Reverend Rizzsanity

256. Rise, O’ Fickle One (1)

Lo Jik felt trapped and suffocated. He sank further and further into what felt like a patch of deadly quick sand. Air was caught in his lungs as he struggled to breathe. Each attempt at inhaling made him squirm and experience soul-shaking pain. He could not die, and he could not feel free. It was a form of torture he had yet to endure. In fact, it felt a note different from your usual waterboarding. This was the suffocation of the soul.Worse still, he heard an ethereal voice echoing in the darkness. He could not see anything. His soul was on the brink of complete collapse and that sensation of being choked alive only grew more intense.

He heard the same dreamy voice whisper in the distance. Distracting Lo Jik from this torturous moment was a surge of memory. He recalled Mo Yan’s corpse, her body torn with gnarly bites in several spots, moments before being persuaded to escape Qing Mao Mountain with him and possibly living a life of pure luxury. He remembered digging a grave for an equally ghastly Shen Cui, and he relished the memory of her last sordid stance. Lo Jik also inexplicably mourned Bai Lin’s and his firstborn’s loss. And then there was Bai Ning Bing.

The meaning of those words became crystal clear.

Why did fate dictate their demise? Fate Gu must be real if Love Gu existed since Ren Zu’s time. There was an extensive, even if exaggerated, record of the legendary Fate Gu in . So? Why did all of them have to die?

Lo Jik questioned their loss for the first time. Did fate truly control everyone’s life and death?

The voice continued, stirring more of Lo Jik’s already jumbling emotions and memories as he struggled to think straight. The dream realm’s sudden collapse, his killer move’s failure, and the shocking attack from Bai La left Lo Jik in a near-death state. He did not know how long he stayed in this state. What he did experience was another rush of memories. Lo Jik recalled his encounter with a weakened and old mutated blood wolf back in Qing Mao Mountain and the bear that took his life. He also remembered his encounters with the mantis and mutated hound when Bai Ning Bing had fallen sick while they lived in wilderness and made way towards Bai Gu Mountain. There was the memory of meeting with Chen Jiu and agreeing to participate in her scheme, which eventually led to his futile struggle against the Shang Clan’s gu immortal, Shang Mi Zhu.

Why was Lo Jik struggling? Even now? What drove him not to relent to his supposed fate? He had encountered yet another fatal trap despite being a gu immortal?

A gu immortal? What a joke! He was still very mortal!

Why did he continue struggling? Was it in his nature?

“Life is just a ride that ends with death. I know it will end. So? Why cut it short? I will enjoy the sights and see where it leads me.”

Those words echoed back to Lo Jik. That’s what he used to convince Bai Ning Bing back when she was confused with her path of life.

Truly, why cut it short? Why did fate want to reduce his life?

The dream-like ethereal chant did not only inspire a wave of recollection but a wealth of knowledge. Only now did Lo Jik realize it’s true nature.

Those words... that poem... it was a killer move.

He inexplicably learned a few secrets of the world.

‘

Fickle Consort… Dreamer…

Lo Jik never truly understood the gravity of those words when he heard them the first time. After all, he had just suffered one of the greatest setbacks of his life and lost Bai Ning Bing alongside his dick and testicles. It was hard to think straight until he resolved his issues once and for all by dealing with the consequences of Nina’s trait.

And that voice asked softly.

Will he continue struggling?

What could Lo Jik’s answer possibly be aside from a resounding…

He wanted to open his mouth and scream out loud. He wanted to roar his heart out and stand up to heaven. What could heaven be needed for when it stood against him? A shattered heaven was better than a rebellious one! Lo Jik was not rebellious. He just wanted to enjoy his life. He wanted life! He wanted his women safe, happy, and peaceful. He desired his children un-flayed, un-skinned, and alive. He wanted to see the peak of this world not for some sick desire of power but out of pure curiosity!

Why must heaven stand in his way?

Why must fate obstruct him?

Why could he not scream when he had a mouth? Why must his voice be suffocated?!

‘

Heaven’s Will, Lo Jik thought slowly. He knew about it. Heck, every gu immortal knew about heaven’s will because it was the source of tribulations. ‘Will’ was part of its name. Heaven’s Will was a type of will that created tribulations and maintained balance of the world. Inheriting Divine Concealment allowed Lo Jik to be immune to wisdom path deductions. Being a ‘Will,’ heaven’s will could not deduce Lo Jik and, consequently, his human path blessed land was free from tribulations!

However, the voice brought along a new understanding of Heaven’s Will. It was not just some organic of the world. No. Heaven’s will was… active. It was intelligent. It targeted and eradicated those threatening the very balance of the gu world.

It targeted Lo Jik.

Lo Jik’s blood would have run cold at the realization if he didn’t already understand what was going on. His earlier disasters, the ones he contributed to his atrocious luck, were actually designs by this entity! Lo Jik’s luck has always been good, else he would have succumbed to these calamities long ago!

And so Lo Jik knew... the path of struggle was the path to despair. He could give up right now. Heck, he didn’t seem to have any other options... except the one he already devised before entering Bai La’s dream realm. He was never going to submit his fate and well-being in Fairy Yi’s hands. Dream realms were dangerous as it is and Lo Jik prepared extensively to prevent any life-endangering tragedies.

The voice grew detestably loud. It was filled with hope and hatred. There was hope towards humanity… and hatred towards fate. Hope was the meaning of humanity, Lo Jik knew. It was the source of cultivation—the path against the heavenly way. Yet, Lo Jik waited. His patience was a struggle of its own. After all, Lo Jik himself could not do anything save for holding on.

The voice ended for the final time. Lo Jik did not encounter this voice for the first time. It was a killer move with specific triggers. Listening it for the third time gave him enough clues.

He heard for the first time in Ba Gui Blessed Land right before the Winds of Assimilation devoured it whole. The second time happened to be when Lo Jik used Heaven’s Will Gu, which caused a strange reaction from within his body. It created a dense aura of rejection and a supposed gateway to a pair of starry eyes.

Heaven’s will.

All along, Lo Jik had been rejecting heaven’s will!

It was due to Nina’s trait. Becoming a part of her trait—Lover’s Nine Wishes—allowed Nina to embrace a higher state of being in the world. She sensed the hidden heaven’s will encroaching Lo Jik and used her trait to reject it completely. However, this only led to more questions.

Why did primeval stones and immortal essence stones contain heaven’s will?

Why did it want Lo Jik dead?

What did the creator of this strange killer move desire?

There was no free lunch in the world. Lo Jik knew that the creator of this killer move wanted something. At least, he was sure of the fact that the creator of this killer move also opposed heaven’s will.

Lo Jik was certain of this fact because he had enough clues now.

This killer move’s trigger was none other than an intense connection with heaven’s will. If his current plight and the one in Bai Gu Blessed Land could be attributed to heaven’s will then it meant he was currently under its influence. His contact with heaven’s will when using rank 5 Heaven’s Will Gu also caused this killer move to erupt. However, it boasted enough fail safe and did not relay all this information right off the bat to Lo Jik after realizing what had happened.

What did that mean?

‘This killer move is based on a thought, will, or an emotion. It’s most likely a ’

Lo Jik deduced calmly.

‘My soul… it won’t last long.’ Lo Jik felt at peace despite the suffocation of the soul. He might not have a disposition of a century-old demon, but he had encountered his fair share of losses. His character was more tempered than most.

‘My soul… what will happen to my traits if my soul disappears?’

He sighed deeply.

He had stopped being overly reliant on his trait long ago. Sure, he received great like mortal Wisdom and Wealth Gu Worms, or several gu immortal inheritances. However, he made most of his benefits through schemes. How else could he have obtained ownership of Immemorial Desolate Grotto-Heaven if not for planning and sacrificing inner disciple Qing Lao? In hindsight, one of his greatest failures happened because Lo Jik wanted to fuck Chen Jiu and experience the gu world’s platinum rewards through his trait for the first time ever.

‘To be honest, Dreamer Gu Worms are more than enough. The true foundation in the gu world is not strange benefits like my traits but one’s attainment and gu worms.’ He thought faintly. His consciousness began to fade ever so slightly.

‘I see…’ he suddenly realized. ‘So, that’s why I understood the meaning of that poem. Truly powerful… whoever created that killer move not only predicted my current predicament but they also accurately deduced my course of action. Furthermore, they could tamper with heaven’s will in such a manner… hehe… interesting.’

His thoughts suddenly grew vigorous. The sense of suffocation in his soul lifted. Waves after waves of pure primordial qi washed his body, mind, and soul. The injuries from the dream realms healed at a pace visible to the naked eye!

‘Truly interesting.’

Lo Jik’s eyes snapped open.

<<<>>> 

Lo Jik’s body remained comatose besides Bai La’s dream realm. Fairy Yi could not do a thing to assist him, not without his Soul Lantern and Life Table Gu Worms. The entire situation was shocking enough for Fairy Yi’s Will to hastily contact her main body.

Being a mere Will, Fairy Yi failed to noticed a change in Lo Jik’s body.

It wasn’t until she accepted communication from Fairy Bai Qing did her shock transformed into sheer horror.

“Has he gone mad?!” Fairy Yi’s gaze squared on the unconscious Lo Jik. As expected, dark clouds started gathering above the open hall in Bai Qing’s blessed land.

Lo Jik… he was undergoing his ascension!

His first aperture was shattered the moment his soul succumbed to the injuries inside the dream realm.

“Wait.” A calm voice interrupted any agitated reaction. Fairy Bai Qing’s divine sense and Fairy Yi glanced at the new arrival. It was none other that Feng Jiu Ge’s Will.

He returned from checking after Feng Jin Huang and observed Lo Jik solemnly.

“He is still trying to save Fairy Bai La.” Feng Jiu Ge spoke with an air of certainty as realization dawned on Fairy Yi.

“Could he be…” Fairy Bai Qing was equally shocked and moved.

“Yes, it must be. He left behind a special will with a trigger related to his condition. However, it is too risky even with Divine Concealment.” Fairy Yi furrowed her brows. Disapproval reflected on her features. “He is jeopardizing his entire future!”

The trio was a group of experienced gu immortals. They knew several secrets and had deep understanding of immortal ascension, especially Fairy Yi and Feng Jiu Ge. Triggering the ascension led to a surge of heaven and earth qi in its purest form. Use of any gu worm or other phenomenon around this wave of heaven and earth qi was met with a dangerous backlash!

The only thing around Lo Jik was Bai La’s dream realm.

Bai La’s dream realm was the result of a heavenly tribulation.

Essentially, Lo Jik was using the strength of heaven and earth to deal with one of its greatest acts of balance—calamities and tribulations!

It was, in a word, .

Nobody knew if it would work. Furthermore, the gu immortals were astute. How could they not understand something terrible must have happened in the dream realm to force Lo Jik in such a state?

The fact that he left behind a special will with relevant conditions to his current state informed the gu immortals that Lo Jik knew more about dream path than he ever let others on!

His survival was a must.

But…

“What will you do, Fairy Bai Qing?” Fairy Yi questioned candidly.

Like before, Lo Jik was not in the main continent. He was in a blessed land—a small, isolated, and unique world. Undergoing ascension in a blessed land meant directly swallowing Bai Qing’s foundation!

“I…” Bai Qing gritted her teeth before resolve flashed in her eyes.

“I shall wait. If the surge of heaven and earth qi resolves mother’s dream realm before things go any further, then good. I shall expel Lo Jik and Love Gu out of my blessed land and Hu Immortal Blessed Land before personally defending him on Tian Ti Mountain with Spirit Affinity House. Else, I’m willing to sacrifice a part of my foundation. Unfortunately, it’s not clear if Disciple Lo Jik will recover his consciousness quickly. The second step of this breakthrough is bound to be the most dangerous!”

Fairy Yi nodded. It was a wise decision. Of course, she refrained from adding the fact that Lo Jik’s survival was a more personal matter to Bai Qing and Feng Jiu Ge than the couple let on… especially his relationship with Bai Qing’s daughter and mother.

Feng Jiu Ge smiled.

“Everything will turn out fine. Call for Fairy Mi Yao’s and Fairy Black Moon’s assistance, too.”

Bai Qing nodded and sent out letter gu worms instantly.

“How can you be so certain?” Fairy Yi inquired curiously, unable to look down on Feng Jiu Ge despite being a prominent figure among rank 8 gu immortals.

Feng Jiu Ge merely smiled instead of replying.

He couldn’t help but regard the distant Love Gu with an anticipative gaze.

Lo Jik’s miracle of surviving a rank 8 gu immortal’s attack was still fresh in his mind. How could he look down on this strange outer disciple’s chances of survival?

Lo Jik shall survive…

He survive.

The debauched consort needed to survive so Feng Jiu Ge could bury him with his own two hands.

“It’s letting up!”

Fairy Yi gasped as the dream realm disappeared, revealing Bai La’s unconscious body.

“Now!”

Bai Qing’s eyes gleamed brilliantly as she expelled Lo Jik and Love Gu out of her body.

“Hurry, Little Hu Land Spirit.” Bai Qing stood up and waved her hand, instantly collecting the formation around Dang Hun Mountain and Spirit Affinity House in her blessed land.

The land spirit also let out a surprised yelp as her eyes widened. Lo Jik’s human qi started pouring out his body.

“What is going on?” Black Moon’s furious shout echoed as the masked woman rushed over.

“Such thick human qi!” Fairy Mi Yao also gasped as she emerged from Dang Hun Mountain.

“There is no time.” Bai Qing took charge and glared at the Little Hu. “Let him out this instant else he will devour half your foundation! This… this human qi far exceeds the ten extreme apertures!”

***

Lo Jik: I wanna be low-key **; A dreamy inheritance; True intent behind the poem; Truth of the world; Heaven’s will and Fate; Heaven’s Will literally took backshots from false Lo Jik to keep up with its planning; Kenjaku and Heaven’s Will—Shaking hands mid backshots; Truth regarding Lo Jik’s good luck; Struggle; One last scheme; Never submitting; True foundation in the gu world; Attainments is the best!; Feng Jiu Ge: He can’t die… not yet; Heaven’s will scheme; Another plan thwarted; Using Bai La and Feng Jin Huang as a bait to kill Lo Jik; Gearing up more and more to eradicate Lo Jik; Better shattered than rebellious; Lo Jik and Ren Zu **; Lo Jik after giving female Great Love backshots: Ah, yes, this is our reverend insanity all along; Lo Jik and Fang Yuan being targeted by heaven’s will **

***

I don’t think heaven’s will revelation was a surprise to anyone since I often included HW in alternate titles whenever things went south. However, if some of you never read the OG Reverend Insanity, worry not, I will dive more into heaven’s will.

Ps. I wanted to use this moment to remove Lo Jik’s trait entirely. In the back of my mind, I felt it was necessary to show how Lo Jik was not overly reliant on his trait. Then I had a moment of clarity as I wrote this chapter that Lo Jik, in fact, was not overly reliant on his trait. Heck, Bai Shou existed and surpassed all expectations without passing herself off as a common hoe for more rewards all by herself and scheming quite a bit. Similarly, most rewards from the trait are usually rank 5 gu worms or materials. As a gu immortal, the rewards would become immortal materials but the point still stands. So, I decided against doing just that… and I feel it would have been bad writing to remove one of Lo Jik’s defining traits just for a moment of shock. I hope you enjoyed this ff this far!

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