Surprisingly, hearing the voice of the man, who caused so much damage to Robert’s home, didn’t lead to any emotional outbursts. There was no anger or hatred. Rob barely felt any strong desire to take immediate revenge, tearing apart everyone on his way. Obviously, he was going to do it, but not because of overwhelming emotions, which he failed to control. No, it would be just a cold-blooded decision, nothing else. Like an execution of punishment that was dictated by a law. He just couldn’t leave behind what had happened to his place that took so much effort to build.
Previously, I closed my eyes, but it will never happen for the second time…
Half of the greenery simply ceased to exist, being rudely cut from the ground without any care. Multiple dirty footprints were left everywhere, marking the paths of the thieves and how they stole years of his work. They took it as if it was theirs in the first place, not even trying to ask for anything. Considering that Robert subconsciously treated his home as a physical representation of his own persona, slowly fixing every broken part and filling it with colorful plants as if it was his own mind, it felt like they did not to his home but to his soul. As if they dirtied Robert’s inner being with their uninvited presence. The following attacks caused even more damage, ruining half of the sect. Perhaps, if Rob hadn’t started killing, he could have avoided such an outcome.
But I am not the type of person, who permits to use himself as a doormat… I might have calmed down after so much time in peace. However, my origin as a soldier, who is always ready to act, will be forever an integral part of me. The ability to switch from a peaceful state with laughs and jokes into a killing machine in an instant only to switch back to smiling is what makes the soldier to be good… And I am a good one. So, nope, not a chance I am going to brush it off.
Looking around at the devastating picture that just several years ago was pleasing, but now turned into remnants of the previous self, was painful. This feeling was only strengthened by a living source of scorched and demolished land around. His apprentice. The man, who took everything for granted, but still craved for more. Rob was sure that Xu Wong had come one more time but avoided detection as it was unbelievable to think that such an organized gathering of the Qi-plants could be done without beforehand preparations. It only intensified the feeling of betrayal.
“Where are you, Xu Wong? Face me! I demand the answer – why have you done it?” Robert roared loudly, causing a scare among the nearest cultivators. Slowly backing off not to attract attention, they were gathering in a huge group. Most of them were coming from behind, increasing the number in their ranks. And, with the rise in quantity, their fear started to disperse. However, no matter how he looked, Rob couldn’t notice his apprentice. Instead, he heard his voice once again. Enveloping the whole sect, it was spreading everywhere evenly.
“Demand? From me? You aren’t in a position to do it… Master,” The last word was basically spat out. Full of disdain and even mockery, it caused a wave of courage among the cultivators, who unknowingly stood together like sheep in the flock in front of a hungry wolf, solely relying on the distant presence of the guarding dog for their protection, “You might be strong as ever, but not on my level. I’ve already reached the Immortal Rebirth realm, and only Heavens stops me from going further!” Xu Wong proclaimed proudly, resulting in cheerful shouts from his sect members.
So much arrogance… Is it always the case that unrestricted power with no limits and no consequences leads to such behavior? That must be it. I can easily remember similar cases even from Earth, when with enough money and influence, some spoiled brats or corrupted politicians could do whatever they wanted, ignoring any laws… It’s almost like celebrity sickness, but on a larger scale on par with some dictators from the past. A legalized law of the jungle.
For a moment, he felt sad about such an outcome. His apprentice helped Rob to overcome his desire for solitude after everything he experienced, returning hope that he wouldn’t turn into a hermit, who was ready to kill everyone, who just attempted to trespass on his territory. However, on the other hand, if Robert never decided to help, no one would have broken in, ruining his peaceful life and turning his home into smoking rubble. Moreover, he could counter Xu Wong’s words that it was exactly Rob, who taught the arrogant man. Who directed his advancements and helped to fix potential future problems in cultivation, creating a perfectly tailored system specifically for him. Who collected all artifacts and other valuable items that were used to build the foundation of Xu Wong’s sect. Robert could point out that without his effort, there would be no Immortal Rebirth cultivator in the first place. He could throw any tantrum at the ungrateful apprentice as he had all the reasons to do it. Instead, Rob’s words were different.
“I assume you want even more power by taking my qi-imbuing plants. Unfortunately, I will need to disappoint you as the road toward the eighth realm goes through the arc inside the tower behind my back. And to get access to it, you will need to make me disappear.”
“As you wish, Master,” the voice calmly answered, not showing any emotions. Then the dark dot appeared from above. Flying under the bright sky and considering the distance, it was impossible for Robert to see everything clearly. Still, after squinting his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a short beard and long hair, tied to a ponytail. Having a mixture of gray on previously pure raven-black hair, it was speaking about how much time had passed since their last meeting. Squinting his eyes, Robert continued to look, ignoring the visible signs of the preparation for the attack.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t see much. The scarlet robe with golden patterns covered the body of his apprentice, while the facial hair hid his expression. There were a few more nasty scars, but otherwise, Xu Wong was quite recognizable. And this thought made it even more unpleasant as it was the same person for sure. The person who stubbornly named him "Master", and even got permission to do it after setting it as a condition. Who asked for advice on how to proceed in the tower or begged to learn alchemy, abandoning it after a month of failures but returning after a short break. The kid who brought him every broken cauldron, helping with repairs.
“Battle formation of Emerald Turtle! The forbidden art of the Final Lighting Judgement – the first move!” Xu Wong commanded his sect members, causing them to start using the group technique to survive the aftereffects of his attack. Just from the sight of the forming process, combat art looked mighty enough to inflict heart-gripping terror on anyone who was going to face it.
The first one to appear was a tiny spark. Growing with rhythmic flashes, it quickly reached the size of a barrel. The glowing light emanated a mixture of white and yellow with the occasional inclusion of blue. Floating in the air, it started to rotate, accelerating more and more. It caused a stronger reaction inside, almost as if the stream of qi began to destabilize the sphere. In the next instant, it shot multiple lightning into the sky, summoning dark clouds at once. For the first time in Rob’s memory, something disturbed the bright and cheerful day in the pocket dimension, foreshadowing a sinister and devastating outcome. Spreading to the horizon, the clouds were only starting to show their might.
With each passing fraction of a second even more lightning strikes began to fall, evaporating anything they hit. The repaired buildings got multiple burned holes, while the forest was set aflame, turning into a furnace. It never stopped the attacks. On the contrary, it seemed the more destruction they sowed, the more electrical projectiles were unleashed. Flattening the surroundings, and melting the mountain, soon they got to the point where the eyes could barely see an individual attack as all of them merged into one, atomizing the place of impact. And not any place, but where Robert previously stood, concentrating their power on a single target.
“The forbidden art of the Final Lighting Judgement – the second move!”
Following the shout of Xu Wong that somehow managed to pierce through the audible cacophony of the storm, the pillar of light started to rotate, causing a sucking force that demolished the remnants of the building that, by sheer luck, managed to survive the apocalypse around. Increasing in size, it rose to the point of competing with the tallest pagoda, which somehow was still resisting the devastating qi-disaster. Consisting of lightning Qi, the huge tornado reduced everything to ashes. However, no matter how powerful it was, it seemed it wasn’t enough as Xu Wong once again waved his hand. This time, it was with a visible effort, a clear indication that he was struggling to control this mighty technique.
“The forbidden art of the Final Lighting Judgement – the third…”.
“Enough,” the word was spoken simultaneously with a name of combat art. It wasn’t loud at all. In fact, it sounded more like a whisper, but Xu Wong somehow heard it, halting his attack, “I can do that too… A heavy gaze!”
Previously gripping the ground to keep himself from flying, Robert raised his eyes. The outer layer of his steel body was completely ground, making him reduce in size and height. His head was deformed, but it was quickly returning to its shape as it was constantly under the barrage of attacks. After being imbued with qi and additionally strengthened by self-invented spirit energy, it felt like any Qi-based attacks had a loss of effect upon contact as if they had anti-qi properties. Still, he could give credit to Xu Wong as the strike was much stronger than he anticipated. It was even more powerful than a nuke in terms of concentrated might. However, it wasn’t enough to finish him off.
Standing up onto his feet, Rob paused his response, despite proclaiming its name aloud a few moments before. Xu Wong immediately used the opportunity, regrouping with his sect members to strengthen their defensive formation. But Robert was too occupied with observing the surroundings… or precisely speaking what was left of them. His home was gone. Vanished like dew under the sun. There was nothing left, apart from the Tower of Ascension, whose walls were hard to break even for Rob. Not that he had tried to do it seriously even once. The second exception was a portal behind Xu Wong’s back. Otherwise, there was nothing, just a plowed field with something resembling a hill.
Stolen novel; please report.
Gone was the Pavillion of Techniques, where Robert spent many nights reading and studying. Gone was the map that was handcrafted by him… together with a scratch from the initial meeting with Xu Wong. Gone was the entrance gate, which took a lot of time to refurbish and fix. Gone were all the gardens and forest that he grew up in for so long, picking the best examples of the plants. Gone was his favorite spot on the peak of the mountain, from where he liked to observe the scenery. Gone were the pathways with manually fixed gaps… And fences, mansions, his now empty storages…
Everything is gone… My home has disappeared. I knew that nothing lasts forever, but I never thought it would be in such a way…
Deep down Robert knew that once the fight had broken, it would without a doubt destroy this place. Perhaps, it was the reason why he allowed Xu Wong’s attack to hit him, having a wish not to witness the sight of devastation… even if it meant his death. Or maybe he had a glimpse of hope that his apprentice would suddenly change his mind, deciding against the confrontation with his master at the last moment. However, both outcomes never happened, causing ruins to be fully observed in painful detail. It felt like it was his soul that was these rubbles, broken once again by the deeds of others. No matter how he tried to find peace, there was something or someone that would come and crush his dream.
Because it’s true… And even know who they are…
Returning his gaze toward the battle formation of cultivators that were pumping qi into their defensive technique. Xu Wong was floating above others, controlling the process. Sighing, Robert quietly muttered.
“Just die already…”.
In the next moment, his eyes turned into two yellow flashlights… and the cultivators started to explode from inside, despite the set protection. The air itself seemed to become a solid object, putting all its weight on any living being, and no one could withstand it. Any wavering of will, any sign of weakness, and the heaviness became intolerable, deforming the human in a fraction of an instant. Those bloody remains simply popped, spreading the red vapor in the surroundings. In under five seconds, there was only Xu Wong left alive.
Struggling to survive the intangible pressure, he was fighting with all his might. However, each Rob’s step toward him only raised the effect, making it a losing battle with an obvious end. And that was despite the long distance that still separated them. Just after another five seconds, Xu Wong had both legs turned into a disgusting mush. Dropping onto the ground and hiding from Robert’s gaze, he prayed for a break. The soul attack never lowered its intensity… but Rob did. Pausing on his spot, he shouted after short pondering.
“Nah, I won’t kill you. Moreover, I will go through the arc, leaving this world once and for all… But I bet you won’t be happy with it, my dumb apprentice. Farewell!”
Turning around, Robert slowly walked to a single building that was left on the floating rock inside the pocket dimension. The latter also wasn’t spared from the damage. Multiple cracks were slowly spreading across the sky, confirming the artificial nature of the place and its approaching end. However, Rob felt only sadness, looking around. Stepping onto the rubbles, all he could see were memories from before. Reaching the Ascension Tower, he continued his way with the same unhurried pace, only pausing in front of the arc. The familiar structure was intact, creating a feeling that all events were just a play of imagination. Unfortunately, it was a cruel reality.
Nothing is left here… The real question is what I want to do… Do I wish to follow the set script by cutting other links and staying forever a mere puppet… like I was named here. The irony is that they weren’t wrong about it… Or I would better slam the door loudly, so those fuckers might regret trying to enslave me… I found happiness inside this tiny world, and I am not sure I am ready to recreate it somewhere else. I don’t want to live inside my senseless body for centuries… I don’t need power or authority… I don’t care about admiration or praise… I am not an altruist to help everyone. The hell, even in the case of Xu Wong, my help only caused more trouble to me… I am not a kind-hearted person. I lived through a lot, I fought, I won, I lost. I loved… It was a good life, alas not easy. So, yeah, let’s fucking slam the door!
Stepping inside the arc, Robert froze. Then the world around disappeared as if the darkness suddenly descended, painting everything black. Focusing on his body, Rob felt a new connection that anchored his soul. Hell and Aether immediately reacted with violence, trying to fight off a new invader. Experiencing this confrontation before, he concentrated on other sensations… and it appeared correct as behind those fights, there was a dense cloud of energy that enveloped him from all sides. It was the first time Robert managed to feel Qi. Moreover, under the power of the arc, it was pumping inside his steel body, nourishing it together with his soul. Only by this external help did the cultivators manage to break through to the eighth realm of Dao Seeking.
This was when he grinned. Knowing perfectly that his body was capable of taking thousands of times more qi than any cultivator, he wanted to laugh at his apprentice, as, precisely speaking, the latter established the constant portal to the main world, turning into an additional supplier. It led to the situation where the arc would suck all available energy until the cultivator advanced. However, from Rob’s understanding, it was impossible to achieve it without consent from one of the Deities, but they were fighting against each other for control over Robert’s soul. The other reason was that he wasn’t actually a cultivator, having no means to break through at all. Therefore, there was no limit to how much energy could Rob take. And he pulled, using all his willpower to accelerate the process.
The stream turned into a full-fledged river and even more. Empowering his soul and body with an insane amount of Qi, it was simultaneously improving his steel dramatically, which affected its capacity in turn. His addition from the dragon genes made his growth unlimited, while his adaptive nature made him withstand the changes without a problem. Robert felt like he was growing bigger, more powerful. He was becoming unstoppable, thus with his favorite mad smile, Rob continued to pull without remorse. A single river soon increased to two. Then it was a dozen at once. At some point, he felt like lakes of Qi were drained by him with each passing instant.
As if having a bad feeling, Heavens, the last intruding Deity, attempted to stop him, but as it was like with Aether – it seemed they had no direct control over the events. Qi continued to pump into him at a constantly accelerating rate. Ignoring any disturbance, Robert was entirely concentrated on this task. His mind was working overtime, draining the energy and redirecting it to his body only to be pushed into constantly establishing and modifying structures. Not to be overwhelmed by the amount, Rob used his experience of perfecting his inner system to miniaturize it even more, simultaneously spreading it across his body.
Heavens tried to oppose it by adding its own energy through the link. The sudden stream of new additions almost broke his concentration. Struggling under the pressure from two overwhelming sources, Robert somehow managed to get a grip on them. And then he pulled from both, accelerating his growth further… Then the stream of Qi started to dry out. It caused even more resistance from the Heavens. Rob only intensified his efforts. He lost track of time, but he knew that Heavens had cut off the connection by themselves the moment Qi stopped pumping inside him because of complete exhaustion. For a moment, Robert was at a loss as a confrontation between Hell and Aether never halted, resulting in constant damage that he had to heal. The fact that even draining all Qi from the whole realm hadn’t stopped them at all. On the contrary, as if feeling his enormous potential, the battle became even more brutal. Therefore, Rob redirected his attention to them.
He had the experience of increasing the link’s width before going in the opposite direction, trying to minimize the influence from Aether. However, this time, the knowledge of how to do it, together with the stronger soul and willpower, made the task much easier. Moreover, both Deities at first were encouraging the process, helping him… But then they sensed there was no limit for Robert. Like a bottomless pit, he was going to take it all. Rob was like a black hole. This realization turned their help into resistance that tried to slow down the sucking force. However, due to greed or other reasons, they still cling to him as if they were not ready to accept the loss. Hell was second to forfeit. It instantly caused a popping message from Aether that tried to stop Rob from continuing further down this road.
The Transcendent has reached the next critical phase, rising to the status of Demi-God. New information is available for…
Fuck you! I am not buying your bullshit anymore!
The next instant, he was sent into a different realm. Reappearing again, Robert found himself floating in real space right in front of a white star, whose enormous size was making him feel like a minuscule dot. Another chain of short teleportation followed, dragging him right inside this celestial body with each jump. The heat upon contact was so insane that even his dull senses cried about the horrifying pain from the temperature that was turning him into a liquid, only to vaporize it a moment later. However, this moment was enough for him to reform. So, Rob only strengthened his ethereal grip over the connection, draining even more energy despite being shoved right in the center of the star. Moreover, he was forcefully widening the link to increase the rate of draining. There was another note from Aether, but his resolve was firm as never.
Robert Flop, you are promoted to the status of God. Please, stop. Let me explain…
The only message I will read from you is an epitaph on your fucking grave!
Then the final link was cut, leaving Robert completely alone among the blazing flames in the lifeless space without any way out. Even deprived of the constant energy flow, Rob seemed to have enough might and toughness to withstand the fate of being reduced to nothingness in a mere fraction of an instant, although it didn’t help him with the prominent problem of his current location – no escape from this solitary prison. Therefore, taking a few breaths to stabilize his body in a state of equilibrium, he grinned before proclaiming aloud.
“This how you slam the door!”
All his energy was suddenly squeezed to a single point, less than a grain of sand, reducing his own body to the same size. Then it exploded outward, disintegrating everything on its way. Like a supernova. There was so much accumulated energy inside Robert that not only did the star system vanish, but also the whole universe followed suit in a tremendous boom. Moreover, it wasn’t the only one, as around a dozen neighboring realms were wiped out, leaving a gaping hole in the fabric of the multiverse and setting the grandeur grave for Robert. The tremors from this act had an even bigger impact, cracking hundreds of survived realms and opening new ways of traveling between the worlds, changing everything forever.