Chapter V: Secrets of Bala (2)

"We are Rogues." Bala replied, "Anybody outside a martial clan or an organization per se. Places like Penglai Mountain, Amaravati, and Tir Na Nog. Clans like Odinson, Yamato, and Xuan. They are backed by legacies passed down through generations. Rogues are people of the mundane world who find their way into the hidden world, be it blessing or misfortune. But that's what makes them dangerous…"

"Because a person like you found the blood of the undying god," said Saeko.

"Exactly. Rogues are unregulated and the seven powers used to be thirteen. Before that, there were 33 and before that, there were 108. And in the beginning, there were countless. No one sent to this prison was ordinary by any means. As for the old goats, their last of the original clans that were cast out from the higher realms."

"So the old goats want to extinguish wild cards that may come to take their legacy and pass through the Fairy Gate."

"No," Bala corrected her, "The ones who make it through Fairy Gate will rule this world. Why would ancient clans allow a stranger to become their liege lord? Or worse, what if it's a competition and only the blood of the ascended can be saved from imprisonment."

Saeko instinctively tightened her grip on her cup. Her gaze became distant and at that moment, Bala watched as she looked at the house and all her companions became her enemies inside her mind.

"That." said Bala, "That there is the fear that they all have. And the worst part is that the fear is born of mere conjecture."

Saeko faced Bala and felt a bit of shame.

"Don't." he said, "It's only natural. Learn from it and have faith."

"Why are you telling me this?" Saeko asked.

"Don't you know why?" Bala asked in turn as he held out his cup for a refill.

Saeko simply shook her head as she poured.

"As an entity that has a stake in this game of destruction and genesis, you and the people I have surrounded myself with, even Alice and that little puppy, are my investments to win this game. As a cultivator with my dao, I take what I desire. As a man with budding connections, I believe my precious people can only be protected if they're properly trained and well informed."

Saeko bit down on her bottom lip and her thoughts turned like a wheel.

"Three different faces to a single man, and each of them speaks to me. Aish, sometimes I wish you never came into my life. I was perfectly apathetic and reasonably strong. Now I feel things and my heart is constantly unsettled." Saeko stopped to have a drink and then another.

She then continued, "The woman in me feels betrayed by the entity. The cultivator in me is happy just being at your side. While the entity I hope to become wants for the life of her not to become a risk and wants to help you gain."

"Haa, what a touching moment. Saeko…"

Saeko straightened her back. She took a deep and brief breath, then smiled. "Where do we go from here? You're so open tonight. You must be ready to make a big move."

"That I am." Bala replied, "The Undying God's Little Wives' Sutra. I need all of you to progress. At a certain stage, special things will begin to happen. When it occurs, I will send you all in different directions. I have things I must do as well."

"Isn't phase two starting soon?"

"Mmm. That's while I'll use a special treasure to help you progress faster. I have high hopes for Busijima Saeko. Gather everyone and we'll begin tomorrow."

Saeko rose and gave a respectful bow before taking her leave.

"What a good night. I wonder what's taking those boneheads so long." Bala murmured to himself.

"The tower's time dilation would be good for the ladies, but Tsunoda and Kohta… I'll have to find more paragon diamonds to give them a similar time to cultivate in the tower."

Bala emptied his final cup of plum liquor. He had decided to go to Africa in search of Paragon Diamonds. On the 499th floor of the broken tower were time dilation arrays set up by the first inhabitants of the prison world. At full power, the arrays could slow time 100 to 1. The only hurdle was the cost. Saved up, Bala held 10000 paragon diamonds. While the perfect diamond was a hard find, diamond mines only produced a handful at a time.

With 10,000 Paragon diamonds. It was enough to give five rooms 300 days each.

—-----------------------------------------------------------

-Mount Penglai-

"That damn bastard actually woke up." an old dragon spoke.

This dragon was the great ancestor of the Xuan Clan -- the oldest dragon alive today. Though he didn't live in Bala's time, his father and grandfather had told him many horror stories.

"Who is this Bala?" the Mountain Master of Penglai asked.

A portrait appeared in the middle of the room filled with elders in their dragon form. The portrait depicted a Bala holding a spear orbited by thirteen flying daggers. He stood atop a broken tower with flowing robes like an overlord.

When the Mountain Master gazed at the familiar broken tower, a shiver ran up his spine and his hair went stiff.

"Oh! He needs to die!"

"Die! Ha! You think this man is that simple?"

"Yeah! If the seven powers combine, he'll definitely fall. Which one of you old monsters aren't at stage 9?"

"The problem is how to find this Bala." an elder spoke.

"If we can ally with the six powers, that woman will tell us exactly where he is." said the great ancestor.

"Who is she?" asked the Mountain Master.

"The Oracle of Delphi"

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Bala's residence, the Morning after

Bala stood in front of the ladies and Alice stood at the side, holding her little pup. They all waited anxiously and worried something had happened. They hadn't seen Kohta and Tsunoda for days and wondered if the boys had died. They didn't know what to expect and Saeko was tight-lipped.

What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Bala asked.

"Something happened, right?"

"The nukes? That's been taken care of." Bala replied.

"Are we going to search for a new TV?" Alice asked and Zeke barked in agreement.

"What? No. Televisions don't work anywhere. The nuke fried everything." Bala spoke, "Look, Forget all of that. Did Saeko fill you guys in?"

The ladies looked at Saeko and she was indifferent to their attention.

"No," she replied.

"Haiz! You're always so extreme. Look, I have things to do and you're all at a point where you deserve more from me. You've been working hard, but I'll have to push you harder."

Bala held out his hand and the Broken Tower appeared to hover over his palm. A breath later, the entire group was pulled into the archaic artifact without warning. Each of the ladies was in their own room on the 499th floor.

Bala already had a conversation with Saeko. Naturally, she wasn't worried. She looked around the room adorned with countless text and a furnace as the centerpiece with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, slowly the walls were changing. The inscription labeling the text changes from Aramaic to Kanji.

The Furnace centerpiece vanished and was a sword monument draped in dao. Around the room, various swords of different styles appeared. Painting of landscape and swordsmen text followed.

'It knows me,' she thought.

Her mind drifted and soon a flesh dummy appeared and it opened its eyes, showing a light of sentience.

"What the hell is this place?" she muttered.

In another room, Saya stood silently, showing the prowess of her intelligence. She filled her mind with abstract concepts and the broken tower appeased her. It read into her thought and deduced the best subjects to aid the path she had in mind for herself.

The shelves were filled with text on arrays, war strategies, war technology, philosophy, science, sword skills, dual cultivation, and so on. When she opened her eyes, she read the Kanji on the walls with a smirk.

"What's a lover or a disciple? An advisor, a general, can help him execute. Disciples consume time and resources. Lovers only warm beds and return every nine months to breed another child. I'll be worth his effort." Saya spoke with a victorious smirk.

In Shizuka's room, her walls were filled with the art of pleasure-making and pleasure-seeking, combat, and medicine. But she thought of one thing none of them did. Because Bala fabricated such an intimate relationship with her, Shizuka had the urge to understand the man she loved. The broken tower recognized this urge and a podium appeared in the center of the room with a single scroll. Beneath it was kanji that read: Undying God

In Rei's room, Bala stood with her. The bed was in the center of the room, covered with fur, and all of the furniture was crafted from stone. Upon the walls were masterful paintings and excellent calligraphy forming a poem bathed in the Dao.

"How?" Rei asked.

"After achieving Stage 3, I figured it was time to reveal more of my power to you. When Kohta and Tsunoda arrive with your mother, they will have the ingredients I need to regain all of my strength and help you all become stronger." Bala explained.

"My Mother? She's here?" Rei asked, somewhat surprised.

"Mmm." Bala hummed with a single nod, "she traveled through hell and high water to get to you."

Rei had a brief thought and then refocused.

"Where are we?" She asked.

'Much stronger mentality.' Bala thought.

"Follow me," Bala replied without answering her.

Bala walked Rei out of the room and into the hallway. Amongst the walls were portraits of women from varying ethnicities and backgrounds. Some had skin like jade, others of ebony and alabaster. Saeko took all of these women in and quickly understood who they were.

"I'm sure you notice a discrepancy in your memories." said Bala, "It's because I have high hopes for you that I bring you here. Unfortunately, love is not a luxury I can afford. Each of the women on this wall had great talent. But their life span ended before the Great Catastrophe. My high hopes come from your work ethic and if you can make it to Fairy Gate, maybe things can be different."

"They were all the women of your Harem," said Rei.

"Mmmm. But what really made them my women is the technique I gave you. My ultimate goal is Fairy Gate. We each have our own fate. So I'm asking you to hand your soul over to me, to share fates. Or be just my disciple and work hard to survive until the arrival of Fairy Gate. When the time comes, maybe you can live a leisurely life in this world as Regent."

"If the Profane Taoist wants me, shouldn't he just take me?" Rei tilted her head with a small smile.

"To cultivate the self, one must be aware of true desire. My true desire isn't to fuck beauties or even hold them. My true desire is to make it through Fairy Gate with the least amount of enemies and the most allies."

"Master really has a lot of secrets." Rei sighed as she picked on Bala's thousand-yard stare and contemplative aura.

"After passing through the fairy gate. I will be unworthy of having disciples. Greed and pride will naturally get the best of people. If you're not my woman then you will surely be a threat. Rei, you have the least talent and probably won't make it beyond the fairy gate. But you are my first disciple of the era, So I give you a choice." Bala finished as they reached the end of the hall and stopped at a picture of a Persian woman with white hair and goddess-like beauty.

"So what will it be?" Bala asked.

Rei looked at the ground as pros and cons ran through her mind.

"How much do you know of the world beyond the Fairy Gate?" She asked.

"More than you're ready for but nowhere near enough to make me feel secure," Bala replied, thinking of the memories sealed in the heart of the Undying God.

"Who am I to hesitate? You gave me a new life that day on the roof. Of course, I'll follow you." Said Rei.