Like always on the Sunless Plane, the night’s cold, with thick, gloomy clouds blotting out the sky.
It's now the year 3160 of the Age of Rebirth, and something like a black smoke glides through the hushed-trees of the Bats Forest at a blinding speed. When the thing reaches the end of the forest, it transforms into a man—dressed all in black, with a patch over his left eye.
The mysterious man lands gently on a branch, and with a knowing smile, he looks out over the chaotic blood-soaked plain in the distance.
Down there, shattered bodies are everywhere and the once-green ground now dyed in red, flaming with purple fire
In the middle of all that carnage, an old man lay there in pain, watching helplessly as members of the Red Flame Mercenary Band—the same ones he had just fought—rummaged through the dead bodies, looting whatever cultivation resources they could find.
The old man’s lower body was smashed to mash along with his left hand. Closely around him, a sealing formation glowed faintly like a fragile bubble, preventing him from crafting even a simple Yantra.
There’s no way he’s getting out of here with this body. He couldn’t even lift his head from the dirt. All he could do was move it around, waiting in horrific pain for the band leader to show up.
Despites knowing what would happen to him, the old man, named Faris Rahul, remained calm.
In fact, if you look closely, you’d see a faint smile on his old, weathered face. He had anticipated this. He’d been prepared for it long before the fight began.
The only reason they haven’t killed me yet is the bounty on my head, Faris Rahul thought. He’s probably already called in the heavenly union hounds and he's only waiting for them to arrive.
And they must not arrive. That would screw up his plan and he could pretty much imagine what would happen to him if the Heavenly Union would catch him again this time.
He had already been in the Infernal Pit Prison and he knew the kind of torture they served there as he’d experienced them himself. For 300 years.
But what if the plan failed? What if none of the 5 ‘Six-lines White Ring Ka’ I’ve refined aren't on anybody?
That would certainly be it for him. No way out of that.
Faris Rahul let out a weary sigh, eyes shifting up to the thick, gray clouds above. But why? Why was there this small, tired part of him—so worn out that it almost wanted the Yellow Mind Swap Yantra to fail? That wanted everything to just… stop?
He couldn’t really blame himself.
Ever since reaching the True Immortal stage and entering the Celestial Heaven, Faris Rahul hadn't had a single day of peace. As a wanted terrorist with a bounty on his head, he’d immediately latched onto a mercenary band.
It was simply a temporary fix to protect himself from those Heavenly Union’s Immortals hunting him, and to learn more about the Celestial Heaven — the realm of Immortals.
Everything had been going smoothly for a while, until the Heavenly Union suddenly ambushed them. He was one of the unlucky ones who got caught in the chaos that day and hauled off to the Infernal Pit Prison
He did eventually escape when that strange incident rocked the prison, but the trackers embedded in the prisoners' bodies and their Borned Kas and Bas still let the Heavenly Union keep tabs on him.
They hunted him relentlessly, leaving him no time to rest, cultivate, or strengthen his abilities.
It wasn’t just the heavenly union on his tail, either—mercenary bands and bounty hunters were after him too. Cultivation resources were scarce, and his bounty was extremely high for his rank.
He had been, quite literally, hunted from every direction.
A faint smile then touched Faris Rahul’s lips, revealing broken and reddened teeth.
I just need some rest, that’s all. And if the Yellow Mind Swap Yantra worked, I’d finally be free from the tracker on my body. I really hope the Six-lines White Ring Ka does exist and is attached to a body… definitely not a mortal’s bod—
At that moment, Faris Rahul noticed a stir to his right and turned his eyes.
A blood-soaked man was clawing his way out of the corpses, panting like a beast. It was the captain of the Iron Fang mercenaries.
Their eyes met, and the captain’s face twisted with fury. “You... you’re the demon shepherd?”
"That would be me," Faris Rahul said with a smile before he turned his eyes back to the sky.
Not long ago, when the heavenly union had been closing in on him, he’d slipped into their band as a kind of shield. He had to use a masking Yantra to hide his identity, of course as his bounty was too high.
If they’d known who he was, they’d have turned him in immediately rather than accepting him as one of their own.
But now? The disguise was off, and there was no reason in denying it.
The captain began to curse in rage, realizing who was the reason for the massacre of his men. With a flick of his finger, massive swords appeared from nowhere, flying toward Faris at terrifying speed.
Faris Rahul remained calm, confident that they wouldn't allow him to die.
Sure enough, a powerful inferno flared up before him, deflecting the swords with ease. The purple flames disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Faris Rahul’s face scorched.
Ignoring the stinging pain, Faris Rahul turned his head to the left to see a man with a fancy western black suit and red tie approached, followed by all who were there and their noises.
"Finally, you showed up. I was starting to think you'd never come,” Faris Rahul said with a scoff.
“You're not still mad at me, are you?"
It was Warren Frye, or as Faris Rahul liked to call him, "Two Faces," due to the scar that split his face in two. He was the captain of the Red Flames Mercenary Band—one of the most infamous groups in the world. Everybody knew them, and everyone was afraid of them.
Warren Frye glared down at him in silence, then shifted his gaze to the other band's captain. He tapped his finger and four fiery threads appeared in the air. The threads met each other, turning into a giant fire serpent before swiftly charging for the Iron Fang Mercenary’s captain.
The Iron Fang Mercenary's captain, too beaten down to dodge, screamed something and a semi-transparent black layer enveloped his body. The fire serpent slammed into him with a sizzling crunch, and it completely crushed him.
There was no way he could have blocked that. He was just a True Immortal cultivator who could barely stand, while Warren had been in the High Lord stage for a long time now.
In the spot where the dead captain had been standing, the air seemed to tremble for a moment. Then a Key formed. It looked like a sword in shape, silver in color, and was about the size of a man's hand.
A few of the Red Flames Mercenary looters walked over to the fallen captain, inspecting his Key and rummaging through what was left of his body.
Faris Rahul glanced back at Two Faces standing beside him, his mind racing. This is it, he thought. I might never get another chance like this.
He knew if the heavenly union’s immortals arrived, it would be too late.
The first part of his plan was simple—he had to die, or more precisely, his body had to die. It was the only way he could escape and avoid being hunted forever by everyone once he escaped.
If he failed to die, they’d keep chasing him without stopping. That’s assuming he could even escape the Heavenly Union again, which was… impossible. There was no way out this time.
If they caught him, once they got what they wanted, he’d more likely end up dead, truly dead.
But the real issue was the final part — something completely out of his control.
If the Ka of Yellow Mind Swap Yantra, called Six-lines White Ring, wasn’t attached physically on anybody, he'd be doomed.
All I can do is to make sure that I would die after activating the Yellow Mind Swap Yantra. Should the Ka fail to find a cultivator that meets the requirements... how unfortunate that would be.
He’d fought hard against the chains of this cruel, stifling world, living on his own terms. And now, oddly enough, he felt no remorse. Though he knew that his mindset was what had led him into this situation, he was calm with no fear of death, no regrets.
If death’s coming, let it come my way. I’ve lived life on my own terms, and that’s what matters. He took a deep breath, ready to set his plan in motion.
“I never figured you for the soft type, Two Faces,” he called out, his voice raised so that everyone could hear. “It’s just a woman and three kids. What’s the fuss?” And he flashed a provoking smile.
The aura around Warren Frye instantly grew hot, and his face distorted with anger.
The noise from his crew fell away to a hush.
Faris Rahul grinned at that. Who would've thought that this notorious demonic cultivator loved his family so much that, the moment he mentioned them, his veins bulged out of his face?
“She wasn't even a cultivator?” Faris Rahul added. “Why are you—”
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“You’d best close that wretched mouth of yours, old man,” Two Faces cut his, glaring down on him with a dangerous look as though he was holding himself from smashing his head.
And that's exactly what I want, Faris Rahul thought with some relief.
It was no big secret why Warren Frye had been after him all these years; it went beyond mere bounty hunting; it was revenge. Faris Rahul had killed his wife and his two daughters.
Faris Rahul didn’t really recall how or why he’d done it. And he certainly hadn’t known that it was the family of Two Faces. It’d happened a long time ago, when his cultivation was still in the middle realm.
Back then, he’d been completely out of control.
He could only imagine the horrific things he’d done and how many innocent he’d killed during that time just… to amuse himself.
If there was one thing Faris regretted, it was the blissful ignorance of his earlier days. He had navigated this world without understanding its harsh truths, its indifferent nature. Now, however, he understood. And that had only turned him into a… even more demonic cultivator.
“Are you sure you’re not overreacting?” Faris Rahul continued in his provocation. “Come on, they’re just worthless things—things you could have whenever you want. You’re above this.”
Two Faces took a deep breath as if trying to calm the volcano erupting inside.
Inside, Faris Rahul couldn’t help but laugh in satisfaction. This is going even better than I anticipated, he thought, totally expecting Two Faces to lose it by his next words.
But then…
“Don’t fall for his trick, redhead.” A female voice came somewhere, and Two Faces turned. “What do you mean, Mae?” he asked, still visibly enraged.
Faris Rahul also turned to see who was this the bitch who messed up everything.
Not too far away, a skinny young woman with lips dyed in black was sitting on some corpse’s face.
Those headphones and those leather clothing. She must be Mae Zaytseva, the Black Ghost. Faris Rahul recognized her. And who wouldn’t? This cultivator possessed one of the Ten Mysterious Yantras in the world. She's quite famous.
When did she join the red-flames mercenary band? Faris Rahul couldn't help but wonder.
"He's trying to piss you off," Mae added as she painted her nails with black dye, bobbing her head to the music.
“He wanted to die?” The two faces asked, looking unsure.
"He sure as hell does."
The two faces kept staring at her, waiting for her to explain.
Mae shoved her dye into her purse and rose with a heavy sigh. “I think he’s terrified of the idea of going back to the Infernal Pit Prison. You’ve heard the whispers, right? The ghastly things they do to people there. Honestly, who in their right mind would want to end up in that pit?” She shot a smirk at Faris Rahul. “Am I right, demon shepherd?”
Faris Rahul shook his head with a snicker. “Far from it”
“Oh really? Why’s that?”
Faris Rahul sighed. “Why do you think my bounty, even matching that of some high lords? Why are those modernist fools pouring resources into hunting me down, of all people?”
Two Faces narrowed his eyes, as if those questions had been going around in his mind.
Mae didn’t seem curious though, still bobbing her head. “You broke the unspoken rule and went after mortals?”
Faris Rahul snorted. “That’s bullshit. How many have crossed that line and how many carry a bounty like mine?”
“So what’s the deal then?” Mae asked, a weird smile on her face.
“Because I have something the Heavenly Union wants desperately,” Faris explained. “Something those modernists would chase me to the ends of the earth for. The moment they catch me, they’ll seize my Ba to search for it. The truth is, it doesn’t matter if I’m here or there. I’m as good as dead.”
He then shifted his attention towards Two Faces quickly. “I just want to know why your friend is acting like a child. Seriously, it wasn't personal. I didn’t even know who they were back then.” He paused for a moment. “Do you want to know what happened that day?”
There was silence.
“I think you need to know this to move on,” said Faris Rahul while laughing inside. Sure, he didn’t recall what had happened to them, but...why not make up a story.
“That day, I was totally wiped out from the heavenly union’s chase, so I went to a mortal village, passed out for some days, and when I woke up… well, I don’t really remember how it all started, but I started killing everyone there.” Faris Rahul shut his eyes, pretending to savor the memories of what had happened.
Alright, here we go, he thought to himself. He had already crafted the Yantra before they’d set the sealing formation around him; it just needed to be activated before Two Faces killed him, and he needed to be ready for that or else his entire plan would be in vain.
“While I was at it, I spotted this woman with white hair, running around in the chaos. She was a bit beautiful— nothing special really, but something in me moved. Not my heart, of course,” he chuckled. “It was my snake.”
“You know, for a long time, before that moment, and even after that day to be honest, my snake was in a state of, I don’t know. Death? If it wasn’t that I needed it for peeing, I would have removed him without a second thought.
“But the moment he saw her, he woke up at once. So I followed her to a house and I cornered her. I’m not…that kind of person who takes things by force, you know. I gave her a choice: submit to my snake or die. Simple. But then she started rambling about the red-flames mercenary band. Trust me my friend, I had no clue she was your wife, so I sl—”
Without warning, something heavy crashed against the side of his head with a dull thud. A pounding ache shot through his temple, and it felt like he could barely hear anything.
His heart began pounding hard as excitement surged through him. It's working! I need to...
Turning his gaze sideways, his right eye saw no one. No one was there. Where they—
Before he could conclude anything, a sea of extremely burning fire enveloped him.
Faris Rahul started laughing like crazy in happiness and in pain, waiting just for the perfect moment to activate the Yellow Mind Swap Yantra.
…..
From a distance, Warren Frye and his followers stood, silently watching as a river of blaze engulfed Faris Rahul. Their faces eerily illuminated by the purple flames that reached skyward.
A sense of unease washed over them. The creepy laughter of Faris Rahul had no trace of sorrow or guilt, only joy, as though Faris Rahul were enjoying it.
"What's he so happy about? Death?" one muttered.
The laughter lasted only for moments before it stopped.
Without hesitation, Warren Frye spun to face his crew. “Time to go,” he said, anger still on his face. “The Heavenly Union will be here any second now. I really tried my best. Sending him to the Infernal Pit and taking that big bounty on his head didn’t seem like a bad idea, but—”
Suddenly, something shocking happened. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. What the hell was that?
Warren Frye's eyes widened in shock and he sharply turned around.
The scream had returned. But this time, it was filled with desperation and suffering. What really caught everyone off guard, though, was what Faris Rahul was crying out in his pain: "Mama, mama, helpme, mama, mama," in a childlike manner.
The place went silent for a moment, then everyone lost it. The shepherd! The famous demon shepherd who had been causing the heavenly union all sorts of problems was… was crying for his mama!
It was a sight none of them had ever imagined seeing.
“Damn, turns out the demon shepherd was mama's little baby all this time," Mae joked as laughter filled the air.
“He tried to act tough until the end, haha, but it seems he couldn’t,” another said.
“I can’t wait to post this video,” another said while filming the whole thing with his mobile phone. “It’s going to go viral.”
Warren Frye's lips curled into a satisfied smile. He might have missed out that bounty. But he would certainly boost his band’s reputation.
The screaming stopped.
----------------------------------------
In the meantime, in the blue sky of the Eastern Plane in the Second Heaven, an immortal cultivator was flying at a blinding speed. He was full of gashes and cuts and his dark blue Yukata was covered in blood.
The man was constantly looking over his shoulders, panting hard and fast. You could see on his face that he had just escaped one hell of a battle.
I can't keep going like this, he thought and stopped mid-air. I need to find a safe place for him.
His gaze shifted down to the baby in his arms.
The baby, about a year or so old, stared back at him, frowning like he’s thinking deeply about something. A white ring hanging around his neck.
“Young master…”
The man smiled before turning his attention to his surroundings, scanning and searching for something. He hovered there for some time before heading left.
After a while, he arrived at his destination. He landed in front of the door of a dwelling—an ornate yet rustic mansion built from timber and stone; nestled into the mountainside near its base, just outside of the city below.
The man was beyond exhausted. His face was so pale from blood loss that he looked like a vampire. However, he knew he had to fake some strength in front of these people. He took a deep breath and put on an intimidating face.
And as though sensing something wasn’t right, the door swung open, and a short-bearded man showed up. He eyed him with suspicion. “Who are you?” he asked, ready to make a hand seal.
The immortal didn’t say a word and just released a trace of his Immortal Force.
The middle-aged man’s eyes winded in show, his body freezing in terror as the overwhelming realization hit him—he was standing before an immortal cultivator.
A woman then came from inside, followed by two kids–one in her arms and the other crawling. The baby on the floor seemed to be the same age as the one in the immortal’s hand. "Who’s there?” she asked.
The immortal didn’t waste anymore time. He moved past the bearded cultivator, snatched up the younger child, and then returned to his place. It all happened too fast for the parents to react.
Then, he looked terrifyingly at the already terrified man and handed him his young master. “Take this one. It’s your son now, you hear me?”
The bearded man looked like a statue, couldn’t answer out of fear.
“You hear me?” he repeated aloud, more threatening than asking.
The man nervously swallowed and started nodding his head up and down. "Without question, without question."
"You'll protect him as you would protect yourself, you hear me?"
"Without question…"
The immortal kept staring down at him for some time before he took an object out of his robes—the Pointed Jade Box Ka. It looked exactly like its name. A pointed jade box in purple.
“Do you know what Yantra this Ka belongs to?” he asked.
"T-t-the Black-Slowed Hold Yantra, a storage-type Yantra," the man stammered.
”Good. Give it to the boy when he opens his dantian.” He handed it over to the man who was at the True Master Stage, before retrieving another object—the Square Paper Ka. "What about this one?" He asked once more.
“I d- I don't know, elde–”
“You don’t know… well, let me tell you. It’s called the Five Colored Leaf Yantra. When you affix it to somebody, even for just seconds, it will burn the very moment that body dies, no matter the distance between them.” He paused for a moment, his gaze locked onto the man before him. “You understand what this means?”
“Ye-”
Before the man could utter a word, the immortal continued in a threatening tone. “If this paper burns….” His tone turned dangerously low and the aura around him seemed to chill the air. “Trust me, I will come back and when I do, you’ll beg for death's mercy … and it won’t come.”
A heavy silence settled over the room as he gave the man some moments to grasp the new reality. His gaze then shifted to the woman, whose wide eyes were filled with horror. Her lips moved soundlessly, as though still struggling to make sense of what’s happening.
After some time, the immortal turned around and flew away, leaving the couple watching him in disbelief.
Only when he was no longer in sight did the woman start shouting and crying, ”My child, give me back my child…”’
Sa Huiqing paid her no attention. He simply looked at the child in his arms; it felt as though he was holding a bomb. “Sa Liuo Min,” he muttered with a bitter smile.
Faris Rahul, who had been watching the whole thing, looked at him with icy blue eyes, smiling.
The Eastern Plane…