Chapter 115 - Where is the Gold?

|𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟖, 𝟑𝟎 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧|

"There are three rules of the Body Sect. Train well, rest well, and eat well." Placing yet another plate of food on the table Mu Ye watched as his two students ate with gusto, their appetites unending as food disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ah Ruheng was the chosen successor of the Body Sect so his talent was assured but having Wulin at his side pushed him to even greater heights. Mu Ye wasn't sure if it was a desire to not fall behind that motivated him or something else entirely but Ah Ruheng was doing far better these days.

Wulin didn't seem to think the same, however. He took to the training like a fish in water, his training progressing at a record pace. Mu Ye wasn't sure what pushed him so much, the training he went through was borderline suicidal even for the Body Sect standards, but he didn't feel it necessary to ask. 

"Teacher, I think I'm going to enter the middle layer tomorrow." Raising a brow at his second pupil's claim Mu Ye thought it over for a moment. That layer was like an unclimbable wall for those who ignored their body but even for those who did train it was impossible to breech easily.

After willingly weakening his body Wulin wasn't ready for such a depth, that was Mu Ye's first instinct. However, that wasn't the case any longer. Wulin was a monster of both talent and hard work, his body already approaching Ah Ruheng's own body. When his strength returned to him… Mu Ye couldn't even guess how strong he'd be.

"…Alright." Even still, Mu Ye was hesitant to give his permission but there was no benefit to restraining the boy from something he was capable of doing. My Ye would be extra cautious of course but there was no point in pushing things back any longer. Even still, it was absurd how quickly Wulin grew.

What took Ah Ruheng a decade Wulin did in eight days.

|𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟗, 𝟐𝟗 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧|

The Middle Layer was dark as expected, the energy of the sea once more wrapping around Wulin's body like a whirlpool. It was inescapable, the energy healing whatever the pressure destroyed. It was a symbiotic relationship where the body grew and the mind withered.

[Don't push it Wulin. This is your limit and that's perfectly alright.] His father warned him solemnly and truthfully, his words were correct. Few could make it to the Middle Layer with none being his age and his body had reached new heights. He could be satisfied with this?

'She wouldn't stop here.' The woman he was lucky enough to call his partner surfaced in his mind, the mere thought that she would race far past him a nightmare. Wulin didn't have a goal, everything he did was to secure his place in the world. And yet, he set the stage for war to engulf the world. He was a devil through and through.

Yet, she was different. She moved with purpose, her people pushing her to be greater even when they didn't deserve what she gave. She gave them hope, a future, all because it was her duty. It was a noble goal, one that wished for peace. Unlike him, she was an angel who would bring peace to the world.

But just peace wasn't enough. Corruption would grow no matter the era as humanity's sinful desires knew no bounds. She may create an era of peace for their generation, maybe even for a thousand years after that, but it wouldn't last forever. 

That's why, to make sure her goal came to fruition he would dirty her hands. He would create a cesspool of sin so deep and so horrific that it would devour anything that even thought of endangering the peace. Then, all he had to do was control it. Sin would never fade but if it was controlled and beaten into submission, the world would be a little brighter.

And to do that, he had to be strong. The strongest even. He had to stand at the top of the world where only she and he could reside and then… well he hadn't quite thought that far. Perhaps he would fake his death, maybe he would disappear, but it didn't truly matter. Not now.

[What did I expect?] Sighing heavily Tang San swallowed his worry as Wulin forced himself deeper into the depths of the Middle Layer. The Sea God couldn't help but see himself in the boy, the recklessness to do whatever it took to make his dreams come true.

Unlike him though, Wulin's dreams were far grander. Where he only wished for peace and prosperity for those close to him, Wulin wished to spread that serenity to the entire world even if meant he would be remembered as a devil.

Though he would have liked to laugh at his father's reaction, Wulin was far too busy trying to survive to manage it. The energy within the Middle Layer was far more powerful than the Upper Layer and not by a small margin. If the entire Upper Layer were to be likened to a drop of water, the Middle Layer would be a small lake. The difference was as painful as it was obvious.

'It was easy to ignore last time.' Gritting his teeth Wulin could feel his body slowly being torn apart, the energy healing him just quick enough that the damage faded away. The benefits were obvious, the speed of the Golden Asura Purification process at least doubling, but the pain grew just as much.

That was why he was able to finally realize it. As the Golden Dragon King, why was his hair crimson? Why were his features the same shade of red as annihilation? Why was it that none of him even came close to representing the Gold of the Golden Dragon King? The answer was simple, wasn't it? 

He wasn't the Golden Dragon King at all.

****

Hey there, hope you liked the chapter.

Ooh! Big revelations! I wonder what this means for our baby boy! Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? However, I'm curious what you all think the answer is? Is it as simple as some kind of bloodline imbalance or something more?

If you want more chapters, head to patre*on.com/TrapOverlord for up to 25 extra chapters. It isn't required but it'd be much appreciated.