The following is a text derived from a testimony obtained from a companion of Xū Líng's journey, who claimed to have heard the details of the below mentioned events from the man himself.

As it coincided with other records and testimonies, and what's more it is common knowledge that Xū Líng would often narrate some of his adventures to his 'brothers', this testimony is treated as the official version of the events, until either Blindlight or Xū Líng themselves deny such facts.

For simplicity’s sake, we’ll be reporting not the actual testimony, but an adaptation which describes the events of that day while following the testimony, so as to preserve its veracity, and yet at the same time allow the readers, you, a chance for a deeper immersion:

Blue Eyes Shimmering Under The Starry Sky:

The day was especially hot and dry. In their cities, mortals could only chug down warm water if they wished get rid of their thirst, as the heat was such that even the underground streams had been affected.

In such a hot day, children would just run around in the small courtyards naked, in their underwear at best, while men and women would wear nothing but linen pants and shirts.

Those farmers and workers who had the chance to exhibit their sculpted bodies, beads of sweat trickling down the bulging muscles, gladly did so, very much to the giggles and low-key interest of the local female population.

At the same time, those few young women that were daring enough would swing their hips alluringly as the sweat made the thin, linen clothes stick to their skin, drawing whistles and shouts of appreciation from the young boys.

It was unnecessary to say such hot summer days were both a blessing and a curse to the local population, as, yes, they announced the end of the rainy season, but at the same time the heat would soon become unbearable to the point it was not uncommon for people to experience hallucinations or even outright faint.

For that reason, when on that day, the oldest member of the village, old Dai, suddenly burst into the local tavern shouting about the flying man, everyone just dismissed it all as being an old fool’s rumbling.

A few cups of liquor later old Dai himself also dismissed it as a mirage or something… after all, who would ever believe what he saw anyways? He may as well forget about it!

There was no six-year old girl who could deflect knives flying at her with a blade but one foot long, that girl did not suddenly change into a beautiful, albeit wearing rugged clothes, youth in his late teens, and most of all there was no old man that could leap hundreds of feet with a single stride!

Yes, he must have mistaken a few rags dragged by the hot air currents or something. Old Dai nodded to himself and poured himself another drink, ignoring the prickling pain of the knife he had picked up and put in his front pocket.

Yes, he had been mistaken without a doubt.

Meanwhile, a few miles outside the village, a youth sped through a few dried-up forests, through the few crop fields that were cultivated in the small town’s outskirts, and zigzagged its way into a rocky canyon, around a few minutes on horseback from the borough; distance he covered in but a few minutes himself and that the old man chasing behind him covered in a measly ten breaths.

Speeding into the canyon while holding a broken blade in his hand was a beautiful youth, his blue eyes glowing under the cone hat, blood trickling down the sides of his mouth and from countless small cuts present all over his body.

Panting, the exhausted young man threaded forward, gritting his teeth and leaving behind bloody footprints. Torn and bloody robes covered his toned body, body riddled with minor and major wounds alike, but the cloth presented so many holes that it barely covered anything.

Behind him was the complete opposite of the young man that looked on the verge of death: an old man, brimming with life and not a single speck of dust present on his pristine, white robes. Red eyes blazing with excitement and contempt focused on the figure of the youth’s back as he leaped once more…

Grab!

Swish!

The old man wasn’t discouraged that he repeatedly failed to capture his target: after all, no matter how good the man was at dodging, it was clear that soon he would run out of combustible… once that happened, he would be unable to move anymore, let alone dodge!

Still, at that time, the old Master without must have at least began to think along these lines: despite not having any cultivation, a mortal was able to escape a cultivator like him for a whole month! How was that possible? And, more importantly, if he were to actually begin to cultivate as well, what kind of terrifying strength would he be able to bring out?

The boy, that Xu Ling, was a threat! He could not possibly let him go, else he would only face destruction later on!

For that reason, when Xu Ling got the wrong road at the forkroad, he barely noticed before resuming his chase! Despite being far out his jurisdiction, this place was just as famous, or more accurately infamous, as any other dangerous locations in the world.

However, immersed in the thrill of the chase, how could the old Master possibly notice such a small detail as entering the strange valley from where nobody ever escaped alive? In fact he even sent threats and taunts at the young boy running before him: to bully the weak as the string just felt too good!

For that reason, neither him nor Xu Ling were able to hide their shock when the massive paw appeared out of nowhere and smashed him into bits… not that the old Master needed to hide anything, seeing how he had just turned into meat paste trickling down a majestic beast’s talons.

The air rippled and the golden dragon was revealed to the world! As if somebody had just lifted the veil covering its humongous figure, the Heaven Devouring Dragon’s body became the focus of another living being after millions of years spent slumbering…

Seeing the majestic golden beast appear out of empty space, Xu Ling however had not expressed any more surprise either than the initial shock. Instead, with curious eyes, the young boy had admired the golden scales, the red mane and goatee fluttering in the wind like flames, the long, sinuous body contracting and stretching as the beast finally opened its eyes.

The eyelids, that pair of eyelids that had been closed for so long empires and civilizations had fallen countless times over in the meantime, finally rose! Below those were two dazzling, golden irises and two pupils splitting them in half down the middle.

Blue and golden met; surprise and wander met confusion and amusement.

The Destined King of the Heavens met the Majestic Dragon King.

And one sentence from the golden lips of the Primordial Beasts shattered the holiness of that moment completely.

“Child, do you have anything to eat? I’m kind of starving. Been a few million years since my last morning snack.”

“…”

…

“So, Blindlight, correct?”

“For you, it shall be Master Blindlight, Incomparable Light Shining Down Upon The Lowly Lands Of The Mortals, King Of The Sky Dragons and Mighty Dragon Deity Of The Frozen North, South, East and West!”

“…”

“Sure, sure, Blindlight is fine kid, no need to glare, I was just joking. After all, you saved my life! Eheheh. Still… what’s wrong with you? Why are your eyes and even your soul so full of sorrow and anger?”

“You see, Blindlight… I have a goal. For a long, long time the path had been hazy and full of pitfalls. In fact, I had even begun to stop believing. A goal had turned into a mere dream…

“But now, that I met you, Blindlight, I just… I feel as if all those troubles were just washed away! I see the light, a way to escape this darkness! Please… will you help me in my quest?”

“… a quest, you say? Does this have to do with the Fire King’s residual aura on your body?”

“!!!”

“Uh? Didn’t you know? You are emitting such a powerful fire aura I am surprised nobody captured and dissected you to find out the reason yet…”

“I… I didn’t know… Sis, were you actually with me this whole time?”

“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. It’s just some residual scrap, with some time it will disappear completely without leaving any trace. Still, what business do you have with little Hong?”

“… she died. She died protecting me. Tian killed her.”

“Oh? That little brat did what now? You are saying he killed one of the four Divine Kings! Mwahaha, this is bound to send some waves roiling! This will be amusing…”

“… yeah… amusing…”

“… child, you said your name was Xu… Ling? That’s peculiar.”

“Yes… this was the name she gave me. My name as well as who I am now were all given to me by her. And because of that, I won’t stop until the killer is killed himself!”

“I may not be the smartest around here, kid, but from your words I am implying you want to…”

“KILL. TIAN.”

“Whew, that’s quite the goal!”

“Indeed, and because it is so big, I need to be even bigger! The Heavens stand in my way, the mortals down on the Earth pursue me, down in the Underworld is someone who gave me her life, that place is not for me to thread. I have no place upon these lands, so where else am I to go but to create that place with my own hands?”

Following those words was a long silence that lasted for many hours, yet Xu Ling did not lower his fiery gaze from the pair of dazzling golden orbs. Only after the sun had fallen beyond the horizon and the moon had replaced it did Blindlight finally speak.

“And what if… even then, after all that effort, you were to find out that such a place had no meaning without her there?”

“At the end of it all, if that were to be the case, I shall admit defeat and return in her embrace, whether it be in the underworld or the lands of the living, it shall be warm nonetheless!

“A single embrace I seek… and for it to be even a slightly bit warm I challenge even the Heavens! Because otherwise nothing will soothe my crying soul.”

And with a smile on his face, Xu Ling finally fell down on the ground, fainting after losing so much blood.

“…”

The golden dragon, a King amongst kings, looked at the unconscious boy in front of him with confusion: so much time had passed, and yet he fell only now. Was it due to his burning determination and willpower… or where the True Heavens unwilling to make him faint without making him his point valid?

“Indeed, a big goal you can reach by becoming bigger yourself… and what about an insurmountable goal, as Tian is much, much more than just ‘big’. Especially as weak as you are now. Kid… good luck.”

Blinding chuckled, not awaiting a response. He turned and was about to fly away and turn his back to the youth when…

“If I were to challenge infinity, then it would matter not whether I was to start as a one, a zero or a hundred thousand.

“So what does it matter whether it is now or then? Weak now, weak then, forever weak, but forever growing stronger! And, one day, be insurmountable myself!

“My dear friend, uncountable is but a word those who do not dare to actually keep counting use.”

…

The tiny voice had suddenly reached Blindlight’s eardrums, sending a current through his whole body.

Impossible; the kid was unconscious just a second ago, how could he have uttered any sound, let alone a response to his argument?

He turned and found the child: definitely unconscious, but, unlike earlier, he now had a wide smile on his face. It was a smile that showed no fear of any rejection. It was a smile full of confidence.

It was a smile that made Blindlight gape in astonishment.

Two days later, late at night, an invisible, golden dragon sped through the starry sky at breakneck speed.

And on his back, a smiling youth stood.

His blue eyes glimmering in the night.

[...]

The clash with the Glacier Old Man, the meeting with Xiao Lan and the allegiance with his Clan, the encounter with the Blood Soaked Flood Dragon, his fight through the Nine Heavens, the encounter with the caged Ancient who took him as his disciple and finally his clash with Tian...

Many records exist, but whether these records are true or not, simply by reading them one would feel their blood boil and their anger towards Tian and the Nine Heavens growing!

These all that is left after Lord Tian attempted to erase these records after his victory in the fight against Xu Ling.

And these alone are enough for me to dream about that one pair of blue eyes. A few scattered records are enough for me to wish about being able to gaze into those much-exalted orbs; if not to admire their beauty, at least so as to wonder at the vast night sky and lose myself into an ocean of bittersweet sorrow.

Excerpt from the work: Records of the Nine Heavens

Author: unknown