by Tinalynge
Hui Yue had his own goals in life. At first, his hope had been to reunite with Li Fen, but as the years had passed, he found that although she occupied an important part of his life, she was a part of the past. The reason he wanted to see her was to finish a chapter of his life, a chapter which still came back to haunt him from time to time.
As Hui Yue thought about Li Fen, he suddenly saw another woman right in front of him. A woman whom he had known for years already. She was proud but slightly aloof. She was concerned about others but often quiet. She was gentle and warm, and she made him feel like he had finally found the most important part of himself. She was Wang Ju Long, and as he remembered her his heart started to beat rapidly. With a sigh, Hui Yue looked out the window and thought that somewhere out this beautiful woman was waiting for him to return. Once more his eyes gleamed in determination to train as hard as his body would allow him to. Train so hard that he would be capable of returning to Wang Ju Long and his friends.
Chapter 24 – Let’s Escape
As Hui Yue felt nostalgic and a tinge of pain in his heart from thinking about Wang Ju Long. He could not help but sigh deeply, and with his newfound determination, he opened his door getting ready to enter the training grounds where he would once more undergo the hellish training.
As soon as he opened his door and he was about to move out, the young man stopped in his tracks as he saw Li Meilin standing right outside the door. She was clearly waiting for him to come out. Seeing this, he could not help but frown. Although he wished to treat people with respect, he was uncomfortable about this woman. She was far stronger than him, and she obviously knew this. She worked for the Siban Empire, and she was obviously here to learn information about the Shenyuan cultivators
Being in the capital, Li Meilin could gain any information she wished. She had long since heard about the Lords of the Forest, and she was astonished when she found that Shenyuan had more than sixty-four Saint ranked experts. It was a number which was equal to the amount of Saints the other three kingdoms had if they were added together.
This was information she dearly wished to inform the Siban Empire about. She knew that the empire had been eying the Shenyuan mass of land for a long period of time; however, if they were to go to war, it was highly likely that Siban would cease to exist. She could not allow for this to happen, which was why she was thinking of any possible way for her to return to the world of humans. The world where she felt like she belonged.
“Hui Yue, your name is Hui Yue right?” She asked curiously, her face was filled with a large smile which seemed slightly alluring, and she moved closer to the young man. Li Meilin was a rather adult woman. She was aware of her alluring curves and attractive face. Ensuring that her curves were exposed just right, and her face had an alluring smile as she drew closer to the young man
“I would love to become your friend,” She said with a honeyed voice, “I would love for us to become much closer. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”
Hui Yue was taken aback by the girl who was obviously flirting, and he was just about to snort at her attempt when he held back and nimbly retreated some steps. He ensured that the woman was not able to get too close to him. Although she seemed older than Hui Yue, the young man had previously lived on earth where he had experienced many attractive young women. To be the target of another Hui Yue was slightly surprised, but he was not that easily captivated by women. He smiled politely at the woman giving her one chance to understand that he was not interested before he started to become rude.
“Miss Li, I’m afraid you are wasting your time on me,” He said politely, “I am a very ordinary member of the beast family here in Shenyuan. I can understand that you feel strange as you are the only real human around here, but I am afraid I do not have the time to keep you occupied as I need to follow the training schedule the exalted Wan Qiao has personally created for me.”
Having been as polite as he was capable of being, Hui Yue bowed to the woman and without a second glance her way the young man departed. His feet took him to the training ground.
As soon as he arrived at the training ground, relief was visible in his eyes as he saw that Li Meilin had not followed him. Although he was not going to be easily tricked by her cheap tricks, he was aware that the woman was far more thick skinned than he expected. The previous day he had been rude, but seeing that this morning the woman returned, he tried being polite.
The woman was now not following him, but he had a feeling that this was far from over; a headache was coming his way. Although he wished to leave the Shenyuan jungle, he was not interested in leaving just yet. His trip within the underground dungeons taught him that even with Lan Feng on his side, Hui Yue was weak, very weak. If he was to run into Zhong Fai again, he knew that it would not end as easily as it had the last time. Hui Yue’s eyes became ice-cold, and he shook his head. Once more the image of Wang Ju Long appeared before him, and Hui Yue’s eyes grew determined. He needed enough power to protect himself and his friends.
Without thinking about this anymore, Hui Yue started running. The run was always the first of his exercises as it let his body heat up, and made his muscles ready for the harder training which followed.
Hui Yue, whenever he was in the form of a wolf-man, his body and his cultivation was equal to that of a King. His strength rose rapidly; however, Hui Yue’s aim was to reach the King rank in his human form before he returned to his friends. When he reached the King rank in human form, then his wolf-form would be at the late King level, someone who could battle an early Emperor. At this rank, he would definitely be capable of protecting his friends in the capital.
Knowing his goal, nothing could stop Hui Yue from working hard. He was training without any thought of what was happening around him, and as his focus was on training, he did not notice the young woman who was standing on the side. She was tapping her chin unconsciously while her eyes were dark as a storm, and her face sprouted an unhappy expression. Narrowing her eyes, the woman did nothing apart from watching the training young man. None of the beasts at the training ground paid her any heed, all of them focused on training instead.
Finally, Hui Yue finished the training, and as he did the woman one more stood right in front of him, this time, her face was not sprouting an alluring smile. Instead, an angry expression could be seen, something which Hui Yue had never expected.
Looking at him, Li Meilin finally decided to stop playing games, and she said only two words, “Let’s Escape.”
Hearing the words, Hui Yue raised an eyebrow. He too wished to escape, however, not yet. Thinking for a bit, he decided to shake his head and give the woman no answer; instead, he walked straight past her refusing to let himself be tempted by the words she spoke. Seeing the complete lack of response Li Meilin’s face turned increasingly sour, but she could do nothing but watch the young man walking away.
While Hui Yue walked away, Li Meilin suddenly noticed that Wan Qiao was standing close by, a smirk was evident on her face and her hand lifted. She beckoned the young woman to come towards her.
Although Li Meilin disliked Wan Qiao and the beastly world she was now residing within, she dared not go against the Queen of the Forest. She slowly made her way towards the One-Horned Jasmine Eagle, her heart all the way up in her throat as she feared whatever the young man told Wan Qiao about her behavior and her offer to leave.
Wan Qiao showed nothing on her face, but a small smile played on her lips. Her hand kept beckoning the woman to come closer.
When they finally reached each other, the face of Li Meilin was slightly confused but also worried while the smile still played on Wan Qiao’s face. “I hear that you would like to leave,” She said pondering, her hand tapping her arm as though she was thinking. “Leaving is not impossible,” She continued and as she said the words a look of hope appeared within the younger woman’s eyes. Hope and disbelief were fighting for a place within her eyes, her mouth opened slightly and closed once again. The woman was complet
ely taken aback by the words the woman said.
“I am going to leave this place when Hui Yue turns into a King ranked expert,” She said with a cunning smile on her face. “As soon as he becomes a proper expert, I am going to help him reach the capital of the Taiyang Kingdom; however, nothing is allowed to interfere with his training. If you leave him alone, then I’ll make it possible for you to join us when we leave for the capital. As to how you get from Taiyang Kingdom’s capital to the Siban Empire that is completely up to you.” Wan Qiao said laughingly.
Hearing this Li Meilin’s eyes shone with hope and happiness. She looked around and instantly bowed deeply to Wan Qiao before she rushed towards the capital itself, ready to get as much information about Shenyuan as she could. While Hui Yue was training, she would learn everything she possibly could from within Shenyuan; she wanted to bring as much information as possible back to Siban.
Looking around Li Meilin did not notice the smile and the knowing expression on Wan Qiao’s face. Her eyes were bright and brilliant, and she was amused that Li Meilin was so filled with excitement about leaving that she did not even think about why she was allowed to leave.
Now that Li Meilin had been allowed to leave, she no longer tried to take any of Hui Yue’s time. She was instead busy getting information here and there.
Li Meilin was not the only one rushing. Hui Yue too was filled with resilience as he trained day in and day out. He soon returned to battling guards once a day, and his battle prowess increased constantly.
Hui Yue did not understand what Wan Qiao wanted of him, but since she assisted him in training, he was very grateful for her help. One evening when Hui Yue finished the training, he saw that Wan Qiao was waiting for him and with a polite nod he followed her towards her chambers once more.
As they arrived, they sat down inside the chamber and it was quiet for quite some time. Neither Wan Qiao nor Hui Yue said anything, the two of them just sat there looking at one another for some time.
Finally, after minutes slowly passed by, Hui Yue cleared his throat and looked at Wan Qiao expectantly. He had been training hard day after day, and he felt as though strength was swelling within his body, swelling and making him strong enough to defeat the average King ranked experts.
“When I let you return to Taiyang, I will bring Li Meilin with me, and allow her to return to the world of humans,” Wan Qiao stated as she observed Hui Yue’s reactions. Her eyes gleamed in amusement when she saw the frown shown on Hui Yue’s face.
“I bet you wonder why,” She laughed, reading his expression just right. “Think about it. So far everyone has been killed as soon as they entered these grounds we call home, imagine the happiness they’ll feel when someone returns with information to them. But then, as soon as they hear the information they’ll start weeping. Cultivating as a human is far more difficult than cultivating as a beast. They don’t have that many Saint ranked experts. Imagine how frightened they will be when they hear about our Lords of the Forest.” A smirk appeared on her face.
“Hui Yue, you might not know, but the drums of war are calling us. We beasts are going to reclaim what is truly ours.”
Chapter 25 – Drums of War
“We beasts are going to reclaim what is truly ours.” Hearing these words, Hui Yue was instantly taken aback, his mouth agape and his mind reeling. Magical beasts were spread all across the continent, but it was only in Shenyuan that Hui Yue found these humanoid beasts, beasts which lived in societies of their own. He was able to guess that this had something to do with the Dark Age, with the Great Sin.
When he was younger and attended the academy within Riluo City, he had first heard about the Dark Age and the Great Sin. As for what happened back then, he was informed that he would not be told until he became stronger. That is until he became an upper dantian expert. The truth about this world was one great secret.
Sitting within Wan Qiao’s chamber, the young man was breathlessly listening for an explanation. He waited to hear from the woman who seemed to have lived past this great change that occurred in the world.
Looking at the excitement and eagerness in Hui Yue’s eyes, Wan Qiao could not help but laugh, and after having laughed a little, she lifted her head and looked straight at Hui Yue.
“Long ago the great ancestors were still walking the continent, and the lands were filled with magical beasts and humans alike. Some villages were filled with humans; others were filled with beasts. Humans and beasts lived side by side, and some mated with each other. It was much more simple back then, Humans and beasts were the same just different species like a wolf and a cat.”
“When the great ancestors went to sleep, their sons took over, and although it changed things slightly, it did not matter for the masses of the kingdoms. Years came and years passed, millennia flew by and nothing changed, until one day the four sons vanished. Their castles were turned to rubble, and from the rubble a young man emerged. He was nothing but an emperor, yet his strength vastly outstripped even Saints. Anyone who went against him died or was defeated. If not killed they were sent to the prisons he created.”
“This young man is named An He. He is the strongest entity within our continent. When he started his ascent to power, he called himself the Saviour. The one who saved the human race. He said he grew up as a slave, that he was fighting against darkness and that the world was wretched.”
Pausing for a moment, the woman was standing still before she started singing a small song,
‘Behind the Dark Age was the Great Sin
A Sin so great, that Darkness would always win.
The Sin was embedded within the core of our souls.
The Darkness itself achieved its goals.
A hero was born within this life of slavery.
A hero who started a rebellion to be free.
As the rebellion rose, blood fell like rain.
The darkness was washed away, so freedom we could gain.
As a newborn world, the countries were laid to waste.
But even now, freedom is what we chase’.
Hearing the song made Hui Yue remember a book he once read back at the academy. Back then no one knew what the Great Sin was; however the Dark Age was known by all.
“This song was made by An He. He rose up in front of all the humans and promised them a world belonging to humans alone. At first, no one followed him, but as his strength was shown and it had become public that the four Saints, the sons of the great ancestors, had vanished hundreds of families followed behind this man. Together these hundred families and An He executed any creatures who dared to live like men. He executed all human-beasts, and had no mercy on the children either.”
“For An He, the only thing that mattered was to get rid of all the unclean people,” As she said the word unclean, it was spat out, and her eyes were as dark as a the moonless midnight sky. Her anger was clear for Hui Yue, and the young man was somewhat able to guess how the story ended.
And for the first time, Hui Yue knew the name of the opponent he had sworn to kill together with Lan Feng.
“Tell me more about An He,” Hui Yue requested as he looked at Wan Qiao. “Okay,” She agreed and cleared her throat, trying to get rid of her anger which still smoldered inside of her.
“An He is a human cultivator. He was active in our world four thousand years ago; however, a thousand years ago he withdrew from worldly affairs. No one knows where he is now or what he is doing. Either way, he was a talented young boy, who even I would not wish to fight against. As for why he vanished, we can only guess.”
“He used to live within the central palace, but as to whether or not he is there now, no one knows.” Wan Qiao was silent. “There have been many things happening to the world during these thousand years, and now it is time for us beasts to try and return to the rest of the world. Our beast family has far outgrown Shenyuan. There are so many beasts that we have to hunt each other. I do not want us to do this any longer. I want us to go against the humans who caused us to
be shut inside Shenyuan for this many years.”
“What will you do if An He appears?” Hui Yue asked curiously, and a sinister smile appeared on Wan Qiao’s face. “I have already lived a long life,” She said with a shrug. “We are betting on him not interfering. I think he is sitting somewhere and is amused to see all these humans fight for survival.”
Hui Yue sat still for a moment. He would never take such a risk, but he understood that he was far younger than these Saints who had lived thousands of years already. To someone who had tried everything there was in life, their last wish was to once more hold their heads high and be free not hide away in the territory which had been theirs for years on end. Although they were safe within Shenyuan, the beasts were feeling like it was more of a prison than it was a safe home. For Wan Qiao to take this step, one could understand the pressure that was put on her as the strongest within the Shenyuan Forest.
“Why are you telling me all this?” Hui Yue mused as he looked at Wan Qiao and as he asked the question, the face suddenly had a large smile appear.
“Back then the most talented young man who ever lived upon this plane was An He,” She said with a bit of expectation within her voice, “An He was strong. He reached the age of an Emperor when he was only thirty years old, however, you… You are different. You might reach the Emperor rank way before then due to special help from these strange phenomena.”