(Prologue) Chapter 1: Birth
Within the capital city of the North Aislu Continent, the tranquil night of the First Lunar Day of the First Month was broken by the cries of the servants of the Mu Household, the continent's overlord.
"Quick, quick! Where's the Stellar Light Grass!? We need it to staunch the bleeding!"
"Here's a bucket of hot water! Careful not to burn yourself!"
"Is it out!? Is it out!? Is it a boy or a girl!?"
"First Madam! You need to stay awake! Please hold on! The child is almost out!!"
"AAARRRGHH!!!"
The bloodcurdling cry of the pregnant woman in labour overshadowed whatever hubbub that previously echoed.
"Big Sister, you need to hold on! Please stay strong!" A young woman clothed in green robes firmly held the hands of the pregnant woman and encouraged her.
"…husband. Where's… hus… band?" The pregnant woman asked, the strength of her voice noticeably waning.
At her query, another young woman standing by her side calmly replied, "Husband is on his way here. He'll be coming soon."
"Right, right!" The green-robed woman rapidly nodded her head. Forcing a smile on her tear-stained face, she encouraged the pregnant woman. "Our husband will surely make it in time! So, until then, please stay strong, Big Sister!"
"I… want… my… hus… band," the pregnant woman weakly said. "I… want… him… by… my… ARGHH!!" An intense pain tore through her insides, forcing her to scream.
"Oh, oh! I see it! I see the head! It is almost over, First Madam! Keep it up!!" The doctors and midwives who were gathered at the foot of the bed cried in unison.
"ARRRGGGHHH!!!"
"There! There! The head's out! Almost there!"
"ARRGGH!!!" With a final scream and push, the long night of pain and anguish finally came to an end.
"WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" The shrill cry of an infant rung within the air.
"I have it! Quickly cut the umbilical cord and staunch the bleeding! Midwives! Take the child away!" At that command, a gaggle of woman quickly swooped in and took the child from the head doctor's hands. After taking it away, they began wiping and caring for the child.
Having given birth, the woman on the bed lost all her strength and limply collapsed.
"Big Sister!? Big Sister!?!" The green-robed woman panicked upon seeing the woman turn limp. Fortunately, the gathered doctors quickly performed a check and declared that there were no issues or complications for the new mother.
"Fourth Madam, do stay your worries. Both the First Madam and the child are as healthy as they can be. First Madam simply fell asleep." The Head Doctor calmly explained with a smile.
"I-I see," the green-robed heaved a sigh of relief and patted her nervous chest. With the danger having passed and her anxiety calmed, she quickly turned in the direction of the gathered midwives and curiously asked, "What is it!? Is it a boy or a girl!?"
"Eldest Sister seems to be blessed, Fourth Sister. The child is an extremely cute boy." A mature-looking woman tenderly gazed at the crying child inside the cradle and informed with a mellow voice.
"Is that true, Sixth Sister!!" The green-robed woman exclaimed with joy. She then hurriedly turned to the two women on the other side of the bed and cried, "Second Sister! Third Sister! Did you hear that! Big Sister gave birth to a boy!"
The two women, both reminiscent of immortal fairies, did not pay attention to their Fourth Sister's words. Instead, they gazed at the dark heavens outside with furrowed brows.
"The protective barrier was deployed. Who could it be?" asked the Second Sister.
"Fret not," replied the Third Sister. The pupils within her eyes had disappeared and had been overtaken by whiteness. "I can 'see' our husband greeting the two insolent guests." Her tone which was always even and flat, turned harsh towards the end of her sentence.
"Let us leave it to our husband then. I would quite like to hold this cute child." The Second Sister threw her worries to the back of her mind and turned to walk towards the newborn.
Third Sister, who was still staring at the heavens with her special eyes, wore a ponderous expression on her face. In a tone that was quieter than a mosquito's whisper, she said, "The birth of a new Star? In this Era?"
Turning to face the newborn child with her eyes, she quietly sighed. "It looks like this child is blessed by Providence itself."
A smile soon filled her face as she saw her numerous other sisters playing with the curious child. Shaking her head to get rid of her negative thoughts, she quickly made her way to the source of the commotion.
"Step aside. I also want to hold the child."
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Meanwhile, in the skies outside the Outer Perimeter of the Mu Household, the Patriarch of the Mu Household, an extremely handsome man and a person whose mere name would shake the Seven Continents, stared at the two newcomers before him with seething rage.
"May I ask the two Sovereigns," he began with a suppressed voice, "what you are doing here, above the skies of my Mu Household?"
"And you better answer carefully. For if I find your reason to be lacking, I will not hesitate to declare a war on both of your factions." The Mu Patriarch stated with bloodlust and murderous intent growing around him.
His rage-filled words, however, were met with disinterest. The two 'guests' simply resumed staring at the distant building located at the centre of the Mu Household before turning to look at each other in unison.
"A New Star?" The masked woman, one amongst the two guests, asked while looking at the young man next to her.
"Heaven Gazing Fairy is correct," the young man, dressed in all black, replied with a smile. He then looked at the Mu Patriarch and said, "It seems that congratulations are in order, Sovereign Mu. It looks like Providence has decided to smile on your Mu Family once more."
The Mu Patriarch darkly gazed at the two powerhouses and scoffed. "Hah! It seems that the two of you have decided to ignore my mercy. Very well then. I, Mu Wudi, first of my name, hereby declare—"
Just as the heavens had begun to resonate with Patriarch Mu's proclamation, Heaven Gazing Fairy hurriedly interrupted him.
"Stay your anger, Sovereign Mu. Let us not taint this auspicious day with pointless bloodshed."
The black-clothed youth also nodded his head at her words. Wearing a causal smile, he then added, "Fairy's words are correct. Besides, we come bearing gifts."
"Gifts?" Patriarch Mu's fury cooled and was replaced by hesitant curiosity. Quickly, however, he shook his head and sternly said, "I dare not accept any gifts from the likes of you, Demon. Leave right now or you will be made to leave in pieces."
"Tch, tch, tch." The black-clothes youth continuously clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Always so quick to anger. It is a wonder how you made it so far."
"Would you like to see? I would be more than glad to show you." Patriarch Mu raised his fists, a dark red haze covering his entire figure. Murderous intent began to boil and spill forth from his body.
"Sovereign Mu. Sovereign Fang. Enough with the both of you." The Heaven Gazing Fairy frowned and interrupted the two men. She then turned to look at Patriarch Mu and said, "The gift isn't for you but rather for the newborn Star."
Without waiting for Patriarch Mu to reply, she then gazed at the dark, starless sky, raised her right hand, and began to speak. "I, the Heaven Gazing Fairy, Leader of the Heavenly Spirit Tower of the Heavenly Spirit Empire, hereby propose a gift for the firstborn child of Sovereign Mu Wudi. Should the child be a daughter, she will be given the position of Sacred Daughter of the Heavenly Spirit Empire upon reaching the age of twenty-one."
"Should the child be a son, he shall be wed to the current Sacred Daughter of the Heavenly Spirit Empire when the two of them reach twenty-one years of age."
"This proclamation shall last till the end of time and will be guaranteed under the witness of the heavens!"
The instant she finished speaking a deep 'gong' sound resounded in the skies throughout the world. The heavens above the North Aislu Continent rumbled seemingly reacting and agreeing to the words of the Heaven Gazing Fairy.
Patriarch Mu froze with shock. His face held an expression of deep astonishment while his ears made him doubt the contents of the proclamation that he had just heard.
"Y-you—!" He stuttered in disbelief.
The black-clothed youth on the other hand simply chuckled after hearing her words. He then turned to face the heavens in a similar manner as the Heaven Gazing Fairy and spoke, "I cannot afford to be outdone by the fairy. Very Well!"
"I, Sovereign Fang Gu, first of my name and Leader of the Scarlet Demon Legion, hereby propose a gift for the firstborn child of Sovereign Mu Wudi." A sly smirk appeared on his lips as his fingers stretched to display three. "Three favours."
"This proclamation shall last till the end of time and will be guaranteed under the witness of the heavens!"
Thunder rumbled in the skies once again as the heavens acted as the witness to his promise.
Patriarch Mu, who seemed even more dumbfounded than before, stared at him suspiciously before asking, "You. Do you really mean those words?"
"Who knows?" Sovereign Fang slyly smiled. His youthful face held an expression of amusement.
Heaven Gazing Fairy looked at him with indifference before shaking her head. Dealing with this man was akin to voluntarily jumping into a sand pit. It was both foolish and a waste of effort.
Having accomplished her goals for coming here, the Heaven Gazing Fairy shot one final look at the distant establishment before turning away and directly leaving. "I shall go now. I am very much looking forward to the future of this child."
"I will be leaving too. I shall hope that this child will remain alive long enough to avail my three favours." With a comment that dangerously bordered between a blessing and a curse, the black-clothed youth also disappeared into the night sky.
Patriarch Mu's senses remained firmly locked onto the two individuals even after their disappearance. It was only after he felt them leave the North Aislu Continent did he relax his tension. His taut face gave way to a sincere smile of joy as he turned around and rushed towards the quarters where his family was gathered.
"Hahaha! Where is it!? Where is my child!!"
The boisterous, celebratory mood of the Mu Household became even more impassioned with the addition of its patriarch. Auspicious phenomenon overflowed in excess as Patriarch Mu, his seventeen wives, and the rest of the family members all welcomed the arrival of this blessed child.
Born under the full moon of the First Lunar Day of the First Month with blessings abound, the firstborn son of Mu Wudi, Heaven Soaring Sovereign and Ruler of the North Aislu Continent, was named Mu Yuelong.
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Meanwhile, at the same instant that Mu Yuelong was named, in a distant unfounded corner of the world another child was born. In stark contrast with the warm, boisterous, and joyful atmosphere of the Mu Household, the birthplace of this child was cold, silent, and dark. No doctors or midwives were present to help with the birth nor were there family members to support the newly-turned mother.
With pallid skin and trails of tears staining her face, the mother raised her limp, blood-soaked hands and reached for the child. With the final slickers of her strength, she wiped the newborn's mucous-covered body, leaving bloodstains all over its body.
Just as her hands approached to wipe at its face, the child opened its eyes to stare at the visage of its mother for the first time. A pair of argent-coloured eyes stared blankly at the disfigured face of its mother. Both mother and child continued staring into each other's similar coloured eyes in silence.
"So… quiet…" A hoarse, spiritless voice left the ugly lips of the mother.
The child did not react and continued to stare.
"Good… good… unlike… your… loud… rash… father…" The mother continued to speak, her voice turning weaker and weaker with each passing second. Gathering strength into her arms, the mother brought the child closer to her breast before powerlessly falling on her back.
With her child in her arms and her back against the cold stone floor of a thatched hut, the mother blankly stared at the starless night sky.
"So… quiet… and… still…" The mother continued to spiritlessly speak. The pool of blood underneath her body proved to be the only source of warmth within this dark hut.
Slowly looking down, she found her child unflinchingly gazing at her frightening visage. Looking into his eyes once again, the mother found an unsettling intelligence shining within those quiet, still eyes.
Covering his eyes with her bloodied hand, she mumbled. "Stop… looking… at… me… with… those… eyes…"
After a few minutes of silence, she then removed her hand from his eyes only to find the child with his eyes closed. His even breathing was so quiet and unnoticeable that the mother wondered for a moment whether this child of hers was even still alive.
Turning to stare at the distant heavens once again she found the visage of the full moon bearing its cold light upon her. A moment of stillness later, she suddenly spoke, "Wu… zhi…"
"I… shall… name… you… Wuzhi…"