《Shadow of the Beast King》


 Chapter 1: The Greedy Fateless Slave

    The ancient world of Evon, home to spirit beasts and treasures that date back to the very beginning of time. Thunder strikes without mercy on the ruined floors, the ground below breaks as if it were made of glass, while hurricanes tear what remained of nature apart ruthlessly. On that lawless land, not a single sign of human life could be found.


    But under that wild, raging thunder, past the unwavering clusters of wind, laid the eyes of a large wolf-like beast, with a body as black as an endless void. Its blinding white eyes only faced upward, as if the ruined world around it hardly mattered. An air of longing could be felt for miles around it, as its gaze fell on the floating continent above it.


    That land was the Cloud Continent, where some of the living beings escaped to avoid the fate of Evon. The people of the floating continent survived on the exact same thing that kept the land mass in the clouds: Qi. The law-defying essence is a product of the heavens, and by going against the heavens themselves, one is able to use Qi as power. These people¡­ were known as cultivators, beings that strive for immortality.


    The Cloud continent, one of the 7 floating land masses of Evon, was home to the majority of cultivators in the world. As such, it followed the law of the jungle far more strictly than the other continents. If one had power, they were both feared and respected, but for those that didn¡¯t, death or servitude were the only choices open to them. On the eastern end of the continent laid a decently large sect named the Moonlight sect, a second-rate alliance that was also known as the ¡°Slave-keeper Sect.¡±


    Once known as a prison for rogue cultivators, the Moonlight Sect upholds a reputation for the detainment of such cultivators for profit; more than that, they strictly dealt with the business of slave trading, the background and strength of the slave in question meant little to them, making the Sect a reliable place to dump any unwanted persons.


    All slaves are to be crippled of their cultivation and immediately sent to work on the mines. The conditions weren¡¯t just bad, they were borderline abusive, even by slave standards. The Mystic Sect guards that watched over the slaves like tyrannical kings upheld the conversion rate of 10 grains of rice per ounce of Spirit rocks. These rocks are infused with an abundant amount of Qi, and when dropped in lakes or bath houses, can be used to refine one¡¯s body and speed up cultivation. While they aren¡¯t rare by any means, the trade of 10 grains of rice for every ounce of the bright green ore was simply too low to make ends meet. Following the issue on food shortage, the guards treated them less like slaves and more like disposable objects. The men were brutally beat with little reasoning behind it, the women were enjoyed no matter the place or time, and the children were used as bait to capture demon beasts. Calling this slavepost a living hell wouldn''t be too far off.


    Once such slave was named August, not after his father, but his mother, who was raised on the third floating continent Alysia. This slave was something like a leader to the others he worked with, a beacon of hope within the brutal lives they lived. As he was the direct slave of the Sect Leader¡¯s son, he was given certain benefits the others could only dream of, yet he shared those benefits as much as possible. Though their strength was like the difference between the heavens and earth, August¡¯s owner often practiced on him to test martial techniques he would learn from his master. Martial techniques that were once child¡¯s play for the slave became life-threatening, but as his body remembered the power he once proudly carried on his shoulders, his strength dropped no farther than the third stage of the Refinement Realm despite having no cultivation. With his exceptional power among the slaves and unconditional kindness, his name resounded through the lower end of the Sect like a rock on water.


    Why wasn¡¯t this leader among the unfortunate currently helping his people like he always had? Well, that was because he was going to die.


    Without exception, without delay, with no chance of convincing. As August fearfully stared at the large, imperious tiger-like beast that lazily gazed in his direction, that was the impression that he was given. The Yellow Road sprightly called for him as the spirits of his ancestors prematurely welcomed him. Before a beast that even the Sect Leader thoroughly respected, if it said it wanted his lowly life, did he really have the right to believe his life would continue after today?


    The being in question was named Jin Shou, an intelligent demon beast that thrives on riches. This demon beast was the overseer for the eastern Sects as well as the co-creator of the Moonlight Sect; his background was, to put it bluntly, utterly terrifying. As for his strength, the 7 main realms cultivators strive for are as follows:


    The Refinement Realm, where a beginning cultivator refines their body and removes all worldly impurities.


    The Spirit Realm, where a cultivator connects with the spirit realm and gains access to Qi, the source of all power on the Cloud Continent.


    The Earth Realm, where a cultivator makes use of the Qi in all objects, which allow for faster Qi absorption and stronger attacks.


    The Sky Realm, where an expert cultivator makes use of the Qi in the air itself, allowing one to fly without artifacts or ally demon beasts.


    The Moon Realm, where an expert cultivator¡¯s inner core takes the shape of a moon-like orb, where one can enter and gain access to the spirit world.


    Above the Moon Realm, there are two main roads for cultivators to take:


    One is the Heaven Realm, where genius cultivators make use of a force far more powerful than Qi, called ¡°Sheng.¡±


    The other is the Hell Realm, where genius cultivators that practice demonic martial arts make use of a hell-bent force called ¡°Zhangqi.¡±


    Finally, at the pinnacle in the entire known Cloud Continent, is the Lord Realm, where peerless genius cultivators perfect their use of Qi and ability to communicate with the spirit world. At this realm, there are no stages, meaning that unless one finds a way to enter the mythical Emperor Realm, pure skill and ability are what separate the geniuses from one another. Though anyone that can achieve this legendary realm can be called truly peerless.


    Jin Shou was in the Moon Realm, the 3<sup>rd</sup> stage to be exact. The Moonlight Sect was actually named after a Moon Realm expert dubbed the Crescent Killer, who worked with the money-grubbing demon beast to turn the once prison hold into an alliance for young cultivators. Seeing as the Sect Leader is only in the 8<sup>th</sup> stage of the Sky Realm, it¡¯s clear to most that Jin Shou is the real head of the Moonlight Sect.


    That same absolute power held an annual ritual where he paid respects to his senior. The normally grand and overbearing meeting room, filled to the brim with gold ornaments decorated with high-grade spirit rocks, turned into a dark space lit only by the blue flames of the spirit world. The slaves and servants are meticulous in ensuring that everything is perfectly set-up, down to the very lamp placement that leads into the ritual room. That¡¯s why, when a lowly female slave managed to break one of the high-grade spirit compasses used to send offerings to the spirit world, Jin Shou¡¯s irritation was far beyond what she could possibly escape from. Her unfortunate fate was sealed until August stepped in to apologize on her behalf. Normally he would expect a whipping and some form of physical labor, but it seemed the anger of the domineering demon beast wouldn¡¯t subside with a simple punishment or execution. No, with an icy glare as cold as a frozen tundra that stabbed at the young slave¡¯s heart, Jin Shou commanded that the girl be removed from the Sect Hall and August be brought to the very room where the ritual was done.


    There August kneeled, patiently yet cautiously waiting for the gilded beast and his authoritative companion to decide how the lowly slave would perish. As if he were reading the young boy¡¯s mind, Jin Shou was the first to speak up.


    ¡°Ah~ child, I did not bring you here to kill you.¡± He said, a hint of his vainglorious attitude could be heard from that single sentence. Though with his strength and background, not even the heavens could deny him that right.


    ¡°Milord¡­¡± August pondered, with just that, he was at a complete loss at what the two most powerful beings in the eastern Cloud continent wanted with him.


    Jin Shou shrugged, his many golden plates and Qi filled jewelry shook with the movement of his wide furry shoulders. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say your little bout of heroism didn¡¯t save that young girl. I was certainly prepared to use her as a sacrifice for ruining my precious spirit compass, but seeing you took my attention away from her.¡±


    ¡°Shou¡¯di¡­¡± The previously silent Sect Leader gazed at the demon beast with a hint of sorrow.


    ¡°What is it that I can help you with, Milord?¡± August clasped his hands together in a show of respect. With a glimpse he could tell that the two had some past the Sect Leader would rather not bring up, but if it kept him alive, it was worth delving into. Though he didn¡¯t know what they possibly needed from him, the day he denied them was the day King Yan reappeared in the world.


    ¡°Listen boy, do you know who my senior is?¡± Jin Shou asked, though from his indifferent expression he knew the answer to that question.


    ¡°I do not, Milord.¡± August answered without hesitation.


    The large gilded beast raised himself up from his red and gold pillow, and like a bottle on a jar, his sweltering pressure wooshed through the entire ritual room in less than three breaths. This made both the Sect Leader and August feel the large difference in strength; if Jin Shou and the Sect Leader were like a mountain to a river, than he and August were like the heavens themselves to a mere pond. Jin Shou ignored the two¡¯s thought of weakness and activated a symbol on the ground, seen by the light red glow in his eyes that matched the lines of the symbol. As the symbol began to shine even brighter, Jin Shou turned his attention back to August, and with a stern expression that truly didn¡¯t fit his normally imperious character, began talking once again.


    ¡°Asura, my senior brother, is one of the five great demon beasts that explored the ruined world of Evon millennia ago. Though unlike the others he did not bring up a continent from the chains of Evon, he did ensure that life could thrive on them, leaving plenty of fruits and vegetable on each for what remained of humans and demon beast to live on. Also unlike the others, he chose to stay behind and fight against the heavens that denied the idea of leaving the land of Evon. My first memories from birth are of Asura, how he saved me and gave me the power that allowed me to become such a big figure in the eastern cloud continent. Even if the other won¡¯t, I, Jin Shou, will repay my debts back twofold!¡±


    ¡°This is why Milord Shou gives offerings every year¡­ this slave understands now! But¡­ what can this slave do to help Milord Shou?¡± August responded, he knew the name Asura from the tales that parents would tell their young children.


    ¡°Hear me, August, or should I call you Xiao He?¡± Jin asked, though the boy was nothing in his eyes, a slight smirk formed on his face as he felt the icy glare from the slave.


    A large vein formed on the Sect Leader as he reprimanded August, ¡°Boy, learn your place!¡± The pressure of his 8<sup>th</sup> layer Sky Realm landed on August¡¯s back like a mountain, yet the boy didn¡¯t flinch a bit; he let the blood fall from his mouth as his glare refused to back down, as if it had a mind of its own. Jin placed his paw in front of the Sect Leader to get him to calm down.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough Little Shan.¡± Jin said.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± August demanded, like the winds snatched it away his respectful and polite demeanor was gone, replaced by the anger that rose in his heart as that name resurface in his head again. How did Jin Shou know it was him? Why did he bring the name up again, those memories again? August didn¡¯t know, but he did know that now, he simply wanted to go back to mining at his slave post and forget this conversation ever happened. Even though he could feel the burning glare of the Sect Leader on his neck, he didn¡¯t care in the slightest. If Jin Shou knew what his old name and identity was, he should also know that he had no desire to suck up to others for no reason.


    ¡°It seems that even if the royal position is gone, that confidence and lack of fear remains.¡± Jin Shou chuckled, ¡°August, what I tell you here must never leave this room. If it does, I swear on my very name that I will hunt you down to the ends of the world and kill you myself.¡±


    ¡°Ditto.¡± August fearlessly responded.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Good, then here it is: Asura, is still alive.¡± Jin answered, the faces of both August and Tie Shan lit up with surprise, as they thought the legendary beast had fallen all those millennia ago. Jin Shou lightly shook his head, ¡°Well, his soul is at least alive, and it hasn¡¯t traveled to the spirit world yet. I can feel his gaze, even now, he¡¯s staring at the Cloud Continent, at the three of us.¡± Jin Shou looked directly into August¡¯s eyes, ¡°At you especially.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± August asked, though he didn¡¯t say anything, the Sect Leader''s expression asked the same question.


    Jin slowly closed his eyes ¡°Fate is vague, but unchangeable. It tells use when and where we are born, and when and where we will die, the in between can be anything so long as the beginning and end remain the same. Those that manage to alter their fate really only change the course that their life was taking, not how they go about living or how they will die, so it can¡¯t truly be called altering one¡¯s fate. However, there are people that live outside of the streams of fate, away from the eyes of clairvoyant individuals, and one of them is you, a Fateless.¡±


    ¡°Fateless¡­¡± August pondered, as he knew he heard the term before.


    ¡°Fateless aren¡¯t actually that rare or special, as there are two types: one is the far more rare one, those that reach the Lord Realm and break free of the chains of fate, it¡¯s part of the reason why the Lord Realm doesn¡¯t have any stages. The other is people that interact, primarily touch these Fateless individuals and act away from their own fate. In your case, you were bound to die at the hands of the June Alliance, but a Fateless stepped in and saved you.¡±


    ¡°Why though? I just don¡¯t understand¡­¡± August was truly puzzled after hearing Jin''s explanation, it made no sense why a powerful being like a Fateless would save a cripple bound to die like him.


    ¡°No special reason from what I can see, you were simply an easy target.¡± Jin Shou honestly answered, ¡°As a spirit, Asura is bound to lose energy and die sooner or later, but he won¡¯t allow that, not until he sees with his own eyes that the world he helped save is in order, that¡¯s what I think. His personality from what I gathered from the other four beasts is that of a just and respected individual, save for his lust for battle. It¡¯s possibly why he chose you, because you¡¯re a product of what he didn¡¯t want to see in the world he protected: shameless schemes and ruthless betrayals.¡± August could tell that Jin Shou''s information on Asura was very lacking, despite his extreme respect towards the being.


    ¡°He wants to take over my body?¡± August asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I do know he wants to connect to you in some way.¡± Jin Shou answered.


    ¡°Why does he want a fateless? Would it not work on someone with a fate?¡±


    ¡°They would die without question, yes. More than that, he wants someone that has the potential to make it past the power of the Lord Realm. There is a possibility of someone with a fate having that capability, but the chances are quite literally one in a billion.¡±


    The symbol finished along with Jin¡¯s answer, and like a shadow, a powerful corpse rose from the ground. Even though not the slightest bit of life could be found within it, a peerless pressure arose from it, somehow even greater than Jin Shou. Unlike the other two, August could feel it, the peerless corpse was ushering him, calling for the slave boy to near it. Though the mere pressure caused a fear unlike any other to invade his crippled body, the voice itself wasn¡¯t as domineering, as if it simply wanted August to come to it, not demand it. Truly, this, was the corpse of one of the five legendary beasts of Evon: Asura the battle god.


    Jin stared back at August, who felt a wave of sincerity from the gilded beast that he never expected to appear, ¡°Xiao He, no, August, I will be blunt with you: if you accept my request, the Moonlight Sect will hunt you down without mercy, as I have no way of hiding the aura of Asura¡¯s corpse from the father of Little Shan, nor can I tell him that it was I who gave you it. That is because the other four beasts that still live communicate often with the lords of each continent, they must not know that Asura still lives. Over the millennia they have become jaded and power-hungry, if they know the battle god¡¯s spirit sill wandered Evon and who guided it¡­¡± Jin¡¯s gaze turned cold like the flip of a coin, ¡°¡­They would kill you without mercy to gain his power.¡±


    The Sect Leader didn¡¯t say anything following Jin¡¯s words, but the expression on his face was enough to guess that he didn¡¯t have much say in his father¡¯s actions, despite his authority in the Moonlight Sect. August wasn¡¯t too surprised at the revelation, rumors of Tie Xuan¡¯s ruthless and greedy actions after resigning as Sect Leader weren¡¯t new at all.


    ¡°Little Shan¡¯s father only believes that this corpse is the corpse of a mere Lord Realm beast, and that it is my gift to Little Shan on his 40<sup>th</sup> birthday, if you take it, he will simply believe that you stole it for your own uses. Such a situation isn¡¯t near enough to make the other lords, let alone the four legendary beasts bat an eye.¡± Jin said.


    August nodded in understanding, though he couldn¡¯t help but shudder a bit when he heard that the Sect Leader¡¯s father thought the corpse was a ¡°mere¡± Lord Realm corpse. Even without his cultivation, the boy could feel both the blood seal the Sect Leader¡¯s father placed on the corpse, and the peerless set of eyes that watched their every move. Though he knew it couldn¡¯t hear their conversation, August had to give the two heads of the Moonlight sect respect for even trying to pull something so big under the watch of the four beasts.


    Jin Shou continued with his warning to August, ¡°As a Fateless, you are bound to live a life of pain and struggle. Nothing will be easy for you, and this will only make it worse. I won¡¯t force you, as even if you accept, we can¡¯t give you much more than our condolences¡­¡±


    ¡°I accept.¡± August responded, much to the surprise of Jin Shou and Tie Shan. After hearing the demon beast out, his acceptance wasn¡¯t because he wanted to help, or because he cared what the four legendary demon beasts wanted with Asura.


    August did it for power, more so to no longer be crippled.


    Be it that he or Asura lost their conscious when they fused together, August¡¯s dantian would be repaired, meaning that he could cultivate once more, which meant that given enough time, his hatred for the June Province could be quenched. The corpse that lay in front of him was terrifying, that was unquestionable; what wasn¡¯t crimson bone was pitch black, and took the shape of a wolf-like being, but even August could tell that it wasn¡¯t his true form. Despite it all, he wanted power, needed power, with his pitiful strength as it was, he was bound to end up letting those he thought he could trust getting away with taking everything he had. No matter how much he feared the power of the corpse in front of him, feared the wrath of the Moonlight Sect, feared the four legendary beasts, he was more afraid of not seeing those traitorous bastards alive, knowing he couldn¡¯t do anything to them.


    The greedy fateless slave had made up his mind, and not even the heavens could make him change it.


    ¡°Good, good!¡± Jin laughed, he could tell that August had his own motives behind it, but who wouldn¡¯t? Asura had power that anyone would pine for, and the mere fact that he accepted it brought joy that the gilded beast couldn¡¯t suppress. Even the previously angry Sect Leader cracked a smile at the boy¡¯s quick response. ¡°Then this is how we¡¯ll do things.¡±


    Tie Shan brought out a grey, hexagon shaped stone with a complex inscription atop it. The wave-like carvings that surrounded the inscription identified the object as a high-grade suppression artifact. It was a one-use item that allowed the user to suppress the movements of beings even up to the Moon Realm for at least ten seconds. The artifact was extremely hard to get for normal cultivators, and those that had experience with it could nullify the effects by creating a Qi shield, but was perfect for what the two planned to use it for.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Hm? Lin, did you advance to the 1<sup>st</sup> level of the Earth realm?¡± A core disciple guard asked her partner.


    The guard named Lin rubbed his nose, as he let out a slight chuckle, ¡°Could you tell? I¡¯d been stuck at the peak of spirit realm for so long, finally advancing made me buy this spirit glaive on impulse.¡±


    ¡°I felt your Qi spike for a moment, it¡¯s what tipped me off to it.¡± The first guard responded with a smile. It caught her off guard for a moment, being someone at the 9<sup>th</sup> stage spirit realm, the pressure was very oppressive.


    ¡°What?¡± The proud guard questioned, being unaccustomed to the feeling of the earth realm, he still had the knowledge to understand that at the Earth Realm, his Qi would automatically try to protect him from most attacks. If his Qi really did spike like his companion said it did, it meant that he was attacked, or was in the range where his Qi instinctively tried to protect him. A rising surge of concern rushed over his body, as his head snapped behind him to where a strange pressure was being emitted from the ritual room, where the Sect Leader and royal beast had taken some slave to likely be sacrificed. He would have honestly preferred the brat who broke such an expensive spirit compass to be killed rather than the boy, but who was he to deny the Sect Leader¡¯s orders?


    ¡°Jie Jie¡­¡± The guard shook, with his companion giving him a worried look. His growing sense of concern and twisted curiosity wanted to go back and check just to ensure nothing bad was happening, but he feared the wrath of Jin Shou if he was wrong about his worries. The slow nod of his female companion is what stirred him to make his decision, followed by the large, loud swing of the heavy iron doors to the ritual room. The two guards that held their breath in fear let their eyes widen in complete shock, as the scene that played before them was nothing less that unbelievable.


    Even though the Qi in the slave in front them couldn¡¯t have been much more than that of a 6<sup>th</sup> stage refinement realm cultivator, the sheer pressure he emitted made them sweat uncontrollably. Not to mention Sect Leader Shan and Jin Shou that seemed to be frozen in place, the two guards¡¯ feet felt like they were wading through quicksand, forced to watch the scene but unable to escape. Thin red veins formed on the edges of his blue eyes while a deep black marking that matched his hair''s color formed on his arm, the tattered shirt he wore was torn asunder while his teeth formed fangs that looked like they could rip through steel with no resistance. Forget a slave, the two guards felt like they were watching the birth of a peerless god.


    The only thing that brought them back to reality was the fuming glare of the Sect Leader, who¡¯s previously silent voice seemed to scream to even the heavens above. Veins formed on his red-tinted face as he roughly screamed, ¡°Catch him! Don¡¯t you dare let this sneaky rat escape with his life!¡±


    As those words reached the still guards, the slave boy turned into a black substance that shot past them like a star towards the ground. They turned around and let out a gasp, as the boy made it to the end of the large meeting room and towards an open window in the few breaths it took them to turn around. To the earth realm cultivator that knew he attack wouldn¡¯t reach the slave in time, his voice too rang through the Sect Leader¡¯s residence as he screamed, ¡°All guards, catch the slave that is making his escape on the right side of the Moonlight Sect Palace! This is an order by the Sect Leader himself, so don¡¯t you dare idle!¡±


    Making use of his newfound power, the guard used his Qi to transmit those exact words to the outside guards and took his partner by the hand to give chase. She felt her face burning with embarrassment, but she knew now wasn¡¯t the time to get in her feelings. The two rushed outside to aid in the Sect-wide search for the slave boy.


    Within the time it takes an incense to burn, the entire Sect was woken up at the dead of night by the frantic search for a simple slave boy, which puzzled most disciples. That is, until a few caught the raging pressure of Tie Shan¡¯s father, Tie Xuan above their houses. His black hair moved like flames without wind as the pressure from his peak level Sky Realm cultivation crushed down on those within fifty feet of him. His booming voice could be heard across the entire Sect, as he screamed without restraint, ¡°You worthless slave! You dare take my lord realm corpse from my son, the moment I find you, I¡¯ll tear you to shreds! I, Tie Xuan, swear on my name! If I don¡¯t rip your skin from your very body and retrieve the corpse from your stomach, may the heavens strike me where I stand!¡±


    Tie Xuan¡¯s booming rage caused the now awake cultivators to speak amongst themselves, wondering who had the gall to anger the old Sect Leader so much.


    ¡°Lord Xuan¡¯s pressure is amazing, did he reach the peak of Sky Realm already?¡±


    ¡°Whoever this slave may be is doomed, the whole Moonlight Sect will be after him from now on!¡±


    ¡°Ha! What makes you think he¡¯ll escape tonight? I¡¯ll bet that by morning they¡¯ll have him ready to be executed in front of the whole sect.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but give props to this slave, be him a fool or simply fearless he has the skill to evade so many earth and spirit realm cultivators for so long. Aren¡¯t all slaves crippled?¡±


    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t let old Xuan hear that or he¡¯ll have our heads! The Lord Realm corpse must have helped rebuild his dantian, or why else would he try to steal it in the first place?¡±


    The various disciples continued to talk about the mysterious slave and lord realm corpse, until a loud explosion could be heard from the east of the Sect, near the Illusionary forest. After the time it takes two incense to burn, three elders appeared from the direction of the forest and paid respects to Tie Xuan. These elders were the Three Tiger Elders, each alone had the cultivation of 3<sup>rd</sup> stage Sky Realm, but together had the strength of a 7<sup>th</sup> stage Sky Realm, with the help of a cultivation method that bonded their forces together.


    ¡°Out with it, where is he?¡± Tie Xuan demanded, though the blinding rage he displayed earlier was gone, the unadulterated anger he felt didn¡¯t disappear from his voice.


    The front elder, Hu Huang, was the first to respond. ¡°Lord Xuan, we¡­ we couldn¡¯t find the slave boy.¡±


    ¡°He fought with the guards near the forest, though only at the 6<sup>th</sup> stage Refinement Realm, he managed to kill two.¡± The elder to the right, Hu Wang, followed.


    ¡°The moment we arrived, the boy made use of two fire and lighting artifacts he somehow obtained to create an explosion. We¡¯ve sent guards to find him, but none have come up with any good news yet.¡± The elder to the left, Hu Weidui, finished.


    Tie Xuan furrowed his brows, as if he were confused at what the three elders said, ¡°Then what are you fools doing here? Out of my sight! I don¡¯t want to catch a glimpse of you three until I see either a lord realm corpse, that slave boy¡¯s corpse, or your corpses at my goddamn feet! Am I clear?¡±


    The three elders shuddered at Tie Xuan¡¯s cold words, though they were all in the same realm, his power still managed to give the three cold sweats. ¡°Y-yes Lord Xuan!¡± Hu Huang responded, turning back to his two brothers with no hesitation, ¡°On with it, you two! Our search for the slave boy won¡¯t end until the sun dies and King Yan calls!¡±


    The two elders nodded with a confident smirk, ¡°Yes, brother Huang!¡±


    The three flew away without delay, primarily to avoid any cruel punishments Tie Xuan may have decided to give out simply out of pure frustration. The man in question flew back to the Sect Hall with a sour expression, ashamed and livid that some no-name by managed to take the lord realm corpse for himself and elude the entire Moonlight Sect within a single night. With it gone, his plans to overtake the Raining Swords and Void Sects were basically trashed. Without a Moon Realm cultivator¡ªof which Jin Shou doesn¡¯t count, as he is the overseer of all eastern Sects¡ªthe Moonlight Sect would remain little more than a second-rate area. The thought made him clench his fist until they turned white, which brought him back to the very moment he heard that the lord realm corpse was stolen.


    ¡°You little brat¡­¡± Tie Xuan gnashed his teeth, as if he were trying to break them.


    ¡°So long as you draw breath in the Cloud Continent. The Moonlight Sect will be your worst enemy.¡±

 Chapter 2: Power of the Beast

    In the world of Evon, there lies seven floating land masses. One of those land masses is dubbed the Cloud Continent, but there is another that¡¯s relatively close to it, yet vastly different in structure. This land is called the Continent of Alysia, and it is not home to cultivators. This continent is home to humans and beasts that don¡¯t draw their power from Qi, but instead from the energy that is born from their bodies from birth and released after death. This substance is recycled endlessly, and with practice, allows one to manipulate the elements as if they were second nature. These people are called Mages, who control a force call mana, and they come in many different forms.


    There are Medical Mages, who specialize in healing.


    Martial Mages, who use mana to strengthen their martial arts.


    Support Mages, who through diligent training learn how to strengthen or weaken their companions or foes.


    Holy Mages, who with the blessings of certain gods can purify demon beasts or removes curses from others.


    And finally, Battle Mages, who use mana to manipulate their respect magics and fight one another.


    There are also different races in Alysia unlike the Cloud Continent, which only holds humans and demon beasts. Elves, Dwarves, Demons, and Avians are all results of mana reacting differently with humans, resulting in the birth of an existence that differed from the norm. As their respective lineage grew, so too did their contempt for normal humans. To combat the growing hatred from the other races and ensure they wouldn¡¯t be so easily bullied, humans created an organization that sends Mages out to complete missions for rewards and raise prestige. This organization is dubbed the Hunter¡¯s Association, and the members of each and every subservient guild¡­ are called Hunters.


    One such guild is called the Rising Sun, a guild that excels in dealing with demon extermination missions because of their abundant amount of Holy Mages. The leader of this guild, named Harlow Helsing, had been given a call from Tie Xuan, who used a Cloud Continent native item called the Nether Orb, and sighed. The poor guild master was forced to listen to the old man rant about his Lord Realm corpse being stolen by some slave boy for well over an hour. Though he really couldn¡¯t be paid to give a damn, he could feel Xuan¡¯s pain somewhat. In Alysia, rankings for hunters weren¡¯t the same as in the Cloud Continent, in fact, they were much simpler:


    Rankings were determined by mana amount, just like how Realms were determined by the amount of Qi one has. The numerical value ranges from ten to a thousand, and follows as such:


    10-100: F-rank Hunter


    101-200: D-rank Hunter


    201-300: C-rank Hunter


    301-400: B-rank Hunter


    401-500: B+ rank Hunter


    501-600: A-rank Hunter


    601-700: A+ rank Hunter


    701-800: S-rank Hunter


    801-900: SS-rank Hunter


    901-1000: SSS-rank Hunter


    There were certainly much stronger individuals above the numerical value the Hunter¡¯s Organization provided, but as they were very rare, most were simply placed in the ¡®Special Hunter¡¯ rank. The same ranking system worked for threat levels, as well as items or artifacts. All in all, the most of Alysia worked on a very simplistic system, not to mention they didn¡¯t need to cultivate in order to gain power; simple training and diligent practice was enough to raise one¡¯s ranking, but real power fell in what magic one had, as well as magic artifacts or special bloodlines.


    A Lord Realm corpse was the same as an SS-rank item, and if he was the one who lost something that precious, Harlow knew he would be just as livid as Xuan.


    ¡®But, as it stands I don¡¯t really care.¡¯ Harlow reminded himself, as he finally spoke in his call with Xuan to end it, as he heard the knocks on his door that were likely from Dr. Julia. ¡°I know, I know, Old Xuan, I feel your pain. Sadly, I have some important business to take care of. I wish you luck in finding that slave boy.¡±


    ¡°Call me back when you get the chance, Helsing, I¡¯ll tell you if I find anything new!¡± Xuan said.


    Harlow hung up and let out a sigh that could blow an ocean away. That old fool Xuan could talk his ear out for decades if he let him. He pushed the thin strands of brown hair away from his light green eyes and raised his voice loud enough for the person behind the door to hear, ¡°You can come in now!¡±


    As he thought, the person who stepped into the room was a woman that wore a light brown coat with a badge on it that read ¡®Matteson Science Institute,¡¯ jet-black jeans, and thin, black tinted glasses that matched her auburn hair. She gazed at Harlow¡¯s black and white vest while letting out a light whistle, ¡°Looking extra spiffy today, huh?¡±


    Harlow let out a slight chuckle, ¡°I love your little compliments, but I love research results more, Dr. Julia.¡±


    Dr. Julia, new head of the Matteson Science Institute, put on an exaggerated pouting face as she set down the notepad she held, though it had no significance to what her news to him was. ¡°Alright~ well, the tests on project 002 have been surprisingly steady, but there haven¡¯t been any big changes that make it viable in a normal setting. Still only life-threatening situations. If you would, tell Lord Xuan to send over more ¡°Demonic Qi Pills¡± as he called them.¡±


    ¡°Will do, what about the ¡®Figure¡¯?¡± Harlow asked, the intrigue on his face was almost impossible to hide.


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s what I came here to talk to you about¡­¡± Dr. Julia studied the confused expression on Harlow¡¯s face before continuing, ¡°The thing is, the strange creature we discovered on the surface of Evon¡­ has disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Disappeared?¡± Harlow questioned, unlike anger like she expected, pure curiosity was seen on the guild leader¡¯s face.


    ¡°Yes¡­ no matter how much we searched with the mana-infused mobile golems we dispatched to the surface, no sight of the creature could be found, sorry to say. Are you sure that no one from the Cloud Continent can go down there to check? I recall their ¡°Cultivators¡± to be very resilient and have the ability to fly indefinitely.¡±


    Harlow lightly shook his head, ¡°No, only Heaven or Hell Realm cultivators can do such a thing according to Old Xuan. Not only are such cultivators difficult to come across, most are very¡­ ¡®Unique¡¯ in character, they act purely based on how they feel and not on the well-being of the Continent as a whole. Most cultivators as a whole are very individualistic, even the alliances are used for the growth of power and take pride in their individual strengths, there are very few that are interested in scientific advancements over there.¡± The guild leader caressed his chin strap as he pondered, ¡°Still¡­ how interesting¡­ Dr. Julia, keep those golems down there, even if it¡¯s only a month longer.¡±


    Dr. Julia nodded, ¡°That¡¯s simple, but if I can ask¡­ why?¡±


    Harlow spun his chair around and stared at the tranquil city in front of him. The Rising Sun guild was centered in the city of the sun, Illios. Filled to the brim with mages and commoners alike, the citizens went about trading, conversing, laughing with one another under the bright summer sun, surrounded by lush green trees that protected the city. ¡°I just have a feeling¡­¡± He answered, ¡°A feeling that¡­ Alysia will undergo a big change soon, and that creature that was found on the surface of Evon will be at the forefront of it all.¡± He laughed heartily, ¡°I don¡¯t think the Cloud Continent, let alone that Old Xuan, will go unaffected either!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    August awoke atop a smooth rock, covered in blood and dirt, but most importantly, alive. He felt like shit, his body felt heavier than mountains, and his eyesight couldn¡¯t beat out that of a blind man¡¯s; yet the brutally simple action of breathing and occasional feeling of wind that brushed across his face, the feeling of life that raced across his body made him feel like the happiest man on earth. As his memories came rushing back to him the longer he spent awake, he gradually remembered why he felt so unconditionally joyful at the thought of life.


    In the midst of hopelessly fighting against the spirit and earth realm cultivators that ganged up on him without mercy, he felt the presence of three sky realm cultivators nearing at a scary pace. With his body that he had for at most an hour, not to mention the immense excruciating pain that came from fusing with Jin Shou''s senior''s corpse, fighting a rock would be difficult, let alone countless cultivators that wanted his head. Despite it all, the boy pushed on, be it his scarily dense willpower or intense lust for revenge, his body met every attack with its own. A punch for a punch, a kick for a kick, a blade for a blade, before long, the guards that expected an easy kill could only roll back in shock at the slave¡¯s unbelievable battle prowess.


    ¡°He¡¯s only at the 6<sup>th</sup> stage of the Refinement Realm, how can we not catch him!?¡± A guard couldn¡¯t help but yell out.


    The other guards, and even August himself couldn¡¯t help but think the exact same thing in the middle of the fight. Such a thing was simply unheard of, no matter how peerless a genius was. As time went on however, the closer the three imperious cultivators got to him, August began to understand why he was able to hold off against the guards. It wasn¡¯t because he was some law-defying peerless genius or secretly hiding his high cultivation. No, the guards could estimate his power based on the power of the punches he emitted, but there was no Qi in his body. His dantian was fixed, but they didn¡¯t flow Qi in his body; instead, they felt strange, malleable even. August could feel it, with his new body, he wasn¡¯t bound by the realms like normal cultivators were or even the ranks that Alysia used that his mother told him about. His power could only be roughly estimated, but there was something else to it, something that he had no time to think about.


    The shocked boy brought himself back to reality quickly, taking the initiative to kill two guards directly in front of him using a pair of low-grade spirit blades. Crimson flew from the first guard, whose wide eyes full of surprise told of her unsuspected death, while the other barely managed to dodge the deathly blow: a quickly spawned rage built up in the guard that witnessed the companion next to him die so quickly, unfortunately for him and August, his blade managed to tear his spirit bag filled with pills, martial arts books, and elemental artifacts. Like a heaven-sent wrath, the rough mixture of flames and vicious sparks lit up an explosion the size of seven houses. That sent the guards flying in many different directions, though close to the explosion, none except the already dead female guard and the guard next to her took the brunt of the impact.


    As for August, he was launched far backward, into the forest and above the gaping height of a waterfall. The height was enough to kill one at the Spirit Realm, even an earth realm cultivator if they weren¡¯t careful or injured enough. For he who stared down into the watery abyss, the boy mentally prepared to mark it as his unfortunate grave. Even with his power, surviving such a height unscathed was impossible. But his body wouldn¡¯t let him die so easily, it crashed into every jagged rock in sight to even slightly slow his descend, he felt the sharp spike of pain that hit him like a jolt of lightning each time he collided with the earthly objects until one about halfway finally knocked him unconscious.


    Even though that spur-of-the-moment plan saved his life, August felt somewhat irritated he so willingly followed that pain-inducing plan. Though to be fair, it wasn¡¯t his idea in the first place.


    ¡°You should be glad you are not actually crippled after that fall.¡± The bodiless voice laughed, ¡°I did not exactly have the most confidence in that plan, though I¡¯m elated it worked. The great Asura has saved her host from certain death, as expected from one as prodigious as I!¡±


    Indeed, the voice that racked the inside of August¡¯s head was the disembodied voice of Asura him¡ªor herself. The moment Jin Shou fused August and Asura¡¯s corpse together, she claimed to have had her soul take refuge in his body, as she had been trapped below the 7 floating continents since the moment they rose above the clouds. August expected his conscious to be supressed the moment they fused, but Asura suggested that because neither of them attempted to wrestle for control, it didn''t take much for both of them to remain conscious and share the body. The idea wasn''t new to the boy, but even then, that was the least of his concerns.


    August let out a guttural cough, with a bitter expression stuck on his face. ¡°Be glad I can¡¯t hit you, bastard.¡± He threatened.


    ¡°Hoho, such a feisty attitude!¡± Asura responded happily, ¡°Well then, have at you!¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    August ignored the jovial beast as she made implied jabbing noises at him. By then he had managed to regain his eyesight, so the young boy sat himself up on the smooth rock and scanned his surroundings. The river had taken him farther south than he thought, which surprised him a great deal. If the Cloud Continent could be seen as a weirdly shaped octagon, then the illusionary forest matched the shape of a triangle whose top point directed itself towards the center of the continent: the Longevity Hall. The Moonlight Sect would be right behind the flat of the forest, to its right, up north: the Raining Swords Sect, and it the left, south where he is: The Void Sect. August located himself somewhere near the very edge of the forest, as he could spot the Void Sect Hall from where he sat. Despite all that, there was one question that swam in August''s head after some thinking... how did he end up on the rock if he was dragged through the river?


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, why do you talk like an old man with such a¡­ peachy voice?¡± With the thoughts on his current whereabouts concluded, save for one, August couldn¡¯t help but ask Asura after hearing her speak.


    ¡°How rude, is this how you speak to a lady?¡± Asura responded, she added an air of implied offense that even a child could tell was fake. ¡°After thousands of years away, my¡­ vernacular, is bound to sound different compared to the modern dialect!¡±


    August rolled his eyes, sad that he even bothered to ask her that question, ¡°Whatever, more importantly, I¡¯d like to know more about my dantian. Something didn¡¯t feel right in that fight with the core disciple guards, it felt like I had¡­ no limit, like the realms meant nothing to me.¡±


    ¡°That is because they do not.¡± She sternly responded, ¡°Take a look at your hand.¡±


    August glanced at his hand, near his knuckles were six small green rings that dimly shone their light, as he took his gaze away from them, they naturally disappeared, as if they were never there to begin with.


    ¡°That is your strength relative to normal cultivators, around the 6<sup>th</sup> stage Refinement Realm. Unlike them, however, you do not gain your strength through pills, fortunate encounters, cultivation, or artifacts. You similarly don¡¯t have any mana, or any magic like Mages. In essence, you are a hybrid demon beast, able to transform into the beast form of those whose beast core you consume; it too is through this, that you grow more powerful. That is my main power as the battle god.¡±


    ¡°Damn it! How am I supposed to go to the Void Sect now?¡± August cursed, though Asura¡¯s explanation greatly intrigued him, the fact that his powers lie in those beast transformations mean he would be hunted by cultivators simply because they though he was free resources.


    ¡°Do not worry, the more you assimilate with certain beasts, the more their abilities are passively added to your human form. With time, you can enter and fight within these sects without concern.¡± She quickly responded.


    ¡°I see, do I have any beast forms right now?¡± That initial intrigue he had rebounded like a toy ball. The idea of a human transforming into a beast was simply unheard of. There were cases of beasts transforming into humans, but that ability was only available to very powerful beasts¡ªlikely Heaven/Hell realm and over¡ªto fully utilize. His desire to test it out greatly overshadowed his concern for the Void Sect.


    Asura summoned a book out of seemingly nowhere and placed it in August¡¯s hands. It was a tier 3 martial art: Howl of the Sky Wolf. The art allows one to turn their hands into claws and their voice into a magnificent howl. Once perfected, the technique allows one to form the aura of a sky wolf itself, and command it to ruthlessly attack the opponent.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to train it, but I thought things like this were useless to me.¡± August said


    ¡°Put your hand on it and focus.¡± She vaguely responded.


    He followed its command and placed his hand atop the slick blue cover of the art. In an instant, the visage of a tangible, red-tinted wolf ran towards the boy with no sight of stopping. Its light stomping sounds ceased when he got close to August, where it slowly became absorbed by him, as if his body were an unforgiving black hole. The sight startled him greatly, almost enough to send him flying off of the rock he sat on. That initial surprise brought Asura a good amount of pleasure as she continued with her explanation.


    ¡°Though beast cores are a method of gaining new forms, finding martial arts with beast essence is also a good bet.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± August clicked his tongue, ¡°So how do I transform, exactly?¡±


    ¡°How else? It¡¯s your power now, your will alone is enough to transform into the more simplistic beasts like this one.¡± She said, ¡°That said, before you get on with learning more about it, I¡¯d like to know about what I missed in the millennia I was trapped on Evon.¡±


    August nodded willingly, and began to tell Asura of everything he knew about the current state of the Cloud Continent and history that he recalled. He told her of the current powers of the 3 habitable continents: the three legendary beasts, as well as the June Province head, Long Huang; a cultivator at the 5<sup>th</sup> stage of the Heaven Realm, and one of few peak-level beings that didn¡¯t leave the Cloud Continent after reaching the top. He also spoke of the four forbidden lands that trumped the three continents for centuries:


    The first area: Criland, where the ancient evil-banishing sword Kakos rested on its pedestal. Cultivators that neared it quickly lost their Qi and died with little resistance, and the other two continents had no luck in safely reaching the land either.


    The second area: The Land of Dragons, beings that descended from the fourth legendary beast Regele. These proud creatures refused the entry of anyone other than their own kind from even nearing the lands. One such incident with a Lord Realm cultivator attempting to enter the forbidden land resulted in a good chunk of Alysia being burned asunder by pure accident.


    The third area: The pit, though better known by people as the Worldly Hell. This land is inhabited by the legendary beast Regele himself. It is said that years ago, in order to seal a great darkness that overtook the land of dragons, he stayed on the island to ensure his home¡¯s safety. Over time he lost his sanity, and became a bloodthirsty god that turned the floating island into a land of blood and destruction. The only thing that holds him on that island are the multi-layer seals the three continents placed on it.


    The fourth area: The last and final area is¡­ well, no one knows. If the other three forbidden areas were already excruciatingly difficult to reach, then the fourth area is borderline impossible to even get close to. As the land that was the highest above the clouds, it¡¯s impossible to see what the land looks like on the surface. Some relate the land with the 9 heavens, where the gods of cultivation all live, while other continents each have their own theories of what live atop it, the hard fact is no one has the slightest idea of what lies up there. Even the three legendary beasts that were said to have risen the seven continents themselves only know that the lands look like, not what lies up there per say.


    ¡°It is our master¡¯s home, most likely.¡± Asura answered without hesitation, though she spoke with extreme indifference, August could sense a hint of longing from her voice; a somber tone that completely contradicted her light, sweet voice. ¡°Our master was the one who raised us, gave us power, and helped us create the seven continents to answer the ruin of Evon. Though our very existence is thanks to him, none of us know what he looks like, nor what lies atop that land. If I had to guess, though, I would say it is where he lived, and also¡­ where he chose to die.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± August said, his lips stayed shut, as he felt it wasn¡¯t right to interrupt on Asura¡¯s moment of silence.


    ¡°I¡­ humans are¡­ quite strange creatures. More tenacious that even bugs, with endless curiosity that allows them to give birth to creatures far beyond their own capabilities. While demon beasts long for superiority and perfection, humans seem¡­ fine with their imperfection, almost content with it. It is like you all find more joy in the process of advancement than the act of achieving it.¡± She said.


    August¡¯s tranquil laugh filled the ambient forest for a brief moment, certainly fascinated by Asura¡¯s rather random evaluation of humans. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that. Truly, humans seem to only be moved by joy and curiosity; that¡¯s just how we were made, I guess.¡±


    ¡°That said, the current Regele and the other three pose an issue¡­ but until you have the strength to handle yourself against them, it is useless to discuss this any further.¡±


    August nodded in agreement, though he had no desire to get himself mixed up in the business of the legendary beasts, he held an inkling that he would be dragged in regardless of how he felt. More than that, he owed Asura, who gave him a chance he would¡¯ve never had otherwise, and like Jin Shou, he paid those he owed back twofold!


    The two talked for a while longer about many things, and August gradually learned that Asura was just as curious as the humans she talked about earlier. She took exceptional interest in the more technologically advanced artifacts they made use of; automated items that needed little more than a supply of Qi to activate. When he told her that the Void Sect likely had many of these artifacts at their disposal, the previously somber girl had lit up with joy; if she had a body, August was positive she would be beautifully beaming with elation.


    She also took interest in Alysia, despite the little information he could give her. August told her of the Hunters and how they manipulate mana instead of Qi, as well as the concept of Dungeons: mysterious structures that could hold entire worlds inside despite their outer appearance. His mother often told him of the amazing treasures that would lie deep inside these areas, as well as the dangers that came with it.


    As Asura reveled in the new information she gained, August decided that he would spend some time in the illusionary forest and collect more beast cores. As a 17-year-old boy with an estimated strength of the 6<sup>th</sup> stage of Refinement Realm, it was simply too mediocre to gain entry into the void sect, not to mention his ragged clothes that would easily rat him out as a slave.


    ¡°First, a disciple whose clothes I can steal. Then, I¡¯ll hunt here for a bit.¡± He mumbled to himself.


    August closed his eyes, and within it appeared the visage of the wolf whom he consumed earlier still. The beast stared at the boy, as if it were pondering something, before willingly bowing its head and once again being absorbed by some strange force around his body. When August opened his eyes once again, he truly did have the body of a sky wolf!


    Pure white fur that shone brilliantly in the moon¡¯s light, deep red eyes that gave him an air of imperiousness; forget a sky wolf, though relatively small, August¡¯s current appearance was like that of sky wolf royalty. No just that, the wounds he had in his human form were being healed scarily quickly. Within ten breaths, August was able to jump from the smooth rock he rested on to the edge of the lake supported by the heavy waterfall within moments. His crimson eyes that scanned the forest in front of him were far superior to his normal eyesight, able to catch even the slightest movement within the entire scope of its vision. His nose was probably even better than his eyesight, like an expert cultivator chasing a commoner, he felt like nothing could escape the diligence of his nose. Sadly, August had little way of knowing what smells meant what. Even with his decent knowledge in medicines, the only real smells he could recognize quickly were that of spirit rocks, blood, and herbs.


    ¡°Spirit rocks¡­¡±


    August used his advanced speed to zip through the forest like a blink, completely un-seeable by those under the 4<sup>th</sup> stage of the Refinement Realm. His nose carried him like a voiceless guide through the many trees and past the unsuspecting demon beasts that went about their night. The strong scent of spirit rocks became increasingly dense, until the white wolf stopped at an open space, where three cultivators stood over the corpse of a few 5<sup>th</sup> stage Refinement Realm beasts; they were similarly wolf beasts like himself, but grey in color. Based on their grey clothing, they were merely outer disciples of the Void Sect, taking the time at night to hunt for resources before the Inner disciples woke up. Their expressions of joy were impossible to hide as they collected the beast cores and spirit rocks from the lifeless wolf beasts.


    ¡°Our luck has been great lately! If we keep this up, I can afford the grade 9 spirit sword and overtake Zhu Duan on the outer disciples¡¯ list!¡± The long-haired disciple exclaimed.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long before I can advance to the 8<sup>th</sup> stage Refinement Realm. By then you won¡¯t even need that spirit weapon to deal with that useless trash!¡± A short haired-disciple laughed.


    ¡°Haha! Who told him to be so arrogant? When we three brothers meet him next, he¡¯d better hope we don¡¯t do more than cripple his cultivation!¡± The similarly short haired disciple added.


    The long-haired disciple let out a malicious grin, ¡°Let¡¯s see him act arrogant after we spend a few nights with Fei Mei in his stead, haha!¡±


    The three continued with their malicious intents towards this Zhu Duan character whilst August decided what he would do with them. Since he knew he could at least hold back Spirit Realm cultivators for a bit, killing a few mere Refinement Realm beginners wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for him. That thought was held back with his lack of desire to kill a pair of young cultivators, but like a trigger that was set off, the word ¡°cripple¡± took away any reservations he had for taking their lives. Within a few breaths, the white wolf rushed towards the weakest of the group, the one who claimed to want to cripple this Zhu Duan, and bit his neck without mercy. By the time the two snapped their heads in his direction, the pure white wolf had been dyed with red from the headless body of the smug cultivator.


    Fear enveloped the two that witness their companion¡¯s quick death. Unlike the other realms, the Refinement Realm stages were quite close to one another, meaning that even a 5<sup>th</sup> stage could win against an 8<sup>th</sup> stage if they were careful enough. If the wolf they barely caught a glimpse of was capable of tearing a cultivator apart before they could react, it was safe to guess that its power was beyond anything they could hope to handle.


    Even without the advanced smell August had, the two cultivators could smell that scent from miles away. It was a scent that hit anyone in this type of situation, a smell that plagued their nose until they wanted to violently vomit. That smell¡­ was the smell of death, and it struck them like a horrid stench that refused to disappear.


    ¡°Ah, ahhh!¡± The short-haired disciple was the first to run away. His feet tore through the ground as he ran with everything he had, but even his best wasn¡¯t enough to escape August¡¯s grasp. The red-tinted wolf dashed towards the exasperated boy and dug his sharp teeth through his nape. With a single motion, he ripped a sizable amount of skin and veins from the back of the boy a spat them out. His gaze didn¡¯t even meet the blood-covered boy as he bled out, as if his existence were akin to ants to him. His icy gaze instead met with the long-haired boy, whose eyes stretched with unadulterated fear as he stared back into the crimson abyss.


    ¡°Clothes.¡± August demanded, though he could speak in his wolf form, his voice was far more guttural and rough, as if he weren¡¯t used to speaking yet.


    The long-haired boy unhesitatingly exposed his pale skin to the chilly night winds as he took his clothes off and placed them on the floor, along with the spirit rocks and beast cores he and his now lifeless companions collected during their hunt. After placing his belongings on the ground and stepping back, the long-haired boy fearfully turned back to the blood-coated wolf, like a mere servant staring at their king. ¡°T-there you are, senior sky wolf.¡± He answered, despite August¡¯s distain towards them, he couldn¡¯t help but commend the boy on his uncanny ability of sucking up to others. As much as he hated it, there certainly was no safer way of ensuring a decent lifestyle in the Cloud Continent.


    ¡°I-is there anything else senior sky wolf needs from me? I will do my upmost to ensure that senior sky wolf is satisfied before I take my leave.¡± He continued.


    August nodded slightly, ¡°One.¡±


    The long-haired boy gave him a wry smile, ¡°Well, what might it be, senior sky wolf?¡±


    ¡°Life.¡± August responded, as he rushed the boy before he noticed and slammed his body into him, almost immediately crushing his skull and sending all three of the outer disciples to the afterlife.


    Months later, the outer disciples would be found, brutally mutilated and thoroughly rotten. Aside from one whose clothes other than their outer disciple robe had disappeared, nothing could be determined about their cruel deaths.

 Chapter 3: The Void Sect

    ¡°Is that it?¡± August silently asked, searching the fire-lit cave as he quietly awaited Asura¡¯s response.


    ¡°I can feel it, the strongest beast core is coming from the brown Wyvern with the bone-shaped d¨¦cor.¡± Asura answered, directing August¡¯s gaze to the center of the cave, where a rather diverse mishmash of beasts all gathered.


    The illusionary forest was like a never-ending treasure chest for weaker cultivators. Spirit rocks multiplied faster than they could be taken away while medicinal herbs treated the word abundant like a tasteless joke. Demon beasts were probably even more common than the first two combined, though because of that, nearby towns had to pay small fees to the three sects to ensure their safety. Be it resources or demon beasts, it was no wonder the three eastern sects managed to share the forest for so long without any equality issues.


    For the past four months, August and Asura spent their time hunting demon beasts for their cores and Void Sect disciples for their martial arts books. Over this time, August learned a decent amount about his newfound abilities, especially what rules he had to follow:


    In the act of absorbing a beast core or martial art with beast essence, he could then transform into said beast for however long he wishes. While transformed, though he can talk, he must abide by the fashion in which these beasts naturally live. For example: as a Sky Wolf, August gains the strong desire for independence, as normal Sky Wolves don¡¯t tend to interact with others aside from procreation. Additionally, if August were to let Asura absorb a beast core of a beast he already has control over, it makes the beast in question stronger by a set amount. If enough are eaten, then that beast has a chance of evolving, something that the two recently experienced with the Sky Wolf, funnily enough.


    August was right to think of it as a royal wolf, with its white fur and crimson eyes. After evolving and taking his new beast form out for a test drive, he encountered a group of honestly terrifying people for his strength: elders of the Void Sect, all at the 1<sup>st</sup> stage sky realm or higher. Though they didn¡¯t waste time with such a weak demon beast, one of the elders who had a strange symbol-like scar expressed surprise at August¡¯s appearance, referring to him as a ¡°Sky Wolf Noble.¡± The current form wasn¡¯t much different compared to its pre-evolved form, it was a tad bit larger than before and had a strange black marking on its forehead. Outward appearances aside, August could make use of far more power and was much nimbler compared to before. Though the Sky Wolf was the only one to undergo a considerable change, he and Asura managed to collect a few good beasts during their hunts through the southern illusionary forest:


    Water Poison Serpent: A greenish-blue colored, amphibious demon beast that carries a very potent poison in a gland near its mouth. This poison is capable of killing a 2<sup>nd</sup> stage Spirit Realm cultivator instantly with August¡¯s current power.


    Da Zhao: Small humanoid beasts that resemble lycanthropes; though unlike their large ancestors, these creatures tote around very large, retractable claws on their hands and feet. Capable of climbing with extreme finesse and ending fights rather quickly with their sharp appendages.


    Tengwan Ape: A rather vicious plant type demon beast that takes the shape of a large ape. These creatures can use their vines to attack its foes from almost any part of its body, as well as avoid damage by removing its vines from the area being attacked. Despite only being a plant type beast taking the shape of an ape, these creatures have strength that matches that of a real six-eyed ape.


    Lastly, the Demonic Qi Sword: As strange as it sounds, yes, the Demonic Qi Sword seemingly counts as a demon beast, as it drops a beast core after being destroyed. Though controlling the sword is still considerably difficult for August, it holds a special property compared to the other demon beast he¡¯s absorbed: He can transform into other beasts while using the Demonic Qi Sword, transform into one himself, and most importantly, use them while human. This power resonated with August very easily, as it allowed him to pass it off as his martial art or artifact while dealing with other cultivators.


    Currently, August and Asura caught wind of the strongest demon beast race in the illusionary forest, the Wyvern, being spotted near an open cave holding an outstanding amount of spirit rocks and other resources. Though he was certainly going to hunt the dragon-descended beast sooner or later, he moved that plan upwards immediately because of one reason: food, good food to be precise.


    ¡°I can taste it now¡­ pineapple slathered ham with a side of rice¡­ green tea with just a cube of sugar cane¡­ hehehehehe¡­¡± The society depraved August couldn¡¯t stop himself from drooling as he happily thought of all the foods he could now eat with his freedom.


    ¡°Do not go crazy on me now, Auddi.¡± Asura jokingly warned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to food shame me damnit, who¡¯s the one stuffing her nonexistent face with beast cores right now?¡± He shot back, remembering that demon beast cores were like a sort of food that helped replenish Asura¡¯s spirit.


    ¡°Hey! I am eating these delicious¡ªerm, disgusting cores for our sake, mind you!¡± She refuted, though with her muffled voice, as if she had stuffed her cheeks full of food, it was hard for August to even remotely take her seriously.


    In terms of battle power, August¡¯s Sky Wolf plus four Demonic Qi Swords was his absolute strongest force, which allowed him to stand up to peak level Spirit Realm cultivators easily; using his Da Zhou form with the Qi swords was much more deadly short-term, so he opted to use that combination more often. However, though the Wyvern was a fairly dangerous opponent, August decided that using only his human form with the max five Qi swords was the best idea. Contrary to his initial belief, he became accustomed to most of his beast forms rather quickly, which left little room for use concerning his human form. If he wanted to get accepted into the Void Sect, August needed to make sure that his human form could keep up with the others using the passive abilities granted to him from hundreds of consumed beast cores.


    The beast-like boy jumped down from the tree he scanned the cave from while taking ahold of one of the Demonic Qi Swords. The blade answered to his will and immediately retracted, revealing it to be a whip blade he could only use while directly holding it due to his inexperience with controlling them. The four other blades flew behind him menacingly as he stepped into the view of the brown Wyvern, who turned its attention away from the pile of spirit rocks to feel where the strange strong pressure originated from. The other beasts stepped back instead of joining the Wyvern¡¯s side as it glared at August, as if they were mice watching a fight between two lions, they stayed back and gave the two space to fight one another.


    The pitch-black eyes of the Wyvern stared daggers into August as it let out something like a soft warning roar, a roar that seemed to say ¡°You¡¯re strong, so I won¡¯t bother with you.¡±


    A shame for it, August had every intention of bothering the brown beast.


    With a flicker, two of the four Qi swords shot past August and towards the brown Wyvern with no mercy in their stride. The beast swiftly dodged one as it made a Qi-formed ball that shot the second one down almost immediately. With an angry roar that shook its sharp scales violently, the beast took to the skies and rushed past August outside, where it could fly unabated. The boy dashed outside where he found the brown Wyvern high above, staring down at him like a human stares at a mere bug.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna be huh?¡± August chuckled bitterly.


    ¡°That cheating prick, he wants to stall you out!¡± Asura angrily yelled, using some of the newer words August taught her. ¡°Show this featherless bird what we are made of!¡±


    The mark that ran up August¡¯s arm began to emit an abyssal glow, ¡°Already on it!¡± He agreed, watching the black glow run to his left eye, where he felt the passive ability of the Tengwan Ape surface in his mind. With a thought, August whipped his arm in the direction of the largest tree he could find, watching the black, tangible vine that surfaced from his hand wrap itself around the very top. He pulled it back with as much force as he could muster without accidentally tearing the tree from the ground and, as if the tree were playing a game of tug of war, bounced itself upright with extreme force, shooting the boy towards the Wyvern at breakneck speeds. The blurry figure collided with his flying adversary and shot far past the cave, even closer to the Void Sect entrance than they already were. With a crash, the two blew past multiple poor trees and tore the ground apart in their landing.


    August jumped up immediately, full of vigor even with the bruises he endured after the fall. ¡°Wooo! Let¡¯s go!¡± He feverishly screamed, clearly hyped up on energy from the combined desire of spirit rocks for real food and being able to turn into a Wyvern after consuming its beast core.


    The beast in question was in worse shape, one of its wings was partially torn after being impaled by a large tree joint, not to mention the countless nicks and scratches that littered its scaly body. As it turned and faced August once more, the fuming glare from the proud aerial beast refused to dissipate as it let out an ear-screeching roar, like it was preparing itself while also letting out all of its frustrations at once. Its skin gained a light red coating while its eyes turned a bright golden shade, along with its scales that shot up like those on a hedgehog.


    ¡°This is bad.¡± Asura warned, ¡°As much as I would like to let you accustom yourself to your passive abilities, that Wyvern¡¯s roar likely alerted nearby cultivators. If we don¡¯t hurry, our loot may be stolen!¡±


    ¡°Not my ham!¡± August joked, though he knew the real weight of the situation. He could feel the faintly growing presence of figures nearing his location. What¡¯s simply a bout with a demon beast now could easily turn into a full on brawl with multiple cultivators if they saw both the injured Wyvern and its stash of spirit rocks and other resources in the cave. To avoid such an irritating situation, August decided he would¡¯ve waste time any longer, though he did opt to stay in a human form in case others made it to him.


    Two Qi swords formed in place of the two that were destroyed by the raging Wyvern, who rushed the boy the moment it saw the blades float closely to his side. As swift as the winds themselves, August took the Qi whip in his hand and lashed out towards the beast with scary precision. Even with a torn wing, the Wyvern managed to find its way through the small openings in his attacks with finesse. The two clashed in a series of strikes that would result in a quick fatality should either of them slip up even a little, yet neither gave their foe an opening as they threw out tooth and blade that could kill a normal 5<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm cultivator ten times over. The red-tinted Wyvern dashed backward to gain space from its unwavering opponent, clear on the fact that a head-on approach would be almost impossible to win.


    The livid beast released its pressure of a peak level Spirit Realm beast without restraint, its many fangs baring themselves at August unabatedly. Its gaping mouth collected a scary amount of Qi as it formed a wyvern¡¯s breath that could probably kill a 1<sup>st</sup> stage Earth Realm cultivator if they weren¡¯t careful. Within such a close proximity, August wouldn¡¯t dare attempt to simply dodge the attack. He took three of the blades and formed a six-pointed shield that centered itself in front of him at all times. The release of the ball of Qi in its mouth made a whistling sound as its very presence burned through trees and scorched the ground ruthlessly. The loud clang of colliding metal filled the air the moment the ball met August¡¯s Qi swords, followed by the even louder noise of the resulting explosion, one that tore everything that was within twenty feet of it asunder.


    ¡°A Wyvern!?¡± A nearby cultivator exclaimed as his head snapped in the direction of the explosion. He could recognize the familiar pressure of the wyvern¡¯s breath from just about anywhere, but finding the beasts without letting them escape to the skies was borderline impossible. Who was the aerial beast fighting, and how strong must they be to push it so far?


    The cultivator shook his head and began moving to the sight of the explosion. If there really was a fellow cultivator fighting a Wyvern, they were bound to struggle with it. He clearly recalled the time he fought one of the beast a mere year ago, and barely escaped with his life. The beast he fought became enraged when he managed to tear one of its wings off to prevent it from escaping, like a lion trapped in a cage. Just like with August, its scales turned a light red and its eyes gained a terrifying golden shade while its strength and speed more than doubled. He was no match for it at that point, and could only swallow his pride and run to keep his life.


    Now was different though, his cultivation finally hit the 2<sup>nd</sup> stage of the Spirit Realm after three months in seclusion. With his 9<sup>th</sup> grade spirit staff, which allowed him to even contend with 8<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm experts, he was more than prepared to handle a Wyvern on his own. The young cultivator vowed to lend his aid to the powerful expert going toe to toe with the king of the southern forest, if not, his name wasn¡¯t Zhu Duan!Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Well if it ain¡¯t little Zhu!¡± Zhu Duan turned around mid-dash to find himself washing in disdain. The man behind him was a 7<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm cultivator that made his very skin crawl. His tan skin couldn¡¯t hide the bags under his eyes, or the pea-sized pupils that seemed to be full of nothing but malice. This man was Xiao Eyi, who often abused his father¡¯s position as an elder to deal with those he didn¡¯t like in the cruelest fashion possible. Now he had his sights on Zhu Duan, patiently waiting for the moment he could goad the young cultivator into a situation he couldn¡¯t escape from. ¡°Are you also heading towards the sight of that explosion?¡± He asked, that hoarse voice that forced its way out of his lips could probably make a cat¡¯s ears bleed.


    ¡°Keep your hands off of whoever¡¯s fighting up there, as well as whatever treasure they gained from it.¡± Zhu Duan unhesitatingly warned. He knew someone as sly as Xiao Eyi would take the chance to retrieve the spoils of war for himself. Even if he tried, Zhu knew that he wouldn¡¯t risk a fight with him over some measly resources.


    ¡°Hey now, I¡¯m simply interested in what caused such a large explosion in the first place.¡± He answered, secretly cursing under his breath. What bad luck he had to get told off by the justice-loving Zhu Duan before he even got to see the treasures! He swore, the moment he got the chance, he would slit Zhu¡¯s throat without mercy. While he greatly enjoyed savoring the pain of others, he could tell the fool would only become a growing pain in his neck if he let him get any stronger.


    The two continued through the forest and reached the sight along with a few others whose intrigue brought them over. Along with the others, the faces of Zhu Duan and Xiao Eyi were filled with a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and pure shock.


    The boy in front of them couldn¡¯t be older than 17 judging by his face. He was shirtless, with a jade necklace that hung over his neck and baggy jet black pants that hugged just below his knees. His left arm was covered with an ominous black marking matching his hair that ran up to his left eye. Those same blue eyes were beaming with pure joy, as if he won the lottery or gained the favor of a woman beautiful beyond words, despite the many bruises and cuts that littered his scarily well-built yet slim body. Why was his smile so wide? Well, it likely had to do with the lifeless corpse of the Wyvern Zhu Duan was so adamant to help him kill at his feet.


    The many cultivators could only stare in awe at the sight before them. He wasn¡¯t some popular core disciple, an inner disciple, probably not even an outer disciple, yet he was able to fight a Wyvern, the king of the southern forest, with no help. No matter how one saw it, his raw capability was terrifying. Not to mention the fact that he couldn¡¯t sense the boy¡¯s cultivation for the life of him, Zhu Duan felt like he was staring at a bottomless pit¡­ a black hole who, even if he could tell his cultivation, went farther beyond anything he could hope to imagine.


    As August gradually came back to reality from his happy place, he realized the many gazes of cultivators focused on him and the corpse, likely because they knew he couldn¡¯t be a disciple of the Void Sect. He scanned the crowd and came across the two strongest cultivators he could feel from the group. One was simply oozing malicious intent and was clearly debating whether he should attack or not, while the other was far more tranquil. Though the boy with the blonde hair was a bit weaker than the malicious tanned boy, his Qi was far thicker, not to mention the spirit weapon in his possession. While he wanted to spark a conversation with the blonde haired boy, a burning desire within August kept him from doing so right away.


    The sly killing intent the tanned boy unknowingly emitted was enough to spark August¡¯s powerful lust for battle. His gaze met with that of Xiao Eyi¡¯s, and without reservation, he released a battle intent that shocked him and Zhu Duan greatly.


    ¡°This pressure obviously belongs to one at the 6<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm, yet why is it so domineering!?¡± Xiao Eyi thought, any ideas he had of attacking the mysterious boy immediately disappeared and were replaced with a cold sweat, much to his disappointment.


    ¡°Oh boo¡­¡± August silently pouted, his gaze immediately moved over to Zhu Duan who, despite being wary, didn¡¯t waver as his eyes met with the boy. August clasped his hands together the moment he was within range of the two cultivators, ¡°Fellow cultivators, my name is August. I was hunting in the illusionary forest in preparation to sign up as an outer disciple of the Void Sect. If I may be so bold, would one of you kindly help me in the process?¡±


    The two were shocked, not just by the sudden shift of his attitude, but also by the idea that he thought he was merely worthy of being an outer disciple. If one of the elders witnessed this boy and his mysterious strength, neither of the boys would skim over the fact that August may be immediately accepted as a core disciple!


    ¡°Brother August, my name is Zhu Duan. Originally I traveled here to help brother take care of the Wyvern, but it seems I was unneeded after all. As for your request, I would be more than happy to oblige! Take it as a declaration of friendship between us.¡± Though just as thoroughly shocked as Xiao Eyi was, Zhu Duan managed to rebound and answer August¡¯s question before he moved on to someone else.


    August let out a slight chuckle, knowing that his inference was basically on the nose. He could tell that Zhu Duan hadn¡¯t told a single lie in what he said, not to mention he recalled the boy¡¯s name from a few months ago, with the three fools that planned to cripple him. August already felt a sense of kindship between him and Zhu Duan, which made it all the easier for him to accept his offer.


    ¡°I greatly appreciate it, brother Zhu!¡± August said, turning back to the crowd of cultivators, ¡°Fellow brothers and sisters, I¡¯ve already taken the beast core from the slain Wyvern, as such, I have no need for its corpse. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves who gets to keep it!¡±


    He turned back to Zhu Duan and pat him on the shoulder before dashing into the forest, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Zhu Duan nodded as glanced towards Xiao Eyi, who had already taken advantage of the scene and began pushing others around for the Wyvern corpse, before shaking his head as he followed closely behind August.


    ¡°Are you ok with leaving it behind, brother August? Dragon blood is a precious item no matter how diluted it is, especially considering the Land of the Dragons¡¯ rule on entry.¡± Zhu Duan warned, he was worried that the mysterious boy didn¡¯t know the true value of a Wyvern¡¯s corpse, but he was more reluctant to let someone like Xiao Eyi take such a precious item for himself.


    ¡°Such poor quality dragon blood means nothing to me, letting that fish-eyed fox take priority over the corpse was a better choice anyway.¡± August honestly answered, ¡°Worry not, brother Zhu, we¡¯ll have much better items to split between one another.¡±


    Zhu Duan felt worried seeing August¡¯s mischievous smile, but he had no time to regret his choice. As the two neared the open cave the black marked boy guided him towards, Zhu Duan could practically smell the abundant amount of treasure that seemed to permeate the word ¡°Rich!!¡±


    Well over 2,000 spirit realm rocks, 20 wolf beast cores, 20 Da Zhao cores, 10 Demonic Qi Sword cores, 2 Wyvern cores, 2 tier 7 artifacts, an entire set of alchemist clothes, and well over 5 grade 8 martial arts books! Half of these items were things only core disciples could even hope to obtain, not to mention the set of alchemist clothes which were almost impossible to obtain! No matter how one saw it, August and Zhu Duan were practically swimming in money, and from the loot of the Wyvern he killed, no less.


    ¡°The spoils of war will always follow the victor! Haha!¡± August jovially laughed, unbelievably ecstatic that the demon beasts he and the Wyvern left in the cave didn¡¯t attempt to make off with the riches. To them, they likely knew that one or the other would return for the spoils, and with the many cultivators that began showing up as well, decided not to push their luck. August practically jumped into the pile of spirit rocks as his joyful gaze met Zhu Duan once again, ¡°See brother Zhu? That pea-eyed fool is breaking his neck over a mere Wyvern corpse while we reveled in the real spoils of fortune!¡± He laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the spirit rocks and the Wyvern cores, and the rest is all yours!¡±


    ¡°But what about the artifacts Auddi?¡± Asura pouted, if she had a face, she would likely be making puppy-dog-eyes at him right about now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Asura, we¡¯ll be getting our own artifacts soon enough.¡± He consoled, August recalled that the newly inner and core disciples from each of the three eastern sects were allowed to choose a single artifact of any tier from the Shenqi Vault at the center of the illusionary forest, so long as they successfully resonated with it.


    Zhu Duan couldn¡¯t help but revel in the sheer amount that August left for him, it wasn¡¯t even half, he likely left him more than 60% of the spoils! Despite viciously wanting to simply accept his kindness, Zhu¡¯s guilty conscious couldn¡¯t help but ask the question, ¡°Brother August, though I¡¯m grateful for the offer, but are you sure you want to leave so much to me? Even if you don¡¯t want the martial arts books or alchemist robe, simply selling them would garner much more spirit rocks than what is in that pile. I urge brother to think this through again!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all yours.¡± August lazily ensured, ¡°Couldn¡¯t care less for the martial arts or remaining cores, and that robe means jack-shit to me. It would simply go to waste in my hands brother Zhu, take them!¡±


    Zhu Duan could tell that August was exaggerating somewhat in his explanation, though his words were truer than Zhu expected. He clasped his hands together and lowered his head, to show the upmost gratitude to August. He only bows to his parents and his lover, heavens be damned! To those that show kindness to him, he pays back tenfold! ¡°Brother August! As long as I draw breath, I, Zhu Duan, will always recognize you as my junior brother! If anyone dares cause trouble for you in the Void Sect, a simple call will send me flying to you!¡±


    August let a smile form on his face at Zhu Duan¡¯s words. To someone who too often dealt with powerful, arrogant fools blinded by greed and pleasure, he couldn¡¯t help but grow fond of Zhu Duan and his character. To someone who so earnestly showed his gratitude and treated his fellow brothers with respect, August had no qualms sharing his spoils with him.


    ¡°I appreciate it, brother Zhu.¡± He picked himself up and turned back to the pile of spirit rocks that shone brilliantly beside him, ¡°Now, how am I going to take all of these with me¡­?¡±


    Zhu Duan¡¯s sudden appearance beside him startled August a bit, though he didn¡¯t show it on his face. The eager boy pulled a purple bag from his waist and pointed it towards August, ¡°Use this! It¡¯s a spirit bag, it makes use of spatial Qi to create a large space that can carry virtually anything. So long as you know what you¡¯re putting and pulling out, this bag makes carrying multiple pills or spirit rocks simple.¡± Zhu Duan explained, he quickly grabbed August¡¯s hand and placed the bag in his palm, not letting the boy refuse the offer in any way, ¡°Take it, please, it¡¯s the least I can do for you. The items inside aren¡¯t worth a third of what you left me, and I have an extra bag in my house.¡±


    The blonde boy¡¯s eyes lit up intensely, as if he were hit by the most shocking revelation in existence, ¡°My house! Fei Mei is waiting, oh damn!¡± He hurriedly stuffed the pills, cores, herbs, and alchemist outfit in a large back before throwing it over his shoulder. Despite his intense rush out of the cave, he turned back to August with a wide smile on his face, ¡°Come visit my house after you take the outer disciple test, with your abilities, it shouldn¡¯t take long at all! It¡¯s residence number 9 near the top of the Gaokong Mountain behind the Sect, once you reach your own residence you shouldn¡¯t miss it. Don¡¯t be late, Fei Mei¡¯s food is best served hot!¡±


    August watched as Zhu Duan dashed away towards the mountain he was likely referring to, a large, lush mountain with structures that could be seen from where he stood. A content sigh could be heard leaving his mouth as he thought about the ball of joy and goodwill that was Zhu Duan, thinking it over, he truly was lucky to meet with such an honest fellow.


    ¡°Aww, look at you! You¡¯ve already made a friend.¡± Asura teased, though with her absorbing the 3 Wyvern cores in August¡¯s possession, she sounded more like she talking while being drowned.


    August used the very convenient spirit bag to collect the remaining spirit realm rocks and dashed in the direction opposite of Zhu Duan, he was heading towards the Void Sect entrance, where multiple people could be seen watching the entrance matches that lasted all day.


    If the Moonlight Sect disciples could be seen as portable jailors, the Void Sect disciples could be seen as ruthless warriors. The Sect leader Wuqing Zhandouji reveled in the rules of the strong that governed the Cloud Continent, and those same rules were doubled, maybe even tripled down on in his image. Elders were chosen between those that could take 10 hits from him, regardless of their cultivation, disciple advancement tests were almost always mock battles between them and a disciple of a higher rank, even deep animosity between cultivators, be them elders or disciples, were determined through life-and-death battles. Where the people of the Moonlight Sect found their power in one¡¯s background and through more indiscreet methods, the Void Sect allowed for much more direct approaches to just about everything.


    Just on the surface, August ascertained that moving around in the Void Sect would be much easier compared to the other two sects. Not just that, but the fact that he could easily battle anyone he wanted made a fire burn passionately within the boy. That all started at the entrance, where he could see an examiner mercilessly beating down a young boy, likely younger than August.


    The autumn-haired boy was at the peak of the Refinement Realm, just barely enough to qualify for the entrance test according to the wooden sign sitting on a skinny tree. He threw out everything he had at the bald examiner, but the absolutely surfeit space between the two in terms of experience, not to mention the large gap in cultivation, made the match nothing more than a one sided beating. The bald examiner used what seemed to be a mere tier 5 martial art on the boy, but it was more than enough to suppress his constant advances that only served to tired him out faster. Each blow was easily nulled by the Qi that surged in a circular motion on the examiner¡¯s hands, who returned those blows with double the force. The onlookers could do little more than cringe in a mixed feeling of both expectance and understanding; if their reactions were anything to go by, a scene like this was common, even with the weaker examinees.


    ¡°Come on, brat! One hit, one hit is all you need to take the outer disciple spot! If you keep this up, the remaining 5 spots for today will be taken.¡± The bald examiner coldly spat, it was easy to tell that he only saw the match as a waste of his time. No matter what examiner the boy got for the mock battle, the chances of a Refinement Realm cultivator hitting an expert Spirit Realm cultivator was the same as him surviving on the surface of Evon: virtually zero. The onlookers began preparing themselves as they fully accepted the autumn-haired boy¡¯s loss before it even ended.


    ¡°Well, this fight is over.¡±


    ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t place any bets this round, it was simply sad.¡±


    ¡°Haha, brother Gu, do you dare place a bet for next round?¡±


    ¡°Do I dare? I am no coward! These 50 spirit rocks will go in favor of the next examinee, with an extra 100 to challenge and hit senior brother Gong three times!¡±


    The examiner named Gong too decided that his match with the autumn-haired boy was over. With an even thicker surge of Qi in his right palm, he rushed towards the exhausted boy with no hesitation, his palm raced towards the chest of the boy, but its sudden halt startled the entire crowd considerably. A young boy, barely older than the autumn-haired examinee held senior Gong¡¯s hand still with seemingly little effort. No one had even seen him walk up, let alone rush in to stop the examiner¡¯s hand. The more the onlookers thought about it, they couldn¡¯t feel his cultivation either, yet the mere fact that he could stop the examiner so easily spoke volumes of his strength. The strangely jovial boy glanced at the autumn-haired examinee before turning back to senior Gong.


    ¡°My apologies¡­ brother Gong, is it? Let me have a word with this boy before you continue.¡±

 Extra: Bestiary Intro

    --Greetings, and welcome to the Bestiary!--


    This lord has decided that every few beasts that are added to the story, I will release an extra in the form of a Bestiary, where I will record each and every beast that August and Asura obtain during their journey in considerable detail. I felt it was better than constantly listing them during the story, but feedback is and always will be appreciated. In any case, this Lord presents to you the present (albeit small) Bestiary!


    Current Beasts:


    -Water Poison Serpents: Descended from one of the four legendary demon beasts, and the weakest of its genetic line, Water Poison Serpents are extremely territorial and enjoy staying in water during the day despite being amphibious. They share a greenish-blue color that changes placement throughout their lives each time they shed. Unlike normal serpents, these species¡¯ tongues are used for guiding the poison through their mouths. They move around by using a dumbed down version of Qi sense, something that isn¡¯t normally available to beings under the Earth Realm. When provoked, these creatures curl themselves up in order to make the poison that travels throughout their body reach the mouth slower, this is done to make more build up before release, making the result slower, but much more deadly compared to the faster release. If they don¡¯t evolve, Water Poison Serpents live to about 20 years normally, with the longest recorded one being about 35 years old. After death, their poison can be used to build a tolerance to most other poisons.


    -Da Zhao: Something like cousins of the legendary Lycanthropes, these mammals are nocturnal and surprisingly docile. Their abnormally large claws are actually used for climbing steep walls and running away from more predatory beasts, but enraged Da Zhao and mothers still in the parental care phase will attack any potential threats without warning. The light honey brown fur on these mammals actually serve as personal coolers for the males, who hunt for food and escape from other predators almost all day long. The Qi in their bodies work to coat their fur in a thin layer of frost, which thickens as they begin to sweat to cool them off and avoid losing excess energy. Additionally, Da Zhao are capable of using their Qi to strengthen their claws for more effective climbing, or in a battle situation, create a bigger set of Qi-made claws as a form of life-or-death attack. Despite its uses, Da Zhao have a considerably small Qi reserve with a mere decent replenish rate, meaning that they have to be relatively cautious while on the move. Though they can see relatively fine, these mammals rely more on their highly sensitive body to feel their way around their environments, blinding or injuring their eyes have no real effect during a fight, a tip that most cultivators learn at a fatal cost. Da Zhao live for about 120 years naturally, with the longest recorded living to about 150 with the help of certain pills.


    -Tengwan Apes: These easily provoked plants actually belong to a species of man-eating plants called Blood Soaked Rosaries. The name Tengwan Ape originated from a small village near a Northern Kingdom called the Kingdom of Yongsheng. Villagers used tamed six-eared apes gifted by the kingdom that helped them shape their crops and avoid dangerous plants (i.e. the Rosaries) as they ventured the forest for resources. As the village slowly grew, so too did the vicious plant begin to starve from lack of prey due to the villager¡¯s constant hunting. In their harsh moments of despair, the plants began eating every medical herb and naturally formed pill they could find. With the abundant amount of Qi they contained, a core formed at the foot of their roots, which allowed them to remove themselves from the ground and move about without the ground¡¯s nutrients. With the six-eared ape as their base, these plants hid their cores behind layers of their vines and took the shape of the large beasts, before making their way to the village and causing chaos before a few cultivators took care of the situation. As plants at their core, these beasts grow in number scarily fast, as it only takes one releasing dozens of seeds from its mouth and a bit of sunshine to find another group of Tengwan Apes at one¡¯s doorstep; but with their mere 5<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm cultivation, most cultivators don¡¯t find them aa a real threat. Despite being very malicious, Tengwan Apes no longer require blood or meat like their original forms, the Qi in the air is more than enough to keep them moving. Lack of Qi will see the plants quickly wither and die within the span of two breaths (or like 20 seconds if you¡¯re American). In terms of daily activity, these false apes spend their day searching for targets to fight; with only their base desire for prey from their days as a Blood Soaked Rosary left, these beasts solely live to fight and make mental notes on what makes good prey and what doesn¡¯t. Contrary to their attitude, these apes are fairly intelligent, ruthlessly attacking those it has mentally marked as prey but avoiding those is has marked as a predator. As Qi-born beasts, these creatures can live almost indefinitely if not killed. There are record of some dying naturally, but the cause is currently unknown.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    -Demon Qi Swords: Despite the very special properties they provide August and Asura, these ¡°beasts¡± aren¡¯t all that special. Forcefully animated from the corrupted Qi of strong cultivators and demon beasts, these blades inflict mental attacks on its victims and seldom attack using their main body like August was shown to do. Normally, these blades take refuge near the graves of Demonic cultivators or ancient tombs, but if those places are explored and plundered, the aimless Qi swords with travel where the winds take them. With it, they became a rather common sight for cultivators of all strengths. On the topic, their strength depends on the type of sword they model themselves after and the amount of Qi they can make use of. Currently, August¡¯s Qi blades model themselves after tier 7 artifacts. As for their normal age range: as Qi-formed beasts, so long as they have a host, they are essentially immortal.


    -Sky Wolves: These noble beasts are the direct descendants of one of the four legendary beasts, and are one of few demon beast that don¡¯t share human like intelligence but understand advanced concepts of nobility and hierarchy. Genetics greatly determine how strong these beasts typically turn out, with the color of their fur as an indicator. Grey sky wolves are typically commoner types, and are no stronger than the Spirit Realm. Brown sky wolves start out in the Spirit Realm and can grow up to the 5<sup>th</sup> stage of the Earth Realm with good luck, they can be seen as the menial warriors. Black sky wolves can be seen as a ¡°half-noble¡± type, as they have a very small chance to evolve and make it to the Sky Realm. White sky wolves are the absolute rulers of the sky wolves, and are seen as the nobility type. All white sky wolves can evolve six times and advance their cultivation immensely, and as nobility, hold an innate ability that becomes fully realized at their fourth evolution. As for their nature, Sky Wolves are typically very territorial and independent. Excluding procreation, sky wolves rarely interact with their own kind, let alone other species or cultivators. Despite that, they are a very proud race that hunt and fight with unwavering determination. With their quick speed and devastating attacks, sky wolves tend to be peerless in their cultivation stage, and require those stronger than it to reliably handle. Although their ferocious capabilities tend to make them look unnecessarily violent, most sky wolves are actually considerate, especially towards children and the elderly; so long as one shows kindness to these beasts, the chances of them randomly attacking is little to none. In terms of age, sky wolves can live to around 140 years on average, with the longest recorded instance being well over 200 years old.


    This lord also thought he should mention how tiers work with certain Items or artifacts in the Cloud Continent. All items use Tiers as a form of ranking, but some differ in direction:


    -Martial arts tiers go from 1 to 9 and onward, with tiers beyond 9 belonging to Earth Realm arts and beyond. Weapons and Pill tiers follow the same principle.


    -Spirit rocks go in the opposite direction, from Tier 6 (the light green items) to Tier 1, with each tier representing a Realm. They will likely be referred to as Spirit Realm rocks, etc. but just in case this is here to clear any confusion.


    This lord is pleased to see so many read my story even if it¡¯s simply out of curiosity. Even with college classes continuing soon for me, I will continue to write, even if the heavens oppose me! Keep a lookout for the Bestiaries, I¡¯ll likely add one every 5 important beasts or so.

 Chapter 4: Bet

    ¡°A word¡­ with me?¡± The exhausted autumn-haired boy had to repeat August¡¯s words in order to ensure that he didn¡¯t mishear what was spoken.


    ¡°Yes, little brother, a word.¡± August answered, his gaze fell on the deep bruises that seeped down to his very bones, before bringing them back up to his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re struggling fairly hard, and senior Gong is still actually going easy on you.¡±


    His eyes turned downward, as if he were silently acknowledging August¡¯s words, ¡°What¡­ what can I do, fellow brother? He¡¯s too strong for me, I¡¯m at a loss!¡± The autumn-haired boy¡¯s face was littered with uncertainty and desperation. One could easily tell that he attempted this trial far more times than he could count.


    August¡¯s gaze flickered coldly at the boy, as if any kind atmosphere he had created were shattered to pieces in that instant. His deep blue eyes stared down at the autumn-haired boy like one would stare at a young child claiming to want to swing a great sword, and though he shook with fear at the icy glare that August gave him, the autumn-haired boy felt as if he couldn¡¯t look away even if he wanted to. ¡°That¡¯s because you are weak.¡± He indifferently spoke, his words were like a poisoned blade that stabbed at the autumn-haired boy mercilessly. ¡°You have no power here, the only place that you could possibly contend with is the mortal¡¯s region in the northwest. But this is the land of cultivators, you will get nothing for free, your life will likely be nothing but pain from here on, you may never even make it past the peak of Refinement Realm.¡± He furrowed his brows as he practically maimed the autumn-haired boy¡¯s confidence to shreds, ¡°Do you, with such mediocre talent, really want to embarrass himself further?¡±


    The autumn-haired boy¡¯s eyes washed over with shame and regret. His mouth opened, but no voice came out, he shuddered uncontrollably as if he were publicly shamed ten times over. The onlookers couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for the young boy, truthfully many of them enjoyed watching him courageously take the test many times despite his cultivation, but who were they to deny the black-haired expert that could stop one of senior Gong¡¯s attacks with no issue? True power is what spoke in the Void Sect, and without that, one was bound to fail horribly. Even examiner Gong didn¡¯t interfere with August¡¯s cruel shaming of the boy, he could tell that the black-haired mystery was perfectly capable of passing the test with flying colors, he felt that he had every right to call the boy out on his shortcomings.


    Despite the treatment he suffered, the autumn-haired boy didn¡¯t back down, what¡¯s more, he seemed to force himself to stand straight even with his trembling hands and wobbly legs. His gaze faced August with no sign of backing down, despite the look or sadness in his eyes, he shed not a single tear, as if the very thought would appall him to no end. ¡°I... refuse.¡± He weakly spoke, ¡°I refused to back down here! I¡¯ve worked day and night, forsook many bowls of precious rice, cut my ties with many people just to be here! Brother, if I were to quit here and now, I, Xiao Bing, swear on my name that I will die the most painful death imaginable!¡±


    The boy¡¯s declaration to the heavens shocked the entire crowd, including the examiner, but August had another expression aside from surprise. A wide smile surfaced on his face as the cold glare he spared Xiao Bing had all but disappeared, as if it were never there to begin with. Xiao Bing¡¯s determined expression helplessly shook a bit when he heard August¡¯s genial laugh, ¡°Good, good! Brother Xiao, you have thoroughly piqued my interest! If I help you become an outer disciple and provide you with the means to grow stronger, do you promise to follow through with what I do afterwards?¡±


    Xiao Bing¡¯s face was full of surprise at the words he had just heard, but surprise was nothing more than surprise. His determined gaze returned with a vengeance as he clasped his hands together and lowered his head to August. ¡°Brother, if you really can help me become an outer disciple, I, Xiao Bing, will willingly accept myself as your servant! Even if the heavens themselves attack you, they will have to kill me first!¡±


    August smiled as he lightly shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t need a servant, brother Xiao, I think a junior brother will do just fine. I am August, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Brother August¡­¡± Xiao Bing could feel a rising warmth inside of him, the man who he thought was only there to shame him actually turned out to be the only person that offered his aid. He thought it strange how life turned out sometimes, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    August turned around to examiner Gong, who with an indifferent gaze said the words he told every new examinee: ¡°You must hit me, a 7<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm expert, at least once to pass the test. Twice to earn an extra 200 spirit rocks, and three times in order to earn an Earth-Rotating Pill.¡± He turned to the side and directed the black-haired boy¡¯s gaze to the small wooden table where the two prizes sat. Though they looked perfectly steal-able, August could sense the second expert hiding among the crowd that likely kept an eye on the table. Truthfully it wouldn¡¯t take much for him to take them without the two noticing, but with what he planned to do, August had no need for such petty thievery.


    ¡°Senior brother Gong, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to place a bet with you.¡± August said.


    ¡°Hm?¡± The indifferent expression on examiner Gong glistened with a hint of surprise and intrigue. Far be it from him to deny a bet without hearing the contents first. ¡°What may this bet be, brother August?¡±


    August¡¯s grin seemed to stretch to the edges of his face at the response, ¡°Two bets, actually, the first is that if I beat you, you have to give me another Pill of similar grade to the Earth-Rotating Pill! Though that¡¯s just my personal bet, you don¡¯t really have to follow through with it. No, the real bet is that if I beat you, you make both me and junior brother Xiao Bing outer disciples, and in half a years¡¯ time, you will have another battle with him.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ and if I win?¡± Examiner Gong hadn¡¯t expected that someone as strong as August would place his bets on the man he himself dubbed mediocre, but this only made the initial intrigue grow even more.


    ¡°2,000 spirit rocks, and a tier 9 sword will be my debt to you, and I swear on my name, that should I lose and refuse to pay my dues, I will die and never reincarnate!¡± August confidently shouted.


    The shock on the crowd¡¯s face seemed to never disappear, it was one shocking claim after another, and now the mysterious boy wanted to place such a risky bet with senior Gong? It seemed that today¡¯s batch of examinees were simply overflowing with confidence! Whether it was justified or false hubris had yet to be seen.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ good, good!¡± Examiner Gong laughed, it wasn¡¯t the prizes that made him so excited, but rather the exurban amount of confidence August seemed to have for Xiao Bing. That confidence was more than enough to grab senior Gong¡¯s full attention! ¡°I, Qin Gong, hereby agree to the bet placed by brother August! Should I lost the bet and refuse to pay my dues, I swear on my name that I should have my cultivation crippled and be forced to live a servant for the remainder of my life! Is that to your liking, brother August?¡±


    ¡°Perfectly so!¡± He answered, like a timed bomb, the intense lust for battle that surged through his body felt like it would explode at any moment, ¡°Brother Gong, let¡¯s get on with the first half of the bet, be my opponent!¡± August summoned a Qi sword and tightly gripped it, pointing the pitch-black blade directly at Qin Gong.


    ¡°As you wish!¡± Qin Gong forsook the tier 5 martial arts he used on Xiao Bing for a tier 8 martial art that enveloped his entire body in a brilliant golden luster. Round yet sharp claws formed at his fingertips as even his eyes gained a beastly appearance that roared out without restraint. The pressure he emitted with the powerful art wasn¡¯t simply at the 7<sup>th</sup> stage spirit realm, it felt as though it allowed him to beat 8<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm experts, even contend with those at the 9<sup>th</sup> stage! ¡°Wrath of the magnificent Golden Lion!¡± Qin Gong let out a glorious, unwavering roar that caused the crowd to shake uncontrollably, in all this time, they had never witnessed the examiner use such oppressive power against an examinee.


    August¡¯s hungry grin only grew as he retracted the blade and revealed the Qi-made tethers that connected each piece of the original blade to one another. He swung the whip mercilessly, tearing through even the air as it ripped through the pressure of the roar and aimed itself at Qin Gong. The examiner used his newfound strength to catch the whip, but the simple act of stopping the blade whip tore a small crater in the ground. Not just his high cultivation, Qin Gong concluded that August¡¯s flesh had to be at least be nearing Earth Realm; why was such a powerful cultivator not accepted into a sect sooner? Did he hide it? Was he banished from some other sect before coming here? Whatever the case was, Qin Gong¡¯s confidence in beating the mysterious boy was waning fast.


    ¡°Not just yet!¡± To add on to the pressure, August summoned a second blade whip and lashed out towards the examiner¡¯s head. He managed to avoid the certain kill attack, but the two blades pulled back terribly fast before being thrown out once again in another pincer-like advance. His energy was burning out fast with the use of two blade whips, controlling the flow of the false Qi through the blades while directing them like a magnet towards Qin Gong¡¯s own Qi was terribly taxing, but not a hint of exhaustion or regret could be found on August¡¯s face. The sound of the blades tearing through the soft grassy floor while examiner Gong painstakingly avoided each and every attack by the skin of his teeth, the feeling of meticulously maintaining his Qi while also tiring out his opponent¡¯s own reservoir; where he loathed the very thought of such actions a mere half a year ago, he couldn¡¯t get enough of the feeling now. It wasn¡¯t just the lust for battle influenced by Asura that made him feel such a way however, it was the pure, unadulterated bliss of living that gave him such vigor. The fact that he could fight, the fact that he was no longer some crippled trash that couldn¡¯t fight a child at the 4<sup>th</sup> stage Refinement Realm if his life depended on it. Though he didn¡¯t fully realize it, August would never again mock the joy of fighting again in his entire life, no matter how foolish some made it seem.


    Qin Gong was at a complete loss at how to approach the merciless August. His long range attacks were practically endless, while he was more than positive that attempting to close the gap would not change the course of the fight. In the end, he knew his flesh was nowhere near as resilient as the mysterious boy, only a fool would try to best their opponent in such a fashion. With nowhere left to turn, examiner Gong knew that only his trump card would give him a chance of winning the fight.


    The golden Qi that surrounded his body turned into a blood red, with his beast-like eyes following the trend. The pressure he emitted rose considerably quickly, from the 8<sup>th</sup> stage to the peak of the Spirit Realm in the span of ten breaths! August quickly recognized what was happening to the examiner, as he recalled seeing the same martial art once before after running into a pair of core disciples not too long ago. It art was called the Wrath of the Golden Lion, and was a special martial art equivalent to the 8<sup>th</sup> tier. Though it didn¡¯t contain a real beast essence, the art itself impressively mimicked the power of the real Golden Lion. The normal art allows one to coat themselves in a thin yet powerful Qi shield in the shape of a beast, allowing for increased strength and defense. If mastered, however, it allows the user to manipulate their Qi and forcefully raise it at the least one stage. Out of all the martial arts, it was one of very few capable of forcefully raising one¡¯s cultivation temporarily without any fatal backlash.


    ¡°Take my strike!¡± Qin Gong viciously roared, his peak level Spirit Realm cultivation attempted to suppress August, but the black-haired boy grinned uncontrollably as he launched himself forward towards his foe.


    Xiao Bing was awe-struck by the sheer power that August possessed. He was somewhat fearful when August claimed that he wanted him to rematch Qin Gong, but those worries seemed to immediately dissipate the moment the fight began. Within mere moments he was able to suppress Qin Gong, who he helplessly struggled against, and forced him to use such a domineering technique. The autumn-haired boy felt that if he stuck with August, he truly might have a chance of contending with Qin Gong in six months¡¯ time!


    August could feel the sheer power of the strike Qin Gong threw at him, and just like with the Wyvern, he knew that a single slip-up would grant him an unquestionably fatal injury. Only this time he didn¡¯t have enough energy to summon more blades and create a shield, nor would his strength completely negate the attack. No, if he chose to simply stop the attack, August knew the fight would simply spiral downhill for him. He barely managed to test out his human form¡¯s power and already he had managed to find a fight in which he wasn¡¯t sure he would win, but that fact didn¡¯t deter the boy in the slightest; on the contrary, he felt absolutely elated that he was already being pushed to his limits, it simply meant that August could test the strength of his will! If he were so easily deterred, did he truly have the right to wield the power of Asura?If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Take your strike? Gladly!¡± August roared in response, instead of attempting to block the attack or avoid it, he decided to respond with his own all-out attack. The passive speed of the sky wolf and strength of the Tengwan Ape formed in his dantian and traveled to his left arm, causing a near peerless pressure to be emitted from it. He smile only grew as the two neared one another with a blinding speed, his thoughts almost shot out of his mouth with the growing excitement that escaped into his eyes. Give up? Admit defeat? Not a chance! Even if my body is shattered, I will ensure my punch reaches you! I refuse to believe that I can¡¯t outlast you!


    The two shot towards each other like stars, and like a dying star, released an explosion of pure pressure that likely could¡¯ve killed every spectator watching were it not for the second expert watching the rewards table. She jumped in front of the crowd in the blink of an eye and released her own cultivation of the 2<sup>nd</sup> stage Earth Realm, easily stopping the former from hurting any unlucky onlookers.


    Only dust was left on the scene were the two collided, as if they both exploded upon impact, but the deep burrows through the ground clearly displayed where the two ended up. August was launched far backwards, into a large tree that unfortunately gained a new hole in its stomach by stopping him so forcefully. The upper portion of his chest was a painfully dark shade of purple, almost like it was caved in, while his left arm was brutally ripped and bloody; despite his rather serious injuries, the boy held a face of content, as if he were completely satisfied with the result, regardless of the outcome.


    Qin Gong was in considerably worse shape, though he was conscious, he was laid out flat on the ground near the walls of the Void Sect entrance. The center of his chest was unquestionably caved in, while his right arm was completely blackened with bruises and reddened with blood; were it not for his decently high level of cultivation, the is no question that he would¡¯ve died the moment August¡¯s attack connected. To Xiao Bing, the Earth Realm expert, and everyone else watching, it was clear who won the match.


    ¡°The winner is junior brother August! According to the rules of the bet, he and Xiao Bing are hereby recognized as outer sect disciples! Also, in half a year¡¯s time, Xiao Bing and Qin Gong will hold a rematch on the Stage of a Million Fists!¡± The Earth Realm expert turned towards August with a slight smile formed at the edges of her lips. ¡°Congratulations, junior brother August. As per the rules, you will take ownership of the Earth-Rotating Pill and the 200 Spirit rocks.¡±


    August returned her smile with his own, ¡°Many thanks, senior sister. If you would, please use a portion of those spirit rocks to help senior brother Gong heal his wounds.¡±


    The Earth Realm expert lightly nodded before disappearing with a flash, in her place, the prizes for August all appeared before him. He used the spirit bag Zhu Duan gave him to contain the items before turning his gaze to Xiao Bing, who looked at him with a newfound sense of gratitude and respect. ¡°Little Xiao, remember this promise we made today. If you truly want to prove yourself, you must win the fight against Qin Gong in six months!¡± He slowly explained, the wounds he suffered kept him from talking any faster.


    Xiao Bing clasped his hands together and raised them towards August, ¡°Brother August, I swear I will not let you down! Your trust in me will not go to waste!¡± He rushed over to the wounded August¡¯s side and helped him off of the tree. Using a dozen spirit rocks, Xiao Bing set his savior down and allowed him to absorb them to heal his wounds, but in reality August was simply faking the act of cultivating; with his body, he simply needed to wait for his wounds to gradually heal, though it was somewhat slower than a cultivator using spirit rocks, zero resources were needed for his process.


    After healing a considerable amount, August jumped out and stretched his relaxed arms after sitting for so long. The Earth Realm expert that helped Qin Gong had once appeared in front of August with a set of outer disciple clothes, grey robes that held white symbols reading ¡°Void Sect¡± on the front and ¡°Outer¡± on the back. Unlike Xiao Bing¡¯s, August¡¯s robe came with a pair of bandaging, likely for his still bruised left arm. That bandaging served an even better purpose as well, as August recalled that a few of the guards from the Moonlight sect saw the intricate markings that his left arm possessed; though highly unlikely, he didn¡¯t want to risk being recognized by one of the guards and reported to Tie Xuan. If that happened to occur, not even Asura could save him at the moment.


    ¡°Many thanks, senior sister.¡± August expressed.


    ¡°Mn.¡± She warmly replied, she removed a dark green orb with a light blue symbol that read ¡°Communicate.¡± From her spirit bag and placed it in his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to give me a call if anyone gives you trouble in the outer area.¡±


    After handing him the orb the Earth Realm expert began to take her leave, but was briefly stopped by August, who yelled out to her. ¡°Senior sister, what should this junior brother call you?¡±


    As she vanished, he caught a split second glimpse of her face through the hood she wore. Her silver hair and red eyes were like the complete opposite of his black hair and blue eyes, yet something about her sat well with him. Her powerful voice reverberated throughout his mind, likely a power exclusive to the Earth Realm, that voice softly stated, ¡°Little August, others call me the Iron Maiden of the Core area, but you may call me Li Na.¡±


    A freshly healed Qin Gong walked over to August with a smile plastered over his face. ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky, brother August. Senior sister seems to have taken a liking to you.¡± His face became increasingly stern as he spoke, ¡°I have to warn you though, Huli Jiaohua, a core disciple that made 5<sup>th</sup> on the core rankings, fancies her greatly. If he were to discover that you gained senior sister¡¯s favor, he wouldn¡¯t let you off easily.¡±


    August let out a sigh of slight disappointment, though he knew that the Void Sect wouldn¡¯t be so simplistic. Despite the likely large gap in strength between him and this Huli Jiaohua, August didn¡¯t shed a hint of fear from his person. Just like with Qin Gong, the only feeling that surfaced deep within the boy¡¯s stomach was a mix of elation and the deep desire for combat.


    ¡°Finished.¡± Asura confidently assured, at the same time, a wave of dragon blood entered August¡¯s veins and quickly assimilated with his own blood. His strength grew a considerable amount, while his aura gained the small but deeply pure aura of a dragon within it. That was the power of a single Wyvern core that Asura had absorbed, she had yet to even finish with the remaining two that August gave her; thinking about the strength boost he would receive then made August release a bit of his pressure in pure excitement.


    The sliver of pressure that escaped from August¡¯s person managed to shake Qin Gong greatly. From just that, he was able to ascertain that the mysterious boy¡¯s aura had grown exponentially in the short time he took to heal his wounds, as if the simple act had worked to rebuild his body from scratch and make it far stronger than before. Were they to fight now, Gong was sure he would need to immediately rely on the Golden Lion mastered art to even contend with August.


    ¡°Did you advance to the 7<sup>th</sup> stage Spirit Realm!?¡± Qin Gong asked, his words shook Xiao Bing and the crowd, almost as if the earth itself broke beneath their feet. He lightly shook his head as he placed his hand atop it, as if he were supposed to expect something that crazy to occur, ¡°No wonder I lost to you¡­ you¡¯re a cultivating maniac, haha!¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s just a little battle freak~¡± Asura joked, August couldn¡¯t help but laugh with no real way to deny her words. Though thankfully no one could hear her teasing.


    ¡°Brother Gong, I just remembered that I made plans with someone not too long ago. If you don¡¯t mind, Xiao Bing and I will take our leave.¡± August said, he recalled that Zhu Duan wanted him to come to his residence after becoming an outer disciple, but more than that, the insatiable desire for food that enveloped August¡¯s body had completely overtaken his desire to fight. In that moment, the only thing that could possibly shake the boy was the mention of food, and Zhu Duan had fulfilled that condition perfectly.


    ¡°I understand, brother August.¡± Qin Gong laughed, he handed the boy and Xiao Bing both a wooden badge that held a special Qi within them, August¡¯s was the symbol for 48 while Xiao Bing¡¯s was the symbol for 49. On top of that, he handed August a white and yellow pill that held an abundant amount of Qi within it. ¡°These are the keys to your residences, as they are protected by a Qi layer built by a Sky Realm cultivator, these are the only way to enter the residence without being torn to pieces. Don¡¯t lose them.¡± Qin Gong explained, he then pointed towards the pill he gave to August, ¡°As for the pill, it¡¯s no Earth-Rotating Pill, but it¡¯s known as the Spirit Comprehension Pill. While you¡¯re cultivating, use this pill to more than double your comprehension.¡±


    August accepted the pill without hesitation and gave Qin Gong a simple nod before turning back to Xiao Bing, ¡°Little Xiao, let¡¯s be off.¡±


    Xiao Bing nodded and followed closely behind August as they dashed towards the Gaokong Mountain Range that located itself directly behind the Void Sect. The closer they got, the more beautiful the scene before August was; it wasn¡¯t the mountain that caught his glistening gaze, but instead the sight of the four other land masses that hid behind a thin layer of clouds right before him. Each of them stood beautifully, even behind the slight haze that coated the vast sky. With the 7 land masses reaching so high above the clouds, it was common to see the formless masses scrape the mountains and even the very ground the stood on as the slowly floated across the world for many people.


    August was one of few that couldn¡¯t say he shared that experience sadly, be it his life before slavery or during, he was never close enough to see the other land masses close up or watch the float across the ground, yet they both presented themselves to the deprived boy in a wondrous fashion in that moment. The grassy fields that led to the Gaokong Mountain were covered in a thick white billow that even felt slightly wet to the touch, while Alysia and Balaur floated magnificently in view, down to the large separate rocks that floated just below the land masses, as if they had broken off but had yet to fall down. For once in his life, August could say that the world he so heavily cursed in his days as a slave was truly beautiful.


    Asura was captivated by the sight just as much, though she said not a word the entire trip to Zhu Duan¡¯s home, he could practically feel the air of somber longing that surfaced from her silent chuckle. Through all of her jokes and general lack of seriousness, August had almost forgotten that she was a millennia old demon beast that sacrificed everything for her brothers and sisters. Returning to it only to find that they split apart and simply wanted her for her power¡­ he couldn¡¯t hope to imagine what that felt like.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± He said out loud, though he was really only talking to Asura.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Her voice trembled slightly as she responded to August. As they got closer to the mountain range, she could better feel Regele¡¯s thoroughly corrupted life force. It wasn¡¯t one of rage and bloodlust like he had explained to her, but instead one of anger¡­ and unwavering, immense sorrow that covered the entire land mass that he coated in blood. An indescribable sadness washed over Asura, but the more she thought of Regele, the more she realized that the unfortunate tragedy the five created for themselves could possibly¡­ very slightly possibly be rewritten. ¡°And it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Master Rau.¡± A lesser demon called, stepping over the large hole of broken planks that made up the old, barely stable mansion. Every hall in sight was covered in some sort of substance, be it blood, viscous, or smashed remains hanging from the walls. Bodies that could best be explained as ¡°brutally maimed¡± littered the battered mansion like snow on the ground, with the stench of death becoming so strong it could burn the hairs in one¡¯s nose. The crimson that coated the structure stirred the lesser demon¡¯s vampiric urges with every whiff of iron that graced her nose. Her body almost moved on its own to the free feast right in front of her, but her mind held her back with an unwavering iron fist. She knew without a doubt in her mind, that if she so much as lifted a finger in the direction of the corpses, she would lose her undead life within a matter of milliseconds.


    ¡°Menial servant.¡± The man named Rau responded. His pale skin matched his menacingly golden eyes almost perfectly. Stands of long black hair fell in front of him as he turned his blood covered face towards the terrified servant, yet he ignored them, as if their slight swaying over his pupils meant nothing to him. He licked his sharp, bloodied teeth over his surprisingly clean jet-black jacket and pure white cravat. ¡°What news might you have for me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the crystals Master keeps for your four companion¡ª.¡± The lesser demon was swiftly stopped mid-sentence by the vampire name Rau, who shot an icy glare that stopped her blood cold.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say this once, knave: Be wary of what you say around me. If I determine that what you tell me wasn¡¯t worth my time, I will feed you to my dogs.¡± His callous tone make the lesser demon tremble uncontrollably, even as he neared her face and held her chin up with his sharp, blood-tinted fingers. ¡°Now, continue with your report, and pray to the god that forsook you that I don¡¯t use you as a plaything and let my pets take turns.¡± Each and every one of his words send an unbearable chill down her spine as his lifeless breath hit her ear.


    ¡°M-master Rau¡­ t-the crystal¡­ the fifth one. It has¡­ lit up, just like the other four are.¡± She stuttered, the only reason she hadn¡¯t been harmed by the powerful vampire in any way was likely because of the indescribable shock that arose on his face.


    ¡°The fifth has been lighted!?¡± He asked, though he didn¡¯t wait for the demon¡¯s answer, ¡°So, she has survived the impassable trial of the nine heavens, haha¡­ that said, it¡¯s quite redundant to consider it ¡®impassable¡¯ if she truly has passed it. No, if she truly has succeeded and survived, then that means that out of the five of us, she is¡ªhas¡ªalways been the only one that can¡­¡± The vampire called Rau trailed off in his thoughts, the presence of the lesser demon before him utterly forgotten.


    ¡°M-master?¡± She lightly questioned.


    Rau was brought back to reality by her words, though contrary to her expectations, wasn¡¯t furious that she bothered him. The indifferent expression that covered his face remained as such as his gaze fell back to her. ¡°You were smart to bring this to me. You¡¯ve the right to keep your life.¡± He waved his hand in a shooing motion, ¡°Begone, I¡¯ve other matters to attend to.¡±


    The elated lesser demon made her way out of the mansion, but was stopped by Rau before she could reach the entrance. A lingering sense of dread build up within her as she once again asked the question, ¡°Master Rau?¡±


    ¡°Ah~ I¡¯ve almost forgotten,¡± His indifferent expression was completely gone, replaced by a sinister smile that froze the lesser demon in place at a glance. His rather grand clothing was replaced by an abyssal darkness that surrounded her like the night, while his golden eyes gained a bestial luster to them. ¡°Killing the Ucide family drained a lot out of me, see? As such, I¡¯ve become a slight¡­ peckish, hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    That night was especially beautiful for the nearby villagers, as the Moon gained a pretty red tint that lasted a good few hours.

 Chapter 5: Well Suffer Together, You and I

    ¡°One left, about 45 degrees northwest. Two right, one 62 degrees south, one 20 degrees east, right on the nose.¡± Xiao Yun muttered his battle plans out loud in order to eventually internalize them by instinct. What he used to determine those coordinates was actually the Qi that trailed off of the demon beast and floated in certain directions around him, though they weren¡¯t always correct, their general appraisals where typically spot on. He followed his estimations perfectly, moving to the right and lowering his head slightly to narrowly avoid the incoming wyvern¡¯s breath. Like a swaying leaf, he danced through the winds as he swiftly avoided the other two using the same maneuver, only this time dodging to the left. Activating the upgraded passive speed of his sky wolf form as well as the strengthened claws of the Da Zhao, he quickly rooted the heads of three Wyvern¡¯s from their bodies before they could even think of using their enraged forms. A faint smile formed on August¡¯s face as he came to a halt, though it wasn¡¯t because of the three Wyvern cores he now had at his disposal.


    ¡°It worked! It really worked like you said it would, Yona!¡± He exclaimed, ¡°I really can sense the suggested paths of Qi, but how? Is it the same way I don¡¯t have my own Qi but can sense other¡¯s cultivation?¡±


    The young woman collecting the beast cores after Xiao Yun turned to him with a smug grin that plastered itself firmly on her face, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, master? That¡¯s just how amazing I am!¡± She laughed, ¡°In all seriousness though, it¡¯s because what I use is actually called ¡®energy manipulation¡¯. False Qi was simply a name I gave you so I wouldn¡¯t have to explain it. To put it simply: It¡¯s the manipulation of all types of energy sources present, Qi, Mana, you name it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ in other words, the reason I can sense cultivation I because it¡¯s merely another form of energy, and since Realms are determined by Qi amount, I can easily discover one¡¯s power. As for the Qi premonitions, it¡¯s simply an estimated guess on the energy¡¯s possible travel route based on the attack¡¯s Qi fluctuation.¡± He added.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s¡­ entirely correct, as expected of master.¡± Yoana said. No matter how long she spent with August¡ªor Xiao Yun, she simply couldn¡¯t get over the drastic change in his character after what happened on that night three months ago.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Channel your Qi into every part of your body like you¡¯re washing yourself, don¡¯t miss a single edge, and when you¡¯ve finished, do it over again.¡± The young woman explained, ¡°Don¡¯t lose concentration, until you engrain the very thought of cultivation into your bones, you will struggle to advance any further. Don¡¯t be afraid, until you reach the Earth Realm, you won¡¯t be hindered by bottlenecks or be stopped by tribulations.¡±


    Fei Mei, the one who lent her soothing advice to Xiao Bing, also served her third plate of Grey wolf soup to the endless abyss known as August. He downed the soup like it were nothing but mere water as Zhu Duan tried his damndest to contain his laughter. Asura, on the other hand, let loose without restraint in the depths of August¡¯s mind. Her wordlessly beautiful laugh couldn¡¯t serve to deter the boy in the slightest as he finished the soup in less than 12 breaths.


    Two months had passed since the bet with Qin Gong was made, in that time, August left it to Zhu Duan and his wife Fei Mei to help Xiao Bing with his cultivation. Until he managed to fully internalize the process of channeling Qi in his body, the two decided that they would hold back on letting him use the pills provided by August.


    He and Asura spent most of their time in the forest, hunting demon beasts and collecting cores in order to increase his strength. The time to themselves helped the pair discover two very¡­ worrying conclusions about August: One was that the more cores Asura consumed, the less power they granted August. It meant that the stronger he got, the stronger¡ªfar stronger¡ªhis opponents would need to be in order to impact his power in any way. Even Wyvern cores could now only fill the cracks in his teeth despite their still rather equal strength. The second issue was that August was becoming increasingly battle-hungry through their hunts. So much so in fact that they had to forsake fighting other cultivators in mock battles because he almost ended up killing them. In order to take his mind off of fighting, Asura suggested that he and Xiao Bing visit Zhu Duan to relax.


    Over the past week, he and Xiao Bing visited the two often to give guidance to the young boy and overall get to know each other better. Zhu Duan was usually out fighting others in order to keep his rank in the outer disciples list, only returning to cultivate or collect his monthly resources. The non-cultivating Fei Mei was very accepting of August and Xiao Bing being around so often, she trusted in her husband¡¯s friends and saw no issue in keeping a few powerful cultivators around as she tended to the house; she even received help from August often with the cleaning and heavy work that he refused to let her do alone. August especially loved to visit as he got to eat Fei Mei¡¯s amazing dishes that worked to fill his stomach and soothe his soul at the same time.


    ¡°Your cooking is amazing, Sister Fei Mei. I¡¯ve quite literally never had anything this amazing in my life.¡± He genuinely said. Those words weren¡¯t an exaggeration either, there was not a single memory he could recall before meeting her where he tasted food that didn¡¯t make him want to vomit.


    ¡°You flatter me, Brother August. It¡¯s been ages since I¡¯ve last had someone so adamantly enjoy my cooking.¡± Fei Mei happily responded, she had no qualms whatsoever concerning August¡¯s abnormally large appetite, as she had an abundance of resources she could pull from thanks to him and Zhu Duan.


    ¡°Hey, your loving husband enjoys your cooking too! What about me?¡± Zhu Duan jokingly asked, in return he received a light punch in the shoulder from the embarrassed woman.


    ¡°Geez, my ¡®loving husband¡¯ only comes home to rest or cultivate!¡± She angrily responded, donning a convincing pouting face to pile more guilt onto Zhu Duan.


    ¡°I know, I know, that¡¯s why I¡¯m making it up to you by taking you out to the Bluewater Market Town.¡± He warmly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mei Mei, with the amount of spirit rocks I managed to obtain thanks to brother August, you can buy anything you want down there. I Promise.¡±


    Fei Mei let out a cute laugh, ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±


    August stared at the two as they continued their conversation concerning the Market town, as if he and the cultivating Xiao Bing were never there to begin with. Their faces lit up brightly with laughter and joy despite the conversation topics being so¡­ mundane. August was shocked, surprised that two people could be so genuinely close with one another. On one hand it intrigued him, but the more he saw it, the more he was struck with a stubborn sense of envy that failed to die down deep inside of him.


    It didn¡¯t take much for the fact that he had no one he could really call his beloved to affect August. He could only consider Zhu Duan as lucky, most cultivators tended to avoid relationships because they were feared by mortals, and relationships with other cultivators rarely ever ended well. It hurt knowing how much happier Zhu Duan was compared to him thanks to Fei Mei, but what hurt more was the bitterly warm sense of happiness he felt for Zhu Duan mixed in with it. No, what hurt wasn¡¯t the fact that Zhu Duan had a lover and he didn¡¯t, it was more the fact that he had a place he could truly call home. A place where he could return to with a smile on his face. August longed for something like that for years, yet even with his freedom, there was no place he could happily retreat to, no person waiting for him when he returned, nothing. It was part of why he was so reluctant to enter his new residence, because he knew that the only thing waiting for him there was his old friend silence.


    ¡°I wish¡­ I too, had something to take my mind off of it all.¡± He laughed wryly, attempting to brush the thoughts away. He still had Xiao Bing to train, Sister Li Na who he wanted to meet again. Though he didn¡¯t feel too well about it, far be it from him to throw a fit over something so small.


    That¡¯s what fighting is for.


    The thought raced through August¡¯s mind, quick, but not unnoticed. He tried to push the idea in the back of his mind, as he promised Asura that he would tone down the fighting for a bit. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true. There was no real way to curb the crushing sense of isolation that began to eat away at him; ordering a lady was out of the question, not to mention the fact that aside from Fei Mei, the bodiless Asura and senior sister Li Na, he knew no other women. The only method he could think of that would bury that feeling deep in the back of his mind, was fighting. Pure, unadulterated battles that would leave him bruised and bloody. Nothing else could deter those meaningless feelings like fighting could.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± He said before vanishing from the table he sat at, much to the married couple¡¯s surprise. They hadn¡¯t expected him to leave without so much as a goodbye to Xiao Bing, but Zhu Duan had an inkling of what tugged at the mysterious boy. He had long since noticed the somber glances he would give the two, the random spurs of sadness that enveloped him and the strange stirs of anger on his face. In these moments, Zhu Duan felt that something wasn¡¯t truly right with August; almost as if he were an incomplete puzzle, with a few pieces that struggled to place themselves correctly. He knew that a good portion of the issue came from his unnatural desire for fights, it was almost as if that were his entire being, as if that feeling alone was the only thing that kept him going. In truth, Zhu Duan simply feared that August would travel to a point of no return, where his lust for battle would be the eventually cause of his death. Even Fei Mei felt a bit concerned at August¡¯s sudden departure, though she wasn¡¯t as clear as to why his attitude changed so quickly.


    ¡°Brother August, did something bad happened to him¡­?¡± She worriedly asked.


    ¡°No, he simply needs some space.¡± Zhu Duan explained sternly, ¡°Listen, Fei Mei: Some men¡­ aren¡¯t as well-off as others. Just by hearing him talk, you can tell Brother August leans more on the unlucky side.¡±


    August dashed towards the illusionary forest at the break of dusk, as if it were the only place he could really go. The outer sect? He had no use for the pills or artifacts being sold there.


    Even then, I can¡¯t fight anyone at night, can I?


    The Bluewater Market Town? Aside from food and seeing the sights, he had no need for things like blood clotting ointment or natural medicines.


    There are only mortals there anyway, not worth my time.


    As a hybrid demon beast, he had no use for just about anything normal people and cultivators used amongst one another.


    He didn¡¯t care what strategy he should use or what form he should take like he usually considered, he simply found a demon beast and swung his fist wildly, like a butcher that simply tore through his meat without rhythm or order. With little thought, he ran through beast after beast without warning or restraint. Blood covered his arms and face, but he acted as through it were all non-existent. Each time he felt his fists tear through another demon beast, he felt those bittersweet emotions that plagued him disappear, replaced by a sliver of excitement that egged him onward. His eyes became increasingly dulled, with only the sparks of victory lighting them up as he traveled further through the woodlands. The deeper he went into the forest, the more vicious and dangerous the demon beasts became, but nothing stopped August¡¯s advance. He mowed down anything he could find with a pulse and the ability to resist until that head-first dash slowed to a sluggish walk, to a pitiful crawl. Even fighting beasts that could match, even surpass his own power, August didn¡¯t regain his rationale and escape, instead, he stood his ground and fought the group of peak Spirit Realm demon beasts as if his life depended on it.


    The Asura fights even the heavens!


    Every punch he threw was returned with ten bite marks from the brown wolves, every kick he lashed out was countered by ten Qi blasts from the Wyverns; by all accounts, he should have died the moment he stepped into the bout with the menacing group of beasts. Yet some arcane force kept him moving, despite the fatal wounds he suffered, despite the fact that he desperately wanted to live, he roared with vigor as he attacked the group of beasts. Maybe it was because of that clear desperation, maybe it was because he feared that the feelings that continued to pester him like a bug would return despite the countless amount of lives he had taken. Yet, who was he to complain about his suffering when countless others suffered the same? What right did he have to complain when he couldn¡¯t even keep his own desires in check?


    August struggled to find the answers to the questions in his head, but what he did know was that no matter what he did to fit in with the Void Sect, or in the Cloud Continent as a whole:This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    It would amount to nothing.


    August¡¯s special powers and constitution didn¡¯t make him feel different, it made him feel alone, like nobody could ever find common ground with him. His lust for battle made him excited during the fight, but after made him question his sanity. On top of being a fateless that was bound to suffer, would he truly be bound to live knowing that he was different from literally every person on the face of the planet? Who was to say they he would live a full life, the way he¡¯s going, he might die to some menial demon beast in god knows where!


    There¡¯s no one who can truly understand me.


    The pile of bitter ideas that turned into an unstoppable train of depressing thoughts brought a small surge of anger that very quickly blossomed a blind rage within his fists.


    Why bother wasting time with others?


    He tore through three brown wolves with one fist. Caved in the skull of four Wyverns with the sole of his foot, finished each and every one of them off by ripping their throats out with his bare teeth. The rough scales of the Wyvern tore through his mouth, but the mess of a man simply broke the scales and spat them out to show his indifference. In those moments, he wasn¡¯t just some random man to the demon beasts, he was a peerless battle god, who baptized himself in crimson victory.


    Just fight!


    No matter how much the pain urged him to stop, no matter how much his body now pleaded for him to end it, they all fell on deaf ears. In the pool of beast blood and corpses, August let out a deafening roar that shook the forest. Not a single beast dared near it, not a single cultivator let their curiosity get the better of them, they only listened to the forest-wide roar that rang in their ears well after it died out. That roar was filled with an unwavering excitement that enveloped August after burying his fist into the last Wyvern that dared approach him and ripping the core from its chest. The others had escaped in fear of not his strength, but his near insane levels of willpower. Even broken, bruised and bloody, he managed to triumph over his enemies and cement his superiority over them. Appearing victorious from the jaws of defeat, that was the pinnacle of joy that his lust for battle brought him, and it was an absolute high that August never wanted to come down from. The bloodied mess couldn¡¯t help but heartily laugh with joy after his win.


    He laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more, laughed until the forest boomed with his cries of joy! He laughed, and laughed, and laughed again, even as uncontrollable tears began to stream down his cheeks.


    ¡°Huh? Tears? Why?¡± He questioned, his scarred, bruised fingers touched his face and brought themselves up to his eyes to ensure he wasn¡¯t imagining things.


    August was puzzled at the feeling. He won! He survived a sure-death situation with his life intact, yet, why did the joy of victory fade so quickly? Did he do something wrong? Did he not truly win against the beast, because the remaining ones ran away? He knew he shouldn¡¯t have let them escape! He tried to continue moving to catch the cowards that dared run away from him, but his body cruelly warned that if he so much as attempted to exert himself any further, it would give up right then and there. He screamed for his body to move, reasoned that he would shame the great name of Asura if it didn¡¯t follow his commands, but this time, it was his words that fell on deaf ears.


    ¡°August¡­ please stop¡­¡± Asura¡¯s plea had finally reached his ears. Since the moment he left Zhu Duan¡¯s residence, she attempted to snap him out of the explosion of emotions that clouded his vision, but he had shut her out with no way of her breaking through. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it¡­ sometimes, fighting your way through the pain isn¡¯t worth it. Trust me, I know better than anyone¡­¡± She sounded like she had been screaming for hours, and the simple act of talking made her wince in pain.


    ¡°Asura! Why!? What did I do wrong? I followed my desire for battle, I satisfied it! Why¡­ why do I feel like at the end¡­ it all meant nothing?¡± August questioned, with his mind finally calmed down, his heart felt like it would cave in at any moment. How pitiful was it, that a man bent on revenge was questioning his existence before even completing his goal?


    ¡°Because the heavens are cruel, doubly so if you¡¯re a fateless.¡± Asura softly answered, ¡°I¡¯m sure Jin Shou warned you before, your life would be filled with struggle and pain, he wasn¡¯t just referring to the physical kind. This¡­ this isn¡¯t you, you¡¯re being influenced by my powers. It wants to break you down, turn you into an entity hell-bent on battles and nothing else. It wants to make you forsake your emotions and take the path of a true demon beast.¡±


    ¡°Y-your powers? Will¡­ will this continue to happen to me, Asura? Will I never be satisfied, no matter how much I fight?¡± August asked.


    ¡°¡­Yes, for as long as you live.¡± She sternly responded, it was easy to tell that each word only became increasingly harder to say, but for the sake of the man that saved her life, she ignored the pain and continued, ¡°That is the price of fusing with me that Jin Shou mentioned. You will be forced to live while constantly being wary of my power, wary of its burning desire to change you. If you want to be free of it all¡­ I can do that for you. You will die a few years after I separate myself from you, but at the least¡­ you can live those few years a truly free--¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­ I¡­ I refuse.¡± August quickly responded, much to Asura¡¯s, and his own shock. The bittersweet smile that appeared on his bloody, exhausted face was more than enough to silence her completely.


    It was a chance to be free, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the possibility of losing his humanity! So why, why did he deny it so quickly?


    ¡°I won¡¯t run¡ªcan¡¯t run, not now at this point. Forget my revenge, I just don¡¯t want to leave you knowing you¡¯ll have to go through this again.¡± His gaze turned towards the star-filled sky, ¡°It hurts, it really does, but what hurts more is the fact that I would be going back on my promises.¡±


    ¡°August¡­¡± Asura said, her voice trembled uncontrollably at his words, ¡°Do¡­ do you mean it? It won¡¯t get any easier from here out, I can¡¯t even guarantee that we¡¯ll survive even with my power! There are almost no certainties in my reckless plan, do you really want to follow such a person? Don¡¯t just try to lie to me for no reason¡ª¡±


    ¡°I swear it!¡± He interrupted, ¡°I, August¡ªno, Xiao Yun, swear on my name: from here on out, I will travel to the ends of the world with you, Asura! Should I go back on my word, I will die and never reincarnate!¡± His words were sharp and genuine, Asura couldn¡¯t trace a single lie in the words he swore to her.


    ¡°You...¡± She teared up, ¡°You god damn moron¡­ you even swore on your real name! If¡­ if that¡¯s the case, then I won¡¯t hide anything from you anymore.¡±


    With her words, a swirl of false Qi began to form in front of August, taking the form of a humanoid figure he couldn¡¯t quite make out. Yet like a heavenly blossoming flower, a short yet beautiful young woman was created from the depths of the formless Qi. Her jet black hair shot down to her back while her deep golden eyes held an air of experience behind them despite her youthful looks. Her traditional black and golden dress only added to the air of maturity about her, but her rosy pink lips and jaw-dropping face were enough to make even the most content of men lost their cool on a single glace. Forget her curves, her looks alone were enough to make August freeze in place out of sheer amazement. The only thought that flashed within his mind at that moment was ¡°calling her beautiful would be an understatement.¡± To think, this was the same woman that irritated him every chance she got and dragged on endlessly about artifacts.


    Her gaze fell onto the injured boy, whose left arm began to emit an abyssal glow, ¡°Xiao Yun, new host of the Asura. My name¡ªmy true name, given to me by my old master, is Yoana. I am, unlike my brothers and sisters, an experiment. Where they were simply enhanced by my old master¡¯s power, I was created from scratch. Using every bit of his remaining power, my old master removed every heavenly restriction he could from me: the ties of fate, the need for cultivation, the restriction of realms. According to my eldest brother, Regele, I was the culmination of everything my old master worked his entire life for. Because of him, I was freed from the shackles that place the gods above all other life.¡± Her expression remained the same, but an indescribable sorrow could be felt from her words, ¡°But so too did I become hated by them. At the end, it was¡­ because of me¡­ that you all needed to desert the surface of Evon in the first place. I loathe being the cause of it all, but I regret letting my old master die without completing his goal more. What was it? I haven¡¯t the slightest clue, but I¡¯m sure the answers lie atop the final forbidden land, and even higher beyond that.¡±


    Yoana walked up to the battered and bloody August, with her welcoming gaze that send a warmth through his body that remedied some of the immense pain he felt as a result of his recklessness, ¡°New host of the Asura, now that you know the truth of my past, as well as my real name, you are hereby my new master. If you fight, I fight, if you fall, I fall, if you die, I die. No longer are you alone in your endeavors¡­¡± Her small arms that looked like they couldn¡¯t lift a sword wrapped around August with ease. There was no pain, it wasn¡¯t a trick he was playing on his mind, Asura¡ªno, Yoana wasn¡¯t doing this to mock him; she was seriously, truly embracing the foolish boy with everything she had, despite the dirt and blood that covered his body. ¡°We will suffer together, you and I.¡±


    At her words, August¡¯s tears seemed to rush out with no mercy despite the wincing pain. The weeping boy slumped down and dropped his head onto Yoana¡¯s chest, letting his tears fall without restraint as she held him tightly. That night would serve to be the happiest and most shameful night August would ever have, and he swore to himself that no matter what he felt, he would never let the powers of Asura influence him so heavily again.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up with Xiao Bing soon, Little Yona.¡± He said, gently rubbing her forehead with his scarred palm.


    To clarify, the August from before was primarily a result of the powers of Asura gradually influencing his mind, slowly turning him into a battle-crazed brawler with terrifyingly little restraint. After Yoana snapped him out of it, however, his personality took a considerable tone shift. His constant joking and high-energy attitude had become more stoic and calm compared to before. He was also intuitive and concerningly calculative, something Yoana saw first-hand when Xiao Yun bargained with an artifacts seller and managed to obtain a tier 7 artifact that was originally 1,500 spirit rocks for 500 with words alone. Xiao Yun also smiled a lot less than he did before. So much as mentioning a fight or food to the old August would bring out a smile that stretched from ear to ear, but now it was like a godsend so much as catch his lips twitch, with the only one able to get a reaction out of him currently being Yoana.


    The others also expressed surprise at his change, but the one who everyone expected to be affected the most, Zhu Duan, was actually the most accepting of it. In his exact words, ¡°This feels much more natural, but it¡¯s good to see that both sides are just as kind and confident.¡± In truth, they were all more shocked at the beautiful young girl that followed him around. Xiao Yun was honestly clueless at what to refer to her as around them; letting her call him ¡°Master¡± was an absolute must not, but he felt somewhat bad keeping secrets from the three when they so genuinely accepted him.


    Yoana eventually came up with a response to his dilemma that would likely stick with them for as long as he knew them.


    ¡°Mn.¡± She responded, her head leaned in to the center of the palm as she felt the gentle warmth that emanated from it.


    Yoana loved whenever Xiao Yun took the time to lightly dote on her, something he always found a chance to do at least once a day. She could tell it was a result of his clearer understanding of what she endured before fusing with him, and to be perfectly honest, not a shred of regret was had considering the outcome. Yoana had bared everything to Xiao Yun, and he too shared everything he kept an absolute secret to her. Just as he understood why she was so adamant on helping the four beasts despite their desire for her power, she understood where his extreme distaste for the June Alliance stemmed from. As it stood, they were no longer simply partners out to complete their own goals, they were one and the same, and so too were their actions.


    Xiao Yun princess-carried Yoana to the edge of the Gaokong Mountain Range, though she could easily return to his mind as she was only a product of their Qi, she enjoyed the feeling of being carried and the winds that brushed across her face. With Xiao Yun¡¯s current power, the trek didn¡¯t even take the span of thirty breaths. Xiao Bing and Zhu Duan saw the two nearing at an insane pace, which made them both sigh in response. Be it the old August or the new one, his power still managed to grow scarily fast. As his dash came to a slow stop, his eyes lit up with a hint of surprise as he stared at the autumn-haired boy.


    ¡°Xiao Bing, you managed to advance to the 2<sup>nd</sup> stage Spirit Realm?¡± Xiao Yun felt the surge of Qi from the boy the moment he neared them.


    ¡°I did, brother August! It means that I qualify to go with you guys!¡± He eagerly replied.


    Yun¡¯s faced twisted in confusion, ¡°Go with us? Where might we be going?¡± He placed Yoana down who too shared his confused expression.


    ¡°Ah, I hadn¡¯t told you yet.¡± Zhu Duan absent-mindedly recalled, ¡°Every year, there¡¯s a competition between our Sect and the other three Sects called the Heavenly Thunder Competition. It starts off with a series of matches that all the Sect elders and leaders watch. Depending on what placement you get, you get a talisman that unlocks certain areas in the Heavenly Thunder Valley in the second round. We weren¡¯t planning on going this year because of the enmity I share with some of the June Alliance competitors, but I heard that they changed the rules a bit, and they may be beneficial for Xiao Bing¡¯s growth.¡±


    ¡°June Alliance, huh? So they¡¯re here too¡­¡± Xiao Yun was planning on declining the offer, as he had no use for whatever he might find in the Heavenly Thunder Valley, not to mention putting himself in danger by appearing in front of the Moonlight Sect and Tie Xuan, but all concerns washed away with Zhu Duan¡¯s last sentence. It was his goal, the very target of his profound desire for revenge. He couldn¡¯t near beat the June Alliance, the time was not yet ripe, but Xiao Yun would make damn sure that their representatives placed dead last because of him. He was sure that the moment he declared himself an enemy of the June disciples, he would be targeted by them all, but not a shred or fear entered his body. With the powers of Asura that he¡¯s refined over the past nine months, even if it¡¯s 100 to 1, Xiao Yun was positive he could come out alive!


    I am the host of Asura! It does not control me, I control it! If the heavens wish to contain us, then let the heavens crash and burn!


    A calm yet passionate battle intent surged from Xiao Yun¡¯s person. It wasn¡¯t as wild or unrestrained as his former self, but was still just as, if not more oppressive than before. Yoana smiled with relief at the determined expression on his face. She had fully expected that she would have to convince him to take part in the competition, but with the mention of the June Alliance thrown in the mix, she was sure that even he wouldn¡¯t miss such a good chance to defame them.


    Why did she want him to participate in the Heavenly Thunder Competition? Much of it had to do with the fact that there was an old friend deep within the valley. Better yet however, she could feel it, one of the four powers that would be present in the competition was in possession something closely related to the dragon king: Regele. With Xiao Yun¡¯s current power, they likely weren¡¯t enough to forcefully take it, but the simple act of holding the item meant they may have played some part in what made her eldest brother go insane.


    Be it Xiao Yun¡¯s burning hatred for the June Alliance or Yoana¡¯s desire for the item possibly related to Regele¡¯s current condition, the moment they stepped into the arena, they would become the sworn enemies of at least one of the four powers present.