《HEGEMON This Crimson Flower Will Bloom On Your Blood》CH 8 - Four Races
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Several days have already passed by but in the darkness of this void time seems to be in a standstill.
Noises of people talking can be heard even in such a barren place.
"Even if Sir Demon God doesn't mention it, I wouldn't believe that it's easy to get out of this place. After all, if it was, then you all wouldn't be stuck here for a billion years." Furong said.
"Also I don't care if I can get out of here or not. I was supposed to vanish out of existence, I thought I may get lucky enough to reunite with my mother's soul which may still be waiting for me in the Netherworld. As wishful as it may sound but this is the only wish I had when I self-destructed." Furong said in grief.
"Well too bad your wish wasn't fulfilled. I think even your mother must be rejoicing to know that you failed to end your own life. After all it would have been a joke on her if even after all she sacrificed to place a Nirvana Life Seal on her child, he died. Humph!" Hei Hai admonished.
"Ehem! It's not as you think young man. It was never difficult for us gods to get out of here, but we just didn't want to." Bian Chao mediated the situation.
"Hmm? If I may ask Sir Spirit God, why didn't you guys leave this place if it's easy for you to get out of here? As I have noticed this place is totally dark and barren, I don't think anyone will enjoy living here for a billion years. Heck! I even bet that a normal person will go insane if kept here for no longer than a single day." Furong asked with confusion.
"How should I explain this..." Bian Chao looked thoughtful.
"There is a deep reason for us to be stranded here in the first place-" Hei Hai suddenly spoke.
"Hei Hai-" Bain Chao abruptly cut Hei Hai from speaking any further.
Hei Hai raised one hand towards Bian Chao gesturing him to stop. "Don't worry, I won't speak more than necessary." He said with a serious look.
Bian Chao calmly nodded his head. "Ok."
Hei Hai then continued talking with the tiny red flame.
"You see, young man, the universe is quite large and mysterious. Strong may have been we were back then but our enemies were even stronger."
"It was a desperate battle. The Demon God and Spirit God were used to be lifelong rivals! It was hard for the two to even look each other in the eyes."
"Even such rivals reconciled to fight against their common enemies! The fight lasted for decades but in the end even after the two joined hands together they couldn't triumph over their enemies."
"Battered with wounds and exhausted to the extreme, the two gods lured as many enemies as they could to fight in a separate Universal Dimension. They severed the connection gates of that Universal Dimension and locked themselves with the enemies for a life and death battle."
"They somehow managed to kill all their enemies but in the end they both perished together with their enemies."
"Though they were lucky enough to keep their Nascent Souls safe!" Hei Hai narrated.
"Siiii... Just who were the enemies that the two gods had to join hands to fight to death?" Furong sucked in cold air.
"You don't have to know that... For now! You will automatically find out about it when you reach our Cultivation Rank." Bian Chao said.
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"Er... Your Cultivation Rank..." Furong tried to ask about it.
"That too. Didn't I tell you not to know more than you should? Everything has a proper time for it. You should just keep walking with steady steps." Bian Chao gently smiled.
"Aa... Yes." Furong complied.
"Ah! Sir Demon God just said that you two died back then with your enemies but as I see only Sir Demon God seems to be a Spiritual Body. As for Sir Spirit God..."
"I am a Spiritual Body too." Bian Chao answered before Furong could finish his question.
"Hmm?" Furong sounded confused.
Bian Chao saw Furong's confusion so he explained.
"Well you see, there are four races out there, Human Race, Demon Race, Spirit Race and Monster Race."
"Except for the Human Race all the other three races are divided further into species and subspecies. Well, we don't have to dig deeper into this for now."
"You see, all the four different races have their own special qualities."
"Human Race is known for their adaptability, like fusing with other races' bloodlines or being able to Cultivate other races Martial Arts."
"It's also the reason why they are feared and shunned by the other three races."
"Demon Race is known for their strength! They only respect the strong."
"Monster Race is kinda similar to the Demon Race, they too respect the strong but are extremely prideful. Also they are both good at offense and defense."
"And lastly the Spirit Race is known for their mastery in Spiritual Bodies. They are also the only race which can Cultivate directly with the Spiritual Qi present in the atmosphere. They don't need to convert the Spiritual Qi into another form like the other races do."
"So, since I am from the Spirit Race I have a stronger foundation in Spiritual Body Cultivation. This is also the reason why my Nascent Soul is much more powerful than the other races and hence why my Spiritual Body looks like a living man rather than a ghostly figure even after a billion of years." Bian Chao smugly smiled contrary to his character.
This time it's Hei Hai who rolled his eyes.
"Also there's a reason for my youthful look." Bian Chao continued.
"My Cultivation when I was still alive! You should know this but I think you don't know this. If you break through to a certain rank of Cultivation at a young age you will start aging slower and slower. As you keep climbing through the Cultivation Ranks the aging process will keep slowing down. Hence you will retain a youthful look."
"Also, with your growing Cultivation Rank your lifespan will grow alongside it. At a certain Cultivation Rank you will attain immortality!"
"Ah, not like the Open Ascension rank, that's just pseudo-immortal, since you will still keep aging after achieving that rank. But the immortality I am talking about is when you completely stop aging."
"Your lifespan becomes similar to that of the universe!"
"If no one destroys you, you will live forever and ever. Doesn't that sound like a dream?"
"Well as dreamy as it may sound it's not so easy to achieve immortality. Only one in a trillion can succeed." Bian Chao said with a serious look.
"Climbing through the Cultivation Ranks before you can achieve immortality is a challenge."
"Your aging progress may slow down after achieving a certain Cultivation Rank but your lifespan still has a limit till you achieve the rank high enough to attain immortality! If you die along the way, it's all over."
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"Also, just so you know I reached the Core Formation rank at the age of 16." Bian Chao said with a prideful look.
"Huh! Just so you know I reached the Core Formation rank at the age of 14." Hei Hai mocked.
"Your Dad!... You Demon Race Cultivate Body Transformation techniques before Cultivating Qi! How dare you lie like that." Bian Chao cussed.
"Humph! The four races may Cultivate with different Cultivation Techniques but in terms of performance the Cultivation Ranks are quite similar to each other. Also it's not like all of the Demon Race Cultivates Body Transformation techniques, it differs from species to species." Hei Hai argued.
"Humph!" Bian Chao didn't fight back.
What Hei Hai said is a fact, there's no point in argument.
"Well... Ehem! It looks like we always get out of track with our explanations and forget about the main topic." Bian Chao called for attention.
"It's you who goes out of track, I always stay on the line." Hei Hai defended himself.
Bian Chao rolled his eyes.
"What were we talking about again?... Oh right! The reason for us to not leave this void." Bian Chao gathered his thoughts.
"You see young man, the fight with our enemies was not on some small scale, after all it took two gods to join hands right? Well, it was a tough battle!"
"Not only us but even the people close to us got involved in it. Most of them suffered casualties... Sigh!" Bian Chao said with deep sorrow.
"After the death-battle in the locked Universal Dimension we both were only left with our Nascent Souls, even if we got out of here there was nothing much we could do without a Physical Body. We would have only become a burden to the others. Even with all our efforts, we only managed to somehow reconstruct our Spiritual Bodies with whatever Spiritual Qi was left in the unstable Universal Dimension."
"Also, though Hei Hai said we were lucky enough to keep our Nascent Souls but he didn't mention that after our death battle we were left unconscious for several years!"
"In the world of Martial Arts a lot can happen just in a few seconds, let alone a few years. Heh!" Bian Chao scoffed.
"I am sorry to hear this." Furong sympathized.
"Ah, no need to feel bad for us young man, that's just how the world works! Nothing is definite in this universe, it's ever-changing!" Bian Chao shrugged.
"Well, there you have it, our reason for not getting out of here. Also after staying here for a few years we discovered this Behemoth Egg and got a friend to chat with, even though it's just an egg it is quite knowledgeable."
"Primal Beasts like the Behemoth actually never perish, they just enter a life cycle of hatching from an egg, then growing into an adult beast, then turning back to an egg. Quite mysterious isn't it." Bian Chao admired the marvels of creation.
"Also it's quite difficult for the Egg to hatch as the conditions are similar to going against the Heavens."
"The Heavens really love to get in everyone's way huh? Hahaha..." Bian Chao laughed.
Then he suddenly went silent and gazed into the distant darkness and spoke in a calm manner.
"We waited in this void for several dozen years for good news to come. Hoping someone from our side may come looking for us, but..." He sighed, shaking his head.
"Hundred of years passed into thousands of years and we both understood that things didn't end well for our side."
"We gave up all our hopes and decided to perish hoping to join our loved ones in the Netherworld. Kinda just like you."
"But as crazy as it may sound, we both were stopped by an Egg." Bian Chao smiled and gazed towards the Behemoth Egg with warmth in his eyes.
"The baby Behemoth's voice bEgged us to keep him company in his loneliness."
"After losing our important ones in the battle we both understood how loneliness can make one suffer! We couldn't just ignore this young one, who knows for how long it has been suffering as an egg in the void."
He then turned back to the tiny red flame.
"Well, while keeping company to the Behemoth Egg we both came to a decision to pass our teachings to two separate individuals whoever may stumble upon here by luck or misfortune. Of course the character of the person is important. We gods also have our pride, we don't want our name to be smeared with mud." Bian Chao proclaimed.
"Well, unfortunately not a single soul appeared here for over a billion years. We had already given up any hope and were just waiting for our demise from depletion of Soul Energy."
"But you young man suddenly appeared with a bright light in our dark life... Eh... That kinda sounded perfect, didn't it? Hahaha... Good! Good!" Bian Chao pulled out a bad joke.
"Well you may be just a weak Nascent Soul but it's better than having no one!"
"After you appeared 500 years ago, both of us gods came to an unanimous decision to take you as a common disciple. Tough you will become our common heir now. Hahaha..." Bian Chao said in a jolly mood.
Then he solemnly asked. "Young man, what do you think?"
"To be frank with you, we both really want to make you our heir. Also... It is to keep our promise to the Behemoth Egg, to help it get out of this empty void. With this we both can pass to the Netherworld in peace." Bian Chao humbly said.
"But... Both of you were such great Cultivators, you can just go out and snatch a new Physical Body right? Don't you wish to tread the path of Cultivation again? To explore the many possibilities?" Furong asked.
"Bullshit!" It's Hei Hai who scolded Furong.
"Young man, weren't you listening to what Bian Chao said? You even ask us to do such a lowly thing like snatching someone else's body. You totally disappointed me. Sigh!"
"Er... I didn't mean it like that, it's just... I thought it would be much better for you guys to get a new life rather than someone like me." Furong meekly said.
He then murmured. "Even if I get a new life, what will I do with it? It's not like there are people out there waiting for me."
"Fuck your arse!... Ugh!... Wait, that didn't sound right... Well whatever." Hei Hai shouted.
"You fucker don't have anyone waiting for you but do you think someone is waiting for us two gods after 1.7 billion years has passed? Heck! I bet even my 1000th generation must have passed by now. Well... If I have the 1000th generation of descendants that is."
"Young man we two have lived long enough and have no more desires left. So no need to worry about us." Bian Chao tried to mediate the situation.
"Also, don't you still have that little maid of yours? Who knows maybe she still loves you and mourns for you?"
"What if she was truly forced by your Elder Brother? Don't you want to find out the truth?"
"I-I want to but..." Furong sounded dispirited.
"Well it's not like you can just go out and ask her about it after leaving here." Bian Chao said.
"You should first get strong enough to face that whole clan else they will just squash you like a mosquito at sight."
"Also, don't you want to avenge your mother? Don't you want to avenge yourself? After all, both of you died in the hands of the same clan. It's true you self-destructed but wasn't the clan indirectly related to your death?" Bian Chao fueled the flames.
"But-But doesn't nothing good comes out of revenge?" Furong meekly said.
"Sigh! You are really a kind-hearted and naive person. I am scared that if you walk out in the Martial World with this kind of attitude, your head will be lobbed off within a few seconds." Hei Hai sighed.
"Sigh!... It's true." Bian Chao sighed too.
…
Then Hei Hai suddenly shouted. "Disciple Furong! It's time for your first class!"
"Yes?!" Furong is shocked by Hei Hai's sudden declaration.
"It's 'Yes Master!' You pathetic piece of shit!" Hei Hai scolded Furong.
"Er... Umm... Yes Master!" Furong hurriedly answered in a broken voice.
"Good! First you will attend my lesson on 'The Ways Of The Martial World' and then it will be your Master Spirit God's turn. Got it?" Hei Hai dominantly asked.
"Yes Master." Furong answered with haste.
"Good! You learn fast." Hei Hai smirked.
On the side Bian Chao stood with a blank face. It happened so fast he couldn't understand what had transpired. He scratched his own head thinking…
'Wait what? The Way Of The Martial World? What?...'
…
Without any preparation or ceremony the Masters-Disciple relationship has been officialised.
Hei Hai's lecture went on for several days! He didn't teach Furong any Cultivation Techniques nor anything about Martial Arts. He just talked about the Martial World and the common sense of the Martial World.
It's like he is brainwashing Furong.
When it's Bian Chao's turn to teach, he got scared witless after listening to Furong's tone which now sounded like a second version of Hei Hai.
It took him a lot of effort to get his disciple back to normal.
He cursed Hei Hai millions of times in his mind.
After this even the Behemoth Egg took it's turn to teach Furong. But they ended up playing word games in the end.
Even though the Behemoth is a Primal Beast and it retains its memories at every part of its life cycle, it's quite innocent.
It may have a broad knowledge but in heart it still acts like a child.
Maybe being such a powerful beast it never got the chance to mingle with other creatures.
While Furong and Behemoth were chatting, the two gods disappeared somewhere in the darkness.
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