.

Zhu Rong could hear a trace of sorrow and regret in his voice, yet he said nothing, remaining silent as he listened.

The man, who had paused for a moment, sighed while shaking his head, taking a brief sip of tea before continuing, his gaze turning toward him.

"You see, back then I had just stepped into the Spirit Realm, reaching a level of power that none could ignore, neither the other races nor even those of my own.

I thought that now, having ascended to the Spirit Realm, things would finally get better.

It had been several years since all the races had united to face the calamity that descended upon the continent.

The appearance of another being at the Spirit Realm should have made things easier, facing the constant beast tides that grew larger and more dangerous with each passing year should have become at least somewhat simpler.

And for a while, it was… until everything fell apart.

At that time, we discovered the source of all those corrupted creatures, the true cause behind the endless beast tides that had grown increasingly difficult to handle due to their strange nature.

So, a plan was made to form an extermination squad composed of the most powerful cultivators of the time, most of them Spirit Realm experts.

I was among them. It was a great force, and honestly, we truly believed we could succeed in our mission.

But the moment we confronted the source of the problem, everything collapsed.

The being we faced turned out to be far more terrifying than we could have ever imagined.

Its power eclipsed all of ours, and in the blink of an eye, almost all of us were slaughtered" he said, his expression that of someone who could still vividly recall every moment of that scene.

Zhu Rong, who had remained silent all this time, felt that something didn't quite add up.

A squad composed of the strongest experts of that era, beings of the Spirit Realm, not one or two but probably more than a dozen, wiped out just like that?

At first, he thought the man might have been exaggerating, but recalling what he had said earlier about fragments of the same soul, another possibility crossed his mind, one he didn't dare voice.

The man, however, didn't hold back. It was as if he could read Zhu Rong's very thoughts. He nodded slightly before saying,

"It's exactly as you think. That being was also one of the fragments of our original self, and just like me, it seems he too could sense my presence."

At those words, realization struck Zhu Rong deeply, hitting something within him.

"So you're saying that the calamity that struck back then… was our fault?"

Zhu Rong muttered as he began to truly grasp the meaning behind the man's words.

The calamity had originated from that corrupted being, which turned out to be another fragment of the same soul. It was likely that it had sensed the presence of someone like him beyond the mountain range.

That could only mean one thing, they themselves were the cause of what had left such a deep, indelible scar on the history of the entire continent.

Zhu Rong understood that instantly, but what truly shook him was not the revelation itself, it was the implication behind it. His heart trembled as he spoke,

"So when you said it was inevitable… this is what you meant?

You're saying that disaster could happen again?

And all because the fragment inside me has awakened?"

He asked the question even though, deep down, he already knew the answer.

The man, hearing his words, suddenly burst out laughing, causing Zhu Rong's irritation to flare slightly.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked.

The man, still amused, replied,

"Normally, that would've been the case. But you see, you managed to attract its attention even before awakening the fragment."

Hearing that, a certain memory resurfaced in Zhu Rong's mind, one that was hard to forget.

Back during the expedition to the mine, he had tried to locate the source of the cocoons. It was supposed to be a simple check, born of curiosity and a desire to know where they came from. But that day, he had nearly died.

He had felt it, the gaze of something beyond the mountains. A being that surpassed not only mortal limits but even those of the Spirit Realm.

One that could've killed him with a single glance had he not retreated in time.

Back then, he had thought the matter settled, that such a brief encounter couldn't possibly bring about any real danger.

But now… he realized how wrong he had been.

The being at the root of all those creatures, it was undoubtedly that one.

And if it had set its eyes upon him, then it must have sensed the fragment within.

In other words, without even realizing it, he'd already revealed himself to it.

He could only sigh as his shoulders fell under the weight of that realization.

The fact that he was about to trigger another calamity was already troubling enough, but realizing that he had already set it in motion even before awakening the fragment left him speechless.

"Haa... seriously,why can't things go right for once?"

He muttered, though he truly felt like screaming at the heavens.

The man, meanwhile, simply continued sipping his tea calmly, watching him in silence.

Zhu Rong eventually let out yet another sigh, this time one filled not with physical fatigue but with deep mental exhaustion.

"If that thing is still out there, then it's clear you couldn't do anything to it even at your peak. So what exactly am I supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for it to show up someday?" Zhu Rong asked.

"I don't know," the man replied simply.

Zhu Rong: "..."

"What do you mean you don't know? You dump all this on me and then just wash your hands of it?"

"What I mean," the man said quietly, "is that what happens next no longer depends on me.

I'm only a remnant of who I once was, a manifestation of the fragment if you want.

I'm not you, and you're not me. Whatever you decide to do from here on depends entirely on you.

The reason I still exist is because you haven't fully assimilated me yet. Once you do, my memories and experiences will become yours, and I will cease to exist.

From that point on, whether you choose to wait idly or face that being head on will be entirely up to you."

He placed the cup down and stood.

"In any case, take your time to process all this. You're still within the secret realm, time is not an issue here. Once you've made your decision, seek me out again."

With those final words, he vanished, and the moment he did, Zhu Rong also disappeared from that place, finally awakening not within his sea of consciousness, but in reality.

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