Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

1317 Karmic Chains

Ryu stood in silence for a long while. He hadn't expected this qi to actually allow him to manipulate it in the first place. If there was such a benefit to Dao Hearts shattering, or at the very least, a benefit that was easy to take advantage of, it wouldn't be such a depressing matter for it to occur in the first place.

Ryu felt a great amount of discomfort just being in the presence of this qi. He realized that this was a qi that didn't even hold any true power, it just continuously attacked his psyche, as though it was filled with the negative emotions of the world.

Suddenly, Ryu's heart skipped a beat as he remembered yet another legend that he had read. This time, though, this legend was most definitely based on a true story, because this was something all cultivators were aware of.

In the Nether Realm, the matters of reincarnation seemed to be handled by the Dream Wraiths, or more accurately, at least the memory portion. It was the Dream Wraiths responsible for taking up souls, wiping their memories, and then thrusting them back into the cycle of reincarnation to be born again.

This process, from Ryu's new comprehensions, should have stripped more than just memories, but even someone's inherent personality.

He never really thought much about where these memories went. After all, the assumption seemed to be that it vanished. When it was destroyed, it stayed like that.

However, that was his old way of thinking... thinking that slotted memories into a box of the incorporeal, as not having any form, or substance. But now that he knew of the existence of the Original Spirit, was that still the case?

The Original Spirit was where one's personality was stored, it was what made a person them. But now did that happen? Who decided these matters?

Ryu had never really thought about it. Why did he have the goals he had? Was it because of how he was raised or was it because he was always destined to end up this way?

Now that he thought about it, the likelihood that this was his first incarnation was very low. He might have lived dozens of lives before, just like everyone else. The universe had a finite amount of energy, this was a well known truth.

This was less important now for the answer they could provide, and far more important for the sake of comprehending Ryu's train of thought. If these matters had a substantive reason for them, wouldn't they manifest in a physical sort of way? And in that case, how could it ever be fully erased?

The universe having finite energy was one well known truth, but there was another in this same line, and that was that energy could never be destroyed, it could only be converted from one state to another, and it always tended toward chaos.

If Ryu took this concept, and he applied it to the memories and personalities of other lives he couldn't remember having lived, then what happened when he passed through the hands of the Dream Wraiths?

All of these thoughts came crashing down upon him like a sort of avalanche. If he had access to his Dao Heart currently, he might have had an epiphany no weaker than when he had formed his Founding Dao, that was how profound he felt that this matter was.

This qi he was looking at, this qi that swallowed up everything in its path, was most definitely related to his memories and personalities. They couldn't be destroyed, they could only be converted. In fact, Ryu felt that he knew what they had been converted into...

Karma.

Those strings of Karma that bound everyone, even Sky Gods, would all be decided by the deeds they had accomplished in their lifetimes.

This sort of dread, this sort of swallowing of even the most profound of qis, was only something that could be done by an existence that could only be described in a single word.

Inevitable.

That was what Karma was. It couldn't be escaped, it couldn't be cheated, and even if one was a Dao God and could run from it for a time, that debt would eventually come to be paid.

This qi held no power, and yet it held all the power in the world at the same time. It carried the softness of water and the eternity of earth, the vastness of the universe and the endlessness of darkness.

It was no wonder Ryu felt such dread standing before it, such despair. It was like being faced with the consequences of your actions in real time.

Ryus gaze sharpened and he waved a hand, several chains began to appear in the air. His Spiritual Foundation responded somewhat sluggishly, but it responded nonetheless.

The chains quickly came in contact with this energy, eroding away. However, Ryu didn't feel moved by this scene in the slightest. He needed a method to protect himself in this time, and karma had quite literally laid out exactly what he needed right before him...

How could he give it up?

Since he was unable to manipulate this energy personally, then he would find a vessel to carry it in instead.

The chains seemed to have been provoked, but their rage was entirely meaningless. No matter how many came, they were easily crushed by the Karmic Qi, unable to withstand even a single split moment.

However, Ryu's gaze was only becoming sharper as his smirk widened.

"I haven't bothered to learn your true name, but from now on... You'll be known as the Karmic Chains."

**

Many days later, Ryu suddenly shot up, catching Mae who still seemed to be concerning off guard. In these days, she had wanted to wake him up many times, but she felt that it was inappropriate. However, her worry only grew deeper, she believed that Ryu was experiencing delayed effects from his Dao Heart shattering. But he had suddenly sat up like nothing had happened.

Seeing Mae's expression, he smiled. "War time?" he inquired with a laugh.

Mae blinked. How did he know?

Ryu grinned. "Weak willed men like your parent are simple to manipulate, that's how."

Mae's lip twitched. Who dared to speak about her parent like that?

She didn't get to say anything more before her room's entrance shattered.