The overbearing might of the hall brought forth even greater pressure as Jian was pushed to the very brink of exhaustion. As soon as he laid eyes on the black haired youth sitting meters below the majestic altar he instantly recognized him. This shocking revelation only lasted for a single breath though as he laid eyes on the looming sword etched deeply into the dark stone altar. Its aura carried both despair and a feeling of absolute overbearing might, the pressure the sword made Jian choke on his own spit in freight. The strangest thing was that even if the sword emitted pressure of a tyrant overlooking all beings, like a god watching over all men, it also felt like it carried a great longing, a longing to be heard, a longing to be found, a lonely yet melodic sadness kept pouring in an everlasting stream.
Seconds past but in the eyes of the beholder the years withered and eons passed.
“What is that?” a rugged voice left Jian’s voice as he was still trying to catch his breath. A cold breeze kept swaying his detailed yet now dirty coat. This very breeze was what brought him back to reality; one might think it was a breeze meant for this purpose and this purpose alone.
As the voice stumbled out of the yet shocked young master the black haired youth slowly turned his head. As he caught sight of the white haired young master, feeling of rage and shock came rumbling up simultaneously. A great fire started, it burned with undying rage, but the rage slowly subsided and died down. Moments passed and a smile crept itself up the black haired youths face, his fierce eyes turned solemn and serene.
“Hahaha” A loud laugh left his now smiling lips; slightly yellow teeth could be seen brimming with an unfamiliar light.
Jian could only stare in confusion at the now smiling youth. His laughter continued to echo in this large hall, growing louder and fiercer by the moments.
“Why are you laughing?!” Jian screamed in confusion, the turn of events had left him completely dumbfounded.
“Who would have thought that you, my enslaver, would be slaved to the same fate?”
“You, young master born among the stars, would share a curse with one brought about among the dirt!”
As those words left the young youths mouth the loud laugh continued to echo across the hall. Tears of joy, despair or both came flooding out of his eyes. The melodic laugh echoed higher and higher, bouncing from wall to wall.
As Jian was rebuke the man he now thought had gone entirely insane a loud archaic voice exploded inside his head. The voice was so loud Jian felt his eardrums crumbling; the pain resonated across his being.
Do you believe in destiny?
“Ahhh!!” A loud unfamiliar shout of pain echoed across the huge hall. Jian as a cultivator had high pain threshold to begin with, was sweating cold, as the pain pounded like a beating heartbeat across his head. A hammer brought down from the heavens kept slamming his head, as the slamming continued the pain escalated.
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A mountain stood tall above the clouds. Birds as massive as dragons coiled around its peak. Three unfamiliar suns hanged across the sky, their light as mighty as ever. Strangely enough snow fell across the mountain, even if it appeared to be in the middle of summer. The snowflakes continued to pour but as soon as they touched the surface of the mountain they evaporated, wiped from existence. The mountain was from the looks of it as large as an entire world, cities crawled across its ascent and humans flying across the vast land could be seen. The feeling emitting from every single person flying among those cities would make people like Jian shake in fright.
On the peak of the mountain an extravagant palace laid. High columns that reached into the stars and statues of great beings overlook the entirety of the mountain. White was the defining color as it radiated a feeling of justice and absolute power. In the middle of the castle was a courtyard, stretching miles to miles in every direction. Below one of the white trees that grew sat an old man, or at least that was what one presumed by feeling his aura. He appeared ancient but at the same time carried a youthful and adventurous expression.
The old man seemed happy as he witnessed the blooming of another heavenly white oak tree. The leaves across it’s bark bloomed, growth time seemed irrelevant around here as the tree continued to grow. Was the man ordering the tree to grow? Just as that thought came to mind lightning struck down
Booooom
Just a couple of meters away from the old man a giant powerful lightning bolt descended. The sky which was totally clear had actually created a lightning bolt from thin air. The next second a man appeared, almost like he had been the lightning bolt to begin with. The man was black haired and black eyed, handsome and serious. The aura he emitted was sharp to a shocking degree; normal men would crumble from his aura alone. Quite the opposite from the calm and collected old man who appeared to be a mortal.
“Lord Lin!” The stern yet handsome man said while dropping down in a kneeling position.
The old man only nodded his head in response as he continued to gaze across the blooming tree.
“The Sword Demon of Hellfire Mountain is approaching as we speak”
“Not even senior Lin He could stop him!”
Clear concerned could be seen in the black haired man’s eyes. He had devoted his life to protecting his master and would continue on for eternity.
“His hatred burns undying only revenge will kindle the flame”
“Sadly we are the creators therefore our words are the law and our actions the guidelines”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The old man said without breaking his gaze upon the three.
Just as those words left his mouth a sound akin to a meteor could be heard in close proximity. A second later the meteors came in sight; a man dressed in a black robe appeared. His eyes red as rubies combined with hair as white as the snow. His entire being was enveloped in a dark menacing aura; the trees in his vicinity withered and died instantly even the grass withered in his presence. If there was ever to be a god of death this man would without a doubt claim that title.
“LIN!!”
His scream echoed across the valley it was so loud that beings over the entirety of the mountain could hear his call. The rage and sadness it carried left deep scars in every being who heard it.
“You shouldn’t have come”
“Coming here is going against the heavens themselves”
The old man said without facing the bloodthirsty demon.
“Fuck the heavens!”
There were no remorse or wavering in the white haired man’s answer, only a never dying determination. Without a second delay he gripped his black sword attached to his side, lifted it above his head and brought it down. The slash seemed casual no aura or pressure was emitted from this strike.
But as soon as the sword completed the set motion a rumbling came crushing down, like a titan or a god punching a devastating pressure spread across the entire mountain. A visage appeared behind the man, a visage of a demon burning, screaming in agony. The scream was so loud and menacing that a listener several thousand miles away perished from hearing its cry.
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Jian woke up. Before him was once again the mighty hall and that mesmerizing sword came into view. Sweat covered his entire body as he felt a great pain washing over his very being. The event had certainly brought him even further closer to the brink of exhaustion or even death. Jian circulated his Ki across his body in an attempt to recover some strength. Moments later that almighty pressure that hall initially emitted returned..
Your fate has been set
Slay the heavens and bring down its keepers
The words resonated across Jian’s mind as he once again felt like his eardrums were about to explode.
“AHHH!!” The same scream of pain that echoed across the hall before returned. The pain was beating across his head, it almost felt like that he did not have permission to hear these words and were therefore punished, but obviously he couldn’t be sure.
“Hahaha!” A loud laugh came creeping out of the black haired youth’s mouth. He was ecstatic seeing this young master in pain. The laugh continued to echo across the hall but for obvious reasons Jian couldn’t hear them. Minutes past and the laugh stopped, silence was once again the master. The black haired youth just stared as Jian was struggling to keep himself awake. By continuously circulating the Ki in his body the injuries continued to deter, the pain obviously also deterred with every second. It didn’t take long before Jian was able to at least sit up.
“What was that?” Were the first words that came to mind. The scene in that vivid dream was shocking to a world changing degree. That sword slash and those people all seemed like gods in Jian’s eyes, never in his 12 years of life had he witnessed a cultivator even remotely close to those people. A sage cultivator was most likely less than an ant in the eyes of those people.
“I have no idea” The black haired youth said with a coy smile hanging across his face.
“Quit fucking with me and tell me truth or the second we get out of here i'll have you executed!” Jian said gritting his teeth. His injuries were still very apparent and kept pounding him with an intense pain.
“Haha”
“Slow down there young master!” The black haired mouth turned into a laugh. Seeing such a collected young man who had everything in his grasp flustered to this degree was something rarely seen.
“I am telling the truth! That scene played out for me to a month ago. So I know as little as you”
Jian could not find any sign of him lying as the black haired youth had voiced out his inquiries.
“There is one difference between you and me though, I have touched this sword right here” The black haired youth named Yun said as he pointed towards the lonely sword resting firmly in the black pedestal.
“You should soon feel really compelled to do so, almost to the degree that if you don’t you will never be able to think of anything else” Yun said with yet another coy smile hanging across his mouth.
As those words left Yun’s mouth Jian certainly was feeling an itch to approach the sword. But this itch was there from the moment he entered the hall and had not escalated in the slightest.
“Will something bad happen if I touch that sword?” Jian couldn’t help asking. The black haired Yun had pointed out it earlier like it was something vital. He had also explained that the itch to approach the sword would actually grow stronger to shocking degree. Obviously touching the sword held some important meaning.
“You will now once you touch it” Yun responded still having a coy smile hanging across his lips.
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Ty for reading. Please comment if you have any thoughts.