Three weeks had passed after Jinshen's death. Life had started to go on without the 'prodigy'.
Back in the Demonic Sect, chaos had spread. Over 40 members had left.
"If the Sect can kill a Vice Captain like Lord Jinshen, what is going to be happening to us? We aren't safe!"
That was the most repeated reasoning for leaving. And the leader of all these rouges? Yanwei Zuanshi himself starting a sect of his own which he named
The Ègùn
Yanwei sat on a small hill in a grassy plain, looking down at the few disciples and common members that his sect had gathered, all of them wearing a black hanfu with a pair of red daggers on their chest as their symbol.
His face was a mask of indifference, the kind that no longer bothers to hide its exhaustion. He was wearing a loose black robe and a tattered black robe with the same symbol on his own chest.
His skin was much more pale and his eyes having small eye bags underneath them, his height had also increased significantly but he was still thin. He looked like life had been drained from him, one breath at a time
He slowly stood up from the ground, his cape bellowing in the wind before his voice cut through the thick silence.
"You're here because you chose to be. If your heart wavers, leave now. No shame. No blade will follow your back" He began. His voice authoritative and clear.
Once he saw no one move even a step outside of their spot, it brought a small faint smile to his tired and exhausted face, the life coming back to him for a moment before it looked as if his enjoyment got snatched by something.
"You see. We were scared, for our lives. And when the people you saw as brothers kill one of your own. It hurts. It not only hurts your mind, it hurts your trust.."
One of the members took a deep breath before speaking in a loud voice, everyone's attention going towards the man.
"How do we know you're not doing this for revenge! Revenge against the Demonic Sect for killing Jinshen Zhe?"
The members slowly nodded, looking back up at Yanwei, awaiting his answer impatiently.
"I want revenge. But not on the Sect. The knife I raise is for the one who made monsters of men. And if I find them wearing the Sect's robes... so be it. But you all will not get into anything problematic, that I promise."
The people below him stood still for a moment, their faces contorted in contemplation and hesitance before one of them drew his sword, raising it high into the air.
"For The Unwanted!!" He yelled out, while looking at Yanwei in the eyes.
A fire had begun to burn in everyone's chest as they also raised their weapons as high as they could.
"For The Unwanted!!"
Their voice was layered and loud, seeming like a small earthquake had happened as the hill Yanwei was standing on shook from the force.
He looked at them all one by one, seeing their determination and sincere loyalty made him feel the same way as he too, raised a hand high into the air.
"For the unwanted." He said rather un-enthusiastically despite a small smile on his face.
In the Swordsong sect, Yunxia was sitting in front of a small transparent glass square box which seemed to reflect her face inside it to infinity.
"What is this?"
She asked looking at a cloaked man in front of her, his eyes glowing blue under the shadow of the hood.
"A prison. A prison so great only an enlightened being could escape."
Yunxia frowned slightly, looking at the cloaked man. Narrowing her eyes at him for a moment before sighing deeply, crossing her arms over her chest.
"How does it work." She asked simply, her tone skeptical about the validity of the man's statement.
The man chuckled slightly picking up the prison from the ground as he stood up, drawing a small lotus flower on top of it before suddenly it started glowing, swallowing both of them in light.
They were suddenly inside of a realm, like a maze of mirrors, the man's reflection on every mirror as he spoke, his voice so far yet so near at the same time.
"The Shaolin and Wudang sect, they used to use this as a way to test if one has reached true enlightenment or not. But once everyone failed. They stopped completely."
Yunxia remained calm, her expression intrigued as she looked around the prison, it seemed to go on and on until her eyes couldn't even see anything except darkness.
"I see.. How much do you want for this."
They were both outside of the prison once more, the man sat in front of in a cross legged position which made Yunxia realize something, her eyes widening.
If... If this really does trap anyone except the enlightened ones.. Then is this man... Enlightened..?
She paused, looking at him once more, her gaze scrutinizing.
No.. If he was truly enlightened, he would have no need to be even on this realm of existence...
She thought to herself, the mans ethereal blue eyes gleamed with light as he spoke.
"Nothing. But I'll only give it to you if you trap The Grand Marshall Mo Liangshen for me."
Yunxia looked at him, her eyes narrowed in anger as she steepled her fingers together. Taking a deep breath.
"Mo Liangshen. The man who can change entire landscapes. One of, if not the strongest Saint... Fine. But I do it when I have the chance."
The man's hood covered his expression with shadows, but Yunxia could feel that this man was dangerous, smirking underneath the darkness that hid his face.
"Alright. But do it quick, you're pretty near him in terms of strength so you'll just need someone like Lin Zhu to beat him."
Yunxia groaned slightly, looking at the man who stood up and walked towards the sliding door.
"Just leave already..."
The man chuckled slightly before shaking his head. Walking out of the palace completely. The sun starting to set.
He walked alone, his presence like a ghost. He walked, and walked. The sun setting completely and the moon rising and rising until it was high into the sky, striking midnight.
He finally stopped, looking at the sky, only his sharp gleaming blue eyes visible as he chuckled.
"Revenge.... Power... I want it."
He muttered under his breath, saying it to no one particular before he turned his head to look at the small walled off city, it was a lone one with short houses and smoke going up. No contact with anyone for many Li's.
"Heiyan Gou... The city of black smoke. The main ally for the Demonic Sect's trade... Lets see. I'm in need of money... And if I get control over this city, I'll be able to do anything I want..."
The man muttered under his breath in a scheming tone, his voice no more then a whisper to himself. Like he was used to talking to himself.
"Yes... Morality can go to hell..."
He started walking towards Heiyan Gou, his eyes glowing brighter and brighter until they almost seemed. Terrifying, like two orbs of ethereal and powerful lights in the night, illuminating the city.
He arrived at the gates of the city in almost an instant. The guards looking at his cloaked figure off in the distance with unease, seeing his glowing eyes but before they could even scream, they were already knocked out, falling face first on the ground.
The cloaked man's eyes crinkled up in satisfaction. He pushed open the gates of the city, the smell of iron, coal and fire immediately hitting him as he walked in.
Everyone who tried to approach him passed out, a wispy blue Qi surrounded his body, freezing the ground beneath him as he walked towards the center, where a large mansion stood.
When he arrived at the mansion he immediately tore the metal gate down to the ground, his eyes turning even brighter, now seeming to light up the darkness itself.
An old and short man dressed in a fancy robe, ran down the stairs of the mansion, looking at the cloaked man with a fearful expression, but before he could even try to reason with him, the cloaked man snapped his neck.
"The king is dead... Now I am the king..."
He mumbled under his breath like a mantra, not stopping for even breathing as he climbed the stairs of mansion slowly approaching the terrace which faced the rest of the city.
Everyone that had passed out, and those who didn't. Awoke, walking towards the mansion in the center like undead corpses with no will of their own. They wanted to reject his will but they couldn't.
They gathered before the mansion. Some sobbed. None knew what to do in this situation with this man.
They all began looking at their greedy king's corpse with happiness while some looked on in awe at the cloaked man, not even looking at the corpse.
The cloaked man spoke, his voice authoritative and loud but it had a strange sense of excitement in it.
"I'm your king now!! Now bow!! Bow in front of your leader!!"
They looked at the man in awe, wondering what he was asking them to do. A young man with a bold expression spoke up, his voice hesitant and fearful.
"We bow to no one! Its worse humiliation in this city! And what makes you our king?!"
The rest of the population joined in on his retaliation, repeating, yelling back the same thing he said.
"Yes!! We bow to no one!!" They repeated again and again, and again...
He looked down at them silently, his eyes narrowing as the young man who started this. He fell to the ground, in a perfect kowtow position as one by one, they all fell like dominoes, matching the young man.
"I'm your king because I'm strong. I'm your king because your life is in my hand. And you all rejected that belief. For 19 breaths. And so for 19 breaths, you shall all lick the dirt."
The man said almost like an order, not to the people but to reality itself. His words were heavy, and made them obey for some reason, they could not simply refuse.
for exactly 19 breaths, women, children, men, elderly, all ate dirt.
Even after the time was up, no one dared stand up, which earned a small huff of amusement from the man before it slowly but surely, turned into maniacal laughter that echoed through the city. The laughter bounced off the walls, echoed down alleys, and slithered into homes like smoke and snakes, making the air feel like its been poisoned.
"Obedient! I love it! You'll be good dogs! Very good dogs!"
They bowed, almost like a elephant sitting on their back. They heard the cackling laughter, the sheer mocking and humilation they had endured was above anything which they had felt before.
All because of that one man. The tyrant cloaked in shadow. The Devil Reborn.