Memory Torrent (Part 2)

Chapter Three: Memory Torrent (Part 2)

The doors of the Sun Palace clicked shut behind him, sealing out all the light and sound from outside.

Taiyi leaned against the icy door, his legs giving way as he slid down to the floor. Beneath him were cold, hard gilt stone bricks, their chill seeping upward, but he did not feel cold—his mind was still a boiling pot of porridge, bubbling away and scalding hot.

That calm appearance he had maintained all the way back had been nothing but forced bravado. Now that he was back on his own turf, that shell shattered with a snap, exposing the still-shaken Lin Yuan inside, hugging his knees and trembling.

He raised a hand and spread it before his eyes. It was a fine hand indeed—slender, with distinct knuckles, faint golden-red light flowing beneath the skin like lava through a riverbed. When he clenched his fist, he could feel explosive power taut within the muscles, ready to smash out at any moment. These hands had crushed mountains, torn apart savage beasts, and held that battered bell to strike sounds that made the entire Great Wilderness tremble.

They were not his.

Yet they were undeniably growing from his arms.

The movie in his mind had not finished playing. This time, it was no fast-forwarded trailer, but proper detailed scenes, carrying warmth and scent as they came crashing down all at once.

He "saw" himself—no, Eastern Emperor Taiyi—as a green youth, successfully forming Golden Sun Flames for the first time. He had been so excited that he leaped and bounced around, doing eight consecutive somersaults through a sea of fire and nearly scorching one old branch of the Fusang Tree bald. Di Jun had arrived after catching the scent, grabbed him by the ear, and scolded him for half an hour. When he was done, he secretly slipped Taiyi a piece of warm jade that nourished the Primordial Spirit.

He "tasted" something from those memories: the Sun Marrow at the deepest core of the Sun Star. Drinking it was like swallowing molten gold, burning all the way from his throat to his stomach and making him grimace and gasp in pain. Yet after it settled in his belly, the incomparably pure vitality and the deep comfort in his soul made him perversely want another mouthful. Di Jun always left him the larger share, saying that he himself could withstand the heat and could cultivate slowly.

He "heard" sounds—not the ringing of a bell, but the chaotic noises of a battlefield: roars, the piercing clash of weapons, the dull booms of spells exploding, and the shrieks of Demon Race youngsters charging forward with fear and recklessness mixed together. More than anything, there was Di Jun's voice. On nights after battle, when the two brothers sat facing each other too exhausted to speak, he could hear his elder brother's sigh, so soft it was almost inaudible.

These memories carried warmth and emotion, pressing down heavily on him. They were no longer images viewed through a layer of fog. They were becoming his own experiences, his own feelings.

That tiny fragment of soul belonging to Lin Yuan was like a skiff in a typhoon, battered into pieces.

"I'm not him... I really am not..." Taiyi gritted his back teeth and forced the words through the gaps. His fingers dug into his hair as he yanked twice, hard. The sting from his scalp cleared his mind slightly.

But another voice, cold and crystal clear, rang out in his mind: Then tell me, who are you now?

Lin Yuan? That ordinary man who stayed up late grinding through proposals, squeezed onto the subway for work, and lay awake at night calculating his mortgage? His body had long since burned to ash. His world lay behind who knew how many barriers, beyond return.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi? The original owner of this body, the sun god arrogant to his very bones, the unlucky bastard destined to be buried alongside the Demon Race? Had his soul scattered amid the impact of transmigration and the tremors of the Chaos Bell, or had it completely mixed with this foreign intruder into one muddy mess?

Taiyi released his hair, tilted back his head, and stared at the lofty dome of the Sun Palace. It was embedded with countless tiny Sun Crystals arranged in the pattern of the All-Encompassing Stars, radiating warm light. But when that light fell into his eyes, it stung.

Then, amid the chaos in his mind, he suddenly seized upon a point of light.

The system.

That thing calling itself "Forbidden," speaking as though it had crawled out of an ancient tomb.

It had chosen him because he was a "soul mutant." In other words, his impurity had become an advantage? A variable who possessed Eastern Emperor Taiyi's memories and strength, yet would not be completely bound by the original fate...

And it had mentioned "revenge." Revenge against whom? The Heavenly Dao? That damned predetermined fate? Or... those bastards sitting high above, penning the script of destiny?

Taiyi's heart began pounding against his chest. It was not fear, but an excitement so intense it nearly made him tremble.

What if... what if none of this was a coincidence? What if this transmigration, this system, was some kind of... chance to flip the table?

[The host's awareness has reached the required level. Detailed rule explanations are now unlocked.]

That voice, carrying a chaotic echo, suddenly resounded in the deepest part of his mind without warning. This time, it seemed... clearer? There was less of that mechanical quality and more of some indescribable... living presence?

Taiyi held his breath and focused all his attention.

[Rule One: Check-in locations.] The voice spoke evenly. [Within the Great Wilderness, any place associated with "forbidden," "defiance," or "abnormality" can be designated as a check-in point. The more dangerous the location itself, and the more severely it conflicts with the current rules of the Heavenly Dao, the higher its designation level. Pangu Hall contains remnants of the forbidden; Zixiao Palace is the stronghold of order. Both are highly dangerous locations.]

[Rule Two: Check-in actions.] The voice paused, as if considering its wording. [At a check-in point, the host must do something that fits Eastern Emperor Taiyi's identity and logic, while also going against the current situation or the Heavenly Dao's implications. The degree of defiance will be judged by the "karma disturbances" and "order ripples" caused by the host's actions. The wild words you are to speak at Lingxiao Palace today are only entry-level defiance.]

Taiyi frowned. Defiance that fit his identity? That was not an easy line to walk. He had to be arrogant enough that Eastern Emperor Taiyi himself could have done it, yet outrageous enough to muddy the waters...

[Rule Three: Reward mechanism.] The voice continued. [Rewards are not created from nothing. The system will guide the host in extracting the "Forbidden Origin" hidden at a check-in point, or in capturing the "Karma Reversal" and "Order Fracture" stirred up by the host's actions, turning them into power you can use. That drop of "Chaos Demon God's Blood of Ferocity" today was residual blood left behind by the slain Chaos Demon God Ferocity during Pangu's creation of heaven and earth. It had always been sealed within the deepest part of the Sun Star. The system helped you obtain it.]

So that was how it worked! Taiyi's thoughts suddenly cleared. The rewards were things that had always existed in the Great Wilderness; he was simply acquiring them by unconventional means. That explanation sounded far more plausible—and far more dangerous. It meant every check-in was theft, robbery, and sabotage.

[Warning:] The voice suddenly turned cold. [Every check-in is a slap across the face of established order. The accumulated "Anomaly Value" will draw the Heavenly Dao's attention to you. The host must find a balance between "reaping benefits" and "concealing yourself." Playing Eastern Emperor Taiyi well is your best protective talisman.]

[Special notice: the system itself is also part of the "forbidden." After binding is complete, more functions will gradually unlock, including: Forbidden Knowledge Infusion, previews of specific locations, the Karma Thread Deception Art... The price will rise accordingly.]

A price? Taiyi's heart tightened. What price?

But the system did not answer. Its voice returned to that lifeless tone: [The first check-in mission has been issued. Please seize this opportunity, host. This is the first step in climbing out of fate's cage, and also... the first punch thrown at established order.]

The voice vanished.

The hall was so quiet that he could hear his own breathing, as well as the dull thud of his heart pounding inside his chest.

Throwing a punch at established order... Taiyi savored those words as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. His legs had gone numb from sitting, and he swayed before steadying himself. He walked to the enormous Glazed Mirror in the hall.

The person in the mirror was slightly pale, but flames danced deep within those molten-gold eyes. Fear remained, as did confusion, but there was more of the vicious resolve of someone driven into a corner, baring his teeth to fight for his life.

"Eastern Emperor Taiyi's strength, Lin Yuan's mind... and a system dedicated to opposing the Heavenly Dao." Taiyi spoke hoarsely to the mirror. His voice sounded strangely distant in the empty hall. "With a setup like this, if I don't make something big happen, this transmigration would have been wasted."

He tugged at the corner of his mouth. The reflection smiled, a mix of madness and calm. It was a little twisted, but real.

The top priority was the [Lingxiao Treasure Hall Check-in] that the system had thrown at him.

Speaking wild words before everyone... Before, he had only had a vague idea. Now the system had given him a "standard"—it had to fit his identity, yet be defiant. The original owner had been arrogant, but he was not a brainless loudmouth. Especially on formal occasions, when Di Jun was present, he was more often the muscle there to hold the room down, and spoke less instead. What could he say that would both sound like the kind of wild words "Eastern Emperor Taiyi" would utter and achieve the effect of making the entire hall of demons' jaws drop, thoroughly muddying the waters?

He clasped his hands behind his back and paced through the hall before walking to the window. Outside lay an endless sea of clouds. Farther away, the Sun Star burned as fiercely as ever. The Demon Race's Heavenly Court looked glorious, but it was full of problems. The Witch Race watched from outside, while inside there were enough factions to fill a mahjong table...

In his memories, the last several court assemblies had revolved around nothing more than friction over several territories bordering the Witch Race and disputes over which side should control resource planets. The peace faction urged caution, while the war faction clamored for battle. Di Jun was usually the one trying to smooth things over.

Perhaps the path of "wildly defiant words" could be to push the pro-war stance to its extreme? Not merely fight, but fight in the most domineering, uncompromising way possible—shutting down every voice of conservatism and compromise?

A vague but explosive idea slowly took shape in his heart.

He needed to comb through the original owner's memories more carefully, especially how court assemblies were conducted, what the leaders of each department were like, and what they had been arguing about recently. He also had to figure out what tone and expression to use when delivering those words to produce the most explosive effect.

He sank his consciousness into his sea of awareness and actively sorted through those chaotic memories. Cultivation, the old history of the Demon Race, the nature of each tribe, their conflicts... Eastern Emperor Taiyi's straightforward, fist-first way of thinking; Lin Yuan's habit of analysis, deliberation, and searching for the optimal solution. On the matter of how to be arrogant in exactly the right way, those two systems began to merge in a strange fashion.

Who knew how long passed before three light knocks came from outside the hall—knock, knock, knock—followed by a pause, then one more knock. It was Shang Yang's signal that the time had come.

Taiyi slowly opened his eyes.

The tangled mess in his eyes was gone, replaced by an icy focus. It was not Eastern Emperor Taiyi's burning battle intent, but the focus of a hunter who had calculated every step and fixed his eyes on his prey's vital point.

In his mind, he had polished that sentence countless times. The tone, the pauses, the subtle expressions and movements to accompany it—all had been arranged perfectly. He could even imagine several possible scenes that might unfold in Lingxiao Palace once those words were spoken, and how he should respond.

"Chaos Demon God's Blood of Ferocity..." he murmured the name of the reward. It did not sound like anything pleasant, but the system had said it was a genuine inheritance of a Chaos Demon God. More importantly, this was the first step. The first step in testing the system and obtaining a bargaining chip to change his fate.

The hall doors opened without a sound.

Shang Yang still stood outside, his body straight as a spear. When he saw Taiyi emerge, he lowered his head in salute. "Your Majesty, it is time for the court assembly."

"Mm." Taiyi answered in a voice as level as still water, yet carrying a weight it had lacked before. He stepped out of the Sun Palace and once again set foot on the Cloud Corridor leading to Lingxiao Palace.

This time, his steps were much steadier, each one landing firmly.

Sunlight pierced the thin clouds and danced across his dark-gold imperial robe. In the distance, the outline of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall stood in the rosy glow like a crouching beast, and he was walking straight into its throat.

In his mind, the system notification rang one last time like a drumbeat struck from shards of ice:

[Check-in mission execution countdown: one quarter-hour.]

[Good luck, host. May your "wild defiance" tear open a gap in that iron curtain.]

Taiyi's lips curved into an arc so faint it was nearly invisible, yet as sharp as a blade.

Luck?

No. Luck was not what he wanted.

What he wanted was to tear this damned script to shreds.