In the sky, there was an almost unbroken layer of white and grey. Jing and Yao could tell from the clouds that there would soon be a storm. A violent gust of wind swept up the dirt road in which they were walking. They had been journeying for almost a week and were about to reach Fox Village. Through their travel, they had been hurrying and in night rested only for three or four hours in order to not waste time. It was of vital importance that they would reach Fox Village as soon as possible. If the Flaming Medallion were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous.

"We will soon be reaching Fox Village," Yao said and let out a breath. "We can relax a bit once we know that the medallion is in the right hands."

"Indeed," Jing replied as he swept the cold sweat on his forehead. His heart beat fast. "This task is nerve-racking. I cannot help but feel worried."

Suddenly, they heard a loud scream. Yao and Jing unsheathed their swords and immediately got into battle stance. They looked around but saw no one. Then, from a bush came forward a cat. It was the cat that had screamed. Both men let out a sigh of relief and sheathed their swords.

Yao laughed. "It is only cat."

Jing too smiled. "Good. This cat really scared me."

Both Jing and Yao were powerful warriors. While by no means top swordsmen, they were the two best disciples of Mount Kunlun. Yet, they both had reasons to be extremely nervous. Jing was on his first mission and as such, it was natural for him to feel nervous. Yao had some more experience in undertaking missions but had never been assigned such an important task before. Knowing that possibly the fate of the entire world hinged on the success of this mission only made him more nervous and worried.

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Jing and Yao finally reached Fox Village early that night. When they were on the outskirts of the village, the sunset had radiated across the clouds, turning them molten orange with bands of pink. Now it was gone and the sky was starless, moonless. There was no twilight, only blackness. The wind was gusty and the first drops of rain reminded the two men that there was going to be a storm soon.

Fox Village was a small and insignificant village. It was poor and so most of the houses were crude to the extreme, with earthen walls and mud floors. Jing and Yao headed to one of those houses and knocked its door.

"Who is it?" an elderly voice asked.

"Elder Huo, it is Qing Yao and Yang Jing from Mount Kunlun Sect," Yao said.

The elder opened the door. There was a radiant smile on his face. "Please, come inside!" he said and led them into his crude hall. The hall had only a small round wooden table and three chairs. Elder Huo was a grizzled old man with a red nose, dressed in simple peasant clothes and smoking a pipe. One would be excused for thinking he was simply an old peasant. Yet, appearances deceive. Elder Huo was a remarkably knowledgeable scholar; he had studied thousands upon thousands of ancient texts. While he was not among the top martial arts experts, his swordsmanship was not to be underestimated either.

"Please, do sit!" Huo said, pointing at the chairs. The two disciples sat on the chairs and Huo said, "I will be coming in a moment."

He then rushed inside a room to the left. About a minute later, which seemed like an eternity to Jing and Yao, Huo came back to the hall holding the Flaming Medallion in his hands. The medallion was made out of pure gold. There was a gleaming red stone set in the center. Jing could sense the powerful aura that the medallion exuded. In his time in Mount Kunlun, he had seen many powerful weapons and objects but none exuded such a terrifying aura of power.

"This is the Flaming Medallion," Huo said and grinned. "No one has seen this medallion for more than eight hundred thousand years. You really are lucky to be able to gaze at such a marvelous object; thousands of swordsmen, immortals and kings have been searching for it for hundreds of thousands of years."

Huo placed the medallion on the roundtable. He then sat on a chair and smoked his pipe. Grand puffs of smoke curled around his head. After a moment of silence, Huo spoke. "Do you want to hear the story of this medallion?"

It was already late at night and there was going to be a storm. Jing and Yao knew that they had to stay in the village for the night and were more relaxed now that the medallion was under their protection. As such, they nodded in agreement.

"Good to hear that!" Huo exclaimed. "I love telling stories. Our story begins in the ancient times. A million years ago, the God of War Ma Yuan wanted to face the Demonic Deity. The Demonic Deity was a being of supreme power. The Jade Emperor and the Celestial Court were terrified of its power and had to accept its lordship. Ma Yuan was among the few who could not put up with the tyranny of that evil creature. So, he went to the Mountain of a Thousand Flames and used its Holy Lava to forge a magic medallion of immense power. He then channeled all his vast internal energy into the gleaming red stone you see on the medallion. This combination of the Holy Lava and the internal energy of the God of War made the Flaming Medallion the all-powerful object it is today. Ma Yuan used this medallion to obliterate the Demonic Deity. He then hid the medallion and soon after died due to his wounds."

"How did the medallion fall in the hands of Yi Hong?" Jing asked.

Huo smiled. "Now, that is a good question! Two hundred thousand years after the obliteration of the Demonic Deity, a young immortal named Ye Guang discovered that remnants of the spirit of the Demonic Deity had managed to survive. Those remnants overtook his body. Overnight, his powers increased a thousandfold. He inherited most of the extraordinary powers of the Demonic Deity and cultivated them. With his powers being beyond the imagination of even the Jade Emperor, Ye Guang was no longer content with being a mere immortal. He raised an army of undead, rose in revolt against the Celestial Court and took the mantle of Dark Lord. He wreaked havoc on Heavens and Earth, killing many immortals and millions of mortals. It was then when a young hero emerged; he was the son of poor peasants and his name was Yi Hong. An immortal found out that the boy had the potential to be an unparalleled martial hero. The Celestial Court and the Orthodox Sects provided him with the best teachers. Soon enough, he had become a legendary swordsman. He scored many victories against the underlings of the Dark Lord, yet his powers still couldn't compare to those of the Dark Lord."

"So he used the Flaming Medallion and Heavenly Sword against the Dark Lord?" Yao asked.

"Indeed. The Flaming Medallion had been hidden somewhere in the Mountain of a Thousand Flames by Ma Yuan as he knew that if it fell into the wrong hands, its powers could shatter the entire world. Yi Hong managed to find the Medallion. He also used this chance to forge another magic weapon; he used the Holy Lava, the Stone of Supreme Power which had been given to him by the Jade Emperor and his own internal energy to forge the Heavenly Sword. Armed with those two weapons, he faced in single combat the Dark Lord in a duel that is now the stuff of legends. Thousands of poets and singers, both immortal and mortal, have recounted this battle. Each time their swords clashed, an earthquake shook the entire human realm and demolished thousands of cities. Each time their internal energies clashed, mighty tsunamis rose, the ground cracked and tornadoes ravaged whole countries. Eventually, Yi Hong slew the Dark Lord after a duel lasting six days. The whole world lay in ruins in the aftermath of that duel but the Dark Lord and his evil forces had been defeated. After this duel, Yi Hong disappeared along with the Flaming Medallion and Heavenly Sword. No one knows what happened to him. Now, eight hundred thousand years later, the Flaming Medallion has once again appeared."

"Elder, do you know how this medallion can be used?" Jing asked.

Huo sighed. "Unfortunately, I do not. The texts do not mention anything about how either Ma Yuan or Yi Hong used the medallion. During those few weeks it has been in my possession, I have studied it thoroughly. Yet, I have not found a way to use it. It is kind of ironic, isn't it? We have possibly the most powerful object to have ever been created in our hands and we do not know how to use it."

Huo smoked his pipe for a moment and then said, "It is late and it is raining heavily. It is better if you stay here for the night. You can sleep in the restroom."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Thank you for your kindness," Yao said. "We will not bother you. We will leave early in the morning."

Huo laughed. "No need to be so polite. You are not burdensome. It's been a long time since I last had some company, so I do not mind lodging you in my house for a night."

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The rain poured down over the village with a roar. The sound of emptiness was disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder. The howl and beating rain were loud and the two Kunlun disciples had a hard time trying to fall asleep. Jing was thinking about the story Elder Huo told him. He could picture in his mind the noble and fearsome Yi Hong battling with the despicable Dark Lord. 'That would truly be a sight to behold.'

A loud scream was suddenly heard. It was the kind of scream that made your blood run cold. The scream tore through Jing like a great shard of glass. His eyes widened and pulse quickened. Adrenaline surged through his veins. He shot up from his bed; so did Yao.

"What happened?" Jing asked.

"Don't know," Yao replied. "Let's take a look."

Before they left the room, Jing grabbed the medallion. They had been keeping it in the room with them in order to ensure its safety. They opened the room's door and walked into the hall. The flickering light of a candle illuminated the hall just enough to see by. As they were taking slow steps forward, the two men saw a trail of blood leading outside the house.

"Elder Huo?" Jing whispered.

"Let's get out of here right now!" Yao said. "This place is not safe anymore!"

As they rushed out of the house, they saw a sight that terrified them. A man, if he could be called a man, was holding by the throat Elder Huo. The man was dressed in a black robe. His face was deathly pale and awfully scarred; it was as if every bone on his face had been cracked and mended back together a thousand times. Blood dripped from his eyes. With a swift move, he strangled Huo and threw away his lifeless body.

"You shall not escape!" he said with his deep voice.

Jing's face became ashen white. He was trembling in fear. His heart beat fast; he could almost hear its tumultuous thudding. Jing was brave and rarely got scared but he had never before seen such a terrifying person; his scars, the blood dripping from his eyes, his voice – everything about him was scary.

"Who…are you?" Jing asked.

"I am the Demon of Doom, servant of the Dark Lord Ye Guang."

"The Dark Lord is dead!" Jing shouted. "What do you want?"

The Demon smiled. "He will soon be revived. As for what I want… the medallion and your life!"

The Demon channeled his internal energy into his right hand and then used it to create a bolt of fire. With a swift move, he threw it at Jing. Jing was barely able to dodge the bolt. The Demon then channeled his internal energy into a lightning bolt and threw it at Yao. Yao used his internal energy to create a shield around him and block the bolt.

"You have mastery of the internal energy…" the Demon said. "But it will not save you!"

The Demon unsheathed his sword; it was a longsword made from the bones of beasts of the underworld. It was thus known as the 'Skeletal Sword'. It exuded an aura of death and coldness. Jing and Yao both unsheathed their swords and charged forward. The Demon easily parried their attacks. With a swift move, he slashed downwards Yao's chest. He then stabbed him on the shoulder. As his sword pierced through Yao's flesh, Yao cried out and fainted. Jing was left on his own. Jing lunged forward with the speed of the wind and slashed at the Demon with overwhelming force. The Demon parried the first attack but then Jing stabbed him in the chest. To Jing's utmost surprise, the Demon did not feel anything. He grabbed Jing by the hair and threw him on the ground. He then walked slowly towards him, with Jing's sword still stabbed on his chest.

A pale Jing shouted, "Why don't you die?!"

The Demon laughed. "Because I am already dead. You cannot kill the dead."

With the Demon approaching him, Jing had no time to contemplate what he would do next. He would simply do whatever came to his mind at that moment. Having heard about the spectacular powers of the Flaming Medallion, using it was the first idea that came to his mind. He grabbed the medallion and channeled his internal energy in it; nothing happened. With the Demon being right in front of him, Jing wore the medallion around his neck; he hoped that this time the medallion would unleash its powers. It did not. The Demon grabbed Jing by the hair, lifted him up and stabbed him right through his heart with his skeletal sword. Jing vomited blood and instantly died. His last thoughts were on his clan and his teacher and how he had failed them; he had failed to get justice for his parents and brothers. He had failed to return the medallion to his teacher. He had failed.

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Darkness. Numbness. Chillness. Jing couldn't see or hear anything. He was sure that he was dead yet if he was dead, how could he still contemplate? That was the question that troubled him. 'I…feel strange,' he thought. 'I feel a warmness surging inside me. I….feel very warm…. It is hot….very hot.'

And then there was light; blinding light. Jing's eyes hurt. He closed them. When he opened his eyes a moment later, he found himself looking at a roof. He was lying on a bed, covered in a white sheet. He was naked; and so was the young woman that was sleeping with him. Jing blushed and felt flustered.

"What happened?" he asked. "Am I dead or not?"

Suddenly a flush of memories flooded his mind. His head ached and he was barely able to keep himself from screaming. He was seeing the memories of a young person; that young person was apparently himself. His name was Cheng Yuan and he was twenty-three years old. He was the son of Cheng Wang, Governor of White City, a huge metropolis of the Jia Dynasty. Yuan made full use of his riches and high status; he lived the life of a playboy, flirting with women and then dumping them, forcing women to sleep with him, hiring experts to beat up or even kill those who opposed him. Jing felt disgusted with this man, and even more disgusted with the fact that apparently somehow his spirit had reincarnated in the body of such a lowlife scum. Jing, or rather Yuan now, knew that if someone was reincarnated, he would lose all memories of his past life. Yet, he remembered everything about his past life as Yang Jing.

"Why did I have to be reincarnated in the body of a scum?" he said aloud.

The woman sleeping beside him woke up and asked, "Does Master want to have some more fun?"

"I…"

Instead of replying, Yuan got up from his bed and quickly dressed. He then remembered where exactly he was; in the Wu Brothel. During his previous life, he had never before visited a brothel, much less seen a naked woman. He had vowed to devote himself to seeking justice for his clan and cultivating immortality on Mount Kunlun. Yet here he was now in the company of a naked woman.

"No… Thanks for the offer but….I have a job to take care of!" Yuan frantically said. The whole situation was awkward for him. As he was about to leave, he remembered the medallion. 'What happened to it?' he thought. He looked around and saw that the medallion was actually on the floor. He quickly picked it up and placed it in his pocket. 'How exactly did the medallion come here?' he wondered. He was confused as to how the medallion suddenly appeared in this room but at the same time he felt happy and let out a sigh of relief. 'It is good that the medallion has not fallen in the hands of that Demon. I now need to find a way to go to Mount Kunlun and give the medallion to Teacher. Once I accomplish this task, I can go seek justice for my clan. My new identity as son of Governor Cheng Wang may be helpful in getting me into the palace.'

As Yuan was about to leave, suddenly a man barged into the room. That man was a middle-aged Buddhist monk; his clean shaved head and yellow robe indicated as much. He spotted a black mustache and beard. He wasn't tall but he was sturdy and was holding a wooden staff. Yuan couldn't help but find the whole situation funny. He smiled and asked, "What is a Buddhist monk doing in a brothel?"

"Beating you up!" the monk barked. He then charged at Yuan with his staff. The woman, seeing the scene, screamed loudly and rushed out of the room. Yuan tried to defend himself but as he moved swiftly his hand, his back suddenly ached. It seemed that Cheng Yuan, unlike Yang Jing, was neither a martial warrior nor a cultivator. Yuan damned the moment he had reincarnated in such a useless body.

The staff hit Yuan on the head. Before Yuan could react, the monk hit him again; this time on the chest. His chest became bruised and he cried out. He swiftly bowed and cried, "Please, show mercy!"

"Bastard!" the monk barked. "Did you show any mercy to the women you forced to sleep with you or the men you killed because they stood up to you?"

Yuan had to admit that he hadn't shown any mercy towards either men or women. But he wasn't the one who had committed all those terrible acts; it was the old Yuan. How could Yuan explain to the monk that he wasn't actually the old Yuan but rather Yang Jing reincarnated in the body of Cheng Yuan? And would the monk believe him? Most likely not, so he instead pleaded for the monk's forgiveness. "Please, I want to turn over a new leaf. Spare me! I will never bully anyone again!"

The monk thought about it for a moment. On the one hand, Cheng Yuan was lowlife bastard who used his wealth and high status to bully people. On the other hand, he was a Buddhist monk and did not like killing. If someone like Yuan repented and became virtuous, wouldn't it be even better than him simply killing him? While the monk was thinking about this, Yuan was frantically kowtowing.

"Alright." the monk said. "I will give you two choices: the first is to follow the path of virtue and become a Buddhist monk. You will join the Lingjiu Monastery."

Yuan was disappointed. He did not have the resolve nor the time for joining a Buddhist monastery. He had to hurry to Mount Kunlun and deliver to Elder Rong the Flaming Medallion. If what the Demon said about the revival of the Dark Lord was true, then there was no time to lose. He also had to seek justice for his clan. "What is the second option?" Yuan asked.

"To be castrated!"

Yuan gulped. "What?"

"It's your choice."

"Well…I will follow the path of Buddha."

The monk smiled. "Excellent. Glad to see that you plan to follow the path of virtue. I will be following you to the Monastery to make sure that you adhere to your decision, however. So do not delude yourself that you can fool me."

"It is great that you will be coming with me. I will have great company!" Yuan sarcastically said and forced a smile. "How may I address you?"

"Abbot Hwang."