21. A Father's Wish Comes True

"Where is this…? This is not the world of death; not the world of sadness and loneliness; is this finally heaven? Or is this hell?"

The world is a color of jade not black; Hal received no memory and he can't hear anything. He opened his eyes and found himself floating about.

His body transparent, and the cries of souls echoing in his ears. He could still feel rage burning within him, but he could not differentiate it if that rage was still his.

Waving his hand, he sealed away his emotions once again returning his humanity to where it originally stood – in tarnation. However, just as he was about to seal his emotions, Hal stopped.

He looked at himself, thinking if he should truly seal his emotions or not.

'That kind of feeling when I was alive…it was a good feeling. Having emotions, trying new things, finding you own road to walk on, and growing stronger, I want to live like that once more. Sadly, my life ended…am I a hypocrite?

'I wish to live and yet I gladly laid down the life I painstakingly gained to avenge my sisters. Do I regret doing so? I do not. I may or may not be a hypocrite, but I can tell that in this life, other than not living long enough, I am satisfied.'

Hal had forgotten what had transpired in his first life, and he does not know what it is that he felt when he died. But at this moment he once again claimed that he is satisfied with this life that ended shorter than before.

However, unlike last time this time, he did not want to let go of life.

He wishes to live again, to walk on his two fleshy feet and become a cultivator of the myriad world seeking longevity and having adventure no one has had the chance to go on.

If there is desire, fate would answer as long as the thread of destiny remains uncut.

In that viridescent world time flowed in a manner, he did not know. It never got dark nor did it get brighter. The color of the world became stagnant and he can hear no one.

It was like the time when he was in the world of death, where he waited for the next death to experience; the only difference is that instead of death, he can feel life.

With the warmth of life, Hal could tell that he has a chance to live. Then, the heavens answered his prayer and gave him.

A dark red ball appeared from above him and floated down and stopped at his chest.

The dark red ball was like a ball of mist, unstable without proper form. It flickered with the slightest touch and fought Hal's approach.

It moved around trying to get away, but Hal caught it in his hands and the wisp entered his body through his hands.

A sweet taste surfaced even though no contact in his mouth was made.

But it was there, and the sweet taste made him hunger for more wisp.

His body trembled as his desires grew by the passing hour. From time to time there would be red balls of wisp coming into the jade world momentarily satiating his desire to eat more of the ball of wisps.

However, as time goes on, the number of wisps began to decrease and his hunger grew. The jade world responded to his desire and trembled with great intensity.

The trembling didn't stop until his hunger was satiated, and as time goes on and the more wisps he consumes, the more he grew in terms of physicality and senses.

His sense of hearing returned and he finally managed to hear some words. But only the loudest of words could be heard, screams and shouts entered filling the jade world with what sounded like death throes to Hal.

The more screams alarmed Hal, the more he understood what these red wisps were.

"Are these souls?"

Hal was unsure as if they truly are souls, but nevertheless, even with his curiosity bursting, Hal did not stop with eating the said wisps. The wisps were very delicious for him. They are sustaining him and it makes him feel grow stronger.

Hal felt alive when he eats more of these wisps, but as time went on, as he continued eating wisps, he encountered something bizarre.

"Are you the one they are going to feed me to!? Do you really think that I will let you devour my soul!?" An Elder with very bizarre external features appeared before him.

The elder darted forward and with his fingers formed as claws. Hal was taken aback and took a step back, but before the elder can even make it a meter away from Hal, his figure suddenly stopped moving as an invisible chain shackled and stopped him from doing anything untoward Hal.

"What the hell is this!? Sovereign! Is this your doing!?"

The Elder screamed in indignation, slowly, the Elder's body disappeared, As he finally vanished and entered Hal's mind, a unique but at the same time common phenomena transpired.

Memories of the old man flowed in Hal's mind. The Elder's memories were fragmented as if it was damaged. Only bits could be seen by Hal.

The memories started when he was young and fell in love at the age of fifteen. The woman he loved was supposed to marry him but at the night of their marriage, his beloved died after having been raped by a cultivator.

The old man raged, he tried to get revenge but was stopped by his family. All of them smiled for him saying, "She was lucky that she got to spend a night with an immortal."

Later, he would learn that his family and his supposed in-laws were given gold by the so-called Immortal.

The Elder didn't wallow in despair but went and took his revenge but even after hundreds of years, nothing has changed. Hal could tell because until the moment he died, the lingering hatred remained.

"What a poor life you have lived."

Hal accepted the soul and his hatred placing him in the pool of resentment. Hal will never go to avenge this old man's lover, but he will keep it in his heart and learn from his mistakes.

After all of that happened, the jade world exploded into an iridescent light. Slowly, he found a form of warmth and the sensation of having a body returned. The moon was presented to him as the stars blanketed the world.

The layers of darkness returned to its subtle image as Hal lowered his head and saw a man nearing his death. He is sure that he is alive, the number of times he had been granted life had been staggering.

As he confirmed that his heart was beating, he was breathing and even retained his Core Formation Cultivation, Hal is sure that he was alive and as he opened his mouth he asked.

"Were you the one who gave me life?"

"Young Master Hal, I welcome you back to the world of the living." The dying man answered.

Hal took a step forward, no need to get used to a body. He already experienced such a thing, thousands of times before. His soul and mind already got a good grasp of this body.

"You…are dying…I shall try and save you, my benefactor." Hal wanted to save the man before him, but he saw him shake his head before he can do anything.

"There is no need. My body…it had already suffered for years, and I have lived in pain for centuries. You need to try to save a dying man like me for I am already destined to past, but Young Master Hal listens to my request."

Hal didn't hesitate to nod his head in agreement.

"Haha, as straightforward as your father. Head to the Soul Transformation Academy and take my daughter with you. Although you are alive, your body and soul has yet to resonate. Thus, you must train in the way of a Soul-Beast Cultivator I~*Cough*"

Shi Feng coughed up a liter of black blood and began to laugh, "Hehe, it seems like my body is nearing its end. Good thing I already listed what you need to do in case such a thing happens."

Shi Feng took off his bracelet and handed it over to Hal.

"Inside this bracelet is a book, read it and you shall understand. There is another Aether Bracelet within, everything your parents wanted to give you is inside. Their letters and their hopes…"

Hal looked at him in pity, "You have yet to say your request, tell them else you will die with it in your chest."

Shi Feng chuckled as he listened to Hal, he raised his hand and pointed to Yuan Xiurong, "Please…help my daughter…live…the book��it contains…my…will."

Shi Feng finally breathed his last. Shi Feng was a father and throughout his journey, his only wish was to see his daughter live a normal life.

She had died ten years ago. Unlike Hal, it took him years to give his daughter life. When Yuan Xiurong died, she was someone with a wonderful smile, after reviving her he wished to see that smile once again.

But it was clear that after she got revived, Yuan Xiurong has yet to regain most of her humanity as her soul slumbered within.

Time passed and sadly, even as Shi Feng drew his last breath, he never saw her smile or even cry. But as a father, he was satisfied. And as his vitality escaped him, Shi Feng smiled for at least he is sure that his daughter is alive.

Hal watched as Shi Feng drew his last. He closed his eyes and then began to walking away and clothing himself before using his hands to dig the entire night. Slowly, Hal dug the earth, he held no emotional connection to Shi Feng but he wishes to give him a proper burial.

And as the sun gradually rose from the east, he finished digging and threw Shi Feng's body to the hole he had dug. The earth became Shi Feng's last resting bed and as the earth accepted him, Yuan Xiurong awoke.

She opened her eyes and saw the mound twenty meters in front of her and the young man standing adjacent to it. Her lips trembled as she stood up. She stood before the young man and asked, "Is he…?"

She cannot finish her words.

Hal looked at the mound and prostrated before it. He knocked his head three times to the ground before answering, "Yes…benefactor Shi Feng is buried here."

Yuan Xiurong also got on her knees, and for the first time in years, she cried. As Shi Feng died, Yuan Xiurong regained her tears.

And as she sobbed and wailed. As tears fell, one of Shi Feng's wishes came alive. Sadly, he is no longer of this world to see his daughter once more shed tears for the tears she shed was for the father who wished for sadness to appear.