Chapter 82 - Limitless
Hao Xuan didn't know what to think when he saw Meng's back. It could be just a coincidence but what were the chances of that? It could also be a complete lie that he made up. Or, it could be his own delusional mind telling him something.
"What the fuck is going on? What is this place? Who really is this guy?" one after another, questions kept appearing in his mind after thinking his current situation through.
"Old man, what are you?" he mumbled out without realizing. Meng smiled when he heard him.
"I am just a relic of the past. I am nothing, at least not yet. But what are you?" he asked in return, leaving Hao Xuan even more puzzled.
"Can you give this bullshit a rest? Why do you have to talk in riddles?" Hao Xuan was getting annoyed now. One after another this guy kept muttering stupid stuff that made no sense. Why couldn't he just be straight with him?
"Hahahaha, you're right. Alright, ask, I will answer three questions of yours, if I can," Meng grinned at him.
"Three? Alright. Are you or were you ever this Huan Shi from the story?" he asked without hesitation, just to see if he could get an honest answer out of him.
"Yes. I once was called that," he nodded back with a serious look, wiping the grin off his face.
"Okay. Second, is the story you told me real? Did that actually happen?" he asked once again. With his brows furrowed, he waited for an answer.
"Yes. It's all real. I was once hailed as an Immortal GodKing!" Meng answered as calmly as he possibly could but in Hao Xuan's eyes, the man in front of him suddenly looked like a giant for a second.
"T-Then, where you really the strongest in the universe??" he asked the third question without even realizing he had. At this moment, he just needed to know.
"Of course not. I was one of the strongest in our 'world'. I can't really explain it to you as you are now. You know nothing of what's actually out there. You heard me say Nine worlds earlier right?" Hao Xuan quickly nodded back like a child.
"Well, what do you think these Nine worlds are?" he asked. Hao Xuan thought about it for a few seconds but couldn't come up with an answer.
"I'm not sure. Planets? Nine planets?" Meng couldn't help but chuckle when he heard him.
"Nope. There are billions of planets in each galaxy and countless galaxies in each universe, how could there only be nine worlds then?"
"Then what is it? just tell me already!" Hao Xuan asked impatiently.
"These Nine worlds are other planes of existence. They could be called different dimensions but that's not entirely accurate. But the thing is, they exist at the same time as our world. These other eight worlds have their own planets and galaxies and of course, cultivation systems. When you become strong enough you can travel between these Nine worlds through many different ways."
"But what about the hells? Are the Nine Hells also the same as the worlds?"
"More or less. But any being from any world can go to any hell after death. The Nine Hells are much more closely related than the worlds. You could even say they are just different areas of one single world. Normal people don't even know of these other worlds out there but the inhabitants of Hell can freely travel between each circle of hell."
"But that doesn't make sense. You just said that you fought Kings of hell alone but you're not even the strongest in all the Nine Worlds? Are the Kings of Hell that weak?" Hao Xuan was getting irritated the more he listened. Was this guy just showing off before? Overexaggerating to such an extent?
"Oi oi, this is way past three questions already," Meng frowned when he realized that even he got swept up in the conversation.
"So you did lie then, no wonder," Hao Xuan said as a matter of factly.
*Sigh*
"Fine, I'll explain this one thing to you. Each world has its own laws. The inhabitant of each world is not affected by these laws, only when they enter another do they feel their suppression. This natural suppression lowers their cultivation realms to some degree. That's why it is not easy to determine which world is the strongest."
"For example, our physical forms are very restrictive in hell. But spiritual beings will see an immense increase in their power."
"I was not the strongest by any means, but I cultivated a certain Dao that allowed me to overpower my opponents to a certain degree. Or rather, neutralize the effects on me. Also, I had many heavenly treasures on me that helped me fight them. But neither of us could actually kill the other. It will get really messy if I try to explain it any further, you'll know when you go there yourself."
"D-Did you just tell me to go hell!??" Hao Xuan interjected but was completely ignored.
"The thing is, each 'world' is almost limitless. No one can claim to have explored all of it, let alone all Nine of them. There are Forbidden Burial grounds, Forsaken lands, Cursed cities, I could go on and on. All such places are extremely dangerous and hold many, MANY secrets. Even at my level, I couldn't go in freely and had explored but a fraction of them."
"The Nine worlds, are truly limitless. Not to mention the Nine Hells and Ten Heavens. In each of these places exist beings that you will probably never know. They could be actual gods or True Devils. As I said, you have to go there yourself to experience it yourself. And the heavens and hells aren't that biblical. Their inhabitants live and die just like us, usually."
"Wow. T-That's a lot of information," Hao Xuan finally calmed down and sat back to digest everything he heard. How could anyone claim to be the strongest when the world was that vast? And not to mention the Chaos. God knows what was out there. For several hours they sat silently. One lost deep in thought, the other in old memories.
"Oh, btw, for my third question, what was the 'Dao' you cultivated?" Hao Xuan shamelessly asked when he remembered about it. His face was almost beet red from embarrassment.
"Kid, I have lived for countless years but never seen anyone as shameless as you," Meng looked at him and said in all seriousness.
"Hehehe, can't blame a guy for trying," Hao Xuan laughed sheepishly and scratched his head, trying not to meet his eyes.
*sigh*
"You know, we are pretty similar. Born and raised in a mortal world and out of nowhere thrust into this, this clusterfuck of creation," Meng took a deep breath and looked at Hao Xuan.
"What do you mean? Beast World has always had cultivation," Hao Xuan asked confusingly.
"Oh, I forgot. Well, you will know sooner or later. Either you will return to the land of the living and unlock your memories or die and remember everything."
"What? Unlock memories? What are you talking about now?" Hao Xuan asked suspiciously. Was this another one of his riddles?
"Nevermind. I'll tell you anyway," he said finally, but then he mumbled to himself, "I feel bad for what you'll have to go through when you actually remember kid. You'll have to make a choice then."
"Tell me what??" Hao Xuan suddenly perked up after hearing that and didn't pay attention to the last sentence.
"The Dao. I cultivated the Dao of Force. Do you know what force is?"
"Of course, its-" when he tried to explain but couldn't find the words.
"Okay, nevermind. Just listen. Everyone will tell you to cultivate the Dao of this or that, but the thing is, they are all very specific. The Dao of Light doesn't work against people who cultivated a similar Dao. The Dao of Death won't work against the dead and the undying. But the Dao of force will always have your back. Force, is everywhere. It is the gravity that keeps you down, its the punch that pummels you to the ground."
"Imagine having control over all kinds of forces. You could neutralize any attack, absorb it, deflect it, the possibilities are endless. I only ever got full control over the force of gravity. By cultivating that aspect of Force, my physical body became a world of its own. Its weight could be the same as a planet. Imagine a normal punch, it wouldn't hurt you that much right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess," Hao Xuan thought it was a rhetorical question and took a few seconds to answer.
"Now imagine the same force of a punch, delivered by something ten times smaller. Its effect would be much more concentrated and would probably rip through you like paper. Just like that, force can be applied in many different ways. You could increase gravity around you, you could attract or repel objects or make things explode or implode without lifting a finger. How magnificent would that be?"
"Cultivation, is endless. The Universe, is endless. The possibilities, therefore, are also endless. It is truly an adventurer's wet dream, hahaha.." Meng broke out in laughter.