"What did you do?"
The highest point of the Underworld changed owners. The mirage of underworld officials collectively knelt towards the person floating above. Seele's pitch-black scythe was pulled back from the void. Traces of the Eternal Samsara leaked out of its bladed edge. The outcome of their clash became clear. Seele comprehended the Venerated Dao tied to Eternal Samsara in advance.
Now, she faced her future self, awaiting her response.
"It was the second tribulation."
Rumble-!
Hum-!
The moment she said those words, the world trembled. The suppression of reality intensified. It was unwilling to see the future Seele affect the flow of time, which could lead to a paradox. It was an event that extinguishes both the people involved as well as a part of the world.
The future Seele continued to disregard its warnings.
"Both of us treaded on the same Dao. It caused our tribulations to treat us as one."
One person possessing two complete, true, and identical souls was unheard in most cultivation worlds. Even twins would have subtle differences, much less parents with their children. However, it wasn't the case with them.
Veliona is Seele;
Seele is Veliona.
The two are one and the same. They might show differences regarding personal perspectives, but their core remains to be a single person. The auxiliary cultivation technique meant to link one person with two souls worked for them. Its benefits extended far beyond the usual synchronized cultivation speed.
As the future Seele has mentioned, the tribulation at the Tribulation Transcendence Realm treated these two souls as one person. The most interesting part was that it didn't stack two Supremes' worth of tribulation energy. The single portion was inexplicably reduced.
Meaning, the two would be facing a weakened major tribulation!
It was supposed to be a reason for joy, but that wasn't the case.
A flicker of emotion appeared within the future Seele's eyes.
It was madness.
Seele was chilled by it. The worry in her heart wasn't reduced at all.
"We underestimated the power of that tribulation. It wasn't something that seeks to temper." She paused before continuing, "It seeks to kill."
The future Seele's hesitation was there for her to see. The trace of madness in those deep blue irises intensified, and so did the backlash of the world.
"Tian's disappearance placed a burden on everyone's heart. Some loathed the world that pushed him towards it, such as that Principal. She slaughtered a quarter of the Imaginary Tree's inhabitants before being repelled by the others."
Hearing the words 'quarter' and 'slaughter' caused Seele's mind to blank out.
"I did not make a move back then, but she did."
The future Seele lowered her head. It was unknown whether it was shame, annoyance, or guilt. However, it was clear she hated showing it to her present self.
"We went the opposite ways after that fight. She followed Sister Kiana's example and went off to the worlds outside ours. Many others did too. I chose to remain."
Buzz-!
A swathe of dark blue light emerged out of her palm. It turned transparent every few moments before reverting back to its solid form. It took a while to complete its transformation—a rectangular thin jade slip.
Rumble-!
The world around them started to crumble. The sky was ruptured into countless fragments, with each falling akin to burnt papers.
"Most… no, everyone's tribulation was tied to Tian. It affected our mental states to varying degrees. She called me a monster because of what I did."
Her eyes looked up, regaining the confidence to meet Seele's gaze once more.
"I used the souls of everyone who died from that madwoman's rampage to create a special pill. Perhaps she had seen through my thoughts that the massacre was started in the first place. Either way, it didn't work."
'Her eyes are worse than Doctor Mobius'...'
Seele could not bring herself to berate her future self. The latter saw through her emotions and saw the image of Veliona within the present Seele.
Her chest tightened.
Her indifferent facade finally broke down. She suppressed the sobs that uncontrollably came out of her throat.
'This world will not last much longer.'
"This act shunned me away from everyone. I became isolated, trapped in my own delusions. I never noticed the darkness gnawing upon my heart."
The future Seele's face contorted in pain. She gritted her teeth as she continued explaining:
"The major tribulation descended at that moment. I was powerless, both in body and mind, to resist it. Veliona was the one who took it at my behest. The end result…"
It was true death.
The major tribulation would halt once it detected the fall of the Supreme. Seele and Veliona were treated as one, hence Veliona's death signified its completion. It didn't end there, however.
"I didn't want her to disappear. Losing another precious person… I couldn't see it again. So I acted selfishly. I took the remnants of her corpse and attempted to bring her back."
"You..!"
Seele's mind fully snapped. The newly comprehended Venerated Dao erupted in her hands. It was at the last moment did she step back, preventing the scythe's tip from falling on the future Seele's neck.
"I wasn't able to do so. The Alchemy Dao has its limitations. A cultivator's implosion from eating higher-leveled Dao Pills can be resolved, but not the death inflicted by the tribulation."
The future Seele handed over the condensed jade slip to her grasp. Along the world's fall, she began to disappear as well. Her eyes turned lucid at this exact moment, meeting Seele's clear eyes. Beyond her madness was the desire to protect everyone precious to her.
"Remember this well—"
We are all fighting against ourselves from the beginning.
*****
Mars continued to exist within the plane of reality. The same could not be said for the Bubble World it anchored through the Martian Supercomputer. It gave rise to the Sea of Data, a place where the Sea prevailed over the Tree. With the superimpositions placed upon by the future projections' intrusion, it became extremely chaotic.
There was, however, a thing they had overlooked. It seemed so small in the grand scale of things, yet it could also become the most lethal blade out of all.
Right after Shi Tian's Small Universe expanded, they disappeared from the Bubble World. They were transferred to a higher dimension far above the third dimension. The Small Universe was projected into this world in the form of cosmic dust.
Senadina was left behind after seeing their struggles. Her eyes moved towards Leylah who remained sitting cross-legged. Her true body floated above, emitting occasional fluctuations. The most prominent was her mind's fluctuations. It was clear she was suffering from her Heart Demon's attack…
Or was she?
Within Senadina's eyes was not the care she had previously shown, but maliciousness.
The 'time phantom' that was affected by Leylah's Heart Demon became clear of her identity the moment the future Leylah emerged.
She was not 'Senadina', the former Martian Goddess who acted as Leylah's mother. She wasn't the woman who sought a perfect match for the girl she treated as a successor. Had she been truly Senadina, she wouldn't have felt that affection the first time she met Shi Tian!
"You are unfit to face thatfuture, so give that chance to me…"
Leylah's true Heart Demon finally showed its fangs.