Legend has it that ten thousand years ago, in the primordial era, the Heavenly Emperor governed the Celestial, Human, and Earth realms, while the Demon King ruled the Demonic Realm.
From the beginning, the two had made a pact, each managing their own domain. The Heavenly Emperor commanded cultivators and immortals not to indiscriminately slay demons and evil spirits, while the Demon King, in turn, ordered his demons, monsters, and ghosts not to harm mortals. The world was originally a peaceful and prosperous era, but all of it was destroyed a thousand years ago. On the day of the grand wedding between the Heavenly Emperor and the Water God, the Demon King led ten thousand demons to snatch the bride and waged a bloody war against the Heavenly Court. The Water God, though of divine blood, dared to collude with evil demons and bore his demonic seed. The Heavenly Emperor was furious and struck her with the Nine-Layered Lightning, scattering her soul and spirit. At that moment, heaven and earth trembled, the mortal realm was submerged in a boundless, desolate sea, and people screamed in despair. The Demon King sacrificed ten thousand years of his cultivation to save the Water God and the unborn child. But the Three Realms could not return to their peaceful past. After the death of that great demon lord, the Three Realms were turned upside down, with tens of thousands of demons, monsters, and ghosts running wild and out of control. They wreaked havoc everywhere, slaughtering common folk and villagers. The mortal realm was engulfed in a sea of fire, and resentment soared to the heavens.
***
Behind the mountain of the Xiao Yao Sect, a young senior brother stood on a rock, holding a book. He read aloud, gesticulating wildly to narrate the story to his fellow disciples sitting on the ground.
“This, then, is the tragic tale, one that would make ghosts weep and gods mourn, of the great war between heaven and demons.”
The disciples all clapped in unison, captivated by the excellent story. They successively raised their hands to ask him questions.
“Senior Brother Lu, is the Water God truly not dead? Where is she now?”
“And who exactly is the child of the Water God and the Demon King?”
Little Lu stammered, flipping through the book to find the answer. “Wait for me a moment,” he said.
While he was flipping through the book for the answer, a stream of blue energy struck him from behind, sending him tumbling to the ground. “Ouch…”
The disciples quickly helped Little Lu to his feet. “Are you alright, Senior Brother?” they asked.
Little Lu, with straw and grass in his hair, busily tidied his disheveled robes and angrily shouted, “Who just attacked me? Show yourself!”
“It was me,” a deep, masculine voice resonated from atop a large ancient tree.
Little Lu looked up at the tree, his voice trembling. “…Se… Second Senior Brother.”
Luo Feng, holding his azure Demon-Slaying Sword, descended from the tree with extraordinary agility.
Twenty years ago, Luo Feng was abandoned by his birth parents in front of the Xiao Yao Sect. Sect Leader Yue Peng, seeing the pitiful child, adopted him as an inner sect disciple and personally taught him cultivation techniques and martial arts. When he was fifteen, his master took him out of the mountains to cultivate, and he single-handedly killed Gu Diao, one of the most ferocious demon beasts of the avian tribe. From then on, his legend spread throughout the Five Great Sects. People praised him as a rare cultivation prodigy, seen only once in a thousand years, bringing immense fame and achievements to the Xiao Yao Sect.
This year, Luo Feng had just turned twenty. The boy from yesteryear was now a young hero with profound cultivation, a tall, sturdy physique, and an extraordinarily handsome appearance. He was very cold towards women and kept his distance from worldly temptations. His sole ambition was to slay demons, eradicate evil, and wander freely across the four seas, absolutely refusing to entertain such troublesome romantic feelings.
Disciples of the sect, once they reached the age of twenty, could leave the mountains for training and experience in the mortal world. Today was the day Luo Feng was to descend the mountain. He had been napping in a tree when he was disturbed by the noisy group of junior disciples.
Especially Xiao Lu, who kept chattering endlessly about the Great War between Celestials and Demons. It gave him such a headache that he used a spell to knock the boy to the ground.
"Second Senior Brother, was that you? Why did you hit me? That hurts!" Xiao Lu rubbed his head, feeling wronged.
Luo Feng snatched the book from Xiao Lu's hand and lightly tapped his head. "Instead of practicing your sword techniques, you're hiding out here reading these martial world rumors?"
Xiao Lu pouted, feeling wronged. "So Senior Brother doesn't know, this is the *Records of Celestials and Demons* that I 'borrowed' from Master's study. It's not some book by a Jianghu sorcerer!"
"Oh, so you stole Master's things... And anyone who listened is an accomplice," Luo Feng teased, trying to scare them.
Hearing this, they shoved each other and quickly fled. Fifth Junior Brother hastily called out, "Second Senior Brother, it has nothing to do with us! Xiao Lu forced us to listen! I don't know anything, I'm leaving now!"
"These unscrupulous people!" Xiao Lu cunningly tried to seize the opportunity to follow them and escape, but Luo Feng grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
"This trick is too old, junior brother. Haven't you gotten tired of using it after all these years? He wasn't going to let him go so easily."
Xiao Lu whined and pleaded, "Second Senior Brother, please don't tell on me! You know how fierce Master is. If he finds out I snuck into his study, he'll definitely punish me severely."
Luo Feng put his arm around Xiao Lu's neck, pulling him closer, and with a sly smile, tucked the book into his own robe.
"Now, you give it to me to keep. After I finish reading it, I'll secretly return it to its original place. That way, neither gods nor ghosts will know."
Luo Feng's greatest ambition was to eliminate demons and devils, accumulate merit, and cultivate immortality. Therefore, he was very interested in legends related to the Celestial and Demonic races.
If he wanted to, he could have just listened with his junior brothers and sisters. Why did he have to scare them and 'righteously' steal the book like this?
"Oh, so Senior Brother is curious too, yet he pretended not to care."
"Of course, I'm different from you. I have to read it slowly to grasp the profound meaning hidden within the book. After I finish reading, I'll explain it..."
"Second Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother!" Luo Feng was in the middle of speaking when a disciple hurriedly ran up to call him.
"Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Sister has encountered trouble. Master is calling you to return to the grand assembly quickly."
As soon as Luo Feng entered the grand assembly, he saw the soulless body of Third Junior Sister Bi Yao lying on a table. Members of the Shushan Sect were also present at the scene.
"Master," Luo Feng clasped his hands together and respectfully bowed to Yue Peng.
"Master, what exactly happened to Bi Yao?"
At this moment, Su Mu Nan, a disciple of the Shushan Sect, stepped forward to explain the situation in detail.
"Respected Sect Leaders. The other day, Bi Yao and I went down the mountain to cultivate. We stopped at the Han Qi Inn in Furong Town. Bi Yao went to buy some provisions for our journey, so we separated.
Suddenly, I discovered a desolate alleyway emanating a monstrous aura that reached the heavens. When I rushed there, I saw a wolf demon extracting Bi Yao's soul. He was cunning and treacherous, escaping incredibly fast; I couldn't catch him in time."
"A wolf demon," Luo Feng mused, stroking his chin.
The Shushan Sect Leader spoke up, "Sect Leader Yue, in the past five days, ninety young women have been found in a soulless state. Their cases are just like Bi Yao's. I believe the culprit is that same individual."
Luo Feng approached Bi Yao's body, used two fingers to open her eyes, and discovered a faint red glow flickering beneath her eyelids.
"Master, he is very likely a wolf demon with 500 years of cultivation."
At this moment, the Eldest Young Miss, Yue Bing Ji, arrived to pay her respects. She was the only daughter of the Lingxu Sect Leader.
This is the third sect among the Five Great Sects, specializing in the cultivation of the spirit realm. “Disciples of the Linh Hư Sect pay their respects to the two sect masters.” Băng Cơ was a straightforward young woman. Her mother had passed away when she was young, so her father doted on her immensely, treating her like a precious jewel in his hands. Possessing extraordinary spiritual power and swordsmanship, she was always an arrogant and haughty young lady.
Her strikingly beautiful appearance gave her a cold, unapproachable aura. Băng Cơ had long been devoted to Lạc Phong. Only a talented and handsome young hero like Lạc Phong could make her so infatuated.
However, she dared not confess her feelings to him. Despite being a headstrong young lady, before Lạc Phong, she was like a shy little rabbit, speaking timidly and acting extremely gentle and feminine. Matters concerning souls were the Linh Hư Sect's specialty. Băng Cơ had only come to the grand assembly to contribute her efforts because she wanted Lạc Phong to have a good impression of her. Nhạc Bằng spoke up, asking for her help: “Băng Cơ, would you please see if there’s a way to save Bích Dao?” Băng Cơ circled Bích Dao’s body to investigate the cause, then she opened the girl’s palm to examine it. After a period of observation, she had an answer. “Reporting to the Sect Master, if Bích Dao’s soul had merely been extracted by a common demon, this disciple could use a soul-summoning spell to recall her spirit back to her body. But her soul has been sealed within a Soul-Locking Pouch. The only way to save her is to retrieve that pouch.” She added: “We must act as quickly as possible. If a soul remains separated from its owner for more than seven days, it will completely detach from the body. At that point, there will be no way to save her.” Nhạc Bằng pondered for a moment, then said: “Lạc Phong, go at once to Phù Dung Town and find this wolf demon.” “This disciple obeys,” Lạc Phong said, cupping his hands in acknowledgment before immediately setting off.
As Lạc Phong reached the sect gate, preparing to descend the mountain, Băng Cơ ran after him from behind, calling out to him. “Lạc Phong!” She was panting, unable to catch her breath: “Can I go with you?” Lạc Phong frowned and stepped aside. His expression was a little awkward; he didn’t want her to come along but didn’t know how to say it. “I think it’s best if you stay at the Linh Hư Sect… I can handle him by myself. If that villain harms you, I wouldn’t know what to say to Sect Master Nguyệt. You… understand what I mean, right?” Lạc Phong had tried his best to phrase his words subtly, yet clearly enough for Băng Cơ to understand that he wanted to go alone. But to her ears, his words took on an entirely different meaning. She thought Lạc Phong was concerned about her, which was why he spoke that way. Băng Cơ was delighted, smiling faintly: “I understand. You go, I’ll wait for your return.” He breathed a sigh of relief, glad he wouldn’t have to carry a burden. Going alone would be more convenient and swift than having to worry about others. “Then I’m off.” He quickly hurried down the mountain, afraid that if he delayed even a step, she might change her mind. Băng Cơ stood watching Lạc Phong until his figure was no longer in sight. The flip side of love is hatred. If one day the two of them were to turn from lovers to enemies, who knew where things would lead?