The ancient world of Evon, home to spirit beasts and treasures that date back to the very beginning of time. Thunder strikes without mercy on the ruined floors, the ground below breaks as if it were made of glass, while hurricanes tear what remained of nature apart ruthlessly. On that lawless land, not a single sign of human life could be found.
But under that wild, raging thunder, past the unwavering clusters of wind, laid the eyes of a large wolf-like beast, with a body as black as an endless void. Its blinding white eyes only faced upward, as if the ruined world around it hardly mattered. An air of longing could be felt for miles around it, as its gaze fell on the floating continent above it.
That land was the Cloud Continent, where some of the living beings escaped to avoid the fate of Evon. The people of the floating continent survived on the exact same thing that kept the land mass in the clouds: Qi. The law-defying essence is a product of the heavens, and by going against the heavens themselves, one is able to use Qi as power. These people… were known as cultivators, beings that strive for immortality.
The Cloud continent, one of the 7 floating land masses of Evon, was home to the majority of cultivators in the world. As such, it followed the law of the jungle far more strictly than the other continents. If one had power, they were both feared and respected, but for those that didn’t, death or servitude were the only choices open to them. On the eastern end of the continent laid a decently large sect named the Moonlight sect, a second-rate alliance that was also known as the “Slave-keeper Sect.”
Once known as a prison for rogue cultivators, the Moonlight Sect upholds a reputation for the detainment of such cultivators for profit; more than that, they strictly dealt with the business of slave trading, the background and strength of the slave in question meant little to them, making the Sect a reliable place to dump any unwanted persons.
All slaves are to be crippled of their cultivation and immediately sent to work on the mines. The conditions weren’t just bad, they were borderline abusive, even by slave standards. The Mystic Sect guards that watched over the slaves like tyrannical kings upheld the conversion rate of 10 grains of rice per ounce of Spirit rocks. These rocks are infused with an abundant amount of Qi, and when dropped in lakes or bath houses, can be used to refine one’s body and speed up cultivation. While they aren’t rare by any means, the trade of 10 grains of rice for every ounce of the bright green ore was simply too low to make ends meet. Following the issue on food shortage, the guards treated them less like slaves and more like disposable objects. The men were brutally beat with little reasoning behind it, the women were enjoyed no matter the place or time, and the children were used as bait to capture demon beasts. Calling this slavepost a living hell wouldn't be too far off.
Once such slave was named August, not after his father, but his mother, who was raised on the third floating continent Alysia. This slave was something like a leader to the others he worked with, a beacon of hope within the brutal lives they lived. As he was the direct slave of the Sect Leader’s son, he was given certain benefits the others could only dream of, yet he shared those benefits as much as possible. Though their strength was like the difference between the heavens and earth, August’s owner often practiced on him to test martial techniques he would learn from his master. Martial techniques that were once child’s play for the slave became life-threatening, but as his body remembered the power he once proudly carried on his shoulders, his strength dropped no farther than the third stage of the Refinement Realm despite having no cultivation. With his exceptional power among the slaves and unconditional kindness, his name resounded through the lower end of the Sect like a rock on water.
Why wasn’t this leader among the unfortunate currently helping his people like he always had? Well, that was because he was going to die.
Without exception, without delay, with no chance of convincing. As August fearfully stared at the large, imperious tiger-like beast that lazily gazed in his direction, that was the impression that he was given. The Yellow Road sprightly called for him as the spirits of his ancestors prematurely welcomed him. Before a beast that even the Sect Leader thoroughly respected, if it said it wanted his lowly life, did he really have the right to believe his life would continue after today?
The being in question was named Jin Shou, an intelligent demon beast that thrives on riches. This demon beast was the overseer for the eastern Sects as well as the co-creator of the Moonlight Sect; his background was, to put it bluntly, utterly terrifying. As for his strength, the 7 main realms cultivators strive for are as follows:
The Refinement Realm, where a beginning cultivator refines their body and removes all worldly impurities.
The Spirit Realm, where a cultivator connects with the spirit realm and gains access to Qi, the source of all power on the Cloud Continent.
The Earth Realm, where a cultivator makes use of the Qi in all objects, which allow for faster Qi absorption and stronger attacks.
The Sky Realm, where an expert cultivator makes use of the Qi in the air itself, allowing one to fly without artifacts or ally demon beasts.
The Moon Realm, where an expert cultivator’s inner core takes the shape of a moon-like orb, where one can enter and gain access to the spirit world.
Above the Moon Realm, there are two main roads for cultivators to take:
One is the Heaven Realm, where genius cultivators make use of a force far more powerful than Qi, called “Sheng.”
The other is the Hell Realm, where genius cultivators that practice demonic martial arts make use of a hell-bent force called “Zhangqi.”
Finally, at the pinnacle in the entire known Cloud Continent, is the Lord Realm, where peerless genius cultivators perfect their use of Qi and ability to communicate with the spirit world. At this realm, there are no stages, meaning that unless one finds a way to enter the mythical Emperor Realm, pure skill and ability are what separate the geniuses from one another. Though anyone that can achieve this legendary realm can be called truly peerless.
Jin Shou was in the Moon Realm, the 3rd stage to be exact. The Moonlight Sect was actually named after a Moon Realm expert dubbed the Crescent Killer, who worked with the money-grubbing demon beast to turn the once prison hold into an alliance for young cultivators. Seeing as the Sect Leader is only in the 8th stage of the Sky Realm, it’s clear to most that Jin Shou is the real head of the Moonlight Sect.
That same absolute power held an annual ritual where he paid respects to his senior. The normally grand and overbearing meeting room, filled to the brim with gold ornaments decorated with high-grade spirit rocks, turned into a dark space lit only by the blue flames of the spirit world. The slaves and servants are meticulous in ensuring that everything is perfectly set-up, down to the very lamp placement that leads into the ritual room. That’s why, when a lowly female slave managed to break one of the high-grade spirit compasses used to send offerings to the spirit world, Jin Shou’s irritation was far beyond what she could possibly escape from. Her unfortunate fate was sealed until August stepped in to apologize on her behalf. Normally he would expect a whipping and some form of physical labor, but it seemed the anger of the domineering demon beast wouldn’t subside with a simple punishment or execution. No, with an icy glare as cold as a frozen tundra that stabbed at the young slave’s heart, Jin Shou commanded that the girl be removed from the Sect Hall and August be brought to the very room where the ritual was done.
There August kneeled, patiently yet cautiously waiting for the gilded beast and his authoritative companion to decide how the lowly slave would perish. As if he were reading the young boy’s mind, Jin Shou was the first to speak up.
“Ah~ child, I did not bring you here to kill you.” He said, a hint of his vainglorious attitude could be heard from that single sentence. Though with his strength and background, not even the heavens could deny him that right.
“Milord…” August pondered, with just that, he was at a complete loss at what the two most powerful beings in the eastern Cloud continent wanted with him.
Jin Shou shrugged, his many golden plates and Qi filled jewelry shook with the movement of his wide furry shoulders. “Well, I can’t say your little bout of heroism didn’t save that young girl. I was certainly prepared to use her as a sacrifice for ruining my precious spirit compass, but seeing you took my attention away from her.”
“Shou’di…” The previously silent Sect Leader gazed at the demon beast with a hint of sorrow.
“What is it that I can help you with, Milord?” August clasped his hands together in a show of respect. With a glimpse he could tell that the two had some past the Sect Leader would rather not bring up, but if it kept him alive, it was worth delving into. Though he didn’t know what they possibly needed from him, the day he denied them was the day King Yan reappeared in the world.
“Listen boy, do you know who my senior is?” Jin Shou asked, though from his indifferent expression he knew the answer to that question.
“I do not, Milord.” August answered without hesitation.
The large gilded beast raised himself up from his red and gold pillow, and like a bottle on a jar, his sweltering pressure wooshed through the entire ritual room in less than three breaths. This made both the Sect Leader and August feel the large difference in strength; if Jin Shou and the Sect Leader were like a mountain to a river, than he and August were like the heavens themselves to a mere pond. Jin Shou ignored the two’s thought of weakness and activated a symbol on the ground, seen by the light red glow in his eyes that matched the lines of the symbol. As the symbol began to shine even brighter, Jin Shou turned his attention back to August, and with a stern expression that truly didn’t fit his normally imperious character, began talking once again.
“Asura, my senior brother, is one of the five great demon beasts that explored the ruined world of Evon millennia ago. Though unlike the others he did not bring up a continent from the chains of Evon, he did ensure that life could thrive on them, leaving plenty of fruits and vegetable on each for what remained of humans and demon beast to live on. Also unlike the others, he chose to stay behind and fight against the heavens that denied the idea of leaving the land of Evon. My first memories from birth are of Asura, how he saved me and gave me the power that allowed me to become such a big figure in the eastern cloud continent. Even if the other won’t, I, Jin Shou, will repay my debts back twofold!”
“This is why Milord Shou gives offerings every year… this slave understands now! But… what can this slave do to help Milord Shou?” August responded, he knew the name Asura from the tales that parents would tell their young children.
“Hear me, August, or should I call you Xiao He?” Jin asked, though the boy was nothing in his eyes, a slight smirk formed on his face as he felt the icy glare from the slave.
A large vein formed on the Sect Leader as he reprimanded August, “Boy, learn your place!” The pressure of his 8th layer Sky Realm landed on August’s back like a mountain, yet the boy didn’t flinch a bit; he let the blood fall from his mouth as his glare refused to back down, as if it had a mind of its own. Jin placed his paw in front of the Sect Leader to get him to calm down.
“That’s enough Little Shan.” Jin said.
“What do you want?” August demanded, like the winds snatched it away his respectful and polite demeanor was gone, replaced by the anger that rose in his heart as that name resurface in his head again. How did Jin Shou know it was him? Why did he bring the name up again, those memories again? August didn’t know, but he did know that now, he simply wanted to go back to mining at his slave post and forget this conversation ever happened. Even though he could feel the burning glare of the Sect Leader on his neck, he didn’t care in the slightest. If Jin Shou knew what his old name and identity was, he should also know that he had no desire to suck up to others for no reason.
“It seems that even if the royal position is gone, that confidence and lack of fear remains.” Jin Shou chuckled, “August, what I tell you here must never leave this room. If it does, I swear on my very name that I will hunt you down to the ends of the world and kill you myself.”
“Ditto.” August fearlessly responded.
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“Good, then here it is: Asura, is still alive.” Jin answered, the faces of both August and Tie Shan lit up with surprise, as they thought the legendary beast had fallen all those millennia ago. Jin Shou lightly shook his head, “Well, his soul is at least alive, and it hasn’t traveled to the spirit world yet. I can feel his gaze, even now, he’s staring at the Cloud Continent, at the three of us.” Jin Shou looked directly into August’s eyes, “At you especially.”
“Why me?” August asked, though he didn’t say anything, the Sect Leader's expression asked the same question.
Jin slowly closed his eyes “Fate is vague, but unchangeable. It tells use when and where we are born, and when and where we will die, the in between can be anything so long as the beginning and end remain the same. Those that manage to alter their fate really only change the course that their life was taking, not how they go about living or how they will die, so it can’t truly be called altering one’s fate. However, there are people that live outside of the streams of fate, away from the eyes of clairvoyant individuals, and one of them is you, a Fateless.”
“Fateless…” August pondered, as he knew he heard the term before.
“Fateless aren’t actually that rare or special, as there are two types: one is the far more rare one, those that reach the Lord Realm and break free of the chains of fate, it’s part of the reason why the Lord Realm doesn’t have any stages. The other is people that interact, primarily touch these Fateless individuals and act away from their own fate. In your case, you were bound to die at the hands of the June Alliance, but a Fateless stepped in and saved you.”
“Why though? I just don’t understand…” August was truly puzzled after hearing Jin's explanation, it made no sense why a powerful being like a Fateless would save a cripple bound to die like him.
“No special reason from what I can see, you were simply an easy target.” Jin Shou honestly answered, “As a spirit, Asura is bound to lose energy and die sooner or later, but he won’t allow that, not until he sees with his own eyes that the world he helped save is in order, that’s what I think. His personality from what I gathered from the other four beasts is that of a just and respected individual, save for his lust for battle. It’s possibly why he chose you, because you’re a product of what he didn’t want to see in the world he protected: shameless schemes and ruthless betrayals.” August could tell that Jin Shou's information on Asura was very lacking, despite his extreme respect towards the being.
“He wants to take over my body?” August asked.
“I don’t know, but I do know he wants to connect to you in some way.” Jin Shou answered.
“Why does he want a fateless? Would it not work on someone with a fate?”
“They would die without question, yes. More than that, he wants someone that has the potential to make it past the power of the Lord Realm. There is a possibility of someone with a fate having that capability, but the chances are quite literally one in a billion.”
The symbol finished along with Jin’s answer, and like a shadow, a powerful corpse rose from the ground. Even though not the slightest bit of life could be found within it, a peerless pressure arose from it, somehow even greater than Jin Shou. Unlike the other two, August could feel it, the peerless corpse was ushering him, calling for the slave boy to near it. Though the mere pressure caused a fear unlike any other to invade his crippled body, the voice itself wasn’t as domineering, as if it simply wanted August to come to it, not demand it. Truly, this, was the corpse of one of the five legendary beasts of Evon: Asura the battle god.
Jin stared back at August, who felt a wave of sincerity from the gilded beast that he never expected to appear, “Xiao He, no, August, I will be blunt with you: if you accept my request, the Moonlight Sect will hunt you down without mercy, as I have no way of hiding the aura of Asura’s corpse from the father of Little Shan, nor can I tell him that it was I who gave you it. That is because the other four beasts that still live communicate often with the lords of each continent, they must not know that Asura still lives. Over the millennia they have become jaded and power-hungry, if they know the battle god’s spirit sill wandered Evon and who guided it…” Jin’s gaze turned cold like the flip of a coin, “…They would kill you without mercy to gain his power.”
The Sect Leader didn’t say anything following Jin’s words, but the expression on his face was enough to guess that he didn’t have much say in his father’s actions, despite his authority in the Moonlight Sect. August wasn’t too surprised at the revelation, rumors of Tie Xuan’s ruthless and greedy actions after resigning as Sect Leader weren’t new at all.
“Little Shan’s father only believes that this corpse is the corpse of a mere Lord Realm beast, and that it is my gift to Little Shan on his 40th birthday, if you take it, he will simply believe that you stole it for your own uses. Such a situation isn’t near enough to make the other lords, let alone the four legendary beasts bat an eye.” Jin said.
August nodded in understanding, though he couldn’t help but shudder a bit when he heard that the Sect Leader’s father thought the corpse was a “mere” Lord Realm corpse. Even without his cultivation, the boy could feel both the blood seal the Sect Leader’s father placed on the corpse, and the peerless set of eyes that watched their every move. Though he knew it couldn’t hear their conversation, August had to give the two heads of the Moonlight sect respect for even trying to pull something so big under the watch of the four beasts.
Jin Shou continued with his warning to August, “As a Fateless, you are bound to live a life of pain and struggle. Nothing will be easy for you, and this will only make it worse. I won’t force you, as even if you accept, we can’t give you much more than our condolences…”
“I accept.” August responded, much to the surprise of Jin Shou and Tie Shan. After hearing the demon beast out, his acceptance wasn’t because he wanted to help, or because he cared what the four legendary demon beasts wanted with Asura.
August did it for power, more so to no longer be crippled.
Be it that he or Asura lost their conscious when they fused together, August’s dantian would be repaired, meaning that he could cultivate once more, which meant that given enough time, his hatred for the June Province could be quenched. The corpse that lay in front of him was terrifying, that was unquestionable; what wasn’t crimson bone was pitch black, and took the shape of a wolf-like being, but even August could tell that it wasn’t his true form. Despite it all, he wanted power, needed power, with his pitiful strength as it was, he was bound to end up letting those he thought he could trust getting away with taking everything he had. No matter how much he feared the power of the corpse in front of him, feared the wrath of the Moonlight Sect, feared the four legendary beasts, he was more afraid of not seeing those traitorous bastards alive, knowing he couldn’t do anything to them.
The greedy fateless slave had made up his mind, and not even the heavens could make him change it.
“Good, good!” Jin laughed, he could tell that August had his own motives behind it, but who wouldn’t? Asura had power that anyone would pine for, and the mere fact that he accepted it brought joy that the gilded beast couldn’t suppress. Even the previously angry Sect Leader cracked a smile at the boy’s quick response. “Then this is how we’ll do things.”
Tie Shan brought out a grey, hexagon shaped stone with a complex inscription atop it. The wave-like carvings that surrounded the inscription identified the object as a high-grade suppression artifact. It was a one-use item that allowed the user to suppress the movements of beings even up to the Moon Realm for at least ten seconds. The artifact was extremely hard to get for normal cultivators, and those that had experience with it could nullify the effects by creating a Qi shield, but was perfect for what the two planned to use it for.
……………….
“Hm? Lin, did you advance to the 1st level of the Earth realm?” A core disciple guard asked her partner.
The guard named Lin rubbed his nose, as he let out a slight chuckle, “Could you tell? I’d been stuck at the peak of spirit realm for so long, finally advancing made me buy this spirit glaive on impulse.”
“I felt your Qi spike for a moment, it’s what tipped me off to it.” The first guard responded with a smile. It caught her off guard for a moment, being someone at the 9th stage spirit realm, the pressure was very oppressive.
“What?” The proud guard questioned, being unaccustomed to the feeling of the earth realm, he still had the knowledge to understand that at the Earth Realm, his Qi would automatically try to protect him from most attacks. If his Qi really did spike like his companion said it did, it meant that he was attacked, or was in the range where his Qi instinctively tried to protect him. A rising surge of concern rushed over his body, as his head snapped behind him to where a strange pressure was being emitted from the ritual room, where the Sect Leader and royal beast had taken some slave to likely be sacrificed. He would have honestly preferred the brat who broke such an expensive spirit compass to be killed rather than the boy, but who was he to deny the Sect Leader’s orders?
“Jie Jie…” The guard shook, with his companion giving him a worried look. His growing sense of concern and twisted curiosity wanted to go back and check just to ensure nothing bad was happening, but he feared the wrath of Jin Shou if he was wrong about his worries. The slow nod of his female companion is what stirred him to make his decision, followed by the large, loud swing of the heavy iron doors to the ritual room. The two guards that held their breath in fear let their eyes widen in complete shock, as the scene that played before them was nothing less that unbelievable.
Even though the Qi in the slave in front them couldn’t have been much more than that of a 6th stage refinement realm cultivator, the sheer pressure he emitted made them sweat uncontrollably. Not to mention Sect Leader Shan and Jin Shou that seemed to be frozen in place, the two guards’ feet felt like they were wading through quicksand, forced to watch the scene but unable to escape. Thin red veins formed on the edges of his blue eyes while a deep black marking that matched his hair's color formed on his arm, the tattered shirt he wore was torn asunder while his teeth formed fangs that looked like they could rip through steel with no resistance. Forget a slave, the two guards felt like they were watching the birth of a peerless god.
The only thing that brought them back to reality was the fuming glare of the Sect Leader, who’s previously silent voice seemed to scream to even the heavens above. Veins formed on his red-tinted face as he roughly screamed, “Catch him! Don’t you dare let this sneaky rat escape with his life!”
As those words reached the still guards, the slave boy turned into a black substance that shot past them like a star towards the ground. They turned around and let out a gasp, as the boy made it to the end of the large meeting room and towards an open window in the few breaths it took them to turn around. To the earth realm cultivator that knew he attack wouldn’t reach the slave in time, his voice too rang through the Sect Leader’s residence as he screamed, “All guards, catch the slave that is making his escape on the right side of the Moonlight Sect Palace! This is an order by the Sect Leader himself, so don’t you dare idle!”
Making use of his newfound power, the guard used his Qi to transmit those exact words to the outside guards and took his partner by the hand to give chase. She felt her face burning with embarrassment, but she knew now wasn’t the time to get in her feelings. The two rushed outside to aid in the Sect-wide search for the slave boy.
Within the time it takes an incense to burn, the entire Sect was woken up at the dead of night by the frantic search for a simple slave boy, which puzzled most disciples. That is, until a few caught the raging pressure of Tie Shan’s father, Tie Xuan above their houses. His black hair moved like flames without wind as the pressure from his peak level Sky Realm cultivation crushed down on those within fifty feet of him. His booming voice could be heard across the entire Sect, as he screamed without restraint, “You worthless slave! You dare take my lord realm corpse from my son, the moment I find you, I’ll tear you to shreds! I, Tie Xuan, swear on my name! If I don’t rip your skin from your very body and retrieve the corpse from your stomach, may the heavens strike me where I stand!”
Tie Xuan’s booming rage caused the now awake cultivators to speak amongst themselves, wondering who had the gall to anger the old Sect Leader so much.
“Lord Xuan’s pressure is amazing, did he reach the peak of Sky Realm already?”
“Whoever this slave may be is doomed, the whole Moonlight Sect will be after him from now on!”
“Ha! What makes you think he’ll escape tonight? I’ll bet that by morning they’ll have him ready to be executed in front of the whole sect.”
“I can’t help but give props to this slave, be him a fool or simply fearless he has the skill to evade so many earth and spirit realm cultivators for so long. Aren’t all slaves crippled?”
“Shh, don’t let old Xuan hear that or he’ll have our heads! The Lord Realm corpse must have helped rebuild his dantian, or why else would he try to steal it in the first place?”
The various disciples continued to talk about the mysterious slave and lord realm corpse, until a loud explosion could be heard from the east of the Sect, near the Illusionary forest. After the time it takes two incense to burn, three elders appeared from the direction of the forest and paid respects to Tie Xuan. These elders were the Three Tiger Elders, each alone had the cultivation of 3rd stage Sky Realm, but together had the strength of a 7th stage Sky Realm, with the help of a cultivation method that bonded their forces together.
“Out with it, where is he?” Tie Xuan demanded, though the blinding rage he displayed earlier was gone, the unadulterated anger he felt didn’t disappear from his voice.
The front elder, Hu Huang, was the first to respond. “Lord Xuan, we… we couldn’t find the slave boy.”
“He fought with the guards near the forest, though only at the 6th stage Refinement Realm, he managed to kill two.” The elder to the right, Hu Wang, followed.
“The moment we arrived, the boy made use of two fire and lighting artifacts he somehow obtained to create an explosion. We’ve sent guards to find him, but none have come up with any good news yet.” The elder to the left, Hu Weidui, finished.
Tie Xuan furrowed his brows, as if he were confused at what the three elders said, “Then what are you fools doing here? Out of my sight! I don’t want to catch a glimpse of you three until I see either a lord realm corpse, that slave boy’s corpse, or your corpses at my goddamn feet! Am I clear?”
The three elders shuddered at Tie Xuan’s cold words, though they were all in the same realm, his power still managed to give the three cold sweats. “Y-yes Lord Xuan!” Hu Huang responded, turning back to his two brothers with no hesitation, “On with it, you two! Our search for the slave boy won’t end until the sun dies and King Yan calls!”
The two elders nodded with a confident smirk, “Yes, brother Huang!”
The three flew away without delay, primarily to avoid any cruel punishments Tie Xuan may have decided to give out simply out of pure frustration. The man in question flew back to the Sect Hall with a sour expression, ashamed and livid that some no-name by managed to take the lord realm corpse for himself and elude the entire Moonlight Sect within a single night. With it gone, his plans to overtake the Raining Swords and Void Sects were basically trashed. Without a Moon Realm cultivator—of which Jin Shou doesn’t count, as he is the overseer of all eastern Sects—the Moonlight Sect would remain little more than a second-rate area. The thought made him clench his fist until they turned white, which brought him back to the very moment he heard that the lord realm corpse was stolen.
“You little brat…” Tie Xuan gnashed his teeth, as if he were trying to break them.
“So long as you draw breath in the Cloud Continent. The Moonlight Sect will be your worst enemy.”