Chapter 125: Chapter 125: My Past Self
The man looked at Sam and noticed that he failed to get any reaction out of him. "You don't look surprised."
"To be honest, I already expected this to be the case. From getting my hands on the codex to meeting my wives, nothing seemed like a coincidence. Also, the information I gained from the codex led me to the only conclusion that made sense – that I'm a reincarnated person."
"Mmm, I guess it was obvious, huh?" The man nodded.
"Even though I guessed that I'm a reincarnated person, I still don't know whose reincarnation I am. Am I the reincarnation of the Eternal Dragon Monarch?" Sam asked as he sat in the throne he summoned.
"Yes and no." The man smiled and answered.
Hearing the same unclear answer annoyed Sam, and a vein popped up on his forehead. "Can't you give me a straight answer?"
"Hehe." The man chuckled amusingly at Sam's reaction.
"Before I explain everything, let me ask you something. What do you know about world trees?"
"World trees are entities that are basically power generators of worlds and the dimensions that are connected to each world. Well, that's not the only thing they do. They impose rules, systems of powers, even the evolution of a civilization is in the hands of the world trees."
"The cultivators call the world tree as the heavenly Dao. When the world tree grows, the providence of the entire world increases along with it. It will directly help the evolution of the civilization."
"The world tree has its own will and consciousness. The world tree is alive."
"The world tree imposes its own rules on the world it resides in. If anyone dares to go against it, they will become the victim of heavenly punishment." Sam explained everything he learned about the world trees in this life to the man who claims to be his past life incarnation.
"Then do you know how the world trees are born?" The man asked as if a teacher asking the student a question.
"The world trees are birthed by the one whom the cultivators refer to as the grand Dao, the universal tree."
"If world trees are the creators and preservers of a world, the universal tree is for the entire universe." Sam said calmly.
"Correct, but you forgot to mention something important. The world trees are universally referred to as the daughters of the universe."
"Why are you asking me about the world trees and the universal tree? Why don't you just answer my question?"
"Have some patience," the man said, sighing. "The strange thing about the world trees is they are daughters, meaning they are female. Do you know why that is?"
"I don't," Sam replied.
Even though it has been discovered that all the world trees in existence are daughters of the universe, it's still unknown why it's daughters and why not sons.
"It's how the system of reality made it to be," the man answered.
"What is this system of reality you are talking about? Sounds important."
"It is important. I won't explain it to you right now because it's too complicated, but you will eventually learn everything," the man, who looked like the adult version of Sam, said calmly, sipping the tea he summoned out of thin air.
"The world trees are supposed to be females; you could even say it's the standard because the universal tree cannot bear sons," the man said, looking at the tree with golden leaves and a red trunk as if admiring it.
"This is where the story begins. Our universe, the universe we are currently in, was once invaded by an outsider." The man turned his gaze back to Sam, then he flicked his fingers, and an image of an army of billions standing in vacuum space comprising races that Sam had no idea about appeared.
"By invaders, you mean cultivators from other universes?" Sam asked.
"Not just cultivators—magicians, mages, heroes, hunters. Don't forget, cultivation is just one of the many paths, a system of power a world follows."
"The world you are in follows the system of cultivation of spiritual energy known as Qi. There are other worlds with similar or different cultivation methods, using different kinds of energy sources like mana, ether, etc."
"That means cultivation is not the only way to achieve immortality, isn't it?"
"Not exactly. You can only follow the system of power the world you are born in follows." "
To put it in simple words, if you are born in a cultivation world that uses Qi as the primary source of energy, then you can only use Qi in your path of evolution."
"What you are saying is that I cannot access these other sources of energies you are talking about?" Sam asked with a bit of disappointment shown on his face.
"Hehe, aren't you a little too greedy, wanting to explore other systems of power? Don't be too discouraged. It's true; one can only follow a single system of power, but that rule does not apply to you."
"Why is that?"
"I think we are going off topic here. Didn't I say it before? You will learn everything soon enough." The man scratched his head tiredly. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes, with the appearance of invaders from other universes, a war broke out. In the end, our forces somehow managed to push back the foes, but the prices we paid were heavy, to say the least."
"Unlike the invaders, our universe was still in the first phases of its life, so we lacked both quality and quantity. Thankfully, the invaders were just scouts, not the real deal, so we were able to fend for ourselves temporarily."
"Scouts?" Sam pointed his finger at the army of billions marching forward imposingly. "You call that scouts? An army of billions just for scouting?"
"It's a war between universes; what would you expect?"
"I-I guess." Sam was actually a little overwhelmed by the information he just gained. A universal war? He is just a kid still in his teens; why is this guy telling him all this?
"Considering the losses we dealt, it was clear that the second wave of invaders would be the end of us. To prevent that, the supreme being of the universe, the universal tree, made a decision that any other universal tree would never dare to do. That was birthing a son."
"The reason why the Universal Tree wanted a son is because she wanted a champion, an absolute champion that none can compare to. Only he will be able to lead the universe into victory."
"You are the son, I presume?" Sam asked calmly.
"Yes." The man revealed a slight smile. "Though it would be more accurate to say you are the son of the universe right now."
"Things didn't end there. Birthing a son is considered a taboo by the system of reality, to the point it has been established there are no possible ways for a universal tree to actually give birth to a son."
"But somehow our universal tree managed to do it, but the price Mother paid was astronomical. Because of her actions, the universe regressed its growth, evolution of civilization hit a wall with no ways to break it. The universal tree, my mother, has gone dormant, but not anymore."
Whenever the words 'universal tree' popped up, the man's expression changed, like he didn't like the fact that the universal tree was hurt because of him.
"..."
Sam became silent. It was unknown what he was thinking. The man let Sam have his time digesting the information he just shared.
Shaking his head, Sam asked, "Then what about the Eternal Dragon Monarch? If it's not you, then?"
"That was just a name I registered in the codex. It doesn't mean anything. I'm not actually a dragon."
"I'm something similar to a world tree. Just like the world trees, I also have a purpose in this universe. "
"You could say, if the world trees are the preservers and life givers, then I'm the protector, the guardian, and administrator of the worlds."
"The power I received from the Eternal Dragon Monarch's inheritance is actually yours."
"As you probably guessed, I created the codex. After I decided to reincarnate, I left my physical abilities in the form of inheritance so that once I reincarnated, the codex would come back to me, and I would regain my former abilities."
"What about the Primordial Chaos Dragon bloodline?"
"It was a disguise. It's not a bloodline but an authority." The man stood up from the throne and waved his hand, and a blue screen appeared.
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[Authority: Son of the Universe]
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"I see." Sam nodded, seeing his status.
The Primordial Chaos Dragon bloodline disappeared from the bloodline section, and a new section was added: the authority.
"One last thing, why did you choose to reincarnate?"
"To experience mortality and life as a being in a civilization. Being the Son of the Universe, I was devoid of human emotions. I couldn't understand them. That's why I decided to reincarnate, to experience emotions."
"Why would you want to experience emotions? Don't they say that emotions cloud judgment?" Sam asked.
"You're right, but trust me, emotions are important."
"There is one more reason why I decided to reincarnate, to obtain a rule-breaking ability, The Devour."
"It seems you succeeded in doing that." Sam smiled slightly.
"I guess." The man looked at the nonexistent watch on his wrist, then looked at Sam. "It's time. We complete your awakening."
The Son of the Universe extended his hand for a handshake, but Sam didn't comply.
Seeing the wariness in Sam's eyes, the man sighed. "Geez, too much paranoia. The 'me' in front of you is nothing but a memory. Nothing bad will happen to you if I merge with you. You will only regain your past life's memories and experiences."
<I can vouch for him, master.>
"Of course you do," Sam scoffed and reached his hand to respond to the handshake.
Just as their hands touched, a bright light illuminated Sam's inner world. It was unknown what transpired.
...
[A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones. And if you absolutely loved it, you can even contribute a Golden Ticket. Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much! - Arigato! 🙏]
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