Chapter 6: Escape from Quentican

"The city is doomed. Since before the Era of Blood, the Great Wall stopped the invaders," a man sobbed as he led an ox carrying an a cart of his belongings.

"Aye. It's a sad day for humanity. With the Great Wall and Quentican City in the hands of the demons, this land will soon be covered in perpetual twilight, the dead resurrecting as undead," a man sighed with grief."We might even see our loved ones again, but as undead fiends."

"The Golden Army finally appeared. They never attacked. We had grown too confident against the minor skirmishes from the undead and demons," an old woman said as her grandchild helped her walk quickly. "Those sect disciples won't be able to hold them long. Undead are naturally superior in cultivation and they have no qualms using magic of any element attribute. Tis humanity's cowardice and prejudice to abstain from learning magic in most countries and continents."

"We might have stood a chance if we had," her grandson agreed.

"Little brat, even demons are more fearsome than undead. We are doomed regardless. The fall of Quentican marks the beginning of the Nineteenth Demon War. Mark my words, the more east or south we travel, the better to escape the ravages of war," the granny sighed. "Hmm? Another refugee joins our ranks? He's also got a golem?"

They turned to see a black cloaked youth with blonde hair and grey eyes appear with a strange looking panda cub in his arms. It was precisely Ni Lang, his eyes turned grey since he changed the golem and attained master control over the grey rune control rod within his soul fire. He passed the sleeping cub to a single hand of the golem as he joined them.

"Hey, lad. You successfully escaped the horde?" a man asked as the ten mile long line of humans made haste to the mountain range out of the valley.

"Oh? Ni Lang? What brings you here?" a man asked, Ni Lang recognizing him as a tavern master that the former Ni Lang visited while taking a break from training. Ni Lang was a loner in the sect of the city and preferred to cultivate in private, never going into the sect at all except for spirit pills and elixirs.

Naturally, Ni Lang had all of those from the boy's corpse as Ignus had taken the blue storage bag which was safely tucked within his cloak, all the most important items already secured in his shadow. He was a human, but no human stored items in their shadow.

"Tavern master? You made it out as well?" Ni Lang asked, faking relief. "I was busy cultivating in the pavilion I was staying at when I heard screaming. My servants died as undead poured into my room. If I had not made a lucky breakthrough to the ninth stage, I would have died as well. I also had my golem and I had it break through several walls and houses as I ran out of there."

"Yes. We all panicked. Who knew they would arrive so quickly after the Great Wall fell?" the man sighed as the other refugees appreciated Ni Lang taking out a giant cart from his storage bag, some of the elderly and children riding it. The children felt safer staring at the giant golem that carried the cart as they rested with the elders.

"Most of the forces of the Golden Army are headed to the city palace instead of the sect headquarters. Why is that?" Ni Lang asked as sect disciples ran all around the long line of refugees to ensure their safety from the weaker demons and undead that chose to follow them for an easy soul harvest.

"Quentican City has an ancient city. The founder of the city had once ventured into the Twilight Realm, slaying three Demon Kings in his life time, a being past the Obsidian Realm! He had his body cremated to prevent demons from absorbing fragments of his soul fire and they were buried in the heart of the city palace. Many people pay homage to his ashes as if he were a living god. They might have remembered the grudge from centuries past and sought to desecrate his ashes," the tavern master sighed.

"George, have any water?" a man asked and the tavern master nodded as he gave him a flask from his storage bag.

"Will you return to the Tian Continent, Ni Lang?" George asked. "You're rich enough to take a teleportation circle at the next city."

"If we get past the mountains. They are filled with wild magical beasts," Ni Lang said, memories flashing through his head.

"Aye, the Pretender's Passage," a nearby man agreed. "The tunnel beneath the black mountain of the mountain range. The shortest but most dangerous path."

"What's Pretender's Passage, grandma?" the boy from earlier asked.

"Lionel, Pretender's Passage is a dark and dangerous place, lit by mysterious blue fire torches that never run out. Some say the founder of Quentican City, Quentican, had journeyed through the passage to where he founded the city. Dangerous monsters live within the lake beneath the mountain, a passage of stone running through the middle of the giant lake. One foot off the path, and you fall to your death. No one knows why they never venture out of that passage," the grandma sighed.

"Damn lucky they don't," George agreed as they neared the mountain at the outskirts of the city, all of them gazing at the distant people ahead in the line as they walked inside a black hole in the mountain.

"I don't want to go in," Lionel cried as he held his grandmother as they walked inside after two hours, the refugees staying close together and making the lone longer as they thinned themselves to not fall of a black stone path lit with blue flame torches.

"What strange fire," George said as he gazed at the torches.

"This is devil fire, master. I can tell, not by the color, but by the ancient signature of a devil's spirit energy," Ignus said, using its thrall mental link.

"Are we in danger?" Ni Lang asked.

"It says something in the devil language. It is faint, but I can interpret it," Ignus. "Nai kaka Haki urlong. Haki maksa trewa jika ohaga noksa. Tawa nura wota gimi nei luquo najar ning Haki. I curse all humans for killing Haki. Haki proclaims that he must pass on his cultivation of martial arts. Little devil follow my spirit fire and inherit Haki's treasures and techniques so that my rage lives with every kill you make."

"Quite the vengeful devil. Still, I could use those. Follow the torches, wrap yourself in darkness. None of the sect disciples are in here as they have to guide the other refugees to the entrance," Ni Lang instructed.

"Illusions. I can finally use my innate demonic ability. I will not fail you, master. Hehehe. Ancient treasure. No other imp will have stolen from a devil but me. Well, it's dead but it still counts," Ignus giggled and vanished.

"You alright, Ni Lang? Gazing at such strange fire is not good for you," George asked, bringing Ni Lang back from his thoughts as he wondered about the devil fire more.

"I'm fine, George. It is my first time seeing them so I couldn't help wondering what made them," Ni Lang sighed.

"Wah! Look! It's such a pretty lake," Lionel cried as he pointed at the lake as they finally got out the long tunnel, the adults darkening their faces as they knew the true terror starts from now.

"Stay in the cart!" the grandma snapped, the boy with tears in his eyes as he sat down and stared at the lake.

"Now, it is perfectly safe. No need to be scared," George smiled, the children paling as they pointed as a black tentacle grabbed five men too close the the edge of the stone path.

"Granny, I'm scared," Lionel trembled as he buried his face in her arm, no longer staring at the lake as other children huddled together as their parents tried to assure they were safe as they walked behind the cart.

"No!" George paled as another black tentacle burst out of the lake, heading for the cart.

"I'll be back," Ni Lang yawned as he sliced the tentacle with his sword, the blades covered with a sharp edge of darkness. The golem swat the tentacle as if it were a fly as Ni Lang dived into the lake.

As his soul was that of an undead, he used soul energy from the soul fire to regulate his human body as he walked toward a giant black mass as if walking down stairs. He realized why the monsters never ventured out: they were aquatic and below the Flame Realm. They would just be slaughtered on land. He slashed his sword and a giant blade of darkness appeared, cutting the black mass in half. He saw a black marble within and controlled the water to bring it to him.

"He really killed it," George gasped as Ni Lang appeared from the lake, a black marble in his hand. "A magical beast core? You really killed it. What was it?"

"It was black and I just killed it without bothering to see what it was. I think it was a squid?" Ni Lang shrugged as he walked over to his panda cub, feeding it the marble and watched it fall asleep again as if it just ate a meal.

"Didn't bother to look at it," George said, nearly coughing blood. No one noticed as a small splash came from the lake as it was invisible.

"I've returned, master. I suggest looking at the contents another time. Too many eyes here," Ignus said as placed four storage rings into his shadow.

"We made it," George sighed with relief five more black tentacled magical beasts and six hundred dead refugee victims later. The grandma, Lionel, and the others sighing with relief as they had traveled with Ni Lang. They were ordinary folk. How could they hope to kill a magical beast no matter how weak it was?

"Thank you, Ni Lang," they all bowed as they entered a city, safe from danger at least. Just to be sure, the sect disciples at the back collapsed both entrances and tunnels connecting to the lake. With this, the Golden Army would be delayed.

As Ni Lang made his way to the teleportation circle under a guard's direction, he heard gossip from the people in the city. Many of them packing to prepare to head further out before they lost most of their belongings as well. Sect disciples and armies would make the city their base to prepare for when the Golden Army emerges from Pretender's Passage, but no ordinary human would feel safe regardless of how many cultivators there were.

"I'd like to use the Transport Gate to the Tian Continent," Ni Lang asked.

"Sure, kid. Which city?" a attendant asked as Ni Lang walked into a giant steel auditorium.

"Black Sun City in the Wu Province," Ni Lang answered, a memory flashing in his mind.

"That will be five hundred gold coins," the man said and Ni Lang handed it to him. ""Very well. Have a safe trip."

Ni Lang sighed as he stepped onto a blue and white pentagram circle and closes his eyes as it flashed. He opened his eyes and appeared in a large square surrounded by many pavilions, his golem and Ignus appearing behind him. The Ni Clan were a powerful, but secluded clan that resided in an entire district of the city owned by the clan. No one was allowed to venture there and were beaten by the cultivators the clan hired.

However, Ni Lang did not immediately go there, buying a room in an inn so he could research the items he had looted and the Devil Haki's treasures and techniques. The Tian Continent was one of few that tolerated mages alongside martial artists. It was why they were able to kill all the demons and undead in the land. Ni Lang spent three months in the inn, paying for his lodging and his meals delivered in advance.

He studied the devil's techniques and learned the martial arts style that best suited those who used magic as well. It was called the Primordial Sword Art, named after one of the Primordial Immortals of the Immortal Realm. Legend has it that a Primordial Immortal descended from the Immortal Realm, bringing with him immortal techniques and artifacts. Beyond the Obsidian Realm was a realm of cultivation that allowed you to venture among the stars.

The Immortal Realm had countless dangers so five immortal artifacts were beyond precious, even more so if it is one that belonged to a Primordial Immortal. The five artifacts could only be utilized by those who knew the art and combining the five artifacts in the Lost Heart Array would open a portal to a pocket dimension where the Primordial God slept! The devil, Haki, actually possessed one of the five artifacts and the accompanying technique! When Ignus and Ni Lang read the many journals of the devil, they discovered Quentican also had one of the artifacts and techniques.

The five artifacts were the Fire Soul Stone, the Wood Dragon Saber, the Water Tyrant Spear, the Metal Void Heart, and the Earth King Crown. Haki possessed the sword art and Earth King Crown. According to the journal, Haki feared confronting Quentican because he had the Tyrant Spear Art and the Water Tyrant Spear. Haki believed the dragons possessed the Spirit Body art and the Metal Void Heart. Otherwise, how else could the dragons have such powerful bodies and physical prowess?

Details of the remaining Primordial techniques and the whereabouts of the two other artifacts were not in the journals. Haki just had suspicions that the Fire Soul Stone was secretly guarded by the humans as it was the personal artifact of the Primordial Immortal from legend while the others were learned and taken from killing other Primordial Immortals.

The Primordial Immortal was said to have four arms and wielded a sword, spear, saber, and axe. Based on this, Haki believed the fifth technique accompanying the Fire Soul Stone was the Infernal Sunder Art, the most powerful Primordial Immortal art even immortals would kill to have. However, too many planets existed in the Mortal Realm. How could the immortals dream to find it?

"The Earth King Crown is indeed a higher immortal rank item," Ni Lang sighed as he looked into his Soul Realm, seeing a sand colored crown floating above his tiny soul fire that burned on black gold as if it were wood. "It even gave me this strange, sand colored gem for my sword."

"It's too bad master can't utilize its power yet," Ignus sighed as they sat in his room.

Ni Lang had successfully integrated his sword into a true spirit weapon. First generation undead were born with spirit weapons, but they could not integrate it into their souls. It made them very big targets for theft as others would steal their weapon before the reached the Flame Realm. It could appear and disappear at will and the image of his spirit was prominent at the center of the both sides of the blade.

His sword looked exactly the same, but the rectangular blade now cut as if it had blades. While the blade was black with shining gold rhombus runes along both sides of the blade, one could see a One-horned red wolf spirit made out of bright red runes at the center. The edges of the blade were a myriad of black, violet, azure, crimson, and sand.

As it was a spirit weapon, the blade cut with elemental essence instead of a normal edge, making it incomparably sharp to an ordinary sword. It still had its mysterious poison from the meteorite immortal metal, and the mist jade aura. No ordinary immortal rank weapon could stand against it. This was an advantage of a spirit weapon. The only disadvantage was that only one could be bound per spirit ring. It was why most people did not have a spirit weapon. Now the name, Conqueror's Sword, was appropriate.

"At least master reached the initial stage of the Flame Realm. Your new father, Ni Kong, will be pleased and no one would dare trouble you," Ignus nodded.

"True. Still, The Ni Clan is not without enemies," Ni Lang sighed as he pet a chubby little panda, watching it gnaw a small bamboo. "My biggest problem is that I can't use my flame attribute. Cultivating flame elemental energy is harmless, but using it for martial arts or magic really damages my body."

"Yes, master. Unfortunately, the elder lich was correct," Ignus said as they stared at Ni Lang's left forearm. It appeared as if his skin was cracked as dim jade energy shined from a three inch diameter area, the skin turning into hardened, black lava.

"The more I use it, the more it spreads and causes me pain. Even the contractions of the pain are at random," Ni Lang sighed. "I have to reach the initial stage of the Obsidian Realm quickly. Haki's knowledge is indeed worthy of an ancient devil. The evil phoenix fire of an Evil Jade Phoenix may be a curse, but it slowly grants the victim the ability of gaining the Evil Jade Body. My whole body will be covered with the hardened lava and jade energy, but I can release it at will and gain tremendous power. However, the length of the spread of the curse will remain. I have to hasten my cultivation before my body is consumed by the curse."

"And increasing your body's foundations would normally be a good thing. Instead, it slows down your cultivation in exchange for more power and potential. Master will succeed though," Ignus said, tapping its right fist on its tiny body twice. "Master's personality may be influenced by the former Ni Lang, but master's soul has tremendous perseverance and an indomitable will to survive. Have faith, master. Our mischief won't end so soon. Still many things to steal and enemies to make trouble with."

"You're hopeless," Ni Lang laughed. "I suppose it's time to return to the Ni Clan. Father will be worried."

"Shocked more like it. A One-horned red wolf spirit, double red spirit rings, grey eyes, a grey golem, a panda magical beast, and the cultivation stage at the initial Flame Realm. Not to mention, the many things he can't know and the things we stole. Heh. The former Ni Lang is nothing but a speck of sand in a desert compared to master," Ignus laughed as Ni Lang put on the purple gem necklace the former Ni Lang's mother gave him before disappearing.

"Gr~owl?" the panda cub said, unable to use the human language as it trotted behind its master with Ignus sitting on Ni Lang's left shoulder in its spirit form. The trio left the inn, the golem in Ni Lang's storage bag, as Ni Lang walked toward the Burning Phoenix District of Black Sun City.

Cid Drake had become Timber, and Timber had become Ni Lang. One life unjustly killed, another forsaken in name and identity to take another. Ni Lang was glad he had a family. He swore he would not lose this one.

Back in Devin's castle, news of Timber's death arrived and Bones was not pleased as it heard the message from Lyle. Devin and his retainers cared little, as recruits always died no matter how much of a good seed they were. If it didn't sprout, it was no loss.

"I have to find a new piece," Bones grumbled as it dismissed Lyle with a wave. "I had hoped Lyle and Timber would find the Water Tyrant Spear, but it was found by that young baron devil's third son! No doubt it is being transported, under heavy guard, to the baron. Even Pretender's Passage was collapsed. I have to wait even longer to attempt to find it. Still, I will find which country is hiding the Fire Soul Stone. I know it is in the Murka Continent. The paladins of the Celestial Church confirmed my suspicions when I made them my undead thralls."

"Cid is really dead?" a second elder lich asked as it appeared from the shadows, its body fully human in appearance. "Why didn't you tell me of his resurrection?"

"He was too weak. He needed to be stronger," Bones said. "Magnus, you are the only lich to ever have an affinity for light and darkness. Will you succeed in infiltrating the Celestial Church?"

"The voice is their fucking god! Those humans don't know what they are worshiping. Humanity must pay for killing my son and unborn son! Both sons, when I discovered their identities, are dead. For eternity now. I only have my wife and daughter now, both of them living lives far from the Celestial Church's influence. You want me as an ally? You have it. Just promise me I'm the one who will tear it by its fucking roots and you can keep the damned Fire Soul Stone and Primordial art," the elder lich snarled, black and white flames scorching the walls into liquid.

"You have my word. The lich will rise. I guarantee it and your revenge," Bones said, Magnus nodding as it disappeared in a burst of flames.

"We lost the pawn, but gained the true target," Lyle grinned, clapping its hands with glee. "Master is truly the most devious lich of all."

"It's a pity I wasted my investment in the son before I could use him until he lost his worth. Still, I planned for this. It might even be a greater benefit as the father will be consumed with hate and revenge," Bones laughed maniacally and the two undead celebrated as if everything were going according to the elder lich's master plan.