Men shall come and Men shall go What then lasts forever ?
Ling Yun had never particularly loved watching the sun rise or sink over the horizon.
The vast horizon reminded him of his insignificance akin to a flimsy speck of dust that could be blown away with the gentlest of breezes.
It appeared that the Heavens reminded him of that time and time again .
Silently telling him
"Men may come and Men may go , But I shall stay on forever."
He had always had mixed feelings regarding that message.
In his youth he had been delighted to be reminded of the fact that the World was a vast place still , with many empty pastures to explore which not only ignited the fiery ambition with him but also simultaneously reined in his arrogance for of the many who had walked along his path how many had managed to truly accomplish something great ?
They were more liable to be burned by their own fire .
As he grew older though the message became more and more like a mockery .
An excruciatingly painful daily remainder of his failure .
Eventually he stopped watching them altogether.
Eventually he stopped watching everything .
When all the world did was to remind him of his unworthiness.
He had been burned by his own fire.
Now he wasn't so antagonistic.
The purple dome over the world stretched into eternity giving a ephemeral feeling.
The sight of the orange flake like clouds dotting the sky like a herd of woolly sheep grazing on a verdant field had a strange effect of calming his insipid heart
The world had turned on its head in a matter of days with the impossible occurring at every turn.
Even so he was still there.
He couldn't help but stare upwards at the silent sky.
He muttered softly in a voice only audible to him
" For Men may come and Men may go , But I shall stay on forever. "
He never looked back.
"BOOM !"
Suddenly the sound of an explosion pierced through the quiet world .
A consequence of an 'unintentional' spark that had hit one of the oil barrels used for cooking purposes stored in the back of a certain inn.
The inn was called the 'Wild Boar' .
City officials would discover later that all inside including the innkeeper had perished to death at once .
The verdict was one of negligence , the mishap resulting due to storing fire spark stones used for lighting flames too close to an oil barrel.
They would go on with their work as usual
After All Men may come and Men may go , But the City shall stay on forever.
Unlike the mortal cities in the secular world such as those in the Kingdom of Zhao which would be totally deserted in this time of the day footfall could still be seen on the streets of Zilin City.
Time worked differently for the cultivators.
Unique affinities resulted in Unique methods for cultivation causing Unique environments and eventually a separate Unique rhythm .
The Refining Qi cultivators like the mortals still needed to eat , sleep and excrete etc all the essential functions of life were just as necessary and their unique requirements caused a unique structuring of the market as a result.
Where there is a demand there shall always be a means of supply .
An irrefutable truth that Ling Yun had used many a time to great effect often winning wars without a single casualty on his side.
This time however he was here to fulfil some of his own 'requirements'.
The market in Zilin city was a sizeable one and open throughout the day .
Even now he could see a large amount of shops advertising their wares at the top of their voice ranging from Pills to Symbols to Cultivation methods to spiritual herbs to all sorts of treasure .
He merely gave them a casual once -over .
Apart from the sparing amount of spiritual stones and the Fire spark stones he had nicked from the inn there was hardly anything on him .
Counting the amount of spiritual stones he came to an unsurprising conclusion.
He , sorry , to be correct Meng Yun was dirt poor.
Which was to be expected considering his background and mediocrity.
Still there was no point in crying over spilt milk , He would have to figure something out.
He used to possess a Spiritual Herb , a hundred year ginseng that had been presented to him as tribute ages ago by a ruined ancient family in exchange for protection .
He had let them go even going so far as to sending an escort as a token of his sincerity.
Unfortunately they were waylaid by their enemies and had been wiped out in their entirety.
He never could manage to convince the nobility of Zhao regarding his innocence
Still the ginseng stayed with him for many a year
Eventually presented to the Devilish faction as a 'gift' for their troubles.
They never considered the possibility of him 'faking ' after all why would a self made mortal with no origins to speak of have any spiritual treasure with them ?
His old friend , Feng Zichen wouldn't have been so careless.
He frowned after realising the complexity of his situation.
He needed resources more importantly efficacious pills if he wished to increase the amount of qi he had .
From what he could gather Meng Yun's talent was rather poor having a 'Mortal' Four attribute Spiritual Root
From his memories there were four 'grades' of spiritual roots which were Mortal , Earth , Sky and Heaven each having four , three , two and one attribute respectively.
Contrary to common sense having more' attributes was more of a 'handicap' with the different affinities interfering with each other destructively .
Which was the reason mortals with five attributes were no different from those who had no spiritual root at all.
The less the number of attributes the greater the potential would have which was why major factions were so eager to collect roots of 'better' quality.
Unfortunately the higher the tier of the root the more rare it was to the point that Heavenly roots were apparently nothing but a legend in this region.
Apart from these there were also the so called 'mutant' spiritual roots which allowed an affinity to many other aspects of the universe the possibilities being as endless as the starry skies however the occurrence of such roots was extremely rare as well.
Meng Yun had the most common Mortal spiritual root lacking the earth element this made things difficult for Ling Yun since he would need in comparison more resources to improve.
Ling Yun however took it in his stride .
If it was a challenge then so be it he was only more excited to face it.
After inspecting all of the stalls in the market he had a basic idea of what was being sold. In his mind there was already the beginning of a plan.
After some time in the middle of the Emerald Forest adjoining Zilin City a lone youth could be seen walking skilfully along forest trails , nimbly navigating through knotted roots and hunched up trees , agilely leaping over the occasional brook as he headed deeper inside.
After some point he stopped this far in was sufficient for his purposes any farther and he might not be able to make out alive there were reports that Demonic Beasts stronger than Refining Qi stage cultivators were to be found in this forest as well.
If he transgressed on their territories then he was almost certainly 'dead meat' besides his goal this time roamed around in the outer regions as well the only issue was the fact that it was notoriously difficult to be found .
But he had a solution for that .
Strangely that useless rustic had managed to possess a very valuable information in his head one that was central to his schemes.
He began to clear the ground all around picking up fallen branches , lifting and throwing away branches all in order to create a clear field.
He reached inside his robes and pulled out a stalk of grass , a shining yellow in hue he gently placed in the center of the cleared area before he proceeded to pull out a foul smelling liquid from another bottle , a couple of drops were gently laced over inconspicuous spots on the grass.
The first part of his plan was complete.
After gingerly placing the grass down he leapt into the air agilely alighting on top of a securely concealed branch of an enormous tree that was nearby.
He slowed his breathing down till it was imperceptible even by the most potent of the ears , a useful skill he had learned back in his youth spent in the Rivers and Lakes.
He watched and waited.
After an unspecified time his prey came wandering blissfully towards the trap he had placed .
At first sight it was indistinguishable from a slender deer but on closer sight its lustrous golden skin and abnormally long horns would reveal its identity .
It was a Long Horned Antelope a demonic beast hunted primarily for its horns which were used for the production of a wide variety of pills and its musk which was used to create fragrance enjoyed by female cultivators.
Unlike most of the ferocious demonic beasts the Long Horned Antelope was a gentle herbivore however it was notoriously shy and had even swifter legs which allowed to escape rapidly from both predators and hunters.
He watched patiently as it stepped forward and gently reached towards the grass staring all around continuously as it did do .
Upon finding no threats it began to eat the stalk with gusto.
Barely had it finished it however that its eyes rolled back into its head and it keeled over and fell into the ground.
Ling Yun leapt down from his nest and examined his handiwork in satisfaction. The easy work was done now for the hard part .
He got to work on the scene .
Finally he got up the beads of sweat dripping down his face revealing his exhaustion but there was no sign of it visible in his face .
He checked once more that everything was alright .
He looked at the Fire Spark stone in his palm.
Now all he had to do was wait.
Fang Guihao was a young master of the fabled Fang Clan in Zilin City.
Raised with a silver spoon in his mouth , he had been rash and impetuous from a young age preferring to act first and think later .
It had worked well for him so far due to the able support provided to him by his attendants and his family behind the scenes .
Now, that the time for the selection by the five sects was nigh he had been sent out by his clan along with other promising seeds and a trusted elder to gain experience.
Being averse to 'cooped up' as he felt he had managed to sneak away silently from the retinue relying on his "Air Step " skill which he had cultivated to perfection.
Though young and overbearing with a giant ego to top it Fang Guihao wasn't exactly building his castle on thin air.
Being gifted with a Earth spiritual root he was already a well-known talent in the region not to mention his mastery of the Fang clan's fabled 'Air Step ' skill were reasons to support this.
After Fang Guihao had managed to successfully sneak away he wandered along aimlessly in search of a Demonic beast which could be used as a whetting stone for his skills.
After all wasn't that the only reason demonic beasts existed - To provide what the cultivators wished for ?
Materials , practice , Meat that was the only thing that he had seen ever coming from a beast.
Suddenly in the distant horizon a very familiar pattern of smoke could be seen rising into the air.
His brows furrowed.
It was a special smoke signal meant to convey message to other cultivators in the vicinity in lieu of an emergency.
This pattern implied that the sender was in grave danger due to an attack by a Demonic Beast.
He didn't care really if the sender died or not .
However the signal presented a series of 'advantages ' for him .
One It would allow him to get the experience that he desired so desperately
Two It would allow him to 'receive some gifts' in exchange for his hard work
Three It would serve to increase his reputation in the region benefiting both him and his clan.
It seemed it was worth it .
So he ran into the depths towards the opportunity dangling before his eyes.
Fang Guihao ran through the forest like a wraith , the wind whistling behind his ears all the time.
The air step had been displayed to perfection.
Soon he reached the place where the signal was coming from.
Surprisingly there was nobody there.
Correction , Nobody alive.
A solitary Long Horned antelope lay slumped in the middle of a clearing , there were many gashes throughout its parson some of them being extremely deep .
There appeared to be several burn marks as well , the mark of a Fire Spell user.
The horns and face apart from being a little battered up were intact.
He looked around and saw a trail of blood leading away from the clearing . He made a mental note of that.
After all he would have to track down the 'creator ' of the said trail ans silence him appropriately .
He sighed.
What had transpired here was instantly clear to the astute Fang Guihao.
Truly it was a case of a Fisherman reaping profits after the fight of a Sandpiper and a clam.
The fisherman would naturally collect his due of course.
He used his air step and rushed instantaneously towards the beast there was no telling who else had seen the smoke signal , he had to be hasty lest the bird flies away from the hand.
Just as he was about to reach the Antelope he suddenly felt the earth gave way before him.
The shocked Fang Guihao couldn't help but fall into the depths his helplessness compounded by the fact that being only at the 4th stage of Refining Qi he was incapable of using the levitation skill.
"AAarghhhh! "
He let out a heart-rendering scream as an unbearable pain suddenly stabbed right through him .
He was horrified to see the sight of ...
Wait , what were those sharp pointy things erupting from inside of him ?
They didn't belong inside him did they ?
And that red liquid pooling all over that wasn't ...that wasn't his b..blood was it ?
No it couldn't be .
HE was Fang Guihao , destined to be the next Immortal Sovereign !
How was .. was it possi..possible.
His feverish eyes managed to make out a hazy silhouette surely of a human , maybe a youth he wasn't sure .
It didn't matter.
He was saved.
He would still be able to become the Immortal Sovereign !
He would rain down punishment from the High Heavens as revenge on the person who did this !
"SAVE ME ! " , he roared his anguish howl carrying all the over to the other person and beyond.
The other person didn't respond.
"If you save me my clan would reward you handsomely ! "
"Cultivation methods, pills , spiritual stones all that you can ever imagine !"
Seeing his plea didn't work he switched to strategy two , the tactic of benefit one that had never failed before.
Before today.
The shadow remained still .
Forced he gritted his teeth and switched his means to strategy three . One that involved threatening the other person by virtue of the might of the Fang Clan.
"Do you know what will happen if you don't ?
"The elders of my clan would chase you down and wipe you off the face of this world !"
"There is no way you can escape not when the Immortal Foundation stage ancestor of my clan acts personally !"
"There is only one way available for you know , obey me and prosper oppose me and perish !"
The shadow remained still.
Now a copious amount tears began to flow down Fang Guihao's eyes, he was flummoxed and didn't know what to do .
In the end he was but a flower in a greenhouse who had yet to see the world in its true form.
In his inexperience he wasn't able to mobilise a single amount of his qi to use any of his means.
Fear had overridden any semblance of sanity remaining in him.
His pleas became more and more desperate , more and more visceral , more and more emotional .
His howls more primal expressing the entirety of his last remaining hope at salvation
At last the shadow spoke
"You talk too much "
It then moved away from the horizon taking the last of Fang Guihao's hopes away .
The naive Fang Guihao could never have known that none of his strategies would work
Unfortunately for him there were some people in the world who just could not be bought , bullied, threatened or reasoned with .
Some people simply like to watch the world burn down to ashes.
Ling Yun watched in silence as the trapped youngster breathed his last.
The key point that had made this entire plan possible was the knowledge regarding the use of the Honey Duke grass to lure Long Horned Antelopes which had been accidentally been stumbled upon by Meng Yun in his wanderings .
All that was left was to collect the material and arrange the scene .
Most of it was cheap and thus easy to acquire in sufficient amounts with his limited resources and being experienced arranging the scene was a cake walk.
Unlike other hunters he just chose a different prey that's all.
Most hunted beasts he just hunted the hunters instead .
Much more beneficial that way.
He walked once more to the edge of the pit .
As a matter of the custom that he had followed since childhood he bowed down and paid his last respects to the deceased.
"Unless one reaches the permanence of the Sun , the Moon and the Stars all who come from the earth shall return to it one day. "
"Men shall come and Men shall go only human greed shall last forever "
He took a deep breath.
It was now time to count his gains and prepare for the next victim.
On the slope of a distant hill overlooking Zilin city two figures wearing cloaks could be seen walking in the direction of the city.
One among them , the shorter one began to speak in a fair voice
"This is as far as you go , Jiao san any further and we risk discovery ."
The other tall enough to be considered a giant hissed a forked red tongue momentarily coming out in tandem before vanishing. He began speaking in a voice straight from a nightmare
" But Missy the security issues . Not to mention the master is not pleased at your last debacle."
He changed the last sentence rapidly after being exposed to a withering glare from the other person
"ahem Last uh accident ."
"You shall do as I say Jiao San. "
She lifted up her cloak revealing an extremely enchanting face framed with curls of raven hair .
"Having a Clasping Core expert at this sensitive time will raise eyebrows . Not to mention having the 'infamous' devil Jiao Shun intruding the premises of the Five Sects would give most of their elder a heart-attack to say the least. "
"I should think so ", Jiao San cackled maniacally in response.
"All the more reason to go then , I haven't tasted the flesh of a fellow Clasping Core cultivator for a long ..long while . Oh ...the taste it brings up such wonderful memories you know ."
"Not to mention that transmission . Ugh ! These bumpkins don't know how to set up a decent formation . Ahhh . It has left me so ...hungry ".
He wailed and moaned in a scene which could only be described as horrifying due to the nature of the protagonist
The young lady didn't appear to be affected in the least by her companion's rants.
"You shall do as I say if you wish to not invite the ire of my master "
"Hrrrumph ! The Young lady never lets me have any fun ! So unfair of you !"
"You can have all the fun we want after we finish our objective .Stay outside of Zilin City but close enough that you can come fast if anything goes sideways."
'If I am lucky !" Jiao San whispered in response licking his chops in anticipation.
"Pardon ? "
"No ,nothing at all , Young Lady ! I will be heading out at once !"
"And Jiao San , before you go there's one more thing ."
"What ?"
"Don't kill too many will you ? It makes too much of a mess and the cultivators from the Five Sects would be on to us before we could say the e in three."
"I will be judicious"
"Good."
Jiao San's figure vanished into the darkness before he could be summoned again leaving the fair young lady sighing in response.
She turned her head to look at the bustling city in the distance.
"Now then where are you I wonder ? "
She said softly.
"Wherever you are hiding I will find you without question"
"The Heavens are on my side."
"Men may come and Men may go but the trail they leave lasts forever."
She began the descent into the city below.
.