C1 There Was a Son Who Was a Rat!
In the time immemorial, a desolate grassland lay under a sky heavy with dark clouds, rolling like an overturned sea.
"Caw!"
Black crows periodically descended upon the Savage Lands, clutching fragments of flesh in their beaks, feasting in a manner that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Hualala!"
Blood flowed like streams of scarlet gems, and as the wind howled, a pungent stench of blood filled the air, enough to make one's stomach churn.
Strewn across the Savage Lands were too many corpses, both human and from the Beast Tribe. Their black hair was tangled and wild, their mud-streaked faces frozen in terror, their bodies riddled with wounds.
Amidst the carnage, shattered pieces of Spirit Weapons, embedded in the earth, glimmered with a faint Divine Light.
The land was a vast graveyard, a sea of blood churning like waves in a crimson hell.
"Crack!"
A wolf monster rose to its full height, its face a mask of wolf fur, eyes a blazing scarlet filled with brutality. At that moment, it was holding a young girl's head, its jaws wide, ready to bite down.
Blood and flesh erupted into the air, splattering across the wild grass in an instant.
Then, from behind the wolf monster, a blood-soaked, gaunt figure slowly rose to its feet. A dagger, gleaming with a cold white light, was deftly placed against the wolf monster's neck, and with a swift, forceful motion...
"Squish!"
Foul, dark green blood traced an elegant arc through the air, staining the ground.
The wolf monster's blood-red eyes widened in shock, its pupils shrinking in agony, but it was unable to utter a single word.
It turned its stiff neck slowly, only to meet the gaze of a bloodied face with sharp features.
With a "Thwack!", the figure, known as Mouse, paid no heed to the wolf monster, staggering forward with a lurching gait toward a destination only he knew.
Beneath his feet, the thick blood mingled with the icy corpses of his fellow disciples.
"Thud!"
Leaning against a massive boulder, Mouse turned and nearly collapsed to the ground. With trembling hands, he wiped away the beads of cold sweat that had formed on his forehead.
Beneath a massive boulder, an unsightly man gazed vacantly at the hellish scene before him. Winged Glowscales with golden fur, pig monsters with long tusks and needle-sharp fur, and a multitude of wolf monsters; their blackened corpses blanketed over half the battlefield. Among them were human mages of all genders and ages, their only commonality being the light blue robes they wore, reminiscent of mice.
"Shua!" Suddenly, a brilliant Divine Light burst forth from behind the thick clouds, illuminating the face of the man known as Mouse, who squinted to adjust to the piercing brightness. It was the blood-red sunset.
"All I want is to live!" he exclaimed. "Who wouldn't want to be a hero if they possessed the power to battle across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?" Rising slowly, Mouse dusted off his blood-stained robe and, with the sunset at his back, made his way toward the sect that had tormented him for three long years.
Beneath the crimson sunset lay a field of corpses stretching across the Waste Land. The blood had turned the Savage Lands red, and bones carpeted the earth. The scent of blood rose to the heavens, painting the clouds a sinister shade of red.
Withered vines, ancient trees, and crows gave the place the air of hell itself. In the midst of this macabre tapestry, a slight figure took steps toward the unknown. What awaited him?
The Continent of Sin, enduring since time immemorial, was sparsely populated by humans, who inhabited less than a tenth of its expanse, the remainder being vast, desolate territories. The uninhabited regions, dominated by the Abyss of Sin—the foremost of the forbidden zones—remained largely unexplored.
Of the nine continents, humans claimed eight, while the Beast Tribe and demons held the Fell Lands. West of the Fell Lands lay the seven continents of the human race; to the east, only the Guiltlands. Lacking support from the other continents and following the Epic Great War half a million years prior, the Guiltlands had become a subordinate land to the demons.
In this land, they perpetrated every conceivable atrocity. It was only Thvelond, the legendary sanctuary established by Everett, that stood steadfast amidst the chaos, offering a haven of safety for countless impoverished youths.
In the Nine Continents, there were eight great sects, each led by a figure of significant power, whom people revered as the "Lords."
The Nine Continents symbolized the lineage of humanity and the last vestiges of Terra Flamea's bloodline.
The conflict between the Beast Tribe and humans was unending.
It did not cease yesterday, it will not cease today, nor will it tomorrow.
As dusk descended upon the base of Thvelond Mount.
A mouse looked up at the vast range nestled in the Savage Lands, its eyes flashing with a cold, sharp light.
Thvelond Mount, situated in the southeastern Guiltlands and bordering the Fell Lands, was a colossal structure of cliffs and precipices, rising over 3,000 meters. Its peak, perpetually veiled in mist, appeared ethereal and dreamlike.
Atop Thvelond Mount, rainbow-hued celestial lights danced, with cranes gliding amidst them. The mountainside was dotted with splendid structures that radiated dazzling light, piercing the deep of night.
Perched at the mountain's summit was the preeminent sect of the Thvelond Sect, Sablewings. Its grand hall, ancient and adorned with intricate carvings, was fortified against the onslaught of any duke.
The mouse ascended a stone staircase, striding forward, each step covering dozens of meters, before vanishing into the thin mist.
Midway up the mountain.
The mouse stood before a dense light barrier.
"Please submit to the inspection!" commanded the guardians from the other side of the barrier, two disciples of the Fourfold Mountain from the Thvelond Sect, their expressions stern and dignified, clad in light blue robes, with ancient swords slung across their backs, exuding an air of lofty pride.
Gazing at the formidable barrier, a flicker of fear crossed the mouse's narrowed eyes.
This was the Voidweave Array, a legendary circle of death said to be crafted only by the Ruler of the Ten Heavens, with the power to devastate worlds.
After a moment's hesitation, the mouse cautiously placed its calloused hand upon the light curtain.
Chaos Energy cascaded down, and in an instant, the barrier quivered, parting slightly to grant the mouse passage.
This was a standard procedure for the Thvelond Sect. Before entering Thvelond, all disciples who had ventured outside were required to undergo an inspection by the Voidweave Array.
Should anyone carry the scent of blood from other Thvelond Sect disciples on their person, they would be instantly subdued by the array, facing the harshest and most brutal punishment the Thvelond Sect had to offer.
If the scent belonged to other humans, the matter would need to be reported to the Lord, who would then determine the individual's fate.
However, if it was the scent of blood from the Beast Tribe or demons, there would be no cause for concern, as they could pass through the Voidweave Array unobstructed.
Rat's eyes twinkled as he touched his flattened nose and strode through the Chaos Light. With his head bowed and body hunched, he hurried past two striking Senior Brothers.
From a distance, Rat appeared to be fleeing.
Indeed, as the most unsightly man of the Thvelond Sect, he was compelled to bow his head before everyone.
Over the past three years, he had become the butt of jokes among all the disciples of the Thvelond Sect. Rat had grown accustomed to being the subject of their post-dinner banter. Yet, the resentment simmering in his heart only intensified.
He was uncertain when he might turn against the Thvelond Sect and become the first rebel in its history.
Halfway up the mountain, splendid buildings were sparsely scattered. As he ascended, the structures grew more concentrated, to the point where walking became impossible, necessitating flight.
But the art of sword flight was an exclusive skill of the Fourfold Mountain mages. Rat, currently at the Fourth Heaven of Qi Condensation, wondered if he would ever break through to the Ninth Heaven of Qi Condensation and reach the One-Mountain in his lifetime.
Having navigated the majestic halls and multiple pavilions, Rat was on his way to the rear of the Thvelond Sect's mountain.
Yet, at a junction, he was met by a throng of Thvelond Sect disciples.
"Well, well, if it isn't Thvelond Sect's most infamous, little brother Rat. What's this, returning in triumph from battle?" In front of an ancient hall, Rat's eyes were bloodshot, the vessels stark against the whites, as he stared at a young man before him.
The speaker was a young man of about seventeen or eighteen, with a complexion as pure as white jade and long, light purple hair cascading over his shoulders. His deep purple eyes were abyssal and bewitching, exuding a fatal allure to young girls.
He was the epitome of a demon, the most notorious of his kind, the worst among the worst.
"Three years and still only at the Fourth Heaven of Qi Condensation. Such a lowly human ant deserves to be crushed underfoot."
"Judas is right. Someone like him is just wasting air."
"Exactly, he's completely shamed his master."
"Alas, remember how formidable he was? The unrivaled Supreme of the Guiltlands, dominating the Nine Continents, only to be treacherously murdered and reduced to a mere bloodstain, leaving behind nothing but a laughingstock."
"Does anyone recall his initial promise? His talent was so extraordinary it could stun the world, rivaling that of his deceased senior brother."
"What did this kid do to deserve this? In a single month, he broke through to the Ninth Heaven of Qi Condensation and ascended to the One-Mountain, only to have his cultivation vanish without a trace overnight."
"An ant is still an ant. No matter how it's adorned, can it really become a warrior of the Beast Tribe?"
Once again, it was Judas who stood out. It was difficult to imagine that such a minority of non-humans could become the object of adulation by so many human mages.
The biting sarcasm caused Ratty's breathing to quicken, his face growing even whiter.
"Senior Brother Judas!" "Sisters, hurry! Senior Brother Judas is over here!"
Suddenly, beneath the overcast sky, a group of girls spotted the crowd from afar on a flight of white jade stairs. They cheered and sprinted over in a frenzy, eager to catch a glimpse of Judas, the Thvelond Sect's most celebrated figure.
The two groups quickly merged.
There were over thirty individuals, the men dashing and the women graceful, all brimming with youthful exuberance like a lively, bubbling lake.
The sole outlier was the solitary figure of Ratty, biting his lip in isolation. He was the proverbial fly in the ointment, a sentiment unanimously shared by the entire Thvelond Sect.
"Senior Sister Victoria, look, it's your first crush!" A woman in the crowd suddenly whispered, tugging at a girl and pointing at Ratty. In an instant, more than thirty pairs of eyes turned to the mouse and the girl.
In that instant, the mouse was overwhelmed by a sense of despair so profound it felt like death would have been a mercy.
