Chapter 67
The morning sun rays slowly fell through the window, slowly gracing a divine face of a boy with long golden hair.
He was sleeping peacefully and warmly, without a care in the world.
The room he was in was the most luxurious of the kind, with animal skins hung on the wall as mere decorations, and a simple but neat and spacious layout which gave it a hint of elegance.
Just at this moment, as the morning rays fell on his face, his brows twitched ever so slightly.
Chun Ma groggily opened his eyes to the unknown room in front of him, with confusion on his face:
“What is this place?”
He muttered with a tilt of his head. The memory of all that had happened to him resurfaced in his mind, and he took some time to gather his thoughts with a breath of cold air.
“That was a tiring night, wasn’t it?”
He mumbled to himself before standing up with the support of the bed. Although he was completely fine physically, mentally he was still tired; his eyes still had some dark circles underneath them.
“I just didn’t expect it,” Chun Ma looked at his own fist.
“Although the Martial Space did help me break through the Martial realm, at the same time, dying there has some consequences, and the shadows appear infinitely, each one a mirror of my evolved self. How am I supposed to beat it?”
The mental strain he had felt that caused him to sleep was because of the Martial Space in its entirety.
Anyway, as he was carefully checking his body for any sort of injuries or hidden weaknesses, he suddenly heard some noises from around him.
The door to the room opened, and the old woman walked into the room with a smile on her face, holding a glass of warm water:
“How are you feeling?”
“Good.” Chun Ma nodded and sat on the bed with her gesture.
The old woman also sat on the wooden chair just beside the window and asked with a smile on her wrinkled face:
“Do you know a butterfly endures almost half of its lifespan, growing and enduring in its larva stage?”
“Yes?” Chun Ma spoke expressionlessly.
The old woman just smiled, looking through the window:
“A butterfly is beautiful and colorful, everyone admires it, but only it knows the pain and hardship it endured to reach that stage. But its glory lasts only a few weeks before death claims it.”
“Does it ever wonder if it was worth it in the end? Suffering through a cruel world, only for its glory to be as fleeting as the sands of time.”
She tilted her head toward Chun Ma, her body bathed in sunlight.
“What do you mean?” Chun Ma narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them. She was implying that his glory might only last so long…
“Haha, I have no ill will against you. If I did, you wouldn’t be here, breathing, would you?”
The old woman chuckled.
“Alright, I’ll teach you the basics for now. Our cult has six ranks in total: Demonic Trainees like you, Demonic Warriors, Demonic Captains, Demonic Elders, Demonic Supremes, and finally, our supreme leader, the Heavenly Demon.”
“I see.”
Chun Ma spoke calmly. “Can I know why the White Devil attacked me?”
“That would only be up to you to find out. But know that this cult is divided into three factions: the first faction is led by the cult leader, and the other two are each led by six heavens.”
She smiled mysteriously. “Be prepared, you will be meeting the cult leader.”
“Okay.” Chun Ma had already expected at least this much, since he had caused such a ruckus, especially competing with the White-devil, and hearing some words, he could basically infer that he was an anomaly in the entire cult!
“Follow me.”
She stood up and opened the door before walking out.
Chun Ma followed her in slow steps.
They walked out of the building and were immediately greeted by the warm sun.
It was just normal here in the heart of the demonic cult. Street sellers called out their goods, people chattered and fought, and children made noise and played.
Looking at the smile on these people’s faces, Chun Ma was expressionless.
However, the moment the old woman was seen, the people immediately bowed with sheer respect, and some of the children walked up to her with smiles on their faces:
“Aunty, how are you?”
“Can we play together?” a little girl asked with twinkling eyes.
The old woman smiled warmly. She patted her little head: “Not now, child, we will play later.”
“Mhm.” The little girl nodded and went away, taking small skips.
Looking at the little girl who was going away, Chun Ma was thoughtful for a moment.
The old woman solved all the children’s queries and excitement and looked at Chun Ma:
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.” Chun Ma nodded in agreement and followed in her footsteps.
Soon, he was led to a large castle-like house, covered in heavy barricades and soldiers surrounding it from all sides.
The old woman showed an emblem and gave it to one of the soldiers. The soldier took it and went inside before appearing after some time.
“Hmm, the Heavenly Demon has called upon that kid.”
“Okay,” the woman beckoned with a smile. “This is where our journey ends. Hope you don’t disappoint the Heavenly Demon.”
Chun Ma nodded as the gates opened and he went inside, feeling a little nervous in his heart. This was, after all, a being who was considered the strongest in the entire martial world.
At the same time, he was prepared to leave at any moment. Rather than dying, it was better to just go. His genius talent had already leveled up, and Chun Ma was just too valuable.
As he walked through the corridor, he found a group of men dressed in martial robes standing to his left and right.
Just standing there, they emitted a terrifying presence.
‘Third-stage Martial Artist.’ Chun Ma’s pupils dilated; he was shocked in his heart.
Every one of these people were Third-stage Martial Artists!
As Chun Ma walked further, he eventually reached a door, simple as always, but there were two people guarding it—twins, to be exact.
“Are you that boy?” one of them smiled at him.
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“Good, the cult leader is expecting a lot from you. Don’t disappoint him.”
The twins opened the door, and immediately Chun Ma was bathed in the light of the sun.
“Huh?” He curiously walked forward, only to find a picturesque scene unfolding before him: distant mountains, a river winding through the trees, and a lush forest that bordered its banks.
Right ahead, there stood a pavilion in an ancient style.
Inside the pavilion, a tall man sat, drinking tea with a quiet elegance.
He appeared relatively young, with long black hair and black pupils that seemed to hold an endless abyss.
In front of him was a chessboard.
“I greet the Heavenly Demon.” Chun Ma bowed as he called out.
“Haha, you don’t have to be nervous,” the Heavenly Demon chuckled in amusement.
“How does it feel to have a rebirth?”
Chun Ma froze on the spot.