148 - The Heavens' Grand Design
Added 2025-02-08 16:25:25 +0000 UTC“Why do you have this?” the old man asked.
There was a deep frown on his face, filled with doubts and uncertainty. Never had he expected to witness this symbol after so long, much less from the hands of a foreigner. However, there was no way for it to be fake, as its shine was all that was needed to verify its authenticity.
"She gave it to me. Why else would I have this?" Qin Yun replied rather smugly. He couldn't help but revel in the awkwardness this prompted in the old man. Still, he knew not to push his luck. The fact that he was willing to listen was already more than enough.
"What's this?" Ressa asked, completely lost, but the old man ignored her. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Kerak, expecting an answer out of him, and Kerak didn't disappoint. He nodded with a look of deep seriousness.
The old man's expression twisted between doubt and relief, mostly likely relieved to know she was still alive. However, this news didn't seem enough to tip the scale in Qin Yun's favour. This grudge between the two people seemed too deep to be erased that easily, yet the worst had passed. Qin Yun opted to push slightly further.
“She gave me this when I told her I would seek the World's Edge," Qin Yun added, only for the old man to frown even more. However, his pressure had almost wholly receded, making Qin Yun utter a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief.
"What did she say? Please be precise," the old man asked, but his tone was much more respectful this time. There was no further trace of the disdain he had first manifested,
Qin Yun slowly relayed the events between them, from when they met in her bar to when the Outsiders first attacked, and until he arrived in this sub-dimension to face the old elder. Of course, he omitted some of the more sensitive information concerning the Great Barrier, such as the change in its guardian. This wasn't something the Outsiders should know.
After hearing Qin Yun's tale, the old man began to ponder silently, leaving the three youngsters with their own thoughts. Ressa looked just as hostile as before, which took Qin Yun slightly aback.
“Has she never met Nalia before?” Qin Yun asked Kerak, yet the man only shook his head.
“She was much too young when we lost her,” he said. “She may have some vague recollection, but for the most part, she has probably forgotten all about her.”
“Don’t talk to me as if I’m not here!” Ressa snapped. “Who the hell is she supposed to be, anyway?”
“A Priestess of the Old Gods, but also a prophet,” the old man said, having reached a decision.
"Old gods?" Qin Yun asked, slightly intrigued. "I assume you're not talking about the Encroaching Corruption but something that precedes it."
The old man looked conflicted when looking toward Qin Yun but soon sighed and relented. He murmured something almost inaudible, yet Qin Yun could only make out parts of it, something about fate and destiny, but he soon lost interest. He felt much more drawn to this mention of Old Gods.
According to the old man, long before Corruption was even a thing and the desert took over the land, this place was a lush valley nestled between mountain ranges, and their people worshipped living gods.
These gods taught them to survive, and they presented them with boons in exchange for their faith. The power of prophecy was one such boon. However, when the war between the world and Corruption began, these gods left their people behind, and these boons vanished alongside them, except for the rare chance that they might reappear in their progeny. Only a few times in their entire history did the power of prophecy reemerge, and Nalia was one of them.
"Surprisingly, this power only appears in women. That's why we call them Priestesses of the Old Gods," the old man finally said.
Sounds an awful lot like the Power of Faith. Did these Old Gods cultivate the Dao of Faith and Worship? As far as I know, this should have been a Heretical Dao, forbidden by the Heavens for its immense power.
The Dao of Faith allowed cultivators to absorb a hint of the fervour displayed by their believers, allowing them to rise without much effort. One needed only to increase the number of believers for one’s strength to rise. It was only limited by population.
Qin Yun couldn't help but smile, knowing how broken this Dao was.
No wonder the Heavenly Dao wouldn't let anyone cultivate the Dao of Faith. After all, a portion of the Heavenly Dao's strength comes from the Power of
Faith! It wouldn't allow someone else to compete against it.
The upper echelon of the cultivation world long knew that the Heavenly Dao was granted strength by those who lived in the world it created. At the moment of their deaths, their souls would be recycled in the Well of Souls, and the strength they had accumulated throughout their lives would be stripped away, only to start anew in a new life.
This strength would then be absorbed by the Heavens, sustaining the world they lived in. The Heavens gave all life the means to cultivate, and then cultivators used their gifts to take from the world, only to give it back at the moment of their deaths, creating a circle of power sustaining the world. However, the Power of Faith changed it all.
Through displays of power by the Heavens, the Heavenly Dao instilled a primordial fear and reverence in all living beings, prompting them to worship the Heavens as if a god, giving it even more strength. It was a well-thought-out system meant to elevate the world to greater heights. It would have done so eventually if it had not been for the arrival of Corruption.
It wasn't as simple as a struggle for supremacy. The Corruption's mere existence took away most of the Heavenly Dao's leeway in fostering this faith and reverence. In recent years, it seldom manifested itself as it simply couldn’t spare the strength needed to keep the Corruption at bay, leaving some of the newer cultivators to even doubt its existence in the first place.
This all led to a downward spiral that might culminate in the eradication of the Heavenly Dao by Corruption.
This should be the primary reason for creating champions, Qin Yun thought, his pupils slightly dilating as he came to this sudden realization. By showing the world the boons and providence they received from the world, champions would spread the news of the Heavenly Dao's reemergence, prompting a new wave of faith and worship to spread throughout the cultivation world, boosting its strength. Cultivators wouldn't hesitate to bow to it if it meant for their strength and status to increase.
Qin Yun was in awe of the Heavenly Dao’s Grand Plan.
“If she’s so important, why did she give her emblem to a foreigner?” Ressa asked, confused.
“She probably had no other choice," Kerak answered. "From what he told me, she is currently in exile within the Fortress. She probably saw a future in which this man's action would grant her the result she wished to see."
Ressa nodded, yet her doubts and suspicion remained. On the other hand, Qin Yun couldn’t have cared less about her, for it was only this old man whose opinion truly mattered.
“Whatever she saw, it’s not going to change the help I require from you,” Qin Yun said.
"And, what would that be?" the old man replied. He was now much calmer, yet Qin Yun could still see that he was somewhat distrustful of him. At least his hostility had decreased substantially.
“It’s nothing too difficult,” Qin Yun began. “I only need time. I need your tribe to delay the new assault on the Fortress long enough to allow them to prepare for it. I do not know how long they need, but the longer, the better.”
"You're asking for much, young man," the old man said with a frown. "Breaking past the Great Barrier has been a long-held wish of our people. Trying to impede this endeavour would be seen as treason by all the tribes."
"There's no need to do so so openly," Qin Yun said with a mischievous smile. "I'm sure you've heard rumours of attacks against the smaller tribes, right? Kerak's tribe couldn't have been the only ones to suffer such tragedies; surely, there must have been others. My guess is the ruling tribe is trying to snuff out dissent before they commit to the next offensive, trying to consolidate power. My advice is to reach out to those tribes and offer them resources and aid so that they become thorns in their sides. There's no need to oppose them directly. Harassing them is enough."
The old man remained silent, pondering. Qin Yun's words did hold some truth to them. They had already been attacked once, and there was no telling when they would come again, this time with much more force behind them.
They were still safe as long as that sub-dimension remained, but there was no telling how long it would last. Still, this was a gamble that could put the entirety of the tribe in jeopardy. The old man couldn’t make that decision lightly. He needed something more.
“These alone aren't nearly enough for your purpose, young man," he said. "At most, it might give the Barrier a couple of months. Many tribes won't move against the ruling tribe for so little."
“I know,” Qin Yun replied with a smile. “That’s why I said this was just the start.”
He then reached back into his storage and retrieved ten black rings the size of his wrist. There was a slit in each ring, allowing it to be worn on the wrist. The old man couldn't help but frown as he felt space fluctuations radiate from those rings, disturbing the very fabric of this sub-dimension. However, it only lasted for a fraction of a second and then stopped, almost as if reality itself acclimated to their existence.
“Each bracelet contains over ten times the amount I showed you previously,” Qin Yun added. “With this, it should be more than enough resources for you to last a couple of years.”
“Who are you among the Avaads?” the old man asked, his face filled with suspicion. “Not just anyone can possess this amount of resources, much less these rings...”
The old man had every right to be suspicious. Ordinary spatial rings used qi to warp space and open a sub-dimension for storage, yet they could only be maintained with the aid of qi. However, these bracelets were different. The material from which they were crafted contained the rule of space, allowing them to be used in an environment barren of all qi, perfect for this harsh desert.
Qin Yun had spent most of the fortune he had acquired from the Lian clan to buy the material for those rings and the rest on the food and resources contained within. He was now completely broke, yet it was well worth it if his riches could buy the world a couple more years.
“Think nothing of it,” Qin Yun said. “This amount of food isn’t worth much on the other side of the Barrier.”
What he said was the truth. Although it was enough food to feed a small country for over ten years, it was almost worthless to a cultivator. Just a couple dozen spirit crystals was enough to buy it all.
“Why should we even go along with this? Instead, we should aid them in breaking the Barrier and reclaim our land!” Ressa snapped as she watched the elder waver when faced with the ten dark bracelets now in his hands.
Since young, she had been taught of the atrocities their tribe had suffered at the hands of the Avaads. Her pride simply wouldn’t let her bow to them. However, Qin Yun knew how to reply.
“You don't really have a choice," he said. The ruling tribe attacked you once and will do so again. They may save you for last, but you cannot escape them. This confrontation is inevitable; it is better to do so with a few allies than alone. As for breaching the Great Barrier, you should forget about it. I told you before, but if the Heavenly Dao deems the situation unsalvageable, it may just eradicate the land itself and start anew."
