Chapter 5

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Chapter 5: The Supreme Revelation

Amidst the clouds, a solitary peak stood defiant, and upon its weathered crags, a figure sat in meditative repose, his eyes closed, his hair flowing past his shoulders. A blanket of dust, inches thick, lay undisturbed upon him, a testament to the eons he had endured in contemplation atop this lofty bastion. The daily gales, fierce enough to rend stone, bypassed his fragile form without a stir.

In an instant, the hermit’s eyes snapped open, radiant as the constellation of Ursa Major, casting beams of incandescent spirit. A piercing howl escaped his lips, and with that, he sprang from his mountainous perch, tracing an arc through the heavens before landing with a thud, gazing down upon the valleys below. A subtle tremor dislodged the accumulated dust from his shoulders.

Suddenly, drawn by a premonition, he gazed upward. From the heavens, a streak of white radiance descended, morphing into a man before him as it touched the earth.

“Your diligence has borne fruit as the three years wane. Yet, I come as a herald from the Holy Temple to declare that your time within a hundred li of the Holy Mountain is at its end. Henceforth, your fate rests in your own hands.”

The hermit, indeed Fengyun Wuji, newly ascended to this realm, had through years of arduous toil, completed the first stratum of the Nine Turns Profound Skill, embracing a destiny governed by the whims of life and death. The vital energy within him, though not comparable to those who had toiled for myriad ages, had ripened with his efforts. The Sword of Thought, too, had been mastered in its entirety through the art of Sword Commanding.

At the envoy’s words, Fengyun Wuji turned, his expression indifferent, his long hair dancing in the wind, and leaped from the cliff that soared a thousand zhang into the sky. His silhouette traced an elegant curve before vanishing from the envoy’s sight.

Beyond the Holy Mountain, the landscape was a sea of undulating mountains, and within them, roamed colossal beasts, their every movement causing destruction in their wake. Fengyun Wuji skimmed the earth, wary of approaching too closely. The aura of these creatures alone was overwhelmingly powerful compared to his own. The ancient world was rife with perils: in the skies, there were gargantuan and ferocious demonic birds, while on the ground, beasts as massive as mountains with skin tough as armor. All that he witnessed and heard underscored the stark reality of the dangers that lurked in this world.

The ancient world was vaster than the mind could fathom. For several days, Fengyun encountered no other souls save for those dwelling around the Holy Mountain. On the fifth night, as he sought out a towering tree to rest upon as was his custom, he espied a glimmer of firelight atop a distant peak. Unlike the crimson flames belched by nocturnal beasts, this was the warm glow of a bonfire, a sure sign of human presence. Driven by curiosity, Fengyun Wuji took to the air, making his way toward the mysterious light.

A shrill cry pierced the night as a colossal bird, its wingspan stretching thirty zhang, swooped down, its wings creating gusts that nearly bowled Fengyun over. With a surge of fear, he activated the Sword Commanding technique, propelling himself skyward. The demonic bird pursued him relentlessly. No matter how he maneuvered, the predator remained on his tail. Intent on reaching the firelight, he also feared leading danger to those he had yet to meet. Thus, he engaged in an aerial dance with the beast among the peaks, its deafening screeches echoing through the night.

Cornered, Fengyun Wuji lured the creature to a peak and then, with a swift change of direction, positioned himself behind it. He plucked a pine needle from a nearby tree, imbuing it with the strength of steel using his sword technique, and launched it at the beast.

The needle struck with a series of metallic pings, as if bouncing off solid iron. The projectile, capable of piercing the hardest of stones, glanced off the creature’s hide as if it were mere parchment.

Unharmed but enraged, the beast retaliated with a swipe of its mighty wing, landing a crushing blow to Fengyun Wuji’s chest. The sound of shattering ribs reverberated through the air as he was sent flying backward, the force of the impact embedding him within the sheer face of an adjacent peak.

The creature seemed intent on finishing what it had started, its form transforming into a streak of light as it bore down upon Fengyun Wuji.

“I never expected such a common demonic beast to possess such divine strength. I am no match for even a hundredth of its power,” Fengyun Wuji lamented, the agony of his wounds searing through him. As he resigned himself to his fate, a thunderous voice echoed through the sky:

“Beast, cease your attack and retreat!”

The command came from all directions, its origin shrouded in mystery. The beast, however, was not so easily deterred, its eyes blazing with ferocity as it charged towards Fengyun Wuji.

“Foolish creature,” the voice growled, and with it, a blade-like gust of wind descended from above, slicing the beast in twain as effortlessly as cutting through soft tofu. The sky rained black blood as the creature’s corpse fell in two.

“Today’s encounter is a fated one. Since we share the same lineage, I shall grant you mercy,” the voice intoned. A powerful, unseen force extracted Fengyun Wuji from the mountain’s embrace, lofting him into the air along a graceful arc, where he alighted atop a cliff.

There, on a small plot of land, a middle-aged man in a dark, lustrous robe sat cross-legged, a bonfire burning before him, a large piece of meat roasting over the flames, and beside him, the massive carcass of a beast.

The man’s face bore the marks of time, his beard streaked with white amidst the black, yet his eyes shone brightly in the night, as clear as pearls. At his waist hung an ancient long knife, its sheath emanating an aura of palpable malevolence. Clutching a skewer of roasted meat in one hand, he extended the other towards Fengyun Wuji, his palm radiating a dense cloud of vapor. The white mist, alive with energy, seeped into Fengyun Wuji’s scalp, and within moments, the sound of knitting bones echoed from within him, a rich power circulating within, accelerating the flow of his blood.

Fengyun Wuji prostrated himself in gratitude, his voice earnest as he thanked the man for his life-saving grace. He sensed not only the healing of his wounds but also a newfound depth to his abilities. The man accepted his reverence with equanimity, handing over the skewer of roasted beast meat to Fengyun Wuji.

Observing Fengyun Wuji’s momentary hesitation, the man sneered, “You must be newly ascended. Demons devour humans, and humans, in turn, consume demons. This truth you shall come to understand. In this vast expanse, aside from flora, all that walks or crawls surpasses human strength. Should you fail to grasp this, you’ll end up like the lowly beasts, feasting on wild fruits from the trees.”

The man’s outstretched hand remained unwithdrawn after his words, his gaze fixed coldly upon Fengyun Wuji. After a prolonged silence, Fengyun Wuji bowed his head in acceptance of the skewer of roasted meat. The man’s stern expression then softened into a smile as he nonchalantly sliced another portion of meat from the beast, still dripping with blood, and set it to roast over the fire.

“Your skills are too feeble for this world. A mere winged beast has bested you. If you wish to survive, heed my guidance.”

“I am grateful for your direction.”

“Elder? Hmph, I ascended 800,000 years ago; you calling me elder is fitting. Listen well, for what I’m about to tell you is vital to your survival.”

“In this ancient era, the world is boundless, its length and breadth spanning millions of miles, with countless mountains and rivers, and innumerable beasts and birds. The world is teeming with creatures and sparse in humans. It would be more accurate to say that this world belongs to demons rather than humans. Over the past few billion years, were it not for the emergence of some earth-shattering figures among humans, our kind might still be mere sustenance for demons. These formidable individuals, who have slain gods and vanquished demons, have, over eons, carved out a vast territory within this ancient world for human habitation. Within this domain, all powerful demons have been exterminated, leaving behind only the weak and timid creatures you encountered.”

“The demonic beasts are innumerable, hundreds of billions, and just the angelic tribe in the Western Paradise alone numbers over 600 billion, a count that never dwindles. Our human race, on the other hand, is but a mere few tens of millions, and we are far from united. The hearts of men are heavy with selfishness, making us difficult to lead. Within the territory that humans have fought for, it is governed by four major powers. The Ice Palace, inhabited solely by women, is led by the Ice Maiden, served by the Holy Maidens, all of whom possess unfathomable martial prowess. The palace is situated atop towering ice peaks, surrounded by a vast expanse of jagged, towering icicles, nearly impossible to locate. Another realm is the Blade Domain, ruled by three supreme beings known as the Blade Saint, Blade Emperor, and Blade Sovereign. Each is a force to be reckoned with, capable of contending with the most formidable demons. The Blade Domain welcomes only those who practice the way of the blade. The Demon Realm is home to those who cultivate demonic powers, known for their erratic behavior and ruthless hearts. Our numbers are already few, and aside from those taken by demons, many fall to the hands of the Demon Realm’s inhabitants. All despise this realm, yet they are our kin, practicing the martial arts of demons, yet still our own. Our kind is scarce, and we cannot afford more bloodshed. The Demon Realm is governed by three great demon lords, each a master of the highest order. The Snow Domain, located in the far north, is a place of extreme cold, a realm so harsh that even demons dare not tread, let alone humans. This domain is uninhabited, yet it is said that those who practice the cold internal energy often venture there, and these individuals are without exception, experts. It is also rumored that within the Snow Domain lies the legendary War Emperor, who slumbered there since the time of the gods’ great war, and his followers, the War Clan, are said to still walk among us, though few claim that title. Apart from these four powers, there are those who walk the path of the free and unbound, refusing allegiance to any faction. Among these wanderers, there are many masters, and it is said that even the three supreme beings of the Blade Domain once encountered a master so skilled that despite their best efforts, they could not detain him. This individual called himself ‘Moonbreaker.’ As for the masters among the free people, their identities are largely unknown, but it is confirmed that there are at least six top-tier masters.”

“I have heard that among our kind, there are those who can stand shoulder to shoulder with gods and demons, even forcing them to sign pacts with humanity. May I ask, who are these supreme beings?” Fengyun Wuji inquired.

The middle-aged man seemed caught off guard by the question. After a long while, he gazed up at the swirling clouds above and murmured, “In the North Sea lies Xuanyuan Mound, in the Western land, the Cangwu Abyss, in Jiuyi, the Fushan, and hidden in the heavens, the Nether Realm. If your strength is sufficient, the truth shall reveal itself to you.”

With those words, he suddenly rose into the air and, like a great bird, disappeared into the pitch-black night.

…