"Reincarnator?" Tianyi asked. He could feel his inner universe tremble from the shock of hearing the term from Sect Master Xia, but outwardly, he showed no signs of knowing anything. "You mean souls who have gone through the Six Paths of Samara and gained new life?"
"You're only partly right," Sect Master Xia said as he waved his hand.
Tianyi's eyes narrowed. Sect Master Xia didn't just activate the barrier of his abode, but it also severed the Heavenly Dao's omnipresence in the room. He had never noticed that the sect master's mansion had such a feature.
"Reincarnators are souls that have gained new life in the myriad realms, but they have never gone through the Six Paths of Samsara," Sect Master Xia stood up and held his arms behind his back. "They didn't originate from the Three Thousand Realms System, but outside."
Tianyi didn't show much surprise since it was something he had already suspected. "I know that there should be other systems besides our Three Thousand Realms System. Are you saying that these reincarnators came from these?"
"No," Sect Master Xia said. "These reincarnators are special, and they didn't come from another system but a different universe."
Tianyi furrowed his brows. "Another universe?"
The Three Thousand Realms System wasn't considered a universe but a location within the universe. He hadn't seen it himself, but according to the records he was privy to, outside the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, outside the Vast Void, was the endless darkness. The endless darkness was a gigantic universe where everything existed.
The only other example of a universe Tianyi could think of was himself. "Sect Master Xia means something like my Nine Heavens Universe?"
Sect Master Xia nodded. "Do you know the Almighty?"
"I heard about it in the other timeline," Tianyi said as he recalled Sitian's, the former Youdu Spirit of the Silent Lightning Timeline, words. "I heard he was the most powerful divinity that required several pantheons to ally themselves to fight."
"Little Xi's information is quite good," Sect Master Xia said with some surprise. "These reincarnators are souls from the Almighty's universe. They didn't just enter the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System but the other systems ruled by other pantheons."
Tianyi connected the dots. "You mean the Almighty is like me and formed a universe?!"
'Doesn't this mean I also have the potential to become as powerful as the Almighty?' Tianyi thought with some excitement. 'Wait, why would souls leak from the Almighty's universe? Although I haven't created any life or souls, I instinctively know that they carry part of my universe's essence, and letting them leave my universe is not good.'
'Before that, doesn't this also mean my origin is from the Almighty’s Universe?' A shocking thought occurred to Tianyi. What if the apocalypse wasn't just happening on Earth but the whole universe? "The Almighty is dead?"
Sect Master Xia nodded. "Yes, the Almighty died. That's why all these reincarnators suddenly started to appear. Although they may possess good spiritual roots or physiques for cultivation, they all have one common feature, and that's a powerful comprehension ability of the laws. That's why we called them the Almighty's Children."
"Wait," Tianyi stopped Sect Master Xia from talking. "Before that, how did the Almighty die? I thought he was powerful to the point that he required the alliance of numerous pantheons. Unless the alliance successfully killed him, and that's why the primordial era ended?"
Although Sitian had told him about the Almighty, it seemed that he didn't know everything. Upon deeper thought, Tianyi understood. Sitian wasn't the original Youdu Spirit from the Primordial Era, but a new one birthed after, so it wasn't strange that he didn't know everything.
"No, the Almighty survived the Primordial Era but was injured like our pantheon," Sect Master Xia said.
'Tsk, tsk. I thought Caishen knew a lot, but apparently, he's still so useless.' Tianyi thought. "Was he injured by the devils?"
"Not just the Almighty, but all the pantheon had allied together to repel the devils. While we warred with the Almighty, the devils had silently gained power," Sect Master Xia shook his head. "Many divinities perished during the war, resulting in the current weakened Three Thousand Immortal Realms System."
Sect Master Xia smiled. "Originally, I wasn't supposed to tell you, but with your current strength, it shouldn't be a problem. But back to the main point, reincarnators."
Tianyi also nodded. "For what reason did Sect Master Xia bring them up?"
"It's thanks to the Three Lives Stone," Sect Master Xia. "It's a divine artifact that records all life in the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System. With it, we have already discovered how many experts the Tripartite and Anti-Heaven Alliance has.
Not just the forces in the Huang Realm, but even the Numinous Sword Sect."
"What does that have to do with reincarnators, though?" Tianyi asked.
"Naturally, it does," Sect Master Xia said. "We searched the Three Lives Stone for the Numinous Sword Sect's Bao Ling, but we cannot discover any traces. This means only two possibilities. Either he's a divinity, or he's an outsider."
Tianyi's eyes twitched. 'Bao Ling is also a reincarnator? Hehe, that won't stop me from getting revenge, though. However..."
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"What does this have to do with anything?" Tianyi asked. 'If he could see that Bao Ling's name isn't on the Three Lives Stone, what about mine, Daoyi's, or even Xi Ri's?'
"I just want you to be careful," Sect Master Xia said. "I don't want you to show mercy even if both of you are the Almighty's children."
Tianyi's body tensed, but he soon relaxed. Although he was wary of the Buzhou Immortal Sect's power, what did he have to worry about? He had the Nine Heavens Universe. Even if he couldn't beat them, couldn't he run? Plus, he didn't do anything that could warrant them killing or capturing him. In addition, he was too important.
"Who else knows?" Tianyi finally asked after a tense silence.
"Aside from His Majesty, the Concealed Sovereign and Immortal Court Spirit, only me," Sect Master Xia said. He poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Tianyi with an amiable smile.
Tianyi rolled his eyes, "Are you going to tell my mother?"
"If Little Xi doesn't want to, I won't," Sect Master Xia said. "But, she'll eventually learn in the future."
"Alight," Tianyi said. His brows furrowed, and he sighed a moment later. Taking the teacup, he downed the contents in one go. "Why're you telling me this? What do you plan to do after learning this?"
"It's nothing much," Sect Master Xia said. "I feel that we should have a deeper level of trust. We have already checked the whole sect, and only you, Elder Jiang, and Disciple Xi Ri are reincarnators."
"Only us?" Tianyi asked. He had already suspected this when no one came forward after throwing Xi Ri out as bait, but it still surprised him. "We have more than a hundred thousand members, yet only three reincarnators, and we are so closely linked?"
"I was surprised too," Sect Master said as he sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. "Little Xi, are you interested in gathering reincarnators and turning them into members of the sect?"
"How can it be so easy?" Tianyi asked. "What, should I go around shouting to the whole Huang Realm and ask all reincarnators to come?"
"That is an option," Sect Master Xia said.
Tianyi glared. "Absolutely not. Besides, just because we are grouped together as the Almighty's children doesn't mean every one of us can be allies. It's like saying everyone in the Huang Realm is on the same side."
"They aren't now but will be in the future," Sect Master Xia said.
Tianyi couldn't deny that. He sighed. "Besides, reincarnators are likely to appear in other realms too. Why are you so fixated on them?"
"It's nothing much," Sect Master Xia said. "We are interested in everything related to the Almighty."
Suddenly, Tianyi had a thought. "How long did you know I was a reincarnator or suspected me?"
"I learned recently, but according to Immortal Court Spirit, the Concealed Emperor already knew of it the moment your soul appeared in Grand Elder Xi's belly," Sect Master Xia said.
"If he could detect it, why couldn't my mother?" Tianyi asked, feeling insecure.
"We don't have proof she doesn't know, but her actions don't hint at it," Sect Master Xia said. "It isn't like it was easy to discover. Only the Concealed Emperor discovered it."
Tianyi stayed silent.
"Was it why you allowed me to cultivate the Primordial Heavenly Scripture?" Tianyi suddenly asked. 'What he wanted to ask was if the Three Pure True Self Visualization Technique had anything to do with them.'
"I was given instructions to allow you to cultivate a heavenly scripture," Sect Master Xia admitted.
Tianyi frowned and tapped his finger on the table. "Is there anything else?"
"No," Sect Master Xia said, shaking his head.
"Then, I'll return."
Without waiting for Sect Master Xia to react, Tianyi's Past Incarnation disappeared. Sect Master Xia shook his head and sipped his tea.
-line break-
"Is something wrong?"
In Nine Heavens Palace, Tianyi looked at Mengfei. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"It's nothing," Tianyi finally said.
Mengfei walked closer until her face was centimeters away and stared at Tianyi's face. He almost backed away from the short distance. "I-Is there something wrong?"
"No, I just wanted to take a closer look," Mengfei said.
Tianyi only nervously laughed. After managing to convince Mengfei to back off, he focused on his Nine Heavens Universe. In Ninth Heaven, an incarnation of Tianyi appeared in front of Daoyi.
Daoyi opened her eyes, "Is something wrong?"
Tianyi ran his fingers through his hair. "Sect Master Xia and the Concealed Emperor know about our status as reincarnators."
He explained how and why, causing Daoyi to say, "Wow, you really shot yourself in the foot."
"How was I supposed to know the Three Lives Stone would cause this?"
"Well, it's not a bad thing," Daoyi said. "With the Almighty dead, the sect shouldn't be too wary of us, and having our identities revealed isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least we don't have to be so careful anymore."
"We don't have to be so careful, but we still have to be wary of the sect," Tianyi said. He closed his eyes and recalled how Immortal Court Spirit destroyed the Huang Realm in the Silent Lightning Timeline. "From now on, you shouldn't leave too far from me."
Daoyi didn't tease Tianyi but asked why.
Tianyi sighed. "It's not something I can explain. I'm going to create another conduit. It won't be as strong as my current body, but it will have the ability to transport you into my inner universe in case anything happens."
"I understand, but you should also explain to me why you're so wary of the Buzhou Immortal Sect," Daoyi said.
Tianyi stared Daoyi in the eyes. "And if I don't?"
Daoyi raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you have a choice?"
After a tense minute, Tianyi sighed and plopped down next to Daoyi. "Alright, alright, you win."
After hearing what happened in the Silent Lightning Timeline before entering the Nether Realm, even Daoyi was stunned. Finally, she also sighed. "No wonder. If you are making a conduit, what about Master and Xi Ri?"
"I'm also in the process of making a conduit for them to carry on themselves," Tianyi said. "They're actually already created, but I want to increase their strength a bit. With three conduits present, all three's strength will be reduced, but luckily, I made a breakthrough recently, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"The stronger we grow, the more trouble we seem to have," Daoyi said. "According to your hypothesis, Earth should have undergone an apocalypse because the Almighty died. I had originally wanted to return."
Tianyi allowed himself to fall onto his back and stared at the ceiling of Concealed Palace. "On Earth, we would get into more trouble once we become adults. But in the Huang Realm, the stronger we grow, the more troublesome things are."