"It feels good to see you all grown up, Azalon."
His heart instantly jumped into his throat when he heard these words right behind him. He swiftly jumped forward before turning around with his fists lifted up and his center of gravity lowered. But as soon as his eyes saw that figure who talked, his gaze immediately got dazed.
In front of him was a young man. He was dressed in complete black overalls; the black color of his dress was so deep that his silhouette almost merged into the night leaving behind only a vague shadow. But it was not his attire that dazed him, but the face of that young man.
The young man appeared to be around mid-20s. His height was almost 6 feet, with a perfect Y shaped body and well defined muscles. But his face… his face can only be described as delicate and perfect with snow white and smooth skin, bright black eyes, sharp and straight nose and almost pink lips. His long hair reached the middle of his back with some strands falling onto his face. If his face can be switched onto a female body, he would definitely be the most beautiful woman who will make all men go weak in their knees and between their legs.
Azalon has heard about the term 'Pretty Boy', but he now thought that this word will almost be an insult to this… this… this *Sigh* pretty boy…
He was standing there leisurely with his hands behind his back and a slight smile on his face. Azalon shook himself from the daze, and his eyes instantly became alert. He couldn't even detect his approach. But one thing became somewhat clear. If this person wanted me dead, I would not even have time to even scream.
"Who are you, Sir?" he asked tentatively, while thinking through his options if this person has any bad intentions.
He did not reply to Azalon's question, but his eyes never left his eyes, and he felt as if that pair of eyes could see right through him, right to the depths of his Soul. He felt that he couldn't conceal anything from that gaze.
Suddenly, a pressure slammed onto him, a pressure so great that he felt his lungs constrict and even the flow of his blood freeze. He couldn't even breathe. He instinctively wanted to go down on his knees and lower his head in worship. But he knew in a corner of his mind, that he had to hold on under this pressure, not succumb. And he bit on his tongue and the sudden pain and the metallic taste of the blood cleared his mind to an extent.
He resolutely met the eyes of that person with his gaze, and as soon as he did, the pressure disappeared as suddenly as it has come. He immediately coughed as air rushed into his lungs, and blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.
The look in that person's eyes never changed, but his eyes lowered to see his Petrified Spirit in his pouch at his waist. A look of sadness flashed in that person's eyes before returning to their calmness as before. Azalon obviously never noticed this as he was busy catching his breath. That pressure from before almost damaged his internal organs, but the injuries were thankfully light, nothing a day or two of rest will not heal.
"As expected, he has high persistence and determination." That person lightly whispered before turning around and started walking. "Come with me, Azalon. I have some things to tell you."
Azalon stood there not moving, watching the man disappear in the shadows of the night. His subconscious warned him to run, and keep running, but he knew that he could never run away from this monster. Somehow he knew that not even his grandfather could be considered as an opponent to this figure. So he could only helplessly walk in the same direction the man had disappeared.
After sometime, he felt a light tug as a mysterious force pulled him in a certain direction, before his body followed that mysterious force. He could see that man with his arm raised, and after looking at him, that man turned and jumped lightly.
That man took into the skies with him in tow. H-h-he-he's flying… that man is really flying. Oh God… Oh God… this is really flying… what is this man's cultivation level? And what this person has to do with him? Azalon could only pray in heart that this man will not drop him mid-flight. That would not be a pretty ending for him.
After what he felt as an eternity, he suddenly felt that he could sense ground below his feet. He never felt so happy to stand on solid ground. He almost went to start kissing the ground, before he looked at his surroundings. This place… he recognized this place. This is the Desolate Forests and that too very near to the waterfall ravine he previously used to train at.
Questions popped up unceasingly in his mind, but he never opened his mouth to ask them. That man started walking towards the waterfall, and Azalon followed in silence. Before long, they reached the wide pool with the unceasing waterfall rushing into it from the top of the ravine. Light mist surrounded the area, refracting the moon light creating beautiful scenery within that small area.
But neither the man nor Azalon was in the mood to enjoy it as they were lost in their own thoughts. No one knew what was going through that person's mind and Azalon never dared speak a word before that person opened his mouth.
After a long silence, that person lightly sighed, before sitting down on one of the rocks on the banks of the pool. He pointed to a rock to his right, as if asking Azalon to sit there. He stood still for a moment before walking and sat on the rock pointed by the man.
"You should be wondering why all of this has to do with you, right?" that man asked with a smile on his face.
Azalon simply nodded, waiting for some kind of explanation, as he was now sure that this man wants something from him.
"Haha, you are more intelligent than some children I have seen and believe me, I have seen my share. Most of those children will start crying or even begging when they encounter a Spirit Sage, but you, except the initial bout of panic, you are awfully calm."
Spirit Sage? What the hell is that? According to the books he has managed to read, he knew about the first 4 stages of the Spirit Cultivation Realms, but he never had a chance to know about the later stages. Is this Spirit Sage one of them? He was instantly filled with curiosity to know more.
As his gaze became more heated, the man was shocked before laughing out loud. "Interesting. Very Interesting. Haha Haha…"
His face suddenly turned serious after that laugh as he looked deeply at my pouch before making a plucking motion with his fingers. Instantly, my Spirit Rock flew out from the pouch to his hands. That man took my Spirit into his hands as he started carefully studying my Spirit. He was turning it upside down, rotating it around and even he tried tapping on it before placing his ear as if listening to the sounds inside.
Azalon had to stifle his laugh, as he watched the man try various things with his Spirit. After some time, he couldn't bear it. "I tried all kinds of things to that Petrified Spirit. Not to say but I had that Spirit with me for almost 4 years, you know." He said to that man with a low tone.
That man stopped in his motion of trying to inject Energy into the Rock, before tilting his head to look at me from the corner of his eyes. He smiled and lightly flicked his hand as the Rock was once again returned to me.
"You didn't ask why I was so interested in you. Ah, no, you did ask. Alright, but before talking about me, let's talk about you."
"About me? What do you want with me, Sir?" he had to act politely as he knew that this person had the strength to erase him from this world with a simple wave of his hand.
"You don't have to be so polite, Azalon. You can call me Asma. Alright, I don't have enough time for pleasant talk, even though I wanted to have one. I will come to the main point. I have come to give you five things, Azalon. But it will be up to you to decide whether to take them or not." That man said with a serious face and slight sadness in his voice.
"Give me five things? Why?" Azalon asked with a slightly incredulous voice.
"I can't say who sent those things, Azalon. But if you want to know more, you can ask your grandfather and say that you met me, Asma. He will most likely not explain to you, but you will come to know who sent you these things."
He was gob smacked. Grandfather? Why did he come into this discussion? Who is this person? With that much strength, but he could sense a slight respect when he talked about his grandfather. What is this man's relation with my grandfather? Questions and more questions, but he could not come up with any answers. So, he threw them to the back of his mind and concentrated on the present situation.
"Alright, Mr. Asma, I will talk with my grandfather. But what are those five things you want to give to me?"
"Before that, do you know about the reason for your Petrified Spirit, Azalon?" he asked with a serious expression on his face.
"Yes, I know. It's because I was born with a damaged Soul." Naturally, he couldn't say the complete truth. So, he could only say this reason.
"Yes, you were born with a Damaged Soul. In fact, that is the main reason for my visit. Will you believe that among the five things I will give to you, there are two things that can heal your Damaged Soul and hatch your Petrified Spirit?" He said with a slight smile, but his eyes never left mine, as if waiting to see my reaction at those words.
Truth to be said, he was instantly overwhelmed with shock and hope. He had to control himself before he could hop around dancing, while shouting at the top of his voice in joy. But his sanity returned, as he tried to think it through. He knew that there is no such thing as free food. So, there should be some disadvantages or conditions for the remedy.
He calmed down his turbulent emotions to a certain extent, but he couldn't completely cover the feverish gaze in his eyes, as he looked at the man sitting in front of him, watching him with a glint in his eyes.
"So, what are the conditions?" I could only ask that much with great difficulty, and even I could hear the tremors in my voice.
A slight shock flashed in the eyes of the man, as his smile instantly grew more… genuine. With an appreciative look, he started talking.
"No, there are no conditions from me, Azalon, nor from the one who wanted me to deliver these things to you. But this remedy has some side effects. I will explain them to you, and I will explain them to you only once. So, listen carefully." As he said this, he took out a black pill from inside his robe, and showed it to him.
The pill was the size of a ping pong ball, and blackish blue in color. Red colored lines were crisscrossing on the surface of the pill, giving it an enchanting appearance to the pill. As the black pill was taken out into the open, the medicinal smell wafting out from the pill instantly filled the air with a sweet aroma, and Azalon could feel his heart calming down as he smelled the odor of the pill.
But the next 8 words spoken by the man with a deep and meaningful smile on his face, and eyes glittering brightly, sent a shiver down my spine.
"This, Azalon, is called the Demon Cultivation Pill."