Cultivator of the End: I Refine My Own Death-Chapter 95 – The Burden of Ascension

The summit stood distant, a jagged peak piercing the heavens themselves, hidden within an ethereal fog that warped reality at its very base. It was a place that mortal eyes could never comprehend, a place untouched by the passage of time, where the physical world seemed to unravel like frayed threads.

The Summit of Endless Horizons, a sacred and forbidden place. Here, the rules of existence ceased to matter. Time was not measured in moments, but in eternities; space bent in ways that defied logic. Ascension did not merely grant power, it promised transformation—an elevation beyond the mortal coil into something pure, something divine. This was a place where souls did not seek immortality, but rather unity with the very essence of the universe.

Rin stood before the great expanse, his mind heavy with the knowledge of what lay ahead. He had ascended many peaks, fought countless battles, and shattered the limitations of death itself. But the Summit of Endless Horizons was different. It was a place where no one had ever returned unchanged, where the burden of ascension was greater than any power he had ever wielded. He felt the weight of it pressing upon him as he stepped forward, his every step echoing in the vast silence of the void.

The path to the summit was long and arduous, stretching up into the void with no end in sight. Each step was like an eternity in itself, the air growing thinner, the very fabric of existence warping as Rin climbed. His body was no longer merely flesh and bone; it had become an extension of his will, a manifestation of his desire to reach the top. But with each step, he felt a greater force pulling at him—a quiet, subtle force that whispered to him to turn back.

This was no mere climb.

This was the journey to the heart of existence itself.

As Rin ascended, the world around him began to change. The air grew dense with an otherworldly pressure, as if the very atmosphere itself was alive, watching him. The ground beneath him seemed to shift and pulse, as though the summit itself was aware of his presence. The whispers in the wind were no longer just whispers—they were voices, ancient and timeless, calling out to him from the depths of the universe.

"You cannot escape what you are," one voice said, the sound of it like the echo of a thousand souls. "You cannot outrun the fate that binds you."

Another voice, softer, kinder: "Embrace the flow of existence, Rin Xie. Only then will you understand."

With every step, Rin's mind was bombarded by conflicting thoughts, doubts, and memories of all his past lives. His heart pounded as the weight of those memories pressed against him, a relentless tide threatening to drown him. Every failure, every betrayal, every death he had endured—these were the chains that had bound him to his mortal form. They had shaped him, molded him into what he had become, but now they threatened to tear him apart.

At last, he reached the summit.

The air here was thick with the essence of the universe itself—alive, infinite, and incomprehensible. The ground beneath his feet pulsed with energy, as though it was the very heartbeat of existence. And standing before him, waiting in the center of the summit, was a being unlike any Rin had ever encountered.

The Elder Ascendant.

The figure was a silhouette against the vast horizon, an ancient being whose presence seemed to transcend the boundaries of time and space. It was as if the Elder Ascendant had no physical form, no limitations. Their appearance flickered between a multitude of shapes, from that of an old sage to that of a radiant being made of pure light. The air around them shimmered, distorting reality itself, as though the very laws of the universe bent and twisted to accommodate their existence.

The Elder's eyes, though devoid of any visible pupils, fixed upon Rin with an intensity that seemed to pierce through his very soul. They spoke, their voice echoing like a thunderclap across the summit.

"Rin Xie," the Elder said, their voice ancient and wise. "You have climbed the Summit of Endless Horizons, but it is not the summit you must conquer—it is yourself."

Rin's heart raced. "I have come to transcend," he said, his voice laced with a mix of defiance and hope. "To break free from the chains of mortality and live beyond the limitations of this world."

The Elder Ascendant's form flickered and shifted, as though considering Rin's words. "You seek ascension, but ascension is not what you think. It is not power, nor is it control. It is not an elevation of self, but a surrender. A surrender to the flow of existence, to the eternal rhythm of the universe. Only when you cease to resist the pull of the cosmos will you understand."

Rin clenched his fists, the weight of the Elder's words heavy upon him. He had always fought against fate. He had rejected the heavens and the cycle of rebirth. He had defied death, bent the laws of the universe to his will, and shattered the boundaries of existence. How could he possibly surrender to the flow? How could he let go of everything he had fought for, everything he had become?

"You cannot transcend by defiance alone," the Elder continued, their voice soothing yet firm. "True ascension requires the acceptance of all that you are. Your desires, your pride, your rage—these are the very things that bind you to the mortal world. To ascend, you must let go of these chains. Only then can you become one with the universe."

Rin's mind raced. The Elder's words cut to the core of his being. He had spent so long fighting against the heavens, against fate, against the cycle of life and death. But now, standing before the Elder Ascendant, he realized that his defiance had only served to strengthen the very chains he sought to break. His desire for control had bound him to the cycle, kept him trapped within its endless rhythm.

"You must choose, Rin Xie," the Elder said, their voice becoming more resonant, as though the entire universe itself was speaking through them. "Will you continue your journey of defiance, seeking power and control at any cost? Or will you surrender to the flow of existence, accept the burden of ascension, and transcend your mortal form?"

Rin stood in silence, the weight of the decision pressing upon him. His body trembled, not from weakness, but from the intensity of the moment. This was the ultimate test, the culmination of his entire journey. He had fought so long to escape death, to break free from the cycle of rebirth. But now, he was faced with a choice that transcended even that. He could continue his path of defiance, fighting against the cosmos itself, or he could surrender and accept the burden of ascension, to become one with the flow of the universe.

He took a deep breath, the cold air of the summit filling his lungs, and for the first time in his life, Rin let go.

His pride, his rage, his desire for control—all of it faded into the background as he felt a wave of acceptance wash over him. The burden of ascension was not the burden of power, but the burden of surrender. It was not the weight of control, but the freedom of unity. To ascend was to become one with the universe, to let go of the self and embrace the eternal flow of existence.

"Yes," Rin whispered, his voice trembling but resolute. "I choose ascension."

The Elder Ascendant nodded, a sense of approval radiating from their being. "Then you have made your choice, Rin Xie. The journey of defiance has ended. Now, the journey of surrender begins." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

With those words, Rin's vision blurred as the summit around him began to dissolve into a brilliant, blinding light. His body, his soul—everything—was drawn into the infinite, a part of the flow of the universe. The burden of ascension was no longer a weight upon him. It was a release.

And as the light consumed him, Rin felt himself merge with the cosmos, his existence no longer a separate entity, but a part of the eternal, ever-turning rhythm of life and death, creation and destruction. He had transcended.

To be continued...