The sun shone brightly. Its vibrant rays warmed the day. Yuan and Harald were walking in the bamboo forest. Yuan knew that the journey to Mount Kunlun was going to be a long one. After an hour of walk, Yuan asked Harald to stop for an hour or two in order for him to practice his swordplay. Although the pills the Lord fed him set him on the path to cultivation and his physical strength had increased, he was still less powerful compared to his past life as Yang Jing. The reason for this was that his techniques were still not refined and, although he remembered the sword forms his teacher had taught him, he hadn't practiced them yet.

Yuan thus began practicing his swordplay. His movements were fast and each one of his moves caused a gust of wind. His sword forms aimed at fast attacks. This made him vulnerable to a possible counterattack, but Yuan was confident that his constant attacks would force his enemies on the defensive and not allow them to attack him. Although he was still lacking compared to his past self, Yuan was making progress and at least he could adequately defend himself now. While Yuan was practicing, Harald was taking a nap below a tall tree. Its shadow shielded him from the bright rays of the sun.

"You evil bastard!" someone shouted.

Yuan turned around and saw that it was a young man wearing a long white gown. He held a sword and pointed it at Yuan. Harald, hearing the noise, woke up; he immediately got up, grabbed his axe and was going to strike at the man when Yuan stopped him.

"How may I have offended you?" Yuan asked the man. "I have no wish to fight with you and I hope that we can solve peacefully any misunderstandings."

"There is no misunderstanding!" the man barked. "You are despicable; you are worse than an animal. Not only did you commit so many crimes, but you also killed Abbot Hwang who was kind enough to spare you. I shall avenge his death!"

"Young hero, please do not accuse me of crimes I have not committed. I have indeed committed despicable crimes in the past but I have turned over a new leaf and once I complete a very important task, I shall seek to compensate anyone hurt by me. But I am not the one who killed Abbot Hwang. While I accept responsibility for crimes I have committed, I cannot accept responsibility for something I have not done. I hope that you will hear my side of the story before resorting to violence."

The man sneered. "You sure are devious. Do you think excuses and sweet words will make me pity you? Do you think I am such an idiot as to believe the lies you spout?"

"You are the one lying!" Harald said. "You better take back your words or I shall cut you to a thousand pieces!"

"Do you think I am afraid of you?!" the man shouted.

"Young hero," Yuan said in his attempt to defuse the situation, "did you see me murder Abbot Hwang? Do you have evidence that I am the one who killed him? Also, you should know that Abbot Hwang was a powerful martial artist. How could I hope to match his skills? If I wasn't his match, then how could I have killed him?"

"Abbot Hwang had made known that he was going to punish you for your crimes. Many people also saw you together. Shortly thereafter, he was found dead. You may not have killed him, but one of your lackeys surely did. Even if you are telling the truth and you did not kill Abbot Hwang, your past actions are so despicable that you deserve to die."

Yuan sighed. He knew that there was no way to talk this young warrior out of this fight. He had hoped that the man would be persuaded to leave. Yuan did not want to harm him; in fact, he admired him. Although he was stubborn, he was willing to hunt down wicked people and enforce justice. Yuan also agreed with the man that the crimes of the old Cheng Yuan were utterly despicable. Yet, Yuan could not simply allow the man to kill him; he still had a mission to accomplish and justice for his clan to seek. Thus, with a heavy heart, Yuan unsheathed his sword.

He rushed forward and struck at the man with the force of a raging bull. At the same time, Harald attack the man with his axe. The man used his internal energy to create a shield around him. Harald's axe wasn't able to get past this shield, but Yuan's sword cracked it. The man was barely able to block Yuan's sword with his own blade.

"Good martial arts!" Yuan said.

The man wasn't sure if being complimented by a ruthless villain was a good thing. He was also surprised by Yuan's martial artistry. 'Wasn't this guy a rich playboy who wasted all his time in pursuing girls and feasting?' he wondered. 'How did he suddenly become a powerful swordsman? How did his internal energy and physical strength become so powerful in such a short timespan?'

Taking advantage of his enemy's distraction and surprise, Yuan attacked once again. He slashed upwards his sword and followed this attack with two more strikes, this time downwards. Although the man had managed to parry Yuan's attacks, he knew that he was at a disadvantage; he had been forced on the defensive. Yuan's strikes became more powerful and swift as time passed. As he was fighting, Yuan remembered the teachings of Elder Rong and used them to hammer down the man. With a swift move, he slashed the man's right cheek and then kicked him in the chest. The man gasped and fell on the ground. Yuan pointed his sword at the man and said, "You lost. You need to know when to give up."

"I will never give up, you despicable scum!" the man barked.

Yuan laughed. "I admire your resolve. I will let you go. Practice your swordsmanship and sometime in the future we can have a rematch."

"Brother, you are too magnanimous!" Harald said. "If I was in your place, I would beat up this guy so much that he would be unrecognizable. I admire you for your magnanimity."

Yuan smiled. "He isn't a bad guy. He also shows promise. I see no reason to beat him up or kill him. Let's go."

As Yuan and Harald turned their backs on the man, he grabbed his sword and struck at them. Hearing his footsteps, Yuan instinctively turned around and stabbed the man with his sword. He let out a cry and died. Blood flowed from his wound. His dead cold eyes stared at Yuan with such intensity that he was terrified. Yuan quickly sheathed his sword and fell on his knees. He clenched his fists and said, "What have I done?" Yuan felt guilty for killing a promising young swordsman who was fighting against injustice.

"Brother, do not feel sad about him," Harald said as he helped Yuan get up. "He brought it upon himself. Although he claimed to be virtuous, he used such a dirty trick."

"Murderer!" someone shouted. Yuan saw that six men, all dressed in the same white gown as the man he had just killed, were rushing at him.

"Cheng Yuan, you bastard!" one of them barked. "Not only did you kill Abbot Hwang, but you also murdered Brother Xi. I will avenge his death! I promise you that!"

"Run!" Yuan said. He and Harald sprinted away. The swordsmen followed closely behind.

"There!" Harald said, pointing at two stallions. "There are two horses."

The two horses were white and of medium size. Nevertheless, they were alert, slender-limbed and muscled. Yuan did not approve of theft but at this point, they did not have much of choice. So, he and Harald jumped onto the horses and left behind the forest and the swordsmen. The thundering of hooves split the silence of the dirt road as the two horses galloped forward.

"Brother, why did we ran away?" Harald asked. "I believe that we could have defeated them."

"Maybe but I did not want to cause any more deaths," Yuan replied. "It is already unfortunate that I killed that young man. Aside from my admiration for his skills and character, I also spared him because I wanted to improve relations with the Orthodox Sects and show them that I truly turned over a new leaf. Now, with him dead and with his fellow disciples convinced that I murdered Abbot Hwang, we will have the Orthodox Sects too coming after us."

Harald smiled. "Let them come! If they dare to show up, I will show them why you should never mess with a Swagen warrior. My axe will slaughter them!"

Yuan laughed. "I like your spirit. You do have to remember though that the Orthodox Sects are our allies. The villains are those of the Demonic Cult. Even if we face in combat swordsmen from the Orthodox Sects, we should show restraint."

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In the frozen plains of the north, it was snowing heavily. Atop the black tower was the Demon of Doom. He had been waiting for his underlings to report to him anything that could indicate the location of the medallion. He knew that he did not have the luxury of disappointing Young Master Deng.

A man approached the Demon and bowed before him. "My Lord, I have to report some bad news and some good news to you."

"Tell me!"

"The bad news is that the Lord of War is dead and his facility has been destroyed."

The Demon grabbed by the neck the man and said, "I do hope that you have some pretty good news because otherwise, I will vent my anger on your neck."

"I…well the good news is that there are some clues regarding the medallion."

The Demon let the man from his hold. "Tell me more about it."

The man took a heavy breath and said, "According to a survivor of the facility, a prisoner there had a medallion which matches exactly the description of the Flaming Medallion. His name seems to be Cheng Yuan."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The Demon smiled. "Good! Cheng Yuan, the entire Demonic Cult is going to be after you. You shall not escape!"

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Yuan and Harald were at a countryside inn. The inn had few wooden tables outdoor and only two other costumers. The two friends sat at a table and ordered wine and dishes. The waiter soon brought two jars of wine along with cups and a roasted beef with rice and vegetables. Yuan proceeded to leisurely sip his wine. "Excellent wine!" he said.

"Indeed!" Harald agreed after drinking a cup.

Yuan was reminded of his time on Mount Kunlun, where he and Xiao would drink wine together under the dark night sky. Yuan closed his eyes, letting his mind fill with Xiao's voice. He could hear him make jokes and laugh. Xiao was a true friend, one of a kind. Those were fun times; he would spend his time training and having fun. Yuan sighed. "Do you sometimes miss your friends?" he asked.

"I do. You know, I have a really good friend back in Swagen. His name is Gabriel. A damn fine warrior he is!". Harald paused for a moment, reminiscing his old friend. "We used to compete who would drink the most jars of wine. I really miss this man..."

"I too had a good friend when I was in Mount Kunlun. Now, I doubt he would even recognize me..."

As the two blood brothers filled their cups with wine, they could hear the other two costumers having a conversation. Yuan discretely began listening to what they were saying. "Have you heard about the Blood Sect?" one of them said.

"That Sect led by a demoness?" the other replied. "I've heard that they have been challenging the Orthodox Sects and do not respect the Imperial government either. That demoness is really bold."

"Some say that the Blood Sect has ties to a Demonic Cult or something like that. I've heard that those Demons are really evil people."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Those of the Blood Sect are disrespecting everyone and have no honor. They want to dominate Martial Arts World by every means possible."

Yuan was curious about this demoness and her Sect, but he did not have time to waste. He had to get to Mount Kunlun as fast as possible. "We should get going," he said and left a few coins on the table. Harald grabbed one of the jars to drink on the way and the two blood brothers began making their way to Mount Kunlun.

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It was late in the night. Chancellor Cao was in his private quarters. His estate was located only a few miles away from the Imperial Palace. After the death of Yang Wanli, there was no other opponent in the court. Now, he wielded absolute power and could do as he wished. Emperor Kang was merely a puppet; Cao was making sure that he was regularly provided with beautiful women that would keep his attention away from the task of governing. While the Emperor was having fun, Cao was micromanaging affairs of government. That was what he was doing now. He was sitting at his golden desk and reading a report regarding this year's budget.

All of the sudden, a loud sound was heard. "Greetings, Chancellor!"

Cao instantly got up. There was cold sweat on his forehead. He recognized who the intruder was by his deep voice. "Demon!" he said. "You can come out of the shadows. I know you are here."

For a moment that felt like an eternity to Cao, there was silence. Then the Demon appeared before the Chancellor. "We haven't met in a long, long time..."

"What is it that you want?" Cao said. "I do not have time to waste."

The Demon chuckled. "You are Chancellor thanks to me. If the Demonic Cult hadn't assassinated your enemies at the Court, you wouldn't have reached to the top nor could you have pulled off Yang Wanli's execution. You owe your success to me. Do not forget that."

"I do not. But do not forget that I am the Chancellor of the Jia Dynasty. I am not some errand boy!" Cao protested.

The Demon unsheathed his Skeletal Sword and pointed at Cao. "You've made a deal with me; I would help you become Chancellor and you would further my cause."

"I have already done more than enough! I have supplied you with money I've taken from state coffers and got government officials to ignore your Cult's activities."

"I've made you Chancellor and I can unmake you if I want to..."

The tip of the Demon's sword touched Cao's neck.

"What are you going to do? Kill me? Here? In my estate? Just a few miles away from the Imperial Palace?"

"Oh, killing you would be boring... I would first cut off your nose. Then, I would slash your cheeks, pull out a few teeth, cut your tongue. Next, I would slowly and painfully castrate you. I guess then I would gouge out your eyes. Do you want me to continue?"

Cao's face turned pale. He was trembling. "Very well, I see your point..." he resignedly said and sighed. "What do you want?"

"I knew you would see reason!" the Demon said as he sheathed his sword. "I want you to bring me Cheng Yuan, dead or alive. I also want a medallion he has with him. I want you to mobilize all state resources to bring him to me."

Cao gaped in surprise. "Cheng Yuan, son of Cheng Wang? His father is the Governor of White City, one of the largest metropolis of the Empire. On what charges will I persecute him? And what if his father revolts?"

"Do not worry about his father; I will make sure he is assassinated. You can then easily confiscate his property and exterminate his clan in the ensuing chaos. You can charge them and Yuan with intent to usurp the throne."

"I do not understand; why would you care about a rich playboy who fools around? Is he worth all this effort?"

"I do not care about him but about his medallion."

The Demon approached Cao and slowly but emphatically said, "I want you to understand that this medallion means everything to me and my Master. And while I may be forgiving, Young Master Deng most certainly isn't."

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Masters Yi and Zhang were in the Main Hall. They were sitting on their chairs and listening to an envoy sent by the Heaven Sect, one of the four Orthodox Sects. The envoy was a young man wearing a long white gown. His anger was barely concealed. Although he had a calm exterior, the cold stare in his eyes told the truth about the hatred in his heart. His name was Wanyan Li and he was the one who had confronted Yuan, after he had killed Xi. He had told Yuan that he would kill him to avenge his brother's death. Li meant those words. He managed to persuade his Teacher, Zhe Chang, to organize a campaign to bring Yuan to justice. The other two Orthodox Sects, the Phoenix Sect and the Ma Sect, had already agreed to his request. Now he just had to persuade Mount Kunlun Sect to join this campaign.

"Cheng Yuan has for years used his status and riches to get off with all shorts of crimes," Li said. "Now, he has murdered Abbot Hwang and Brother Xi and his goons may be the ones responsible for the massacre at Lingjiu Monastery. We must eradicate this monster!"

"I can assure you that Mount Kunlun will join you in your campaign to bring this villain to justice," Master Yi said. "But isn't this Yuan a useless playboy? How did he manage to kill Abbot Hwang and hero Xi?"

"I too was surprised, to be honest. He must have been practicing in secret. It doesn't matter," Li said. "What matters is that he pays for his crimes!"

"We shall sent our best disciple, Yao, along with thirty of our disciples to join your campaign," Master Zhang said. "Every single one of those disciples will be handpicked."

Li bowed slightly before the two Masters. "Thank you! Heaven Sect shall never forget your assistance at this time of need."

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Two days had passed by. Yuan and Harald were galloping forward on a grassland. The grass flattened under the wind in beautiful shimmering waves. Flowers lay scattered on the grass like frozen flames. Their petals were delicate works of art. The air was perfumed by their heavy scent; it was exquisite, fragrant. The two blood brothers had no time to appreciate nature's beauty. They were in a hurry; if they continued at their current pace, it would take them one or two weeks to reach Mount Kunlun.

"Something is wrong!" Harald said as he pointed at a group of men walking in the grassland.

From their distinctive clothing, Yuan could tell that they were disciples of the Ma Sect. "It is an Orthodox Sect," Yuan said. "We should be fine."

"Wasn't the last guy who tried to kill us from an Orthodox Sect?"

"Well, yes, but I do not think that those disciples are after us. Even if they are, they should be a way to peaceful set aside our differences."

It was then when the Ma disciples noticed them. Seeing the two of them, they began sprinting after them.

"I do not think that they are looking for a peaceful discussion..." Harald quipped.

Yuan and Harald turned their horses around and tried to ride away when suddenly two arrows hit their horses. The horses toppled to the ground, bringing down their riders. Both beasts died, their lifeblood spouting in scarlet torrents. Yuan quickly got up. He helped Harald stand up and frantically asked him, "Are you alright?!"

"Yes..."

They then saw the killer; a man clad in dark holding a bow in his hands. Beside him were five swordsmen, they too clad in black. Yuan recognized them; they were of the Demonic Cult. He unsheathed his sword. As he was about to charge at them, he turned around and saw the Ma disciples approaching him.

"Do not worry about them!" Harald said. "I will handle them. You focus on those Demonic bastards!"

Yuan nodded in agreement. He then sprinted at his enemies. The archer fired arrows at him but Yuan managed to dodge them. A Demonic swordsman attacked him; he slashed at his chest but Yuan leaped backward and was able to avoid his blade. He then somersaulted, landed right in front of the swordsman and with a swift move made a vertical cut which opened up the man from throat to crotch. Yuan was about to move to his next target when an arrow hit his right shoulder. He let out a cry of pain. Blood was flowing from his wound like a torrent. He fell on his knees and clutched his wound.

Harald was fighting off the Ma disciples with his axe. His axe slashed the chest of one disciple, making a deep cut. He then chopped the hand of another disciple with a swift and forceful attack. Suddenly he heard Yuan's cry. He had to finish off quickly the Ma disciples if he was to help his blood brother, but they kept coming at him. Some had leaped into the air to perform a stab while others aimed at his legs. Harald jumped and lifted off the ground, dodging the swords aiming at his legs. He then parried three sword attacks aiming at his head and stomach. As he was trying to battle off the Ma disciples, he hadn't noticed a Demonic swordsman charging at him. The swordsman slashed him across his back. Harald screamed in pain; he turned around and swiftly decapitated the man. Harald was sweating, bleeding and feeling tired. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Yuan was on his own. As Demonic swordsmen and Ma disciples were charging at him, abruptly a rain of arrows killed off all of them. Yuan turned around and saw an Imperial squadron of archers and infantrymen led by a middle-aged officer. That officer was wearing a heavy coat fastened at the waist by a leather belt. From the belt hanged his sword, as well as a dagger. This long robe-like coat doubled over, left breast over right, and was secured with a button a few inches below the right armpit. The coat was lined with fur. Underneath the coat, the officer wore an armor composed of small scales of iron and chain mail sewn together with leather thongs.

"He is the fugitive wanted by Chancellor Cao!" the officer shouted. "Men, finish him off."

Once more Yuan was persecuted by the Emperor and Chancellor Cao. In his previous life, those two had ordered the execution of his father and his entire clan. They had killed all of his relatives and exterminated the proud Yang clan. They ruined his past life; now they seemed hellbent on ruining his new life too.

Soldiers were approaching Yuan from all directions. Yuan could feel his heartbeat. It was the only sound he could hear. He felt the need to close his eyes. He was feeling weak, exhausted. He had no energy left in him. He had failed. He had to accept that he would die once more. He had been given a second chance and he had wasted it. He had ashamed the Yang clan and his teacher. Tears flowed from his eyes. He let out a scream that frightened his opponents. He then collapsed on the grass. Yuan suddenly heard a scream and a loud whooshing sound. A man in his thirties, with long black hair, fine, manly physique and handsome, well-proportioned features dressed in a brown silk gown had stabbed one of the soldiers. It seemed as if he had appeared out of thin air. Yuan had no idea who this man was. The man began massacring the Imperial soldiers, making short work of them. The loud screams of those dying and the spattering of blood were the last things Yuan could hear and see before he lost his consciousness.