The Rivernorth Wasteland bordered the sea to the north and a desert to the south.
To the east lay Rivernorth City, to the west, Ping City.
Cascading down from a mountain, a great river skirted the south of the desert, then emptied into the ocean.
On the other side unfolded Riversouth.
North of the river, as far as the eye could see, there was the lifeless desert and the cracked, barren wasteland. South of the river, however, stretched vast, fertile plains overflowing with vibrant woods.
By resources, Riversouth was far richer than Rivernorth.
By prosperity, Riversouth had several notable cities, while Rivernorth had not a single proper city.
Thus, Riversouth had always looked down on Rivernorth, regarding it as a poor, backward place.
And at this moment, in a Riversouth forest—
Two figures stood perched on a treetop.
One wore a blue robe, the other was clad in hemp.
"How should I address you?"
"'Rivernorth Old Demon'?"
"Or… can you state your name?"
The old man in hemp clothes had a head of silver hair, the wrinkles covering his face speaking of hardship. As he spoke, his gaze locked on the far horizon.
The rainy season in Riversouth had not arrived early.
The weather was mild and sunny.
But on the horizon, vast black clouds had accumulated over Rivernorth like a divine punishment.
Before the blue-robed man could reply, the old man continued,
"Our city is called 'Hidden City.' It is a great legacy from our ancestors. The name implies that we must protect ourselves well in this day and age, lying dormant until the Perpetual Night comes to an end."
"The Perpetual Night descended hundreds of years ago. It had never existed before that. No matter what caused it, it will eventually fade."
"The Perpetual Night is an anomaly, not the norm."
"There is a Life Workshop up to Level 7 in the city. It is more than enough to produce exquisite, luxurious clothing. Yet all our Riversouth Gongyang clansmen still wear hemp clothes—to remind ourselves constantly."
"This world is no longer ours."
"It is the world of Eerie Creatures."
"Even if we seem to hold power, in the face of a major crisis, we are still fragile. We would be surviving like ants, not to leap around incessantly like fleas and glory in it."
"When you look up at the sky,"
"You realize the height you're so proud of is negligible."
"There are still half a month before Riversouth's rainy season arrives as well."
"You want to take my daughter to Rivernorth two and a half months later, in winter."
"Do you know what that means?"
"It means the sole heir of the Riversouth Gongyang Clan, my only daughter, might die in Rivernorth."
The blue-robed man standing on the treetop, chewing on a blade of grass, shook his head with a playful smile. "I don't want her to go. Having a woman around is no good when I kill. Maybe you can persuade her to stay."
"…"
The old man fell silent for a long time before saying softly,
"I don't know your name, and I don't want to know it."
"But—"
"Last night, my daughter told me very seriously that she wants to go with you, even if it means dying in Rivernorth."
"I've never seen her so determined."
"Many clans fight over succession. I don't want that to happen after I'm gone. Over the years, I've eliminated all unstable elements. The Gongyang Clan is now more united than ever."
"If you're willing to stay,"
"You can take over the Gongyang Clan. Just have your child take the surname 'Gongyang' and inherit the clan. Bloodlines don't matter much these days; it's just a way to bind people together to survive."
"Don't rush to refuse."
"I know you're obsessed with martial arts."
The old man paused before continuing, "Every force has its secrets. The Gongyang Clan is no exception. Deep in the heart of Hidden City, there is a… 'Training Room.'"
"If you stay,"
"You can use this training room freely. Once you are in full control over the Gongyang Clan, it won't be too late to seek revenge."
"…"
The blue-robed man, who had been smiling all along, had his pupils contract all of a sudden as he involuntarily spun around to gaze into the city shadowed amid the forest. He made an expression of shock that he had never worn.
A training room!
Any force that possessed a training room, if word got out, could attract countless people to join!
And those with training rooms were, without exception, renowned powerhouses. The Gongyang Clan, though not weak, was not worthy of such a thing.
"Well?"
Seeing this, the old man couldn't help but smile. "Not many use this training room. Our force hasn't reached its bottleneck yet, so we don't need it for now."
As one force developed, investing Eerie Stones in buildings offered the best value.
But as buildings leveled up, there were all kinds of restrictions. You needed to collect Natural Treasures and materials to upgrade them. When the buildings couldn't be upgraded, and there was nowhere you could spend your Eerie Stones, that's when a training room came into play.
"I don't really understand martial arts fanatics like you."
"You're now a level 9 cultivator."
"Not just in Rivernorth—even in all of Riversouth, that's an impressive cultivation."
"But—"
"What of it?"
"On our city walls, there are forty-eight level 5 Cannon Towers. Would you dare to take a hit from any one of them?"
"You couldn't withstand it."
"Try, and you'd die."
"Cultivators are meant to be nothing but the muscles a clan flexes outside their territory. But that's not important. As long as you stay, this training room is yours."
"…"
It took the blue-robed man a long time to tear his gaze away from the city, shadowy with woods. Meeting the old man's eyes, he paused, then suddenly laughed. "No."
"You're wrong. I'm not obsessed with martial arts."
"I just want to kill those who deserve."
"Another meaning of being a cultivator is that I can kill wherever I want, without having to wait around."
"But…"
"This time, I am going to storm a force's territory. It's a suicide mission. What I want is to kill as many people as possible before I die."
"In the first place, I have always been planning to use some excuse to slip away and go alone."
"So don't worry."
"I have never intended to take her, let alone let her die."
"There aren't many people who've been good to me."
"If she dies,"
"There might be no one left to sweep my grave. That would make me seem rather pitiful."
The old man fell silent for a long time before asking again, "Are you sure you won't stay?"
"No."
"Does the training room not tempt you?"
"It does."
The blue-robed man swung his gaze toward the gloom over Rivernorth and spoke lightly, "But the hatreds of the past cling to me like serpents. In the dead of every night, I can't suppress those memories."
"They must die."
"I cultivate to kill. Without killing, it would be meaningless."
"Good!"
The old man fell silent again for a long while before rasping,
"I'll let her go with you."