Chapter 782

Chapter 782

The Energy of the Heavens surges through me as my murderous intent spills over into apoplectic fury, but the subject of my ire remains out of reach.

Balance on Windy leaf into Pierce the Horizon sees Peace plunge harmlessly through the air next to the monks bald, wrinkled head, my tried-and-true charge doing little more than bring me face to face with his hateful sneer. Stalk the Dragon into Uplift the Sequoia fares no better as I deliver Tranquility in an uppercut that comes nowhere close to connecting. Standing Fury, Rending Fang, Part the Underbrush, and more, all my devious efforts to end Hideos life end in abject failure and my frustration knows no bounds. Snarl in Rage and Throw the Fucking Sword is equally as useless as the old monk smacks Peace aside and sends it sailing off into the horizon, but after twelve equally fruitless exchanges, it makes a grand return to miss Hideo by a metric mile and drive itself deep into the sandy dirt.

All because the nihilistic monk Vyakhya stands in my way, defending the hateful bastard with almost laughable ease.

Thats all the old baldy does however, stand and defend with only one hand no less, while his other hand holds his spade grounded and upright like a flagpole planted in the dirt. Humiliating is what it is, to have my fury thwarted so effortlessly by a geriatric baldy, but all I can do is stew in my ineffective rage and direct all my hatred at Hideo. Envisioning all the different ways I could kill him if it wasnt for this damnable monk, I redouble my efforts to no effect, but still I press on for my anger knows no bounds. These emotions are not mine alone, for all my surviving Natal Souls are cheering me on in my crusade to see this bastard dead. There can be no mercy or forgiveness for the grievous crime of bullying my dear sweet wifey, and I intend to make an example of this traitor and show the world what happens to those who threaten my loved ones.

There arent too many of my Natal Souls left, but still enough to keep tabs on the battlefield in my absence, and their tale is a harrowing one to behold. Since appointing a second General to oversee their efforts, eight more Generals have come and gone, each one dying alongside countless Natal Soul soldiers with only minimal regret to tip the scales of battle in the Empires favour. Those Natal Souls who still remain are all frothing at the mouth from what theyve seen, and I cannot blame them in the least. Mila, Yan, Li-Li, and even Luo-Luo all chose to be here as Warriors of the Empire, but Lin-Lin is different. Shes here because she cant stand to be away from her friends, family, and hubby, a non-combatant in every sense of the word. Sure, shes shot a few arrows in the past, but none here in Meng Sha, yet not only did this hulking meathead Hideo dare lay his filthy hands on her, he even had the audacity to lust after her too, and no one lusts after my wifey but me.

And my Natal Souls, I guess, who are kinda like me, but not, which means I cant really stop them from lusting after her, but thats all theyre allowed to do. If I catch any one of them trying to do more, then that will signal the start of the Natal Soul Clone Wars, and I will show no mercy in my wrath.

Focus on the task at hand, stupid. Glancing at Vyakhyas bored, unimpressed expression as he continues to bar my way, I glance at his spade and spit at his feet because it offends me to see him using the same style of weapon as Mahakala. In spite of all his sins and transgressions, that slovenly drunkard of a Dharma Protector set out each morning with the best of intentions and a dream of improving the world, even if he did go about it in a strange and ineffective way. Vyakhya on the other hand is as selfish as they come, and I hate him all the more because I understand him more than Id like to. This is a monk whose name means, Clarity of Thought, a name given to him by the Abbot himself for his logical and analytical nature. Vyakhya never arrives at any decision lightly, always taking the time to argue both sides and rationalize his opinions as best he can, but once his mind is made, there is little anyone can do to change it.

The Abbot spent a lot of time talking about Vyakhya, but not always directly. Most of it was parroting arguments hed made in the past and outlining the steps he took to reach certain conclusions, though at the time, I didnt know they all came from him. The Abbot was deeply wounded by the betrayal of a man he considered his friend and confidant, and I think he was hoping I would help him refine his arguments to use against Vyakhya in order to guide him back into the light. What I gathered from all those discussions was that I have much in common with this traitor monk, more than I care to admit. Like him, I too place great value on logic and reasoning when making important decisions, even if I often succumb to pressure and just go with my gut instead. There was a time when I also yearned for oblivion and non-existence, though for vastly differing reasons from Vyakhya, yet I cannot deny that our thoughts ran parallel to one another at some point, both searching for an escape from these tiresome trials and tribulations because we both felt we didnt belong. Me because of my past memories, and him because he believes there is more out there, a better world and higher existence which the Heavens conspires to keep him from.

In short, Vyakhya reminds me of myself if I had nothing to live for and was selfish enough to want the entire world dead instead of just myself.

Which makes him the perfect person to vent all my self-hatred on. Hes me, but worse, so fuck him.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

My errant thoughts fade to black as I fixate on Hideo while hammering away at Vyakhya, my rage burning hotter with every block, parry, and Deflection. Hideo has long since stopped resisting and instead has gone completely slack with fear and resignation, which makes it that much easier for Vyakhya to shift him away from danger with a bump of his hip or nudge of his elbow. The Movements flow out of me as I set myself loose from all constraints and indulge in my rage and wrath, neither giving in to the madness nor seeking to control it as I fight with all my heart. This too is a form of Balance, to revel in emotions as they come until they burn themselves out, for emotions are not meant to be contained and left to fester. A seemingly obvious observation, but one the human race has yet to truly understand as a whole, else we would not be plagued by Spectres of our own devising. Just like medicine, too much emotion is equally as bad as not enough, but the solution here isnt to ration and dole it out in controlled bits. No, emotions must be spent freely in order to find a natural Balance, not just of the mind, but the body and soul as well.

In JiangHu, I manifested a storm to shed myself of all my unwanted emotions in one fell swoop without having to experience them, but that was a gambit destined to fail from the start. Theres always a reason for you to feel how you feel, even if you dont understand why, so without treating the root cause, those same feelings will just come flooding back in time. Sometimes its better to let yourself be afraid, sad, angry, or however it is you feel, not just because its cathartic to express your emotions, but because by expressing them, you can divest them from yourself in a healthy and natural way. This is how animals deal with Balance, by holding nothing back and letting themselves experience the full breadth of their emotions, but humans arent so simple. No, we bottle up our emotions for all manner of reasons, whether it be for the sake of face, propriety, shame, embarrassment, fear, or what have you, which again, isnt the worst thing in the world until you repress so many emotions that it makes you unintentionally use the Energy of the Heavens to forcibly divest yourself of them and spawn a Spectre in the process.

Truth be told, I cant really say the way animals handle Balance is strictly better, not without any real data or proof. All I know is Spectres are bad, but theres probably an upside to the human method else Divine Beasts wouldnt be turning themselves into Ancestral Beasts for no good reason. That being said, Im breaking new ground here, so rather than swallow my anger and let Hideos crime go unpunished, Im trying something new. Im going kill him here and now to vent my rage and ensure this will never happen again.

If only this old, bald, ugly monk would just fucking die first.

A thread of fear and caution worms its way into my head, and I rein my emotions in just a little, though on the outside, I continue levying a barrage of attacks meant to claim Hideos worthless life. While its healthy to express your emotions, I need to be careful not to get too caught up in them, because like I said earlier, too much is just as bad as not enough. No struggle, but no surrender either, that is my way forward, a Path I must keep to lest I share the fate of my first Natal Soul General, who was summarily Cleansed from existence by Blobby. Im not entirely sure if my watery passenger would Cleanse me if I were to become Unbalanced, since Im sure theres some difference between a real soul and a Natal Soul, but Im also not willing to take that risk either, because theres no reasoning with an amorphous blob of Heavenly Water, and no mercy in him either.

Two-hundred eighty-seven exchanges and some time later, I step back to take a breather and reassess the situation now that Ive worked off some of my anger and frustration. All around us, Meng Sha sits silent save for the waves crashing against the docks and the ships swaying in the harbour, so calm and peaceful you wouldnt think the area was populated if you couldnt see past the walls, for the eyes of every Imperial and Defiled alike are watching my duel with Vyakhya as they stand in formation and wait for death.

Okay, thats my bad, but in my defense, its not like I didnt think this through. My bold rejection of the Treaty and subsequent embrace of mutual destruction was too shocking for most to fathom, and they all think Ive gone mad, including Gang Shu and the Bull Divinity Niu MoWang who wont stop pestering me through Sending. Thankfully, I have plenty of practice ignoring criticism, but whats most reassuring is the fact that the Abbot, Guard Leader Hua Lie, and Taddy havent Sent a single word, indicating they either stand by my decision or they know me well enough to know Im not as crazy as I appear. Six of one and half-a-dozen of the other, I assume, but its nice to be trusted for once.

See, thing is, I wasnt lying when I said Im not a Divinity, because when you get right down to it, Divinity is not a state of existence, nor is it something you naturally become once you Shatter the Void. No, in truth, Divinity is merely a title and power level, a label we humans designate to all those big, bad, dangerous existences who are beholden to their whims and desires. We could have called them anything really, Grandmasters, Apex Predators, Radiants, whatever, but at the end of the day, its only a name, and to quote the bard, Whats in a name? Divinity is about power, but even more so about control, or rather the lack thereof, because the Heavens are too eager to respond to their Wills in wildly unpredictable ways. Want to break your opponents skull? The Energy of the Heavens can help you do that, but the Heavens doesnt understand scale the same way we mere mortals do, so you might well end up destroying a good chunk of the surrounding landscape in the process.

So really, being a Divinity has nothing to do with Shattering the Void. Being a Divinity means youve become a living, breathing bomb that could explode any time you get a little too heated or otherwise emotional. Thats why Vyakhya is only defending, because hes waiting to see if Im bluffing about breaking the Treaty before committing to mutual destruction, since even a nihilist like him has something to live for. Words are meaningless when it comes to a matter as serious as a violation of the Treaty, so I need to act on my intent to break the Treaty first before Vyakhya can respond in kind without consequence. Otherwise, the surviving Imperial Divinities will bring word back to the Empire that Vyakhya shot first and he becomes public enemy number one, meaning itll be open season on his bald, wrinkled head, making it real hard for him to find the peace and quiet he so desperately desires.

And the old conniving son of a bitch is just narcissistic and jaded enough to believe I would sacrifice everyone in Meng Sha just to implicate him. Thats the way I see things at least, but like I said, I wasnt lying. I am no Divinity, and thus I am not beholden to the Treaty, but in order to prove this, I need to first show the world what Im capable of. Easier said than done however, since Im still a little new to all this, but thats hardly unfamiliar territory. Alright you stubborn old bag of bones, I begin, and in the deafening silence of Meng Sha, theres no need to infuse my voice with Chi to be heard. Im done warming up. If you continue to defend that traitorous sack of shit Hideo, then be prepared to join him in death as well.

The Energy of the Heavens surges around and through me, eager to partake in that which I offer in exchange for this forthcoming effort, but I do not allow myself to be carried away. Nor do I stand wholly firm against it, for this is my Path, one without struggle or surrender, but reliant on control and understanding instead. I seek not to wield the Energy of the Heavens, not directly at least, because in truth, I lack the ability to do so. Only a God can bend the Energy of the Heavens to his Will, and I am far from a god, but who says I need to wield it directly? The key word in Heavenly Energy is energy, so I just need to find a way to tap into that energy and put it to proper use.

The same way we use oil to fuel a lantern, or electricity to power a light. The energy is there, just in a form the human body is unable to directly utilize, but when has that ever stopped us?

Emptiness within and emptiness without, the Energy of the Heavens courses through me in a dizzying pattern moving in every direction all at once. It sinks into my Core, yet there is no Core, passing through my Natal Palace, yet there is no Natal Palace, seeps out into my Domain, yet there is no Domain, for I am One. There is no division between the Void and reality, no separation of Heaven and Earth, no distinction between mortal and Divinity, and no restriction my Will cannot surpass. I am the dam, the wall, the forge, and the drill, a man who has seen human ingenuity unravel the mysteries of the known world and used this knowledge to rise up into the stars, and more to the point, create indoor plumbing so we no longer have to shit into pots. Vyakhya and the other Divinities are living in the past, but now I have come to show them that the future is now.

Directed by my Will and Conviction, the Energy of the Heavens reshapes its flow, and it is this flow which I harness for my own use. Not the Energy of the Heavens itself, but the forces of its movements. There is energy in motion, energy in change, energy in everything and anything we can see and not see. The Energy of the Heavens is what we call it, but only because we lack the ability to perceive and study it in greater detail, else I suspect we would discover all manner of different energies to study and differentiate within this supposedly singular categorization. That being said, Im not smart enough to do something like that, nor am I patient enough to even try, but while I am lacking in understanding, you dont need to know much about the wind to slap a sail on your ship, and in this case, the ship is my Natal Palace.

My body performs Tiger Swipes the Rushes, a simple, straightforward slash of the glaive. The tip of the blade drags through the loose soil, adding just the barest hint of resistance to motion which I harness to add more tension to my strike, similar to how youd hold a finger in place to store up power for a flick. My left foot stomps down and pulls ever so slightly back, while my right foot pushes off without moving from its place. Toes, ankles, knees, quads, hips, spine, shoulders, and arms, all of it comes together in this singular Movement as I bring my glaive up, around, across, and down, a Movement I have practised countless times before with Peace, and one I have envisioned thousands upon thousands of times with Unity. That vision, that image, the confidence of familiarity and the determination to strike, all of it comes together as a singularly focused Will which melds with my Movement to form something far greater than the sum of its parts as the Energy of the Heavens flows through me in a specific pattern, one which comes together to form a metaphysical construct based in the foundation of my mind and soul.

To my Spiritual Senses, the flow of Heavenly Energy looks nothing like a glaive, sword, or even chainsaw, just a seemingly random pattern without any deeper meaning, but I know in my heart of hearts that this construct was created for one goal and one purpose, to cut, to sever, to kill, and nothing else. This is what it embodies, not in so many words or images, but emotions and intent. There was a time when I wouldve called this a working of Chi, or a technique executed with help from a temporary Keystone, or possibly even something like a metaphysical Rune, but now I see the truth as it is, even if I dont wholly comprehend it. This is just me harnessing the Energy of the Heavens, no more, no less. There are so many ways to do so, but this is the one I know and am familiar with, so Ill stick with it until I find something better. Dad called my use of Keystones a crutch, but I see it as a tool, one which is wholly natural in the sense that humans are not naturally equipped with fangs and claws like wolves, or the tough hides and powerful frames of bulls, or the power and ferocity of tigers, but yet we stand above them all. Why? Because we use intelligence and opposable thumbs to create tools to help us survive and thrive, tools like the bow and spear, the wall and wheel, the plow and scythe, the Core and Natal Palace, so what harm in there is using a tool to help harness the flow of Heavenly Energy, when we ourselves are otherwise incapable of doing so?

Maybe thats why Divine Beasts end up taking human forms, because they too are unable to directly harness the Energy of the Heavens, so they set themselves up for future success through a form of controlled reincarnation in order to become one of the humans who have dominated the world around them despite their individual weakness.

Or maybe not. Maybe they just want thumbs. Who knows?

Releasing my right hand from Unity, I follow through with the momentum and swing wide before bringing it back around. Thats all there is to the attack, no flashing lights or explosions of power, no rumbling earth or splitting heavens. A simple downward, diagonal slash, from high right to low left, thats all there is to see, but I am not yet finished. Slamming the butt of my glaive against the ground, I set into motion the brilliant mechanism which my beloved wife Mila poured her heart and soul into crafting. The blade splits down the middle and parts before sliding down either side of the shaft, revealing the tip of the rifle barrel which will deliver death to my foes. Again, the Energy of the Heavens surges in response to my Will, but there is no need to intentionally harness its flow a second time, for Unity itself also serves as a form of Keystone or Rune, one based on its purpose and physical form while also tied to the concept of guns and rifles I possess from my past life. Power surges through my rifle as I raise it to my shoulder to fire, but hold off as I come face to face with Vyakhyas helpless chagrin.

How? he asks, his tone so meek and confused it turns the question into a statement of disbelief. This monk has eaten more grains of salt than you have of rice, lived many times longer than you, and yet you have done what so many others believed impossible to accomplish within the confines of this mortal world. Unable to look me in the eye any longer, he glances down and raises his hand to his chest, not to stem the flow of blood gushing out from the incision running from his shoulder to hip, but in unwillingness to accept the reality before him. My glaive should have glanced off his defenses without him feeling so much as an impact, yet it passed through them as if they were never there in the first place. In truth, they might as well not have been, for they crumbled before Unitys Honed edge even reached them, coming apart at the seams as the Energy of the Heavens lent its metaphysical weight to my attack. I didnt direct the Energy of the Heavens, it merely allowed itself to be indirectly directed into helping me cut clean through my foes body, mind, and soul to impact the very source of his life itself, churning the waterwheel which was connected to the grindstone, which in this case was my glaive. Maybe allowed is the wrong word here, because a river hardly allows itself to be used by the watermill no more than the fire allows itself to be used to heat the cooking pot. That is simply the nature of Heavenly Energy, and I have merely harnessed it for my own use through a combination of flow, Will, temporary Keystones, and more, but itd be useless trying to explain all this to Vyakhya.

Or anyone else, for that matter, because no one else can truly comprehend my Dao, for it is one unique to my perspective. This is my Path, one which I know will bring me to the Peak, for I have seen first-hand the heights humans can reach with technology alone. There is so much I still dont understand just yet, so much I still have to learn, but sometimes, you learn more from doing than from trying to puzzle it out on paper. As I am now, I am a man who cant mathematically prove one plus one equals two, not in a technical sense at least, but I know the math is sound, so I can go from there. Maybe one day, Ill unravel all the mysteries of the Dao, but for now, Im mostly just going with what works.

So instead of wasting my breath with an explanation that even I dont entirely understand, I shrug and say the first thing that comes to mind, which is, Get good. And even knowing its a mistake, I cannot help but add, Bitchhhhhhhh.

The milky coating over Vyakhyas aged eyes clears alongside his shock and confusion, then darkens into storm clouds as his fury erupts from within. The Energy of the Heaven surges through him in response to his unchecked emotions, and the world ripples and distorts around us as the Spectres seize control, Spectres Zhen Shi planted in Vyakhyas mind and soul to better influence his thoughts and emotions. Here and now, in his moment of weakness and with his final, dying breath, he rejects reality and willingly succumbs to their lies because it is easier than accepting the truth, a mistake I have made many times before, and will probably continue to make in the future.

Assuming there is a future, of course, and I do my best not to back down as reality ripples around Vyakhya while the Energy of the Heavens pours into his physical frame, breaking him down and building him back up in a process directed by the divided Will of the Spectres. Ive never heard of a Divinity Demon, but even if I have Blobby deal with it, if it is able to attack a single time, then there is no way this ends well for the people of Meng Sha, including my beloved wives, friends, floofs, and everyone else here at my side.

Someday, I will pull off a real miracle and learn to keep my mouth shut, but today is not that day.

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2

Chapter Meme 3

Chapter Meme 4

Chapter Meme 5