Fates Parallel Chapter 377 - Assertion

The Art of Godslaying and the True Meaning of Heavenly Defiance

The tattered bamboo slip looked so fragile that Jia and Zheng Long were afraid to even touch it. The audacious title was all that was written on it, in plain language and faded ink. Its true contents were no doubt housed in the enormously powerful divine essence that radiated from the otherwise unassuming artifact.

Jia didn’t even know such plain materials could host that much power. White jade was used in place of wood or paper for cultivation manuals and scrolls because the engraved stone could hold the enchanted characters without wear, and because the stone’s magical properties made it well-suited to storing essence.

This was just plain wood. Half-rotten and held together by decaying twine, yet still somehow filled to the brim with power.

Zheng Long pursed his lips, scowling down at the artifact as if it had personally offended him.

“Well, this complicates things.”

Dreading the answer she already knew, Yoshika cast an uneasy glance his way.

“How so?”

“This is quite a find. From the look and feel of it, it’s no mere technique but an entire cultivation method. The techniques and philosophy of the man so feared by the heavens themselves—secrets entire worlds could wage war against each other to discover, all collated right here before us.”

“Yeah...”

He sighed and shook his head.

“And there’s only one copy. Just look at the thing. The message couldn’t be more plain—this is a single-use item. There’s no way to read from it without destroying it in the process. It’s practically engineered to incite greed and infighting.”

Jia winced. He was right. It was an obvious trap—but the bait was extremely tempting.

“Maybe we should just destroy it.”

Zheng Long tensed up and shook his head.

“No! That would be a terrible waste! Let us assume that Chou’s cynical words are true and the only reward awaiting us at the end of this tomb is an ignoble death at the hands of those we’ve been sent to represent—would these techniques not be exactly the sort of thing we need to stand a chance of survival?”

“For one person. And that’s if you even have time to master whatever arts are described in it. How do we even decide who gets it?”

“Well, it would be you or I, naturally. We’re the ones who found it.”

How neatly Zheng Long had managed to narrow it down while still including himself among the candidates. He probably already had an excuse ready for why it shouldn’t be Yoshika, should she continue that line.

Jia frowned. Something didn’t sit right with her.

“Chou said this was a test of our spirits. How does fending off an army do that?”

“Patience and resolve, right? I can see it. Why the sudden change of subject?”

“Sure, but there’s more to strength of spirit than just that. He said we just need to survive, but can we really take that at face value?”

Zheng Long raised an eyebrow at her.

“Surely not, but what does any of this have to do with the artifact?”

“I don’t know, but it’s got to be part of the test.”

“Perhaps the real trial is to master the techniques within and defeat the attacking army entirely.”

Jia shook her head—of course he’d think that way.

“How is that a test of spirit? I’m starting to think that surviving the trial isn’t the same as passing it. Think about it—he said that we’d need patience and resolve to survive, and he said that he’d speak to us again if we managed to live ten days, but when did he ever say that meant success? He was more direct in the first trial, so why obfuscate now?”

Zheng Long scratched his chin.

“Are you sure you’re not overthinking this?”

“No, but it fits the narrative.”

“What narrative? Are you talking about An Eui’s theory that these trials are a reflection of Chou’s life?”

Jia nodded.

“Exactly. The Bloody Sovereign was originally just a mortal farmer with no future, but he found the tear and was taken in as an apprentice by a traveling cultivator. When his master discovered the tear, he betrayed Chou to the local lord, who attacked his village.”

Zheng Long glanced out of a window, narrowing his eyes.

“Hence the army...”

“Right. Chou wasn’t in the village when the lord attacked, and everyone was slaughtered, with his family’s corpses put on display. To hear Jianmo tell it, that’s when he lost his innocence and really became the Bloody Sovereign. He went on a warpath, killing his master, the lord, and anyone else who crossed him.”

“In which case, this scroll represents who he became, and the philosophy that he developed after he failed to protect those dear to him. Is that what you’re getting at?”

Jia frowned down at the artifact.

“I don’t know. Maybe he regrets his path of seeking power at the expense of everything else. Maybe this is supposed to be a test, to see if we’re strong enough to turn away from that path.”

“One could argue that abandoning such attachments is a form of strength in itself. It isn’t easy to let go, even when you’re aware of the weaknesses holding you back.”

Though his voice didn’t betray a hint of emotion, Jia felt the sadness behind them. Her tail lashed back and forth as she shook her head vehemently.

“Absolutely not! It’s not a weakness to care about other people!”

“Of course you would say that. It’s the basis of your entire cultivation. For better or worse, we don’t all share your philosophy, Miss Lee, and in a test to determine the worthiness of his successor, on which side do you suppose ‘The Bloody Sovereign’ falls?”

“I don’t know! I can’t tell you how a man billions of years old thinks. I only know that if this trial is a recreation of the tragedy that led to Chou shedding his humanity and pursuing power above all else, then I want to prevent that tragedy!”

Zheng Long chuckled incredulously.

“You want to save the innocence of some long-dead mass-murderer?”

“Yes! I don’t care how stupid it sounds. That scroll represents the horrific path he took to power. Consuming entire worlds to fuel his ambition and killing anything that stood in his way. I don’t want anything to do with it!”

“Well, that makes things simple. Allow me to—”

Jia grabbed Zheng Long’s wrist before he could reach for the scroll.

“Don’t.”

He sighed.

“Miss Lee, please—I don’t want to fight you, but it would be a waste not to use this artifact, regardless of its origins. If you don’t want it, then I will take it myself—we’ll see which path Chou favors when the trial concludes.”

“Ten days. Restraint is a test of spirit too, isn’t it? We keep this scroll safe for ten days—don’t let anyone so much as touch it. After the trial, it’s yours—I won’t stop you and I’ll fight anyone who denies your claim.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“We won’t be able to keep it a secret forever. The others will discover it eventually. Better to claim it now, or it’s not the army we’ll have to fend off.”

“I never said my way was easy. That’s my offer—take it or leave it.”

“And what’s to prevent you from simply hiding it away in your ring the moment my back is turned?”

Jia shook her head and chuckled.

“You think that isn’t the first thing I tried? It’s too much for the storage ring to handle. Actually everything here is. I couldn’t steal a chunk of dirt if I tried.”

She tried not to think about what that meant for Jianmo, still safely tucked away inside the ring. Zheng Long tore his wrist from her hand and scoffed.

“Fine, then. You’re probably right about not having time to master it anyway. I’ll hold you to your word, Lee Jia. The truce we agreed on is already on tenuous enough ground as it is.”

“Thank you. I know I’m being unreasonable, but I really feel strongly about this. And thank you for the talk earlier—I think it’s helped me figure out what I need to do.”

He rubbed his wrist and frowned.

“Those claws of yours are nastier than I remember. Think nothing of it. I shudder to imagine how that strange mind of yours will twist my words, but if improving your skills as a leader raises the chances of me and mine getting out of this place alive, it will have been worth it.”

“I’m glad you think so, because Eui and I are going to heal Yu Xiang. We can’t afford to have even the least of us incapacitated like that, and I’m sick of easily preventable casualties.”

“I appreciate the offer, but as I already told your partner, if it involves dual cultivation, you can forget it. We still have our principles.”

Jia shook her head.

“That wasn’t a request, Zheng Long. You’re wrong about the truce being on shaky ground—it’s already irreparably broken, and I’m willing to admit that it’s my fault.”

He took an uneasy step back from her, narrowing his eyes.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying this isn’t working. We’re not equals and I can’t lead this group effectively while pretending otherwise. No more questions, no more requests, and no more compromises. While you’re under my protection, you’re under my command. I’ll get you out of here alive, but only if you listen.”

Zheng Long’s lips formed a thin line, and he stared at her tensely before finally turning away in a huff.

“I suppose I brought that on myself. And the matter of this scroll?”

“My word is my bond. It's yours once we get through this trial.”

“Alright. I’ll cooperate, but you’re going to have a hard time getting Han Yu to fall in line.”

Jia smiled, though the expression had never felt quite so unnatural on her face.

“That’s what I have you for, isn’t it? Besides, like you said, I already made an example of Bai Lin.”

He tensed for a moment before shaking his head with an exasperated sigh.

“You’re turning out to be quite the tyrant after all. Have I created a monster?”

“I’m just doing what I must to keep us all alive. We all have to work with what we’re given.”

“Mm. Well, good luck with that, Miss Lee. I pray it doesn’t go to your head, lest someone see fit to relieve you of it.”

With nothing else to say, the two of them left the hut and returned to the group.

—-

“Are you sure about this?”

Yoshika looked Yue in the eye and nodded resolutely.

“Let her go.”

Yue took a hesitant step back, and the light slowly returned to Xiao Chong’s eyes as Yue’s spell wore off. The demon blinked, then looked around in confusion. They were in an empty hut, the rest of the group looking on with trepidation.

“What’s going on? Were you too weak to kill me after all?”

Yoshika shook her heads. She was confronting Xiao Chong with both bodies, and speaking in chorus.

“No. The others wanted to execute you, but we decided on exile.”

“Heh. Fine with me. You think I won’t survive out there? I’ll be back to make you regret it, I promise.”

“No, you won’t. We changed our mind, you’re not going to be exiled.”

Xiao Chong’s eyes widened, but she was too slow to react. Yoshika knocked her flat with a synchronized pair of punches, then stepped forward to stand on her shoulders before the demon could stand.

Eui leveled a sword at Xiao Chong’s throat while Jia bent down to look her in the eye.

“No more games. No more threats or insults. You think mercy is weakness? Fine. Then you don’t get any. Your master isn’t here, and since violence seems to be the only language you can understand, let me make this message as clear as possible for you.”

She dug her heel into Xiao Chong’s shoulder and roughly pulled on her horn to force the demon to look her in the eye.

“We are your master now. These people are under our protection, and if you take one more step out of line, or take any action against them, we’ll kill you on the spot. Do you understand?”

Xiao Chong tried to nod, but Jia’s grip on her horn was too firm.

“Y-yes...”

Eui’s blade cut into the demon’s throat, drawing a thin line of ichorous blood as Yoshika put more weight on her shoulders.

“Yes what?”

Yoshika could sense the demon’s shock and fear—mirrored by those around her, including her friends.

“Yes m-mistress...”

Yoshika stepped back and withdrew her blade, turning away and ignoring the affronted stares from the rest of the group.

“Good. Now pick yourself up and get ready. The enemy is almost upon us.”