A great silence ensued after Tianyi’s declaration. So great was the silence that a gentle breeze sounded like hurricane-force winds to them.
“Reincarnator?” Xi Ri said, his voice filled with shock. His eyes locked onto Tianyi as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Senior Brother, you were angsting over this?” Daoyi interjected, looking at Tianyi.
“You’re latching onto the wrong point over, Daoyi!” Tianyi bit back.
“Wait, both you and Daoyi are reincarnators?” Xi Ri said, his face still full of shock. “As in from Earth? Like me?”
Tianyi looked at Daoyi. He wasn’t entirely confident in Daoyi being a reincarnator, his gut and logic were saying yes, but there was still a lingering fear that Daoyi wasn’t a reincarnator. But after seeing the factory Xi Ri created, Tianyi just gave up and exposed it.
“Mhmm,” Daoyi said lightly. “I actually had suspicions that Xi Ri was a reincarnator. I was completely sure after seeing the factory you made. There’s no such structure even remotely similar. But what surprised me the most is that Senior Brother is actually a reincarnator too.”
“You didn’t suspect me?” Tianyi said, surprised.
“I suspected Xi Ri. The Xiyi Talisman concept was very much like a cellphone, so I had my suspicions.”
“Wait, wait.” Xi Ri interjected. “You two didn’t know that both of you were reincarnators?”
“I only suspected you and Daoyi after awhile,” Tianyi said. “I hadn’t thought that there were more reincarnators after me until after I realized Jiang Chunye is a reincarnator too. I only suspected the two of you later since both of you were so close to me.”
“You met other reincarnators?” Xi Ri asked.
“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Daoyi asked, having not realized that her second sister was a reincarnator.
“Remember when we visited the Fleeting Mist Sect, and you dueled with Jiang Chunye?” Tianyi asked, and Daoyi nodded. He took out an object from his spatial ring. “This was the concealed weapon that she used at the final moment.”
“This… is a bullet?” Daoyi asked, to which Tianyi nodded. “When did you all regain your memories of your past life?”
“I’ve always had them,” Tianyi said.
“Me too.” Xi Ri added.
“I’m the same. But it seems that Jiang Chunye is different.” Daoyi said, no longer calling Jiang Chunye her sister. “Jiang Chunye seemed to have regained her memories after she nearly drowned.”
“So there are at least two types of reincarnators. Those that were aware since birth and those that only awakened them later.” Tianyi said.
“Wait, so when did you suspect me as a reincarnator?” Xi Ri asked Tianyi. “Daoyi suspected me the moment she saw me explain the Xiyi Talisman.”
“I only suspected later as I’ve said. But the Xiyi Talisman were the main points on my suspicions. Then I started to suspect Daoyi too. It is the little things, like words in phrases that originated from Earth” Tianyi said, far calmer now. Suddenly, he frowned. “Wait, you two are awfully calm about this, where’s your shock!?”
Xi Ri and Daoyi shared a look before glancing at Tianyi.
“Actually, I’m still kinda in shock. I think the reality just hasn’t hit me yet.” Xi Ri said.
“Mmhmm, me too. But I think that seeing you freak out made it easier for us to calm. I mean, we all can’t freak out like Senior Brother, after all.” Daoyi said as she sent a meaningful look at Tianyi, causing him to mutter his breath. Daoyi seemed to have thought of something and looked at Tianyi. “Is that why you were staring at me in the imperial capital? Because I recognized you flipping the bird?”
Tianyi coughed into his fist, slightly embarrassed for the reason. The protagonist of books always discovered some major secret of the other reincarnator while he had his suspicions deepened because someone recognized him flipping the bird. Where was the honor in that? Tianyi quickly adjusted the topic. “I’m surprised you didn’t suspect me back. Both of you, especially since I added a lot of inputs for the Xiyi Talismans.”
Xi Ri shrugged. “I just thought you were a genius. I mean, that’s how your image is at the sect. I just thought you were a quirky but monstrous talented person. And Daoyi too, for Grand Elder Xi to have chosen her, she must not be inferior much.”
Daoyi nodded in agreement. “I suspected Xi Ri but not you. Do you not realize how easy it is for you to learn stuff that would take us months to learn in moments? Plus, I saw all the weird trinkets in your room, so I assumed you were someone skilled in many areas. As for the phrases from Earth, I thought they were common for cultivators like you who have access to large amounts of information.”
Tianyi felt his cheeks slightly flush. Wasn’t this indirectly praising him. He might not care if it was before, but these two were reincarnators like him, so feeling them praise him made him even shyer.
“As for flipping the bird, I just thought Master was too sheltered to know what it means, unlike you.” Tianyi had no words to rebuff that. It was very likely for his mother not to know the meaning behind vulgar gestures.
“Senior Brother Xi, you met any other reincarnators?” Xi Ri asked.
Tianyi nodded. “And just call me Tianyi now. Since we are all reincarnators, I feel that calling each other by such formal addresses is unnecessary.” Plus, they were peers from Earth, so forcing the three to separate themselves by hierarchy felt wrong.
Seeing both Daoyi and Xi Ri nod, Tianyi continued. He had cooled down from his agitated state that caused him to act on impulse. Still, a part of him was happy that the three of them realized they were reincarnators. At the very least, he didn’t feel as lonely as before.
“I met another suspected reincarnator, Dong Chifan, but before I could secretly contact him, he disappeared due to a sneak attack. Not only him, but many Leakless Sect members from the Heavenly Connection Gathering also disappeared.”
“So that’s why you had Senior Brother Su investigate the disappearance. Has there been any result?” Daoyi asked.
Tianyi shook his head. “Oh right, this is how I noticed him in the first place.” He took out three jade cups filled with coke.
After taking a sip, both Daoyi and Xi Ri released a nostalgic expression. Xi Ri even seemed to have teared up. Tianyi allowed them some time to contemplate the information that he dropped on them before speaking again. “Right, what do you guys remember about Earth? I don’t know how I reincarnated here. I just woke here one day. It’s strange that so many people are reincarnated here.”
Both Xi Ri and Daoyi shared a look before looking at Tianyi strangely.
“You don’t know?” Xi Ri asked.
Tianyi felt his heart skip a beat as an ominous premonition hit him. He shook his head negatively. Daoyi and Xi Ri both fell silent. In the end, Daoyi spoke up first.
“Tianyi, you probably don’t remember anything because you were one of the first to go from your description.” Daoyi looked down at her cup as she slid her fingers across the rim. “Approximately one percent of humanity became comatose before it all began.”
Tianyi felt his throat and mouth become dry. “Before what began?”
“The apocalypse, the end of times, the event spoken of in Revelations.” Xi Ri added. He didn’t want Daoyi to break it to Tianyi. He felt that as a man, he should be the one the explain it. “The destruction of the world.”
Lips chapped, Tianyi opened his mouth once more. “H-how.”
“Earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, floods, the destruction of Earth’s ozone layer, and even the eventual slowing rotation of the earth.” Xi Ri said.
“I died before the destruction of the ozone, so I haven’t experienced as much as you,” Daoyi said. Her face was unpleasant. “Perhaps it was for the best that Tianyi left in a coma. You didn’t have to suffer.” Daoyi chuckled, but there was no mirth in her laughter.
“So everyone on Earth is dead?” Tianyi asked, his voice hoarse. An invisible pressure began to weigh down on Daoyi and Xi Ri like a mountain, causing their breathing to become irregular.
Daoyi and Xi Ri finally noticed that Tianyi’s condition was a bit abnormal, but they didn’t know why. Daoyi suddenly recalled something and quickly said. “Yeah, but if we get strong enough, we should be able to search for our deceased family in the cycle of samsara.”
Tianyi’s body shook at Daoyi’s words before he stabilized and reigned in his aura. That’s right, he had already known that it was unlikely for him to make it back before his mother’s death. The road to immortality was a long and arduous path, not something easily attained within a hundred years.
“I think it’s even harder than you realize,” Tianyi said. He was sullen, but he wasn’t despairing as he was before. His goal hadn’t changed; he still needed to find his mom. The process just changed a bit.
“What do you mean?” Daoyi asked. Tianyi wasn’t the only one who wanted to find their family members. For people like them who died so suddenly, their family consisted of a large portion of their regrets. Daoyi especially missed her parents from Earth after suffering in the ducal family.
“Don’t you find it weird that Earth had several mythologies and religions? Yet in the Huang Realm and the many lower worlds, it’s all Chinese based?” Tianyi asked.
“I always thought the Huang Realm was mainly based with Chinese culture and that the lower worlds would be different, some western-based and some eastern-based like Japan or Korea,” Daoyi said. “Was I wrong?”
“I’m not sure about the exact culture. Almost all of it correlates to Chinese culture on Earth. There are no mentions of the Greeks, Hindus, Norse, or Native Americans.” Tianyi said. “But the Huang Realm and all the lower words in are the Three Thousand Immortal Realm System. You can consider it the Chinese section of the universe. There should be a system for the Greeks, Norse, Hindus, and more.”
Daoyi sat there, shocked at the revelation.
“I probably don’t need to say this, but don’t speak of it to others. Not many people know, and many less will actually interact with others outside the Three Thousand Immortal Realm System.” Tianyi said.
“Oh,” Daoyi simply let out. “Today has been full of revelations. At least there is still hope that their souls might have entered the same system as us and are sleeping. At the very least, with the shard on me, it should be easier for me to search for my mother of this life.”
Xi Ri watched with the side. He didn’t mention the possibility of their souls being destroyed. After all, it wasn’t uncommon for a soul to be destroyed and never be able to enter the cycle of samsara. He felt that both Tianyi and Daoyi suspected it, but they didn’t dare to voice it out for fear of breaking that tenous hope within their hearts.
“What about you? What are your goals?” Tianyi asked Xi Ri since Daoyi had fallen silent.
“Mine?” Xi Ri didn’t hesitate for long before replying. “I’m an orphan, so I don’t have family that I must find. As for goals, I want to create a utopia. A place where everyone can be happy.”
Tianyi and Daoyi stood there, stunned at Xi Ri’s goals. “Xi Ri, that’s impossible. It was hard back on Earth and even more difficult here. Resources are limited, but the number of people who want to attain immortality is endless.”
“My goal isn’t that grand or anything like that. I know it’s impossible for everyone to become immortal. I just want to create a place for mortals to be happy.” Xi Ri said.
“Wow…I don’t know what else to say.” Tianyi said.
“Compared to you, we two are too selfish,” Daoyi added.
Xi Ri laughed; his laughter was like a cleansing wind. “I’m not as great as the two of you say. I have my own selfish reasons. Because I suffered in my early life, I don’t want to see other children go through a similar experience.”
“No, no, that’s still plenty great,” Tianyi said. Daoyi nodded in agreement. Thanks to Xi Ri, they didn’t dwell too much on the matters of their family, at least for now.
“So, now that we got the heavy stuff over with. Now what?” Xi Ri asked.
“What do you mean?” Tianyi asked.
“Do we go look for others or live life as usual?” Xi Ri asked. Daoyi looked at him as well. As the one with the highest strength and greatest status, Tianyi was considered the unofficial leader. Not that he wasn’t before the revelation.
“For now, just live life as usual. We are too weak. We don’t know how the natives will react to reincarnators like us. If you think you discovered a reincarnator, don’t be hasty to act. Just because we all came from Earth doesn’t mean we will be allies. And there is a risk of exposing our identities.” Tianyi explained.
“Also, if you meet Jiang Chunye, don’t be merciful. She already tried to kill Daoyi before. Just because we are reincarnators doesn’t mean she will become an ally. Plus, daring to try to kill Daoyi in front of me, she already signed her death warrant.” Tianyi added at the end.
Daoyi and Xi Ri agreed. It wasn’t surprising for reincarnators to not be on the same team. After all, the countries on Earth were divided. And conflicts occurred between people every day.
“So that’s it?” Xi Ri asked, still a bit shocked. He never expected that him showing Tianyi his factory would lead to such a giant bomb exploding.
Tianyi shrugged. “I don’t mind finding more reincarnators. But what can we do now? Just because we found them doesn’t mean we they can become disciples of the Buzhou Immortal Sect.”
“Shouldn’t we at least make an organization or reincarnator alliance?” Xi Ri asked.
“Now? We should only speak of it when we have the strength. If we try to make an organization now, it would only endanger us.” Tianyi said, trying to end the topic.
“Xi Ri, we can’t do much right now,” Daoyi said, trying to convince Xi Ri, who looked like he wanted to say more.
“Alright.” Xi Ri relented. His position still wasn’t secure enough to do anything. As he thought of what he could have done if he was in Tianyi’s position, he suddenly recalled that Grand Elder Xi might not know if Tianyi was a reincarnator. “Does Grand Elder Xi know of your status as a reincarnator?
Tianyi froze as he contemplated Xi Ri’s words. It was not that he hadn’t thought of his status being exposed, but his mother never showed any indication that she knew. She still treated him the same. No, in recent years, she began to treat him better and better, almost to the point of coddling. So he decisively said, “No,” before changing the topic.
“Back to the main point, we should focus all on strengthening ourselves. We finally revealed to each other our status as reincarnators. It would be terrible if any of us died.” Tianyi said.
“Tianyi, you just raised a flag,” Daoyi said helplessly.
“Umm, I’ll protect you two?” Tianyi said weakly, wanting to smack his own face for his stupidity.
“What’s said is said.” Xi Ri added. “So, what did you have in mind?”
“The Demon Slaying Expedition,” Tianyi said. “It will happen in about a year or two. Not only can we gain battle experience inside, but materials that can no longer be easily found in the Huang Realm after the retreat of the demons will be available. Even if we can’t use it, we can trade it in for contributions that we can exchange for treasures or techniques.”
“I already attained a spot after competing with other disciples,” Daoyi said.
“I signed up too. But I still have to compete for a slot.” Xi Ri said.
“Eh? You don’t just sign up and get a spot?” Both Daoyi and Xi Ri stared at Tianyi, causing him to shrink back. “Why are you two looking at me like that?”
“Master said that I should compete for it. Things that are attained too easily aren’t treasured, she said.” Daoyi said. “I had to fight over a hundred disciples for a spot.”
“My master said that I didn’t have a high chance to get a slot, but I could still try.” Xi Ri continued. “But for me, since my master is only an earth immortal, I have to compete against at least a thousand disciples.”
“How nice to be reincarnated as Grand Elder Xi’s son,” Daoyi said.
“Yeah, why is it that this guy that gets such a nice life?” Xi Ri loudly whispered to Daoyi.
“Hey!” Came Tianyi’s indignant voice.
“Hahahaha,” Daoyi and Xi Ri laughed at Tianyi’s reaction. Before long, Tianyi also joined in.
The reveal didn’t go as Tianyi planned. It was abrupt and full of surprises out of his control, but the conclusion was sweet.