NOVPUB"Zimo, I’ve made up my mind," Lin Ruhu said hurriedly upon seeing Xu Zimei.
"No matter what, I respect your choice," Xu Zimei replied with a smile and a nod.
"Since I began my cultivation, it was to be by your side. You asked me what my true thoughts were in my heart.
My grandfather told me that everyone cultivates with a goal in mind. Some do it to become strong and take control of their destiny, some for immortality, and some just to protect their loved ones.
I don’t have such great aspirations. Destiny, as well as the view at the end of the Martial Path—neither are important to me.
I cultivate just to be by your side, to fight alongside you, so that one day I won’t need your protection or even fail to catch up to your shadow."
Seeing Lin Ruhu’s sincere expression, Xu Zimei was slightly moved and spoke slowly, "Just like that year when we were seven, when we encountered that Droopy-eyed White Tiger, right?"
At Xu Zimei’s words, Lin Ruhu was startled and asked blankly, "Zimo, you really remember that incident?"
Xu Zimei smiled, and it was as if time had rewound to that very afternoon.
When the White Tiger opened its gaping maw, he had said, "Brother, the elder is in front and the younger follows behind, so I have to protect you."
Lin Ruhu’s chubby face was full of stubbornness as he shook his head in response, "I’m not leaving. We either run together or die together."
At that time, the two of them had not yet started their cultivation, and fortunately, Lin Ruhu had a Heavenly Tier dagger on him.
In the end, both of them were covered in wounds, but they managed to take care of that Droopy-eyed White Tiger.
Later, Xu Zimei found out that when they had sneaked out of the Sect Gate to play, someone had secretly followed and protected them.
It was that person who had covertly dealt with the Droopy-eyed White Tiger.
Xu Zimei knew that the incident had greatly affected Lin Ruhu and was also the reason Lin Ruhu swore to always stay by his side.
He smiled and said to Lin Ruhu, "I had indeed forgotten before, but Cang Tian has given me the chance to start over, and now I remember."
Lin Ruhu scratched his head and smiled, not understanding what Xu Zimei meant by the chance to start over, but he felt happy inside.
"This time, let’s join forces as brothers and see what lies at destiny’s end," Xu Zimei said with a laugh, patting Lin Ruhu on the shoulder.
Lin Ruhu nodded emphatically.
......
There were still two days before the Blood Demon Secret Realm would open, and Xu Zimei wasn’t cultivating during these two days, taking the rare opportunity to relax.
Moreover, he had just stabilized his True Fate World, so this time could be used to better adapt to this power.
The setting sun bathed the endless horizon, birds mirrored in the evening glow against the dusk, and the gentle evening breeze carried tendrils of warmth as it caressed his face.
Xu Zimei lay on the lounge chair in the courtyard, playing with his pet Dark Heaven Tiger.
Even though the name Situ Goudan was rather unremarkable, as his pet, it was destined to have a day of fame across the Continent.
The little tiger had already passed its juvenile phase and was officially entering its growth period.
Its size was now bigger than Xu Zimei, its black fur more luxuriant, and the pair of thin, cicada-wing-like wings on its back had also grown much larger.
The little tiger was still too small to ride before, but now that it had grown so much, Xu Zimei thought it was time to put it to use.
Traveling on an Emperor Tier Monster Beast would surely be a striking sight. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
Situ Goudan, who was playing in the medicinal herb garden, chasing butterflies, caught sight of Xu Zimei’s indescribable smile and couldn’t help but shiver with a sudden sense of foreboding.
.........
The story began with the True Martial Great Emperor bearing Destiny.
In those Wild Desolation eras, Monster Beasts still dominated the lands.
But suddenly, there emerged a legend of Destiny amidst heaven and earth, claiming that those who bore Destiny could be invincible in their era.
After a series of struggles and great battles, no one expected that the first Destiny would end up with an obscure human youth.
Some said that the True Martial Great Emperor had ushered in the Era of Emperors, but in fact, many Monster Beasts were still living in the grand dream of being the Dominators of their age.
It wasn’t until that battle that the True Martial Great Emperor had an earth-shattering battle with ten Divine Beasts.
That day, blood drenched the earth, the firmament roared, and the painful howls of the Divine Beasts echoed throughout the Yuan Central Continent.
The man fought covered in blood, his aura surging like the Changhe River raging for ninety thousand miles, his Sword Qi hanging inverted in the firmament for a hundred thousand years.
Behind him lay the bodies of nine Divine Beasts.
In that moment, people came to realize something.
They truly acknowledged that man.
He was called True Martial,
He carried Destiny,
He was the first among the human race,
He initiated the Era of Emperors,
All the Monster Beasts shivered in the corners,
Their glory was long gone, the age of Wild Desolation... ended!
People cheered, celebrating the arrival of the new age.
Out of ten Divine Beasts, nine died in battle, and one escaped with severe injuries. The glory of the Monster Beasts was destined to fall.
Where the nine Monster Beasts fell, their blood tainted the land and mutated all life forms there.
Thus, a new species emerged, the Blood Demons.
The True Martial Great Emperor sealed that piece of land but the Malice Qi of the Blood Demons was too intense.
Every three years, the seal would break, and disciples from the True Martial Holy Sect had to enter the seal to slay the Blood Demons and reduce the Malice Qi.
Latter, people discovered that these Blood Demons were formed from the mutated contamination of the nine Monster Beasts’ blood.
After slaying Blood Demons, they could also obtain Blood Demon Crystals within their bodies, each containing varying traces of the nine Divine Beasts’ essence.
Absorbing the essence from these Blood Demon Crystals could enhance the Qi and blood within a Martial Artist’s body.
So what was originally a grueling task of slaying Blood Demons inadvertently became a Secret Realm.
Before his ascension, the True Martial Great Emperor had intended to destroy the Blood Demon Secret Realm entirely.
After all, the human race, having come from the era of Wild Desolation, held extreme loathing for Monster Beasts.
Nevertheless, it remained. There were two reasons for this.
One was that the existence of the Blood Demon Secret Realm kept the True Martial Holy Sect vigilant while providing a place for disciples to experience trials.
Second were the Blood Demon Crystals; with them, this place became a treasure land.
.........
A few days later, the Blood Demon Secret Realm opened, and those disciples prepared to enter the realm began queuing at the entrance.
Actually, the qualifications to enter the Blood Demon Secret Realm were not very strict.
First, all Core Disciples of the Sect could participate.
Second, the top ten disciples from the internal and external Sect’s Hidden Dragon List and the Tiger List were also eligible.
Third, the younger generation of some Elders also had the opportunity to participate; after all, with such matters, as long as there is no excessive behavior, everyone tends to turn a blind eye.
Early in the morning, Xu Zimei, along with Lin Ruhu and Xiao Guizi, made their way to the Blood Demon Secret Realm.
