Jiangnam City Demonic Sect, Southern Region, Jiangnam. 761
Musashi Gen is walking leisurely in the Courtyard of the Demonic Sect Crimson Palace as it was bathed with the soothing morning light, it was quite foggy today and it's empty, as it should be.
For only the Wu Clan and their proxies may live here, this includes the Hu Clan who is regarded as a collateral of the Wu Clan.
As he walked the empty courts, he couldn't help but to see the garden filled with so many flowers. Each of varying colors too, green, red, blue, sky-blue, azure, deep blue… Well, it's mostly blue.
"Perhaps Lady Elina planted all of them, or perhaps Lady Hwang"
He recalls the 2nd Wife and the 4th Wife of the Demon King respectively, both are considered gentle in the Demonic Sect standard and even the South as a whole. Something Musashi Gen cannot find alluring enough considering he likes his women rough around the edges.
Speaking of which, there is an awful amount of movement following his every step. Each time he extends his 'Iai Sense' or does so much as to shift his view and that foreboding sense of doom as well as the movement ceased to, as if it didn't exist.
He has an inkling on who it is, or rather who they are. But before he can make up his mind on the real identity of his pursuer, he met with the Heavenly Demon himself. Donning the red mask that he wears so frequently it's practically his face now.
"How you doin' Viren?" Musashi Gen said, smirking in a casual manner as if what they are now is just a drinking buddy in a tavern.
"…" Well, it seems only Musashi Gen thought of it that way, for Viren maintained his silence.
"Heh, so awfully silence like always" Gen said as he strides casually towards Viren steady stance, his black robes and billowing black hairs with some red stripes here and there causes his overall image to be menacing.
"Halt your step…" he declares with his normal voice, deep and calm yet its sound booms through the empty courtyard, echoing through the walls in a deafening silence.
Gen stops in his track as he digs his own ear, as if the gesture can heal him from momentary deafness. "Gee" a single casual remarks escape his lips.
"State your matter, Lord of Sword… Why do you bother his lordship with your arrival?"
"…Can we not do this protocol? It wastes my time"
In his protest, Viren remain silent. As if Gen's previous words were never spoken in the first place.
"…State… Your… Matter…"
He repeats, this time it's more so a threat than an order.
"…I wish to report on behalf of the Academy. The Entry Test has been concluded and exactly 200…"
Gen hung up his words, then he looked at the sky as if someone, or something is speaking to him about a matter. No voice other than the ambience of the morning fog can be heard. "Correction,197 students… were successful in their trial"
"…Proceed then" Viren said, but Gen did not move. Unthinkable, for Viren, the Heavenly Demon is in the same rank as the Sect Elder and even placed above them, second only to the Demon King, Gen who is only a Lord of the Sect not only questions Viren order but abates them and directly defies him.
"…You know, I always wondered. What purpose does the Heavenly Demon held in this Sect?" Gen said, eliciting no reaction whatsoever from Viren who only stood and placed his hand behind his back.
"You never discuss anything in the meeting; you never held any sort of responsibility and yet…"
Gen moved closer, closed enough that he could see Viren's full form yet not so much that he could not react should Viren decide to attack.
"You held a position higher than even a courier who works harder than you" Gen said, his voice a low growl.
"…Is that so?" Viren replied, with dry tone.
"Tell me then, do you see any vermin here?"
"I do…"
"You know full well who they are. The Maw's, whose job is to cull those like you. Who treats the order of the Demon King as mere words"
Viren said with such malice beneath the dry and neutral tone, one would think he was making a statement rather than insulting him.
"…And what about it? Shouldn't the Lord take it upon themselves on how to act out the words of our King?"
"Such shallow words, such depthless thinking, such short-sighted view is exactly the quality worthy of my contempt and hate…"
This time, Viren didn't hold back with the insults, or rather threat. His words filled with so much malice and ill-intent that it's actively puncturing Gen's heart. Who can't help but frown with his ever-smirking smiles.
"Your method is crude, brutal and frankly… Shallow. You who advocates such pragmatism and efficiency beyond all, I can't help but to think that it's just a mere word, a simple show of 'if' and not 'is'"
"If you say so, why wont you take over the Academy then? Given so, you would finally have something to do rather than loitering around near his lordship"
"Cease your tongue, less I take it as an attack towards my status as beyond you…"
Viren eyes glows bright crimson, immediately Gen's Blood Wyrm writhes around, not enough that it would hurt. It's just there to remind him that Viren has gotten a hold of his life.
"The mere fact that this courtyard isn't flooded with blood, the reason why flowers bloom around beautifully and the reason why this palace is empty as it should be and not filled with dead body is because of me…"
Viren growl as he beholds the empty courtyard and the majestic palace beyond him.
"I stop all who wish his majesty death, long before they could even set foot into his Sect let alone his Palace…"
At his words, hundreds of demon-masks wearing figure appears out of thin air. Their form is shrouded by mist and fog. Only now did Gen realize that this fog is not natural, it was the product of his—
"Mist Veiled Death Fog huh?"
Viren technique, a pinnacle of Natural bending law befitting of him who stood in the Peak-Internal Stage, the very pinnacle of Internal Realm. One step away from being a Xiantian.
"The mere fact you only realized it now prove how shallow your skill is… So, proceed with the order, less you threaten to break my 0 intruder record this decade"
The implication is clear, either follows his order or die. Gen decided not to push his luck further and bow.
"…The Demon King welcomes you" Viren said as he vanished, alongside everything. The courtyard, the Maw's, the fog and mist. No, it didn't vanish, Gen is the one who vanished… or teleported. Either way he is now inside a chamber, beyond him is a step flanked with pillars of serpent.
In which each pillar sat a row of Elders. Their wrinkled face and jaded appearance follow his movement as their eyes glow bright red.
At the very top is the throne made of gold and black jade, the Monarch of Blood. Yet he could only see the tip of its majestic throne for its soft padding and the figure who is supposed to sit on it was hidden by a partition of liquid ruby, or blood, whichever it is, the crimson glows glisten beautifully either way.
Yet the lack of visual cue for the figure beyond it changes nothing, Gen knew who was in front of him.
"I GREET THE DEMON KING!" Gen shout as he kowtowed, followed by a unified chant by the Elders as they speak in a language Gen could not understood.
"Rise, Lord of Sword" The Demon King said, his words echoing through the chamber.
"Yes!"
"I assume you came bearing the news of the Test?"
"Your assumption is indeed correct sir, as expected of you who bears this Sect and all its happening" Gen said in an overly theatrical and eluded way of speaking. He hates having to speak his mind out in such a roundabout way. But if the Elders were present, one must speak like this less they'll be content with whatever Blood Parasite they have wriggling around in their mass.
"How many have passed?"
Not who passed, how many. It seems now that he has finally let go of Prince Wu Chen, who he cares deeply about.
"197 has passed, I have already taken upon myself to order the Claw and secure the students. They are currently waiting in the Courtyard of the Academy as we speak".
"I appreciate your forwards thinking Lord of Sword, but this undermine our rules and by extension his majesty will!"
An Elder spoke, his or her voice, Gen truly didn't care who the fuck they are, berates him for an action that considerably saves everyone times. And yet their pride blinds them to the benefits as they only see themselves fit for such thinking.
"Indeed!"
"Agree!"
"I too were to be deeply disappointed as if my heart was struck, to dare and undermines our rule speaks of his pride and ego!"
"Disappointing"
"Disappointing"
Disappointing
Dissapoin—
Shut the fuck up, that is the word Gen would truly like to utter. This good for nothing Elder is far more useless than the Heavenly Demon. Their entire reasoning to be here is purely symbolic as to not tarnish the Demonic Sect previous religious teaching.
Yet he can't do anything, else, he will be chopped or worse, his Blood Wyrm will explode. He has seen those with Blood Wyrm being executed before, his former colleague. And its effect is ten times worse than the normal Blood Worm or Blood Maggot.
And as far as he can tell, he can recover his mental well-being. His head? Not so much he can do about it.
"Silence"
The Demon King utter that single words to cast the chamber back into still silence.
"I do not mind the Lord of Sword action; it saves me a lot of times actually"
"Indeed!"
"Indeed!"
"Such ahead thinking Lord of Sword! Impressive!"
Truly disgusting, that is all Gen could say about them. They failed to become a Xiantian and now they have become an old parasitic sycophant to the Sect as a whole.
"Let us not waste any more moment, I shall head over to the courtyard and see to myself, this year students. To have completed the trial in just 4 days is truly fascinating"
"We bid you farewell your majesty"
"We bid you farewell your majesty"
"We bid you farewell your majesty"
The rows of Elders spoke as they bow their head, at least Gen could see those shitty fossils cowering before someone else. The sight truly makes his heart giddy, how he wished to attain the Heavenly Demon position so that he may at least be positioned higher than them, of course he won't be the unemployed Heavenly Demon Viren once he got the position.
"Let us then, Lord of Sword"
"At your words your majesty"
The Demon King then snapped his finger. Accompanied by a deafening sound of clap as Gen was cast away into darkness. The familiar feeling of having to undergo 'Instant Step of Thousand Heaven' a higher teleportation spell.
Yet their destination is clear despite the lack of visual cue.
To the Southern Academy.