Nu Long stared nervously at the figure which languidly stretched before him, displaying her voluminous cleavage through a low cut silk dress which clung tightly to her curvaceous body. Every move from the way she licked her ruby red lips to the way she gazed at him hungrily sent shivers of pleasure down his spine. He couldn't help but get lost in the twin pools of almond shaped amber that were her eyes. Her throaty chuckles sent his heart pounding with excitement, what ever he had been feeling before had been lost in the haze of lavender and rose which seemed to fill the air.

Between the bewitching incense and her seductive arts the boy was little more than a mouse trapped in her coils. All it would take was a little nudge in the right direction and yet another desperate soul would fall into her hands to be molded like putty. Still she could tell the boy was barely worth molding through more conventional methods, he simply lacked the ability to draw upon and condense spiritual essence. He couldn't even cultivate soul force by feasting on the suffering of his victims. A wicked smile split her lips, there was still one option though.

"It's true what those old fools said, you are cut off from the conventional methods of cultivation. How ever this makes you perfectly suited to another path, one that while unorthodox even the White Lotus Pavilion would be unable to look down their noses at" she cooed softly into his ear.

Nu Long found himself nodding along, after speaking his woes to the strangely alluring but kind woman she had been more than willing to help him where so many others had failed. It was as if she was a beautiful fairy sent by the gods to aid him in his time of need.

"I won't lie to you, it's a path that is brutal and arduous to walk, one filled with violence and blood shed. Few who decide to walk it live long lives, but those who succeed are figures  even those old fools must tread carefully around" she spoke in a soft wistful tone at first, before switching to one that was breathy and seductive using her masterful ability to manipulate the hearts on men.

"What must I do" he questioned with a firm resolve, her intonations and whisperings feeding his desire for strength.

She smirked knowing that she had wrapped the little rat around her finger, not that it was difficult to do so with one so young and so hungry for power. All she had to do was offer him a little glimmer of hope when all else seemed lost.

"East of here there is a valley shrouded in mist, filled with plenty of lesser demon beasts. All you need to do is find one that suits your tastes, stab this into it's heart and extract its core" she cooed draping an arm over his shoulders before placing a double sided crystalline spike in his hand.

"Do that for me, and soon the power of the world will be at your finger tips" she breathily whispered into his ear, her rich velvety tone filling him with pleasure.

Nu-Long stumbled out into the cold night, his mind was awash with a heady fog that he had to shake away. Looking down at the sight of the spike in his hand filled him with a sense purpose, he had to do it, if not for himself then for her. With a grimace he marched forth putting one foot in front of the other until he found himself standing in the town square. He was pondering what to do next when a voice called out to him.

"Hey Nu-Long, still haven't found a place to stay, might as well come back to the barracks for the night" Lu Gong called out having spotted the young boy on his way back from patrol.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea" he replied seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

 A sigh escaped Lu Gong's lips, he had seen people who had suffered serious hardships before, but nothing quite as terrible as what had befallen the kid. He doubted whether or not the kid would even be able to recover, much like he would one of his young brothers Lu Gong wrapped an arm around the Nu Long's head and dragged him along.

The guard's word's had made sense, he couldn't exactly go traipsing about in the night. Many a drunken fool who wandered away from camp at night to piss had been dragged off by Shadow Leopards that way. Still he found it hard to think of anything but the woman in the silk dress.

A weary groan escaped his lips as he was dragged away, what he needed was sleep. What he got instead was cup after cup of cheap rice wine poured into his cup by raucous guards who found his drunken antics amusing.

"Ugg my head" Nu Long sat up with a groan, his stomach churned and the room seemed to spin.

"Bucket"  Lu Gong called out with a chuckle while another guard passed one forward with a clunk.

"Urk, bleerrrg" Nu Long vommitted a chunky stream into the bucket while Lu Gong laughed at his misfortune while slapping his back.

"Don't you worry kid, we'll make a guardsman out of you yet" he chuckled before strolling away.

Nu Long sat there laughing at the absurdity of the situation, it was the first time he didn't dream of what happened that night. In stead he dreamed of a far flung field which in the summer months bloomed with golden flowers. A smile crept onto his face, those had been far happier times, then his eye's fell on the crystalline spike that lay among his things and grit his teeth in determination. He had a chance to avenge his fallen clansmen and he was going to seize it, he could care less about the strange woman from last night. Beautiful though she was, his mind was no longer lost in the fog, he could think clearly.

After breakfast he slipped away from the guards and gathered his things, he left just past first light when the empty ore wagons left the town. While they were headed north towards mountains, he headed east towards the the valley covered in mist. It was not the first time he had heard of the valley, it was considered a sacred place by many tribes though he was not privy to the why. He had only been told to never set foot in the valley, still he could not afford to let this opportunity pass him by.

There were many types of demon beasts, the lowliest were like the goats his clan raised. They were barely more than common animals after their years of domestication, though one could still see their mighty ancestors roaming the mountain peaks. He dreaded coming across something like a Shadow Leopard, but they rarely came down from the mountains, and if he did it would see him long before he could spot the beast. He would be dead before he knew what happened.

His hopes lay in coming across a beast like the small Rock Lizards that could be seen near the base of the mountain from time to time. They were heavily armored but slow and easy to kill if you knew where to stab them.

It was just about mid day as he made his way down the heavily wooded slopes, the trees here were ancient giants who's limbs quickly blotted out the sun. The darkness was unsettling, made worse by the fog which moved about his ankles in eddies and swirls. Songbirds chirped merrily in the distance their tell tale song, but it did little to bring him comfort as the fog rolled up to his knees. As he continued the fog reached further and further up his body, until at last he had sunk into it's murky depths.

Nu Long was on edge, carefully moving forward with each step, his cleaver clutched in a white knuckled grip. Every creak and pop setting his heat pounding as adrenaline flowed through his veins. He swallowed nervously, his body screaming to turn back, but with grit and dogged determination he pushed forward. He needed what ever power this fool's errand might bring him, no matter the cost and if he died at least he would rejoin his ancestors.

In the depths of the valley a figure lay shrouded in mist, wreathed in it's embrace wearing it like one would a robe. Lazily watching the world through a pond which filled the figure's cave with a soft blue glow, she was about to return back to napping when a young boy entered the edge of the pools view. Her ears twitched and her tails flicked back and forth as she looked on curiously. The monarch of the valley had an accord with the ancient mountain tribes, it was unlike them to break agreements so blatantly.

"Perhaps a young fool looking to prove his courage to his sweet heart" the figure thought for a moment before her eyes narrowed.

There was a strong malevolent miasma which clung to the young man, along with a pack of tortured souls which followed in his wake. Their faces twisted and crying as they silently screamed in agony, at first she thought they were his victims. It soon became clear however that these wayward souls were specters being kept alive by the boy's deep seated guilt. They were his clansmen no doubt.

"What woe has befallen you child" she thought aloud while searching his body for the source of the miasma.

She nearly hissed on reflex shen she laid her eyes on the soul sealing spike the boy clutched tightly opposite his cleaver. Alone a soul sealing spike was an item of little consequence, they had a number of uses in the world of cultivation. It was the roiling demonic energy which coiled about the spike like a serpent that worried her. It was the work of a demonic cultivator, one that specialized in curses.

The figure had many eyes and ears throughout the forest, all it took was a simple thought to connect her with one of her many progeny.

"Yuki, a strange boy has entered my domain, please go an investigate him" she whispered into the little one's mind.

Nu Long sat down alongside a stream, his muscles ached and his lungs burned as he panted between gulps of cold crystal clear water. The terrain was proving rougher than he had thought when he first headed down the slope. Mostly it was the gullies that had taken their toll on him, after a snack of smoked goat meat he headed down. He decided to follow the stream in order to ignore any more hills.

As the mist grew thicker and his vision began to wane it became harder to navigate, a grunt of pain escaped his lips as another wayward root sent him crashing into the forest floor. His clothes had become soaked and torn, his body bruised and scratched by thornbrush. Still he carried on like a stubborn mule, gritting his teeth and growling like a beast. The pain which he had felt was nothing compared to the suffering of his kin, their cries and begging urging him ever forward. 

With an enraged roar he shoved a thicket of brush aside and nearly stumbled as he stepped forward. He barely managed to catch himself by plunging his blade into the earth and only dropped to a single knee. A frustrated grunt escaped his lip as he stood up, stunned a what lay before him.

 Before him lay a sight he had not seen in months, a summer meadow in all of its brilliant hues. Soft green grass covered the ground, lit by warm golden rays of light. Peaking up here and there were small flowers, blue shaped bells and little purple stars, each a beauty to be cherished in the harsh northern lands. At it's edges swirled the ever present mist, held back by some unseen force. 

Most important of all was what sat in the center of the glade, a little white spirit fox with ice blue eyes. It regarded him curiously before letting out a tired yawn and stretching out beneath the warmth of a summer sun.

"So weak, so helpless" he thought as he slowly marched across the field towards the creature that seemed ignorant of the dark purpose that drove him closer.

The damn thing was sleeping, he couldn't ask for an easier kill. How long would it be before he stumbled upon such a golden opportunity, he had to seize it. With a shaky hand he raised his cleaver over head, gritted his teeth, and steeled his heart for what was to come. His breathing quickened, his heart pounded in his ears, but no matter ho much he tried he could not bring the blade down. 

With a frustrated yell he tossed aside the blade and sank to his knees, in the end he could not kill something as sacred as a Spirit Fox. He could not bring harm to one of the creatures most sacred to his people. They were known as kind hearted tricksters, punishing those who wronged them, while rewarding those who treated them with kindness.

Nu Long wept as he gingerly reached out and brushed his hand along the fox's silken coat, surprised by the subtle chill that danced along his skin.

"It's good that you have not thrown away you humanity in the pursuit of power, young one" a gentle voice washed over him.

Nu Long turned towards the voice, his fatigue, pain, and anguish seeming to wash away as the figure approached bathing him in her golden radiance.

She was the most beautiful creature he had ever lain eyes upon, skin like fresh snow, her features flawless and regal. Power and beauty radiated from her form, though clad only in a simple white robe. A pair of furry ears sprouted through her long silken locks, golden and tipped with white. Much like the nine fluffy tails which fanned  out behind her. Her cheeks lightly tinged with the color of cherry blossoms, with plush lips the color of ripe strawberries. The very world seemed to dim, bowing before the might of her divine presence.

All of his worries seemed to melt away in her presence, the ever present specters had fallen silent. The pain and guilt that gnawed at his soul washed away by a serene calm. 

"I know what you have come here seeking mortal, but you will not find the salvation you seek in that soul sealing spike" she spoke softly, with a gesture the accursed item floated toward her open palm.

"It's true that it would help you find power yes, but you'd soon find your self a slave to it's creator" she sighed while examining the crystalline spike.

Nu Long furrowed his brow in confusion " what do you mean" he questioned softly.

Softly the figure lay a hand upon his shoulder and whispered "see".

He did see, but what he saw meant little to him. Dozens of black serpents writhed along the spike's surface bitting and snapping at one another.

"Who ever made this spike was a demonic cultivator specialized in curses, no doubt she's been snapping up desperate souls like your self" the living goddess explained.

His eyes snapped into focus at the mention of demonic cultivators " that bitch is one of them" he growled involuntarily before his rage was washed away by the woman's calming aura.

Seeing his reaction and the specters which haunted him it was clear enough what had happened to the boy. He was more likely than not the lone survivor of some unspeakable tragedy, forced to witness heinous deeds that no person should ever be forced live with. It was a wonder that the boy's mind was intact at all, it also explained what drove his near maddening lust for power.

He was weak and broken, far more than any member of the mountain clans should be, the blood of a god flowed through their veins. No matter how dilute their legacy had become, a clansman his age should at least be able to gather spiritual energy. The fact that he could not, and the soul sealing spike, explained why he would violate the old taboos. He had chosen to walk the path of a demon beast cultivator.

A weary sigh escaped her lips "blood for blood" that was the way of the ancient clans and nothing, not even a demon beast monarch could change that.

The nine tails closed her eyes, against her better judgement, she would weave the karmic threads of fate.

"For upholding the ways of your ancestors, I Monarch Nine Tails, will aid you in your endeavor" her grave tone jarred against her serene expression.

With a flash Nu Long was whisked away, leaving behind only a trailing of fog before being deposited in the halls of a gargantuan stone cavern. The walls were perfectly smooth, as was the ceiling, he knew of nothing which could cut stone so cleanly. Laying across the ground on it's side was a massive beast that labored for breath, sensing their intrusion the creature stood up on it's four legs. The beast was taller than a three story building and thee times as long. The figure towered over them, it's obsidian scaled hide glimmering in the fire light from dozens of braziers.

With no shortage of effort the beast brought it's massive reptilian visage to bear, rows of razor sharp teeth larger than Nu-Long's fore arms filled the beasts maw.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company little fox, finally come to finish this old sovereign off have you" the beast rumbled in annoyance causing the chamber.

"I refuse to sow such bad karma between us, just as you protected this Monarch in it's youth, this Monarch has protected this sovereign in his old age" she replied bowing her head slightly in respect towards the old tyrant who once sheltered her.

The beast huffed unhappily "We're it not for this damnable curse, this Sovereign would still reign supreme above all that lay's between heaven and earth".

"And yet, here you lay, barely clinging to life as your body rots away" Monarch Nine Tails replied with her ever present serene calm.

"At the very least this Sovereign can die peacefully beneath the shelter of your tails" he sighed wearily as he laid back down, his limbs unable to sustain the weight of his body.

"Though I am unable to fufil your request, I have brought one capable of doing so" She replied gesturing towards the form of a young boy protected behind her misty veil.

The might Sovereign let out a mighty chuckle "have you brought a mouse to slay a dragon".

A wistful smile split Monarch Nine Tails' lips " the threads of karmic fate are strange and wondrous things, you desire to die, he desires the power to avenge his kin".

"This Sovereign's name is Void Tyrant, brat, I would know the name of the man who is to reap my soul" the beast fixed him with a toothy grin.

"This one's name is Nu-Long, mighty Sovereign" he replied with stiffly, his body wavering beneath the dragon's piercing gaze..

"The damnable blade which has reduced me to this state is behind my left shoulder, ram it into my heart and put me out of my misery" Sovereign Void Tyrant rumbled as he shifted his body to reveal the gaping wound in his flesh.

As Nu Long approached the fetid stench of rotting meat filled his nose, seeing the decaying flesh dripping with ooze and puss it was a wonder that the Sovereign was still alive. Buried half way into the pock marked flesh was the blood stained haft of some unknown weapon. Gripping the weapon with both hands he rammed the blade deeper with the full weight of his body. A groan escaped his lips as he met sudden resistance after pushing past decades old dead and dying flesh, with an audible squelch the blade sunk deeper until it suddenly broke through into the soft tissue of the beast's heart.

"Not a moment too soon" he thought as he was shoulder deep in in the corpulent flesh, with a twist and a yank he ripped the blade free of it's prison.

A torrent of near black blood flooded over his body as the weapon came free, his only saving grace was that the iron rich scent blocked out the stench of decay. If only for the moment. With a grimace he wiped the blood off of his face as best he could before turning towards Monarch Nine Tails. As if to question, what next.

"You have fulfilled your end of the bargain" she spoke softly, "now it it time for me to uphold mine".

"Sleep mortal,  for when you next awaken you will be born anew " she ordered, with a flourish of her wrist Nu-Long slipped into the oblivion of sleep.

A tired sigh escaped Monarch Nine Tail's lips as she regarded the two figures that lay before her. They were both idiots, more alike in life than either realized and she doubted that the boy's death would be any less tragic than Sovereign Void Tyrants. With a swish she whisked away a single tear that marred her beautiful face.

The soul sealing spike which lay not far away seemed a crude mockery of her sublime talents, for few could ever hope to match a Spirit Fox Monarch when it came to matters of the soul. Her nine tails lashed out here and there painting a grand formation with raw spiritual essence and Void Tyrant's heart blood, pouring her knowledge of the Dao into every stoke. She dared not waste the life of her old friend on a lowly demon beast cultivator, she would instead pass on the full weight of Sovereign Void Tyrant's legacy onto the youth. Nu-Long would become a God Beast Cultivator, the first this shattered realm would ever see.

New visions flashed through her mind as she worked fervently, lost in the fog of divine inspiration. When she came out of her fevered dream she could barely understand what lay before her. It was a formation composed of nine hundred ninety nine focal points, none of the heart blood had been spared. Even Void Tyrant's treasure pearls had been consumed by the madness which had over taken her. All that was left now was to fuel the formation, luckily she had all the spiritual essence she needed in the form of the decaying corpse of an ancient dragon.

Two sparks of light spun in a slow circle, each little more than a candle in the darkness. The more energy she fed into the formation, the faster the two sparks began to circle until they clashed violently. A deafening thuum filled the air as the two sparks collided with explosive force birthing a small star which glowed with a radiant blue hue. First Nu-Long then Sovereign Void Tyrant were dragged into the heart of the star, their forms molded and crushed together by immeasurable forces beyond even Nine Tails' understanding. She could only watch in awe as their separate forms were super imposed one over the other, until a single form remained. One that was neither wholly man or beast, but an amalgamation of the two.

With a flash the sun winked out of existence, leaving behind a large obsidian egg. The figure with in obscured from her vision by a wrapping of Void Tyrant's laws of space and time which governed the great void.

She had succeeded, but it had left her drained, shakily she reached up to feel the rivulets of blood which dripped from her nose before collapsing in a heap.

The lives of men and beast were short disharmonious things, cast adrift like flotsam and jetsam on the currents of fate. Unknowingly bound together by by the karmic threads sewn between them, from the toppling of tyrants, to the offering of bread to a stranger. Each was a point of origin, the web and weft that shaped the great taperstry of life. Who's weaving, in this shattered realm, removed from the will of the heavens, could not be forseen.