Immortal Ascension Tower - Book 1: Reborn! [CH 1 - 75]

Chapter 52 - Wrath

Wu Rou's expression softened: after all, the boy was still a child younger than ten years old! How could he possibly bear the burden of so many lives depending on him?

Cheng Hao trembled once and then sighed as his expression grew blank, his eyes lost even more clarity as he recited "It is the law of the universe. Ones with power are allowed to protect those they love, those who do not can only watch as their loved ones die one after the other, this is... Fate!"

The boy lifted his head slightly and spoke, his voice dreamy as if he were talking to himself "What is Fate? Is it book where every single page dictates every single being's life, actions... A person's destiny? If it something like that, can we humans truly not go towards Fate and thus are simply doomed to die? Like paper boats on a river, we are doomed to flow as long as the river itself flows, as we can not guide our way but simply follow the direction of the water stream..."

The boy paused "But then, who is it that created the River? Other Rivers? Or is was it an incredible amount of Raindrops? Such as these?" He looked up and more and more drops of rain fell on his figure, wetting his clothing even more... He wiped away the raindrop from his cheek "Does the River perhaps form itself? The river flows into the sea and turns into clouds and then into raindrops and back into the River again... A Sea, a River... Is there truly an end to Fate?

"Is there a beginning? Does the River ends into the Sea? No, it begins again, the River never stops, it never will as long as the water exists... And if that is it..." He looked at his own hands, his eyes slowly regain their clarity from their previous dazed state "If Fate is the River, what is it that created the Water?"

Wu Rou stared speechlessly at the child 'What is with his view of the world... This is not what an Eight-something years old should have! This...!'

Cheng Hao pondered "... Does this mean... We are actually meant to act as simple travellers on this River? Are we just enacting a play that presents itself over and over again? Just actors on a stage? But who is the one who wrote the play?" He looked at his own hand "Is there truly an end to cultivation? Is there an unfathomable realm way above our comprehension, even above Immortality? Something so mysterious and powerful, something like..." His eyes glinted with understanding "That... Spark..."

"To become immortal is to become one with the Qi and live forever as the world itself... But what if there is a realm that does not mean becoming one with the universe and in the end succumbing to fate even once you reach the end, but it actually is... Taking control of the river, governing the universe..." He clenched his fist as his eyes burned with bright light "And dictating Fate yourself!"

Suddenly Cheng Hao's eyes brightened as his whole figure began to glow, but this could only be seen by him, as everybody else couldn't notice anything. His whole appearance began to look mystical as the whole universe could be seen by staring at the boy, galaxies, worlds, even time itself! Everything flashed by Cheng Hao's figure as it glowed with otherworldly light...

Suddenly, Cheng Hao felt somebody speak in his head "Oh? Someone is getting it! Yes! Finally!" The voice was devoid of any distinctive traits, it could be a man's, a woman's, a child's or an old man's...

"Wait.. This is... What?" The voice seemed troubled and it trembled for a bit, in peril. Then is grew silent as if it were pondering something and broke out into laughter "Ahaha, boy! This is just so funny! To think that this time it would be YOU!"

Cheng Hao trembled when he noticed that all sound had been cut out and looked around him: everything was still and there was no trace of movement. Xiao Wu was staring straight ahead, Fu Yin was gritting his teeth and looked like he was about to rush into the battlefield. Even the Primordial Beast, Blindlight, was immobilised.