1 Prologue

[Rewritten]

(Unknown Place)

XXX

A man in his mid-twenties was walking toward a creepy-looking palace. His build was tall and muscular, and his handsome face was showing authority and nobility; at the same time, the red scar going through his right eye, but not hurting the eye itself, gave him sophisticated aura. Despite his plain red robes almost without any decorations, his bearing alone and his unfathomable eyes were enough to show that he was not a casual mortal, but a man with mystic status.

The palace was made of grey stone, or at least it looked like stone. It was old, and the tower in the middle, which was higher than the rest of the castle, made it even ghastlier. The landscape around it was dead, as though all the life was sucked out of it. The weather was terrible, and one could see storm clouds surrounding this place; even so, it wasn't raining.

The man proceeded further toward the palace. As he was walking on the coal-black ground, the sound of his sturdy steps was resounding at the surroundings. His deep onyx eyes contained some dissatisfaction, which he tried to conceal.

"Who would've thought... Tsk, I will see this old codger again." He cursed inwardly. "It's been only seven years! What have I done wrong in my life to see those old bones of his so soon?"

He approached closer to the castle and couldn't ignore the fact that as crazy as this old man was, he was an exceptional Formation Master. As an expert himself, he could see layers upon layers of defensive barriers and mechanisms, and they were not even hidden, staying there as a warning.

As he was marveling at the sight, he heard an old and indifferent voice, "Come in," then, he felt a passage opening in the formation, allowing him to enter the castle.

The scarred man proceeded further until he saw a form glaring at him. The old man in front was hunched; his face—old and full of wrinkles, yet his boundless black eyes were vigorous and full of power like blades that are ready to pierce one's being to the core.

"Why are you here?" The old man asked with a voice devoid of emotions.

"To check if you are still sane, one may go crazy in this place all alone." The man furrowed his brows. He noticed that the old man looked paler than their last meeting.

"Jokes aside, don't bother me if you don't have an important reason; don't think I'm not able to throw you straight to your father's palace." Annoyance was written all over his wrinkled face.

"I was sent by my royal father to find out whether there is any progress," the man became moderately sincere, "Don't grumble, it's not that I asked to visit you..."

The elder furrowed his white eyebrows and spat in annoyance: "Failure, absolutely nothing. I've been researching it for millenniums since your father had found it in that cursed place," He became even paler at the mention, "but I feel like it's playing me as though I'm a damn child. I've done many experiments on this bead, yet none of them have directed me to a pleasing conclusion!"

After a few breaths of silence, he gestured to follow him. The scarred-eye man was following while looking around, complaining about how creepy and unstylish the palace was. The same strange greyish stones could be seen everywhere, and even the luxurious chandeliers couldn't lighten the atmosphere.

Within a matter of minutes, the man would see a magnificent door that would be heavily protected by different kinds of complex formations. The old man would draw some strange symbols with his left hand, after that, they would enter the room.

XXX

The room was significantly different from any other area in the castle. Instead of the greyish stone, the walls and the ceiling were made of elegant-looking azure material in which one's own reflection could be seen. It was quite spacious, and multicolored beads could be seen floating and illuminating it. The most eye-catching object was a fist-sized dark bead; occasionally, wisps of energy were dancing around it, usually mildly and from time to time violently. Its counterforce was scarlet, and black flames were burning on it, surrounded by the same eerie pale red color. It was comparable to a little dark sun showing its authority. Even though it looked like a bead, no one could distinguish its actual shape; it was so dark that the light around it was partially swallowed and disfigured.

Although the room was much colder than the rest of the palace, the two didn't seem to care.

"Hmm… You removed the seal?" The man pointed out.

"Seal?" A sad chuckle full of self-ridicule resounded through the room. He sighed and slowly removed the upper half of the robe showing his well-built body despite being old and hunched.

When the man saw the sight in front of him all his apathy was gone; his body started to tremble and release waves of dense, profound energy and killing intent, his black irises contracted to the size of a needle as he almost roared: "W-W-Who did that to you!?"

Although the man was cursing the eccentric occasionally, he didn't have any malicious intent. He was a friend of his father and as a family member to him, and they had known each other since he was a child. He was cold at the surface but a reliable friend inside, therefore he absolutely couldn't tolerate the sight in front of him.

The old man's right arm had gone, and black strange scars and burns could be seen all over his back. The most eye-catching was a broad and deep scar, which resembled a serpent, crossing his spine. As soon as the old man turned, he could see the same injuries on his chest and his abdomen; he could guess that some of the innards were missing. The strangest thing was that the old eccentric should've been able to recover even if most of his body would've been destroyed. Yet, he did not do that.

If he had kept his cool, he would have understood who or what injured him, but his anger prevented him from figuring out the reason why the old guy had brought him to this room.

"Calm down!" He сorrected his robe and said flatly: "Several times a year, the bead becomes chaotic and unstable. I called this period its Zenith. Since I desperately wanted to understand the origin of it, I ignorantly believed that I would be able to control it during its Zenith." The old man sighed lightly, "I miscalculated... From a naughty child, it had transformed into a wild beast before instantly tearing me to shreds. I couldn't resist it... HAHAHA!" He laughed crazily, "I didn't even have the time to blink before I had found myself lying on the ground within a pool of my own blood!" The eerie silence that followed after made the man nervous, "I don't fear death, Feng'er," the old eccentric finally spoke, "yet, during those moments, my soul shivered in horror! I felt like the next moment I'd beg for death..."

"...!"

Zhao Feng was speechless; he couldn't think of anything that could instantly cause such severe injuries to the old monster standing in from of him.

*star cycle - sixty thousand years

"Instead of living the remaining star-cycles of yours, you're wasting your precious time trying to research a strange bead of unknown origin that almost killed you. Humph, only because you assume that it has a connection to some strange Unknown Energy, which I must say is only a theory. The idea of a third primary type of energy besides Primordial Energy and Profound Energy is absurd," He said disapprovingly.

*Sigh*

The old man sighed disappointingly as though he was looking at an ignorant youngster that knew nothing of his life. He turned around and looked at the majestic black sun...

"You don't understand... Some things are worth sacrificing your soul to obtain—knowledge that one gives everything to perceive. You're still young and have mortal desires. If you weren't ordered by your father to visit me, you would go to bed your concubines or waste your time fighting with brats alike to you."

The man opened his mouth but couldn't refute those words. He wasn't this young, but he had to admit—he enjoyed mortal desires and wasn't that old to become a hermit in a creepy palace. Moreover, compared to the ancient monster standing in front of him, he was barely a child.

"But I'm different from the current you; I've lost those desires long ago, so long it seems like an eternity. I'm not chained by them anymore, and I'm only interested in uncovering more mysteries of this world."

He walked toward the young man, his steps heavy and menacing. His dark bottomless eyes were staring straight toward the later's soul, making his heart beat faster. Raising his voice, he questioned with a strange look in his eyes: "Tell me Feng'er! Aren't we called Gods by these weaklings? What is a God? They say Gods can do everything; they can create from nothing, return the dead from the 'underworld.' Gods are immortal, aren't they... So TELL me, will I live forever?! Can YOU resurrect the dead?!" The old man almost roared.

Zhao Feng's averted his gaze and a pained look appeared deep inside his profound eyes.

"Right, we cannot..." He sighed. "We are restricted by the same rules. We don't have immortality; we simply live longer since our cultivation much higher. We are not able to create something from nothingness, and we cannot turn something to nihility. We can create a body for a soul... However, we're not able to resurrect a soul if it was destroyed. It doesn't matter whether ants call slightly bigger ants gods—we are all the same, cultivating by borrowing the power of the world."

"We endure hardships and undergo tribulations to prove our power and existence, but…" He pointed to the small sun that was having a heartbeat of its own, "This may be a key to greater accomplishments." Soon enough, a mocking leer appeared on his face, "Or maybe I'm wasting my time, so what?"

"Now, do you understand? I can't seal it. This neither has meaning nor am I qualified to do so!" He stepped to the entrance of the room, and as he was about to leave, he added: "If you want to broaden your horizons—stay! In a few days, it will be in its Zenith, perhaps you will receive some enlightenment."

The old man left. Zhao Feng's eyes returned their quizzical look, but there was something inexplicable within them, "We can't do things beyond our ability; why to bother yourself so much about it?" He observed the black sun for a moment before shuddering and leaving the room while muttering: "Crazy old man…"

A few days had passed, midnight, several full-moons simultaneously could be seen shining at the endless sky, which was an extraordinary sight even for the cultivators who had an incredibly long lifespan.

Zhao Feng was staring at the sky, marveling at the beauty of the moons. Dead silence wrapped the palace, it was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.

Silence

Silence

BOOOOOOOOOO!

"Hmm?!"

Woooooooooooooooosh

RUMBLEEEE!

"...What?!"

RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Without any warnings, a black pillar shot to the sky. It was black and dark with a tinge of white glowing occasionally. The palace began to tremble. "W-what is this?" Zhao Feng disappeared from his place and appeared in the azure-colored room near the old man.

"Old buffer, you should've… Whaaa?!" His words stuck in his throat as he noticed the origin of the black light. The fist-sized black bead was vigorously trembling and releasing a large amount of substance resembling motley wisps of lightning. A thick black pillar of energy was fired to the ceiling, ignoring it and continuing to heavens. Usually, the black bead doesn't have any reaction, except for an accident that occurred seven years ago.

Back then, the black bead glowed and trembled, but soon enough, it returned to its natural state. However, this time, its reaction was much more intense.

(In a different place)

A middle-aged man stood within a luxurious garden, myriad scarce plants and herbs could be seen glowing, illuminating its surroundings. The profound energy here was so dense and ample that practitioners would kill to cultivate here even for a limited time. If a mortal without any cultivation were to be placed here for a few days, his lifespan would be expanded to thousands of years.

The middle-aged man had a royale aura surrounding him. He had pointed features; his eyebrows resembled blades, and his eyes were as sharp as of an eagle's. The golden robe covering his majestic body was embedded with precious stones of unknown origin.

The entrance of the garden led to a breathtaking golden palace, and it was so luxurious that it looked imaginary. Parts of it were floating magically in the air, while the rest was on the ground. If a being with a low Profound Strength were to stare at the palace, it would mostly be covered by golden mist as though it was a disgrace to blasphemy this sight.

The man was looking at the black pillar at the distant, his deep black eyes hiding his thoughts. Although he looked tranquil, he was shocked inwardly. Such a deep and dark blast of energy should be felt by a strong cultivator like him, but he felt nothing besides the trembling ground. And not only the ground trembled, but space itself was also being anomaly disfigured. If it was merely cracked, the golden-robed man wouldn't even move a brow. Yet, he felt the terror of the universe turning upside down.

"Old Hai, do you think Old Gen caused this?" He asked the old man standing beside him.

"Hardly believable, but if it's his work—he surpassed himself this time, your Majesty." Old Hai answered with a voice lacking flattery.

The man called old Hai was an extremely common-looking, which can be easily lost among the crowd. However, he had a cold aura surrounding him with a tinge of killing intent directed to nowhere. His entirely black robe enhanced his unapproachable character.

"I sent Feng'er to visit Old Gen... He should return with answers soon," the man didn't seem to mind the old man's attitude.

(At the same time at the castle)

Former Gen was looking at the sight in front of him with his mouth agape "W-What's this…?" He stuttered repeatedly.

Before Zhao Feng nearby had the opportunity to scold, the ground ceased to tremble.

The black pillar of eldritch light began to expand at an extremely rapid pace, swallowing everything in its route; it seemed as though the time and sound themselves were stopped. In an instant, Old Gen, Zhao Feng, Old Hai, The Majestic middle-aged man, and the entire Realm, World, or Universe— everything was swallowed by the black light, leaving nothing. The time stopped, the sound ceased to exist, and only the abyss black remained.

—

—

—

An instant was needed to dye the world black, and an instant was required to return it to the original state. There were not any destructions or casualties, nothing had changed, besides the missing fist-sized black bead at old Gen's palace.

Soon everyone in the world noticed a strange black star that occasionally glowed with different colors in the sky. No matter in which part of the universe one was, one could see the new object. Yet, like an illusion, one couldn't approach no matter how one tried.

XXX