Pathway

Fu Yingjie entered his shared room, and sat on his bed, looking into the far distance. His mind had been scrambled lately. He couldn't concentrate during the lecture period, and had been having difficulty sleeping lately. He tried to calm his mind by meditating, but he simply couldn't. Maybe after resting, his mind would gain some inner peace. He quickly took out the Dream Caller leaves, and started chewing them. Not long after, he was fast asleep, and with the same nightmarish dreams.

As his memory recollected, he was only eight years old when the source of the nightmare found root in his dreams.

His family had been returning from a journey to a village, when they were attacked by a small army of demons, led by two demon masters who were associates of the powerful Zhu clan. His parents were true Daoists, upholding justice and righteousness as part of the Nine Golden Stars.

On this fateful day, their travelling group had fought very hard, but had been killed by the demons. His father who was at the peak stage of the golden core, was about to use his ultimate move when one of the demon lords threw a high grade major teleportation talisman at him. The demons had planned their moves properly. The seal had worked on Fu Yingjie's father who was immediately transported to a different place entirely.

However, his mother was only at the early stage golden core level. Facing two peak golden core demon lords was beyond her imaginable abilities. Demon lord Worm Blood, the leader of the Worm Wolf Clan. And demon lord Black Claws of the Black Wolf clan. The last two surviving members of their own group.

With his mother holding him, they had tried to flee, but were pursued relentlessly. They were chased to a nearby cave where his mother had realized there was no other way, except to fight. Determined, she had turned to face them. She had taken out her white obelisk staff which grew into a size of six feet, and started radiating a brilliant gold light. Seconds later, the staff flew to the front, and split into nine staves.

The nine staves formed nine walls of golden light, blocking the entrance into the cave. Although she didn't know for how long the defence will hold. The white obelisk staff was her clan's heirloom handed to her due to the fact that she was cultivating the Radiant Heavens Sacred arts. An ancient magical treasure from the primordial era, given to her by her grandfather, the sage of a Million Radiance. He was their clan grand patriarch who had ascended to the heavenly realm.

Nonetheless, her power was still lacking to fully use the might of the Radiant heavens. After all, she was only at the early stage of the golden core.

"Husband, where are you? What's delaying you?"

Fu Yingjie's mother had asked through the communication pearl.

"Please, hold on. I'm already rushing over."

His father had replied, soon before hearing the booming voices outside their hide-out cave.

"Give up, Golden Lights. We only need your hearts."

Worm Blood mocked, brandishing his deadly saber.

"Oh, those tender human hearts. How nourishing, how succulent, and how delicious. They are already causing me to forget who I am. No, I meant who I was. I can't even think properly anymore."

Black Claws licked his lips while holding his two flying claw weapons.

"Why are you two looking for the trouble of the Nine Worlds clan? We don't have any problem with the Beasts clans. To what end are you doing this?"

His mother had asked them.

"You don't? Then, let me remind you. Five years ago, your husband killed two of my Red Moon clans. My own family members, and didn't even bothered to send them to us for proper burial. Those two are my sons, or have you forgotten? The dishonour your husband brought us was overwhelming. It should be sons for sons, but since he has one son, I will settle for his son and his wife. That's fair enough, or not?"

Worm Blood asked with his head tilted.

"In this lands, it is forbidden for beast kinds to kill humans without a just cause. It's all because of the nature of some of your kind who enjoyed killing innocent people for the fun of it. Those two sons of yours nearly caused a massacre of mortal humans. Still, they killed many of them. Is that just? Their body were burned, their souls could not be allowed to linger. They were sent straight to their reincarnation where they will face the judgement of the sisters. We don't have problems with the demonic beasts' clans, but we don't condone evil of such. It was against the Dao of the universe."

"Dao of the universe? Alright, such evil, fair -."

Worm Blood was saying before he was interrupted by Black Claws.

"Aha, big evil is coming, really big evil, scary evil-."

"BLACK CLAWS!"

Worm Blood shouted through the mind voice.

"Can you allow me to talk?"

Worm Blood stared daggers at Black Claws with furrowed eyebrows.

"Thank you."

Afterwards, he had turned his attention back to Fu Yingjie's mother.

"As I was saying, fair enough, I understood. Don't I also have a just cause for trying to kill the two of you? Your husband killed my sons, I kill you and your son. I believe that is also fair enough."

"Can you please give us your hearts? We don't have to fight unnecessarily today. As you can see, it's a beautiful day. Your action might even give you a lot of good Karma in afterlife."

Black Claw impatiently pleaded.

"Alright, if you don't want to cooperate that means we are done talking."

Worm Blood said angrily as he struck forward with his sabre, initiating the Blood-Fangs sabre technique. The sabre lights formed massive head of a red wolf with blood red teeth, and collided with the flame walls which caused violent shakes all around the cave.

"Dear wife, I will soon be there. Just hold on. I'm having problem locating you. I think they are using the Eyeless Shutter arrays to conceal your place. I will find you. Hold on a bit longer."

Fu Hui transmitted to his wife, Fu Chao Xing, who quickly responded.

"I've been holding on, but I can't hold on any longer. Hurry up."

"You know, this can't stop us for long."

Worm Blood voiced softly as he shook his head in annoyance.

"Why are you acting this way, Golden Lights? Alright, I will make a compromise with you. What about you giving us your own heart only, and we leave your son alone? Better?"

"Are we?"

Black Claw asked in a whisper with bright red eyes.

"Of course not."

Worm Blood replied, giving a wry smile.