Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Alex could hear the guilt and sadness in the tree’s words. He tried to think of what the tree could be talking about that it regretted, and while some answers came to him, nothing could be confirmed.

So he asked it to explain.

“Unlike the other plants that thrive off soil and sunlight, I was given the ability to absorb all Yin in the surroundings to grow instead. That was the blessing mother gave me. I was free to use it all my life, or so I had thought.”

“After father and mother did what they did, I hadn’t realized that I could no longer do what I was doing. I drew in too much Yin and grew. And the more I grew, the more Yin I collected.”

“After many years of growing without restraint, I turned this world into an ocean of Yang, devouring any Yin that formed at all. And when that happened, the balance that formed Heaven was skewed.”

“Heaven began to disappear because of me.”

“It started with its divinations, then with its tribulations. After that, one after another, everything that Heaven provided began to fail.”

“And if nothing was to be done, the Intent that kept this world’s atmosphere would soon be over too. So, I decided to act.”

“I knew I had to replace the Heavens, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t perform tribulations. I could not provide Dao. Compared to father and mother’s Intents, I was useless. So, I did what I could.”

“I could not keep the atmosphere like Heaven did, so I resorted to shattering the space to keep it in. I could not suppress strong individuals, so I resorted to suppressing Qi from the start, not allowing anyone to cultivate higher than the True realms. And I continued doing what I was doing since I needed the strength to keep this world alive.”

“Thankfully, no one strong enough has come by since I started, so the world remains. But should someone like that come, I do not believe this world can survive at all.”

Alex considered the tree’s words and saw how it made perfect sense with everything he knew of. People and beasts’ cultivation was suppressed so they wouldn’t disrupt the Intent of this world. The prison wall did not just keep people in, but also out.

As for everything else, that was a natural evolution beyond what the tree had done. The desert, the beasts, the culture— the tree had nothing to do with their progress.

“What about our 3-meter sphere that we can use our senses on? Why did you place that around every living being?” Alex asked.

“I created it so that the Immortals and Divinities that lived in this world would not hurt others now that they were free of Heaven. I restricted them, as far as I thought they should be restricted, all so the people could thrive.”

“Those people died because they could not cultivate, you know?” Alex asked.

“I did not do it to hurt them,” the tree said. “Their lack of cultivation wasn’t disruptive either. It only made them equal to every other mortal. At that point, their death is no longer my fault.”

Alex supposed that was true.

“Even if it was, I would happily do it again in order to save all the rest of the people and animals. Their life should not be a reason to let the rest of the billions die,” the tree said.

The tree had a utilitarian view on life, focusing only on the outcomes, not caring who died.

Alex could not find a reason to condemn it for that. It had done what had needed to be done, even if it all had happened because of its own mistake.

Alex thought for a moment after hearing everything, finding hope growing in him.

“Since your Intent governs the world, do you think it is possible for you to stop it for just a brief moment so I could leave?” Alex asked.

He had no way of leaving himself, and his one hope in Bladedance had shattered as well. But now, he had found another way, and he could only hope that this was the way to leave.

“No,” the tree answered without taking a moment to consider his question.

“No?” Alex asked. “Will you not let me?”

“I can’t,” the tree said. “I’m sorry, but to undo my Intent, even a little, is far too disruptive for this world. I cannot remove just part of the spatial barrier outside this world without removing everything with it. If I were to do that, the air within this world would immediately get sucked away, the balance broken.”

“To let anyone leave would be to suffocate all else that live here. Even for you, I cannot do that.”

Alex frowned hearing the tree’s words. He wanted to argue with it a little, but hearing the tree’s words, he could see that it was telling the truth.

“Then is there any other way I can leave?” Alex asked.

“You could always do what that man did so many years ago; the one who named himself a ruler.”

“The Hell Emperor…” Alex said with a sigh. “No, I cannot do that. That man did what he did as a Celestial.”

“You can reach the Celestial realm too. I have seen you able to cultivate. You can consume Yang cores and Incubating Yang cores. The ones closest to here are quite potent too,” the tree said. “You can reach the Celestial realm in just a few dozen millennia. I’m certain of it.”

This was the type of conversation that got Alex to feel dejected about his future. Everyone who had lived for a long time seemed to think a few dozen millennia passed by in a flash, when he had yet to live half a millennia even.

He came to terms with the fact that the tree couldn’t help him leave, so he would have to try another way. So, he brought the conversation back to what it had been about.

“Your sister is alive,” he told the tree. “The World Tree is growing in my Soul Space.”