Writer's Note: I got a major midterm Thursday. The next release is planned for Saturday as writing a chapter consumes a lot of time. If I have the time, it will come out on Thursday. Priorities. Also, I am currently writing the fifth chapter of Tales of the Gold Immortal, but probably won't release chapters 1-5 until I have written ten. I only put the prologue out to reserve the title and show a small taste of how I will write it. Someone also wants me to write a Star Wars fan fiction for fun. A few people actually private messaged me. I never wrote a sci-fi story though, and don't know why they want me to. I can only say that I am a big fan of Star Wars, but Episode 1 was the worst movie. I only liked Darth Maul and even read how he became Darth Maul. The book is way more epic. I have expectations. Anyway, I'll try to research a bit and see if I can really write a few chapters at least. Sorry for the long notice and here's the chapter.
Chapter 16: The Eye and the Snake
Yang's body was strangely uncomfortable as he entered his dorm room. It was as if his skin was crawling, every pore reacting to a sudden change. Yang's eyes widened and he immediately sat down to cultivate the spirit energy in his body. Within the ocean of his Spirit Realm, the neidan was finally stimulated. An image of a snake big enough to swallow the world appeared in his mind, the snake with gold scales, jade-colored eyes, and feathers the color of sand behind its head.
Yang's eyes opened, turning into jade as his body shined with a gold radiance. His skin began to show scaled patterns all over his body, appearing see through in color as the gold radiance burst it from his body. It looked exactly like snake skin! It was as if Yang had shed his skin, like he did many times ago. He grew a full six inches and his hair was jet black, a few close strands near the front of his head the color of sand. His Yin Yang Divine Tattoo was there, but the serpentine dragon was now jade in color with golden eyes. The cat fish whiskers and beard were a mix of dark green and black and the color of the hair from the top of its head to the tip of its tail were also the same mix.
His body was more muscular but stream-lined. In his robes, he appeared like a monk but with a muscular physique. His face seemed to look eerily serene, masculine in appearance but with an appearance of a man who looked down from the heavens. His hair fell to the center of his back and his skin was incomparably harder than before when pressured. His Spirit Realm doubled in size.
However, a major change happened! That same dragon that was his Yin Yang Divine Tattoo suddenly appeared in his Spirit Realm, flying in a circle around the neidan that floated into the air and became as a moon. Images began to stream into Yang's head, causing him to ache with pain. His eyes widened as the images imprinted themselves in his mind. He could become the serpentine dragon!
The whole Pangu continent shook, sending tidal waves to far distances as the ground trembled and cracked. Even fissures formed, but the areas near Gold Lotus City felt nothing. Suddenly the skies became dark with black clouds. Only the people outside or cultivators of the Meteor Vessel Stage and above sensed the disturbance. Tribulation lightning crackled and struck random places. Suddenly, many tribulation lightning centered above Gold Lotus City, the dorm room of Yang in particular. The neidan suddenly released an enormous amount of spirit energy inside Yang, forming a sphere of jade energy that protected him as a tribulation lightning slammed into it.
It was absorbed by the energy and drained into the neidan. Suddenly, Yang changed form into a ten foot long, two foot think jade serpentine dragon. He released a sudden roar that was heard throughout the city. He flew into the sky, half-conscious and driven by instinct. Lightning crackled on his body and Yang suddenly started to laugh. The laughter soon emanated throughout the continent, scaring many people and causing all the magical beasts to tremble. Some places were mysteriously protected by the sudden changes.
As if the Heavens allowed him to, Yang's voice thundered throughout the world, "I AM FREE! Hahaha! I AM THE WORLD SERPENT ONCE MORE! ALL WILL SUBMIT!"
Suddenly, the night sky cleared and Yang reverted into his human form as he slammed into the ground. Meanwhile, Guo Mei was in her room. Her consciousness was in her Spirit Realm. In there, it was a land of pitch darkness, illuminated only by lightning that flashed and streaked in the sky. Also, there was a crimson orb in the center of her Spirit Room. However, it was no orb! It was the crimson iris of the Eye of Darkness!
When tribulation lightning struck, it also slammed into her. It was drained into her Spirit Realm and injured the Eye of Darkness. It wailed in agony, ripples appearing in the darkness. Suddenly, a cage of gold light began to appear along with countless of jade spirits in the forms of men, women, and children. These were the souls of the dead Mei collected. They converged into the cage, the color turning into a glowing jade.
The Eye of Darkness was enraged. How dare the girl fight her! How dare the snake evolve against all odds and cause tribulation lightning to strike Mei, the Eye forced to drain it to protect its host. How dare the girl trick it! How dare the girl use its meals as a weapon to seal it!
"You dare challenge me?!" the Eye roared, the Spirit Realm shaking from its wrath. "I gave you talent! I gave you the means to be what you are!"
You ruined my life! My power is not one gained by my own training but is a curse you granted to me!" Mei roared, a clone of her body made by her consciousness appearing before the Eye as they both floated in the sky. "You are not invincible, as you believed. The tribulation lightning struck you. I don't know why it did, but its arrival signifies your end. I will seal you and destroy your consciousness."
"I am you and you are me! We are flesh! We are darkness!" the Eye screamed.
"No. I am much more than that," Mei said as she waved her arms, the souls fully fusing into the cage as she chanted. "Gone are the days of the Era of the Elemental Sovereigns. Lightning has fallen and the Darkness has sealed the Elemental Sovereigns. It is the salvation of the realms. It does not possess evil. It is only a shadow. Gone are the days of its existence. It is gone. It is gone."
"NO! I won't be quelled by some little bitch! I fused with the Right Eye! It is my destiny, our destiny, to rise and become the new Elemental Sovereign of Darkness and undo the mistake of the Prime! We are destined to free the Elemental Sovereigns! You cannot defy it! YOU CANNOT!" the Eye roared and banged against the cage to no avail as it felt its energy sapped from its flesh.
"I am not your bitch or anyone's tool! I am me! I am Guo Mei!" she roared and several Chinese characters formed, the words the exact copy of the chant she had made. It soon landed on the Eye, the Eye screaming as its consciousness was destroyed. The jade caged began to shrink and soon entered the Eye. The crimson iris turned to jade and the Eye became a beacon in the darkness of her Spirit Realm. Soon, light shined and revealed the night sky. The stars shined their celestial brilliance and the Eye became nothing but a catalyst for her growth.
"I am free. I am me. I am not just darkness. I am light!" Mei said and her body shined with light before her consciousness faded. She was a rare case of having affinity to both light and darkness. Unbeknownst to her, she caused the whole continent to shake as well. Every person with a Fragment of Darkness, or those that were sealed and undiscovered by all, all felt the changes caused by Guo Mei. The Eye of Darkness was subdued. Even those with rare artifacts that detected the Fragments of Darkness also learned the truth.
That day would forever be known as the day of the Eye and the Snake. One snake was reborn and transcended into a dragon unlike any other. Another was a Vessel of Darkness that became light and subdued the darkness. No one suspected it was the same snake that chose reincarnation that became what it was always meant to be in the Immortal Realm. No one suspected his elder triplet was that same Vessel of Darkness. Only four knew the truth that night, and they were the parents and grandparents of the two triplets.
The whole continent was wrapped with chaos for an entire week. The empire was forced to use its soldiers to return order during the chaos. Several people also traveled to the Pangu Continent, suspicious of its activities. Dragons all over the world started to act up, wondering what the new dragon was and where it could be found. Practitioners also convened to Pangu in the hopes that the seals over the other Fragments of Darkness had weakened so they could be found. The world no longer doubted the continent's legend of the history of cultivation. It could no longer afford to after that night.
Yang had awakened three days after that night, Mei two days after. All eight recruits were given leave for a day for the academy to be restored. Mei and Yang were summoned to the patriarch's house, Lin not minding as he became enraptured with fusing opposing elements together. His grandfather told him he would soon gain access to the secret powers of the Yin Yang Divine Tattoo, a feat unprecedented for a practitioner with any ranked Divine Tattoo below the Earth Mortal Stage. The parents and grandparents of the two remaining triplets paused before the interrogation began.
"Explain what happened that night," Guo Jing said as the four elders stared at Mei and Yang.
"Do I have to?" he asked.
"Yes. You caused this chaos! There is no way it wasn't you," Jing said.
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"Hey, I never called myself the World Serpent before, right? I was never even a dragon in the first place. The Yin Yang Divine Tattoo depicts what I should have been," Yang lied.
"Explain the change in height! Explain the strand of sand-colored hair!" Guo Li, his grandmother, demanded.
"I made a breakthrough in my poison cultivation. I was busy recuperating. Next thing I knew, lightning fell from the sky and blasted me out of my own room. I woke up two days after and learned of all the chaos," Yang said, already guessing what he caused to Mei. "Besides, I never had an inclination to rule the world. Isn't that what submitting means? From what I know, humans become masters of magical beasts by two ways. One, making a peaceful contract which is usually successful with the weak and young. The other is forcefully beating or discouraging the magical beast and forcing it to submit to a master-servant relationship."
"That is true....but that doesn't mean you weren't once an existence above all others," Guo Feng, his father said.
"Let me ask you this, am I human?" Yang asked.
"Yes," Ji Ting, his mother answered. "You were born from my wound. You are my son."
"Good answer. Tell me, do look like a snake, much less one that is the size of one able to call itself a World Serpent?" Yang asked.
"That's....right," Guo Jing amended. "Then what is the World Snake?"
"Hell if I know," Yang answered. "A thousand years did pass. Lots of things can happen in a thousand years."
"You're not telling them the truth?" Red Shadow asked with a hiss, silenced by a glare by Yang.
"Even Red Shadow does not know and asked me. It and other magical beasts sensed the presence of a powerful magical being, but I can't possibly be it. Look at my cultivation. Do I have the power to make my voice thunder across the continent, much less the world? I don't think so. I am pissed though. My belongings in the dorm were turned to ash," Yang said.
"Guo Mei then. What happened? In your case, there is no dispute that it was you who caused the secondary round of chaos that night," Guo Jing said.
"I don't know what happened in the beginning, but I was preparing the ritual grandma told me," Mei said, Guo Li nodding in support of the fact. "Tribulation lightning struck me and forced the Eye of Darkness to drain it, injuring itself in the process. I only remember sealing it and destroying its consciousness. I gained the light element and fainted after my success and changes in my Spirit Realm."
'You do have a strange ability to have both light and darkness now. I don't know how you are without pain, but your story must be true," Guo Li said.
"People have been arriving in the Pangu Continent since that night. What will happen to the kids?" Ji Ting asked.
"People are calling it the Day of the Eye and the Snake. News has spread of the Eye of Darkness being subdued. No doubt, it is the work of one who wishes to use others to find the other Fragments of Darkness," Guo Feng continued.
"Yang'er is unrelated to this and Mei'er has sealed the Eye of Darkness. No one will be able to detect the Eye within her anymore. That ritual should make it so," Guo Li said.
"We can only hope no trouble comes to Gold Lotus City. Well, the prince and niece of the emperor is here as well as a retired imperial guard captain at the Earth Mortal Stage. We can only worry about Lin'er now. He will soon unlock the secrets of his Yin Yang Divine Tattoo before the Earth Mortal Stage. His value will absolutely skyrocket. We must increase the security in our clan's city district," Guo Jing answered. "Feng'er, go and release my orders to the clan about the security. Also, give today's quota of herbs to the Alchemist Association early and tell them that we can still provide poisonous herbs."
"We can?" Guo Feng asked.
"Of course. Yang'er invented a poison detoxification device that absorbs the poison in the air around you," Guo Jing said as he held up a strange black stone with poisonous gases seen inside the permeable stone. "It is a curious thing. No idea how it is made, but the poison destroys the poisons in the air around the herbs. Of course, stronger poisons cannot be neutralized.
"How did you make it?" he asked.
"I dunno. After I awoke, knowledge just appeared in my head. Maybe it came from the tribulation lightning?" Yang shrugged which was mostly true. He was able to survive because of the neidan refining it as it drained the lightning to protect him.
"In any event, the good news is that Mei'er does not need to kill anymore," Ji Ting sighed with relief. Mei glancing once at Yang who smiled.
"You two return home and get some rest. My phoenix told me of your rigorous training and Yang'er is behaving himself," Guo Li said.
"Yes, the threat of more avian magical beasts watching over me is utterly terrifying. I am very amused by this," Yang said sarcastically. "You do realize I don't give a shit and can kill them as I wish?"
"My phoenix is at the Meteor Vessel Stage. You cannot possibly kill it and it can forcibly expel your poison from its body as its cultivation is higher than yours. It is also smart enough to avoid the vials containing your many external poisons," Guo Li said.
"Oh, grandmother. You truly underestimate my power. Not all poisons need to be in the body to kill you," Yang smiled malevolently.
"Yang'er, you must listen to her and behave. You might anger a supreme expert when one visits the city," Ji Ting warned.
"I know when to display my strength and who I shouldn't anger. I was a snake magical beast once. Our true danger is our cunning," Yang replied and left with Mei behind him, pausing when they arrived in front of Yang's parent's house as Yang no longer lived there but escorted Mei. Clearly, he knew he would have to address her concerns and already knew the right words to say to lead her into his goal.
"You are going to kill people now," Mei said. It wasn't a question she asked and knew the answer.
"You get me. Yes, I will kill people now. My strength is weak. Things are coming into motion, and we will need to be prepared," Yang said.
"We?" Mei frowned.
"We are siblings and you hold a Fragment of Darkness. If anyone can detect a Fragment of Lightning, by means of its Elemental Sovereign energy; than it is you. Your life will be filled with danger. I relish it, the feeling a part of me from my centuries of running from stronger enemies and predators. I am also above such trivial creatures, their potential dwarfed by my own. By being with you, I can drain the spirit energy and life force of the many powerful humans and magical beasts which seek to kill you for the Eye," Yang answered. "I am all powerful."
"Are you a narcissist?" she asked.
"Me? Hahahaha! No. It is because I am the World Serpent. I am the first serpent dragon," Yang said staring into her eyes. "We need each other to survive. You need my knowledge and power and I need that Eye inside you and the greed that comes with it. People will eventually discover who you are, or that you have a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo. Mine is undetectable, but yours must surely be noticed by the imperial guard by now. They are plotting something. That Sima Qing should also be one of the emperor's many daughters. I feel it is a good decision to stay in the Mortal Realm now. I am the strongest snake in existence and I can still appear human. Ah, how fun."
"Sima Qing is the princess?....Well, she must be. If you say so, it must be true. I already knew you were the dragon Who else could have been? Still, are you suggesting we delve in imperial politics?" Mei asked.
"How, so you have gotten smarter as well. That's a good sister," Yang mocked as he pat her head.
"Stop it," she snapped and looked at him.
"Okay, fine. Yes, I want to delve in human politics. From all the rumors and intrigues, it resembles a den of snakes. So many lies and deceptions, all for the ultimate prey: the throne. It makes me feel....nostalgia. I think that's the general human term," Yang admitted. "So, will you cause havoc in the world with me?"
"Is that a proposal?" she asked.
"No idea what that is, but it is an accord," Yang grinned. "This world has become too tame. The dragons slumber and the avian multiply in numbers ten times the amount I slaughtered. Immortality calls for me, beckons my very soul. Soon, the demons will make their move. They have to. You subduing the Eye has accelerated their plans. Whether you admit it or not, you just might have caused the beginning of the end of human dominance and became the hallmark for the rise of the demons. They will seek you out. They will turn you and you will be there Demon Empress. I was never a demonic magical beast, just an ordinary snake that became extraordinary against my own will. Life does that to you."
"Is that truly the price of my freedom?" she asked silently.
"The whole world is changing with news of what you and I did, you in particular. You and I are involved. You can't run from it either. That is one destiny you cannot change," Yang answered.
"....Fine. Let's do this after we graduate. We'll go to the Royal Academy and learn in the palace alongside Lin," Mei said.
"He is not involved with us. He was born talented and with a innocent life. There is no reason to have his childhood ruined as ours was. Let him enjoy the comfort and support of his family. I..am truly envious of him, you know. I don't feel a particular connection to humans. I've lived too long and already died once. There is an emptiness that can never be filled, an injury that can never heal. Rest now. We'll meet with the prince and hear them out. Let me do the talking then," Yang said and left her to go back to his private house in the poisonous garden.
"What sad words," Mei said, realizing he had truly suffered more than she ever did. "I guess Lin is the lucky triplet after all. I guess that was the real reason I was jealous of him."