Chapter 45: Chicken.
After cleaning up the last body, a process that took more out of me than I would have liked to admit, dressing it in clean clothes to give him the dignity that a person deserves was more complicated when I also had to put the body back together. I lowered the body in the last of the many graves that I had dug.
Slowly and steadily, I filled the hole, imprinting his face into my memory as it was slowly covered.
"You do know that it would be faster if you used those runes of yours, right?
"Obviously, but I didn't like that. I replied with a sigh.
Jasmine seemed confused, so she asked with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean?
"Well, it would feel rushed if I just buried them all with a wave of my hand, like it was just another chore. I feel like these people deserved to at least take some time to properly send them off. I said, double-checking and seeing that I had finally buried them all.
Six hundred and seventy-four—that's how many people I had buried—among them, most were women and children, and more than once I felt the need to vomit from the state of those bodies.
What kind of monster would do such a thing?
"You're really soft, you know that? She asked, but it was less of a question and more of a statement.
I chuckled with an empty laugh. "If the alternative is not caring, then I like being soft.
She rolled her eyes and changed the subject: "How are the kids doing?
"They seem to be doing well. I cleaned one of the houses and gave them my bed from the old clinic. Since I haven't slept in a while, they are just playing around until we leave again. I replied, a real hint of a smile finally finding its way on my face for the first time in days.
"I hope that we don't leave before properly exploring that, right? She smiles as her eyes narrow, putting a lot of emphasis on the word "that."
I rolled my eyes in annoyance. The only thing she ever thought about was the cultivation of these resources—the Ancient True God's inheritance there. "Yes, I'm going to see what that is; only then will we leave; it's not like it would run away.
"Finally, you do know that everyone else would have jumped for joy at a chance like this, right? She asked rhetorically, as if it weren't the tenth time that she said those exact words.
"Yes, yes, kid, I'm going to look at the thing, happy? I waved, the shovel in my hands disappearing as I straightened my clothes, cleaning them at once.
She ignored my comment and disappeared with a smile on her face, leaving behind only the words, "Good, don't die.
I sighed, feeling that those words were an actual warning, like there was an actually high probability that I would die, but well, I would do my best not to.
The chance of dying was a distant probability, not really registering in my mind as an actual possibility.
It was like going on a slightly more dangerous parachuting trip; the chance of dying was there, but you couldn't think about it; it hadn't metabolized yet that it was actually a high chance.
So when I found myself in front of what I could only see as a seal, I could only think about the marvel of magical technology that stood in front of me—something that I should study and learn from.
Jasmine had said that this was probably the inheritance of some Phoenix True God, or something, since all the villagers had the Phoenix bloodline, which I had still no clue what it might actually be, and some other signs that I couldn't feel yet with my lower cultivation.
First of all, what even was this bloodline thing?
I refused to believe that the Bird God had children with a human, but, unfortunately, it was the only possibility that had come to mind, so I had to accept that it was an actual thing that might have happened.
The image of a chicken on fire having naughty fun with a human would hunt my nightmares forever, but that was the joy of being a researcher.
Hurray.
I touched the seal, trying to get a feel for the parts that it was made of, but my senses couldn't reveal anything, just a big, uniform layer of energy without any different parts, but I knew logically that it couldn't be the case.
I felt too many intents inside of it; even if I didn't have any way of differentiating them, they were too separated, and they were interacting too perfectly to be just one thing.
Maybe the parts were so small that I couldn't even distinguish them as different things, or maybe there was so much that I didn't know yet that this was actually possible, a thing that I hadn't even conceived before that I would now strive to achieve.
Either case was incredible; I had really underestimated the word God in Flaming Chicken God.
A bit of prodding and searching later, the seal opened, and I was sucked in.
I had done nothing to achieve such a result.
There was only darkness surrounding me, floating inside what felt like a universe of nothingness.
Then there was light; two narrow lines of golden might fluttered open into a pair of eyes that shone with the light of a thousand suns.
Then, a voice reverberated through every single part of my body; it felt as if the feminine voice of the being before me was more than enough to snuff me out of existence: "Greetings, human.
Its voice was warm, literally but also figuratively, without the cold arrogance that I would have imagined from a god, but then again, this was a God of Fire.
"Hello, you're the Phoenix, right? I said, trying my best to sound nonchalant.
But the fact that two literal suns were looking at me wasn't helping my nerves; this had to be the weirdest thing I had lived through yet.
The fact that "yet" was necessary was worrying in and of itself, but God's next words took my mind off of this problem.
"I'm an immortal spirit left here by the Phoenix; I've seen what you've done with the corpses of the Phoenix clan, and for that, you have my gratitude; even if they had been stripped of the power of the Phoenix, they still held a trace of the bloodline. The voice was as thunderous as ever, but there was a hint of genuine warmth.
"You mean the burial? I asked, and I took the silence that replied yes and continued, "Don't worry about it; it was the right thing to do, but I'm more interested in what a bloodline is."
"The bloodline of the Phoenix is the reward for passing the trial; it grants unparalleled affinity for fire and the techniques of the Phoenix, which are inheritable by your descendants.
Ok, it can be granted; I could finally rest the idea of a perverted blazing chicken or of a perverted human with peculiar tastes. I didn't know which one of the two was worse for my mind, but anyway, "I meant more literally, how does it work? Is it like a ritual that alters the body of the person or something?"
"You would need to refine a drop of the blood of the Phoenix to obtain the bloodline; assimilating the drops into your profound veins will change them on a fundamental level, giving you the affinity for Phoenix Fire. The feminine voice explained
So it was another vein thing, just like the blood that Jasmine had given me before to create my profound veins. That made sense, but did that mean that my descendants would have the same evil god thingies that I had?
Neat, I had to study how that worked on a genetic level, especially if it involved genes at all, but this was probably a good lead to follow to find out more about these weird energy things.
"Cool, so I need to complete a trial to get this blood? I asked. I couldn't wait to figure out something about these things, especially since the only similar drop of blood that I had interacted with had been fused with my body. Being ignorant of what these things were wasn't an idea I was keen on.
"Yes, the trial is divided into three levels: the Purgatory Flame Demon, Arrows of the Phoenix, and Corruption of the Heart's Flame. You may forfeit the trial at anytime, and I'll immediately let you leave the trial grounds. You may die if you forcibly endure the trial. I wish you success. She explained.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Since I could give up, it seemed less dangerous than I thought. Maybe Jasmine was exaggerating; I might even succeed.
Of course, if this thing was meant for those of much higher cultivation than mine, then I might be screwed, but I could still give up in time, hopefully.
"Can I ask you what the trial consists of? I asked tentatively.
"The only thing that I can tell you is that you shouldn't die immediately, so you should have the chance to give up. The voice replied.
Did she read my mind?
She chuckled, and I shivered.
"Okay, scary bird lady, I might as well try it out if I won't die immediately, but can I ask you a few more questions? I replied.
"You may, human; I've seen your actions; your heart is kind and pure; that could make you the best inheritor of the Phoenix's abilities yet, especially considering your other abilities; I don't mind answering your questions. She replied, the two suns shining like two atomic bombs as she looked through me, right into my soul.
I could feel it; I might as well have been naked in front of those eyes. It didn't matter how many runs I hid myself with; those eyes felt as if they could see my past, present, and future with a glance.
For the first time, I met someone more terrifying than Jasmine, and this was just a spirit, not even the real Phoenix.
It felt absolutely incredible. What kind of things could she do with that power? How could something that incredible look at the world? Certainly not in the same way that I did; after all, how could someone who could turn all to dust look at things the same way that a small human did?
But I wanted to know.
"How do you feel about things? What does it mean to be a spirit? I asked.
The eyes contracted for a moment, as if she didn't expect such a question among the infinity of possibilities, but she replied immediately, "I'm an artificial being created by the Phoenix; I hold part of her memory and experiences, but what defines me is the mission that she imprinted in my existence: to find an inheritor for her power.
So like the artificial intelligence in the golden Buddha thing, it seemed that the more powerful beings could create intelligent things, but I wasn't sure if I could call her alive, or conscious, for that matter.
"As for feeling things, what do you mean by that?" She asked.
"I mean, I have eyes, a nose, skin, ears, and a tongue, but from what I see, your body is a massive energy construct. Do you feel things in a similar way as fleshly beings, or is it fundamentally different? I specified.
"I feel things the same way the strongest of cultivators feel them; with my divine sense, human senses have no place among the stars, something that you will understand naturally should you reach that level. She replied.
I took in that answer for a moment, then moved on with a few more questions until my curiosity was sated, momentarily.
Some answers I needed to research more, some I had to find clarification from Jasmine, and some were just for my curiosity.
"Ok, I'm ready for the trial." I finally said
"You're the first challenger in thousands of years without already having the bloodline of the Phoenix; I hope you'll be able to succeed, human. Her voice rumbled, shaking the entirety of the world of darkness that we found ourselves in, causing my mind to spin.
The world once again devolved into darkness, but this time it didn't last long.
Love you guys, i'm still in exam session so sorry that the chapters come out slowly.
Leave me them stones please. Bye.