The silvery moon rose up in the sky from the east, while the sun had fully set down to the west. A beautiful night sky filled with stars and dreams; this was such a rare peaceful scene to behold in the bloody world of martial artists. Mortals would dream of being immortal, envious of martial artists aiming towards the peak, but isn't it is also the same for immortals? Which martial artist wouldn't want to be a mortal living their carefree life gazing into the beautiful world, without having to always keep an eye behind their back, without having to make sure who is a real brother and a fake one? Life was just like this, strength is everything.
Azlan sighed and fully gulped his wine within one sip, he grabbed the wine bottle and once again filled his cup to its peak. He took one final sip and let the wine go down his throat furiously, his Adam's apple was fully bulged out while his dreamy black eyes were staring into the moon. Azlan paused his eyes from gazing into the sky, now looking towards Denzi, gaining the guts to speak out his mind.
"My good brother, have you drunk enough to make the occasion special? Come, drink more! Fill in your stomach and cloud your mind before we speak!" Azlan hastily filled in Denzi's cup with more wine, however Denzi was having trouble already keeping up with the first cup. Azlan popped out more cups from his sparkly ring, refilling them back-to-back as Denzi tried to compete with his speed, drinking each cup as fast as a man who had nothing to drink for months. If the group of brothers didn't emit such a gloomy and lonely aura, who wouldn't think it was a drinking battle between two lively brothers under the beautiful moon.
"Hahaha good!" Azlan laughed with tears almost leaving his eyes, who knew if they were genuine tears of joy, or tears of sadness.
Azlan fell into deep thought closing his eyes, then muttering out soft words that felt like loose wind drifting about, "The story starts with a little boy and his 2 parents, one boy as short as a dwarf, innocent in the bloody world of killers, a mother as beautiful as an angel, and a father upright like a swordsman. A family of mortals, what could go wrong?!"
"The child was foolish and spoiled, his mother gave him everything he desired, he was the happiest child there could be, even if they were just mortals. The little child really couldn't have asked for more, if life continued the way it was. But it didn't!" Azlan tone was moody, both angry and reminiscing of the past, one word would drift away into nothingness, while the next word would scare even the heavens, with fury that felt like it's been bottled up for millions of years.
Taking a fresh breath off air, Azlan opened his eyes and continued the story in a calm voice.
"One faithful evening, the child went about with his day, playing Swords with his friends, but who would've known that he'd be wielding a real sword taking another's life within the same hour. The child made his way home, waving and saying goodbye to his friends and relatives, but what was awaiting him was something no child would've expected to happen in millions of years. His tiny little hand grabbed the door handle and opened it gently, before he could even let his voice out, the boy stumbled upon a scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life. A long sword was piercing through the hearts of both the father and mother! The sword was held by a man with aura hiding his body and face, his sword was engulfed in blood of the child's parent's."
"I can still recall every little detail in my head since that day!"
Azlan felt a pain in his heart as tears started dripping from his eyes, his tears rained down like a storm. He wiped his eyes and drank directly from the wine bottle beside him before continuing, "What happened next would be the first kill I would make in my life, I grabbed the sword resting in my waist and held it straight towards the man. I ran with all my might and pierced through his heart, taking his life! His head turned around facing me, his eyes were dull and colourless, full of regret as he realised his fatal mistake! In my dreams the death of my parents would haunt me, but the death of that man would bring me joy! I cried and cried, banging my head for days to come, starving and torturing myself to death. When all was nearly over, a man in black descended from the sky, he looked at the bloody scene and reached out to me."
"Do you know? It was master who saved me from death, he took me as his own and raised me like a father, and then eventually you came along. Ever since that day, I had made an oath that I would be the strongest in the world, find the family that man was from, and slaughter all nine generations of his family!" Azlan shouted in anger towards the latter part of his speech, igniting the blood in his body, itching for a fight.
"Are the heavens fair?! What justice is there in these heavens?!" Azlan looked into Denzi's eyes with anger that could kill from just looks, anger that even the yellow springs could not contain!
"..." Denzi stared into his eyes with no emotion at all, just staring and trying to understand him. "The heavens are cruel!" Denzi let out mighty words that would shock anyone, who would dare to defy the heavens?
Denzi looked towards the sky, feeling as if it was both within his grasp, but also so far away. "I was left alone from a young age, no memory of where I came from, with no idea who I am. One day while I was training the sword, Master came down from the sky just like you, who would've thought that fate would bring us together. "
"HAHAHAHA!" Azlan laughed with fury breaking the silence within the lone mountains. His laugh was historical, it was a laugh that laughed at both the heavens and themselves, what heavens is there they thought, fate has played us like fools!
"Brother Zi, I hold this Sabre to rule the heavens! I hold this Sabre to kill all who cross my path! This is my martial belief, what pain will there be when I hold my Sabre proudly laughing at the heavens?! With this wine I pour for you, we will be brothers in life and death! What do you think?" Azlan joyfully claimed words that were so mighty that anyone wouldn't take seriously. However, he looked dead set into Denzi's cold black eyes stating his intentions, an intention to become brothers that would journey across the vast world's, slaughtering all that would come in their paths!
Denzi smiled and laughed joyfully for the first time in his life, he laughed and excitedly announced his answer, "Yes! With my sword, I will pave the path for my brother, death will not hold us back! Who will stop us?!"
Azlan laughed with him, and poured in more wine into their two cups in a manner that was different than before, this time it wasn't as careful, the wine spilled and overflowed off the cups. He handed it to Denzi and then took out two knifes, one for himself, and one for Denzi.
Both the brothers took the knife by the handle and sliced their palm, causing blood to leak from it, Azlan and Denzi laughed as they shouted to the heavens merrily, "The Heavens and Earth will lay witness to our brother hood, with this blood we sacrifice, we shall be brothers in both life and death till the ends of eternity!"
A blood oath was taken! With the heavens and earth witnessing it, who would've known that the Sabre and sword would once again dance upon the heavens unfettered!
The two brothers happily drank wine until they couldn't have anymore, they both felt like they were in a dream, feeling lightheaded. For the first time in their lives something had happened, an event that would change the course of their lives, no one would be able to understand the triumph they felt in that moment.
"Brother Zi, after one joyous event I have another proposition to tell you about. From this moment, I have decided that the immortal Pavilion will be given birth to. The path of immortality is a lonely one, however we will march across the heavens with brothers to laugh with, you as the second brother, and more brothers to come along in our path! We brothers will hail the heavens unfettered, and rule all beneath the skies, journeying towards the peak! One day the immortal Pavilion will be known as a power that no one will be able to say lightly, do you believe me!?" Azlan announced at the top of his lungs, he truly believed what he said, if he didn't believe it, who would?
"Let's drink one more cup to the immortal pavilions beginning, first brother!" Denzi raised his cup and toasted to it.
With one wine after the other, the two brothers fell asleep drunk even after the sun rose, it was truly a night to be remembered.
...
Old man Zagan was flying above the two brothers staring from the clouds, he was like a God observing the lives of mortals. When the brothers fell fast asleep, he descended and grabbed both brothers with one arm each, he looked at them and laughed out of joy.
"You fools would catch a cold if it weren't for me being here! Get some rest and be prepared for what's to come, if you want to prevail, then make it past me!" Although he knew the brothers were asleep, he still spoke to himself mysteriously, no one would truly know what he meant about those last few words till years later. A mysterious old man and two youngsters with great passion, what would come from such a trio?
...
Sitting atop a mountain, two people could be heard snoring loudly from a hut, sleeping while the sun was already blazing across the lands.
An old man flew towards the hut and kicked it open with his foot, he looked at the two brothers sleeping contentedly and got angry. With both his legs, he kicked both of their bottoms one by one and sent them into the sky. The two brothers suffered from a wild shock and instantly woke up screaming with pain from their lower bodies, whilst being sent flying towards the sky.
Azlan landed on his bottom and cursed in pain, "Which little bitch disturbed this kings sleep? Huh!? Show yourself, if you're a man!"
The old man appeared in front of the dazed brothers and looked enraged as he heard Azlan's curse, "what little bitch?! I raised you like my own son, and you have the nerve to call me a little bitch?! Who do you think you are bitch!"
Azlan heard this voice and then saw where it came from, he sweated from his sore bottom all the way to his head. His face turned red as he realised what he had said, and to whom he had said it to, it was a disaster! First, he shamed himself with the duel against Denzi, and now he couldn't recognise Mt Tai when it was right in front of his face!
"Ahhh, my great lord, my benefactor and king, this servant couldn't recognise Mt Tai and was blind to the true king. Please spare me mercy and give this young servant a way out."
"Pft" Azlan pleaded for mercy as Denzi realised what happened and instantly fell into laughter. Surprisingly, after last night's events, Denzi had opened up much more.
"Shut up you little brats!" Old man Zagan's temper blew up, letting it out with a deafening yell that would reach even several mountains away. The two brothers fell silent, as they felt the cold sweat drench their bodies in an instant, even Denzi the laughing one instantly lost the ability to smile.
"You brats didn't even invite this old thing to a drink or two, drinking all to yourselves, how heartless! In return for your selfishness, you brats starting from now are to go venture out to the blood forest separately and bring back a monster core. If you die, it'll be your own fault, if you don't bring a monster core, the consequences will be just as dire. You have up until night, go on then!"
Azlan and Denzi looked at the old master and realised that he was being serious. Within an instant, the two got off their bottoms and ran as if their lives were on the line, after all, they didn't have the face to even look at the old master, yet alone say any words.
Onwards to the blood forest, their real adventure would start now!