Obsession.
It is something that will always be present within an immortal cultivator. Negative obsessions often result in the shattering of Tao Hearts—a cause of inner demons. Triumph against them and one's Tao Heart will be strengthened instead.
Seele's seven hundred years of obsession led to a positive growth. Mei's eighteen years of torment is another example.
I…
I could not escape it either.
"Fu…"
Sensing the dissipating power of the Endless Reincarnation Springs Tribulation, I did not open my eyes. My mind recalled the events I went through. True to its name, I went through a total of 99,999 reincarnations. Their contents are not fixed. It is a normal life at first, and then a martial arts world at the next. There are also worlds destroyed by apocalypses and the typical immortal cultivation worlds.
What was fixed, however, are the people I met.
In the normal world, I met Kiana. We got married and had four kids. What was incredulous was that I ended up cheating with her "sister", Sirin. As if that wasn't unbelievable enough, Kiana ended up accepting our relationship. Sirin got pregnant and gave birth to my kids.
In the martial arts world, things are more direct. After meeting Seele and Veliona, we formed a three-man crew and challenged the entire jianghu (martial arts society). We consummated our marriage together.
In the zombie apocalypse world, there was Raiden Mei who ended up rescuing me. Her exquisite sword techniques proved to be a boon in this world. Unlike the first two worlds, she did not allow anyone from stealing me—not even Queen Mei, who was her twin sister at that time.
Then came the spiritual qi revival world, high martial arts world, sci-fi world…
This tribulation lasted tens of millions of years. It would have been fine if that was it, but it was not. Every life ended in tragedy. Everyone I loved died right in front of my eyes. The sense of powerlessness was so disheartening not even suicide can remove that feeling.
Had I been consumed by that feeling over and over again, a complete annihilation would be the result. My sixth level Tao Heart retained my sense of self, fortunately. My mind is incorruptible. I can see through the level of this tribulation at the end of each reincarnation.
This experience did reveal one thing.
When I fought against IX, I used up most of the Void Refinement Realm mental power to unleash the World Rendering Sword. The remaining portion was stored inside the [Chaos Furnace]. At that time, the memories of spending endless amounts of time inside IX resurfaced. It was a complete memory, unlike the general outline I had. It is inevitable for it to affect my mind to a large extent.
Seele's seven hundred years, Griseo's 1,500 years… then there's my endless years.
Its influence did not negatively impact me with the existence of my Tao Heart. Its effects are subtle.
Only in the tribulation did it resurface. That same sense of helplessness resonated with my feelings from back then. I realized one thing from it.
I won't hesitate to kill anyone who threatens the ending I wanted to write.
Cultivating to immortality, farming spiritual plants, showering my wives with love… I would never let go of this life… never..!
The answer to this predicament became clear after this tribulation.
To become a True Immortal.
This is my end goal. Not the Aeons. Not the Imaginary Tree. Not any other threats outside this world. To become someone who overlooks the infinite realities, someone capable of penning endings as they wish...
That is whom I shall become.
*****
Crack-!
"Hm..?"
Kiana's attention was redirected to the source of "noise". She sensed a special power that was both familiar and unfamiliar. It is unfamiliar because it differed greatly from the Cocoon of Finality nor the other Aeons she saw; familiar because it is from immortal cultivation.
Hum-!
A static sound followed forth. The Moon's surface shook intensely. The next second, everything returned to normal. Kiana checked the "damages" caused by it, only to find nothing. She was the only one who witnessed it.
"What is this..?"
".emoc yllautneve lliw tub ,emoc t'nsah taht enO .seitilibissop etinifni eht fo noitcejorp A"
She turned her back and saw an exact mirror image of her. The only thing different was her aura. Surrounding the other Kiana was the familiar Dao of Void and Dao of Time Kiana she focused on.
".ti rebmemeR .noitcnitxe slleps driht ehT .evorp ot si dnoces ehT"
Shatter-!
Kiana's eyes turned blank as the world returned to normal. Her mind has no traces of the prior meeting. She returned to what she was doing… until she felt her right palm burn.
"Ah..?"
Written in it was the exact words she had forgotten:
"The second is to prove. The third spells extinction."
The somewhat intricate handwriting and extremely strong aura of Dao heightened Kiana's guard. She was like a high-strung cat as her spiritual consciousness frantically scanned her surroundings. Her high alert caught the attention of the women living on the Moon. Sirin was the first one to step out.
"What happened?"
"It's…"
Kiana decided to tell everything to her. Sirin frowned as she looked at Kiana's palm.
"I can feel something strange in your palm. I couldn't see the words on it."
"You couldn't see it? Then, you didn't feel the shaking earlier?"
"No."
Kiana's mind wandered around the knowledge she knew about immortal cultivation. Shi Tian possessed an extremely large knowledge inheritance. All of the current cultivation techniques used on Earth came from him.
She didn't slack off and read through hundreds of thousands of techniques. For the Dao she majored on, she did not hesitate to master them to [Small Accomplishment] at the very least.
It didn't take long before Kiana found an answer.
"It's me… a future possibility of me."
The moment she pointed it out, it made sense to Sirin. Their connection allowed for sharing knowledge.
"So it is that…"
It is said that there can be no "true" time travel in immortal cultivation; it is a feat reserved for a True Immortal. At most, it is a "future possibility" affecting the Present Time. It is akin to the people of a future-version Bubble World temporarily stepping into the Real World to give some words of advice.
These "future possibilities" can manifest tangibly in the Present given that a cultivator's potential is enough to guarantee that "future possibility" from existing. The said guarantee is none other than reaching the Dao Integration Realm and above.
If there was someone with a guaranteed chance of becoming a Dao Integration Realm expert, their "future possibility" can descend into the Present Time. This included guaranteed survival from life-and-death calamities.
The demand for talent, luck, and survivability made it a nigh-impossible feat.
Kiana's meeting with her "future possibility" showed she is bound to reach the Dao Integration Realm sooner or later.
"The second… The third… Ugh, I am back in grade school again!"
The Tuna's studying PTSD back when she was a Paramecium resurfaced.
*****
A/N: We have 1 bonus chapter tomorrow.