The Demon War had swept throughout the Realm, from the far-flung Hundred Islands Archipelago in the East to the isolated Vivia Swamps in the West. Venerable was the highest Humans had achieved since the last Perfector fell in the Fall of the Gods millennia ago, but one by one these strongmen perished.
Ancient Scholar Babel, aged 978 when he passed defending the Golden Plateau, was unable to enjoy his final years after fighting in three Great Wars during his lifetime.
The Great Arken Empire, who commanded twelve Venerables when the Demon War begun, had its pillars collapse one after another, until their Capital was finally lost to the unstoppable Demon Legions.
Invincible Wu, Leader of the Hundred Cities Alliance and the strongest Venerable alive, got his nickname from never losing in battle. Besieged at Shan Hai City, the Invincible slew nine Demon Venerables before breathing his last in a battle that lasted for three days and nights.
They fought valiantly, but it seemed that everything was for naught as they had to retreat again, and again. Led by the last Venerable, Chieftain Fenrir, the last vestiges of the Human Race sought their last hope: the long-lost legacy of a prehistoric Perfector.
===
Meng Xia looked behind. Using Inner Qi to improve his eyesight, he caught a blur moving rapidly towards him. He swore as continued fleeing at full speed. This chase had been going on for nine hours now, and he was running out of Inner Qi.
Without Inner Qi, his speed would slow down drastically, and he soon would be caught by the Pseudo-Grandmaster Demon chasing after him. In his current state, he probably wouldn't be able to last more than a minute in a head-on battle.
The Stronghold was at least another day away; there was no way he could make it under such circumstances. Was this going to be it? It had been hard for a good-for-nothing like him to survive so many battles, fleeing from the Eastern Frontier tens of thousands of kilometres across the Border Mountains to the Northlands as Demon Legions advanced behind him.
Suddenly, he saw an old, rundown temple half-buried in undergrowth. If he continued running, he would just be delaying certain death. There was no other choice: Meng Xia gritted his teeth, took a risk and rushed into it.
'Please, please, let there be something useful,' Meng Xia prayed to every Perfector he knew of. It was empty. There was a small hall, with about eighteen ordinary stone statues, nine on either side, and an old altar at the end. His heart felt cold as he approached the altar.
This was probably a relic from before the War on Asceticism, when the Monks were trying to spread their beliefs to every corner of the Realm. It lay in this isolated corner of the wilderness, abandoned for centuries, until now.
"F*ck!" Meng Xia cursed. Who cared if it was a historical artifact — even if it was the Royal Crown of the First King Gilgamesh, if it couldn't help his plight, it was useless! Behind him, he heard loud crashes.
The Demon Grandmaster stopped before entering the temple, scanning its exterior and interior for any traps or ambushes with Outer Qi. There was nothing out of the ordinary. It struck a nearby stone pillar, and it crumbled under its force. It seemed that it really was a normal temple.
The Demon rushed inside, looking for his target.
"Oi, have you not seen the sign outside?"
The Demon Grandmaster jumped. It looked towards the source — a young Human boy swinging his legs sitting on a ledge on the wall. It retreated immediately — this child was clearly abnormal.
Don't mention about how he didn't detect the child with his Outer Qi; this was the middle of nowhere in the hostile Northlands where even Pinnacle Grandmasters had fallen. The Demon Race might be brutish, but they weren't stupid.
"It says 'Hall of Humans'. Humans. Are you a Human? I thought not." The boy nagged. "Leave. You're not needed here."
The Demon Grandmaster fled out of the entrance immediately. As far as he knew, all of the talented, young Humans had either defected or fell to the hands of his Demon Race. Though he didn't know who that child was or how powerful he was, he wasn't going to risk his life to kill a mere Human Master he didn't know.
Once he had run for a few minutes, he suddenly stopped. Why was he running? What was he doing? In fact, why was he here? Confused for a while, the Demon Grandmaster soon began making his way back.
===
Back in the Temple, Meng Xia and the Human boy was having a conversation.
"Who are you?" Meng Xia asked.
"Well, you can call me the Sage of Spacetime." The Sage thought for a bit before replying.
Sage? That was a title reserved for Humans of the Pseudo-Venerable Realm and above who had made great academic contributions to the Human Race.
"You're a Venerable? That's great! Our Human Race can get a fourth Venerable!" Meng Xia said excitedly. This might be a reclusive Venerable who hadn't heard of the Humans' crisis. This was amazing news for the Humans!
"I'm afraid I can't do that." The Sage denied his hopes and dreams.
"Why?" Meng Xia exclaimed with a hint of furor. So many Venerables had selflessly sacrificed their lives, it was unexpected to him that a Venerable could be so selfish when the entire Human Race was on the line.
"Does your Path not need other Humans?"
"My Path..." The Sage sighed wistfully. "It has nothing to do with that. I cannot make a move."
Meng Xia frowned. Maybe this Venerable had his own problems as well.
"I can grant your wish, though. After all, our meeting is fate." The Sage said.
"My wish? How do you know my wish? What is my wish?" Meng Xia exclaimed.
"Welp, this has gone on for too long. I'll just send you on your way now. Bye!" The Sage clapped his hands and vanished.
"Wait!" Meng Xia shouted down an empty hall. He noticed his vision fading into darkness, his entire body seemed out of his control as it collapsed to the floor.
"Wait!" Meng Xia sat up in bed with a cry.