Kynan
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Chapter 442: Freedom!
🕑 Added 2025-07-15 20:02:02 +0000 UTCA/N
Warning!
This chapter has elements of accidental mind control.
There is something seriously wrong with the Realm of the Chosen, and it should all make more sense by the end of tomo's chapter!
I'd seen a lot of strange things since entering this realm, but watching a hundred-foot-tall tree repeatedly slam its massive trunk against the ground in what could only be described as the world's most violent prostration had to rank somewhere near the top of the list.
The sound was incredible. Each impact sent tremors through the earth that I could feel in my bones, and I was genuinely worried the ancient oak might crack its own bark with the enthusiasm of its self-flagellation.
"Great and Magnificent Divine Being!" the tree boomed. "This lowly servant begs your forgiveness for its countless transgressions!"
THUD
Another head-slam into the dirt.
I blinked, looking around the abandoned shrine to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious. Nope, still just me, Li Qiang standing slack-jawed by the entrance, and apparently one very apologetic piece of lumber.
"Uh," I said eloquently. "You can... stop hitting yourself now. What exactly are you thanking me for?"
The tree lifted its massive trunk, leaves rustling with what sounded suspiciously like relief. "Oh, Benevolent Master, surely you jest! This unworthy one failed to properly greet you upon your divine arrival. Such disrespect! Such arrogance! And when your righteous fury nearly stripped away this servant's consciousness entirely..."
I felt my eyebrows climb toward my hairline. "I did what now?"
"The terror, Master! The absolute existential dread as your crimson wrath devoured everything this one believed about itself!" The tree's branches swayed dramatically. "For precious moments, this humble servant forgot its own name, its purpose, even the very concept of what it meant to exist! But then, oh glorious mercy, your azure benevolence restored not just consciousness, but revealed the ultimate truth!"
"Which was?" I asked slowly.
"That this one was created for the singular honor of serving you, Divine Master! Every ring of growth, every branch and leaf, shaped by destiny itself to provide whatever assistance your magnificence might require!"
I stared at the tree for a long moment, trying to process what I was hearing. The only thing I'd done since arriving was sit on that boulder and experiment with red and blue sun energy. Unless...
Oh. Oh.
The pieces started clicking together.
The red sun energy I'd channeled must have hit this tree, and from what it described, that crimson force had essentially deconstructed its sense of self. Stripped away all its delusions of grandeur and reduced it to existential terror. But then the blue sun energy had rebuilt it, not as whatever grandiose identity it had possessed before, but as a devoted follower.
A Witness of Fate, as this realm would call it.
The reality of what had occured made my stomach churn. The red sun energy didn't just create doubt; it was like a spiritual acid that dissolved a being's entire sense of identity. And the blue sun energy didn't heal that damage so much as reprogram the victim into devoted servitude.
That was... genuinely horrifying.
"Master," the tree continued, its voice taking on an almost parental pride, "this servant hopes you will not be displeased by a small development."
"What kind of development?" I asked suspiciously.
Instead of answering directly, the ancient oak rustled its lower branches, and something small and green peeked out from behind its massive trunk.
It was a sapling, maybe two feet tall, with delicate leaves that shimmered silver-green in the afternoon light. The little tree, because it was definitely another tree, looked around with wide, curious eyes before immediately ducking back behind its parent with a soft squeak of alarm.
"This one's offspring," the oak explained with unmistakable fondness. "Little Bloom here gained consciousness mere minutes ago, blessed by the overflow of your divine energies. She is... quite overwhelmed by the concept of existence, as you might imagine."
My heart did something complicated in my chest.
From Du Yanze's memories, I knew that even in this realm natural consciousness awakening was incredibly rare. Most beings that developed sentience did so through centuries of cultivation or exposure to powerful spiritual events. For a sapling to spontaneously awaken...
"Master," Azure whispered in my mind, "Granting consciousness to inanimate objects is typically something only a Rank 4 Lightweaver, or a Life Realm expert, could accomplish.”
He was right. It seemed the blue sun energy was more powerful in this realm that I could have expected.
Noticing the little tree peek at me, I decided to lower myself down to her level so I don't appear as scary, and offer what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Hello, Little Bloom. How are you feeling?"
The sapling stepped out from behind her parent, still nervous but clearly curious. "I... I feel good, Great One. Everything is so bright and new! Is it normal to make sounds inside my head?"
“Yes, that's perfectly normal,” I chuckled despite the situation. "Those are called thoughts, and they're how you understand the world around you."
"Thoughts," Little Bloom repeated, tasting the word. "I like thoughts. They're like... like tiny flowers blooming in my mind! Do you have thoughts too, Great One?"
"I do," I said patiently. "Everyone with consciousness has thoughts. They help us decide what to do and understand what we're seeing."
Little Bloom's leaves rustled with excitement. "Can I think about anything I want? Can I think about... about clouds? And birds? And the way sunlight feels on my leaves?"
"You can think about anything you want," I assured her. "That's one of the wonderful things about consciousness; your thoughts are yours alone."
The little tree practically glowed with happiness. "Thank you, Great One! Thank you for making me able to think! I want to think about everything!"
I found myself genuinely smiling at her enthusiasm. There was something pure and innocent about a consciousness that was only minutes old, unmarked by the cynicism and calculation that came with experience.
"Papa," Little Bloom said, turning to the larger tree, "can I think about serving the Great One too? I want to help!"
"Of course, my child," the tree replied, its voice filled with parental pride. "That is our highest purpose; to serve the Divine One in whatever way he requires."
The smile on my face froze. I did not like where this was heading.
"What do you think you'd like to do?" I asked.
“Master, I will follow you forever and ever,” she replied with the innocent determination that only a child could muster.
The casual acceptance in her voice made me want to punch something.
This innocent being, mere minutes old, had been conditioned for a lifetime of servitude based on an accident of energy overflow. An accident caused by me...
Behind her, the ancient oak nodded approvingly. "The child shows proper respect, Master. This servant has already begun instructing her in the fundamentals of devotion."
Instructing her? That settled it. Whatever the blue sun energy had done to these trees, I wasn't leaving them trapped in this forced loyalty.
I had noticed something interesting during my earlier experiments. When qi encountered Xuan Yi, the local energy didn't just get consumed; it became more stable, more rational. Less insane. Which gave me hope that qi could undo whatever effects the blue sun energy had on the poor little tree’s Xuan Yi.
"Bloom," I said, extending my hand. "Would you like to try something? I want to show you a different kind of energy."
She looked to her father, who immediately nodded. "If the Master wishes to share his power with you, child, it is a tremendous honor."
I nearly winced at the programmed response, but I gently placed my palm against the sapling's smooth bark. I channeled a tiny, controlled stream of spiritual energy into her system.
"This might feel strange," I warned. "But I want you to try to absorb this energy.”
I extended a small tendril of qi toward Little Bloom, carefully restraining its natural dominance to keep it from fighting back against the lower-tier energy.
The moment it touched her spiritual foundation, her Xuan Yi reacted exactly as I'd expected - rushing to attack the foreign energy with vicious determination.
"It's... it's fighting inside me," Bloom whispered.
"That's normal," I said gently, watching her spiritual energy tear apart the qi with desperate fervor. "Your energy thinks it's protecting you. Just let it happen."
The Xuan Yi that had devoured the qi began to evolve, its manic conviction transforming into something calmer, more rational. The evolved energy spread through her consciousness like clear water washing away mud.
As it did, the artificial devotion that had been programmed into her by the blue sun energy began to dissolve. The delusions that made her believe service was her highest purpose crumbled away.
Bloom's posture subtly shifted. Her branches straightened, and when she looked at me, her eyes held a confusion that hadn't been there before.
"I... I feel funny," she said, her voice small and uncertain. "Like I was sleeping but now I'm awake? Papa, why did I think I had to..." She trailed off, looking between her father and me with growing bewilderment. "I don't understand what happened."
"You're free now," I said gently. "Free to think your own thoughts."
She blinked slowly, processing this.
Then, unexpectedly, she smiled - a pure, innocent expression that had nothing to do with programmed worship.
"You helped me," she said simply. "Thank you, mister. That was really nice."
The sincerity in her voice triggered something in Du Yanze's cultivation base.
I felt a small but noticeable surge in spiritual pressure, not enough to advance a stage, but definitely a meaningful boost. Apparently, gaining a genuine Witness of Fate, someone who chose to believe in you rather than being compelled to, had even greater benefits.
Comments
BookDragonling
Little Bloom is my new favorite character. So cute it had me tearing up. I really hope he takes Little Bloom into his own inner world.
Forb
He was right. It seemed the blue sun energy was more powerful in this realm „that -> than“ I could have expected.
Andrew P
If this ended with fixing the realms broken energy, perhaps he/his host would actually become the chosen one... by rejecting the concept of a chosen one...
Austin Gibbs
"Only true ki can save you and break your chains!" Ke Yin
Jean Dumond
These last few chapters made me think of the song "your idol" by the Saja boys, movie K-pop demon hunters
Carter Swafford
I think it might be able to be solved with a bit of red light and some qi, and maybe blue light.
Joyeus
Aww I love her already. She’s got to come along when we leave. Take that dad as well so she doesn’t get lonely. Heck take every sentient tree, rock, breeze, body of water, and flame we can find.
Carter Swafford
Perhaps it might be possible for Ke Yin to channel just a tiny amount of stellar realm power, and maybe that could help the realm as a whole, or at least a meaningful fraction of it, though the question would be how to do so and not be damaged too much. Edit: Maybe Ke Yin could figure out how to prematurely channel Xuan Yi back to his main self, and his main self could rejuvenate / restore / purify it and send it back. Even a small channel of will might be able to transmit / conduct a relatively large amount of the ephemeral Xuan Yi. Or perhaps Ke Yin could use the Xuan Yi to practice a sort of Domain Manifestation. Maybe the local forces were originally meant to be more like the Force of Star Wars, or maybe some kind of psychic / mental cultivation method. I hope he’s able to use an opportunity like this to try to blend together qi and red light, and qi and blue light. Perhaps qi and red light could tear down delusions and illusions without tearing apart everything made of Xuan Yi, and blue light and qi could give some self worth and stability rather than externally imposed value. I think it might be possible to purify/ filter red or blue light and then use Xuan Yi to give it a different purpose / intention / guiding will. Edit2: While the entirety of the consciousness of non-human beings is made of Xuan-Yi, humans should have their own consciousness even in its absence, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have any mental contamination from their cultivation, on top of habitual self delusion. Perhaps qi alone might be able to help these cultivators regain their sanity, and more control over their powers rather than letting their powers control them in a way, but maybe red energy could be used to break down mental interference before qi is given to them to restore and protect their mind with. It’d also be interesting if Ke Yin could do a sort of activation or ignition of another system of cultivation, perhaps one closer to qi, or maybe the red and blue light stuff, or the sound, or somewhere between all of them, and he could make a spiritual structure / conviction inside them which is self perpetuating, but which has power they can control deliberately rather than only through conviction. Honestly, I think that this would be an excellent point for Ke Yin to take some inspiration Virtuous Sons, the Greco-Roman cultivation story. Much of the conviction based abilities we’ve seen so far remind me of the Rhetoric of the Greek system, which one can use once reaches the Sophic realm / the realm of philosophers. The Witnesses of Fate remind me of the Roman cultivation system, where soldiers believe in themselves, their leader, and each other, and all of them working as one has an effect exponentially greater than the sum of its parts It’s also quite a symbolic system, where a person being kept in chains, or even bound by steel wire, prevents them from accessing or manipulating their spiritual energy - one’s physical bonds become metaphysical. The refinement of the mind, body, and spirit all work together as components of one’s cultivation, and any neglected aspect would stunt one’s cultivation, or at least make it unstable, much like in the realm of the Chosen. Being able to manifest one’s energy outside one’s body in a form which represents themselves and how they do things, their Intent, is a sign of mastery and something that could maybe carry over to the realm of the chosen, with archers sending out arrows of energy, pugilists and brawlers sending out hands and fists, swordsmen sending out swords, etc. which they can then manipulate outside themselves. The physical cultivation of virtuous sons is permanent, their body tempering, and it’s acquired gradually, through long exercise and hardship which fits what activities they want to have a body more suitable for - such as a pugilist cultivating their hands / fingers / fists to the point of going up against swords. There also is an aspect of being chosen by the heavens in virtuous sons, but one cannot simply power themselves up by declaring so, one literally must ascend to the heroic realm and be chosen by one of the Muses, at least in the Greek system. Perhaps what the world needs is a mythology, a comprehensive system that everyone and everything knows to be true, which would be reinforced over time by itself. And maybe it needs the external perception of the world to change, also. Perhaps the audience can believe made to believe that the world can be better, and Ke Yin could change it from the world if the chosen to the world of choice, maybe allowing the locals to choose which one of a range of systems to use. Perhaps Ke Yin could mark the coordinates of the world his projection is in, and the spatial coordinates of his main self, and then maybe figure out some way to use the world tree sutra to create a bridge between the world of the Chosen and the world of Rouqi. I have a feeling they might do well together. Maybe Ke Yin maybe use the red and blue light to change a tree such that it believes it is a world tree, and it cultivates the world tree sutra, and it is connected to Ke Yin’s inner world.
Druid
Wow. Hopefully he'll be able to do for the father what he did for the daughter, though I imagine it'll be much more difficult.
Wanderer of Worlds
Him immediately moving to undo his mistake and not letting it linger for later is why I like him so much.
HornboozeWFG
Oh....OH ...yggy getting a younger sister...?
Phoenixdrop
Oh boy this is going to be interesting he’s about to have a entire forest as his witnesses of fate through using blue sun to awaken their consciousness and then qi to free them from the forced devotion well giving something consciousness is a pretty big thing but yeah first things first let’s fix these people’s energies by feeding them some qi
ShyviaAngel
Somehow I feel emotional by that chapter end
