Chapter 21 – Advent of the Inferno

Thousands of miles away, nearing the centre of the continent where a massive pillar of light rose to the sky, a pale blue column of whirling winds linking heaven and earth, were dual cliffs, staring down one another, overlooking a deep, bottomless ravine.

 

The Cliffs of Silence, they were called, for not even sound could escape from the gaping maw of the abyss below.

 

Anything cast into its depths vanished forever, its very existence erased, doomed to endless freefall—or so the legends claimed.

 

Nobody knew for sure what happened. In its entire history, a few manned expeditions chose to brave its depths, but they never returned. The moment they crossed its boundary, they vanished into nothingness, leaving only the ropes they used to descend in their wake.

 

Since then, the Cliffs of Silence and their ravine became a forbidden realm, shunned by all. The myth of their origin faded, swept away by the river of time.

 

Even the spiritual beasts that reigned over the wildness of this continent avoided this place like the plague, their base instinct warning them.

 

And yet, on this very day, the silence was broken for the first time in a while. The Cliffs of Silence were teaming with life.

 

But death lingered close, ever-present.

 

“Liao Cheng! This is the end. You have nowhere else to run. If you know what’s good for you, then hand it over. I may yet be inclined to let you live!”

 

At the brink, a young man—no older than his late twenties—stood above the abyss. His once-luxurious robes, now torn and soaked in blood, had lost their regal purple to a deep, violent red. Some of the blood was his, seeping from shallow wounds, but most belonged to others.

 

Corpses littered the ground around him, marked by sharp, precise wounds. Blood still dripped from the sword clenched in Liao Cheng’s hand.

 

His breathing was ragged, chest heaving up and down, but his gaze remained fierce as he looked down on his assailants from the edge of the cliff, the abyss to his back, his escape route sealed.

 

And yet, his fighting spirit remained strong despite the occasional wince of pain that flashed across his face.

 

“I refuse,” he said, his voice firm. “This belongs to me. You have no right to claim what is rightfully mine.”

 

Before him stood a crowd, all armed with their own relics, whether weapons or more everyday items, such as a fan of all things. Most were old men, their heads completely white and their beards reaching down to their chests.

 

Only a handful were middle-aged; the young had already fallen, claimed by Liao Cheng’s blade and their own greed.

 

Unfortunately, these old men were proving too much for him, their cultivation worlds apart. He could only flee, but he had reached the end of the road. Now, he could only fight.

 

“Don’t do anything rash, young one,” an old man said, noticing Liao Cheng taking a step backwards toward the cliff. “Despite the harm you have caused, it would be a shame for someone of your talent to end this way. Why not seek a way for us to coexist?”

 

The old man sought to negotiate, yet this only stoked Liao Cheng’s fury even more.

 

“Coexist!?” He roared. “Was this your intent when you butchered my family? Like cowards, you lured me away, only to slaughter them, sparing not even women and children. I can still feel the weight of their limp bodies in my arms, the warmth of their blood on my hands. You would dare talk of coexistence after all that?! HAVE YOU NO HUMANITY?!”

 

“You brought this upon yourself,” an old woman stepped forward, her voice colder than the wind blowing through Liao Cheng’s blood-soaked garments. He could feel himself shiver from his core, yet the heat of his hatred kept him from displaying it outwardly.

 

“Had you not conspired to keep this item from us, none of this would have happened,” she added, a vicious smile on her face, twisting further her wrinkle-addled visage.

 

“Don’t you dare put this on me,” Liao Cheng said, scorn and loathing dripping from every word. “Your greed is to blame. Your clans already rule over the majority of the Central Region, but that’s not enough for you, was it? You couldn’t allow the potential of someone rising to contend against you. You’re cowards! All of you! Nothing more than wretched cowards. I spit on you.”

 

With utter contempt, Liao Cheng spat at the old woman’s feet. She recoiled, fury and indignation burning in her eyes as she met his scornful gaze.

 

They stood at an impasse, silence reigning all over them, no one willing to make a move. Some of the more eager sought to step forward, but were held back by their most senior.

 

The Ravine of the End stood behind Liao Cheng’s back. Their goal was to retrieve the item in his possession. They feared that if they pushed him too much, in his desperation, he might leap to his own death.

 

They couldn’t afford that.

 

They could only negotiate, buy time. They had already sent words to their respective clans. Reinforcements were on their way. Once they arrived, capturing this rat would be effortless for these powerhouses.

 

Unfortunately, Liao Cheng was no fool. He could read them like a book. He had already expected as much. He had a way out of this predicament, though he loathed to make use of it.

 

He reached inside the lining of his robes, a secret pocket near his heart, and out came a transparent bead. Its surface was smooth and clear, a perfect sphere, similar to glass, but a mathematical impossibility for that material, for inside its core was a raging storm.

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Multicoloured clouds, ranging from an effervescent orange to verdant green, all the way to a deep purple, congregated onto its core, spinning on its axis, creating a large disc.

 

Had Qin Yun been there to gaze into its depths, he would have instantly recognized a nascent nebula, a universe in its infancy, as the masses of gas, mainly hydrogen and helium, collapsed under their own gravity toward the center.

 

It would take billions of years, but sooner or later, those gases would condense into stars, creating colossal solar winds that would push away the remnant, scattering them to all corners of the universe, giving birth to a budding galaxy.

 

The Land Before Time, as some would call it, where the laws of physics had only just been born through the chaos that preceded them.

 

A glimpse of the past.

 

Facing this jewel, all those nearing Liao Cheng couldn’t help but stare, greed in their eyes, something gripping at their hearts. They wanted it for themselves, down to the depths of their souls.

 

Their avarice plain for all to see.

 

Liao Cheng scoffed in his mind.

 

It was his, and no other. He had done them a favour even letting them gaze upon its beauty.

 

Then, a cry shattered the silence. Inhuman.

 

A bird, with wings that spanned galaxies, reflected into the orb, the only sign of life amidst the impending birth.

 

Its plumage was multicoloured, reflecting the gases around it, mostly made of a striking orange. Its beak was long and narrow, its talons sharp and strong, enough to rip apart all those who may be unfortunate enough to land in their grip.

 

The experts gathered around the cliff shuddered at its mere sight, a primordial dread rising from their core, its majesty unequivocal.

 

They were insignificant before such a beast.

 

Yet the feeling faded as quickly as it came, vanishing with the echo of the cry as it retreated into the orb.

 

The experts pondered, still reeling from that feeling. They knew of many legendary beasts, but none like this one. They searched their collective memories, but found no records of such a thing.

 

Maybe only the archives of their respective families and sects might hold the answer they sought, but very few of them even had access. They were nothing more than external elders, not even fit to enter the inner court.

 

But one among them was older than the rest, centuries of experience etched into his gaze. He noticed what others missed.

 

“A child,” he muttered. “This beast has yet to mature, doesn’t it?”

 

Hearing this, all of Liao Cheng’s pursuers beamed with joy. Not only would they get their hands on the Heavenly Bead, which they coveted, but a legendary beast like this one would be a boon far surpassing their wild imagination.

 

Had it been an adult, there would have been very little they could have done. No beast would let itself be used. However, as a premature child, they knew of many methods of binding it to their will.