Chapter 172: Coward
"Stop dreaming. You can’t even reach Grandmaster rank, let alone obtain the freedom you seek. Even I do not possess such freedom, despite being the strongest being in this world."
His expression remained unchanged as he looked at Asher, his golden eyes carrying neither mockery nor pity. He was simply stating what he believed to be an undeniable fact.
Asher’s vessel looked at the dragon and replied in a calm tone.
"Just because you couldn’t achieve it doesn’t mean I can’t. I am not you, nor am I like anyone else. As for reaching Grandmaster rank, I’ll find my own way. It may be completely different from everyone else’s, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible."
The dragon silently stared at Asher for a moment before speaking again.
"Stop dreaming. You cannot reach Grandmaster rank."
His deep voice echoed throughout the cavern.
"Mastery over an element alone is not enough. To become a Grandmaster, your will must be strong enough to merge with your domain. It becomes a part of your own small world, allowing your domain to impose your will upon everything within it. That is why a domain can influence every living being inside its range."
The dragon paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"But you..."
His golden eyes narrowed slightly as he continued observing Asher.
"You don’t even seem like a living being to me."
"Your will isn’t influencing anything around you. It is completely wrapped around yourself, as though it refuses to extend beyond your own existence. Your will is undoubtedly powerful, yet what value does that strength have if you can’t project it outward?"
He continued in the same calm tone.
"You cannot shape the world around you with it. You cannot make other things acknowledge it. If your will can only exist within yourself, then it can never become the foundation of a domain."
The dragon remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
"And even if you somehow manage to create some half-baked substitute for a domain..." His gaze shifted from the one vessel to the other vessels standing behind him. "...what about these?"
He looked at them one by one before continuing, "Perhaps together they might make you strong enough to defend yourself for a time. But when you attempt to reach Immortal rank, your will, your consciousness, and your soul must become one. They must merge into a true spirit. To accomplish that, you will have to destroy every one of these vessels with your own hands. Only then can your scattered will gather at a single point and become whole once again."
The dragon’s expression remained calm as he continued. "And even if you succeed, do you truly believe anyone will allow you to break through peacefully? The moment one of your vessels reaches Grandmaster rank, your secret will no longer remain hidden. People will begin to realize what you truly are. At that point, I won’t be the one hunting you." He paused briefly before adding, "The humans themselves will."
After a brief silence, the dragon spoke again. "And don’t misunderstand what Immortal rank means. Achieving it doesn’t make you truly immortal. It merely allows you to exist without a physical body. Your will, consciousness, and soul become one, forming a true spirit. But even a spirit can be killed. Anyone possessing a sufficiently powerful will can erase your spirit just as easily as they could destroy your body."
A faint ripple spread through the surrounding mana as the dragon continued. "As for Saint rank... that is the realm where you become one with something far greater than yourself. I have become one with this entire continent—with its mountains, forests, rivers, countless living beings, and even the will of nature itself. Yet even after reaching that realm..." His golden eyes remained completely calm. "...I will still die one day."
The dragon looked at Asher before speaking once more.
"Let me give you one piece of advice. Stop trying to achieve the impossible and live as every other human does. Destroy all of your vessels, learn to wield your will properly, and walk the path of a normal cultivator. With your talent, reaching Immortal rank that way is entirely possible."
Before the dragon could continue, Asher interrupted him. A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked directly into the dragon’s golden eyes.
"And then what? Die after reaching the end of my lifespan? Or, knowing my luck, get killed by someone before I even make it that far? And even if I did reach Immortal rank, I’d still spend my life working under someone stronger than me. So that’s the life you want me to live?"
His smile gradually disappeared.
"Only to end up in that dark place once again, a place devoid of everything. No... thanks. I didn’t escape that place just to end up there once again."
The dragon’s expression remained unchanged.
The next moment, he released a portion of his presence.
An overwhelming will descended upon every one of Asher’s vessels, pressing down on them like an invisible mountain. The surrounding mana became still, and even the air itself seemed to grow heavier under the dragon’s will.
However, Asher’s will, which constantly surrounded and influenced his own body, immediately clashed against it. Soon, strands of black fog began emerging from his body, silently eroding the dragon’s will wherever it came into contact with it.
Even so, Asher understood the reality of the situation.
The dragon wasn’t truly trying to kill him.
If he were, this resistance would have been meaningless. The dragon’s strength was simply too overwhelming. Asher was certain that if the dragon genuinely intended to kill him, no one in this world could save the vessels standing here. After all, on this continent, the dragon was nearly invincible.
The dragon’s gaze shifted toward the black fog slowly eroding his will. For the first time, his expression became somewhat ugly.
He looked back at Asher and spoke in a cold, deep voice.
"Then kill your own identity."
His golden eyes remained fixed on Asher.
"Keep living through these vessels, hiding from the world. Never let your cultivation rise beyond Master rank, and spend eternity running from anyone stronger than you."
He paused for a brief moment before finishing.
"If you fear death that much then live forever as A Coward."