Chapter 4

When the lightning strikes a few feet away from him, incinerating a hole a couple of inches deep despite the hardened, divine-rank soil, Yao Kang understands that he has been too hasty: for the second time tonight, vivid emotions have clouded his judgment, forced to him act without thinking.

Immortal Tribulations are known not to care about the collateral damage they cause, focused only on destroying their target. And right in the center of it, Yao Kang has thought about simply running through – he ought to give himself a good wake-up slap.

Yao Kang takes out another talisman from his pouch and activates it, causing strong gusts of wind to surround him, protecting him from harm. As the tornado redirects and blocks the lightning bolts, Yao Kang glances back, where hidden by the oaks and pines lies a corpse, the evidence of his crime.

In truth, Yao Kang hasn't killed anyone before. Not directly, at least, as he never has considered himself a violent man. For his entire life, he has preferred to deal with conflicts in a diplomatic way – he would apologize, he would concede and he would compromise. But the sheer ease with which he took a life, without a second thought resulting to murder when something important has been on the line, forces him to reconsider his approach.

Is he truly a diplomat, or has he just been afraid of using force, fearing that it would be, one day, used against him?

In order to form their Dao, to strong-arm the Heavens into acknowledging their will, cultivators must have unshakable confidence in themselves – and confidence comes from self-reflection.

'But goddamn it.' – Yao Kang curses in his head – 'Killing Deng Peng like that was beyond stupid…'

The sect will know, there is no doubt about that. A newly-emerged genius found dead mere hours after his startling victory – a Sage will be sent to investigate. And there is no hiding from a monster of the Time Dominion stage: they would turn back time, view truth of the past with a simple flicker of their hand.

Yao Kang should've gone back and acquired a Time Distortion talisman: they were rare and expensive, but he could get one after some effort.

He should've planned it better: instead of committing the deed himself, he could've paid someone else or made it look like an accident.

He should've sent a message to Deng Peng, instead of letting so many people see them leave together.

So many 'should' – but only one 'already did'.

Yao Kang looks at the sky. A woman stands amidst the clouds, revealing herself to be the true aim of the Heavens' wrath: bolt after bolt, the lightning strikes her, yet she gazes at their attempts in utter contempt. She opens her mouth and blows: a terrible gale appears, one that eviscerates the nearby lightning from existence and even seems to shrink the clouds.

The woman then turns to the gate.

"Open up for this lady!" – she yells, before raising her hands in the air and pulling down.

The enormous flying gate shakes from her effort but remains closed.

"You dare not to open up?!" – she yells again – "Take this!"

Her green eyes glow with an even brighter shade of lime and her dark hair changes to match their color.

"Dao Domain – Infinite Winds of Desiccation!"

Winds of tremendous might explode from her body. For thousands of meters, they destroy everything in their path: they uproot millennia-old trees, they lift ferocious beasts and they scoop up unfortunate disciples, caught outside their mountain's formation. The trees are parched, leaving arid branches; The beasts are sucked dried, only wrinkled skin and flimsy bones remain; The disciples, however, are brought down, suffering nothing more than a scare.

When the draught comes for Yao Kang, his eyes widen in horror. He uses all the protective talismans he has, causing dozens of various effects to overlap, but he understands the futility of such actions all too well: it's one thing to defend against a weakened by-product of a tribulation, it's another to withstand a peak-Monarch's domain.

All the talismans do is slow the wind by a fraction of a millisecond: just when he closes his eyes, trembling in preparation for his own death, the winds turn gentle. Caring, even, as they caress his cheek.

"Did Mother frighten you?" – a laughing voice enters his mind.

Yao Kang breathes out in relief.

"I thought you lost control."

"Silly, why would I lose control in my own domain? Ah, but you should've seen your face!"

"How do you even have time for your stupid jokes?" – Yao Kang gruntingly replies – "Aren't you in the middle of a Tribulation?"

"I have three souls, kiddo. Can't I use one to speak to my beloved son?"

Her answer causes Yao Kang to roll his eyes.

"Just… Just finish it quickly, okay? I need to talk to you."

After a second of quiet, his mother responds with concern.

"Did something happen?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I will be out in a couple of hours."

Back in the sky, his mother's body finally chants a spell that knocks the Gate open. It's only a sliver, a tiny hole, but it's enough for her, as she turns into a streak of light and disappears inside.

She has sounded so confident, so assured of her success – but Yao Kang knows, unsealing the gate is the easiest part. It's the challenges inside that cause death of the majority of would-be Immortals.

His sole choice, however, is to exercise patience and hope for the better.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yao Kang is in his room, meditating to calm his worrying mind. More than half a day has passed after his mother has gone into the Immortal Gate, and there's been no news of her since.

To distract himself from the destructive thoughts that would do him nothing good, Yao Kang stares at the mantis through the cage of glass.

This tiny insect is his ticket into the world of cultivation, the cruel, heartless world of miracles and wonder.

Yao Kang is in the first stage of cultivation, Realm of Accumulation or - as it's often called – the Foundation Building Realm. Practitioners of this stage cannot be called true cultivators: they are fledglings at best, preparing themselves for the future by maximizing the potential of their Body, Dantian and Soul.

The former and the latter, Yao Kang has gotten covered years ago.

Accumulation-stage cultivators advance their bodies by breaking Mortal Shackles: limiters put in every human so that they don't grow too strong and overturn the natural order of things. Those who shatter all seven – a rare feat, as the Core can be formed after fracturing just one – would have the strength of ten men before advancing.

Someone like Liu Chen, who ate strengthening pills like candy and drank nourishing elixirs like juice, had the strength of twenty men despite having a single shackle left to destroy.

And Yao Kang?

Yao Kang clenches his fist, feeling the enormous might contained in his muscles. Feeling the vigor of his black blood, a side-effect of his Ancient Behemoth Physique.

Give him three Liu Chens, all infused with Qi – then it might a challenge.

But physical strength is far from his only gift. Back in the Arena, Liu Chen discovered the Qi on Deng Peng's blade only when it neared his face – Yao Kang would've known as soon as the Qi was applied, his fully-formed, mutated Spiritual Root far too sensitive to miss it.

Yet, his most valuable talent, and by far at that, is his eyes. Eyes of Knowledge – or Eyes of Instant Comprehension…

"Come see me." – his mother's tired voice distracts him from his musings.

Yao Kang excitedly jumps up, picks up the mantis' cage, and dashes towards the door.

He has to admit: he hasn't expected his first real encounter with his mother, after her decade-long seclusion, to be like… this.

She's bloodied from head to toe. Dreadful burns cover her skin, ghastly gnashes mutilate her chest. Her left arm is cut off at the shoulder, her right eye is gouged out.

She's lying on the couch, surrounded by tending servants.

"Mother!" – Yao Kang shouts as runs forward and grabs her hand – "What… What happened?"

His mother attempts to chuckle – instead, she coughs out blood.

"The tribulation turned out…" – she sounds raspy and hoarse – "Turned out to be a bit more difficult than planned."

"But don't worry, kiddo. It may not look like it, but I've succeeded."

"You did?" – Yao Kang gives her a skeptical look.

"Yes. If anyone refers to me as Monarch now, instead of an Immortal, you'll have to cripple them for their insult."

Yao Kang smiles and leans in for a hug – she may be injured, but how could he possibly worsen her wounds?

She embraces him in return, putting her singular arm on his back.

Her body doesn't feel like flesh: it resembles marble, a tough, unbreakable stone. What kind of force could leave her in such a state?

Yao Kang also notices her lack of breathing. Not once, during their several minutes of close proximity, has she inhaled. She doesn't need to anymore.

"How long until you recover?" – Yao Kang asks, pulling away.

"These surface wounds? A few decades, if I manage to procure the right pills." – she says – "However, honey, you should know: I won't go past True Immortal in my lifetime."

"Part of the reason for my grave injuries is that I lacked experiences to form my Dao Seed. My heart wasn't firm enough, my will not necessarily tempered."

"I'm still alive only because I have sacrificed all of my potential and a good part of my foundation to force the Seed into shaping."

"You…" – Yao Kang whispers.

Why didn't she have enough experiences? Why didn't she have a firm Dao Heart? Because she was too young! And why did she attempt a breakthrough at such a young age?

Because of him!

"Don't blame yourself." – she sternly orders – "It was my decision. I thought I was ready and I was wrong."

"I will still live forever. I will still become a Thousand Mountain Sect's Elder. It's simply my cultivation path that has come to an end, which means I can focus on other things. Finding you a good wife, for example."

"Mother!"

"There you are. You were being so silent, I thought you were planning to disown me for being useless, not having a chance to reach godhood."

"You are speaking nonsense again."

"I'm Desiccating Draught True Immortal. I can speak whatever I want to speak."

Yao Kang palms his face but is unable to stifle a laugh.

"What's that in your hand?" – his mother asks, glancing at the glass cage.

Remembering the mantis, which has been put at the back of his mind once he's seen his mother's wounds, Yao Kang sighs.

"Your son has been unfilial, Mother."

"What do you mean?"

So, Yao Kang explains everything, right from the beginning: from how he met Deng Peng, from how he trained him, from how he learned about the mantis, and how he murdered the boy in utter cold blood.

His mother is actually a righteous cultivator – one that abides by Celestial Laws and one that, at least in theory, should put the interest of her sect above her own. Her possible reaction makes him fret.

However, when he finishes his story, there is no judgment in her eyes. No disgust. She just lets out a deep breath.

"I will have to use Uncle Nianzu's favor to get you out of this. It was supposed to be for your meridians, but since you've solved that problem yourself, I guess it's fine too."

"But what about your injuries? Surely a random disciple dying can't be that big of a deal."

"It's not." – his mother says – "A random disciple of the Sword Pavilion dying is."

Confused, Yao Kang looks at her for an explanation.

"Any other branch, I could've either bullied their master into letting this situation slide or reached some sort of a deal with them. Sword Pavilion, however…" – she shakes her head – "Do you know what we call Jing Lao? Immortal Bitch Queen."

"She is as straightforward and as stubborn as they come. She does not compromise, does not negotiate, and cannot be bribed. If you've committed a crime, then you serve the punishment. Unless you can beat her, which I sure as hell can't."

"Sounds like she can't be particularly well-liked in your circle."

"She isn't." – his mother confirms – "She might be lawful, but she doesn't play by the rules that all of us follow. Why do you think the Sword Pavilion has the smallest mountain? Why are the resources allocated to them are the fewest? It's not because the Sword Pavilion is lacking in scale, it's due to the Administrative Elder hating Jing Lao's guts."

"The only way I can get her off your back is if I use the favor from my ascension. Uncle Nianzu will command her to stand down and she will, the obedient dog she is."

"Enough." – she says, seeing that Yao Kang is about to argue again – "Consider it my investment in the future. When you become a God, won't I have all the favors I need?"

"You have quite a faith in me."

"Of course I do. You are my, Yao Ya's, son."

They stare at each other: one with a gentle, motherly gaze; the other with a resolute, unflinching expression.

"Then I won't let you down. Whatever it takes, I'll engrave my Dao into the Heavens."

"Good boy." – she praises and pats a seat on the bed near herself – "Now, tell me, how did it feel to take a life?"

"It felt like… nothing."

"Oh? Explain."

"When my fist crushed his skull, it was the same for me as stomping an ant with my shoe – if only a bit messier."

"I thought there was supposed to be guilt. Or excitement. Or fear. I felt none of those things. I felt nothing at all."

Yao Ya nods.

"I figured as much." – she acknowledges – "Your nature has always been demonic, son. You were never cruel, but you have always been indifferent. And arrogant too. It's just… when your disability has been revealed, you've started to hide those things. You've covered your apathy with a polite smile, your pride with fake humility."

"You don't need to hide anymore, kiddo." – his mother states – "I'm an Immortal now, and you are once again a genius."

His mother flicks his nose.

"Say, how about we bond you to this mantis?"