"Yating, don't displease me." Cai Xuefang said as he watched his son-in-law struggle mightily.

The shadows and darkness seemed to cling to him. Holding back his every step. Surrounding him tightly and refusing to make his trek any easier. It had been this way for the past few days and it seemed to get worse for him especially.

Cai Xuefang did not seem to struggle with it at all. The inky fog never changed ever since he noticed it so long ago. Maybe it had gotten thicker. Nothing more than that though. An object of curiosity as far as he was concerned currently. Maybe it would change if he ever met the wielder of such a massive domain-like existence.

"What do I do?" Shao Yating took a few steps forward. Glaring at the weaker guards that did not know what was happening, only that the ink-like fog surrounded them. "How do I fight it off without brute forcing it, father-in-law? I can't figure it out."

Cai Xuefang rubbed his forehead.

The child was strong, exceptionally talented too. However he had to be as dumb as a bunch of rocks stacked on top of each other. Worse. Not an ounce of thinking went through his head. No plans. No scheming plots. Nothing that would endear him to Cai Xuefang or prove his sect's Heavenly Demon correct.

It all seemed to come at the cost of his family. With no real benefits. Just another brute he suspected would die sooner or later.

Fighting something beyond him.

All arrogant and unthinking Demonic Cultivators tended to die the same way. Too stupid to see Mount Tai before them. Too blind to notice that their enemy was beyond their current ability nor did they have the mind to know that they could come back when they were stronger to get revenge for any insult they may have incurred.

Common knowledge. The basics of being a true Demonic Cultivator. All things that should have been taught to them at birth had they been raised properly. Dragons raised dragons. Mules raised mules too. No ox will ever turn into a dragon. No dragon will ever fall to the lowly station of an insect.

Those were the laws of the universe. Everyone's place in the grand scheme of things decided the moment they were born.

"Yating, coat your body with Qi stupid boy." Cai Xuefang whispered harshly.

Shao Yating did not hear him at all in his struggle against the shadows. Struggling even harder. The more effort wasted physically, the stronger the shadows became. Holding him down like chains. A master assassin would have a field day with him.

Yating roared. His treasure, tied onto his neck with a dangling necklace started to glow bright purple. The shadows began to recede. Hands rose from the ground and their surroundings, appearing from the air too. Purple fires for eyes. Each one stronger than the other. Together they pushed the darkness away and gave their master room to breathe and recover.

The boy's shoulders heaved up and down in an attempt to make up for the suffocation he had felt. Hands on his knees.

"Fucking finally. That was so much harder than it was supposed to be," Shao Yating turned to him. "Why didn't you tell me this would work? Happy to see me suffer? How about tell me that these shadows existed a week ago so I could have prepared better. Do you like seeing me embarrass myself?"

Cai Xuefang ignored him as he kept walking forward.

That was nothing but a waste of Qi and energy. Even if it was a creative way to fight off the shadows and ink-like fog. How do I keep him alive? I won't allow my little darling to become a widow. Not in a thousand years!

He would need to force him to train. Maybe drag him up their mountain sects peak to where their Heavenly Demon Zi Zhen lived and train him under the threat of having his soul devoured by Demonic Spirit Animals. Or maybe the threat of feeding him to a Demonic Tree. Those deaths were always brutal.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

So many options. So little time to execute all of them.

One had to happen though.

Cai Xuefang stopped in his tracks. He looked back at Shao Yating with narrowed eyes. The summons were acting strange. They looked back and forth, snapping their heads violently as though they were afraid of something. They shook violently. All the while Shao Yating seemed oblivious to it all. Unable to see his summons noticing a certain threat somewhere.

He closed his eyes and attempted to feel something in the area. It was difficult with his muted senses. The shadows were far more insidious than he expected, making all his powers dull compared to their original station.

Nothing immediately showed itself. Only more darkness.

Yet, if these lowly things could sense something, they he just needed to keep looking. Maybe he would find whatever it is they noticed.

His search continued.

"Father-in-law? Have you gone senile already?"

Cai Xuefang ignored him. He caught the coattails of a distant Qi tendril. So pitifully small he could not imagine it was anything more than a Qi initiate. That could not have been anything worth this type of reaction from the summons of Shao Yating.

A moment later, he noticed the signs of a Gaseous Core Stage cultivator that was on the brink of a breakthrough to the Liquid Core Stage. Requiring nothing more than a step on the path. A wood aligned cultivator with a Righteous Foundation. One within the depths of Demonic Cultivator lands, just casually strolling in their forests.

He felt anger fill his chest.

She dare act so aloof and oblivious? Openly showing her true colors in our domain and lands without care? Does she think we are unworthy to be put beneath her eye?

"Yating."

Shao Yating let out a long loud sigh. "What is it now?"

"I found you a Gaseous Core Stage idiot just strolling in the forest. A new play thing you can torture to your hearts content. One that may be strong enough to be pushed into the Liquid Core Stage, to last longer. Go get—"

Cai Xuefang snapped his head back towards the summons. Another among them stepped out of the shadows. This one was different.

"Really? First good thing you've said this entire accused trip! Point me towards them!"

An old thing turned its head to Cai Xuefang. Long black robes fluttering to an unseen wind. It leaned heavily on a staff. But that was nothing more than an image. A fake persona. The thing was as strong as he was. A Pinnacle Immortal level summoning.

"Yating?"

"…" the thing opened its mouth, attempting to speak, but only let out a scrambled rumbling mess. Struggling to form words. As though it had not spoken in ages.

"Yes? Hurry up, point me to the person! I ran out of servants already!"

"Shao Yating. How strong do your summons get?" Cai Xuefang asked, unwilling to part eyes from the old monster that had its own attention locked onto him. Both of their domains kicking into action and pressing each other.

Cai Xuefang was stronger than it. By a large margin. Even among their elevated station, the minor realms between them were massive gulfs that could not be transcended. But it didn't need to. It alone made Shao Yating worth all of the headaches and struggles he had to face in the present and future. The Jade of the Dead only proved itself more valuable the longer he studied it. Even from a distance.

If only it did not disappear and relocate with the death of its user. I would have taken it for me—

"Death! Death! Death!" The old thing screamed something shrill.

Shao Yating jumped in his spot. Diving to the side in case of an attack, his summons covering him. Shivering in his spot.

"Death? What death could be had when I, Cai Xuefang, am here?"

"Ancient Death has arrived! Ancient! Ancient, Predecessor of our Primordial Eras! Ancient Death hath arrived! Run. Run. Run away and hope it does not notice you—"

The old thing dove to the ground. All the summons did the same thing, trembling violently. The old monster pointed to the west of them. Blabbering for a second in an ancient language Cai Xuefang did not understand.

"—It noticed the Jade! No! We are doom! Death comes our way! Death!" All the summons slowly vanished like fog. Breaking apart and fading away.

"W-What happened, Father-in-law? What was that?" Shao Yating tried to keep his dignity by scrambling to his feet.

Cai Xuefang pointed to the Northwest. "The person you asked about is that way. Hurry and go while I see this ancient death your summon pointed at."

He scoffed.

Ancient death? Does it not know my name? Does it not know my history and power? I've matched greater men in battle than any of the likes would ever dare compare themselves to!

Cai Xuefang took off in a run. Hurrying to find this death and see what it was all about. More importantly, to make sure he killed death and add it to his illustrious legend and myth. Growing his persona and maybe one day stand toe to toe with the old Zi Zhen.

For now though. He would kill this death upstart.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.