"The Demon Lord lost!"
The news spread like wildfire from place to place and sect to sect, through word of mouth and on papers written by scholars, traders and cultivators, posters pinned on walls and letters sent from household to household via pigeon post or delivery men.
"The Demon Lord lost! The Demon Lord Mo Xuecheng lost in a battle for the first time!"
The bellman announced across the streets one late afternoon with the most enthusiasm he ever had since he got the job. He was quite short that made it easy for him to disappear when seas of intrigued spectators surged towards him like living tides. His voice, however, reigned above the all voices of the people gathering around him, especially when he found a wooden box to stand on and elevate himself so that his head stuck out of the crowd.
"It was a fight like nothing ever seen before! The Demon Lord, the being of supreme evil and wickedness, suffered a crushing defeat for the very first time! The grounds shook like thunder had fallen from the heavens and rattled the mountains and the seas! Boom! Boom! BOOM!" his fists punched the air with each boom. "And then it was raining fire like hell had taken over! The lands were almost overturned! The fight was truly a sight to behold!"
Questions of all kinds erupted, overlapping each other into an almost inaudible shroud of noise.
"Really? Did you see it with your own eyes? When did the fight take place? Where did it take place? It was those two grandmasters who defeated him, wasn't it? The Moon Dragon and the Snow Phoenix, right? Is the Demon Lord killed? Are we safe from his demons now?"
A small number of people who could see through his theatrics muttered disdainfully under their breaths, "Look at this crazy drama king. Just listen to him sensationalising every little detail. As if he had seen the fight take place."
"Would you listen to the chaos outside," complained a customer of a teashop as the ruckus disturbed his downtime.
"It can't be helped," chuckled the shopkeeper, an old man with a calm demeanour. "It's the best news our small town received in a while, so of course Rooster and his audience would all be so hyped and excited."
The customer raised an eyebrow. "Rooster?"
"You don't seem to be from this town or nearby, am I right?" asked the shopkeeper as he surveyed the customer's simple attire of foreign, grey shades. He also wore a conical bamboo hat and had travelling stick with him for carrying bindles.
"No, I'm not. I'm a rice farmer from another province."
"Well, Rooster's the nickname this town gave that man since he used to holler the hottest headlines at a very specific time every morning, and it would wake many up like the crowing rooster."
"I see," the rice farmer took a sip of his tea. "So the Demon Lord-"
Rooster ran past the doorway of the teashop at this very minute, drowning out every other sound that was made with the horde tailing closely behind him.
"What did you just say?" asked the shopkeeper, having missed what the customer was asking.
"I said the Demon Lord lost, right?" repeated the rice farmer. "To the Moon Dragon Grandmaster and the Snow Phoenix Grandmaster?"
"Yes! They are Song Yehai from the Sea Dragon Sect and Wu Xingyu from the White Phoenix Sect?"
"They sure have fancy titles. Have you met them before?"
"No, I haven't had the fortune yet. But I have heard a lot about them from cultivators that come to my shop once in a while."
"Like what?"
"Like that them two are said to be the most powerful cultivators. No other cultivators have ever come close to them in terms of strength and martial arts."
"Oh, are you talking about Wu Xingyu and Song Yehai?" another customer jumped in, a burly youth who was sitting nearby and, having overheard part of their conversation, casually joined them. "I've heard of those two big shots! They're the two youngest cultivators to be acknowledged as grandmasters."
"Why hello Mr Lu," the shopkeeper brought out a cup of tea for him. "How are your parents doing?"
"They're doing just fine," the youth grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, though the plate was paid by the rice farmer and they were total strangers, and began chewing them while leaving a mess of their shells on the table. The rice farmer glared at him with an intensely vexed, almost murderous, aura under a seemingly unperturbed gaze before taking another sip of tea.
"Why bring up my parents, manager?" as he spoke, spittle came out of his mouth. "You guys were talking about Song Yehai and Wu Xingyu just then, weren't you?"
"Yes we were," said the shopkeeper. "Well, I was about to tell this gentleman the stories I've heard about them."
"Oh, ok. Let's hear them."
"Well, the guests I have had coming to my teashop who are cultivators have often speculated that they're not human."
"What?" Mr Lu nearly spat out the seeds he was chewing.
The rice farmer, nonplussed, moved slightly away from Mr Lu to evade his saliva and the scattered shells. "It's just speculation though, isn't it?"
"Yes, not something to take seriously at all."
"If anyone's not human, it's the Demon Lord," said Mr Lu. "I mean, just look at how evil he is!"
"Indeed," the shopkeeper agreed instantly. "He annihilated the White Phoenix Sect, killed God knows how many civilians and cultivators from other sects, established the Killing Immortals Sect that he leads himself and unleashes his demons to terrorise the world. It's unbelievable how anyone can be as evil as him."
"Oh, you got that right," the rice farmer took another sip of his tea.
"That name, the Killing Immortals Sect, what a terrible name!" snorted Mr Lu. "Does he dream of killing the heavens and bringing hell upon earth?"
"Quite befitting of him, isn't it?" remarked the shopkeeper.
"Yes, it is befitting," concurred the rice farmer. "So where did the two grandmasters who defeated him come from again? The Moon Dragon Grandmaster Song Yehai, he's that master of the Sea Dragon Sect, isn't he?"
"Yes he is."
"He's a grandmaster, yet he's not the leader of the sect?"
"No. They once said that he was offered the position three times, all of which he rejected."
"He rejected the sect leadership three times?"
"I thought it was five times," Mr Lu chimed in.
"But the Sea Dragon Sect is one of the top cultivation sects in the world. Why wouldn't he want to be the leader of such a prominent sect?"
"Because he's solely focused on killing demons and protecting humans. No on has killed more demons than he has. He will stop at nothing to do his duty."
The rice farmer nodded his head. "I see. So if he's not the current sect leader, then who is?"
"It's the Divine Musician Song Yefeng."
"Song Yefeng?"
"He's Song Yehai's senior martial brother."
"Is he as powerful as Song Yehai?"
"I don't know. Probably not."
The rice farmer raised a brow. "Interesting. Has he any disciples?"
"Yes, he has two."
"What about Song Yehai?"
"He also has two."
The rice farmer's eyes widened. "He also has two as well? I didn't think he would ever take any disciples since he's so dedicated to killing demons."
"The cultivators that came to my shop sounded just as shocked as you are when they were discussing about this. Apparently the Moon Dragon Grandmaster is normally quite reserved and focused, but he suddenly took in a disciple last year, and then another one at the start of this year. And he bestowed one of them his own weapon, the Crystal Sword, and the other one his own trusted stead, the Golden Antlered Deer."
"He gave away his own weapon and steed?"
"Right as he took them in."
"Wow, what a generous teacher," commended Mr Lu. "That's a holy weapon and a holy beast he just gave away! The Crystal Sword is such a rare treasure. It can freeze anything it cuts or touches, even supposedly intangible things like spiritual energy. And the Golden Antlered Deer is no ordinary creature either. It's a holy beast!"
"That's right. Its antlers are said to be real gold! Real gold," the shopkeeper paused, having unconsciously become giddy, before repressing his excitement and continuing with proper decorum. "It has ten times more stamina and strength than the average horse and can even fly. It can also tell if a food or a drink has been poisoned by sniffing it."
"But if he gave away his deer and his sword to his disciples what has he got left himself?" asked the rice farmer.
"He still wields a sword. It's probably not a holy one this time. Holy weapons are not easy to acquire after all. Oh, and he also wields a whip."
"The same one he used to defeat Mo Xuecheng, right?"
The shopkeeper shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know about that. I… hang on," his eyes narrowed, "how would you know he used a whip to defeat Mo Xuecheng?"
The rice farmer nonchalantly pointed a finger at the shop's exit. "Can you not hear what that chicken brain's shouting endlessly outside?"
The shopkeeper and Mr Lu both turned to the doorway where the gathering was still hanging to Rooster's theatrical narratives.
"Oh no, I wasn't paying attention to that," said the shopkeeper. Years of running business on a relatively busy street had honed his ears to ignore all hustle bustles while going about his daily business of tallying finance accounts, simmering the tea leaves and bringing in various imports.
"Rooster's now telling everyone how Song Yehai's whip is one unusually powerful whip though it's not a holy weapon, and how fast it whizzed and whooshed," chuckled Mr Lu as he watched the spectacle.
"What kind of whip is it?" someone in the crowd asked. "Does it have a name?"
"The Moon Dragon fought magnificently!" Rooster completely ignored the question. "And so did the Snow Phoenix! The battle lasted five days and nights straight! No pause, no break, nothing but life and death in between! Thankfully no-one got involved and nobody died!"
"If only the Demon Lord died," said a contemptuous voice.
"But he's been defeated! That means he's not invincible!"
"Yeah! Defeat the demon again! Defeat the demon once and for all!"
"Here we go," sighed the shopkeeper at the crowd's rallied chants. "Every time Rooster gets everyone loud and shouting like this I have to make sure they don't break anything just outside of my shop!"
"Sounds like a headache for you," quipped the rice farmer. "What about the Snow Phoenix Grandmaster? What weapons did Rooster say he used?"
"Don't know, didn't hear it. Mr Lu, did you?"
Mr Lu shook his head. "Nope, I missed it completely as well."
"He's from the White Phoenix Sect isn't he? The one that the Demon Lord annihilated?"
"Yes," replied the shopkeeper.
"What happened to him after the White Phoenix Sect go annihilated?"
"He became a traveller who roams the lands with his pet eagle, fighting the demons of the Killing Immortals Sect and giving a hand to anyone in need of help, like different sects, farmers and innkeepers. He will stop at anything to avenge his fallen sect, fighting almost like a demon himself. But oddly enough he doesn't carry a sword."
Mr Lu's eyes widened. "He doesn't carry a sword with him?"
"That's right. I thought all cultivators would carry a sword with them, but the Snow Phoenix Grandmaster himself doesn't."
"Another cup," the rice farmer held out the empty cup in his hand. "Did you say he has a pet eagle?"
The shopkeeper promptly filled it to full. "Yes, or it could've been a condor. Well, whatever it is, it's definitely a large bird."
"What a strange pet to keep."
"Wu Xingyu's not tied down to any sects at the moment. He's said to be someone who tries to keep a low profile himself, but since he's on a record demon killing spree it's only natural his name gets spread everywhere. One day he and Song Yehai crossed paths with Mo Xuecheng."
"Oh, and is that when they battled and Mo Xuecheng lost?"
"Yes. Nobody knows the exact details, but apparently the battle lasted for nearly five days and nights until the Demon Lord finally lost to the two grandmasters but he escaped before they could finish him off."
"That lucky bastard," Mr Lu munched on some more seeds. "But he won't last long. Good will never lose to evil."
"Now that the Demon Lord has finally lost for once, it gives hope to many us common folk, especially those who have been frequently terrorised by the demons and ghosts of the Killing Immortals Sect."
The rice farmer's lips suddenly twisted into a disturbing grin. "Hope, you say?" he sneered as his eyes seemed to emit a crimson glow under his hat.
The shopkeeper and Mr Lu turned to him with confusion that quickly turned into horror when they saw the blood red light coming from his eyes.
"W-w-what are you?" stammered Mr Lu, scared witless.
The rice farmer's features sharpened with his brows darkening, his tanned skin paling and his nose-bridge rising, his formerly plain looks turning dangerously striking, handsome and devilish. The casual grey clothes he was wearing to camouflage with the 'common folk' transformed into black, long robes embroidered with shiny, golden patterns worn only by the filthy rich. His hat fell off and hair was initially in a tight bun above his head. He loosened the ribbon, allowing them to fall loosely around his sharp, masculine face and down to his waist. Everyone in the teashop stopped whatever they were doing at the sight of his sinister metamorphosis.
"What am I, you ask?" his voice changed, becoming deep and frigid. "Why, I was the one who annihilated the White Phoenix Sect, killed all those sect leaders and elders, and found the Killing Immortals Sect."
Rising to his feet, he towered over the others as he declared, "And now I shall personally see that this little hope of yours be crushed by my own hands, and let the entire world know that I, the lucky bastard you speak of, never lose to anyone!"
"Oh my God!" shrieked the shopkeeper.
"It's… it's…" Mr Lu fell back in fear. "IT'S THE DEMON LORD MO XUECHENG!!!"