Well rested, Yufang awakens from his slumber.
"YAHHHHHH," a yawn of pure bliss, calling upon his journey to begin once more, his mindset for power, vigorously he moves forth, his grin runs crazed thinking back.
Yufang's first objective on the path of godhood had presented itself, that divine tortoise. Persistent he moves never to sway nor to falter. Destined he shall devour, fated all shall die falling before ultimate strength, crazed Yufang at the top of his lungs screams out, "HAHA just wait for me, soon I will reach your level, little tortoise await that fated day, for it shall be your last!"
A divine tortoise, a demonic inherently born at the Qi Gathering stage, with time this demonic being grows and along with its cultivations follows rising with leaps knowing no bounds.
This being ten thousand years of age, a sky-reaching stage cultivator, its strength incomparable with his own. Before this tortoise, Yufang was merely a fly striking a mountain, his power rendered meaningless.
Here Yufang remembered back to a friend of the old, back he once searched across multiple star systems for tasteful food, he had stumbled upon a small star, within this star, thousands of these tortoises, their flavor to his liking, he rid this being from existence devouring them all.
Soon after a sage appeared before him, a gentle smile sitting upon his face he spoke, "Chaotic brother, these tortoises although delicious and their flesh tender, do you know? With time, one would strike fortune, when aged, tender these tortoises become ever more so."
Thinking back, Yufang's mouth watered with anticipation, craving such taste once more.
Resilient against fate, Yufang continues his journey, never discouraged pushing forward, without losing his path facing straight ahead... Vigorously Yufang moves throughout the forest, in search of sustenance.
However, just as his journey begins, an oddity is discovered, their before Yufang sitting before an ancient tree reaching thousands upon thousands of meters high, a white-haired monk sits, meditating.
Before him a human, a feeble old man, sits meditating, clear confusion crosses Yufang's face, as he grows lost for what to do. However, this monk catches hold of Yufang's curiosity, thinking, "how could a monk of no power, survive within this accursed forest?" Yufang grows intrigued.
Curious Yufang speaks out, "Hey? Hey? Old man, you alive?" Continuing to speak, however, Yufang receives no reply, his interest dying Yufang walks away to continue his journey.
However, just as Yufang began to walk away this old man spoke, "This one, is indeed still among the living."
A reply, Yufang's interest peaking once more, he smiling returning back and took a seat before this monk, before speaking, "Old man, a feeble man like yourself should be living by the countryside with 5,000 grandchildren, what are you doing in this accursed forest?"
The old monk stops meditating to laugh, "HAHA-HA," perplexed by this young man's words, he replies before returning to meditate, "Perhaps it is time for me to retire. However, I've resided here for too long, I watched as this forest grew from nothing, leave I can not for I'm afraid we are now one. If I'm to leave now, it'd be akin to abandoning one's own fate and in the end, we shall both perish upon that day."
Yufang's interest growing as he scoffed at this old man's answer, giving a reply, "Old man truly you are wrong, fate is not something one blindly follows, fate is evil, fate is what you go against. For you to live following the red string of fate can only be called living life in vain."
Intrigued the old monk once more stops his meditation taking one glance at Yufang, before closing his eyes, smiling gently he spoke without tact, "Old man? Are you not older than me? However, perhaps for someone like you to go against fate is your fate, but for a feeble old man like myself, I can only give in blindly following like a bug floating among a running river downstream and await my destiny."
Hearing this Yufang grew infinitely intrigued, however, no longer did this monk take notice of his existence and soon Yufang too lost interest, once more continuing on his journey throughout the immense forest.
With the strength of a bear, Yufang became arrogant running around without a care, hunting with his vast suplex techniques the predators of the forest stood no chance.
Awaiting 1,000,000 Yufang sings a melody of loss, a melody of fortune, a melody of love. A melody surpassing all a timeless melody of the ages.
Yufang the scavenger distant from all crawls to the peak, growing as he devours, devouring all to be. Godly devourer, he shall become.
Hours pass exploring and once more change occurs, a clearing in the forest covering thousands upon thousands of meters an empty plain. Intrigued, Yufang sneaks around observing hidden from plain sight from the safety of the forest. Traversing for a dozen hours, this clearing as endless as the forest, an indomitable plain, yet unlike the forest, in the plain, no life is to be seen.
However, Yufang remains intrigued continuing to venture the outskirts of this plain.
Days pass and finally change occurs there in the plain a single pagoda sits, a sign of life.
Wanting to go up, but Yufang remained cautious, for whoever could build a pagoda and reside within this lifeless valley was surely no ordinary individual.
Cautious Yufang decides to leave, swearing only to return once having gained great strength, a glass cannon as he was, Yufang could not take any chances. For even, the most ordinary individual could pierce his mortal body.
Traveling over the days, venturing this vast valley, Yufang did never once stop devouring. For to devour was his path and to abandon one's path is equal to self-torture.
However, his strength weak and his passion to devour faltering. Yufang decided to take a risk, a risk to fight those of strength above his own, to devour cultivators for accelerated growth. Cultivators the followers of the path of destruction, the killers of god, yet for Yufang, these cultivators that absorb the Qi of the world provide existential growth.
Unlike normal beasts and some special plants, the devouring of cultivators worked in harmony with the eternal void.
For, to devour a demonic beast at 500 years of age would be equivalent to devouring 1,000, to devour a demonic beast at 1,000 years of age would be 10,000, and a beast at 10,000 years of age would be 100,000.
Although with Yufang's strength risking it all he could only barely kill a 500-year-old demonic beast and to gain the strength of a drake he'd need to repeat this 1,000 times over.
Although throughout Yufang's journey he had only met one demonic beast, he scoffed, "If this world is anything like that of the olde, HAHAHA," an elaborate plan arose.
To reach the next stage faster, Yufang devised an elaborate plan, an elaborate plan to capture thousands of these beasts at once. If his plan was to succeed he could even kill captured beasts of 1,000 years.
Of the old world, a demonic beast special from all, a beast only to be discovered by Yufang, hidden there beneath the earth. A beast primarily located in forest regions due to the rich soil and a great abundance of sustenance.
These beings, a demonic beast named by Yufang a self-proclaimed connoisseur of flavor, the boiled Olm. Named as such due to their delightful taste after being boiled.
This creature, blind lives the majority of its life in hibernation slowly absorbing the life of the earth. However, this creature, only know by Yufang, had a terrifying past, for this creature dubbed Olm is the ancestors of the demonic being said to be in closest relation to god, the dragon.
Olm ancestor of dragons, a creature born with an intangible body they remain distant from this realm unforeseen across the ages. On them, Yufang made a gamble, a gamble on their very existence, however, to catch a being unable to be touched; a being not having a physical presence, is equal to catching a ghost, virtually impossible.
To catch these boiled delights Yufang had a plan, yes an elaborate plan. First, he must create a honey pot, a source more important than anything else; supreme amongst this forest. A honey pot to attract these intangible creatures out of hiding, leaving their ethereal form and becoming part of the living.
Risking it all for more than he could handle, no longer satisfied with the strength of a drake, Yufang wished for the power of an elemental drake.
This gamble grew crazed, as Yufang laughed, "Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!" Screaming, "If I'm to gamble, then I'll bet it all in this psychopathic game of fortune." Such a crazed gamble, to create a pot of honey would require at least 3 months and at most 50 years to prepare, for Yufang would need to collect the lives of 1,000,000 slowly refining them into their purest form before sealing them in a pot of honey.
This gamble one he had taken multiple times in the past, however, now he was weak, the risk of 1,000,000 lives held incomparable value and even the simplest mistake could prove detrimental to Yufang's future growth. In this psychotic game of fortune, for Yufang there could be no failure.
Resilliant to fate, Yufang began, step one to create the pot, however, this step was the hardest for this pot was no ordinary pot it needed to be condensed utilizing the timeless wood of a sentient tree and for a pot of such size, needing to hold 1,000,000 beasts, this would require 2% of this elusive tree's life.
Yet to acquire this would mean discovering and getting past a sentient being over one million years of age.
Yufang, not thinking too deeply for where was he now? He was in a forest, the beginning of all life and for a forest to grow and to expand over such a grand magnitude within this endless forest, a tree godfather must reside.
In this forest, to discover a tree godfather was equal to finding a needle in a haystack, quite impossible, but this was Yufang's gamble.
No longer wasting time, devouring Yufang abandoned his path for greater strength running to explore this endless jungle. Looking around he closely observing each tree with time and care.
Engrossed in the forest, Yufang, happy smiled. However, this smile was no his evil scheming smile, but a smile of pure bliss.
Yufang even going as far as to praise the trees, "Forever growing, remaining indomitable amongst all, truly this is what life is about, this is exactly what I strive to be."
With haste, he trekked throughout this forest, gazing upon hundreds of thousands of trees. Yet, something was wrong, these trees that stood tall where withered although, on the outside, they seemed alive when truly these trees were dead.
Asif having explored forever, Yufang grew confused, his surroundings remained the same, in fact, these trees he had seen them before, nevertheless, he continued on passing this thought off.
4 days had passed, a distant roar rang out.
AAOOOO
AAOOOOOOOOOOO
AAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
This roar he had heard it before, the roar that of the divine tortoise he met upon entering this forest. His suspicions were confirmed for Yufang had spent multiple days walking away from this tortoise territory, yet he ended up here, saddened he muttered, "Ahh... So it was wasn't endless after all, merely an illusion."
Nothing to do, Yufang continued searching this dead forest, however, something changed once more, he stumbled upon a cottage, his family's cottage. Stuck in an eternal loop, Yufang made a gamble, if his thoughts were correct, then that seemingly ordinary monk of no importance should be the tree godfather's physical body.
With haste, Yufang following the path he had once taken, reached that tree and their sitting before it, a white-haired monk.
This old man sitting in a meditative position, upon Yufangs arrival, his eyes opened slightly, and letting out a gentle smile he murmured, "So, you too have returned?"
"It's not that I wish to return, but that I have," nonchalantly Yufang replied.
Smiling the old monk's eyes closed as he continued to speak, "Yes, for this is the path, to return infinitely, to cultivate one's soul."
Chuckling Yufang retorted, "Heh, old man there is no soul greater than my own."
His two beady lifeless eyes opened, glancing slightly before closing once more, only then did he speak, "Perhaps, but greatness is not. The soul seeks to be empty yet fulfilled, eternally in a state of nihility."
Yufeng; "Old man, perhaps you are correct, but this path is not mine, it's yours to walk."
The monks withered hair fluttered and his facial expression turned dull before returning to normal as he spoke, "Yes, this is my path, but my path is also yours, a path of solitude which no other dares to walk, the path of self-destruction."
"Heh, old man, you are correct we walk the same path, however, this is not why I'm here," said Yufang.
Intrigued his eyes opened staring to Yufang, muttering, "Oh and why is that?"
Answering Yufang spoke, "I'm here for the timeless wood."
Hearing this the old monks, hair began to wither, his benevolent smile grew rotten, and his expression wary.
Once more Yufang spoke, "I'm here for the timeless wood."
Sighing having his identity discovered the old man spoke, "Who exactly are you?"
Chuckling he, replied, "Yufang."
Angered by Yufang's whit, he screamed, "No not your name your family's name." This tree, you could even say was the first, the first creation, sitting here from the beginning of time, he observed the entire world grow.
Yet this young child before him dared to act witty before him, he was infuriated never before had anyone acted like this having known his true identity, yet this boy of mediocre strength, Yufang did.
Not expecting a reply Yufang grows stumped as he replies, "Kong Yufang."
The old man mutters, "Kong, huh?" Thinking he looks to sky entering a deep state of thought, a few minutes pass and he looks back, his bewildered expression changes and is replaced with a slight smile appears as he mutters again, "Kong, huh?"
Exceedingly confused Yufang replies, "Yes it is indeed Kong."
"HAHAHAHA," this aged monk suddenly burst into laughter and Yufang grew exceedingly more confused.
Yufang stood there like a lost chicken, looking for its way home as the old man spoke, "Good, good. Boy, how would you like to be my disciple?"
Yufang's face turned white, as he replied, "No, no I don't need a master."
Determined, he spoke again, "Come on, one billion years ago when the beings of this universe still knew of my existence, I had thousands offering themselves just to be my servants and there is no cultivation technique in this world I can not teach you."
Intrigued Yufang smiled, truly he did not know any techniques for humans and perhaps this could be his chance, but he was resolute on self-growth so he replied, "However, I have crippled spiritual roots."
Laughing the old monk's voice no longer sounding distant but more like a close friend, "Ha-ha boy crippled spiritual roots is merely a small problem."
Yufang taking a step back shaking his head, scared off by this aged monk's incessant ramblings for him to become his disciple.
Seeing this the monk smiled, believing Yufang's nod and backing off was a sign of respect, he called out to Yufang in a voice ever so ecstatic, "Come greet me your master, Yong Sheng," shivers... Constant shivers sped down Yufang's spine, this ever so ecstatic voice coming from this old man was revolting and to Yufang this voice was akin to eternal torture.
Facing eternal torture Yufang faints, drifting off into the infinite realm of darkness, entering the realm of dreams.