Lightning Is the Only Way

Gravis wasn't sure how he should feel. He had just realized that the children he had fathered and loved for millions of years had actually never existed.

Yet, on the other hand, it only felt natural not to have strong emotional attachments to things that weren't real.

It was just like a long dream.

"How was it?" Mortis asked from the side.

Gravis looked at Mortis with a bitter smile. "Just like you would think. However, I really don't feel much attachment to the things I have experienced and the people I have met. It really feels like a dream."

Mortis took a deep breath.

He knew that Gravis' personality was very stable, and he knew that Gravis wouldn't feel any issues.

However, what about Mortis?

Would he react this calmly?

"Now, it's your turn," Orthar said to Mortis. "Are you ready?"

Mortis took another deep breath and nodded.

Orthar nodded and extended his hand towards Mortis.

And then, Mortis' eyes became vacant.

Gravis looked at Mortis with interest.

"I thought this was instantaneous," Gravis said.

"I can only make time move so fast," Orthar explained. "Samsara doesn't need to invent things. All the perceived realities are already there, and it only has to replay them. That's why Samsara is instantaneous."

"In comparison, I have to continually manage the perceived reality Mortis is currently experiencing. I can only make it move so fast without endangering the management of the actual Cosmos," Orthar explained.

"Huh, so even you can't do anything," Gravis added with a smirk.

"Of course not," Orthar said. "I'm not some omnipotent being. I'm a Cultivator, just like you and everyone else. The only difference is that you can create life via procreation, while I can create a Cosmos. It's not very different. It's only on a grander scale."

"Okay, so how long will Mortis take?" Gravis asked.

"About five years. That's how long it took you."

"Five years? That's pretty fast," Gravis answered.

Orthar didn't answer for several seconds.

"What did you feel during the end of your perceived reality?" Orthar suddenly asked.

"Tons of regret," Gravis answered immediately. "However, that's only natural. I want to cultivate anyway, and I knew from the beginning that I wouldn't truly be happy if things turned out this way."

"Sure, living a fulfilling life with all my friends and family is great, but it's simply too short. I want to cultivate, but when I have been in the perceived reality, it was like I've simply accepted that I wouldn't cultivate anymore."

"Now that I'm awake, it feels so stupid. Why wouldn't I just continue cultivating? That would've solved all my regrets," Gravis said. "In a sense, I feel like I've never had the chance to do what I wanted, which makes the entire dream feel surreal. It's like someone else has lived my life."

Orthar nodded. "That's a good response. Someone with strong convictions won't feel attached to the dream since it forces you into doing something you don't truly want to do. That's also why the dream has basically no effect on you."

"What about Mortis?" Gravis asked.

Orthar only looked at Mortis.

"Huh?" Mortis said in confusion as he opened his eyes.

currently sitting

Azure asked with a frown. "You said you wanted to

right, sorry," Mortis quickly said as his

was now his

longer

Opposer and Orthar had gotten

had decided to continue cultivating with Stella, while Mortis had decided

had planned to watch the sunset together with Azure to

finally never had

the memories had returned to Mortis, he felt

dream he had dreamed of in the past had finally become

to fear his future since he and Azure

cliff, just staying by each other's side. None of the two of them spoke during all of this. In comparison to Stella and Gravis, Mortis and

as long as Azure didn't have something to complain about. As soon as

simply enjoyed being in

in Eternal Fire Sect since they wouldn't cultivate anymore. Staying in the Cultivation world would only invite

the entire world, and they looked at all the

soon as he had decided to stop

of young and weak animals and beasts worked. It

top of that, Mortis started to think of them as

Azure said

that all these thoughts about simple and weak beings

"Yes, let's," Mortis answered.

but these new children would be completely different from the

attachments to her children back then,

a distance. Since Azure was a beast and Mortis counted as half a beast, the children were born with beast bodies, just

Azure and Mortis looked at their children

them, and just like the last time, the kids didn't feel any kind of familial

Mortis were used to

to be

feeling, and they didn't mind that their children basically

had also been like that in the past, and

while some of them had died, others managed to become

that managed to become Star Gods apologized to Azure and

was time for the two of them to become

Mortis felt

million years in total left, three million as an Ancestral God, and ten million as a Divine God,' Mortis

a long

at one point,

family, and eventually, it was time to become Divine

life have passed, and ten

'I'm still young.'

passed, Mortis

the years passed and death came closer, Mortis felt more and more

much time left. I've already lived for so long, and only this little bit of time

Death was coming closer.

years, Mortis and Azure only embraced

didn't want to let

wanted to stay together

However, they couldn't.

of happiness, they would always look towards the

started, people already looked towards the end, knowing that it

would keep in

the end drew closer, the

Mortis wasn't ready yet.