Chapter 889: Mortis Mistake (1/2)
”I killed some beasts,” Mortis answered.
Gravis narrowed his eyes inside Arc's clearing.
”How many?”
”…A couple,” Mortis answered after a pause.
”How many!?” Gravis asked again.
”I don't know. I didn't count,” Mortis answered with annoyance. ”Like maybe 40 or so.”
Gravis furrowed his brows. ”And they are probably all Immortal Kings?” Gravis asked.
”Most of them, yes,” Mortis answered.
”Why?”
”Because they interrupted my Law Comprehension or didn't allow me to trade for their resources,” Mortis answered. ”You know that we need to go to multiple different places to comprehend the Soft Pure Law, and most of them just stopped me and said that this was their territory.”
”So, I killed them,” Mortis said.
Gravis scoffed. ”What? Are you the Opposer? Is your solution to everything just killing?”
”What's wrong about that?” Mortis asked in annoyance. ”Your father managed to become powerful this way. It's a proven method.”
”Yes, but back then, the concept of Karmic Luck either didn't exist, or father had a normal amount of Karmic Luck. Instead, in your case, if you manage to anger even one powerful person, the chances are high that this person would want to kill you,” Gravis explained.
”So? Then I just wasn't powerful enough,” Mortis said coldly. ”If I die, I die.”
”You gotta give yourself enough time to become powerful!” Gravis shouted angrily. ”You can't expect a rabbit to walk into a crocodile's mouth and then saying that it wasn't powerful enough. No, it wasn't that the rabbit wasn't powerful enough, but that the rabbit wasn't smart enough!”
”Are you calling me stupid?” Mortis asked with a freezing and threatening tone.
”No, but you're acting stupid!” Gravis shouted. ”You are part of me, and I know that you are definitely not stupid, but your idiotic pride that says that giving even a small inch means being inferior makes you do stupid things!”
”How often has it happened that I underestimated others? Remember Byron? Remember Morus? Remember Narcissus? You are part of me, and I'm very susceptible to overestimating my own power.”
”That was you, not me,” Mortis said.
”Yes, that was me, not you!” Gravis shouted back. ”So, learn from my mistakes so that you don't commit them!”
Mortis actually agreed with Gravis. He knew that he had fucked up big time, but he didn't want to admit it in front of the perceived weaker version of himself.
Mortis wanted to show Gravis that his way was better to become powerful, but now, Mortis was stuck in this shitty prison while Gravis had never been in prison all his life.
Mortis wasn't allowed to kill beasts. He wasn't allowed to leave this place. He wasn't allowed to summon any Laws to comprehend them.
Mortis was just stuck sitting there, doing absolutely nothing.
Had it been worth it?
No.
If Mortis had just decided to ignore some beasts, he would have already finished the Soft Pure law.
Imprisonment was a horrible punishment for Cultivators. After all, they were doomed to be stuck on their current Realm and comprehension while watching their longevity shrink and shrink. It was basically damaging their future potential by taking away time.
Gravis and Mortis argued for over ten more minutes. Gravis was always on the aggressive side, while Mortis was on the defensive side. He knew that he had committed a mistake, but he just couldn't admit it to his perceived weaker self.
Gravis knew very well what Mortis was thinking. After all, Gravis was the blueprint for Mortis.
”Are you so weak that you can't even admit that you have made a mistake?” Gravis asked.
”Don't you dare call me weak!” Mortis shouted.
”Your Battle-Strength is powerful, but what about your personality? Will you forever be stuck in your way without questioning yourself? Do you believe that conviction in your belief is a strength instead of a weakness?” Gravis asked.
Mortis didn't immediately answer.