Volume One: The Crimson Firmament Youth
Dark clouds blotted out the sky, and from the horizon came the distant, rolling rumble of thunder. Occasionally, arcs of lightning as thick as giant pythons danced wildly through the cloud cover.
In the dense forest below, a giant wolf was sprinting at full speed. Upon closer inspection, a man was riding on its back.
The man was bathed in blood, his hair loose and disheveled. Beneath his shredded garments, ghastly wounds with curled, mangled flesh were faintly visible.
Yet despite his grave injuries, he still held himself upright as he shielded the swaddled infant held tightly in his embrace.
The swaddling was soaked through, whether by the man’s blood or that of others. A small portion of the infant’s face peeked out—rosy-cheeked, sleeping soundly.
The man lowered his head and gently kissed the baby’s forehead. “My son, I have failed your mother, and I have failed you.”
The giant wolf came to an abrupt halt. There was no road left ahead—only a hundred-meter cliff. Below the precipice churned the roaring Rakshasa Sea, one of the four forbidden zones of the Myriad Spirits Continent.
“Spirit Lord, there is no way forward.”
Behind them, the surging lightning drew ever closer. The man’s eyes were filled with absolute resolve.
He dismounted from the wolf’s back, reached out, and embraced its neck.
“Shuangyue, I leave my son in your care.”
The giant wolf’s large blue eyes welled with grief. It understood what the man intended to do. This was their only remaining choice.
It lowered its head and bent its forelegs in a formal bow. “I swear to protect the young master unto death.”
The man bound the swaddled infant securely to the giant wolf’s chest using Spirit Energy, then ripped off the shredded clothes covering his torso.
Across his chest was the imposing, formidable Beast Mark of a giant wolf, matching the very likeness of Shuangyue before him.
With his movement, a massive, intricate silver formation expanded across the ground beneath their feet.
The man pressed his hand firmly against the wolf’s head and let out a guttural roar: “Contract Severance!”
The silver formation shuddered violently before abruptly shattering into scattered motes of silver light that dissolved into nothingness.
The man spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The Beast Mark on his chest gave way to several wounds deep enough to expose bone.
Tears welled in the giant wolf’s eyes. “Spirit Lord!”
The man retrieved a long spear and planted it behind him into the ground, barely supporting his faltering body.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he shouted to the wolf, “Go! Quickly!”
The storm of lightning in the sky was already overhead, and the faint roars of lions and screeches of eagles resonated through the tempest.
The giant wolf cast one last, deep look at the man. Bearing the swaddled child, it leaped from the edge of the cliff.
Stepping stones of frost patterns condensed beneath its paws. Upon touching the surface of the waters, it conjured a path of ice and dashed toward the depths of the Rakshasa Sea.
The man watched its retreating figure disappear into the distance, then wrenched his spear from the earth and turned to face the advancing pursuers.
The pitch-black storm clouds were torn apart as the Thunder Vulture Legion—composed entirely of Spirit Lords at Tier Five or above—dove straight toward him. Blinding lightning painted heaven and earth into a sheet of pure white.
The man spat out a glob of bloody foam and snapped his spear forward. “Let me show you what it truly means to be a Half-Saint!”
Serpentine python marks rippled and surged across his entire back. A golden formation spanning a thousand meters emerged in midair, forcefully suppressing the silver radiance of the Thunder Vulture Legion.
A hundred-meter-long Thunder-Marked Sky-Overturning Python burst forth from the glowing lines of the array. Opening its cavernous maw, it swallowed over a dozen vanguard Thunder Vultures in a single bite.
“Tier Nine! His Natal Spirit Companion has actually broken through to Tier Nine!”
Lush foliage obscured the sunlight, allowing only a few scattered beams to filter through the gaps and cast dapples of light upon the thick carpet of fallen leaves.
A rapid rustling noise rattled through the underbrush beneath the canopy, as if something were moving through the woods at high speed.
The waist-high grass parted abruptly, and a tall, lean youth leaped out, dashing swiftly ahead. Something was hot on his heels.
With a resounding crack, a massive tree was snapped in half. A hulking dark shape burst from the woods, closely tailing the youth.
It was a full-grown male wild boar, broad and heavy, weighing at least four or five hundred jin. Its glossy black bristles were dense and thick, and the tusks jutting from its snout were as long as a forearm. It was clearly not an opponent to be trifled with.
All the trees in its path were smashed down. Its small, bloodshot eyes were locked squarely onto the running youth, determined to kill this human who had dared provoke it.
The youth ran with remarkable speed and agility, weaving seamlessly through the trees. He easily evaded every charge with precision, showing not the slightest trace of panic.
He seemed to be deliberately drawing the wild boar toward a specific spot. Upon reaching a flat clearing, the youth suddenly dug his heels in, wheeled around, and faced the beast head-on.
The charging boar was caught off guard and momentarily baffled. Why had this human suddenly stopped running? Was he courting death?
The massive boar braked hard and came to a cautious halt. Its front hooves scraped the dirt impatiently as steaming breath huffed from its snout, as though it were pondering whether this human had laid a trap.
Yet ordinary wild beasts possessed limited wit. Unable to hold back its violent temper any longer, the boar gouged the ground with its hooves and accelerated in a furious charge toward the youth.
Its sharp tusks gleamed with a deadly, pale sheen. A single direct strike would pierce clean through flesh and bone.
Facing the fearsome charge, the youth showed not the slightest trace of fear. He watched every subtle shift in the boar’s stance with rapt focus, judging the exact moment to strike.
Though bulky, the boar was fast at a full sprint, closing the distance in mere breaths.
The youth seized the fleeting opening. The instant the boar was about to crash into him, he slipped to the side and flicked a forearm-length short blade from his sleeve, driving it into the side of the boar’s neck with absolute precision and force.
The short blade sank directly into the carotid artery. A jet of hot, crimson blood sprayed out, spattering droplets across the youth’s sun-browned cheeks and leaving streaks of red.
Excruciating pain erupted in its neck. The wild boar let out a piercing shriek, thrashing its hooves and kicking up clouds of dust as torrents of blood soaked the ground.
Knowing better than to clash directly with a beast driven mad by pain, the youth moved to fall back. Yet the boar reacted just as quickly; it swung its heavy head and drove straight toward him.
It all occurred in the blink of an eye. With no room to dodge, the youth reversed his grip on the blade, pressed it flat against his forearm, and crossed his arms defensively before his chest.
Clang!
A deafening chime rang out as the boar’s hardened tusk smashed into the short blade, producing a harsh, metallic drone.
The youth withstood the blow, sliding backward seven or eight meters across the dirt from the sheer force of the impact, yet his footing remained rock-solid.
The short blade in his grasp hummed with a subtle vibration, neutralizing the vast majority of the concussive force.
Even after a direct collision with the savage beast, the weapon remained entirely unscathed. It was clearly no ordinary weapon.
The youth shook his numbed arms and ran his fingertips along the blade. As if resonating with his touch, a keen, cold light rippled across the metal.
Motes of silver illumination sparked to life, resembling fine starlight strewn across a clear night sky—true to the blade’s name, Thousand Stars.
The youth felt a surge of quiet relief. Had it not been for this short blade left to him by his parents, having both arms shattered from that impact would have been a fortunate outcome.
Having missed its mark, the boar roared again and lunged toward the youth. Bloody foam bubbled from its mouth and crimson drenched the earth beneath its neck, yet it fought with suicidal fury.
Instead of clashing with it again, the youth turned on his heel and sprinted through the clearing, leading the boar in circles.
A berserk boar possessed twice its usual destructive power, making close-quarters combat an unwise choice. Furthermore, its vital artery was already severed; it would bleed out before long, so there was no need to waste further energy.
Under such frantic exertion, the beast lost blood at a catastrophic rate. Before it could complete two full circuits, its speed plummeted. Its massive bulk swayed unsteadily until it finally collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
The earth across the clearing was almost soaked through with blood, reeking of blood. Without flinching, the youth stepped through the bloody mud toward the fallen beast.
The boar lay there, gasping its last breaths, clearly at death’s door. The youth drew the short blade across its throat, cleanly putting an end to its misery.
His movements were practiced, showing he had performed this butchery hundreds of times before.
As the boar breathed its last and the light faded from its small, unyielding eyes, the youth reached down to haul the carcass. Just then, a rustling sound stirred within the dense woods once more.
The youth snapped his head toward the source of the noise. This time, however, his eyes held no wariness—only a gleam of delight, for he already knew who was approaching.
Measured footsteps drew near, and a giant wolf slowly stepped out from the canopy’s shadows. Its frame was immense, easily standing three meters tall at the shoulder. Compared to the wolf, the massive boar from moments ago appeared remarkably small.
The giant wolf was cloaked in snow-white fur, with a mantle of long silver hair draping its back that shimmered under the dappled sunlight. A silver crescent moon mark rested upon its brow, lending it an air of elegance and noble dignity.
One could immediately tell that this giant wolf was entirely different from the wild boar. It was not merely a difference of species, but a feeling. The boar was primal and brutish, whereas the wolf possessed intelligence and feelings. Its eyes softened with warmth as it gazed upon the youth.
Facing the great beast, the youth showed not the slightest trace of fear. Instead, a bright smile spread across his face, his voice carrying an unmistakable desire for praise. “Shuangyue, I caught a huge wild boar!”
The giant wolf known as Shuangyue spoke in the mature voice of a man. “I saw it all. The young master has made progress yet again.”
Stepping forward, the wolf lowered its head and gently licked the bloodstains from the youth’s cheek. The youth wrapped his arms around the wolf’s neck, burying his face in the thick fur, feeling the lingering fatigue from the hunt melt away entirely.
Listening to the youth’s contented sigh, amusement filled the giant wolf’s eyes. In this regard, the young master was truly just like his father—both loved burying their faces in its fur.
After enjoying his embrace with the wolf, the youth looked up and asked, “Shuangyue, in three days, I have to go to the town for the summoning ceremony of my Natal Spirit Beast. When I return, will you finally tell me about my origins?”
The giant wolf did not answer immediately, falling silent for a long moment. In the end, however, it agreed: “I will, young master.”