Poison God's Heritage

***

"Your Grace, must we go to that tainted world?" asked the retainer.

"Ho ho, it'll be for a brief moment," the man in white robes spoke as he began stepping down from the mountain.

The retainer followed calmly after, as the two bypassed the millions of prostrating people around the mountain.

"I want to see that child with my own eyes, it's been a while since I've witnessed the birth of a new Sun, so I wish to see how he'll achieve it."

"If we leave now, aren't we at risk of having the Darkest Sun attack?"

"If he dares, he could, but I'm sure no one would think that I'm too old to even teach those punks a lesson, come, come, we can only stay in that world for a brief moment," the old man said and the two suddenly disappeared from sight.

***

But if I'm Du Shen, who is Shen Bao?

Am I the past me, or the present me? Or am I the result of both lives?

The more I question, the more at a loss I find myself.

This could be the key to realize who I truly am, to breach the limits of a King and attain the seat of an Emperor, but… it is a question without an accurate answer.

If I am one, what makes me not be the other?

My mind began reeling as I was failing to grasp my own identity, trying to claim hold of one is limiting my grasp of the other. If I'm Du Shen, then I'm mighty, I'm strong and easily able to rule over the vast expanse.

But Du Shen failed in ascension in its truest form, failed to reach the beyond and remained stuck, this if I claim that identity then I will be forever stuck in the same spot I was in thousands of years ago.

And if I claim Shen Bao as who I am, then I am weak without full knowledge of the upcoming path, and unable to grasp my true identity even though Du Shen's future is limitless.

Do I satisfy myself with current power and might, or do I risk it all on unlimited potential?

A question that many will find easy to answer, but for me, who is in the cat's boots, I'm perplexed.

Those on the sidelines can easily judge a situation since it is not directly affecting them, they can weigh the pros and cons rather pragmatically and deliver their opinion.

It's a simple dilemma. It is the same as a spectator watching a man given two choices. One choice leads to death and the other to everlasting wealth, the spectator will choose one of the choices regardless of the outcome since it isn't affecting him directly, but the man who has to choose must weigh in everything, since his life and death are linked to those choices.

Now I must choose, do I give up on Shen Bao, do I give up on Du Shen?

But then again, I'm once again reminded of a simple truth, a very primordial and very basic truth.

Human Nature.

Human's throat can only be stuffed with dirt, human's greed is endless. So why must I choose one?

"I am Shen Bao, and I am Du Shen, I'm me of the past, and me of the present, and the same one from in between, I strived to gain strength, and when I failed I struggled and strived again, so why must I forsake a part of me?" I questioned.

Then I was once again thankfully reminded of one thing.

The Mortal Divider

"Ah I see, no wonder Du Shen failed…"

In Du Shen's memories, he had forsaken his family, friends and clan, and ascended by using the Mortal Divider. As for Shen Bao, he was greedy and chose to take all, refusing to give up on his Mortal Link to the mortal realm, and chose to take it all with him as he ascended.

"I've no need to forsake who I was, and I'll take it all, with the good and the bad, with the wrong and the right, I'm imperfect, thus I chose my own nature. I do not renounce any of my identities, because both my Identities make me who I am. I am neither Du Shen, nor Shen Bao," I looked up to the heavens.

"I'm, the Poison God!"

The fog that was clouding my mind seemed to disperse as if it was never there, and a flood of Qi so powerful seemed to galvanize itself from within me, roiling at blistering speeds as it funneled itself from the deepest part of my Dantian.

The globe of saturated Qi that was being suppressed and held deep within my Sea of Consciousness began seeping some of its content into my Dantian, further spiraling the energy of the Primordial Serpent God in me.

The bottleneck I was stuck at seemed to loosen and as if it was never there, it shattered allowing me access to the next realm of cultivation.

I'm not who I was before, nor am I who I am now, I am what I chose to be, and I am who I am with each passing second.

I'm me, and I'll be me tomorrow, and I'll be me after that.

I needn't understand the world to know who I am, all I needed to know is believe I am what I am, and the world only has to acknowledge it. And if it doesn't, then I'll make it acknowledge me with might if need be.

Once again I speak it.

I am the Poison God!

The heavens rumbled as if it was also in accord of my words, and suddenly the skies bloomed in a purple hue, creating for a brief second a purple cloud above me. It lasted for but a second then it disappeared…

I knew not the reason for that happening, but a purple cloud is a sign of good fortune.

I sat down on the back of the chariot, "Little Cabbage, take us home," I said as I closed my eyes and resumed cultivation, stabilizing my understanding of myself.

***

"Ho, Ho," the old man laughed as he watched the carriage moving away.

"What do you think, Lord of Lords," said the retainer.

"A true gem, an unpolished and beautiful emerald gem, I've seen it before and now I look at it, it's much more refined."

"But lord, many, stronger, and with more talent than he is exist in the Beyond, why are you fixated on someone from here?" he asked.

"Because none of those from the Beyond had his start, nor his finish, none of them had so little resource to grow to what he is today. Tell me, do you know any from the Beyond at his level can fight a Zodiac and live to tell the tale?" the old man laughed.

"None that I know of, the Zodiac Beasts are powerful, though not as powerful to warrant someone above the Second Step to care for it… for someone from the first step, it really is an incredible achievement, but I think some children from the renowned families can also replicate it," said the retainer.

The Lord of Lord shook his head and said, "You said it yourself, children of the renowned families, those were born in wealth, fed elixirs instead of breastmilk, were born in the purest and most refined environments to create powerful cultivators, they were not pure talents, they were fabricated ones, but this child, he struggled among the muck and grime, to achieve what he is today, you think those children could even compare?"

The retainer remained quiet.

"Everyone's starting point is different, and this child started so far behind his peers and still managed to reach where they are… I wish to see where he'll reach in the future," the Lord of Lord said.

"Your Grace, look," said the retainer as the old man held his head up and smiled.

"The Vast Expanse is expressing its respect to you with the Purple Cloud of Kings," said the retainer.

"Hah, no, that's not possible, not for me," said the Lord of Lords.

The retainer frowned, "What do you mean, no one here is more worthy to receive the welcome of the Purple Cloud," said the Retainer.

"It can't be me," said the Lord of Lords, "Because I already received my welcome, this cloud isn't meant for me," the Lord of Lord looked at the chariot that was moving away and smiled, "Even the Heavens see something in him, let's head back we stayed more than we should…"