Chapter 19: Kong Yufang

Mankind. Although weak, although low, and although powerless. They remain hopeful even in death, for they believed.

They truly believed in an era that belonged only to mankind, an era where Humanity would rise. And so, mankind, lived on, refusant to die they sent many to their deaths for the purpose of living on. Mankind, inept. But, idiotic they were not, they were undoubtedly the species smartest amidst all the chaos. From the very beginning Humanity knew, they knew as a slave they could not accomplish much, and without a doubt, Humanity deep down knew that they would never rise.

Time whether it moves forward or backward, time is unprecedented, something unpredictable, and in this time many, lay waste to their own life, die however? They did not. What these people gave up was not their being, but their identity as a slave, they had given up what it meant to be human, they had given up everything to start again anew.

These beings once slaves, having escaped their impending doom, enter a reclusive life, hiding far, far away in a land where even the sun dares not shine.

From here on to those in hiding, and even those in death stood strong, the entirety of mankind, they kept hopeful, unswayed as time passed. Even as their lives were wasted away, and they lay dead upon the cold ground, their hope remains.

Humanity lived based on one belief, the belief of their eventual rise, the belief of a world Human. Truly they believed in that day, a day where while they may be no longer, somewhere a Human lived on, and there they hoped, one day, those in hiding, while inept could one day produce someone gifted.

Humanities genius, this even with all of the committee's planning, truly such a thing it was something these slaves could never anticipate. In this, however, there was something these slaves simply could anticipate. There very own helping out mankind, from long ago allowing them to hide in secret.

In such a time, in such utter turmoil, mankind did not falter, moving forward they lived not the life of others, they had begun a life new, a life free from all. They had begun the path of humanity, a path infinite, the path of one unknown; the path of renewal.

Once more, from nothing Humanity began again, rising from nothing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Upon a cliff, a Roc sat looking into the emptiness of space, with a deep sigh, he muttered, "Zhi Qi my brother, I'm sorry, your species is no more, and to you Ant, when will you return?" Smiling lightly he continued, "Did you find it? Did you walk it? Did you walk that path you spoke of? That path to something greater? The very path that God and even the devil himself failed to walk."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In a world much different from there own. A human boy exits the shadows, grinning endearingly, a grin so bright it was blinding, like the soft smile of a diety, this boy smiled. This boy strange, however, acting in a desperate manner, he runs swiftly chasing after three Qilin drawn carriages.

Slowly but surely catching up, this boy, lays low, using the masses of people around as a barricade to hide, as, at full speed, he charges.

Although running at his highest speed, the Qilin were unquestionably a species not to trifled with, he too however, was not one to be trifled, for increasing his speed he grew swift and moved with grace.

Finally, this boy, he grows near the carriages now within his reach, his smile falls, a benevolent God no longer, however, in its place a dominant smile, filled with greed, and within his eyes, a look of destruction, a demon he becomes.

"To dare take something of mine, just you wait." Having muttered lightly, he stretches out his arm reaching out, grasping at the carriage, he grabs ahold, and forcefully pulling open the door, makes his way inside and behind him, the door closes shut.

Sitting down, a young girl enters his vision, her mouth opening wide, at the sudden appearance of this boy she screams out in terror, however as her sweet calls for help just began to let out, a hand with great force held her mouth shut, ceasing the flow of sound, and calling an end to her calls for help.

Here, this boy smiled as he moved closer to her, with his mouth next to her ear, he blew in and in response, she shivered. However, here this boy let his hand go, and moved back to the other side, took his seat, and looked out the window.

Bewildered, this young girl with tears in her eyes and her face to the ground, glanced up looking directly into the eyes of this boy, she spoke without fear, in a voice enchanting, a voice even sweeter than honey, "Who are you?"

Odd. At such a thing he too grew bewildered, truly this girl was different, to not back down, she took over the situation, however, step down he did not, speaking back he said lazily, "Enchantress with the heart of a lion, I am no one, I'll merely be borrowing this seat over the next couple of days, just go ahead and ignore me, as If I had never appeared in the first place."

To be called an enchantress she blushed deeply, for before her this boy near her age, had eyes boundless it was as if a whole sky resolved within, and his hair, a dazzling aqua blue. To catch her attention, in the past many had tried, however out of her, no boy had managed to bring even the slightest smile to her face. But here before this strange boy, she blushed, weirdly in such a situation, she felt something towards this boy, unlike anyone she had met before she felt he was special.

With a pout, she spoke, unwillingly to be strangers wanting to know more she coaxed him with a voice, coquettish, "Handsome young man may I dare ask upon your name?"

Looking back to this girl, this boy smiled brightly. Blanking staring into her eyes he remained for 30 seconds, and only after he had confirmed it, seeing no wavering feelings within her eyes, he replied, while sighing within his heart, "Little girl, don't speak to this one in such a way, truly you must have heard of me, and surely you must not want anything to do with I Kong Yufang."

Closing her eyes for a second, seeming, to have remembered something. The second passes and while eyes open, upon her face an enchanting smile sits, as she looks back to Yufang with a confused look, and replies, "Kong Yufang? I've never heard of him."

Coughing blood to such an obvious lie Yufang set a hook "Well then... It seems my notorious nature has failed me. When even a little girl has not heard of my name, truly it is disheartening..."

His smile widening, a demonic grin rose, and from his eyes, an unceasing lust for blood oozed out as he continued, "It seems I'll need to teach this world, what it means to be Kong Yufang, I need to teach just who exactly Kong Yufang is before they come knocking at my door for answers."

Before her this man, that seemed more devout than even God, revealed his fangs, and became a demon. Scared she didn't inquire any further and instead kept to herself. Yufang however, didn't care for the silence and instead spoke, "And so young lass, just who are you anyway? Traveling so extravagantly."

Not willing to communicate, but also someone who shunned upon rudeness, and so she replied simply, "The 4th generation princess, Xue Ji."

"Xue... Xue Ji" Muttering Yufang thought, before speaking, "An indirect successor? It seems life is hard-lived even to those royal."

Sighing deeply, Xue Ji spoke in a matter of riddles, "In the infinite cosmos, answers remain unknown, even to God, a life indirect is a life direct, a life with purpose, living a life hard-lived is simply living a life full. A life without regrets."

Laughing lightly, Yufang spoke once more, "Lass Xue Ji, it seems you don't know who you're talking to, your sight is limited. The cosmos, you speak of, infinite? Yes, however infinite is what we make it, everything in life has limits, all life eventually ceases, and all machinery eventually stops working. Hard-lived you say? A life with a purpose you say? I don't understand."

Being reprimanded over nothing, Xue Ji spoke up, however, her words unheard like a fly buzzing in the distance, continuing Yufang lectured, "I don't understand. Life is something you make it, whether it be hard, or simple, whether it be meaningful or empty, mortals will never decide, and yet here you dare speak of such a thing. You don't even know the profundity of your own yet you dare speak as if you understand."

Sighing lightly, Yufang stopped, looked to Xue Ji, and spoke once more, "I'll tell you something, I'll give you a chance, your whole approach towards life, it's incorrect, nay it's an approach fallacious. Live life on the edge, destroy everything in your path, rise higher than ever before, kill the ones that speak of something as idiotic as fate, fate? I killed it, God? There is no one but me, this is your chance, join me on the path of self-destruction or remain ignorant as a bird without wings."

To dub one's entire take on life, fallacious, was to say they'd lived a fool's life, a life in the dark, that all they believed to be the greatest was merely the thought of a frog within a well nothing more, nothing less.

Looking down, Xue Ji entered deep thought, rethinking her life as far as her entire existence, and with no lack of time, Yufang sat patiently, awaiting her answer.

So from then on, a day passed, and Xue Ji's reaction remained the same, always in deep thought, apart from when food was brought to her carriage only then would she change, however, from her body expressions, and her facial expression even while eating, that troubled look although hidden deep within it remains.

Patiently Yufang waited, staring out the window, and dreading life, right now he was nothing, and what was he doing about it? Nothing. Cultivation, to most was, something simple merely a life of cultivating, eating, and sleeping, however to Yufang, cultivation was his very demise, and so while waiting, he took the time to enjoy the finer things, smiling out the window he watched as the wind blew across this mortal plain.

Wait, Yufang had, and just like that another day passed by but Xue Ji's answer to his question there was none. His stop, however, was here, his time now limited, Yufang left her behind. Exiting the carriage Yufang hid in the shadows of the thousands.

After all this time, he had returned, the arena. He had returned to get back what he left, and so enter the arena, Yufang did.

Entering, a stadium empty, and an arena of nothing, across his face rage, arose, but then he saw it, the thing he returned for.

Although weak, although living low, Yufang remained true to himself. A carefree, individual that only appreciates the finer things in life, a time to gain strength. Yufang truly believed it would come eventually. Yes eventually he believed that his restraint would be worth it and so push his cultivation aside, Yufang did.

In the very corner of the arena, there he saw it, his old friend that had once soared across the skies glamorously, and with such grace that even the heavens above felt reverence. Their Yufang's kite sat, but its former glory had been diminished, it's flight no longer, for now, it was merely a blanket of silk attached to some string.

Falling down to his knees Yufang picked up his kite and holding it near, from his eyes tears fell, and from his mouth a promise to an old friend, "My brother, I promise you this, I will return you to your former glory, no! I will let you reach a hight you had never seen before, I will make you a dragon, this is my promise to you and under the name of the God of Scavengers, fulfill this promise I Yufang will."

Care Yufang now had none, for his kite, and for his promise he forgot his debt. Walking through the streets, Yufang with his kite in hand backtracked to a place he had seen while staring out the window of the carriage.

For his old friend, his kite and to see its gleaming self soar above all, Yufang ran, to a place where the wind blew strong. To a field, he had seen four hours ago, a place where the wind blew like the tempest storms of the demon kings sea, where tornados run free.

Tieing his kite to his back, Yufang ran with the arena to his back, without care for the world, he ran through crowds, pushed over stalls, and ran on top of establishments to get their even a second faster for his old friend.

2 hours pass and Yufang had made it, upon his face a smile, as he removed his kite from his back. To travel what took a carriage 4 hours in two, it was not hard, however, to Yufang a man without cultivation, such a matter was truly unfeasible.

Unraveling his kite, with great care, Yufang held it tight once more, before setting it free, allowing it to become a kite free. Rise his kite did, he a mere silk kite flew higher than any other, with grace, and high stature, among the stars, this kite flew free, and in this time Yufang had graced it, this kate had felt what none had ever dared, it felt what it was like to a dragon, a primordial creature that flew gracefully, and infinitely without guidance.

In the sky high above, as if to smile to Yufang, his kite basked in the light and directed it down over Yufang. Upon Yufang's face, a smile bright, a smile of a father watching his son succeed before his very own eyes.

However, in this moment of joy, all was cut short for encircling Yufang, six indomitable old men wore identical black robes, that read, "Sect Protector," on the black. These 6 the legendary Eternal's of the punishment department.

Having entrapped him the six speak in perfect harmony, "Inner disciple, Kong Yufang, your incompetence, unfilial nature, and your entire being liberates demonic light. And ever since your first appearance in our sect, each move you make, chaos is sure to follow, and by your destruction, even a grand elder met his doom under your arm.

Therefore, by my power as a grand elder of the punishment department, I hereby