Chapter 1: Old Devil (1) (1/2)
“Baa baa… baa baa… baa baa…”
The cries of a young shepherd’s sheep echoed across the usually tranquil mountain range.
Li Qiye crawled to the top of a cliff with the cold night’s breeze violently blowing against his body. His body was currently drenched in perspiration. At thirteen years of age, a little boy like Li Qiye was using all of his might to climb this mountain range — this scene in the night sky would give a macabre sensation to just about anyone.
Although the night was quiet, Li Qiye’s mind was being tormented by a flame of uncertainty.
[1]
Today, he had completed his daily tasks. However, during the approach of dawn, he noticed that he was missing his leading sheep. While filled with worry, he rushed back to the mountain range to search for it. After seemingly scouring the entire mountain range, he still couldn’t find even a shadow of this sheep.
Thinking about the missing sheep and its evil owner, Zhang Dahu, Li Qiye feared for the worst in his heart.
Suddenly, Li Qiye thought of one place where the sheep might be. There was only one location that he didn’t search — the Immortal Demon Grotto!
As he looked towards the Immortal Demon Grotto before him, he noticed that the mountain range in the dark night resembled a fierce beast from the ancient Desolate Era; its mouth appeared to be gaping, hungering for human flesh. Hearing the howls of wolves resound from all around him, he couldn’t help but s.h.i.+ver in fear.
The Immortal Demon Grotto was considered a cursed land in the surrounding area. Legend states that an evil demon presided over this location, a demon who instantly consumed any trespa.s.sers. No one had ever made it out of the cave alive.
At this moment, the sound of Zhang Dahu’s whip reverberated in Li Qiye’s ears. If Li Qiye truly lost the sheep, then Zhang Dahu would definitely whip his flesh to tatters.
Having reached this point, Li Qiye gritted his teeth and approached the cave.
His body disappeared in the night.
“Aaaaaaaahhhhh…!”
The calm night was interrupted by a young boy’s miserable scream.
Li Qiye’s frightened voice rang once again: “You, you, what do you want? … Ahh…!”
Suddenly, the screams came to an end.
An unknown amount of time later at the depths of the Immortal Demon Grotto, the silence was broken by a menacing voice: “Good, good, good! My immortal Dark Crow has finally been completed. Since only a soul was missing, today, I will conveniently borrow your soul for a little bit!”
“Phwoosh… phwoosh… phwoos.h.!.+”
A moment later, as each flap loudly resounded, a strange, dark crow flew away from the Immortal Demon Grotto.
“Fly, fly, fly! I will use your soul to find all the Forbidden Burials. Fly across all the lands! As long as the Nine Worlds exist, I will find you again!” From the depths of the Immortal Demon Grotto, the heavy voice came out once again and lingered in the air.
From then on, throughout this heaven and earth, a Dark Crow flew across the planes. From heavenly cities to the most dangerous reaches and secret areas, it flew without a free will straight through the Nine Worlds for eras on end.
As time pa.s.sed, millions of years came and went. A new peerless master would rise as another fell. Slowly, the crow would disappear only to reappear later on. It wanted to escape its master, it wanted to find a purpose to its life.
[2]
Behind each of these paragons lies the shadow of a crow, one that struggled to find freedom.
As these strongest beings came and went, the crow continued to mysteriously appear throughout the river of time.
The crow was not willing to have his fate controlled. It wanted to oppose the most frightening character in this world.
And now, millions of years has gone by with the pa.s.sing of many eras…
Li Qiye, who was floating in a river, was suddenly dragged out by a person.
“Aaa!”
As he was being dragged out, Li Qiye suddenly woke up. His first reaction was to jump as he was unfamiliar with his own body. Unable to find his footing, he almost fell down to the ground.
“Ah, my body!” Looking down and seeing how his body had stayed the same, Li Qiye was both ecstatic and scared. Even after the thousands of struggles while fighting against the unending waves and winds, Dark Crow Li Qiye still couldn’t contain his emotions after regaining his own body.
Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and found that an old man was in front of him.
“Hehehe, it is this old man who saved you from your impending doom.” The old man loudly laughed in an inglorious manner, revealing his three remaining yellow teeth. His demeanor made others feel that his smile was very sinister.
Up the stream, Li Qiye could see the dim structure of the Immortal Demon Grotto. His eyes became increasingly cold and his aura exceeded anything that a thirteen year old child could exude.
Li Qiye took a deep breath and then stared at the old man. After a while, he eventually asked: “How should I address you, old man?”
“Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, Old Devil.” The old man answered with his mouth agape, still revealing his three golden teeth while smiling and spitting everywhere.
“Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect…” Li Qiye whispered under his breath. This name made him recall the sealed memories in his mind. These memories were from a time when he was still imprisoned in the body of the Dark Crow.
Li Qiye regained his composure and asked the old man: “Right now, who has the Heaven’s Will?”
The old man was still smiling as he replied: “Heaven’s Will eh? Right now, no one in this era has been able to shoulder the Heaven’s Will.”
[1]
“Immortal Emperor Ta Kong has been missing for thirty thousand years.”
Li Qiye inquired the old man once more: “What about the Black Dragon King of the Heaven Protector Palace?”
“No one knows. The Black Dragon King went missing at the same time as Immortal Emperor Ta Kong.” Old Devil shook his head.
Hearing this, Li Qiye’s expression drastically changed. He looked back at the Immortal Demon Grotto again and finally understood why he had regained his body.
“Let us go.” With a saddened expression, Li Qiye turned around and started to walk away. He didn’t care if Old Devil was following him or not. After experiencing pseudo-immortality, he knew exactly what he had to do.
The Heaven Protector Palace was an incredibly powerful lineage in the current times. Back in that era when the Black Dragon King — a peerless master — was still alive, no one could match him across the Nine Worlds. He was respected for three whole generations!
Even though he had been missing for thirty thousand years, the Heaven Protector Palace still stood arrogantly in this domain.