Writer: StarReader

Proofreader: Silavin

“They sure know how to work me into the ground.” Zhuo Fan complained with a quirky smile, glad things were going his way for a change and not at the whim of Heavenly Sovereign, despite the looming danger.

While before he was at another’s whim, the situation of now was an improvement to say the least, though not by much. Skirting around imminent death wasn’t by any means enjoyable, but things were getting even more precarious with the latest development.

Soon, Heavenly Sovereign dropped by, playing the ever-insufferable know-it-all. Now, instead of something the enemy needed, he patted himself on the back at the genius move of covering the new Sovereign’s emergence with his demonic path.

He then focused with a smile on his lips on the closely finished star path, smug his plan was bearing fruit.

The joy was short-lived, however, as just a couple days after finishing the star path, another prismatic event took the skies, and with it, Heavenly Sovereign’s infuriatingly precise arrival.

Zhuo Fan handed over the star path after some short yet equally pointless talk about the fate of the world, looking at the upside of things. His side had two Sovereigns and the demonic path, needing just seven more paths to finish this and Heavenly Sovereign.

But as in everything, no plan was foolproof, which was why he was once again hard at work completing the reincarnation path. He figured that all those past lives and the memories that were coming back to him after further advancing in the True Self Art ought to smoothen the process.

As for what reincarnation was, its essence, that was hard to grasp. A simple definition would be restarting one’s life after death, being reborn with no knowledge of the lives one had went through to get so far. But truth was far more complicated than that. It was one thing to say it and another to believe it, even if he had scrambled memories of his past lives.

Which was why he also contemplated over the transformation his soul went through as he lived all those lives. Some mundane, some violent, and very few peaceful. How were his memories erased? Why did it require to go into the next life without them? And perhaps the most important part, what was it about the soul that could allow it to do that when it was impossible to do it in one’s next life unless at the Ethereal Stage.

All these questions were bearing down on him, yet he did not have even the beginning of an answer to just one of them.

Days turned into nights, and Zhuo Fan delved deeper into the mysteries of the reincarnation path. The air was thick with strange energy as Zhuo Fan’s mind danced between the realms of the present and the memories of his past lives.

One evening, as he was immersed in a profound trance, a sudden surge of power coursed through his body. It felt like an awakening, a key turning in the lock of forgotten memories. Images flashed before his eyes — faces, landscapes, and emotions long buried in the recesses of his soul.

He gasped, his eyes wide with realization. It wasn’t just about the memories; it was about the essence of the soul, the transformative journey that each life brought. The soul was like a phoenix, burning away its impurities in the flames of experience, only to rise anew in the cycle of reincarnation.

Excitement and understanding flooded Zhuo Fan’s being. He had glimpsed the intricate changes in his soul throughout the many lives that had lived, and the changes that would be present in the many more lives that would come ahead. It wasn’t just about erasing memories; it was about shedding the old self, letting go of attachments, and evolving into a higher state of being.

Armed with this newfound insight, Zhuo Fan threw himself into deepening his knowledge of the reincarnation path.

As Zhuo Fan neared the completion of the reincarnation path, he felt a resonance with the world around him. It was as if the very fabric of existence acknowledged his journey, and the spiritual energy responded in kind. The air hummed with anticipation, and the skies above broke out into a vast array of colors, triggering the prismatic event.

“So you’ve done it again. I must say, little brother, you’re outdoing even your past self. Barely another month has passed, and you’ve finished another path. Which one is it?” Heavenly Sovereign spoke as he entered the cave like he owned the place.

Zhuo Fan took a moment to bask in the enlightenment. Feeling how every little piece of information clicked perfectly in his mind brought a thrill like no other. What made it even more valuable was that he did it all on his own. Alas, the moment faded quick with the sudden crash of reality on his mind, and Heavenly Sovereign’s incessant nagging.

He opened his eyes and stated, “Reincarnation path.”

Heavenly Sovereign frowned. “If not for killing everything you hold dear having the opposite effect of encouraging you, I’d have done it already. I’m quite certain that knowing they had a chance to survive is actually what spurs you on. But don’t take my tolerance for kindness. Even if insight doesn’t come when one wishes, you will do well to contemplate what I’m lacking if you want the Sacred Domain to exist.”

“A little note for you to be aware of, the sea of blackness has now taken hold of half of the Sacred Domain. Soon, there won’t be anywhere left to run off to. I must say, the irony is particularly cruel in this case, knowing that it was you who triggered it.”

Heavenly Sovereign’s laughter echoed in the cave, rattling it, as he vanished.

“We’ll just see who laughs in the end. But I must say, this time it was too close for comfort. Any later completing the path and he’d have found out.” Zhuo Fan eased his breath.