Two guards were escorting a mortal girl into the Heavenly Great Hall. Her hands were bound together by a magical seal, it was just like being tied to a rope but tight to a point where it felt like her hands were cut off. The mortal girl was shaking so much that she struggled to keep on walking steadily. Then a force of hand pushed her to the ground for good reason. Fu Hai Su had just committed the most dreadful crime that any living being could ever imagine. She kneels down before the all-powerful being throughout the three realms, "So this is the one who freed the One Eye Demon King?" the Heavenly Emperor spoke. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Her old master was not wrong when she said that humans are just ants living in this big vast universe. His presence, his aura even his voice exerted so much power that easily overwhelms the mortal girl. Hai Su did not speak even though he asked her calmly. She could tell that beneath the calm sea were raging waves and storms. Hai Su kept her head and eyes down but to soothe away her trembling body for just one bit, she secretly tried to turn her attention toward the other people who were present in the room. "Mortal child," said the Heavenly Emperor. "Look at me."
The Heavenly Emperor spoke to her like a father scolding his spoiled child. Hai Su slowly but carefully looked up at him. Long beard, grey hair, and dressed in the refined robes of the emperor. The mortal wanted to explain herself but her heart and mind were in a constant battle of word choices. "Great… Heav-enly… Em-peror…"
Just a few days ago, Fu Hai Su was only collecting a few herbs in the forest mountain. She was just an ordinary herbalist trying to make a living for herself by selling the best herbs and medicine to the people in her village. How many times has her world been turned upside down? Her parents left her under the care of their old master, Xin Yi. Her old master was a blunt woman, she never gave the little girl hope that her parents would come back. Nonetheless, the little girl spent days, months, and even years hoping and waiting for their return but they never came.
Young Hai Su went on with her life and learned the art of herbalism from her old master. After years of training, Hai Su has become a promising herbalist just like her parents. Although she was a strict old lady, she did have good intentions for the little girl. Hai Su has grown up into a young lady with silky-soft skin and a face so kind that could easily make anyone cry.
One morning like any other day, Hai Su went to check on her master's health. She was strong despite her old age but this time the granny hasn't left her room for almost a whole day. Granny Xin Yi was sleeping peacefully with a smile on her face. Hai Su checked her pulse but there was nothing. The young herbalist cried gravely at the sight of her deceased old master. Just how could her master keep her illness away from her? How was she this good at hiding?
Alone and with everything that her old master has given to her, Hai Su was set on surviving on her own. Jin Shu Mi offered for Fu Hai Su to stay with her family after the funeral of her late mother ended but the young herbalist declined. Her late master's one and only daughter lived in a village that was not too far from her old home, Jingyue. After getting married, Shu Mi asked for her mother many times to come and stay with her so that she can take care of her. Yet, her mother declined because she did not want to be an obstacle to her daughter's happiness. Her mother was content with her life as an herbalist here in the village.
Master Xin Yi was a renowned herbalist who dared to enter the Sacred Silent Forest. It was a forested mountain that was said to be a holy place filled with energy. The herbs that grow there have very powerful healing properties and those who ate the fruits were granted longevity. A few known herbalists once tried to settle there to effortlessly collect more herbs and fruits but many years later, they were never heard of again. The chief village took notice of this and sent a search party to look for the missing people. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and the people who were sent into the forest never came back.
There were those who made it out alive but unfortunately for them, they suffered from a fate worse than death. Their mind was unstable as they cannot recognise friends and family. They even struggled to remember their own name. When asked about their journey, they lash out and break every single thing in the house without reason. A mountain that was once considered to be a treasured landmark in the realm has now become cursed.
Many rumours and legends about how the forest was cursed varied. Some say that the deceased soul of the herbalists who once tried to settle there still lingers. Some believe that there are wild but exotic animals in the forest. It must've attacked and then consumed the dead flesh of the trespasser. Others have said that the forest spirit was enraged with villagers taking advantage of its home. On the other hand, granny Xin Yi had a different interpretation of the story. Back then when Hai Su was a little girl, she attentively paid close attention to her master's tale.
"We're just one of many beings that exist in this world," said Xin Yi. "Legend has it that since the dawn of creation, the gods and demons were always at war with one another."
"Why were they always fighting?" the young Hai Su asked her master.
Granny Xin Yi sighed, "People fight because they view their needs and desires as more important than others. So long as there's a concept of a winner and loser, no war will ever cease."
The little girl sulked at her master. "Those demons are mean!"
"My child," Granny Xin Yi said softly. "When the time comes, you will see that the world isn't so black and white."
Just as the old lady had suspected, the little girl was too young to understand what she had just said. "Even in the darkest of times, there's always a glimmer of hope soaring in the sky. And that was the Dragon Lord."
"The Dragon Lord?" Hai Su asked excitedly. "Who's that?"
"Patience," Xin Yi said and she continued. "Some could even call him the Dragon King. It was said that the first Dragon Lord was the younger brother of the Heavenly Emperor at the time."
"Then who's more powerful? The Heavenly Emperor or the Dragon King?"
"I have no judgement whatsoever to determine who's the strongest being in the three realms. Unlike his brother, the first Dragon Lord had the heart and soul of a wise king. He held no prejudice against different beings. He was willing to work from the shadows to protect everyone in the three realms. Seeing this act of kindness and chivalry, the two last Ancient Dragons granted him their powers before they entered the afterlife."
"Are the Ancient Dragons super old?"
"You could say that," Xin Yi answered."Then… he uses this power to put an end to the conflict between the deities and demons. He became the guardian who kept peace between the three realms."
"Since he was the one who ended the war, does he have awesome powers? His power must be unimaginable."
The old lady took a deep long breath and smacked the child's head gently. "Skills and absolute power are not the only things that can bring harmony."
Little Hai Su did not fully understand the words of her master. She wanted to know more but up until now, Hai Su thinks it was pointless to further ask granny any more questions. This is after all only a tall tale.
Granny Xin Yi sighed and continued on. "The presence of the Dragon Lord was a rare sight for us mortals to see because he would only soar high in the sky once every hundred of years. The clouds and rain he brought along with him brought the three realms great peace and prosperity."
"Then have you ever seen the Dragon Lord? Will I get to see him?"
"No… that's because he's no longer with us. But legend speaks of the One-Eyed Demon King."
"The… One-Eyed…Demon King?"
"Millennium of peace did not satisfy him. He craved power and to conquer the three realms. He had unformidable power that was said to rival that of certain Gods and the Dragon Lord. He seized control over the Mortal Realm in just 1 day and as for the Heaven Realm, he nearly succeeded."
"Nearly!?" Hai Su's voice begins to shake.
"Yes. He gave a hard time to even the strongest immortals like the God of War and even the former Dragon Lord. They say that it took them almost a hundred years to finally subdue him and seal him away."
"Why didn't they kill him?"
"It was said that killing him means the end of the world."
"The end… of the world?"
"Destroying his body will unleash a sort of black flame. A dangerous fire that destroys all heaven and earth."
"Why would there be a spell to destroy the entire world?"
"Who knows," Granny Xin Yi answered. "I don't know much about how the other realms work. They then sealed the Demon King inside a tomb. That tomb is said to be hidden in the Sacred Silent Forest."
"What happened to Dragon Lord? Wasn't he supposed to keep the peace between the gods and demons?"
Xin Yi sighed. "I don't know and no one does. It's a tale that's been told for many generations to come. After all, whether you believe my story or theirs is up to you."