Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Alex had been surprised multiple times today. He was surprised at the fact that Death had been a Sword God, and surprised that he had the key to bringing sanity from her mindlessness.

And yet, none of that seemed to compare to the emotions he felt right now.

He was in the presence of a Primordial.

He stared at the beast, unable to believe it. The tiny cub was a Primordial, a God realm being. It was a shock for certain.

Alex had heard of Guardian Tiger a few times before, but the most important piece of information about it was something he had gained from Rosemist.

The Guardian Tiger was the predecessor to the White Tiger. In a way, Pearl was a descendant of the beast before him.

Or… at least a beast that the thing before him used to be.

“You… are a Primordial, senior?” Bladedance asked, her breathing growing ragged. She knew of Primordials, of course. She had seen the floating Dragon Turtle and the Headless Immortal in space. She was aware of the Yellow Dragon corpse in the Stone God’s cult and had heard rumors about the Nineheaded Phoenix having something to do with the Fire God.

But those were all dead Primordials. This was the first one she was talking to.

The cub looked toward her. “I was a Primordial.”

Bladedance frowned. “What are you now?” she asked.

“A memory of the Primordial. A remnant,” the cub answered.

“Are you different from a regular spirit?” Bladedance asked, confused.

Alex believed he understood what the Primordial was. It was similar to the spirits of beasts that formed in his mind, similar to blood beasts that formed from the beast cores, similar to Sun Wraiths.

Similar to the Dragon Emperor’s spirit that Bai Jingshen pulled out from his corpse using the Godkiller’s gifts.

The Primordial was formed from the spiritual aspects left behind in a corpse that was used by a thoughtless mass of energy to gain intelligence. It had its memories, but it was not the real thing.

“What is a regular spirit?” the cub asked. “I was formed of energy, and have the memories of when I was alive. Does that make me a regular spirit or not?”

Bladedance paused.

“To go further, if I can converse with you back and forth, just as I would’ve when I was alive, does that mean I’m still alive?” it asked.

Bladedance wasn’t sure. “Are you?”

The cub smiled. “That is not something I can answer. You decide what’s real and what is not.”

Bladedance had nothing else to say.

“Senior, what is this place? What is up with this fog?” Alex asked. “Are you the one suppressing our cultivation, or is this a formation?”

“This place is the only thing holding this world together,” the cub said. “Without this place, this world would likely crumble away, destroyed. For that same reason, everyone in here is suppressed so that you may not endanger the ones living in this world.”

“Are we not allowed to go in further?” the old man asked.

“Of course you are,” the cub said. “I am here to take you all to the island at the center of this sea.”

Alex and the other two prepared to leave with the cub, but it didn’t look like the suppression around them was getting lifted any time soon.

“How do we go to the center?” Alex asked. “We can’t fly.”

“Provisions have been made to take you to the center. Jump down.”

“Jump… down?” the old man asked, looking over the cliff. “What’s down there?”

“Water,” the cub said. “As I mentioned, there is a sea beyond this cliff.”

“Okay,” Bladedance said and took a step off the cliff without questioning the cub.

The old man took a deep breath and jumped over next.

Both of them whistled down the cliffside, their sounds quickly swallowed by the fog. Alex waited for the splash, hoping they didn’t hit the side of the cliff, but neither sound came.

What had happened to them?

“You should jump down as well,” the cub said.

Alex looked at the cub, taking a step forward. He was a little apprehensive about jumping, not knowing what really was at the depth. He didn’t fear hitting anything down there, but still, the lack of information was a little worrying.

He looked toward the cub. “What is really down there?” he asked.

“The sea,” the cub said.

“Really?” he asked.

“I have no reason to lie to you,” the cub said.

Alex supposed that was true. “You said you smelled your father’s smell on me. What did that mean? Are you talking about the Sun God?” he asked. “And what about your mother? Were the Sun God and Moon Goddess present during the time when God Qi was still available?”

The cub looked at him for a while before shaking his head.

“You are not prepared to learn these answers,” the cub said.

Alex frowned. “When will I be ready then?” he asked.

“When you no longer have to ask these questions.”

Alex stared at the beast for a short while before sighing. He wanted answers, but this remnant of a Primordial was not going to give him one. So, he stepped off the side of the cliff and fell.

The coldness of the region exploded against him as he fell through the fog, wind whistling by his ears. He felt himself in freefall for what felt like nearly 20 seconds before finally, he landed on something.

The ground wobbled around him and he struggled to get his footing. He balanced himself and looked around to see both Bladedance and the old man right next to him.

He was surprised.

“I thought there was a sea down—”

Alex looked below to see the ground and was surprised to see a solid, smooth surface.

He knelt down and felt it, and saw what he could only call veins running across its surface, all converging onto a single massive vein at the center that bisected the object into two.

Alex’s eyes narrowed in surprise.

They were standing on a leaf.