Today, the blood sea, which had been calm for billions of years, suddenly became turbulent again. The ripple started to appear on the surface of the blood, which used to be silent, now filled with destructive waves tossing broken skulls and bones up and down.
A Bloody hand stretched out from the depths of the blood sea. The skinless hand, covered in blood, slowly solidified into a gorgeous white human hand. The blood sea started to dry up as this being came into existence. From a bloodied human figurine to an otherworldly, ethereal being.
A naked figure of a man appeared in the dried blood sea, where only the scattered bones of the dead remained. The man waved his hand, turning all the skull and bone into black particles, forming a black robe around his body. The man's expression was slightly odd as he took a step forward, walking into a small cave where lay a blood-covered boy surrounded by the strange runes.
"Huh, so you were the one who disturbed my sleep." The black robes man spoke as he walked up to the boy lying on the ground. He placed his hand on the boy's forehead with the simple touch, and all the blood runes burst into crimson light, vanishing the next instant.
The boy opened his eyes as he looked at the black-robed man in front of him. He crawled toward the black-robed man's feet, slamming his head in front of his feet as the tear ran down his face.
"Please… save my mother," he begged the black-robed man, who remained indifferent. Suddenly, the black-robed man and the boy disappeared from the cave, appearing in front of a burning village filled with the cries of people.
"Mortals are truly pathetic," The black robed man spoke as he looked into the sky. The black cloud started to cover the sky above the village, followed by lightning and heavy downpour, giving these peasants a chance for survival.
As the fire was being extinguished under the heavy rain, five figures wearing black robes appeared in front of the village entrance, pointing their weapons at the black-robed man and the boy sitting beside him.
"Hand over the Blood Jade, and we can let you live," The man whose face was covered in a demonic mask spoke, pointing his long sword at the boy shivering on the ground while his eyes were locked on the man standing beside him.
"You are after blood jade," The man standing beside the boy spoke in an amusing tone as he looked at the people in front of him. He extended his hand towards the boy as the small, shiny, red crystal floated out from within his chest. The man grabbed it with his two fingers, gently applying a little force on it, shattering it into crimson particles, vanishing with the wind.
"How dare you…" One of the black-robed men almost lashed out in anger, only to be held back by the demonic masked man whose body was shaking as he stared at the man who had just broken a legendary treasure so casually, like breaking an ordinary glass. His body was covered in sweat, as his eyes looked shakily at the man in front of him, whose face held a strange smile.
"Now, the blood jade is gone, so why are you all still here?" The black-robed man spoke in a calm voice, as the red light sparkled in his eyes, turning the people before him into blood mist which slowly seeped into his body.
"It's not enough," he murmured, walking through the village entrance. The whole village had turned graveyard of the ashes of hundreds of people. The wails of the few remaining survivors filled the whole village; the fire had been put out, yet the aftermath was enough to make a human heart feel the despair of the world.
A man untouched by the mundane despair surrounding him walked into the village, followed by a boy whose eyes were filled with tears as he walked towards a small hut that had turned into charcoal. The boy quickly ran into the broken house, ignoring the man who had just displayed an unfathomable power and authority.
Inside the charred hut lay a blackened human figure buried under the debris. The boy burst into tears, his screams mixing with the hundred people mourning outside. The man stood at the burned door, staring at the boy whose heart was filled with grief over his mother's death.
"Humans…," the man whispered in a very low voice, extending his hand at the blackened figure on the ground. Suddenly, the strange voice from the underworld filled the surroundings, as an illusory figure of a woman came into reality.
The boy who had been crying in despair a moment ago looked at the illusory figure of a woman wearing ordinary white clothes, a gentle look in her eyes as she looked at the boy with love and spoke, "Chen'er…" As she tried to hug the boy in her embrace, her figure shattered into tiny white particles and drifted toward the black-robed man's palm.
"Mother…" the boy screamed with tears as he looked at the indifferent man who stood at the door of his broken house. His eyes were completely red as he stared at the black-robed man, but before he could open his mouth, the black-robed man threw a black ring at him before leaving this broken place.
The ring landed on the charred ground in front of him. With some hesitation, the boy picked up the ring. As his hand touched the ring, he felt a warm feeling. The feeling he was familiar with. He quickly clenched the ring in his palm before looking for the black-robed man, who had already left. The boy quickly stood up and walked out of this broken hut, looking for his saviour.
Outside, the people were still trying to rescue survivors who were severely burned by the flames. The sight of people struggling to survive, yet still trying to help one another, showed both the helplessness and hope within mortals. A black-robed man stood in the middle of the street, watching this sight with a calm look.
"Well, today can be considered the day of my rebirth. This should be an occasion of joy, not grief," The man spoke, as listening to his word, the atmosphere obeyed. A gentle wind blew away the ashes of the dead, as a droplet of blood came out from every living being in the surroundings.
"What is happening… Could our village be cursed by some demon?" The voices cried out as they looked at the sky covered in blood; the blood wasn't just coming from these mortals, but from every living creature in the surrounding mountain range.
Suddenly, all the blood flooded into a person standing in the middle of the village, making people horrified as they looked at the black-robed man bathed in the blood rain. When Chen Yi came out of his broken house, looking for his saviour, he was shocked by the sight in front of him. A bloodied figure standing in the middle of the village, bathing in blood.
Chen Yi's whole body stood frozen in his place, with all the survivors, unable to move. All the eyes were fixed on the man in the centre of the blood rain. Slowly, the blood rain subsided without even leaving a single droplet of blood.
The man walked forward without even looking at the people surrounding him. He walked through the crowd, his face still expressionless, ignoring everyone, with each step forward causing a huge uproar behind. The survivor behind him erupted in joy; the bruises and burns had healed. Even the people whose lives hung on last thread had completely turned over a new leaf.
Seeing the man leaving, Chen Yi quickly chased behind him. When he left the village, he saw that black robed man who was sitting on a giant stone, staring at the vast mountain range with some interest. Chen Yi walked towards him with light steps, kowtowing on the ground in front of him. The man didn't even flinch, his gaze fixed on the mountain range before him.
Suddenly, the earth started to shake as a huge commotion happened in the tallest mountain, which had provided this village with an immeasurable amount of resources throughout the centuries. Hearing the commotion in the mountains, all the villagers also came out and stood behind the black robed man, staring at the mountain whose peak was piercing the sky.
A terrifying roar came from the clouds above the mountain as the giant black shadow descended on the villagers, causing an uproar among the villagers. The winds became turbulent as a giant black dragon landed amidst the mortals. The whispers broke out among the villagers, some telling rumours, some shaking in fear, and some just stood frozen in the presence of this ancient creature.
Everyone's gazes were filled with horror and awe for this majestic being, but Chen Yi's gaze completely ignored this gigantic creature. Instead, his eyes were locked onto a man sitting leisurely on a boulder, staring at the black dragon like looking at some insect; there was no awe or disdain in his eyes, just calmness. Even the legendary dragon was like an ordinary mortal in his eyes.
As everyone was lost in horror, the majestic dragon, which could destroy their whole village in a single breath, actually bowed in front of the black robed man. Seeing this sight, the villagers were quickly reminded of the blood rain and how their wounds had suddenly healed before. One after another, all the villagers kowtowed on the ground and started praising their saviour.
The black robed man didn't even glance at them, and he walked up to the black dragon, standing above his head, before glancing at these mortals. He pointed his finger at Chen Yi, causing his body to float into the air as Chen Yi landed on the dragon's back. The dragon flapped its wings, causing storms in the surroundings, as it soared into the clouds.