Battle Against Heaven's Will

Chapter 8: Clots Meridians?

After Zorai collapsed, he slept for five days. During that time, the blood of the bunny had colored the floor and Zorai as well, making him look like a corpse. The bunny's body didn't rot or deteriorate much, thanks to the strong vitality and energy in its cells. Furthermore, due to the impurities in his dantian and the fact that he had used qi related to death, the rabbit's body became harder to rot, almost like an undead being.

As for Zorai, his body had endured immense strain from the slightly deadly poisonous qi pill he took before fighting the bunny. His meridians suffered small tears, and every fiber of his body felt strained, as if they would burst at any moment during the battle. It took sheer endurance and willpower for Zorai to push through and win. After the fight, the adrenaline faded, and he slipped into unconsciousness, barely managing to drag himself back to his home before collapsing.

During those five days, his body absorbed tiny amounts of atmospheric qi, which was purer than the qi from the pill. Since Zorai hadn't opened his pores and other orifices yet, he could only absorb small bits of qi through his breathing—something only possible now that he was a cultivator.

An unpleasant headache plagued Zorai the entire time he slept. Then came the dream of his mother, which made his heart tighten with anger. Seeing the hatred from his father, his stepmothers, and his siblings only deepened his resentment. In the dream, he wished he could keep punching his father over and over until his face was ruined, covered in blood, half-flesh, and broken bones. But he couldn't control his dream.

Why?

Why did bad things keep happening to him?

Why couldn't he live a happy life?

Why did everyone hate him?

Why did the heavens take the only person who mattered to him, just so he could face the harsh reality of life?

Was it a crime for him to be happy?

He had never done anything wrong except seek happiness.

Alongside these rage-filled thoughts came a splitting headache. Then, like a dam bursting open, Zorai felt a flood of information rush into his mind. Like a slideshow of images, he saw a being hated by the universe, chained to a dark, evil mountain by his best friend, and then beheaded by that same friend.

He saw another being made of dark clouds as if it was the universe it's and even though Zorai has never seen the planet he lives in from a high point of view he still believes, his current world was nothing but a small stone before it, with thunder rumbling inside and billions—maybe even trillions—of stars filling its body. Compared to it, Zorai was nothing but a microorganism, despite it being a image in his mind, Zorai felt a pressure like never before, as if he was standing before a being that even the heaven's itself must respect, he felt like time was absolutely nothing and doesn't exist before it.

"He who goes against the Great Dao, which governs the universe, goes against Pangu itself. And he shall suffer for eternity, experiencing millions of reincarnations filled with pain and misery. He shall cherish something, only for it to be snatched away at the last moment. This shall be the curse he bears for billions of ages."

Boom!

The moment he saw that being, his brain shook violently. Even though he was unconscious, blood trickled from his ears, nose, and even his closed eyes.

When Zorai finally awoke, he realized the bunny in his hand had been crushed and deformed. Although his dantian was damaged—preventing him from using qi like a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator—his body had been enhanced by the energy, allowing him to crush the bunny with ease.

Zorai groaned. He had planned to sell the bunny, but now that it was destroyed, how could he get any money? "At least I can eat it," he thought bitterly.

Looking down at his cold, pale skin, he realized his body now resembled that of a corpse.

"Huh? This can't be related to that dream, right?" he wondered, remembering the vision and the sudden understanding he had gained.

"Law of Extinction," he muttered.

Just speaking the name made his body tremble. The flood of information had contained knowledge on how to use this law, but Zorai didn't dare attempt it. His cultivation was so weak that using it would drain his life force and qi instantly, and even then, he wouldn't succeed.

The only way he could even think of using it was if he reached at least the Nascent Soul Realm. Only then could he barely manage the lowest-level applications.

Still, there were some techniques that allowed him to mimic a fraction of its power at his current stage. Even if the imitation was only 0.000000001% of the real thing, it would still make him a genius in his village.

After calming down, he tried to observe—or rather, *feel*—the flow of energy in his body. But he suddenly frowned. The energy seemed to struggle at certain points, like blood clotting in veins, blocking its path.

This was dangerous. If the energy couldn't bypass the blockage, it could destroy his meridians.

Panicked, Zorai rushed to the nearest clinic.

"Doctor! Doctor, please help! I think something's wrong with my dantian!" he screamed as he burst inside.

A young boy and an elderly woman waiting in the hall flinched at his sudden entrance. The receptionist stared at his ghastly appearance in fright.

"Huh? Brat, who gave you permission to scream in front of our madam?!"

A handsome man in a white suit and red cloak placed his hand on his sword, ready to cut down the ugly, near-dead child. His blonde hair waved majestically as he drew his blade, the very wind seeming to bend to his presence.

But a hand stopped him.

It belonged to a gorgeous woman with green hair.

"Klaus, what are you doing? This is a clinic, not your family home. Restrain yourself. That blade is meant for killing threats, not dirtying on panicking patients. Or else..."*

Her words were pretty, but the mockery beneath them was clear: "Why waste your blade on this ugly freak?"

Zorai didn't catch the insult—his paranoia was too overwhelming. He pushed past the handsome man and the beautiful girl, shoving open the doctor's door and stumbling inside.

"Doc... I...!"

The doctor was in the middle of stitching up a small bunny's wound.

A humming bunny.