Chapter 2: Black Heavens

A gigantic black sword manifested, covered with scrying souls with evil countenances, he appeared like he was an unparalleled swordsman as he displayed sharpness that can rend anything.

Y-yo-you are the Black Heavens? How is that possible, aren't you just a measly bird from the mortal world that happened to gain some form of intelligence?" apprehension covered the shadows, their mirages may not show any facial features but anyone could see or rather feel fear in them.

"How is he the Black Heavens, the enigma that faced the Jade Emperor, comparable to the other Paragons such as King of Hell Yama and Supreme God Tathagata?" one of the voices in the shadows screamed and disappeared.

"Are you still bent on fighting me? Call your coward king and go out and play with me, that will make it more fun!" Tengu provoked them further.

The voices in the shadows became incensed until a bigger shadow appeared. If the initial shadows could only be tens of thousands in feet, this newly arrived one could asunder the heavens with just how tall it is. It was an exalted personage of the world where the skies will break every time his presence is called.

"Tengu, the greatest treasure you holds isn't something you can use only for yourself, give it to me first so we can talk peacefully," the firmament-breaking shadow's voice gently said but the words he uttered clearly looked down on Tengu with disdain.

"As expected of the King of Hell, you and the Emperor of Heaven are so much alike!" Tengu's face was wiped with his casual look, there was a rare concentration present on his avian face.

"Catch this soul if you can, the first to seize him will be the winner!" Tengu threw the soul clamped in his claws, with no regard whatsoever.

The man that was pitched towards somewhere flew faster than the sound, still quiet and serene.

It was so far but there was a mysterious glow in the man's eyes that seemed to be able to burn worlds borne from anger.

"That bastard's Selfless State is not broken, or maybe it was always activated because he could not control it. Just how did he possess it? I know that only by overwashing your soul with Grandma Meng's soup could that occur, but her stingy nature prevented gaining more of it and the supply is always low that she was only giving departed souls with a mere milliliter of it" Tengu was really confused.

A glint suddenly appeared in his avian eyes.

As expected from my virtuous eyes, it could pierce truths and avoid illusions!" Tengu's talkative nature cannot really be zipped.

"That may be the case! The Saber-Wielding Heavenly Deity!" Tengu mysteriously talked with himself.

"Tengu, are you finished?" the gigantic shadow said.

"Oh, Yama, how are you right now? It's good to see you again!" Tengu talked as if they were not irreconcilable arch-enemies and rather close good-old friends.

Yama flicked his fingers and the Hell itself moved.

"You can't do that, little Yama!" Tengu slashed vertically his black sword, cutting subtly the control Yama possesses in Hell.

"TENGU!!! Are you hell-bent on offending me inside my domain? Do not compare me to that cursed Jade Emperor!" Fumes that looked to be evil souls clustered together appeared.

Gigantic eight-armed Indras, hellish Asuras, the Black and White impermanences, specters…

The hell let loose.

In the man hurled to a never-ending acceleration, the force finally stopped pushing him more towards anywhere, and fell in a green pond.

Such a natural color could not possibly appear in hell where crimson-gray is the most vintage dye one could possibly find. But here it is, a lively green pond appeared.

The man's spiritual body was submerged in the body of water. The water strangely turned red.

As expected, green is a forbidden color in hell.

A resounding scream came from the man as he shouted in pain.

His unbreakable expression finally was broken.

Mysteriously, memories of someone appeared in his mind.

A valiant man wielding a saber, carried by a noble divine horse, rallying troops all over the world, becoming unrivaled both in the skies, earth, and underworld.

"Saber-Wielding Deity…" His lackluster irises became bright all of a sudden.

A strong surge of energy whirled the pond's crimson liquid, splattering it anywhere.

"I actually fell in the Primordial Spring of Absolute Beginning, just how much luck did that cost me?" A smile appeared on the man's lips.

"Yoriichi…it's the part of me that survived from that tribulation, let me give you the remaining parts of myself, as Yoriichi or the Saber-Wielding Deity, I am me!"

The man picked the Lotus of Life and Death and performed strange gestures. The lotus disappeared in thin air.

"This luck is unrivaled, to think that the Lotus of Eternal Immortality is here, it's the essence of the Three Realms, the best material to create a new body!"

The light in the man's eyes was slowly dimming.

"It's the time, the spring was only able to reignite my remnant soul but I am extinguished a long long time ago, I guess this time, it is an everlasting sleep" this man and the man in this one spiritual body may have differences, but similarities can be mirrored from the two, looking at the calm countenance they have no matter what situation it is.

"it may be an eternal sleep for Qin Lingtian but it was just a start for you, Yoriichi, may my saber be of help to you…"

The man's eyes' luster faded and returned to its original radiance.

"Saber Wielding-Deity Qin Lingtian, past-life, revival, Uta," Yoriichi's brain was stretched as films of unknown memories slowly fused with him, it was a truly mystical sight to see.

Different from him, the man who looked alike him a lot uses a broader blade, a saber, opposite to which he used as a Demon Slayer. He was a true blue swordsman.

In all the memories that fused with him, what made the calm waters of his heart be disturbed was an image that brought pain and smile in his emotionless face.