Vong Tr?n (a Celestial Master of the Tr??ng clan) and B?ch H? (a tiger-headed beastman) belonged to the Sword Sect’s Cultivation branch. Their specialty was "Exorcising Evil and Defending the Dao." Upon receiving Noe’s news, they immediately set out for the ruined shrine of the Divine Beast B?ch Lang to investigate.
The two were quite boisterous on the road. B?ch H? grumbled, "How troublesome. Why doesn't the Heavenly Dao just wipe them out? Why force us to manage this? What is the point of infinite power if not for this?"
Vong Tr?n (Foundation Establishment, B-rank) replied, "Because this is a free world; all races are permitted to exist here."
"What? Even demons are allowed?" B?ch H? snapped. "What kind of strange Heavenly Dao is that?"
Vong Tr?n’s expression remained cold. "Demons cause us fear and anxiety, but to the Heavenly Dao, they are merely fragile lives—nothing more, nothing less. We call them evil, but are they truly more evil than humans? When a demon eats a person, it has a purpose. Humans kill for pleasure. A demon might kill a hundred at once, but humans use war to slaughter tens of thousands. Who is truly evil, and who is righteous?"
B?ch H? fell silent for a moment. "Humans are indeed complicated. But I still hate those demons. I can't stand the sight of them. It would be better if they were prevented from appearing at all."
"Hmph, the world was actually like that once," Vong Tr?n explained. "Not a single demon could be found. It was known as the Era of a Thousand Years of Peace, and it ended only five hundred years ago."
B?ch H? shook his head. "That’s not right. The era five hundred years ago is usually called the Dark Ages. How could it be peaceful?"
"It was a millennium of peace," Vong Tr?n insisted. "A place without shadows or demons. All creatures lived long lives; even humans lived nearly a thousand years. It was the era of Extreme Yang. Every living thing strove upward, and ascending to the realm of the Immortal Race was common. But Extreme Yang is not necessarily a good thing."
"How can it be bad?" B?ch H? asked, puzzled. "The more Yang, the better, right?"
"Let me give you an example," Vong Tr?n said. "What is a society of Extreme Yang? It is a society of absolute law. There are thousands upon thousands of rules. Any mistake leads to punishment or suffocating control. The penalties are incredibly harsh."
"What is Extreme Yang in eating? It is eating until your stomach bursts yet continuing to eat. In sleep? It is sleeping continuously for centuries. Yang represents the positive, the 'presence,' the 'addition.'"
B?ch H? widened his eyes. "Ah, I see. Living in a world of absolute control would be worse than hell. For those who couldn't keep up with the pace of the powerful figures, that era must have been terrifying. Calling it a Dark Age isn't wrong after all. But why did it end, especially with so many Great Beings around?"
"From which level do you want the answer?" Vong Tr?n asked.
"You mean the end of that peaceful era was permitted by every level of existence?"
Vong Tr?n nodded. "Exactly. On the Higher Planes, they found the Extreme Yang world boring. Everything was predictable. In the latter half of that era, they stopped sending their Avatars down. Thus, they silently permitted and even assisted those who wished for the era to end."
"Those living on the ground were exhausted by the control and the repetitive nature of cultivation. They rebelled, sparking long civil wars that turned the races against each other until the Great Alliance vanished."
"And on the Lower Planes, the Demon Kings and Ghost Kings were frustrated. They had been trapped underground for a millennium. Holy Knights hunted them relentlessly, and because humans lived such disciplined lives, no one went to Hell. Even in death, their merit was too high to be punished. The Six Paths of Reincarnation became useless..."
B?ch H? winced at the flood of information. "What is a 'God's Avatar'?"
Vong Tr?n stopped, realizing B?ch H? wasn't the type for deep philosophy. "An Avatar is a small fragment of a God's soul cast down to live a life on earth. Nowadays, they are called Starseeds. Their 'System' is actually their own Godhood—their Higher Self."
B?ch H?’s head throbbed. "Stop, stop! I've reached my limit. Any more and my head will explode."
The two finally reached the forest containing the ruined B?ch Lang shrine. The entire area was shrouded in dark clouds, causing the light to flicker between day and night even at noon. The air was deathly cold, and the faint scent of rot lingered everywhere.
As they prepared to enter, a small Spirit White Wolf (D-rank) ran up to them. "Are you here to slay the demons?"
Recognizing the creature from Noe's description, Vong Tr?n bowed politely. "Are you an incarnation of the Great Forest God, B?ch Lang? We have come at your call."
The little spirit wolf chuckled. "Good. You are among the few who actually listen. The others ignored my warnings and charged straight in. By now, they are likely food for the demonic beasts, inadvertently fueling the power of the Dark Cultivators."
"What should we do, Great One?" Vong Tr?n asked.
"Come with me," the wolf replied. "We will rescue them. Afterward, you must help me persuade them to follow my plan. What do you say?"
"Understood," Vong Tr?n replied. The little wolf let out a howl, and thousands of spirit wolves converged, merging into a Great Spirit White Wolf (A-rank). Under its guidance, they ventured into the dark woods.
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As they moved deeper, Vong Tr?n saw many overconfident warriors. Some, possessing only minor martial arts, dared to hunt demonic beasts, believing eating their flesh would grant strength. Others, having received Elemental Marks from the Elemental Temples, fancied themselves mages. They failed to realize the basic principle of Marks: they absorb natural energy. A Fire Mark absorbs fire energy from the air; a Water Mark absorbs water. In an environment saturated with Malice and Demonic Qi, only Darkness Marks function. Many had entered, but few returned.
Some had even been captured by Dark Cultivators (Ma Tu) and forced to convert. Their Elemental Marks were corrupted into Demonic Marks, mixing elements with demonic qi to create destructive results. Fire Magic became Demonic Fire; Water Magic became Demonic Water. While natural magic seeks balance, Demonic Magic seeks only destruction. If natural fire burns a forest, a new one grows from the ash. Demonic fire leaves the land dead and scorched forever.
After Vong Tr?n rescued a group and explained the dangers, one survivor asked suspiciously, "How do you know so much? Are you a Dark Cultivator too?"
Vong Tr?n shook his head and gave a demonstration. In one hand, he formed a Golden Fire Talisman, producing "White Fire"—a flame shimmering with golden light that burns only Demonic Qi and is harmless to living beings. In the other, he manifested a Black Fire Talisman, creating a flame that destroys all life.
"Both are standard spells," he said. "Demonic Qi is a natural element of this world. It is harmful to the living but nourishes the souls of the dead. However, Ghostly Qi (Qu? khí) is different. That energy comes from another world entirely. No creature here needs it; it is a toxin to both the living and the dead."
Another person asked, "Celestial Master Tr??ng, where are you from? We wish to follow you and study the Dao."
Vong Tr?n replied, "I live in a place similar to this, full of Demonic Qi but devoid of Ghostly Qi. At the mountain peak lies the Phoenix Lake. Have you heard the legend of the Five Great Forest Gods who sealed the Demon King?"
Someone raised a hand. "I’ve heard it, but it's just a bedtime story. There’s no such thing as a thousand-meter-tall Demon King who throws mountains like toys."
Vong Tr?n smiled. "I cannot speak to his size, but the story is true. The White Wolf King is one of those five gods. There is also the White Deer King, the White Lion King, the Divine White Phoenix, and the White Elephant Earth King. The Demon King was split into five parts and buried in five different locations. This is one; my home is the second. There are three more such places."
After helping the survivors, Vong Tr?n found himself with several new disciples, much to his delight.
In the following days, Vong Tr?n and B?ch H? frequented the area, becoming familiar faces to the Forest God. One day, they ventured deep into the forest where the danger was greatest. There, they encountered a group of ten Intermediate Celestial Masters (Foundation Establishment, B-rank) from the Khu Th?n Sect.
They were led by Tr??ng V? Song, a sword prodigy who carried a chest containing thirteen swords. They had risked entering the depths to investigate the source of the corruption, clashing with powerful figures from the Blood-Refining Ghost Sect.
Eventually, Tr??ng V? Song became trapped within the Ghost Domain of The Sharp Iron Blood Ghost (A-rank). A Ghost Domain is a space bound by unique rules created by its master. Inside, the Sharp Iron Blood Ghost’s power was suppressed to B+ rank, but it held absolute control via these rules:
- No one with a cultivation higher than A-rank may enter.
- All blood that leaves a body turns into metal, controlled by the Sharp Iron Blood Ghost.
- The master can teleport anywhere within the domain with a 1-second cooldown.
- No one can leave unless the master is killed or grants permission.
- The master can create one new rule daily, replacing the previous day’s rule.
Initially, Tr??ng V? Song ignored the rules and slaughtered every beast he saw. The Sharp Iron Blood Ghost appeared in the form of a white-bearded old man holding a staff with a blood-red crystal. He manipulated the spilled blood into razor-sharp blades, ambushing the Celestial Masters. Many were killed instantly.
Only Tr??ng V? Song remained uninjured, protected by his powerful sword shields. He launched flying swords at the ghost, but the creature simply vanished and reappeared elsewhere, attacking with more blood. Tr??ng V? Song deployed his thirteen swords in a protective circle around his remaining comrades. For days, they lived under constant pressure, unable to find an exit.
A few days later, the Sharp Iron Blood Ghost offered a choice: "If any of you kills a comrade, I will let you go." No one moved; they were brothers of the same sect.
The next day, the rule changed: "Just cut someone else once."
The day after: "Sacrifice Tr??ng V? Song, and the rest go free."
Nothing happened. The ghost sighed. "How boring. You want to die together? Fine. There is no spiritual energy here—only Demonic and Ghostly Qi. You’ll run out of supplies and rot anyway. Just play with me. One sacrifice saves the rest."
One wounded Celestial Master, his heart nearly reached by invading demonic energy, drew his dagger to end his own life for his brothers. Tr??ng V? Song struck the weapon away. "Do not believe him. He is a liar. His words are three parts truth and seven parts trap."
"Hold on, brother," Vong Tr?n called out as he and B?ch H? arrived. The Spirit White Wolf (A-rank) led them to the edge of the domain. Because the Forest God was linked to Vong Tr?n via the White Wolf Mark, they could communicate even though the God could not enter the domain in its full form.
Upon hearing the rules, the Forest God understood the trick. It split its spirit into smaller, lower-ranked versions that could bypass the restriction. These small wolves entered the domain in packs of ten to twelve, scouting the area. One pack eventually led Vong Tr?n and B?ch H? to Tr??ng V? Song. After a brief moment of suspicion, the groups united. Vong Tr?n provided spiritual food and medicine, healing the survivors.
The Spirit Wolf said to Vong Tr?n, "The coward is hiding. He tried to use demonic beasts as sacrifices, but when he saw I had no blood and great numbers, he vanished. I need some blood to lure him out."
Vong Tr?n and B?ch H? stepped into a clearing while the others watched. Vong Tr?n drove his five-meter-long Black Iron Sword into the ground and cut his arm, scattering blood while hiding thousands of talismans on his person. B?ch H? donned the Black Tiger King Armor, which scaled to his size, and also drew blood.
The Sharp Iron Blood Ghost, smelling the blood, manifested immediately and turned the blood into metal spikes. Vong Tr?n clasped his hands, and eight black arms sprouted from his back—the Eight-Armed Asura. He deflected every attack and threw them back, forcing the ghost to teleport frantically.
B?ch H? then transformed from a beastman into a Giant White Tiger, his armor growing with him. His blood, being Pure Yang, was a natural bane to ghosts. He unleashed a roar filled with the Tiger King's majesty, stunning theSharp Iron Blood Ghost. Terrified, the ghost tried to flee into the shadows.
The Spirit Wolf smiled; it had caught the ghost’s scent. This ghost had a physical form, making it easy to kill. Thousands of Spirit Wolves (B-rank) flooded the domain, packing every inch of space until the Sharp Iron Blood Ghost had nowhere to hide. It was torn apart.
As Tr??ng V? Song prepared to lead his sect-mates home, he turned to Vong Tr?n in a rage. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? This is ancient Ghostly Qi. And you trust this 'weak' Spirit God? At most, it's at the Core Formation (A-rank) stage. How can it handle a Legendary-level threat?"
Later, Vong Tr?n had to bring the Spirit Wolf to the Khu Th?n Sect, the largest Celestial Master organization, for a summit. The White Wolf was forced to reveal its true majesty as a Great Forest God. The display was so powerful that Seven Star, the founding ancestor of the Khu Th?n Sect, appeared in person to pay his respects. He officially recognized the Forest God's authority over the crisis, forbidding anyone from interfering.