Slumbering Calamity

"Who is she?" Ning'er asked, her words barely concealing her feelings on the woman that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and ever since never left Hao's side, almost as if she was his shadow.

On top of that she was quite beautiful in her own way, which didn't help the matter at all, obviously.

Possessing long, dark red hair held in a ponytail and a figure that Ning'er just could not yet match, due to her age, she carried with her the presence of a woman that preferred to follow instead of lead which, Ning'er knew, appealed to a lot of men out there.

And while she herself was not somebody that came off as overtly strong and dominant, she still could have quite the temper if push came to shove. The mysterious woman however somehow didn't. At least it didn't look like she did.

"Her name is Kimiko. She traded her life to me, which practically makes her mine, both in body, mind and soul." Hao replied, while his words held a callousness that surprised even Ning'er, who had spent quite some time at his side already, and caused her to gape quite openly and her friend Ye Ziyun to stumble in shock.

"W-Wha-?! Doesn't that make her your slave in all but name?!" Thusly came her answer, almost seeming affronted by the matter as if it was herself that held that position.

"Yes, it does." Hao replied, leaving the two girls somewhat stunned in silence while Kimiko trembled for all but a second before lowering her head in compliance at Hao's words.

Even though she had difficulties accepting the loss of her freedom so suddenly and without warning, she had known what she was getting herself into the moment her lord had made her choose between dying and living. And she was old and experienced enough to know what happened to those too weak to defend themselves in this world.

Turning away from Hao and towards the silently following Kimiko, both Ning'er and Ye Ziyun seemed to be at a loss for words. The only thing coming out from their mouths almost simultaneously being nothing but a shook: "Why?" Which implied quite a few things none of the two could speak out loud at that moment however.

"I was, only hours ago, a member of the Dark Guild." The girl's eyes widened at her words, while Kimiko continued.

"After learning of the expedition, we were sent out to capture the heirs of the prominent families leading Glory City, including the City Lord's daughter, and a few other children of noble families." Both girls flinching at that, uncomfortably aware of the fact they only barely had escaped a fate that made up the stuff of nightmares to girls their age, their attention now straying towards the silently walking Hao from time to time with a mixture of feelings warring inside of them all the while.

"However, we came upon someone we didn't expect to be there. Originally, our group consisting of silver and gold rank demon spiritualists should have been enough to take care of your group without any problems. Instead, we were annihilated. In only seconds…

That is why you see me here now. Or rather, despite that. My lord saw fit to spare me, possibly out of mercy or simply in disregard, but he still offered me the choice none of the others had.

Die or serve. I chose the later." Kimiko finished, her head bowed once again, after which only silence remained amongst them.

Obviously, the world view both girls had held until now were pretty shaken after Kimiko's words. And the concept of slavery or willing subservience to such a degree, seemed utterly unthinkable to them only minutes ago.

And yet, here they were, thinking of what they would have done in her position. Would they serve or would they choose to die and disappear forever?

None of the two could answer that question at that moment truthfully. And it would still take some time for them to each find the answer to that question without lying to themselves.

However, their contemplation was soon stopped, as the expedition had finally reached the ruins they were headed towards.

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Ni Lie couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions. On one hand he was becoming more and more excited. After all, he had advanced in his cultivation by leaps and bounds in the last couple of days, fuelled by his worry, uncertainty and, to some degree, indignation.

Taking a glance backwards, he took a short look at one of the causes to his worries, while also taking the chance to enjoy the view of his future wife and mother of his children if he had anything to say about it. Ye Ziyun, the love of his life.

Somehow however, the girl he had been fantasizing about for eons by now, after having only had the chance to indulge in her body for one bloody night years ago, she was now spending way too much time in the company of that guy who frightened him more than he liked to admit.

After all, Ni Lie was, in his humble opinion, a person that possessed knowledge second to none as far as he knew and had been a peerless expert before dying to that cursed Sage Emperor.

And yet, here he was, afraid of a boy no older than himself!

Still, he could somehow understand why Ye Ziyun was spending so much time in Hao's company. After all, she was like a sister to Xiao Ning'er if he remembered correctly, and the two seemed to have put aside their grievances and were now enjoying each other's company once again.

Thus, he was worried for her and what kind of influence Hao may develop over his future wife, but he knew he couldn't do anything about that for the moment. Not yet, at least.

Returning his focus back onto the ruins they were currently walking through, he hoped his theory concerning the contents of the tomb were right, so that he could finally regain some form of strength and independence without having to worry overtly much for that guy, Hao.

Before he could think further on the matter however, the ground beneath their collective feet give in and the group fell into some dark crevice under screams and curses flying through the air, none prepared for a case such as this.

Ni Lie however, was. He had been, after all, a peerless expert once upon a time, and you didn't reach that stage without being prepared for any kind of danger crossing your path now and then.

Thus, pulling out a scroll, he quickly broke its seal and fed it some of his spiritual energy, quietly mumbling the belonging chant under his breath, after which the scroll came alive with a soft white glow and, after enveloping him and those around himself in it, slowed their collective fall down quite a bit.

Seizing the opportunity once given, Ni Lie immediately discarded the scroll in his hands and began untying a rope he had brought with him, planning to fasten it somewhere on the nearby walls, so that they could lower themselves safely to the ground.

Before he could continue with his plan however, something ethereal grasped him and all those around him, wrapping around their collective midriffs like snakes around their prey, and carried them slowly but surely towards the approaching ground, with no uncertainty in its movements.

While Ni Lie's mind still wondered where the spiritual energy, he could clearly feel, came from and what exactly it was that had wrapped itself around his body, he had already arrived safely on his feet, now standing on the dark cobble stones below. By then he could no longer think on the sensation, as it disappeared once more into thin air.

His thoughts whirling, he only hoped that whatever had carried him to the ground was a friend or at least ally to them all. After all, he hadn't come prepared enough to engage an invisible foe of all things.

And so, with a silent curse directed at the whole situation, Ni Lie soon joined the rest of the slowly travelling group once again, discarding all those distracting thoughts and firming his decision to look for the shadow devil spirit beast as thoroughly as possible in these damn ruins. And if it was the last thing he did.

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Up above, beyond layers of fog, clouds, stars and even space, a world had been asleep for eons, kept in a state of eternal slumber but their one true, and only, ruler.

This world was, for the lack of words, an utopia of divine proportions. All fashioned and catering to the wishes and demands of the Emperor that ruled all the realms below. The man also known as the Sage Emperor.

While his title may pronounce to the world an otherworldly and unmatched wisdom, only a chosen few knew that no real Sage would ever rule as an Emperor, and thusly invalidate the title held in such a high esteem by all those wise enough to know what it entailed.

And yet, the man standing at the obvious top of the realms under his feet carried the moniker still, for reasons only he knew and none dared to question.

That man, the Sage Emperor, had been asleep for many, many eons, along with all of his realm, frozen upon a dais of marble and encased in crystal so that he may reign for all times yet to come.

However, something happened, that not even the Sage Emperor, in all his cunning and questionable wisdom, could have foreseen.

An entity he hadn't even known existed, pushed itself through the seal he had placed upon his realms without any effort or struggle and soon after left once more, and in doing so ripped the Sage Emperor from his slumber, shattering the dais and his encasing into a thousand shining crystal shards.

Only then did he become aware of the fact that something or someone had been pushed onto his kingdom, with only one possible intention in mind, after not even deeming him worthy enough to inform him of its arrival.

To destroy him and usurp his position as the GOD of all that was known. And the Sage Emperor would rather see all of crumble into dust than hand over what was HIS.

Thus, with one mighty roar his realm awakened from its slumber and caused even the fabric of his kingdom to tremble under his attention. After all, he knew his possessions and would soon enough find the one that had intruded upon his realm before he would turn them into another one or destroy them, and all that dared to interfere.