Volume 1 Chapter 21
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Recruitment of Editors: https://gravitytales.com/recruitment-of-editors/
Volume 1 Chapter 21: Underflow
One night, in a dense little grove outside Jiuhua Mountain.
An old man dressed in a black robe stood quietly in the grove. Dark clouds covered the stars and the moon, hiding his face deep in shadow, making it impossible to see his features. With his black robe, it seemed as if he had merged completely with the darkness.
The wind rustled the trees, and the thick shadows of the trees looked like demons from hell, clawing and struggling as they roared.
Demons actually come from the hearts of humans. When people can no longer control their desires, they become demons, turning evil and strange.
Suddenly, a hissing sound arose, like a snake flicking its tongue. With this sound, the already dark grove seemed even more terrifying, causing an uncontrollable panic.
But the old man in black showed no signs of fear.
"Do you all have to act so mysterious every time?" the old man frowned and said softly to a spot in the darkness.
As the old man’s words faded, a shape slowly began to rise from the darkness. As it became clearer, two glowing green flames appeared in that spot, and then a figure in black emerged from the shadows. Those two flames turned out to be the person’s eyes!
"Hiss… There’s no way around it; I’m used to it. Hiss… hiss…, if I don’t hide often, hiss… wouldn’t you good people beat me to death?"
Suddenly, a person appeared. Their voice was sharp and strange, and sometimes mixed with hissing sounds, as if snakes were constantly flicking their tongues.
If the sky were a bit brighter, people would be so scared by this person’s appearance that they might faint. This person had skin that was pale and delicate, but it did not look like the skin of a normal person. Upon closer inspection, one could see tiny white scales on the exposed skin of their clothing; and their eyes seemed to be narrow slits, flashing with a strange, green light. The most terrifying part was this person had a pair of long, forked tongues that licked their own face, making it look sickeningly horrifying.
This appearance could no longer be called human; it could only be called a monster.
Luckily, it was nighttime, and thankfully there weren’t many people around.
Unfortunately, the old man in black had great power and could clearly see the monster’s face. He looked at it with visible disgust and frowned, saying, "Tell me, why did you have to call me out tonight?"
However, the monster was not angered by the old man’s look of disgust; instead, it seemed to enjoy it and said, "My family master wants me to ask you when you will act; hss… he can’t wait any longer. Hiss…"
"Let your family master wait a little longer; nothing is ready yet, and I’m still unsure about the attitude of a few old fellows." Upon hearing the monster mention its master, the old man’s pupils slightly narrowed, revealing a hint of apprehension. His tone was not as strong as before.
"My family master said, hiss…, he can’t wait any longer. If you don’t act soon, hiss… he will personally come and destroy Jiuhua Gate. Hiss…" The monster ignored the old man’s words and continued.
"Hmph, has your master already thought of a way to deal with the Jiuhua Gate’s ‘Nine Palaces Formation’ and the magical item ‘Fire Bird Ring’?" The old man in black seemed to speak disdainfully, but from the slight twitching of his eye, it was clear that he was very afraid of this possible situation.
"No, but my master has recently reached his limit. Hiss… He says he wants to get back his heart. Hiss…" The monster insisted, as if in his heart, there was only his master.
"So you still have no way to deal with the ‘Nine Palaces Formation’ and ‘Fire Bird Ring’? Even if your master can defeat the Jiuhua Gate and reclaim his heart, he will be greatly harmed. He might not recover his energy for hundreds of years." Hearing the monster say this, the old man in black seemed to sigh in relief, and his tone became cold and flat again.
"But, hiss… my master…"
"Give me ten more years. By the time of the six major Holy Land Newcomer Competition, I will probably be fully prepared. Then I will help your master reclaim his heart. How about that?" The old man suddenly interrupted the monster, speaking decisively.
After hearing the old man’s words, the monster wanted to say something, but suddenly hesitated. Its originally fierce face became incredibly gentle, as if it were listening to something, nodding continuously. Finally, the monster said to the old man in black, "My master agrees to your plan, bearing the pain of a heartless existence for ten more years. But this is the last time. If you are not ready after ten years, my master will have to act alone."
"Don’t worry about your master; I will handle everything here," the old man in black replied calmly.
After hearing the old man’s words, the monster did not respond but slowly melted back into the darkness until it completely disappeared.
"Sigh…" Only when that terrifying hissing sound completely vanished did the old man’s expression fully relax. He let out a slight sigh, filled with a hint of regret, yet also a hint of hope.
Amidst the complex emotions, the old man lightly lifted his right foot, and a white cloud appeared beneath him, flying quickly towards Jiuhua Mountain.
With the departure of the old man in black, the small grove returned to its quiet and lonely state, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves, as if nothing had happened moments before.
In this moment of calm, a blurry figure slowly appeared in the air until it became completely clear.
"Oh, I never expected he really betrayed the sect. When I heard you say that yesterday, I could hardly believe it." The speaker wore a white robe, had a peaceful expression, and held a pipe. It was none other than Zhang Hualing, the leader of Jiuhua Sect. Unbeknownst to him, he was speaking in an empty space.
"Hmph! Don’t try to outsmart me. I don’t believe you didn’t notice that guy’s little schemes. Both of you are equally skilled, but when it comes to tricks, he’s much worse than you." A very old voice suddenly echoed throughout the grove, with no discernible source, carrying a touch of disdain, as if ignoring Zhang Hualing, a Master of Jiuhua.
"I apologize for any embarrassment, honored sir." Zhang Hualing was not angry at the other person’s words and spoke respectfully.
"Let’s go back. Since we know they will make their move during the Six Great Holy Land Newcomer Competition in ten years, there’s no point in staying here any longer." The old voice said.
"Yes." Zhang Hualing slightly bowed to the empty space and flew towards Jiuhua Mountain.
After a long while, the night seemed to finally return to peace.
But is it really calm?
Just then, on an ordinary little tree in a small grove, a human face suddenly appeared. Not far from him, another person had quietly appeared without making a sound.
The faces of these two people were unclear, and they both wore long purple robes with golden patterns. They had several bells hanging from their shoulders that jingled enchantingly as they moved. The front of the purple robe had the bold red character "Ming" written on it. The only difference in their outfits was that the person who appeared from the little tree wore a ring on his hand with the character "Hong" carved on it, while the other person’s ring had the character "Huang" on it.
"I didn’t expect that guy ‘Huang’ would go so far, thinking he could act against Jiuhua Gate without the organization’s permission. What’s even funnier is that he doesn’t even realize Jiuhua Gate has already discovered him. What a shame for our ‘Ming’ organization."
A hoarse voice rang out. Because the collars of their robes were too wide and long, they covered everything below their eyes, so it was impossible to tell who was speaking.
"Who cares about them? Let’s go and report the situation to the two big shots ‘Tian’ and ‘Di,’ and then just enjoy the show. Whether ‘Huang’ gets into trouble is none of our business," a teasing voice said lazily.
"That’s true."
As they said this, the two mysterious figures vanished again, soundless, as if they had never appeared.
In the darkness, something called fate hovered in the sky, watching everything below with a mocking gaze, as if laughing at humanity’s greed, indifference, and foolishness.
The mantis catches the cicada, while the yellow sparrow waits behind. Everyone wants to be the last one laughing, but who can really know who is the cicada and who is the yellow sparrow?