novelraw Chapter 1089: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (97) — Rational Fury
Chapter 1089: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (97) — Rational Fury
In all its memories, Count Drekeya had never experienced pain like this.
If pain could be measured by levels, what it was enduring now far surpassed the highest level—by multiples, tens of times, even hundreds.
Yet this excruciating agony brought Drekeya an unprecedented clarity. Countless memories flashed by like a spinning reel—and in that flood, it realized something in anger:
The orthodox proxy of the Root standing before it… was different.
Orthodox proxies could be killed. At least, Royal Power could do it. Legends said the Eternal Emperor had once slain an orthodox proxy with his own hands and taken its place. Only after the Eternal Emperor’s death did the position fall vacant, leading to the fierce battles among candidates in the “Zero Point” field.
Its teacher, Cicero, had been one of the losers in that war—forced to withdraw from the stage.
That’s why Count Drekeya believed orthodox proxies could be killed.
But—what if… they couldn’t be killed anymore?
What had changed? When did the Root alter this rule?
If the orthodox proxy had truly become an immortal, then what was the point of all the other candidates in Zero Point? It was completely—unfair!Unfair!
Count Drekeya howled internally.
But the hand gripping its skull made it impossible to make a sound.
It was like being fully conscious, feeling every ounce of pain amplified infinitely—yet unable to scream, or even twitch—like a vegetable trapped in a waking nightmare.
Time seemed fractured into endless frozen moments, and it was trapped in every one. It couldn’t escape. It could only suffer… again and again.
No one knew how long time had passed.
At last, just as Drekeya’s mind teetered on collapse, the pain vanished—completely.
It was like being yanked from hell into paradise.
But just as quickly as the relief came, it vanished again—
And the torture began anew.
Burning flames. Freezing cold. Acidic corrosion. Flesh torn by beasts. Every imagined sensory nerve, every phantom pain point from when it once had a physical body, felt like it was being pierced by searing-hot needles…
Again, it nearly lost its sanity.
Then bliss.
Then hell.
Over and over.
How many times?
Thousands? Millions?
Eventually, even its spirit began to go numb from the pain.
Finally…
Perhaps it was a hallucination, but the pain withdrew again.
This time, there was no sensation of heaven.
Only… emptiness.
Luo Qiu released his grip. Drekeya collapsed with a thud, twitching uncontrollably, eyes unfocused, mouth gasping in ragged agony.
“One hundred years.”
Luo Qiu looked down coldly at the shivering Count Drekeya.
“I made you experience every form of pain I could imagine in the spiritual realm—for one hundred years. But…”
Drekeya’s gaze sharpened slightly. Luo Qiu’s face gradually came into focus.
Instinctively, Drekeya shut its eyes. It didn’t dare look.
“But.”
Luo Qiu lifted Drekeya again, gripping its throat.
“Even after all that, the rage in my heart hasn’t faded—not even by one percent. I hate this feeling… I need to figure out how to properly torment you.”
“P-please… just end me…”
Drekeya’s voice quivered.
It was as if all the world’s horrors had merged into one calm figure—that calm alone was terrifying. Drekeya couldn’t tell anymore whether this was truly the orthodox proxy of the Root, or an enraged demon.
“This isn’t right,” Luo Qiu said indifferently.
“I’ve lost control. If I simply kill you now, the rage won’t disappear. That’s even worse. Everyone has a darker side… and clearly, I’m no exception. But maybe I suppressed mine… for too long.”
“W-what are you going to do…” Drekeya trembled.
“A hundred years isn’t enough. What about a thousand? Ten thousand?”
Luo Qiu stared at him with chilling calm.
“Or maybe… an endless loop of pain, forever. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you never go insane. You’ll stay sane—always full of hope. I can make that happen… with a single thought.”
“Gaia… it was all because of Gaia!!” Drekeya panicked.
“I don’t know why you returned, how you became the new proxy… but I—I can fix Gaia! I can make her a true princess! Just spare me—I’ll serve you completely! My loyalty, my knowledge—everything!”
Luo Qiu shook his head.
“I’ve always known… if I wanted, I could do anything. But I feared once I got used to that, life would become boring.”
“Do you understand? I don’t need your loyalty.”
“You’re only useful now as a way to vent my anger.”
“It’s not fair——!!!!”
Count Drekeya roared in rage.
“Oh, I just thought of something interesting.”
Luo Qiu suddenly dropped him.
As Drekeya blinked in confusion, Luo Qiu continued:
“Cicero left you some trials. He didn’t want to hand everything to you so easily. But… he never guaranteed you’d inherit anything either.”
At that moment, Drekeya felt his body disintegrating.
The Source of Anomaly within him was being drawn out—separated!
His consciousness and the body built by the Source of Anomaly were being split by Luo Qiu’s will.
“I’ll give you a body,” Luo Qiu said, tapping Drekeya’s soul,
“But just a fragile one. So weak, you might lose to a stray dog.”
A frail new body appeared. Drekeya’s soul was forced into it. His eyes snapped open—and sheer weakness terrified him.
“And finally, I’ll let you play a game… one you can never win.”
Luo Qiu’s voice echoed softly, like a whisper next to his ear.
Drekeya’s nerves tensed.
“You’ll be immortal. The thing you’ve longed for will always be just within reach… but you’ll never truly touch it.”
Like a playwright directing a cruel script—unchanging and inevitable—
Luo Qiu’s voice crushed Drekeya’s soul with despair.
“You’ll always stay hopeful, always pick yourself back up.”
“Even when you're crushed, you’ll keep fighting.”
The script continued—
Drekeya curled up in his new fragile body, biting his fingers in fear.
“Each failure will fuel your desire. The more you yearn, the stronger your will… Until you believe you’re omnipotent.”
“And then… you’ll fail again. And again. And again. Trapped… forever.”
“Stop—STOP TALKING!!!”
Count Drekeya clutched his head, screaming in pure agony.
His world darkened. His consciousness sank into unconsciousness—
His mind rejecting the very idea of Luo Qiu’s “game.”
He collapsed.
Luo Qiu finally closed his eyes… and exhaled deeply.
...
When he opened his eyes again, the icy expression was gone.
He exhaled once more, opening his palm.
A wisp of black mist emerged.
Luo Qiu clenched his hand—
The mist vanished.
His face softened.
“Much better.”
Then, he walked toward the girl lying unconscious on the floor.
She had clearly fallen unconscious, now resting against a white pillar. Loose strands of hair fell across her face, covering most of it.
Looking at the girl who seemed to be quietly asleep, the last traces of Luo Qiu’s anger gradually faded.
He gently tidied her scattered hair with his fingers and wiped the tear stains from her cheeks.
“You exist in my memories… but those memories clearly don’t belong to the me of now.” Luo Qiu’s fingertips rested on her face, feeling the softness of her skin.
“So then… what exactly are you to me?”
The girl’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she was about to wake up.
At that moment, Luo Qiu picked her up—his body seemed to move faster than his thoughts.
He glanced around the control room, then at the collapsed Count Drekeya, murmuring,
“Looks like Cicero’s final hardship for you… was me.”
With that, Luo Qiu disappeared from the control room—
At the same time, the Book of Alaya, resting on another pillar, also vanished with him.
...
...
A figure flew up from below.
Daoist Baijie was being carried by his collar—Miss Maid dragged him straight back to the plaza outside Penglai Palace. Just then, a group of unexpected guests also entered her view.
It was Long Xiruo, Su Zijun, and the others.
“Master!”
When Jessica saw Su Zijun appear from nowhere, she was startled, then relieved. She rushed over to Su Zijun—
But the Leixia Ship’s attack hadn’t yet stopped.
A beam of energy was already shooting toward Jessica’s back. Su Zijun’s face changed slightly.
But at that moment, a flash of black light swept across—
The beam that was about to hit Jessica vanished without a trace.
Startled, Jessica turned and realized it was Miss Maid who had intervened.
“Miss Jessica, please remain within the safe perimeter,” said You Ye calmly.
“Sorry,” Jessica quickly apologized.
“It’s alright,” You Ye shook her head.
But her words didn’t mean Jessica was safe.
Rather, it referred to the Leixia Ship in the sky—
Its wild barrage of light had stopped.
Everything… had gone still.
Yes, without anyone noticing, the ship had halted all attacks.
Now, the Penglai Treasure Vault resembled a cratered battlefield hit by a meteor shower.
Lush forests, vibrant terrain, and once-priceless treasures now lay in ruins—very little, if anything, could be salvaged.
The Xuanyuan Palace still floated firmly in place—like a castle in the sky, suspended above the ground.
The Leixia Ship remained still high above.
Only now did they truly see its size—
It looked like a massive diamond-shaped crystal, gleaming with a metallic sheen under the sunlight.
At that moment, Da Zhe returned.
He had no idea where he found such a large, sturdy branch, which he now used to carry Wang Hu back—by hooking it through the waistband of Wang Hu’s pants.
To top it off, Da Zhe had leaves stuffed up his nose, looking like a clueless farmhand hauling manure.
“Everyone’s here,” Miss Maid said without sparing Wang Hu a glance.
She looked toward Long Xiruo’s group, then to Daoist Baijie, and finally at Qin Chuyu, calmly saying,
“You may all leave.”
Miss Maid opened a distorted portal in the plaza.
Without hesitation, Da Zhe tossed his custom-made pole aside—
Along with Wang Hu, who went tumbling into the portal.
Then Da Zhe pinched his nose and spat out the crushed leaves.
Long Xiruo frowned.
She didn’t know what had happened aboard the Leixia Ship and was clearly reluctant to just walk away.
“Please,” Miss Maid said, gently gesturing.
“Let’s go!” Long Xiruo growled and turned into the portal.
Afterward, Kui Qianyi and Gui Ying helped Xiao Shengmo follow.
Su Zijun glanced thoughtfully at the Leixia Ship above, then entered as well.
Jessica hurried to keep up, but not before nodding respectfully to Miss Maid.
Watching them disappear one by one into the portal, Daoist Baijie let out a deep sigh and murmured,
“Let’s wait for Boss Luo to return… business still needs to be finished.”
(End of Chapter)