Poison God's Heritage Chapter 917: Aftermath

"Bloody hell is happening! Automaton!" I howled as I barely controlled my footing. The moment awareness snapped back fully into place, it came with violence.

The entire space around me lurched as though something massive had just struck reality itself. The white room shuddered, not subtly but with deep, bone-rattling tremors that traveled through the floor and up my legs.

My balance nearly gave out immediately. Muscles that had barely recovered protested the sudden demand for control, and for a moment I had to widen my stance just to avoid collapsing again.

The air itself felt unstable, humming faintly with pressure that shouldn’t exist in a place like this. Another distant rumble rolled through everything, low and vast, like thunder echoing across a hollow sky.

Instantly, a portal opened and the Automaton showed up. The space parted cleanly, as if a curtain had been drawn aside, and the familiar figure stepped through with that same composed presence he always carried. Unlike me, he did not even sway as the tremors passed through the room. He stood upright, perfectly balanced, as though the shaking world simply refused to inconvenience him.

"My Lord, you woke up earlier than expected." He said.

His tone remained steady, but that only sharpened my irritation. Earlier than expected, as if the world breaking apart outside was something one could schedule around.

"Who the hell can sleep with all this noise? What’s going on?" I asked. My voice came out harsher than intended, still rough from strain and disuse.

I could feel the remnants of exhaustion clinging to me, like weight tied to every movement, but adrenaline and confusion were quickly burning through that fog.

"Ah, yes, you were unconscious. The Suns... they’re... cultivating." He said.

The pause before the last word did not go unnoticed. It carried just enough hesitation to make me narrow my eyes.

"Cultivating?" another rumble echoed again and the whole pagoda shuddered. This one was stronger. The walls themselves seemed to groan faintly, and for a fraction of a second I wondered if the structure could actually fail.

That thought alone was ridiculous. The pagoda had endured far worse, or at least I hoped it had. Still, hope wasn’t exactly reassuring when reality kept shaking like it wanted to come apart.

"When did cultivating turn worlds upside down, the pagoda’s gonna break at this rate." I said. There was no exaggeration in it. Cultivation causing tremors of this magnitude felt less like advancement and more like a controlled disaster.

"Oh, we’re a few million miles away, we should be safe... probably."

The more the automaton spoke the more irritated I got. What do you mean probably?

Safe and probably did not belong in the same sentence when planets were involved.

"Let me see what’s happening." I said. If the world was going to collapse, I preferred seeing it happen rather than guessing from vibrations like some blind fool.

"As you command," suddenly sections of the white room transformed revealing the outside world.

The change was immediate and seamless. Walls peeled away into transparency, not fading but shifting, like reality had been reconfigured rather than opened. The sterile white gave way to a vast emptiness that stretched far beyond anything grounded.

Or basically a vast space.

We weren’t that far away from Solarous, but we weren’t too far away either. The planet hung in the distance, enormous and dominant, yet distant enough to see its full form. It should have been a familiar sight by now, but something was wrong immediately.

The whole planet was covered in red clouds. Too many damned clouds.

They churned violently, layered thick across the entire surface like a storm that had swallowed the world whole. The color was wrong too. Not natural storm clouds, but deep crimson streaked with darker veins, pulsing faintly with energy.

Even from this distance, I could feel the pressure they carried. It pressed outward, into space itself, like the planet was trying to expel something far too large for it.

"What’s that? That’s a tribulation?" I asked. My voice dropped without me intending it to. Even after everything I had seen, that scale still forced caution into my tone.

"Yes, that’s the last one..."

"Last? There were more of these?" I asked. The idea that I had somehow missed multiple events of this magnitude while unconscious did not sit well.

It felt like waking up after a war only to be told several more had already been fought without you.

"Yes, you slept through most of them. This one is the Blue Sun’s. She seems to be doing a good job at sustaining it, and will probably achieve the Yin stage. Unlike the others, she’s far sturdier."

My focus intensified on the planet, straining to discern movement amidst the tempestuous storms. Flashes of lightning erupted within the clouds, yet these were no natural occurrences; they pulsed with a greater density and ferocity, streaks of crimson and gold tearing across the atmosphere. Somewhere beneath that tumultuous display, Blue Sun was enduring it all. Not fighting back, not evading, simply enduring.

"Did anyone... perish?" I inquired, the question emerging more slowly than the others, weighted with a somber significance. So many conflicts ended with that grim outcome leaning toward the negative.

"No, the Tribulation was not of sufficient power, likely because the Heavenly Dao remains nascent."

A frown creased my brow as the implications of that statement began to sink in. Weak tribulations presented a dilemma: while they facilitated advancement with diminished immediate peril, they also deprived cultivators of the refining crucible of hardship. Strength forged without significant resistance invariably harbored concealed frailties.

"The Wisest Sun conveyed a message for you, to be delivered upon your awakening."

"What is it?" I asked, my gaze momentarily drifting from the storm-shrouded celestial body.

"That you should not concern yourself with the trials they are confronting. Even with a less potent tribulation, they have gleaned invaluable lessons during their sun stage. It will neither impair nor weaken their cultivation base. Furthermore, the Dusking Sun has requested an audience with you regarding certain matters."

"Very well, I shall depart," I declared, already poised for movement, though my body still felt an unnatural heaviness.

"Lord, your two consorts, they have... departed."

Those words arrested my motion. The tremors, the tribulation, all of it receded for an instant as that solitary statement registered.

"Departed? To where?" I questioned, a distinct sharpness now infusing my tone, a quality beyond mere irritation—it was focused.

"After a month of your unconscious state..." The puppet did not complete its sentence.

"A month?! What transpired with the Rakshasas? The Broodmother? The war?" The questions tumbled out in rapid succession, piling one atop the other. A month. An entire month lost. So much could shift in such a span of time. So much could be irrevocably lost.

"It concluded the instant you unleashed Soulsteel upon the planet," the Automaton stated.

I frowned. "So swiftly?"

"Indeed. You collapsed almost immediately thereafter. The remaining Suns managed the ensuing situation and restored stability."

Well. That was rather demeaning.

I had undertaken the strenuous effort, only to pass out just before the final victory lap.

"The Broodmother?" I inquired.

"Completely annihilated."

That brought a measure of relief.

"And Tao Yang’s uncle?"

The Automaton hesitated, as if contemplating whether the subsequent information warranted disclosure.

"Recovered."

"Alive?"

"Technically."

I blinked. "That sounds rather alarming."

"He remained sentient despite over half his physical form having been liquefied."

I regarded him for a moment. "I beg your pardon?"

"Yes."

"What manner of abominations are these individuals?"

"The kind that currently inhabit this universe, my Lord."

Fair enough.

"And the Rakshasas?"

"Eliminated."

"All of them?"

"To the fullest extent of our capabilities." The Automaton inclined his head. "I dispatched forces throughout Solarous post-battle. Any Rakshasas discovered were executed without delay."

That was... exceedingly thorough.

"Yet not perfectly," I observed.

"Correct." The Automaton clasped his hands behind his back. "Some may yet remain concealed."

A slight tension coiled within me at that declaration.

"Then what prevents them from perpetrating a resurgence?"

"The precipitation."

I furrowed my brow. "The Soulsteel?"

"Precisely. The rainfall rendered Solarous entirely compromised."

The holographic display shifted subtly, revealing bodies of water—lakes, rivers, and mountain streams—gleaming faintly beneath the ruddy sky.

"The Soulsteel has become integrated with the planet's very ecosystem. Lakes, rivers, subterranean water sources, the fauna, the flora, even the most rudimentary life forms have all been affected."

My gaze remained fixed on the projection.

"You have transformed an entire world into a slow-acting toxin."

"...That phrasing makes it sound considerably more ominous."

"It was an effective measure."

I chose not to delve deeper into that particular sentiment.

"With the Heavenly Dao re-established, Rakshasas can no longer depart the planet," he continued. "And any who linger in hiding, regardless of their location, will eventually require sustenance."

"Sustenance, or water," I murmured, comprehension dawning.

"Indeed."

"And all of it is now poisonous to them."

"Correct."

That was... astonishingly effective.

A planetary-scale extermination field.

Frankly, I hadn't envisioned a plan anywhere near that complex.

"And should one somehow survive without consuming anything?"

The Automaton met my gaze.

"If they expose themselves under the heavens, the restored Heavenly Dao will identify and vanquish them."

I remained silent, contemplating for a moment.

"So, they are confined to a poisoned planet where the very sky conspires against them."

"That is an accurate summation."

"...Damn, I’m skilled." I muttered to myself with a grin.

"Still, that’s a mountain of information to digest. Give me a moment," I said, contemplating everything laid out before me.

It was more than substantial; it was definitive, the kind of realization that could fundamentally alter a world. The rain hadn't merely won a skirmish; it had redefined the very terms of survival for those creatures. Nowhere remained to flee, no secure nook, no concealed sanctuary. The entire planet had become inherently hostile to them, on the most essential level.

This was… monumental news.

Incredibly significant news, that the entire planet would become a slow-acting poison, eventually eradicating these beings.

"What about the mortals?" I inquired, my thoughts rapidly shifting, anticipating the next domino to fall.

"The Confederation has made arrangements for them," the Automaton stated.

"Arrangements? I distinctly recall them deeming the mortals unworthy of salvation." A note of doubt entered my voice, as I hadn’t forgotten their previous dismissive attitude.

"That was before Tao Yang ascended to the Yin stage. Her soul is now fully solidified, and she has rediscovered her true self.

With this breakthrough, she secured a significant position within the Confederation, reclaiming Solarous’s seat on the council.

They currently cannot utilize this planet, as it’s uninhabitable due to the absence of animals and beasts. Therefore, they intend to transport life forms from other worlds to aid in its recovery. Once the mortals are instructed in martial arts and Qi cultivation, they will be relocated here."

"Well, that’s preferable to absolute nothingness. While it doesn't compare to the progress Solarous once achieved, it's a solid beginning," I remarked. It wasn't the perfect scenario, not by a long shot, but survival rarely presented itself with ideal outcomes.

"And what of the other Suns?"

"They have all experienced growth, reaching at least the Yin stage."

"At least? Does that imply someone has ascended higher?"

"Indeed. The Lord of Lords has advanced to the Yang stage. His Qi was exceedingly potent… and he nearly shattered Solarous due to the immense power of his heavenly tribulation. However, that is not the most favorable news."

"Oh? There's more? Do tell."

"It would be best if you witnessed it yourself. Examine your Qi, my Lord."

"My Qi?" A perplexed frown creased my brow as I attempted to sense it, and immediately perceived a difference unlike anything I had experienced before.

The instant I turned my focus inward, the transformation was unmistakable. My energy moved with a smoothness that verged on the supernatural. There were no blockages, no rough patches, no strain in its circulation. It flowed like a perfectly honed current, steady and refined, as if something fundamental had undergone a metamorphosis while I was indisposed.

"Congratulations on reaching the Heaven stage. This occurred while you were unconscious… inexplicably," the Automaton conveyed.