PtM Book 14 - Chapter 46: Melody (2)

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Cha Ming opened his eyes to a world of inky characters. They floated in the white emptiness, twisting and combining, unraveling and splitting.

The characters were separate but formed distinct groupings. They told a story too long and too great for him to even begin to comprehend.

Cha Ming tried to stand up, but the sheer magnitude of the place was nauseating. Even with the Crown of the Starry Sky filtering his perception and aiding his mental processing, the sheer amount of information was crippling.

Having experienced one such situation before, Cha Ming immediately knew what he had to do. He narrowed the scope of his perception and retracted his soul until finally, the information he was receiving every second was sufficiently small, allowing him to process the images in range.

He blinked and looked around. He still saw characters, but the bulk of them now formed a sort of background to the painting that was the core of this strange place, a circle where large groupings of inky characters floated about like rulers in their kingdom.

Even this smaller group proved too much to Cha Ming. The moment he tried to decipher these characters, he was struck with a splitting headache.

Narrow your perception, Cha Ming reminded himself. It was like Yu Wen had said. In this place, there were some things he could do and some things he couldn’t. He had to be cognizant of his limits.

Since he couldn’t peer upon the deeper secrets of his place, Cha Ming focused on the background. It was blank in a way that reminded Cha Ming of the Clear Sky World. At the center of it was a large inky egg, halfway hatched, but it was clear to Cha Ming that its attempts to hatch had failed. The egg was dead, its spirit gone.

Three groups of characters floated around this dead egg, and each one felt familiar to Cha Ming. Two resonated with him personally, while another was closely associated with him.

This intrigued Cha Ming, but he did not dare inspect these character groupings directly. Instead, he increased his focus a tiny bit before catching a glimpse of them at the edge of his periphery. Deciphering even this tiny portion gave him a general idea of the purpose of each grouping. One spoke of laws and comprehension, another of deities and divinity, and the third of primal savagery.

Outside the ring of three characters stood two mountains, powerful and imposing. One was built of pristine jade, and the other of malevolent ochre. The mountains were incompatible, and they clashed at the center of where the egg and the characters lay. These clashing auras wore away at the egg and the characters like a grindstone.

Surprisingly, this did not harm either the characters or the egg. The conflicting energies of malevolence and benevolence purified and strengthened them instead. Heaven and hell, these opposing concepts, were beneficial to the core groups of characters.

“It’s an interesting view, isn’t it?” asked a voice from the white emptiness, manifesting as a woman wearing black robes. She had long black hair, and the entire right side of her body was covered in inky-black characters, including her face. She seemed perfect in every way, and was without a doubt one of the three most beautiful women Cha Ming had ever laid eyes on.

“Who are you?” Cha Ming asked warily. His words ran counter to the answer he knew deep within his heart. This woman had an aura he was very familiar with—he had called upon it on several occasions.

She did not answer him. She simply smiled and held up a talisman. It glowed with gray energy and was covered in inky characters but was otherwise unmistakable—the Dao Origins Talisman.

“You called, so I answered,” the woman said. “Should I call you Daoist Clear Sky, or Cha Ming, or Painter?”

“Clear Sky is fine,” Cha Ming answered. “And you? Calling you Will of the World is a mouthful. Do you have a name?”

“A name…” the woman said. A look of melancholy and loneliness appeared on her otherwise flawless personage. “Perhaps I did once. A long time ago. No longer. But… if you wish it, you may call me by a name I once cherished. Call me Melody.”

“Melody,” Cha Ming repeated.

“So,” Melody said. “You called, so I answered. It has been quite a long while since I interacted with anyone directly. Normally, I would destroy you for the impertinence, but in this case, I can’t hold back. I must admit, Clear Sky. I am intrigued.”

Speaking to Melody was not like speaking to a mortal, and her words weren’t just verbal; they carried meaning. That was why Cha Ming’s eyes couldn’t help but flicker to two golden character groupings when she spoke. One orbited the jade mountain, and the other the ochre one. “If I’m to understand correctly, you fought with Jezeriah and Harid Dej when they came here?”

Melody laughed, and to Cha Ming, it was the sweetest of music. “I couldn’t let them have an easy time, Clear Sky. Not only would that set a bad precedent, if either of them managed to gain dominance on this plane, they would have overwritten me.

“Fortunately, these two goddesses are at odds and would never allow the other to gain the upper hand. In the end, we reached a compromise. In this world, there are five Dao origins. Five main paths that one can take. There are also secondary ones, like the Buddhist Path and the Evil Spirit Path, but here, they are simply… weaker.”

“This might be highly presumptuous of me,” Cha Ming said. “But am I correct in assuming the Dao Origins Talisman grants me the ability to establish a new Dao origin?”

“Yes and no,” Melody said. “The talisman is powerful, but all it did was give you the ability to communicate with the laws of this realm and the authority to establish a new Dao origin. Whether or not you can succeed is an entirely different matter.”

“And what would I need to succeed?” Cha Ming asked.

“Two things,” Melody said. “First, you would need to overcome the will of this world, which, in this case, is me. Second, you would need both the ability and the power to write a comprehensive Dao origin law.”

Cha Ming’s expression fell. Forget that second part. He could tell at a glance that Melody could crush him with ease. But just on the off chance…

His mind went reeling, and he immediately regretted trying to gauge her power. The tiniest glimpse had brought him to his knees.

Melody did not seem upset at his probing. She simply walked up beside his kneeling self and put a hand on his shoulder. A calming and refreshing feeling swept through his body and soul, washing away the trauma of their encounter. “You should be careful with that vision of yours, Clear Sky. Some things, if looked upon carelessly, can blind you for all eternity.”

“Many thanks for the warning,” Cha Ming said. Overcoming the first hurdle was impossible, and he didn’t even know where to begin on the second one. The five tangles of characters representing the Dao origins of the realm were completely incomprehensible to him. He had no confidence in deciphering even a fragment.”

“I understand my shortcomings,” Cha Ming finally said. “I have neither the power nor the knowhow to accomplish this.”

“That is indeed the case,” Melody confirmed. “How fortunate that you know someone who does.” Seeing his confused expression, she clarified. “Me!”

“You?” Cha Ming was confused. This was the will of the world they were talking about. From what he’d been told, a world’s will was supposed to be infantile and instinctual—not chatty and cooperative. “I don’t understand, Melody. Shouldn’t you reject this sort of thing? Isn’t this defying you and the established rules?”

Melody laughed. “Yes, if I was a normal will of the world, you would be correct,” she said. “But my circumstances are unique, and so are yours. You are not a god emperor descending to the lower realms to pillage my world and tamper with my inner laws, and I am substantially more sentient than other world wills. Since we both happen to have what the other needs, why not cooperate?”

Cha Ming frowned. “You need the power of my talisman and the immortal energy,” he realized. “And the authority the talisman grants. It will allow you to exceed your limits and do things you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. But you cannot take this authority because the talisman is bound to my will.”

“Quick on the uptake, I see,” Melody said. “That’s right. You want to create a new Dao origin, but you don’t have the ability, and I want to act but normally can’t.”

“I just don’t see how this benefits you,” Cha Ming said.

“I can understand your suspicions,” Melody said. “But I think you’ll find the answer is obvious. Tell me, what do you think Jezeriah and Harid Dej gain from spreading their divinity to lower realms like these?”

Cha Ming thought a while, then realized there was only one conclusion that made sense. “Faith.”

Melody nodded. “Faith is a powerful thing. I am not a goddess, but even so, faith would benefit me.”

Cha Ming shook his head. “I didn’t use this talisman to start a new religion, Melody. I won’t even consider it.” He turned away from her and began inspecting the Dao origins. Maybe I can glean some sort of deeper truth here? Could I maybe make this work without the will of the world?

“No need to rush to conclusions,” Melody said, appearing beside him. “I’m different from these goddesses.”

“Different how?” Cha Ming asked.

“For one, I’m not actually a goddess, and for another, I’m not after faith, per se,” Melody said. “Faith is complicated, and those who plunder faith carelessly tend to meet with bad endings. That is because faith is not a one-sided relationship. It’s about give and take. If you accept faith, you accept all the obligations that come with it. Otherwise, why would Jezeriah and Harid Dej be so keen on enforcing their dogmas and supporting their worshipers?”

“So you don’t want faith, because it would limit you karmically,” Cha Ming said. “That makes sense.”

“What I want is something that goes by other names,” Melody confirmed. “It is weaker but comes with far less attachments. It is more akin to what you’d receive for a gift freely given or timely assistance.”

Cha Ming frowned. “You want gratitude?”

“Exactly!” Melody said. “That’s a very good word to use. I was inspired by your Core-Painting Talismans, which, I must say, are very intriguing and on theme. Ink-based cultivation in an inky world—imagine that! Perhaps you didn’t notice the consequences of your actions. Allow me to demonstrate.”

She waved her hand, and tens of thousands of tiny threads appeared. Perhaps due to their location, Cha Ming immediately recognized them as threads of gratitude from the members of the Titan Clan and the few Daoists who’d already started popping up in various cities around Mendin.

Cha Ming was a little peeved by those secondary threads. Didn’t I tell those Daoists to wait a few days? Why are they so impatient? Then again, they probably thought he wouldn’t notice.

“So this is gratitude,” Cha Ming said as he felt at the soft golden threads. They were tiny and weak, barely worth mentioning. There were also quite a few other much weaker threads. These were a corrupted crimson coloring. “This is… scorn? Resentment?”

“There are consequences to every action, Clear Sky,” Melody said. “You have sown these seeds, so you must reap their fruit. There is good karma, and there is bad. Notice that the threads of gratitude are stronger than the threads of resentment. This is because gratitude is more direct, and resentment further removed. Though I wonder… why are the first ten thousand threads so powerful, while the next ten thousand are so weak?”

Cha Ming shrugged. “Perhaps this has to do with my intentions. I wanted to save the members of the Titan Clan and give them hope. I had no other motives. As for the Daoists, I wanted the same for them, but I also wanted to create chaos. I feel bad about it, but that’s what was needed to ensure success and the survival of my friends.”

“Even so, look at the benefits,” Melody said.

Cha Ming was suddenly faced with a mirror image of himself. It reflected his body and soul and his inner world as well. The tiny golden threads nourished all three of them. His soul was healing, and his integration of the Runebound Arts was progressing without practice or attention. “This is the reason gods harvest faith, Clear Sky. It allows them to advance their cultivation and comprehension. I wish to obtain such benefits.”

Cha Ming’s eyes widened. “You want to use this as an opportunity to grow?”

“If they can, why can’t I?” Melody asked. It was a fair point.

“Fine,” Cha Ming said. “Then how will this work?”

“It’s actually quite easy,” Melody said. “I’ve been here for quite some time, and I know the place like the back of my hand. Your talismans have given me a framework, which happens to align closely with Jezeriah and Harid Dej’s ranker Dao origins. These are in turn based on the original Daoist, demonic, and divine Dao origins, which cannot be violated.

“Since the template is made, all that’s left is to discuss boundaries and limitations. For example, who can cultivate? To what point? At what cost?”

“Everyone,” Cha Ming said without hesitation. “Everyone who wants to. My goals is to give people hope and choice.”

“Even demons? Even gods?” Melody asked.

“Anyone,” Cha Ming reiterated. “Even… even monstrous demons if it comes to that. But should they cultivate, they will have human forms, and higher-level thinking. They will cease being monsters and become people instead.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Melody said. “In fact, you might not know this, but your talismans can already accomplish this.”

“I didn’t realize,” Cha Ming said.

“Next comes power,” Melody said. “How strong will they be? This will affect how widespread they are, and their power. A higher cost means less of these Painted Daoists, and powers and lifespan that approach the limits of the original Dao origins.”

“I imagine that there are limitations we need to work with?” Cha Ming asked.

“Just so,” Melody said. “I cannot infringe on the three main Dao origins. Allowing cultivators on these paths to convert to this new one is fine, but infringing on their supremacy is not. Be it lifespan or power, the Dao origin we create must be lesser in both aspects.”

Cha Ming frowned. “What about cases like Petros Sullivan? Or Oster Fireblight? They’re unnaturally strong for rankers.”

“They are not bearing the full cost for their strength,” Melody explained. “Their goddesses have paid for them in many ways. I am not willing to do the same. Moreover… they have trained in ways that rankers do not, allowing them to approach the limits of the original Dao origins.”

“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel,” Cha Ming said. “Let’s just go with the strength and lifespan limits Jezeriah and Harid Dej have imposed.”

“That is probably the optimal decision, since those were made to accommodate a very large population,” Melody said. “Since those details have been decided, all that’s left is to discuss any other restrictions you might have. Once this is done, we will negotiate allocation of faith and gratitude.”

“Other restrictions?” Cha Ming asked.

“Like ideological restrictions, code of conduct, and so on.”

“None,” Cha Ming answered immediately. “We are not establishing a church. You will not direct their behavior or limit anyone in any way, or limit anyone from joining.”

Melody frowned.

“This is important to me. You cannot even reject those who reject you, reject this world. That is because I do not want to see this world manipulating its people like those two goddesses would.”

“Though this is a little farther than I would take it, as I have my enemies, I will accept this condition,” Melody said. “Reluctantly. Then again, perhaps this is a good thing. Any restrictions will generate too much karma, and my situation is complicated.”

“I also want one more thing,” Cha Ming said. “I want their road to be long and limitless.”

“Explain,” Melody said.

“I want them to be able to reach the same realm as rankers… and higher,” Cha Ming said. “I want to give them hope, and that includes hope for immortality.”

“Absolutely not!” Melody said. Her agreeable aura instantly turned hostile.

“Why not?” Cha Ming asked, refusing to back down.

“Ascension causes a net loss to my power,” Melody said simply. “Jezeriah and Harid Dej might not care, since they are parasites, but I do. I might have the ability to plunder energy from the void, but it’s not like this world is in the best of shape. So no, I can’t allow it.”

“But–”

“Maybe if it were just me that was doing this, I’d consider it,” Melody continued. “It never hurts to spur people along and motivate them to reach higher realms. Stronger cultivators are good for a plane, you know. But after splitting things with you? I’d just be losing out. I won’t do it.”

Cha Ming was unmoved. “This is a very important condition for me.”

“And I said it’s impossible,” Melody said. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

Cha Ming was left with a difficult decision. At this point, he had accomplished most of what he wanted. The operation was a success, and he could easily stop now and wash his hands of this.

But… it just didn’t sit right with him to forever block off any path of advancement. Hope, in his opinion, was the root of cultivation. Even demons had the hope of refining their bloodlines or adding to them, despite how tiny this chance was in certain species.

Philosophy aside, it was like something at the very core of his being that was stopping him from agreeing with her. He felt it in his soul. He felt it in his wings. There were shackles that simply would not let him take this one last step. If there was no hope, what was the point?

“What if I don’t want any faith?” Cha Ming asked. “What if I don’t want their gratitude and scorn?”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Cha Ming said.

Melody hesitated. “I supposeif you were willing to give up your portion of said faith and gratitude and not haggle with this maiden, I could provide them a chance. A small chance.”

Cha Ming’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Are you sure you’re the Will of the World and not a spirit of finance and haggling?” She seemed so human just now. No, during their entire interaction.

“I am, for all practical purposes, the will of this world,” Melody said. “If you have any doubts, I’d be more than happy to strike you with tribulation lightning.”

“I’ll pass on that,” Cha Ming said. “So. This hope. Describe it to me.”

“I will give them hope proportional to their strength,” Melody said. “Their chances will be much lower than those on the Daoist, divine, and demonic paths, but like Jezeriah and Harid Dej’s rankers, ascension will be possible.”

“Then I’m satisfied.” Cha Ming said. “As long as there is hope, I am willing.”

“I just wonder why you came here in the first place,” Melody said, giving him a strange look. “This is an expensive talisman, Clear Sky. Its activation price wasn’t just the price you paid personally, but many times higher. Faith was the only benefit you could gain from coming here and meddling with the Dao origins. Why did you do it?”

“I just want to save some people,” Cha Ming said. “And to do that, I need to change the world. But if you’re asking if I want anything else out of the deal, perhaps there is something you can help me with.”

“Ask,” Melody said. Her mood was much improved now that she was getting all the benefits.

“I want their forgiveness,” Cha Ming said. A weary expression appeared on his face. “Many people will die once the Dao origins are changed. That is inevitable, since violence goes hand in hand with change. To create, one must destroy. This truth has never changed.

“Since there will be great chaos and violence, there will also be hatred and resentment. I know that in the short term, the hatred incurred will likely outweigh the gratitude. But in the end, things will settle down. People’s mindsets will change. They will cease cursing the changes to the realm, and peace will return. And when that time comes, I will not want their gratitude. I could not bear to accept it. I just want their forgiveness, if they will give it. That alone is enough.”

Melody nodded slowly. “Very well. I can make that happen, Clear Sky. It will not give you many benefits, but perhaps your heart will feel more at ease. And trust me when I say that such a feeling can’t be bought with mere treasures.” She held up the Dao Origins Talisman and looked at Cha Ming. “Now tell me, is there anything else?”

Cha Ming shook his head.

“Then let me take care of the rest. I will now make changes to the Dao origins of this world. Since you still have some time in this place, I suggest you pay close attention. Watch… as this world changes.”

***

That night, it rained, and the rain covered every nation. It spilled over the sacred deserts and the Blighted Lands, the desolate home of the Paper Tiger Clan.

The rain was accompanied by a vision. Everyone on the Inkwell Plane saw it.

In the vision, there was a message, and the message was simple. If you wanted to improve your lot in life, to embark on a different path, to become a cultivator, you simply needed to stand out in the rain and ask for it.

***

In a small town in the Crimson Lotus Empire, a young scholar failed his ascension ceremony. His family was not surprised. They had not invested much into the ceremony because his talent was low. Traditionally, only one in four would succeed.

When his mood was at its lowest point, and he was standing on a bridge, wondering if he should end it all, it began to rain. He was like a drowning man groping for driftwood, so when the vision came, he could not help but reach out.

He returned a changed man.

***

In the Slovana Empire, a member of the Proudwind Clan failed to awaken his bloodline. He was the bastard son of a bastard son, and his bloodline was practically nonexistent. He was disappointed but not surprised. It was raining outside, so he went out to sulk.

When he returned, he was brimming with confidence and vitality.

***

In the Demon Lands, a monstrous demon was just on the cusp of breaking through. Alas, his bloodline was insufficiently potent, and his bloodline shackles meant that he would forever stay a beast.

But then the rain came, and the plated wildebeest stepped out. What came back was a human-form demon with a tattooed body.

***

Everywhere on the Inkwell Plane, countless cultivators were breaking through. Not everyone embraced this new Dao origin, for it was something new, and fear was normal.

But the desperate would forever be the first to grasp at straws. Painted Daoists, Painted Demigods, and Painted Demons sprung out of the woodwork, significantly increasing the number of cultivators present and therefore upsetting the balance of power.

There were also talented individuals who decided to convert. Daoists, demigods, and demons all over the Inkwell Plane had reached the limits of their potential. Another path would give them hope for advancement, and this was especially true for those stuck at the bottleneck to the next great realm.

In Mendin, a peak-silver ranker had been prohibited from advancing by his goddess. He did not wish to repent, so he converted, and was immediately able to break through into the Law-Painting Realm.

***

The blessing of the Inkwell Plane was received unequally across the realm. Most rankers, for example, were religious folk, and quite grateful to their goddesses. But while this new path was clearly heresy, they were reluctant to punish these cultivators. After all, what sort of entity could descend on entire countries and draw them into the same dream?

Very few Daoists converted, but many mortals in Daoist countries did. Conversely, many demons and demigods were happy to convert. This was because bloodline shackles had always limited these two groups, and this new cultivation path might actually give them a way forward.

There were three power divisions for each group. Painted Demons and Painted Demigods had the Totem Painting Realm, the Totem Projection Realm, and the Transformation Realm. The third realm was called the Demonic Transformation Realm for demons and the Divine Transformation Realm for demigods.

Only a fraction of those in the realm chose to adopt a new cultivation method that first night. Even so, this fraction now served as a living example of what they hadn’t dreamed possible. Should anyone wish to pursue this same path, all they would need to do is walk outside during the next rainstorm.

“Alas, there are consequences to every action,” Melody’s said with a sigh. The moment the inky Dao origin characters came into being, they instantly came under assault. The three original Dao origins were aloof, but those belonging to Jezeriah and Harid Dej reacted violently.

Cha Ming braced himself to withstand the impact, but Melody shielded him. Which was fortunate because he would have likely perished. But that, he realized, was part of their deal. Melody would shoulder all the benefit and all the consequences.

“Alas, those petty goddesses are the least of my worries,” Melody said. “Struggle as they might, they cannot change anything. The same cannot be said for my enemies.”

Cha Ming’s vision suddenly skipped to the Blighted Lands, which were located deep in the wilderness. This was where the Pale King and the Paper Tiger Clan resided alongside their descendants. These demons were powerful, but their blood was rejected by the realm. Some of them were so heavily suppressed that they could not advance or even exceed their bestial forms.

Things were different now. The Paper Tiger Clan had a unique connection to the Inkwell Plane and were the first to notice the transformation in the realm’s Dao origins. They, more than any group, used this opportunity to enter the Path of the Painted Demon and break through the realm’s shackles. They shed much of the original power of their bloodline in exchange for freedom. As a result, the vassal forces of the Paper Tiger Clan grew by an order of magnitude overnight.

“Risks were taken, and only time will allow the story to fully develop,” Melody said. “But I suppose it’s things like these that make stories so interesting.”

Cha Ming sighed. “You’re not really the Will of the World, are you? You’re something else. A remnant that lingers and refuses to move on. Tell me, is there even a chance for you to recover?”

Melody smiled. “The chance has always been slim, Clear Sky. But just as many have gained hope, so have I.”

A golden connection appeared between them, and this one was as thick as a cable. He felt something within him grow, and his third pair of wings, mostly transparent at this point, darkened slightly. They weren’t finished, but he was beginning to understand what he was lacking.

The power of the Dao Origins Talisman ran out then. The world of runes faded. Cha Ming disappeared and immediately reappeared atop the Tree of Life. The sun rose as the last of the rains fell.

The Dao Origins Talisman was no longer a physical item. It was now transparent and safely tucked away in Cha Ming’s spiritual sea. To use it again, he would need to recharge it.

The enemy army had retreated during the strange rain. There seemed to be some hesitation in their movements, which came as no surprise to Cha Ming.

Now that he was back in the material world, Cha Ming could feel all his karmic connections returning, including quite a few new ones inside the city. Namely, groups of civilians walking about, looking quite happy. They were humans who’d once been rankers, but whose church had abandoned them. Another path had been offered to them, so they’d taken it.

There were others of course. Mortals, demons, and Daoists.

One particular demon stood out to Cha Ming. He was not old by any means but had suffered much in his lifetime. This demon was none other than Ashen Sky, Graceful Twilight’s crippled father. Only now, he wasn’t crippled and no longer required a cane to walk.

Like many others, his life had changed for the better.