1 Rebirth
Thunder raged, as if it desired to eradicate the unfortunate hamlet that impeded its crusade towards the last stronghold of Man, Glory City.
The rain gushed towards the hamlet threatening to flood it and wash it off the face of the St. Ancestral Mountains.
But it wasn't enough, the heavens were truly furious as Snow Wind Apes assaulted the inhabitants trying to escape the disaster. The musk of the demon beast was as pervasive as the stench of blood they left in their wake.
Cries of women and children were overwhelmed by the thunderclaps as their carcasses were being squished like the pulps of a fruit.
Amongst the massacre, there was a lad with a stick in his hand, stabbing the demons in their orifices.
"Die! Die! Never fucking get up again!", with a crazed focus, the boy pushed onward, disregarding his bruised self. His black hair was dyed red and his thin arms cut through the blanket of raindrops.
Looking at him go, the men grew a pair grabbed whatever they could and launched a counter-attack.
"Yaaa!", the sickly looking boy prepared for another swing, the ape was but at the mercy of the boy.
Alas, man proposes God disposes, the demon beast just tilted its and swung ruthlessly sending the kid flying in the air at a dangerous height, blood spurting from his mouth and a broken spine poking out his chest.
The world seemed to turn upside down and his vision grew blurry, " Rest boy. You fought well.", A deep but soothing voice permeated his consciousness.
Just moments before he was about to collapse he glimpsed at the figure who grabbed him mid-air and saved his life. And went unconscious with the brightest smile on his bloody face.
"Brother Ye Zhong!", another voice called out to Ye Zong who was feeding a medicinal pill to the broken and battered boy in his arms.
" Ye Ming, take care of the boy. He's lost too much blood and the inhabitants of this hamlet are almost all slain. I'm ending this quick.", Ye Zong sauntered toward the demon beasts and slowly transformed as black scales started covering him and a tail grew out.
Raindrops evaporated before they could come in touch with his scales. A wave of pitch-black fire burst forth and incinerated everything in its path.
The demons cried out in misery and were silenced just like that. If not for the burnt smell still permeating the air one couldn't tell that a fight took place. The fire not only incinerated all the demon beasts but all the dead carcasses of the residents of the former hamlet.
"Brother Ye Zhong... was it necessary to raze everything to ash?", Ye Ming, who was still nursing the wounds of the boy, implored for a reason that would justify such callous management of the situation.
"All of them are dead. Even if we wished to give them a proper burial their bodies would only attract more demon beasts and could potentially cause a Beast tide. This... was necessary. At least they can find solace in the fact they won't just be food for the demons.", his sound was seemingly neutral and he stood in the rain, his shoulders slightly slumped. Looking at the dark sky he sighed and turned his attention towards the boy who was slowly regaining consciousness.
" Your soul is quite strong despite such a frail body kiddo.", Ye Ming tried to lighten up the mood as he looked around and saw the desolation around him.
"Eh? Who you mister? Where is everyone else?", rubbing his eyes and trying to get a better vision of who he is talking to, the boy tried to balance himself trying not to lean too much to any side lest he be assaulted with another wave of pain.
With a pitiful look in his eyes, Ye Zhong answered, " You are the only survivor...", the boy put his head down and just stayed there, " ...did you have any relatives or any kin — "
"There is no one. My mother died after she gave birth to me. I've never seen my father. I'm nothing more than a beggar.", slowly, planting one foot at a time, the boy stood up relying on his strength.
" What is your name?", Ye Zhong's gazes straightened as he saw something in this boys eyes that he had only seen in one Man's eyes, the unbridled determination of man going against heaven, just like his father Ye Mo.
"Ye Han", staring back at Ye Zhong without flinching proved difficult as Ye Han felt the powerful aura around him.
" Ye Han... strong name. Come with us to Glory City, I'll make arrangements for your stay. Do you have any belonging that still survives, if so we can try and find them?"
Skimming the pearl around his neck, his voice relaxed, "I have it."
"Then let's move the rainfall will make our route more perilous.", Ye Ming shot a flare in the sky and soon more cultivators surrounded the three of them.
" CITY LORD!", all the cultivators bowed and responded in unison.
"Clear out a path, we're going home.", Ye Zhong gave a command. He extended his hand to Ye Han and he reached out with his hand began their journey towards Glory City.
'Hahaha! Finally, you've arrived old man, I thought I was a goner for sure. 7 years! 7 years of living on the streets and begging for survival and finally my time has arrived.
I've been waiting for this since I confirmed that this was the world I suspected it to be — The World of Tales of Demons and Gods.
I don't know which timeline this is, but even if it is the Reincarnated Nei Li timeline the man I reincarnated is one about whom even Nei Li is uninformed so all I need to do is increase my powers in silence till shit hits the fan cause I ain't the son of Destiny and don't have the Heaven defying luck that Nei Li has. Death is a real possibility for me and if I recall correctly, the original Ye Han does die.
Let's hope that my path isn't a dead-end.', Ye Han looked up in the sky and then toward Ye Zhong who was holding his hand and supporting him walk due to his injuries. He sighed and continued onward.
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