Yuanzi, a boy of fourteen or fifteen, was lying on the top of a mountain in a small village-like city, gazing at the sky with a twig in his mouth. Yuanzi wasn’t his real name, but a home-given name by the elders who looked after him. He was an orphan, though he had parents; he had never met them, nor had they ever come to see him. The only thing he knew about his unseen parents was that they were legendary figures in other cities, countries, continents, even on different planets. He was a very weak boy, though he still had a healthy complexion.

He wore an ordinary black robe that seemed to have slight small holes on the sleeves. His look, with his poor clothing, seemed to give him an innocent and charming appearance from others' perspectives.

His real name was Shen Yuan. If they were such legends, why didn’t they come to see me? This was one of the biggest questions he had in his mind.

The Shen family was a big clan, or at least it used to be, and it still was the head of this small village-like city, though both the city and the Shen clan had declined over the last 300 years.

At first, the city was a well-known place for demonic cultivators and was one of the top cities in the entire Fuyang Country, but one day, a mysterious man clad in white armor appeared over the city. His voice boomed, and even to this day, the people of this city feared him, even though they were not yet born at that time. The one thing that every generation of this city knew was one line: “The darkness seems to be consuming this city. Before it consumes this planet, let me purify all of you!”

Even to this day, the old-timers from that day remember it, and one of the old-timers happens to be an old man with an arched back, whom people seem to call Great Elder. This old man was also the grandfather of Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan’s grandfather was very fond of him, as he was the only family the old man had left. The old man was the only cultivator left in the entire city, but he was reaching the end of his lifespan. The old man was only a 7th-layer Qi Gathering Realm cultivator.

It is the stage where one can finally sense qi from the outside and use it to strengthen their physique, meridians, and dantian. It also grants a lifespan of only 400 years.

The others were just ordinary mortals, and this was true for Shen Yuan as well. Most of the cultivators in this city either died at the hands of that mysterious man 300 years ago or left this cursed city, leaving Shen Yuan’s grandfather as the sole cultivator. As for his parents, no one really knew where they were.

The old man slowly walked up the mountain and called out in a loving tone, “Yuanzi, you’re here again? Didn’t I tell you that an esteemed immortal guest will be coming today?”

Shen Yuan, seeing his grandfather, spat the twig from his mouth and sat up. “Grandfather, I remember. I was about to go.”

His grandfather shook his head, making an all-knowing smile. “Sure, sure. Now come and help Grandfather arrange the paintings for the esteemed immortal guest.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Both walked down the mountain as Shen Yuan silently hummed. The duo then walked for quite some time before reaching a small shop with paintings of different immortals, but there was one painting that had five copies. From the painting, one could see a fat old man with no beard. It was probably the esteemed immortal guest!

Both the grandfather and Shen Yuan arranged the paintings of the esteemed immortal guest. Just as they completed the arrangement, a man riding on a sword arrived. He looked very similar to the one in the painting. It was indeed the so-called immortal guest everyone in the city had been expecting.

The immortal guest folded his arms as he walked toward the grandfather and Shen Yuan.

“I assume you are the man who has made five of my paintings?” the immortal asked.

“Yes, esteemed immortal, it is I who made them. Please have a look.” Shen Yuan’s grandfather passed the paintings to the immortal old man.

The immortal checked every painting very carefully, looking pleased until he reached the fifth painting. His face and eyes went red with anger and disgust.

“Is there something the matter, esteemed immortal?” Shen Yuan’s grandfather asked.

The immortal looked at him as if trying not to kill the old man. “What is the matter, you ask? Look at it yourself, you old shit!”

The immortal threw the fifth painting at Shen Yuan’s grandfather. His grandfather reluctantly picked up the painting and saw… there was a big mole he had accidentally drawn on the painting’s forehead. Now the immortal’s anger became obvious, as the reason was quite visible.

“Esteemed immortal, please forgive me. I didn’t think I would make such a devastating mistake,” Shen Yuan’s grandfather almost cried. Seeing his grandfather like this, who was at death’s door, Shen Yuan felt a pang of sadness as he too knelt before the immortal and asked for forgiveness.

“No, you have to take the punishment, though I can let go of that brat,” the immortal spoke.

Shen Yuan’s grandfather looked at his Yuanzi and smiled as he saw tears forming in Shen Yuan’s eyes. “Don’t worry. Grandfather was already at death’s door, so this isn’t much.”

There were tears in Shen Yuan’s eyes, but he couldn’t even cry for some unknown reason.

Seeing his grandfather again, he gained a little courage and moved in front of his grandfather. “Esteemed immortal, I thought immortals weren’t supposed to get angry at such trivial things. How can you call yourself an immortal?”

Hearing these words from a mere mortal kid, the immortal raged even more. “Brat, you dare to badmouth me! At first, I thought I would spare your life, but no, you seem to want to die. Then die!” He shot a flying sword toward Shen Yuan, but it was thankfully blocked by his grandfather, who requested Shen Yuan for the last time, “Take this teleportation array and run. Please, Yuan’er.”

He pushed Shen Yuan two meters away and attacked the immortal, being an immortal himself, but it just so happened that his cultivation was lower than the fat old man’s.

Both crossed swords tens of times in just a span of two seconds. The fat immortal old man then started to make some signs, and Shen Yuan’s grandfather’s eyes became terrified as he shouted, “Run, Yuan’er!”

Shen Yuan was startled as well, then he saw… ominous red clouds forming above the entire city from the fat immortal’s qi. As the clouds finally formed and covered the whole city, they let out the sound of friction and thunder.

Then a massive thunderbolt descended upon the city, destroying the whole place. Shen Yuan’s grandfather quickly made a sign, activating the teleportation array he had given to Shen Yuan.

As Shen Yuan disappeared, he saw his… grandfather die… brutally by the thunder…

After a few minutes of thunderstorm, the thunder finally stopped. The fat immortal, flying on his sword, looked at the city—or at least what was left of it—that is, a 2,000-km-deep crater with no sign of life.

“How far will you run… child of darkness…” Saying these last words, the fat immortal disappeared.