Zenze was not happy. He had been having a bad week. Driven out of the edge of the empire by those damn cultivators.

It started when he tried to force a village to shelter and feed him in return for his protection. It was perfect!

Until a cultivator came. They didn't even try to negotiate! They just drew their sword and tried to hack at him spouting demon this and monster that! It was insufferable and when he died they sent for a stronger one shouting about some vengeance and glory of the empire and their sect.

When that cultivator ran away instead of doing the courteous thing and staying gone he came back a day later with all his friends and they chased Zenze out of the village and back out to the fringes of the empire.

It was horrible.

Out here there was nothing to do but to hunt and sleep. Nobody to bother or secrets to scour.

The wilds were a dangerous place with death lurking in every corner. Zenze would know, he grew up here in this wasteland as a simple coyote until reaching the Qi foundation stage becoming an awakened beast and hunting rabbits and scavenging others kills no longer satisfied him.

So finding the empire was like gazing upon the heavens all over again. The people all unique in their shapes and sizes while holding the knowledge to grow stronger and explain the mysteries of the world to Zenze.

Until those cultivators came.

Ignoring those thoughts Zenze continued his journey circling the outer edges of the empire so that his reentry would not by noted by his enemies for that is what they now were. He would come for them when they slept and tear out there throats. He would be known far and wide as Zenze the dark Cackler.

He could already picture it. himself lounging on silk sheets with the adoration of his servants while his foes lie dead in their beds.

It isn't until three days travel along the edges of the tarnished plains that they start is give way to hills.

Zenze had never gone further when he first awakened because the strength of the creatures within were too powerful for him. It was shortly after that he came into the rich lands of the empire that he stayed.

During his travels into the hills he was attacked by a common snake grown to outrageous proportions! The thing was large enough to swallow a man. Zenze had hunted plenty of snakes before on the plains and knew how to deal with them easily and so swiftly weaved though its coils and pounced on its back and biting onto the back of its head.

The snake tried to wrap itself around him but was unable to get a grip as he shifted himself with some common illusions. Forced to pull away leased he be caught in a tangle of flesh Zenze repositioned himself for a repeat of his last attack. Pouncing again Zenze bit into the same spot but unlike last time he heard and felt something crack and the snake underneath him go limp.

Quickly turning it over Zenze gutted it and searched for its core. It was devouring one of these that allowed for Zenze to awaken and consuming every single one since has further strengthened him.

Soon Zenze find it and proceeded to swallow it whole. Filling him with strength Zenze felt as if he could take on one of the blaze ox that travel along the plains. Tempering himself he circulated the Qi flowing though him and used the extra power to open an extra meridian making his illusions more efficient.

When nightfall hit Zenze was settling in for the night when he spotted a glow far off into the distance. Like a campfire or lights from a town drawing moths far and wide.

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Forgetting all about sleep he makes to run toward the light and after a full night of travel he spots a treasure that leaves him both excited and disappointed.

A volcano far into the distance dwarfing all the hills around it. By the looks of it it might also be a newborn place of power where the Qi of the world located around it is slowly replaced with its own and condensed until it becomes a perfect place to cultivate.

Most sects of the empire either create or find them and use them as the foundation of their arts and social status.

'How lucky.'

While traveling closer the area starts to become more inhospitable to life. The ground is either crumping or hard and jagged making travel more difficult. Pushing on Zenze contemplates the origins of how this place came to be, with the most likely explanation being that some creature found and started cycling the Qi in the area activating it or that it had been building up for centuries and now has started blowing over the surface.

Either way the place is very young and if there is a guardian then it would still be relatively weak and new to its power making it easy to overpower. Settling into the thought Zenze soon reached the base of the mountain and started on making his slow ascent.

While climbing Zenze noted that the trees around have started to change as they take in more Qi allowing them rise in power. When reaching the outer edges of the caldera he notes that the stone all along and inside is half melted and partly smoothed.

Stange half melted pillars surround the outer edge of the caldera except for one part that holds a monolith of stone reaching far higher than any other part of the volcano ending is a jagged spike.

Looking into the caldera the source of the Qi is quickly spotted. A whirlpool of lava spilling over and following into channels leading into trenches at the base of the slopes creating a moat of lava swirling in the same direction.

Either man made or a primitive beast lives here

Heading towards the entrance Zenze tooke slow steady steps over the stone bridge leading over the trench and making his way over to the whirlpool. He could feel the Qi thick in the air like molasses and while this close to it he saw that it was generating Qi crystals! With how many there were he could breakthrough into the condensation stage and easily slaughter the guardian here.

Its after reaching for one that a shadow descends upon him letting him know that said guardian is here.

Quickly dodging Zenze felt the ground quick and the heat rise. Preparing himself for a fight he turned toward his attacker and froze, in front of Zenze is a being the likes of which is only described in stories of ancient beasts and monsters long dead.

Standing on four long sinuous legs with razor sharp claws made for rending flesh leading up to a thin but graceful body similar to his own. On the back of the beast is a set of leathery wings able to spread for over half the caldera shrouding him in darkness. From the body leads a serpent like neck with a head that is almost wolfish in shape but for more primal in nature crowned with a set of curving horns like that of a bull. The tail is long and whiplike swaying back and forth with slow but quick movements with a glaive at the end, and the worst part is that all was that it was covered in scales and armored plating so thick and seeming so durable as to give all but the most powerful cultivators trouble trying to break though it.

As it begins to power some technique in its throat by the building flames growing in its partially open mouth and exposed teeth Zenze immediately begin to kowtow begging for his life to be spared from a being so far beyond mortal comprehension.

"THIS HUMBLE ONE BEGS FORGIVENESS FOR THY TRANSGRESSIONS! THIS FOOLISH ONE KNOWS NOT WHAT HE DOES AND IS WILLING TO REPAY IN FULL FOR THEIR MISTAKES!!"

When Zenze didn't die he begin to hold out hope that he may live.

"renthisj vis kagh speck shuurlai si tir ti kampiun mablik."

That hope is quickly dashed as they do not speak the common tongue.

Taking a chance Zenze raised his head and took notice of the piercing red eyes matching their scales and armor while glowing faintly. They took offense to this as they slammed a paw onto Zenze's head and dragged creating cuts and bruises all along the left side of Zenze's face and body.

"tir ti vorq sva ve pluvt."

Apologizing quickly Zenze was soon released and provided his name by pointing a paw at his chest and so saying "Zenze" over and over until they shifted their head and spoke.

"wux re Zenze."

Their voice was like rocks rolling against each other with a feminine hint giving a clue that this might be a female of its kind. Soon it points to a random rock and catching on Zenze recites "rock" and the monster of legends soon starts repeating it after me.

Zenze may just live after all.