The heaven was endless, shining for millions of years without losing any of its splendor. An invisible pillar held it aloft, known as the laws of the sky. If these laws were broken, the sky would become unstable, and calamities and disasters would befall the people.
Somewhere above the dark clouds, a vast array of stars filled the sky. Meteors streaked across the sky, and small and large stars, like diamonds in a crown, adorned the jagged peaks.
In the endless silence of the night, when no creature stirred on that mountain, and the night breeze tiptoed, suddenly a stone rolled down from Fang Yuan's grave. Then more stones were pushed aside, and a half-decomposed hand, with bones held together by yellow tendons, emerged.
*****
Humans were forced to make choices; from the day they recognized themselves until the day they closed their eyes, they constantly made choices.
For a lone girl, the mountain was a mine of various dangers; known and unknown dangers. However, choices couldn't always be portrayed as bad; sometimes a small misfortune led to a full-blown disaster.
When this happened, Patricia tried to escape. Just like any human caught in a dangerous situation, but she didn't know she was now in the middle of a great misfortune.
Bandits had surrounded her from all sides, and this was what happened; a full-blown disaster.
They covered her head with a cloth and took her on a cart through rough paths.
Laughter echoed around.
And the rough path continued.
Patricia smirked. Everything was dark under that mask. She thought to herself, "So this is how it all ends…"
She was right. The bandits didn't have interesting thoughts; they were wild people who didn't just covet people's possessions.
Patricia bit her lip.
The bandits' camp was located in a large cave. The cave's entrance had a full view of the path leading in. That's why it was an impregnable fortress. A wooden wall connected the two sides of the cave entrance, with a guard tower mounted on it.
Many large and small rocks were scattered in front of the cave, and the mountain slope opposite was covered with oak trees. A small river flowed down the steep valley, passing through a rough path, falling into a small pool at the foot of the mountain.
When they reached the camp, night had darkened everything. The fire pits cast a red glow. The cold wind blowing at the foot of the mountain nudged the fierce flames and moved away with the river's flow.
Patricia was directly imprisoned in a dungeon. Chained, she awaited the terrible events that had not yet happened.
On the other side, however, a dark aura covered the world; a figure standing in silence, immersed in its darkness, watched death. In the middle of a sea of mist, it experienced a repetitive feeling thousands of times. Among its silent screams, a presence approached from beyond the shadows. When it took on color, a man with a saintly appearance appeared before it, his long, combed hair tied back; and with his piercing eyes, he created a special warmth in hearts. As he approached with short steps, he smiled and said, "Elder brother!! You're here too?!"
Bai Mo said nothing and only watched his younger brother approach.
"Elder brother, it's been a long time… why don't you come back to us?"
Countless shadows appeared behind him. Bai Mo recognized them. Comrades he had fought alongside, brothers he had lost.
"Elder brother… your role in this world is over. Now it's time to watch the end of the world together."
Suddenly his eyes darkened, and blood gushed from the corner of his mouth.
"Brother, come with us…"
Bai Mo looked at his brother's demonic face with emotionless eyes. His skin was decayed, and flesh was falling off his body. His bones had turned black, and the calming aura was gone.
They attacked Bai Mo with a leap. Bai Mo didn't move, but a deep shadow covered his face.
"It seems history always repeats itself… even in the afterlife, you attack me?"
He smiled broadly, his white teeth gleaming from the darkness. His eyes glowed red, and a crushing aura emanated from his body. Suddenly, Bai Mo revealed his true nature. He had become a zombie. Two more pairs of hands emerged from his body, and his sharp claws tore through the dark veils of the world.
The angry spirits charged at him. Bai Mo gained a body much larger than a human and stood against an endless army of Murim spirits.
With one strike, he turned many spirits into smoke.
He roared, shaking the foundations of the world.
"Murim!!!"
He gathered all his power into one fist and struck his younger brother's spirit with all his might.
Suddenly the darkness receded, and the stones that had buried him were pushed aside.
Bai Mo stepped into the world of the living with a terrifying sense of vengeance. Night had cast its shadow over the rugged mountain plains. Migratory birds flew in small and large flocks towards the east.
Bai Mo clenched his fists. He ground his teeth and said in his rough, grating voice:
"Murim… you blocked my path once… you betrayed me once… if you stand in my way again… I'll destroy you!"
Beside the grave, a giant six-armed creature stood. The ground trembled beneath its feet, and its aura was terrifying, hateful, and crushing.
Fang Yuan looked at the sky. The weather had noticeably changed.
"Heavenly calamity… I must prepare."
Fang Yuan's inner hatred had taken root so deeply that it transformed his appearance. Now he was a complete zombie, although he could still use magic to restore his former appearance, but it required a lot of energy, and he didn't want to strain himself in that mountain.
"I need Yang energy, my body is filled with death aura, and in this condition, I can't continue searching in human territory."
Fang Yuan hadn't forgotten his goal.
His body was naked, and his clothes were torn. The silver sword was bent under his weight, but he still had the zombie hunter's badge.
"I have many thoughts, my body won't easily give in, but the sky won't leave me alone… I must think of something else…"
Fang Yuan scattered the death energy among the surrounding valleys. However, he didn't advance towards the heart of the mountain. He hadn't forgotten that terrifying monster.
"A base?"
Fang Yuan looked at his eternal aperture. Desolate and sorrowful, a deadly silence reigned over that afflicted wasteland.
Where he kept three Gu, he found three pebbles.
"So, while I was asleep, my Gu starved to the brink of death, the last resort for Gu to survive is to turn into stone… just like what I unintentionally did, the Gu entered a deep sleep. They must be fed immediately, I can't let these Gu perish; if they haven't already…"
Suddenly a terrifying roar echoed across the plains.
"Again, that?!!"
Fang Yuan immediately leaped halfway up the mountain; then, hanging from the cylindrical peak, he made a long jump, traversing half the mountain range, heading towards the bandits' base to suppress his death aura using the bandits' Yang energy.
*****
A mountain raven passed through the valleys and flew over the slope. It passed dozens of waterfalls and countless twists and turns. Finally, when a blue thunder struck the mountain before it, it gained altitude and landed on a polished rock.
In an instant, a terrifying wind swirled among the blue rocks, and a roaring voice said, "He… has awakened?"
The mountain raven flapped its wings and stared at the grandeur of the mountain before it.
"Hmm..Very good…"