The Samsara Jade

Chapter 4

"I will eat the heavens themselves." Li Chen's words were small in the giant, empty space. But they carried a heavy weight. They were filled with ten years of anger, pain, and tears.

When the giant dragon-turtle heard these words, it did not laugh at him. Instead, the massive creature took a deep breath.

WHOOSH. The breath of Old Kui was like a star exploding. A massive wave of burning golden heat rushed forward. It hit Li Chen like a physical wall. 

The light was so bright it blinded him. The pressure was so heavy it felt like a mountain was falling on his tiny, ghost-like body.

Most people would have fallen to their knees. Most people would have cried and begged for the giant monster to stop.

But Li Chen did not move. He planted his feet on the invisible floor of the starry void. He crossed his arms over his face to block the blinding light. He pushed his body forward against the terrible wind. 

His soul was shaking, but his mind was totally calm. He had already survived the worst pain in the real world. He had already been beaten, humiliated, and left to die in the mud. He refused to be pushed down ever again.

The burning wind finally stopped.

Li Chen lowered his arms. He was still standing. He looked up at the giant, glowing eyes of the dragon-turtle.

"Good," Old Kui rumbled. His voice was deep and full of respect. "Your body is weak, but your spirit is like hard iron. You have the heart of a survivor. That is the first thing you need if you want to walk the path of the Devourer."

"You said my roots are not broken," Li Chen said. His voice was steady now. The fear was completely gone. Only a burning desire for the truth remained. "You called it a Primordial Chaos Root. Why does everyone in the Azure Sword Sect think I am a piece of trash?"

The giant dragon-turtle shook his massive head. The black chains around his neck rattled loudly. Clank. Clank.

"The Azure Sword Sect? Bah! A group of blind children playing with wooden swords," Old Kui mocked. "They do not understand true power. In this modern age, the spiritual energy of the world is very thin. It is like a dried-up river. The cultivators today have weak, tiny spiritual roots. A tiny root only needs a single drop of water to feel full and grow."

Old Kui leaned closer. His huge face filled Li Chen's entire view.

"But your root, boy... your Primordial Chaos Root is not a tiny cup. It is a bottomless, empty ocean. When you try to gather the thin energy of this world, the energy falls into your vast ocean and completely disappears. It does not fill you up. It does not make a splash. Because nothing happens, those blind fools think your root is broken. They think there is a hole in your cup."

Li Chen listened closely. His eyes went wide as he finally understood. "So... I am not broken. I am just starving. My body needs a massive amount of energy to even show a tiny reaction."

"Exactly," Old Kui smiled, showing rows of teeth that looked like sharp mountains. "Your body is a god-like vessel, but it is completely empty. Normal breathing exercises will never work for you. If you sit and meditate like those Azure Sword Sect fools, you will die of old age before you reach the first level of power. The heavens made sure of it. The heavens cursed this bloodline because they fear it."

"Then how do I fill it?" Li Chen asked. He clenched his fists tight. "How do I get enough energy?"

"By taking it," Old Kui's voice dropped to a dark, dangerous whisper. "You do not wait for the rain to fall, boy. You drink the whole cloud. You steal the energy from everything around you. You take the power hidden in rocks, you eat the poison in the earth, and you steal the pure Qi from the bodies of your enemies. That is the only way."

Li Chen felt a chill run down his spine. This was a dark path. Taking the energy of other people? Eating poison? In the sect, they called things like this "demonic arts." If anyone found out he was doing this, the entire world would hunt him down to kill him.

But then he remembered Zhao Feng’s arrogant laugh. He remembered the feeling of his mother’s jade shattering against the stone pillar. He remembered the blood pouring out of his crushed chest.

“If being good means dying in the mud,” Li Chen thought, “then I will gladly become a demon.”

"I understand," Li Chen said. He looked directly into Old Kui’s burning eyes. "I do not care what the world thinks. I want the power to control my own life. I want the power to protect what is mine. Give me the art."

Old Kui let out a loud, booming laugh. The sound shook the stars around them.

"Very well, boy! Prepare your mind! This is the ancient knowledge of the true rulers of the universe. It is the Heavenly Void Devouring Art. Receiving it will not be easy. It will feel like your brain is being cut open with a hot knife. If you fail to hold on, your soul will break, and you will truly die."

"Do it," Li Chen ordered.

Old Kui opened his giant mouth. A single drop of dark, golden liquid formed on the tip of his massive tongue. It glowed with a terrifying, ancient light. Suddenly, the drop shot forward like an arrow.

It flew through the empty space and hit Li Chen directly in the center of his forehead.

Pain. It was a pain far worse than Zhao Feng’s kick. It was worse than having his ribs shattered. This was pain inside his very soul.

Li Chen fell to his knees in the starry void. He threw his head back and screamed. A blinding golden light poured out of his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. He grabbed his head with both hands, feeling as if his skull was physically splitting into two pieces.