Chapter 1792: A Good Father
Chapter 1792: A Good Father
"It’s time to end this," Wang Wei thought. Shen Tian’s purpose has been served, and now, it is time to put an end to this fight. Numerous strings manifested beside Wang Wei before weaving themselves into a silver-gray glove. The void trembled as he clenched his fist.
Bang!
Shen Tian flew more than a million miles away, his arms bent in an impossible direction. The taste of iron filled his mouth as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. The smell of something burning irked his nose, but his attention was not on this minor issue; the shock of being overpowered forced the God-King to ignore everything.
"How is that possible?"
"Did you really think you could win with powers that were not yours?" Wang Wei sneered as he prepared for a second attack. The Metal Element in his body activated, blessing his fist with the characteristic of penetration, just like the stab of a sword.
[Flesh Retribution: Body Horror]
As Wang Wei prepared to slice Shen Tian into countless pieces, an unknown power tried to mutate his body. He recognized that power since it was one of the True Power Dao Realm tribulations. Wang Wei had speculated that Grand Dao created that tribulation to prepare people for dealing with Cthulhu in case it escaped. Inspired by this tribulation, Shen Tian created a similar technique.
With a thought, Wang Wei suppresses his body’s instinct to mutate into a flesh abomination. His punch continued its journey and sliced Shen Tian into two, but the bastard used his Saint Will to protect the last shred of vitality from his body.
"What’s the point of struggling?" Wang Wei calmly said. "Haven’t you figured it out yet? Like fate, I’m inevitable."
Bang!
Shen Tian did not turn into a blood mist. Instead, every atom of his body and existence was erased with that one punch. There was no scream, only absolute power. The kings of the Gods may have the power of a 5-star Ancestor Fiendgod, but this power was nothing but empty air. Not only was it not his own, but he had no training or experience using his flesh at such a level. So, his fate was expected.
"Is he dead?" Wang Wei thought before closing his eyes. He sensed the rules of death. "No, not yet."
Motes of light suddenly gathered to rapidly create a body; Shen Tian’s pale face slowly materialized. However, even a weak cultivator could determine his current state. The ethereal, noble, and ancient aura around him had vanished.
"So, even with the Saint Will, I can only remove his [Eternal] characteristic and not instantly kill him?" Wang Wei thought. "No, maybe it’s because I haven’t truly reached that level yet."
Shen Tian calmly looked at his enemy. The fury and madness had disappeared — no, hidden in the depths of his soul. He knew what fate awaited him now that his realm had fallen to the Quasi-Emperor state. But, even if he’s going to die, he’ll remember the face of this man who ruined him and his family.
"Not going to beg?" Wang Wei asked.
"And give you the satisfaction? In your dreams," Shen Tian sneered.
"You speak as if I wanted you to beg," Wang Wei replied casually while clinching his fist. A bright light full of holiness, goodness, and purity manifested around his right hand. The next attack will not only send this God to his grave, but also purify his soul to prevent the birth of any obsession. Although this approach was not guaranteed to work, there should still be some effect.
As Shen Tian saw that light, his complexion became ugly; his last resort was his obsession. So, without hesitation, he activated one of his trump cards, hoping it worked: [Highest Blasphemy]. A black mist manifested between them before rushing toward Wang Wei with incredible speed.
A golden body suddenly appeared before Wang Wei to block the mist. The golden body released a light to purify the mist, but in the process, the brilliant luster around the golden rapidly decreased until it reached a threshold of dropping in rank.
"From the peak of the third rank to the lowest level of third rank, almost dropping to the second level," Wang Wei thought. Killing one Deva was the equivalent of most of the merit he received for saving the Eternal Ascension World from Supreme Unity’s actions.
"A Deva should not be worth so much, but it seems Grand Dao has drastically increased the price of killing these people to warn others," Wang Wei analyzed. The benefit of killing Shen Tian was worth it, but he was not happy about the severe loss. It will take a while to regain the merit to return to the peak.
Shen Tian sighed after seeing his plan fail. "I guess this is the end," he thought. As he watched that fist coming toward him, memories that he cherished dearly resurfaced in his mind.
"Husband, look, he has a golden mark on his forehead. Finally, you have an heir who inherited a part of your Deva bloodline."
"Hmm? You’re right. Hahaha, I finally have an heir. *Kiss* You did well, wife."
"What name do you have in mind?"
"Let me see. He seems to have inherited most of your Forest Divinity. In that case, let’s call him Shen Lin."
"Shen Lin... What a great name."
"Papa, Papa, look, I can fly."
"I can see that. Good job, Lin’er. Papa is proud."
"Hehe," the child smiled.
"What reward do you want?"
"How about you teach me a new spell?"
"Alright."
"Papa, when can I see mother again?"
"I’m afraid you’ll never have another chance."
"Why?"
"Because she’s dead."
"Papa, aren’t you an all-powerful God? Why can’t you save her?"
"Save her? Yes, why can’t I save her? If the Paragon realm is not enough, what about the legendary realm above? With such power, can I reverse fate?...No matter what, I must try."
"Get up. Is this all the strength you have? As my heir, being extraordinary is not enough. You must be unparalleled."
"Yes, Father."
Bang!
"Again. You haven’t reached your limit."
"Y-yes, Father."
"Master, please, the young master cannot continue like this."
"I know his limits better than he does."
"But?"
"Don’t intervene in things that don’t concern you."
"...As you wish, sir."
"An Eternal, huh? Good, you didn’t disappoint me. But don’t be too happy yet. There are too many of your peers who are your equals. As my heir, I expect you to suppress your entire generation."
"I will try my best, Father."
"I don’t want your best, I want success."
"Yes, sir."
"Master, master, good news. The Young Master has passed his Immemorial Tribulation."
Shen Tian paused the brush, ruining the calligraphy. "Why are you in such a hurry? Where are your manners?"
"My apologies, I was just too excited."
"Don’t do it next time. And one more thing, once Lin’er settles down, go invite him to a banquet."
The servant glanced at the smile on the corner of the master’s mouth and secretly smiled. "I will immediately relay the message."
"A primal, my son is a primal. Hahaha, we are a family with two primals. Hahaha."
"Father, we can finally compete for one of the Overlord destiny spots."
"Of course, but let’s not worry about that for now. Let’s celebrate first. I haven’t gotten drunk since the night your mother died. Today, let’s change that."
As the punch was an inch away from his face, Shen Tian didn’t care about his impending death. The only thing — the only question — on his mind was whether he was a good father.
"Life before her death was good. I cherished you and every moment we had together. But after she was gone, did I push you too far? Did you ever resent me?" Shen Tian pondered. He told himself he only wanted the best for his son — he only wanted him to be successful. But the truth is, he could not live with his own weakness. Pushing his son was also a way to push himself. And if he had to be truthful with himself, he didn’t even care that much about his wife. After all, he had many wives and concubines.
What he cared about was his lack of strength. What he cared about was the feeling of powerlessness he felt as he watched his wife experience true death, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"In the end, I never escaped my weak self," Shen Tian sighed to himself. He watched his wife die, and years later, history repeated itself as he also helplessly watched the death of his son. All the hard work, suffering, and sacrifices he made to reach his position were useless.
"No, they were not useless. If not for my strength, we would have died long ago," Shen Tian realized. His life was not in vain. Although the ending was cruel, all the years of wealth, power, and glory were made possible by the years of dedication spent on his cultivation.
"The only regret I have is not treating Lin’er better. Under my care, he could have lived a more carefree life. Unfortunately, our souls will be annihilated, and I cannot hope for an afterlife. But if there is something beyond death and we can meet again, I would like to ask him whether I was a good father."