Unmade and Reborn

Chapter 76

Unmade and Reborn

Lu Yang had locked himself up in his room as soon as they returned to the longhouse, and had stayed there for the past two days without leaving. Leo didn't force him, either, as he could seldom grasp what the old man was going through. Instead, he let him have the space, leaving plates of food and juice in front of the room. He'd find them cleaned later on, so it didn't seem that the old man loathed him entirely.

Even if Leo was a bit on the empty-headed side, he could grasp a few peculiarities from the reaction as well as the question. It seemed that, at some point in the distant past, humanity was close to being extinct. According to the spread-out myth, as it were, the cause for that were the First Demons, whoever they were, while, according to the stele, it was the opposite--the First Demons were shielding and sheltering humanity from whatever other threat existed at the time.

An image was forming inside of Leo's head of a time before time, place before place, but he stopped it; he only knew the shallow surface, if that, and was in no position to make claims about anything. Even trying to delve deeper than the top layer had resulted in a fallout, and either he would never learn, or now simply wasn't the time.

With Lu Yang in isolation, he went back to tending to garden, and now with the longhouse completed, he seldom had a thing to do all day long--thus, he focused on the next point of his cultivation journey: Core Formation.

Thanks to the system's level-up to Level 2, he had working knowledge of the first few realms, including Core Formation Realm, as well as including the process of ascending toward it. The goal was to shatter the 'foundation' within dantian (metaphorically, as it wasn't literal foundation) and use the shards to coalesce them into a fast-spinning core. 

Though it seemed simple enough, Leo worried. The word 'shatter', after all, bore dangerous connotations, and if he in some way messed up, it might result in such a backlash that he'd lose his ability to cultivate. He pondered in silence for the past two days, wondering whether he should wait for the kids to return and ask them, or even ask Lu Yang, but he didn't have the courage for it. 

It wasn't even about keeping up with the persona that he'd constructed, but more that he feared they'd leave and never return. 

Finally deciding to go for it no matter what, he packed a few provisions (including the Core-Forging Pill), and headed toward the unsung paradise. He hadn't been in quite some time as he'd been busy, and was looking forward to seeing it. 

Unlike the last few times he ventured out, he was now escorted by quite a few animals. There were the usual suspects, but there were also the occasional visitors. It was as though they knew what he was about to do and came out to support him and cheer him on. 

By the time he reached the 'pit', there were just about forty animals scattered about--some joined along the way, some were seemingly waiting at the pit, and though their numbers were grand, they all stepped back and gave him space. 

Leo felt a bit awkward, having not expected an audience. Now, there was no room for failure--if he, somehow, did fail, he'd probably sooner die of embarrassment rather than whatever consequence awaited. 

Taking a deep breath, he sat down by the edge of the pit--not just at the tip, but some ways back in case he toppled over and fell. There was little to ponder, so he only waited a moment to see whether his heart would calm down... but it did not and, deep down, he knew that it wouldn't. Forgoing everything else, he took the pill from the robes--faintly-flaming orb the size of a small seed, inspecting it only for a second before popping it into his mouth.

Fearing there may be bad taste associated with it (as was with most medicinal things), he immediately swallowed, closed his eyes, and followed 'instructions' on how to break into the Core Formation Realm. 

**

Lu Yang hid himself in the room for one exact reason--shame.

It felt as though his blood had been overcome with shame, and his soul with embarrassment. He didn't have the courage to look Leo in the eye, or any of the Spirits of the forest. After all, everything he ever believed in... was a lie, and he its staunch herald. 

How was it, he feared, that the history got distorted so? And, more to the point, why? Why would the writs of the past lie about what happened? It wasn't merely distorting certain events or exaggerating them as was the case with some other myths, it was an outright distorting of the events that transpired. 

Luckily, it didn't seem as though Leo did it as means of punishment, since he still offered him food. It was likely to break him, to undo the dozens of years of lies, and set him on the correct path. And it wasn't through a story, but through an experience. 

Lu Yang recalled glancing up from his breakdown and witnessing the black tiger standing upon the ledge, staring at the stele. That was when he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, what the truth and what the lie were. 

Perhaps this was why the Spirits welcomed Leo and embraced him, despite shunning mankind. Though Lu Yang was wrong as to why they shunned the mankind, as it was even worse than he believed, it was becoming a bit clearer, Leo's role in everything. Perhaps he was here as a herald of that truth, to usher in its age, and to wash away the sins of humanity's past. 

But it was worrisome... everything.

First Demons have always been considered the opposite of mankind, its 'evil' half, as it were. That was why any people or groups trying to emulate them were considered heretical and chased down 'till the last woman and child, until there was nothing left of them. It wouldn't be any different if Lu Yang suddenly went out and started speaking 'the truth'. He'd be chased down and killed in the matter of days. 

Just as his thoughts began to swirl once more, he felt something--something profoundly divine, holy, and sacred. As though by a will beyond his own, he stepped out of the longhouse for the first time in two days and bore witness to the light that took up the sky some ways from the camp. 

A visage of a banyan tree appeared, perfectly symmetrical, almost like a canopy to the canopy itself, a looming shield over the forest marked as its guardian. Staring at the holy visage of the tree, Lu Yang felt his Qi churn--Dao was speaking to him like a mother would to a child, and it guided him. It was a voiceless voice, a wordless message, a heedless call... and it took over him like a storm overtaking a tiny boat in the middle of the sea. 

He was at the mercy of something beyond his comprehension, so much so that he fell to his knees and wondered whether he had any right to bear witness to something like this. There were no texts that he'd read, stories that he'd heard, or even myths that ever quite aligned with this. Such a grand manifestation of Dao... it was impossible. 

It was impossible for even the Earthly Immortals, the peak of the known cultivation realms. 

He felt his dantian shatter and be reborn seven times in a row, and felt his soul be torn and reforged just the same; his entire spirit was elevated, and he felt himself be swayed by Qi so primal he feared he'd be devoured. But... he wasn't. 

Instead, it washed through him, freezing his meridians before thawing them with primordial flames. His soul tore free from his body and he heaved up toward the sky, beyond the boundary of an eye, and saw it--the banyan tree... was endless. It was Dao at its purest, shorn of blemishes. 

It was only the briefest of glimpses, just enough for his mind to feel it, but it changed him... forever.

His entire body shed, but his appearance remained unchanged--by choice. 

Opening his eyes, he saw the world around him differently. Colors were less dull, the motes of light coming apart at their seams, the wisps of between glimmering. 

Looking at his hand, he felt... uncertain, as all of it felt unreal. He'd reached Soul Ascendance Realm in one fell swoop. Something that he didn't even have any aspirations towards, a dream he'd abandoned decades ago... was fulfilled. He'd reached the heights only legendary figures did and, even more than that, knew that this would not be the end of his journey... only the beginning.

His heart reeling, tears swelled in the corners of his eyes. 

Why?

Why him? 

What did he do to deserve this grace? 

It wasn't long before the figure emerged from between the trees. He looked the same, unchanged, but Lu Yang caught it: the golden light within the black eyes, the faint flicker fading. 

"E-eh? Lu Yang? Is everything alright?" he queried. 

"... yes," the mystique would remain, onward and forever. But... he knew. Before him was a man who would undo the world, for certain, and right the wrongs. And he'd be by his side all through, unmade and made anew. It was a gift that could never be repaid, and so he would not even try. "Would you like for me to share you my Clan's history? I'd rather not make excuses for my undue behavior two days ago, but I feel context might help you understand." 

"If you feel like it," he said. Spirits emerged soon behind him, all basked in the same glow as Lu Yang. 

"My Clan was founded in the year 606 of New Era," Lu Yang said. "Two hundred and forty-one years ago, birthed shortly after the fall of the Divine Empire of the Moon, while the Lower Ashlands were reeling in countless conflicts and wars..."