The Navira Mountain Range consisted of several mountains lined up one after another, stretching out for hundreds of miles. Multiple streams formed beneath the several mountain tops, accumulating into massive rivers that ran through deep valleys, until finally resting down into one of the many lakes below. Consequently, these lakes provided abundant freshwater which stimulated the nearby lands to accumulate vast stretches of wild foliage.
These grasslands and lakes were collectively known as the Navira Planes.
In the western parts of these planes stood an isolated breeding farm. There, a group of strange animals could be seen chasing after a young man.
These animals were, in fact, a common breed in the Navira Planes. Even though the locals named them fighting bulls, they actually looked similar to black pigs but somewhat larger and sturdier. However, the main feature that distinguished them from pigs was their set of protruding fangs, giving them the appearance of little demons.
“Chill down you crazy gluttons!” Jack shouted while hurling junks of meat. “Not like you haven’t eaten for years!”
The bulls charged forward with glittering eyes, shredding the meat without even giving it the chance to reach the ground.
Observing this usual ruckus always made Jack smile wryly. Somewhere inside him, he felt grateful that those little bastards didn’t like human meat. Otherwise, anyone falling victim of their teeth would definitely suffer a painful death.
After he was done feeding them, he leaned against the fence and rubbed the sweat off his forehead. Then he slowly grabbed a dry plant from his pockets, rolled it between his fingers and placed it inside his mouth.
The plant instantly reacted with his saliva, producing a violet smoke that he released casually every couple of breaths.
He sighed. If he knew beforehand that taking care of these bulls would have been such a hard task, he would have definitely refused.
However, any feeling of annoyance quickly faded away. In the end, these ‘little bastards’ and the farm Master were his only friends. To be more precise, they were his one and only family.
Even after all these years, he still had no idea who his parents were, and he wasn’t that much interested in learning who either.
Because his parents had clearly abandoned him when he was an infant. He didn’t even remember their shadows, let alone their faces.
Instead, the earliest face he remembered was the face of an ugly man, the crook bastard that sold him off at a slave market for a couple of silvers.
What followed after that were memories that still haunted him to this very day; the devilish laughter of the Slave Lords, the sounds of rattling chains slamming onto the ground, the cries of fellow slaves pleading for mercy as they were butchered by their Lords, the stench of blood that suffocated their cells and almost made one vomit, the final breaths of his then friends dying with hopeless eyes…
He sighed again, exhaling a longer stream of smoke.
Only after reaching sixteen had his life started to improve, and that was when he was sold off as a slave combatant in a fighting arena.
Even though it was an illegal underground environment, where thugs and bandits abound, his life there was much better than before. However, he still was on the verge of losing his life a couple of times during massive fights.
In the end, the shouts of cheering spectators are what kept him on living, even though he knew that it was only a false satisfaction in a place where there was no future.
But the heavens didn’t wholly abandon him either.
After two years in the arena, and just when he was about to collapse from the extreme fatigue, a kind soul appeared out of nowhere.
The mysterious middle-aged man had personally visited the arena searching for specific labourers. After he had examined almost every individual in the arena, he pinpointed three tough looking men, one of them being Jack.
The arena owner was at first reluctant to release one of his best fighting warriors. However, after the man dropped a small bag of golden coins, the owner ceased any form of resistance.
And that’s how for the last three months Jack ended up taking in his custody these bulls. And that’s why he never complained directly and instead felt grateful towards his new master, because when compared to the slave market and arena, this new home was indeed a paradise for him. There was nothing more he could ask for.
Genuinely immersed inside his melancholy, he was interrupted when one of the bulls released a low pitched roar.
“Seriously? Have you not ate enough already?! Greedy &#%*!” Jack locked on an irritating gaze towards the bull.
But not only one breath of time had passed before the other bulls followed one by one and started howling in unison, all pointing towards the lake.
This bizarre situation confused Jack as he turned his head and glanced over the lake. He then made a weird glance towards the bulls, then back again towards the lake. He repeated this three times, but he still couldn’t notice anything abnormal.
But on his fourth check and just when he was about to ignore them, his entire body trembled and his eyes opened wide, as the dried plant fell graciously from his mouth.
Hovering over the middle of the lake, the silhouette of a young man had appeared.
The young man wore a strange robe which radiated magnificence, while his body seemed to be releasing a heavenly aura, apparently capable of alarming any living creature in the area.
From Jack’s perspective, he could suddenly feel a strange force crushing over his soul. This man seemed like a celestial being about to pass judgment to the whole world.
A hint of a smile was visible on the young’s man face as his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
He produced out of nowhere a golden bamboo stick the height of a human. He held it high up using both of his hands, and shortly after it began vibrating and glowing with glittering lights.
The young man forced himself a deep breath, then yelled, “Esteemed Ancestors! Your presence humbles respectful Junior!”
The young man remained motionless smiling towards the lake, but after he realised that the only response he received was his own voice echoing multiple times, a frown quickly developed and a hint of displeasure spread all over his face.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
But not only there was no hint of demotivation coming out from his body, but his eyes seemed more determinate than before, as he mobilised his bamboo stick once again.
This time, waves of air pressures began pulsating out from the stick. As soon as the ripples touched the surface of the lake, the waters suddenly became agitated and boiled with ferocity. The air shook as a reddish hue enveloped the sky, creating an unnerving atmosphere.
The young man then spread his arms and shouted with a stronger voice.
“Ancient Immortals! Please allow junior to prove himself, to fight for your cause!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he held tight on the bamboo stick, now visibly tired as he gasped for breath. It seemed the bamboo stick was having a heavy toll on his stamina.
The young man stood there, his piercing eyes looking down towards the lake.
Upon noticing again that there was no reaction whatsoever, his expression turned ugly. He let out a devilish roar as veins cropped up all over his body, then like a madman hurled the bamboo stick with all the force he could gather.
The bamboo stick descended like a meteorite, piercing through the lake and causing a massive explosion that rattled the very core of the earth.
The winds roared, and the waters transformed into gigantic waves. Cavities appeared on the lands surrounding the lake as red lightning descended from the sky.
At this moment the earth itself seemed to be crumbling!
The sudden fury of the elements terrorised all fighting bulls. They began slamming their heads with full force against the fence in a desperate attempt to flee.
The fence was quite sturdy, but the pressure exerted by all bulls was not something it could resist. Slowly, cracks began spreading out until it broke apart.
The bulls immediately rushed through the breach as fast as they could, disappearing from Jack’s eye range in a short number of breaths.
Jack was obviously aware of this, but he did not stop them. He was concerned for them and instantly understood that if they stayed trapped here, they would most probably end up dying. He also assumed that his Master would definitely understand him once he explained the situation. But that was the least of his worries right now.
Instead, he kept staring at the lake consumed with fear. A part of him wanted him to stay and watch the incredible event unfold, while another part of him wanted him to run away as fast as he could.
It was then that another voice was heard.
It was a weak voice, seemingly originating from the depths below the lake, a voice that sounded more ancient than the earth itself.
“Inheritor… approved.”
The middle of the lake rumbled as a rapid rock pillar arose, spraying spiralling water like a huge heavenly fountain.
It didn’t take much time for the water spray to abate, revealing an ancient coffin standing on top of the pillar. Next to the coffin, stuck deep in the ground was the bamboo stick, now glowing with even more intensity.
The mysterious man grinned as he descended towards the coffin.
Clearly nervous, he grabbed the coffin’s lid and ripped it apart. A gust of white fog instantly pressured out, blinding him for a couple of breaths.
As soon as the air cleared, he could see the corpse of an ancient human skeleton dressed in a tattered golden robe. On its left hand rested a glowing white sphere of light, glowing with no lesser intensity than the bamboo stick.
The man’s eyes shone enthusiastically as he slowly reached out his right index finger towards the sphere of light.
As soon as he touched it, his entire body trembled and his eyes illuminated with blinding light. Even his veins began glowing with white energies as the sphere of light began merging into his body. His muscles expanded, his height increased a bit while his hair doubled in length.
As soon as the last flickers of light dissolved and merged into his body, he remained motionless staring at the decaying corpse in front of him. In a couple of breaths, what remained of the corpse was only the tattered robe.
The brightness of the vibrating bamboo also faded away, followed by the calming of natural forces.
Tears of joy descended over his cheek as he remembered the years he had spent planning just for this day. The perils he had to go through during his journeys, the countless nights spent inside the library of his clan studying the sparse records of the ancients; legends of powerful experts that rocked the ancient world!
Then two years ago, as a stroke of good fortune, he had stumbled on a precious relic of the ancients; the Golden Bamboo Stick! Who else was destined to retrieve the power of the ancients if not him?! Nobody else was qualified!
But that was all in the past now! The power of his dreams was finally his!
Now he could genuinely aim for greater glory!
“Hehehe… this primordial fool… did he actually believed that I cared about his shitty legacy?!” A devilish grin appeared on his face. “I, Dong Li, only wanted his formidable power!”
“The power of the essence of the ancients… and the power of one of the seven artefacts of the ancients… now both in my possession… hehe…hahaha!” He laughed heartily, apparently proud of himself that he managed to con the ancient being.
Distracted by his recent achievement, he didn’t notice that a portal had materialised in the thin air not that far from him.
A hand of black mist emerged extending towards him, followed by the head of a creature that resembled half human and half corpse. It radiated an aura of deep rot as it crept towards Dong Li’s shoulder.
Dong Li’s eyes expanded as a sense of deadly crisis enveloped him.
He quickly dodged then pointed his finger, summoning a horizontal wind blast which blew the advancing mist away.
He appeared shocked as he retreated away. “What the…”
He had many questions but had no time for answers.
Dong Li did a quick incantation, summoning a strong rotating wind over the lake. The wind sucked up the nearby water, raising a mighty column of water that slammed into the strange creature.
Dong Li slowly recuperated his breathing as he observed the column of water. His eyebrows contracted when he saw the creature leisurely walking out of the column of water, completely unharmed.
“Dark energy… a wraith of the underworld?!”
The creature replied with a bloodcurdling scream as it began gathering mist inside its mouth, slowly forming a sizeable black vortex which coalesced in the form of a lance. The lance then raced towards Dong Li with incredible speed.
Dong Li gritted his teeth. He collected all the force he could muster, then used the bamboo stick to slash viciously at the incoming lance.
The visible energetic slash flashed with power as it hurled towards the lance of mist, destroying it on impact. The remaining force continued unabated towards the creature.
The creature quickly protected itself by summoning a shield of mist, but the force of the slash ripped it apart. With no form of protection, the slash hit the creature, splitting it into two halves!
Seeing this, Dong Li laughed triumphantly. “Ahaha! Looks like dying once already didn't teach you anything, you stupid ghost!”
However, just as he finished speaking, the remaining black mist began condensing again.
Slowly the wraith reformed, its red and maddening eyes now fixated on Dong Li. It let out another earth-shattering yell, then charged towards him.
A sense of despair could now be seen in Dong Li’s eyes, hating on himself for provoking further this abomination.
Even with his increased strength, the odds of him coming alive out of this encounter were now quite low. Besides, he still had barely any control over his new found powers. The best course of action for him was to distract the wraith and flee this place.
He was about to attack again when he perceived someone in the distance. His eyes suddenly flashed with hope.
He seemed to lose any will to continue this fight, instead flying full speed towards a different direction.
When Jack noticed, his trembling eyes opened wide and his pupils constricted. He instantly began hating on himself for remaining here and not leaving beforehand.
He swiftly pulled out his only weapon of defence that was well hidden under his shirt; a rusty dagger that seemed that it could crumble on itself after a couple of slashes.
It didn’t take much time for Dong Li to arrive before Jack.
Noticing the evil intentions of his adversary, Jack took the initiative and waved his dagger, but compared to Dong Li, he was just too slow.
Dong Li easily grabbed him by his neck, slamming him onto the ground like a little bug. The only thing Jack could do was coughing out a mouthful of blood.
“Raising your hand against me? Learn your place, you pathetic mortal!” Dong Li roared as he branded a Talisman on Jack’s forehead. “Don’t blame me! Blame your own misfortune!”
Dong Li then retreated with maximum speed.
The wraith was still on Dong Li’s trails when it sensed the talisman on Jack’s forehead. An unwieldy expression suddenly appeared on its face, as if it was struggling to resist some sort of attraction.
It suddenly changed its course and roared towards Jack. All this happened instantly, giving Jack no chance to recover.
When the wraith appeared before him, it released a cloud of mist, engulfing him within it. Jack struggled in vain against the mist, as his entire body was completely obscured in a couple of breaths.
When the black cloud finally cleared, both the wraith and Jack had disappeared without a trace.