A Will Eternal: Blood Ancestor [(3)] |
It was hard to say how much time had passed.
The temple on Heavenspan Island, was packed with too many cultivators to count. They wore extravagant garments and all had very solemn expressions on their faces.
Sir Frigid Blood wore a fancy robe, blood-red in color and embroidered with gold. He wore a gilded daoist crown and had a girdle embroidered with golden dragons. At the staircase leading up into the temple, he knelt, his face a mixture of solemnity and ferocity.
At the top of the majestic staircase was Daoist Heavenspan, whose temples were already gray with age. Holding a scroll of decree in front of him, he said, “Sir Frigid Blood, you drove the Arch-Emperor’s army millions upon millions of kilometers away and slaughtered five heavenly kings. You are hereby appointed as dao child of the eastern reaches, where you will rule over all cities and lands.” After reading the proclamation, his gaze turned warm. “Han’er, what other reward would you like? I’ll give you anything.”
“Uh....” Sir Frigid Blood hesitated. He wasn’t really interested in being a dao child or ruling over the eastern reaches. There was only one thing he wanted.... Mustering his courage, he loudly said in front of everyone present, “Your disciple Xue Han wishes to be wed to Zhen Ling’er. Master, I hope you’ll allow us to be daoist partners!”
Zhen Ling’er stood on the other side of the staircase. When she heard Sir Frigid Blood’s words, her heart leaped. A flush spread out over her normally valiant and formidable face. Instead of looking decisive like usual, she suddenly seemed a bit bashful.
“What do you say, Ling’er?” Daoist Heavenspan said, looking over at Zhen Ling’er.
Blushing furiously, Zhen Ling’er glanced at Sir Frigid Blood, then clasped hands and bowed deeply to Daoist Heavenspan. “It’s all up to you, Master!”
Daoist Heavenspan laughed heartily. “I approve!”
“I approve.” The words echoed in the mind of the blood-red giant. That was the happiest moment of his life. The giant was a mass of grisly wounds, and his blood was nearly run dry. Yet a smile still appeared on his face. That memory was a tiny scrap of comfort within his infinitude of pain.
The black-robed old man looked at the giant with pity in his eyes. “Daoist Heavenspan was the ultimate patron. Zhen Ling’er was the love of your life. When the two of them ended up at odds, it must have been very painful for you.”
After a long moment of silence, the giant said, “I... don’t owe anything to anyone.”
And then his mind filled with the memory he most certainly did not want to recall.
***
The northern reaches of Heavenspan were covered in sheets of ice. The Frigid School was already flourishing. The snow-covered roofs of pavilions and towers stretched far off into the distance.
In one particular ice palace, Sir Frigid Blood sat on a throne of jade, consolidating his most recent enlightenment regarding his technique. Next to him was Zhen Ling’er, who was dressed like an ordinary housewife, but was serving as dharma protector for him. Time passed.
Eventually, Sir Frigid Blood opened his eyes and looked at his daoist partner. “Elder Sister, there’s something off about you recently. What’s troubling you?”
Zhen Ling’er said nothing for a short time. Then she looked deeply into Sir Frigid Blood’s eyes and said, “Haven’t you noticed that there’s something suspicious going on with Master?”
Sir Frigid Blood thought for a moment. Most of his attention was focused on cultivation, but it was true that he had noticed a change in Daoist Heavenspan’s personality, though he had no idea what had caused it.
“Master has become colder,” Zhen Ling’er said, holding nothing back. “It’s a coldness that has gradually become unbearable to me.”
“What if you’re overthinking things?” Sir Frigid Blood asked.
“I wish that were the case. Do you remember that silver pearl I gave you a while back?”
“I remember. It’s sealed with a power that not even Master could pierce. I put it into storage.”
Zhen Ling’er looked at Sir Frigid Blood, her eyes full of regret and unwillingness. It was as if she knew a lot more about the situation than Sir Frigid Blood, but didn’t want to speak the words to him.
***
A golden bolt of lightning split the sky overhead, like a blade that sliced the violet cloud cover in two. Then a clap of thunder echoed out like a roar, dragging the blood-red giant from memories and into the present. The golden lightning bolt was like a shout from Daoist Heavenspan, and also like a deadly blade designed to end Sir Frigid Blood’s life.
Pain and turmoil were etched on the giant’s face, and a piercing ache surged in his heart. He wanted to take a deep breath, but instead, a suffocating sensation overwhelmed him.
“Life is the same for everyone,” the black-robed old man said. “It’s a host of painful memories. And what’s worse, the harder you struggle, the more powerless you become.... It’s like this blood-red rain, falling from heaven onto the lands below. That is what predestination is like.”
He held out his hand, and the blood-red rain landed on his palm, seeped through his fingers, and fell to the ground.
The giant said nothing in response. His face was a mask of pain. No matter how he fought against it, his mind filled with the memory of that most agonizing moment....
The Frigid School was in the northern reaches, amidst the endless ice fields. Blood was splattered on the ground, creating a vivid contrast with the white snow. The previously majestic Frigid School had experienced unheard-of calamity. It was now nothing more than ruins. Apparently, the Heavenspan Daogates wanted to completely eradicate the Frigid School from the northern reaches of the lands of Heavenspan.
Daoist Heavenspan and Zhen Ling’er hovered in the air. They had experienced a complete falling out.
“You’re sick, Ling’er. But I don’t blame you.”
“Cut the crap, Master. You showed me kindness in raising me, and I never complained about anything. I put my life on the line for you fighting the Arch-Emperor Dynasty. I killed many heavenly kings, and in the end, I drove the Arch-Emperor Dynasty out of the Heavenspan Realm. Yet how do you treat me, Master?”
As for Sir Frigid Blood, he stood in front of his daoist partner, torn about what to do. On one side was his revered Master. On the other side was the love of his life.
“Han’er, your Elder Sister has been possessed by the discarnate soul of the Arch-Emperor. She isn’t herself anymore. I have a way to ensure she recovers. I can drive out the discarnate soul of the Arch-Emperor. But we can’t afford to waste time, otherwise the situation will become irreversible!” Daoist Heavenspan’s expression was one of fatherly grief.
Zhen Ling’er, who was already wounded, looked at Sir Frigid Blood and said, “Don’t listen to him, Junior Brother. I’m still me. There’s no possession going on. From the moment he took me as an apprentice, he had ulterior motives. He wanted us to cultivate the Undying Live Forever Technique so that he could turn the two of us into an Undying Live Forever Pill! Then he could leave this world. Don’t let him pull the wool over your eyes!”
Daoist Heavenspan looked with pity at Zhen Ling’er. “Time is running out, Han’er.”
“You can’t trust him, Junior Brother. He’s after your Undying Codex....”
“If we delay any further, Han’er, there won’t be any time left....”
“Junior Brother....”
“Han’er....”
“....”
“....”
Voices and memories swept through the giant like flood waters. They pierced into the mind of the giant, gnawing at him vexatiously.
“GRAHHHHH!” the giant screamed, unable to take it any further. He staggered, then fell forward into the Heavenspan River. Waves surged, and icy water sent pain deep into his bones. The same thing happened in his memories.
“Back then, you hesitated, didn’t you?” asked the black-robed old man.
His question caused the giant to tremble violently. Then he laughed bitterly as he struggled back to his feet and started walking through the Heavenspan River again.
“Yes, I hesitated....”