself the freedom to cultivate without care. Already, he’d resolved to mend the errors of his ways, and he even expected to reap fortune from disaster and benefit from Liang Wu Di’s well-orchestrated insurrection to set this Sovereign and the Empire both back on the correct course.

For countless millennia, this Sovereign had played guardian and shepherd to his flock, protecting them from the dangers around them and the dangers they posed to themselves, but for what? Nothing but scorn and resentment. The people of the Empire did not appreciate his efforts, nor did they care for all that he’d sacrificed in their name. One could at least lean upon a shepherd’s crook to rest and recover, but the mantle of leadership weighed heavy on his shoulders, a burden he bore without complaint for millennia untold, yet never once did his people thank him for it. Instead, they coveted his power because they thought they could do better, for they were courageous in their ignorance and knew not how high the Heavens truly were. Though Liang Wu Di might well be celebrating his unprecedented achievement at this very moment, this Sovereign knew full well that the Empire was bearing forward straight towards disaster.

In truth, this Sovereign needed only be patient and the throne would be his once more, for if one Emperor could be deposed, then why not another? Like a stone cast into a still pond, the aftereffects of today’s events would be far-reaching indeed. It would not be long before the foolish ambitions of the Supreme Families came to a head, each one seeking to dominate the others in a war fought in the shadows. From there, it was only a matter of time before their conflicts spilled over into the light, with the Supreme Families divided amongst themselves in a bitter war for the throne itself. The once pristine fields of the Eastern Province would be ravaged by war once more, bringing blood and death to lands which had sat peaceful for so long. Liang Wu Di knew not the price this Sovereign paid for such peace, knew not the loss and devastation the coming war would bring or the sacrifices such a conflict would demand. It was impossible to claim that the young dragon was entirely ignorant of which way the winds blew, and he was no doubt already preparing for war, but numbers on parchment meant nothing compared to the countless lifetimes of experience under this Sovereign’s belt.

It mattered not what schemes Liang Wu Di played or cards he’d hidden away, for the other Supreme Families had their own secrets to unveil. Wealth and nepotism allowed them to win over the outer provinces, but this was a weapon far too ineffective and unwieldy to reliably secure the throne for the Liangs. The Yang’s progress in Runic talismans was far more reliable, having led to the development of cheap and easily produced paper scripts which could be torn apart to unleash a myriad of different and potentially devastating effects. Not quite as devastating as Falling Rain’s Runic Cannons, which the Yang researchers were no doubt scurrying to replicate even now, but the paper talismans had their own strengths which made them useful in other ways. Then there was the Xing Family’s hidden death soldiers, fanatical Warriors raised in secret using training methods practiced by their founding Ancestor, the Martial God Xing Wu Shen. In manpower alone, the Xing Family was the equal to all four other families combined, yet only a quarter of their strength was known, with another quarter subtly hinted at in order to keep others from looking too closely. The Tian Family assassins were an open secret, but little did the other Supreme Families know about the spies embedded within their midst, families of agents and informants who could trace their lineage back a hundred generations within the various Supreme Families themselves. Should any of the Supreme Families even consider turning against them, the Tian’s would know the moment the matter was even brought up for discussion, and in war, information was a potent weapon greater than any sword or spear.

Then there was the Di Family, who possessed secrets even this Sovereign was unable to uncover, for his Fifth Brother Di Zi had always been a man of mystery, even when it came to passing his inheritance down to his descendants. In truth, it didn’t matter what weapons the Di Family kept hidden away, for their skills in agriculture and animal husbandry made them indispensable allies to every other Supreme Family, yet the same could not be said in reverse. Should the Di Family ever intend to make a bid for supremacy, they would find allies aplenty outside the Five Supreme Families, and even a dragon would eventually fall to fang and fury if there were wolves enough.

A decade at most, and the Empire would erupt in civil war, of this, this Sovereign had no doubt. Falling Rain claimed this Sovereign had forgotten himself, that he thought the Empire prosperous only because he himself had never seen true prosperity, but the transmigrator had never known the true horrors of war. The depictions within his memories lacked the raw authenticity of a first-hand experience, for in those scenes, war was glorious, honourable, and necessary, but humans were creatures of conflict and competition even when there was plenty for all to share. To his knowledge, this war against the Defiled was the bloodiest in living history, yet it paled in comparison to even a minor border conflict between two unremarkable kings in the days of this Sovereign’s youth. There’d been few Martial Warriors then, so armies were largely comprised of callow youths of meagre strength carrying spears they barely knew how to wield, going up against other youths who would much rather be home with their families.

Which made for a bloody, chaotic conflict wherein the victors were largely determined by luck and happenstance rather than skill and tactics, or at least it was so until this Sovereign took to the field.

Falling Rain was outraged by the death and suffering of this Sovereign’s Empire, but little did the fool know how much worse it could be. How many wars had this Sovereign’s continued presence prevented? How many lives were saved because fathers, brothers, and sons were free to stay home with their families instead of being conscripted to wars fought by bloodthirsty kings? This was the rationale for his existence as the Eternal Emperor, for others lacked the strength necessary to keep all sides in check, a fact Falling Rain overlooked in his desire to reshape this world into a mirror of the one he’d emerged from. Might makes right, so this Sovereign would use his strength to show the world and Falling Rain both that his Path was correct and would lead him past the pinnacle of the Dao to ascend to a higher plane of existence.

Falling Rain was right regarding one thing, for this Sovereign had long since stalled in his Path, having grown complacent with the current state of affairs and happy to rest on his laurels while waiting for Insight and Enlightenment to come to him. That would change soon enough, for he would uncover all of Falling Rain’s secrets and study them in depth, as well as the secrets of so very many other prospective talents, like the Medical Saint, this generation’s True Divine Musician, the Abbot Akupara, and of course, Falling Rain’s dog, the Predator.

But even this would not be enough.

No, the true answers would be found in Zhen Shi’s memories, of this, there could be no doubt. There was much to be gleaned from this Sovereign’s Natal Soul, for his attainments had been accrued over long millennia of trial and error, from a perspective that matched his own in every way, shape, and form. On some level, this Sovereign sympathized with his Natal Soul, for it was indeed true that they were one and the same, but their reunion did not necessarily mean the death of Zhen Shi. This was not an end, but a new beginning, one they would embark on together as one. Not as Soul and Natal Soul, but as the Eternal Emperor who bears the title of Divine True Corpse. All these long millennia of suppression and safekeeping had amounted to naught, so it was high time this Sovereign tried a different tack, one brought to him by his Natal Soul who’d stumbled across potential unlimited and power untapped. This Sovereign had given this Empire countless lifetimes of service, kept the people safe and sound beneath his stewardship, but he’d gained nothing from all his effort save for the contempt of his ‘most loyal’ subjects. Thus, he would seek to recoup his losses in another way, take back all the years of peace and prosperity he’d bestowed upon them, for he would be their shepherd no longer and return to his roots as a dragon among men, one who would use his abandoned subjects to fuel his ascent into the Heavens.

Yes, yes, he could see the Path laid out before him, each step in crystalline clarity as he organized his pieces and laid them out across the chessboard in preparation of taking on the Five Supreme Families, the Imperial Clan, and the outer provinces all at once. Though he’d sworn an Oath to no longer meddle in the affairs of the Supreme Families, this was contingent on the premise that they paid no mind to him and his, yet he was the Eternal Emperor, Heaven’s Chosen Son, meaning everything under the Heavens was his birthright. The moment Liang Wu Di ascended the throne, he would impugn upon what rightfully belonged to this Sovereign and the shackles of his Oath would fall away exactly as planned, leaving him free to embark on a slaughter unlike anything his Empire had ever seen before. Not immediately, for there was no sense acting before the Supreme Families broke out into war amongst themselves and expended the lion’s share of their strength, giving this Sovereign about a decade or so to study and prepare. First, secure Falling Rain, then come back to collect the others who’d caught his eyes, before closing himself off to contemplate his findings and solidify his foundations for what would come next. From there, he would reap the lives of his people and seek Insight in their torment and suffering, only on a scale previously unmatched. He could see it now, an entire province consigned to suffering in an orgy of debauched depravity, a ritual of death that would throw back the veil covering the secrets of Heaven for his full review, the details of which he would slowly work out with help from the memories of his Natal Soul.

And in doing so, he would cleanse himself of the red dust of this mortal world with the blood of billions in order to Ascend to the next, a world of Immortals within a higher realm of existence which he would then conquer in turn.

Even as the plan came together in mind however, an obstacle cropped up in his Path as Falling Rain harmonized his breathing with the rhythm of the world and moved forward on his Path towards Nascent Immortality.

There in reality, this Sovereign had no choice but to release his grasp, for in merging his body, mind, and soul with the Heavens to Ascend to Divinity or Nascent Immortality, the very space around Falling Rain became inviolable to all, a Law even this Sovereign could not breach. No matter though, for even if the transmigrator could mend the flaws of his fractured Path and become a Nascent Immortal in truth, he would still be ten-thousand years too early to defeat this Sovereign, but he had not lived so long by taking risks. As the Energy of the Heavens surged and roiled around Falling Rain and the battle in Shi Bei came to a standstill, this Sovereign proclaimed his intention to resume hostilities whilst Concealing the turbulence from the mortals below, though no amount of effort could hide this from the Divinities gathered around him. While the soldiers battled against the Ascended Transcendents for the useless prize of Shi Bei, the battle between Divinities came to a standstill as they separated to study Falling Rain’s Ascension. This Sovereign made use of this time to seize control of the Transcendent Divinities and make contact with the pieces deployed by his Natal Soul, ordering them to take control of the army below whilst readying an attack to use against Falling Rain should this Sovereign fail to immediately seize him in hand. A precautionary measure, but a prudent one all the same, for though it would pain him to lose so complete a specimen, this Sovereign was willing to give up on Falling Rain’s body and mind, for the soul would provide perspective enough.

Balance settled upon his shoulders like a cloak draped over his very being, his calm returned to him now that his Natal Soul had been placated, and he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction in celebration. The plan was coming together and his pieces all falling into place, so this Sovereign readied to act in the moment of Falling Rain’s success or failure, and then move forward from there.

For he was the Eternal Emperor, and with his success, he would prove that his Path was right, or he would destroy the entire world in trying.

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As the secrets of the Heavens unveil themselves before me and I proceed along my Path, it takes an effort of Will not to hide my face in my palms and utter a groan of unmitigated regret.

All this time, I’ve been so close, and yet so far from the truth, the answers all laid out for me to understand, except I was never able to put it all together. Balance is a part of it, but not just the internal Balance of a single individual, for though we each must forge our own Path, we are never truly alone. The Heavens have always been here to guide us, but not in the way I expected, wherein an omnipotent being sitting on high was doling out hints for us meagre mortals to pursue. The information has been here all along, just in a form we’ve been unable to make sense of, all baked into our very existence for us to slowly unravel, yet the answers are all made clear as I Refine my body, mind, and soul to completion without having to direct a single action. The memories of my previous life tell me that humanity had already stumbled across these secrets, the blueprints of life itself, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, or more simply, DNA.

It's that simple. All the information we could ever need, hidden within every cell of our body. Even in my past life, humanity was a long way away from understanding the full depth and breadth of DNA, and I myself am nowhere close to smart enough to figure it out on my own, but I don’t have to. I have the limited omniscience of the Heavens on my side, which provides me with all the information I could ever need to Refine my body, mind, and soul to the pinnacle of human potential. There are no long, drawn out explanations regarding what I must do, no numbers provided to tell me how far to push, not even a general sense of understanding of the human body. There is only a sense of right and wrong as I muddle through this Refinement, my Will providing the impetus while the Heavens does the rest, the same way Panacea Heals without any real direction.

This is not limited to my body alone, for I am also Refining my mind and soul at the same time, but I know even less regarding those subjects and can only watch without any understanding whatsoever. This is how Ping Ping Ascended, how Buddy created his body from scratch, and now I follow in their footsteps to Ascend to Divinity and perhaps become the first Ancestral Human in existence. My connection to the Heavens can’t tell me if this is the case, because the Heavens don’t understand what being an Ancestral Human means, which is why I considering the limited omniscience limited to begin with. That being said, as my Refinement progresses, I find myself uncovering the buried memories of the first time I experienced this returning to me in full, and I curse myself for not figuring it all out sooner.

I’m not talking about my depressive breakdown in JiangHu, because even though I wielded power unmatched, that was merely a fraction of the power I hold now. The difference lies in the approach, for in JiangHu, I divested myself of emotions and fed them to the Heavens, like a fisherman putting bait on a hook and dragging his line through the waters. Here today in Shi Bei, I have given the Heavens nothing and merely opened myself to them as I struggle against and surrender to emotion in whole, completing the first milestone along my new Path which I started in Meng Sha. This is what it means to Shatter the Void, wherein I lower the barriers between my body, mind, and soul to Refine them all and become One in every sense of the word, merging the physical and metaphysical to create a Spiritual System and open up my Spiritual Senses. One with the Heavens, a big first step to take, wherein you start off as a mortal residing in the physical realm possessing a soul populating the spiritual, linked by a mind that is part and parcel of them both. By Refining these three distinct segments of self into one, you then become something more than mortal, a denizen of the physical and spiritual realms both, with the foundation necessary to progress along the Path to True Divinity.

And now, I open myself up to the Heavens in a bid to become One with the World, discarding my individual oneness to become a greater part of a whole.

This is the second milestone along my new Path, but even knowing everything I know in this very moment, with the limited omniscience of the Heavens to help guide my comprehension, I still find it difficult to describe the process in a way my mortal mind could fully comprehend. There are just so many ideas and concepts unfolding behind the scenes to make this happen, ideas and concepts which I don’t even have words to define. I understand how my body, mind and soul united as one, became more than the physical or spiritual vessels they previously were, but what is the word to define the process of metaphysical spirit sublimating to take on physical characteristics? What about the reverse, wherein my physical body takes on spiritual characteristics? This blending of the physical and metaphysical, the material and immaterial, reality and the Void, it all took place once before when I Shattered the Void to Refine my body, mind, and spirit, and now it’s happening again only on a much grander scale as I tap into the cosmos in a way I never knew was possible.

Because before, I was me, Falling Rain, and everything that entailed, but now I am also a fraction of a whole.

Not a whole person, or even an entity, but a rather a part of the world. Yes, I was a part of the world before, but this world exists in more than just the physical. Reality and the Void are connected together in more than just a passing sense, but rather they are interwoven together so tightly that they might as well be one and the same. It shouldn’t surprise me, seeing how Zhen Shi was able to dispatch Gen’s Soul to contact me from so far away, and in turn guide my soul over into his Natal Palace after a little bit of trickery and deception, and yet I find it difficult to wrap my mind around the concept. It was easy enough to envision reality and the Void as two separate planes of existence, perhaps even with one layered atop the other like strata in a cake, but now I see that this is not the case, because they are no more separate than my body, mind, and soul, wherein reality and the Void are two separate realms, yet connected together in a way I cannot entirely define.

It's like how everyone refers to ‘Heaven and Earth’ like it’s one thing, meaning everything within this world, a single, interconnected system that appears to be divided in two parts, but the distinction is no more real than arbitrary lines drawn on a map. Buddy gets it, which is how he’s able to move in reality and jump over to the Void without thinking twice to escape danger at any time, and technically, I should now be able to do the same, but seeing how even Zhen Shi and the Eternal Emperor haven’t shown signs of such mastery of space, I reckon it’s a concept far beyond my meagre understanding.

What I do know of this One with the World is that I have now become intrinsically linked to the world around me. Not just the physical world, but the metaphysical world too, as they overlap and come together all around me. I am still me, and the world is still the world, and the Void still the Void, yet I understand the part I play in all this a little better. Not enough to even begin to define my purpose or place, but enough to know that I have one, and it is wherever I will make it. If the world was a human body, then I would be one of a bajillion cells, one which has not yet specialized to become a part of an organ, a specific tissue, or any other specific purpose, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have one. I am here to fulfil my purpose, and whatever I choose to do will become that purpose, for I am a part of this world and I always have been.

It’s not the purpose I yearned for whilst grieving my lost brother, nor the purpose I questioned while suffering in the mines, but it is still a purpose all the same, one I am free to define. Not right now, and perhaps not ever, if I should so choose not to, but the choice is still mine all the same.

In discovering this Oneness, I harmonize my everything to the rhythm of the world, not just the tempo of my breathing or the cadence of my thoughts, but with every fibre of my being as I meld seamlessly into the flow of the world in a myriad of inexplicable and ineffable ways. Before, I was a ship being cast about on stormy seas, but now I have melded with the currents and can navigate them as I please, with the Energy of the Heavens surging through me to cleanse my Refined body, mind, and soul, while also improving it in every way, widening the channels of my Spiritual System and strengthening the muscles of my body along a myriad of other things, all in preparation of the power I will one day wield.

As mentioned before, this is the second milestone along my path, one of gathering and amassing not the Energy of the Heavens, or even of emotion to wield it, but of something else, a higher form of energy which I can just barely perceive as it courses through me and enacts changes beyond my scope of comprehension. Though still One with the Heavens and One with the World, I sense a qualitative change in the Energy of the Heavens as it cycles through my Spiritual System, through all the minor and major passages I carved out when Shattering the Void and amassing power with each complete revolution, revolutions somehow linked to my state of mind, my state of Balance, and the physical act of breathing which I’ve synced with the rhythm of the world itself. The vast majority of Heavenly Energy passes through me like water through a sieve, yet something of itself is left behind, a miniscule, almost negligible fraction of a fraction which contains unfathomable power hidden within, power I have yet to learn to wield.

Power which might well escape if I do not take measures to contain it, and just like that, the next step comes to mind and I set out to take it in stride.

One with the Heavens and One with the World saw me become part of something greater than myself, but I aspire to be more than a mere cog in the system. That’s how the Heavens sees us mortals and beasts, as beings who play a vital role yet individually are wholly replaceable parts in the all-encompassing machine that is reality and the Void both. For most living creatures, they are born, they live, they die, and little to nothing changes, which is exactly as intended, but humans are unique in that they possess the potential to achieve so much more. For better or for worse, to such extremes that we could very well become world breakers or world creators, wielding the twin energies of Creation and Destruction alongside whatever else lies within reach, but such extremes are too far away for me to consider just yet. Instead, I need to learn how to cling to what little power bestowed upon me, the meagre fractions of unfathomable power currently drifting aimlessly throughout my Spiritual System. Invisible, intangible, and almost indecipherable from the Energy of the Heavens themselves, I nonetheless can differentiate the two and set my Will to gather it all together. Where will I keep it? In my Core of course, a golden orb of Domain condensed from my body, mind, and soul, but not one meant to contain the Energy of the Heavens. No, my golden Core remains permeable to the Heavens and the world around me so as not to affect the flow, yet its borders are impermeable to the nameless power I can only barely perceive. This is only possible because I have achieved One with the Self, to contain without containing in order to keep what is needed and let go of the rest. Within my Core lies a realm within a realm and a plane within a plane, seamlessly divided and connected again to create a Core that is not a Core, a distinct Domain in which my Authority reigns supreme, and my Authority alone, without ever disconnecting from reality and the Void itself.

How does it work? Fuck if I know, but in my Domain, I make the rules, meaning that if I should one day amass power enough, my Core might well transform into a world unto itself, one bound not by the laws of physics, thermodynamics, or any other physical or spiritual laws, but rather by laws set down by me.

Not something I can accomplish any time soon, or perhaps even ever, but still a possibility to keep in mind, for I see now that what lies at the end of my Path goes beyond True Divinity, with the potential to become a god myself. Which leads me to wonder if I was wrong. Maybe the Emperor didn’t come up with the Mother and Father. Maybe they did truly exist, though I doubt they care much about the world they left behind. Even if there are deities out there who came from this world, they are not the all-knowing, all-powerful gods I would imagine. They’d just be normal, everyday people who surpassed the limits of mortality to become something more, beings so powerful I can only imagine the limits of their strengths.

This is the third milestone along my Path, and for creatures like Buddy, Pong Pong, and Ping Ping, the last milestone in theirs, for though they are capable of taking this step, they lack the ambition to pursue the next. This isn’t a knock at animals, merely an indisputable fact, because why else would so many animals choose to remake themselves in the image of humans if not for this limitation? No, this isn’t right, because all Paths lead to the Dao, so who am I to say there is no Path forward for Divine Beasts? I merely cannot see what it might be, nor am I able to sense the next milestone for me as the surging Energy of the Heavens slows to a trickle and signals the beginning of the end. This is as far as I can go for now, but there is most certainly still a long way to go from here, just as soon as I figure out the right path to take. Even as I resign myself to accepting the facts as they are however, a fire erupts within me and sets the Energy of the Heavens to churning once more, a fire of indomitable Will born of need and desperation for I will need more power still if I am to defeat the Eternal Emperor.

I can no longer afford to simply accept things as they come, for I am fighting not just for my life, but for the lives of everyone near and dear to my heart. What’s more, there are people down in Shi Bei counting on me to lead them to victory, and I refuse to disappoint them with failure. Should I give up here and now, I will lose all the momentum I have already built up, and all that awaits me is inevitable defeat, so it’s high time I looked my fears in the eyes and pushed on through them regardless of my doubts and apprehensions. I am in control here, not my fear, so I will continue forward no matter the cost, because I cannot afford to do otherwise.

Except… how can I seize the power I need if I do not understand how to claim it? Even the limited omniscience of the Heavens is unable to provide me with the answer I seek, save to tell me that it lies in this nameless, transcendent energy which supersedes even the Energy of the Heavens, yet is nothing like anything I understand. It’s not Life Force or Death Force, nothing like Sword Force or any other Weapon Force, lacking even any similarity to the eight basic Chi Skills which I now know represent the fundamental forces of the universe. This is something else entirely, an indescribable, divine energy which I am not qualified to even guess what it might be, except that I know it is not something a mere mortal can wield.

So… Immortal Energy? Though the Abbot would disagree with me and say I am needlessly making the simple complex, I would argue that names have power. Not in the sense of summoning or controlling something with its name, but by bestowing a name upon this nameless energy makes it easier for me to conceptualize and analyze with my feeble mortal brain. It’s the same reason why I feel the need to differentiate between Chi and Heavenly Energy, Water Chi and Chi Tea, and Sword Force versus Spear, Sabre, or any other Weapon Force, because the name helps me keep it all apart.

What’s in a name? Well, a distinctive and hopefully unique qualifier that makes it easier to talk about than simply describing the concept in its entirety each and every time, so Immortal Energy it is.

The Immortal Energy I possess isn’t enough to even fill a thimble, or at least that’s what it feels like to my admittedly untrained Spiritual Senses, yet I trust my gut feelings which tells me there’s something familiar about this Immortal Energy, something I’ve come into contact with before. There’s a short list of possibilities for where I might have encountered something like this, a list that starts and ends with Blobby. Once that connection is made, it’s a simple effort to ask Buddy if he has any advice to share, though it takes some effort to figure out how. As my dog digs his paws in the sand out of utter frustration since the old wolf is no longer willing to lead the charge against the delicious and dangerous Demon snacks, I send him the tiniest bit of Immortal Energy I have to see how he’ll react. Unsurprisingly, my dog’s first response is to ask if I have anything for him to eat, and his second to inquire if I could go get him something to eat, since the Demons are all right there just waiting to be eaten. Not exactly useful, but also not entirely unexpected as I endeavour to struggle and surrender to Balance to keep the torrential waves of Heavenly Energy surging through me.

It appears that Buddy doesn’t really care for Immortal Energy, meaning the same goes for Blobby inside him, or merged with him or whatever. Still not entirely clear on that, but I have more pressing questions to unravel, namely how in the fuck am I supposed to use Immortal Energy and how do I get more of it quickly? As far as I can tell, the next milestone most definitely has something to do with Immortal Energy, a milestone I hope to achieve here and now, but alas, I am at a complete loss on what to do next. Why doesn’t Blobby care for Immortal Energy? I’m pretty sure there was some scattered within the usable Heavenly Energy he left for me to use, yet why would he discard so valuable a resource? Or am I looking at things from the wrong perspective? Maybe Blobby wasn’t discarding it per se, but rather the Immortal Energy was simply a by-product of the process he used to turn Spectres and Demons into Heavenly Energy, and he shows no interest because he himself is an entity of Immortal Energy and has as much as he could ever need? Yea, that makes more sense, because Blobby’s usable Heavenly Energy was no different from ambient Heavenly Energy, but it was separated from the cumulative ‘mass’ of Heavenly Energy for reasons unknown, so maybe this Immortal Energy is the reason for it, like adding a powder to dirty water to make all the dirt and particulate sink, which is something that happens which I can’t really explain. This means that Immortal Energy should theoretically enable me to wield Heavenly Energy with a higher degree of precision and control than what mere Will can afford me. Course, there’s only one way to prove that theory right or wrong, so I might as well get to it then. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

…I am defeated and my soul kept prisoner in a torturous dream world alongside the souls of everyone I love and care about. So yea… don’t fuck this up?

Unwilling to just let go of the surging waves of Heavenly Energy, I set my sights on the battle still unfolding below and sever a whole host of Natal Souls without a second thought before dispatching them to lend aid to the battle below. Unlike before however, I feel no significant drain on my Life Energy and suffer no ill-effect from the severing, though I’m unsure if this is because I was able to gather Life Energy as part of my Ascension and just never noticed, or if Pong Pong gave me so much that I haven’t noticed the loss. I don’t blame the little guy for legging it, and I never have, but this gift of Life Force pretty much cements it. Pong Pong already went above and beyond in his duties as a Divine Turtle and close friend, so wherever he is, I wish him all the best.

Tearing my focus away from the battle below, I turn to face my foe while wracking my brain for something clever to quip. Round…. Like eight or something now, is a possibility, though the number might be higher, since I stopped keeping track a while ago. Nah, too overused and too indefinite, since I’ll probably die of embarrassment if the Eternal Emperor corrects me. Something about weight classes, or seeing how it is to pick on someone his own size? Nope, too arrogant, and worse, I’ll look so stupid if he immediately smacks me down. How you like me now? I’d probably be met with silence and confusion, though to be honest, even having given the reference myself, I wouldn’t know how to respond if I were in the Eternal Emperor’s shoes.

Things would be so much easier if I had a cigarette, because then I could take my time lighting it while I come up with something to say.

Having settled on a nonsensical statement of, “Yippie Kayaks Other Buckets,” I open my mouth to deliver the line only to suck in a deep breath of surprise as a volley of powerful, reality shattering attacks are directed my way, emanating from all the gathered Defiled Divinities and Demons, while the Eternal Emperor himself leads the charge with a giant Domain Plated fist infused with Fist Force.

And the worst part? If I were the Eternal Emperor, this would be the perfect opportunity to make some crack about fisting my opponent. That sounds wrong now that I think about it, but in my head, it’s fricking hilarious, but possibly only because I’m in abject denial of my impending death.

I always knew that people calling me the ‘undying’ would come back to bite me in the ass one day…

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2

Chapter Meme 3