Sowhere in the regions dominated by the Unorthodox Faction, a chilling piece of murderous art occupied a small section of land.
Dozens of pikes had risen from the ground through the use of arcane arts. Moreover, the corpses of the Arakuro Magi were impaled on these pikes.
The way it had been done was grueso, and if one were to take a look at this scene, they would be sure to retch in disgust.
Dry blood stained the ground, and scavengers circled the sky above. So of the impaled corpses had beco food for these birds, while the rest had gone pale and lifeless.
A group of Magi on horseback arrived at the edge of this... grove of corpses. It was important to note that these were hardened warriors, yet when they glanced at the impaled bodies, they couldn’t help but grimace.
"So this is the place," one of the Magi muttered solemnly.
A broad path ran through the grove, leading to a rocky mound where a figure sat in ditation.
"There he is," the Magus murmured when his gaze landed on the figure.
"Let’s go." He ordered the Magi behind him.
Together, they rode through the grove of corpses. The pungent sll assaulted their nostrils, causing them to frown a little. But they were all used to this sll. They were killers, after all.
These n were from the Qinglin Zhai, a group of nomadic bandits who wandered the lands of Yen-Lu in search of adventure and, of course, the thrill of theft and murder.
They were ordered by their leader to seek the Heavenly Demon.
At last, they had found him. Their horses stopped right before the rocky mound, where they saw a figure dressed in tight-fitted white robes, sitting cross-legged and practicing mindfulness.
The most striking thing about this man was his mask...
A red oni mask.
The mask had a snarling face, its long white teeth jutting out like fangs. Its surface was painted a deep crimson that seed to gleam with freshly spilled blood. This was a visage ant to inspire terror. It was an embodint of cruelty, violence, and wrath.
Truly a masterpiece fitting for the man known as the Heavenly Demon!
When the bandits from the Qinglin Zhai cast their gaze upon it, they shuddered. Despite outnumbering the Heavenly Demon, they couldn’t stop the dread from spreading in their hearts.
Numbers didn’t matter. The grove of corpses was proof enough.
Gulping nervously, the leader of the group cupped his fists and introduced himself, "We greet the Heavenly Demon. I am Hei Mang of the Qinglin Zhai."
The Heavenly Demon finally opened his eyes.
His gaze settled on the burly man who had just introduced himself. He had a head full of thick brown hair and a scar marked his upper lip, turning it into a perpetual sneer.
The Heavenly Demon knew that it wouldn’t be long before people from the Qinglin Zhai would confront him. After all, he was wantonly killing the Arakuro Magi on their land.
"What do you want?" He asked, scanning the dozen or so Magi behind Hei Mang. Unsurprisingly, they were all at the Mana Vortex Rank. They needed to feel so modicum of safety, after all.
For so reason, when the Heavenly Demon’s gaze landed on Hei Mang, he shuddered. It was the sa feeling he had when he was standing before the leader of the Qinglin Zhai.
He took a deep breath, then continued in the sa respectful voice:
"Your actions on our territory have drawn the ire of the Arcane Alliance onto us, the Qinglin Zhai. Our warlord, Wei Motian, wishes to speak with you regarding it."
The Heavenly Demon remained silent for a few monts. He then asked with an arched brow, "The leader of the Qinglin Zhai wishes to speak with ?"
"That is right."
The Heavenly Demon’s eyes flashed with contempt. "Then why isn’t he here?"
Hei Mang froze. The rest of the Magi standing behind him had equally dumbfounded expressions.
Why would a mighty Mana Core Magus co to the middle of nowhere to et the Heavenly Demon?
That was what they thought...
"Pardon?" Hei Mang asked, nervously gulping yet again.
Inwardly, however, he couldn’t help but think in ridicule, Why the hell would our lord co to et a nobody like you?! Are you crazy?
"Are you deaf?" The Heavenly Demon’s voice turned cold.
"That’s enough!" One of the bandits angrily stepped forward. He glared at the Heavenly Demon and roared, "Who the hell do you think you are—"
Thud!
A part of the bandit’s head was cleanly severed and landed at his feet. A mont later, the man fell face-first, blood gushing from his head.
Holding one Blade of Fulgrim in his hand, the Heavenly Demon continued, "I have shown you courtesy by not killing all of you. This is your territory, after all."
Hei Mang and the rest of the bandits froze in sheer horror. They hadn’t even seen the Heavenly Demon make a move. They just saw a section of their comrade’s head falling to the ground. That was all.
"Now scram," said the Heavenly Demon. "Take this ssage back to your warlord. If he wants to et , then he should co here."
"I-I must warn you!" Hei Mang muttered in a shaky voice. "Our warlord will—"
"I don’t care what your warlord will do," The Heavenly Demon interrupted him. "Now get lost before I add you to my collection."
The bandits imdiately scrambled, not daring to test the demon’s patience.
Once the Heavenly Demon was alone, he thought to himself:
He should be at the Tsuitsui Clan right now. According to my intel, they share borders with the Qinglin Zhai and Tiesha Tang.
Perhaps I should do sothing about the Qinglin Zhai and reduce the burden on him.
A daring plan started to form in his mind.
One week later, another group of Magi from the Arakuro Clan paid a visit to him. This ti, their numbers far exceeded his expectations.
Yet, in the end, they had all beco a part of the grove of corpses.
Two weeks later, a large group of bandits from the Qinglin Zhai attacked him.
They, too, had been impaled and added to his collection.
At last, a month later, the warlord of the Qinglin Zhai, the Mana Core Magus, Wei Motian, had appeared. He had co to beat the Heavenly Demon into submission. The latter was a capable warrior, after all. He would be a good addition to the Qinglin Zhai.
But what happened next took the world of Yen-Lu by storm...
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