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Demonic Master
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Prologue
The War for the World, a war that started for unknown reasons, was waged between demons and humans since time immemorial. This is the time when humans were winning and demons were suppressed. It was during such a time that this story started, in an expansive black forest in the Central Plains...
---(Line Break)---
-Scorched Heavens Continent, Central Plains, Unknown Area-
"Haa... Haa..."
A young man of about 15 years old lay against a tree, panting heavily. He was surrounded by a dense covering of trees. However, what was unusual about these trees was that their trunks were black and their leaves were an eerie blood red. Two streams of viscous liquid flowed from two craters punctured in the trunk of the tree by the young man's bleeding hands.
It was night, and the dense covering of black trees only made it seem gloomier and darker. The young man shivered and attempted to get closer to the surprisingly warm red leaves as a chilly wind blew past.
"Haa... Is this how I die? Haha... what a joke!" The young man coughed a large mouthful of blood as he spoke with great difficulty.
'This is pathetic of me! There are many more people who have overcome greater adversities...'
The young man had several life threatening injuries scattered across his body. His sky-blue robes were now darkened with the copious amounts of blood he lost, and the skin on his feet was peeling off.
If anyone had heard what the boy had said, they would have likely called him mad. The people who could probably be conscious and maintain a strong will even in such pain would be very few, if any at all. A few patches of his hair were missing- and were likely torn out, if the blood leaking from his scalp was anything to go by. The young man's previously purple eyes now looked to be as red as those of demons' due to the blood which stained them.
It was a miracle that he was alive at all, and even more so if he could still be capable of talking. If this miracle was possible just due to that- a miracle, or the young man's preternatural will power was unknown.
It had been dozens of minutes since he had been through this 'hell.' Yet, he had not fallen. No, he had refused to fall. To give up here would be akin to giving up the last of what he had left. His heritage. He was an orphan, one who later had many luxuries in life, but he hadn't forgotten that none of it was his to own and keep. His blood, his heritage and his identity were the only things an orphan like him owned and had to his name. To give those up...
He shuddered. The next instant, his face contorted in pain as his injuries were once again aggravated with his movement. Despite the pain, he tightened his hold on the tree, digging into the trunk and causing more of the viscous liquid to be squeezed out.
However, it seemed that even the Heavens had forsaken him. His body had failed him- he felt weaker and his grip on the tree grew loose. Despite the rapidly deteriorating despondent circumstances the young man was in, his red-coloured eyes burned bright. His tempered tenacious will refused to be broken even under the wretched circumstances he found himself in.
Suddenly, at this moment that the man finally let go of his grip on the tree in an abrupt action as he clutched his head due to a sudden spike of pain. The young man's scorching gaze appeared to have ignited the blood-red leaves on the trees, which quickly caught fire and spread it to all the black trees.
The darkness in the forest was banished as the flames- which were an extraordinary crimson red- spread across the forest. Yet, this flame that burned this seemingly towering trees never came close to the young man. Instead, they circled him, as a mother would embrace her child. In front of these awe-inspiring flames, even the majestic black trees seemed helpless. The seemingly supernatural trees looked as though they were bowing to something superior and willing to be burned in it's sacrifice.
The 15 year old young man however, had clutched his head and was facing the ground, and was hence, unable to see the unbelievable scene occurring before him. These trees were known as the Trees of Death. They were once said to said to have been majestic, towering over mortals and cultivators alike and capable of meeting the heavens.
Now they had been desecrated and turned into the trees which made up the 'Forest of Death', Some said that they had been punished and penalized for being audacious enough to touch the heavens, while others speculated that they had been contaminated by strong Yin aura of the Fallen Ancients that permeated this region of the Central Plains.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The earth shook as the 'Trees of Death' fell one by one as they were burned from their roots. Within a minute, the 'Forest of Death' was no more and in it's place hovered countless globes of crimson red flames, each holding two squirming red and black viscous liquids within them. These globes of flame floated towards the young man, and circled around him once they reached him.
When even the farthest of the globes had come close to the young man, all of them congregated around him. The young man had just looked up and his eyes had widened as much as they were capable of when they saw the incredible scene before them. The young man gaped, and in an astonishing display, tried to leap aside, only to let out muffled cries as all the globes converged on him.
The next instant, his body burned. His skin turned red, the blood on him evaporated and part of his bones became visible. However, the young man did not let up his struggles. The viscous liquids flowed over his now burning skin, forming a half black-half red cocoon over him. The ashes of the black trees floated up and converged into an eerie humanoid figure made up of black miasma.
The figure slowly floated towards the cocoon. The miasma soon expanded and tried to envelope the cocoon as though trying to swallow it up.
[If the mind be willing, the flesh could be limitless]
[If the will be tenacious, the mind could be unbreakable]
[Judged to be worthy]
[May the Scorched Heavens be set ablaze]
[Activated]
[Hard Work System Activated]
[System - Active Mode]
[Emergency Procedures Initiated]
At the last moment, however, the flames surrounding the cocoon abruptly lashed out, burning the evil-looking figure. The miasma writhed.
"Keeeeee!" It let out an unholy screech. The miasma, discovering that something was wrong attempted to disperse as fast as it could. Unfortunately for it, it wasn't fast enough. The crimson-red flames formed whip-like structures and in a flash, it had the miasma bound. It pulled the screeching and writhing figure towards the cocoon.
Within a minute, the miasma had been burned and forcefully 'assimilated' into the cocoon.
[Ending Emergency Procedures]
[Emergency Recovery Initiated]
The crimson-red flames then latched onto the cocoon, seemingly refining it- and indeed, the red and black liquids, which were previously engulfing the young man, were being purified and refined. The energy the liquids were releasing was enormous, and it would have definitely caused a war to be fought over it's possession. However, what was undoubtedly more awe-inspiring were the crimson-red flames, which were capable of refining a treasure of Heaven and Earth.
[Absorbing excess activated latency]
The flames along with the refined treasure were pulled towards the glabella of the young man, and then vanished as though they were never there. This phenomenon, however, caused great changes to the young man's body.
The black-haired man's peeled off skin grew back and stitched itself together and the previously life-threatening injuries regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye. The man's black hair regrew itself, now reaching his neck, but the hair now looked to be much more lustrous and it's tips were now a bright crimson-red.
The man's formerly gaunt body (likely due to his excessive blood loss) quickly filled itself up. His broken bones grew back sturdier, his skin looked harder and the two small black bumps on his forehead grew a few more inches, highlighting his identity as a demon.
[Ending Emergency Recovery]
[System - Standby Mode]
Soon, the young man's hovering body fell rather harshly to the ground after his body finished healing. Despite the rather harsh fall, the boy showed no signs of waking up.
It was only several hours later that the miraculously alive young man's eyes fluttered.
The young man groaned and then abruptly shot up. His hands were placed on the ground by his sides in an effort to support his posture, and his now crimson-red eyes which were as wide as saucers, were now darting around as he tried to understand what had happened to him.
It was at that moment-
[System - Active Mode]
[Dormant Memories Activated]
[HP: 100]
"...Huh?"