Chapter 493: An He
A single light was shining in the darkness. Nothing could be seen apart from the flickering flame that was moving steadily from one side to another, trying to illuminate the dark room. But no matter how much it burned, there was nothing but darkness surrounding it.
Within this endless darkness was a sound of a finger tapping on something heavy. It was a sound that constantly rang out. Tap, tap, tap. The gap between each tap was the exact same every time, and the air within this darkness was so oppressing that one would be unable to breathe.
"Master." A meek female voice sounded out from within the darkness. "Master, the Generals are present."
As the frightened voice spoke out, the tapping stopped. The flame stopped flickering from side to side, and it seemed as if time had reached a standstill. Nothing was said, no one dared to breathe, and nothing moved.
How long this lasted no one knew, and the one who had spoken dared not say yet another word. She was so frightened that she dared not make even the slightest sound.
A rustling sound could be heard, and suddenly the flame which had been standing still was extinguished. The room descended into complete darkness. The woman felt her heart skip a beat. She felt that it was beating so quickly that it could easily be heard and she was crying out in her mind, yet the person she had referred to as master said nothing, nor did he act against her.
She stood within the chamber for an unknown amount of time. Although it felt like a lifetime, she could vaguely guess that it was approximately as long as it took for an incense stick to burn before her master spoke out once more. "You can go." He said casually. Hearing this, she bowed deeply before scurrying away from the chamber. Her heart was beating so loudly that her entire body was trembling. She felt so frightened that she was certain that she had lost half of her life.
Inside the dark room there was a wave of a hand, and suddenly the entire chamber was lit with thousands of small glass globes. These glass-like globes had specks of light as bright as small suns placed within.
The chamber, now bathed in light, was not very large. It was around twenty meters squared, and it contained a desk and a chair. On the desk was the blown out candle and a stack of documents.
In the chair was a devilishly handsome young man. He was leaning back against the chair. His skin was as pale as snow, and his hair black as the darkest night. He was wearing a black robe made from the finest silk with silver embroideries woven upon it in a cloud pattern.
If one were to look at his face, they would be able to see him contemplating deeply as if he was unsure what he should do in this situation. Sighing deeply, his pale and slim hand waved in the air, and one waterscreen after another appeared in the air in front of him. There were five waterscreens in total and within were the faces of five experts.
"Greetings, Master!" They called out in unison as they had cupped their hands and bowed. Considering that they were spread across the entire universe, it was quite astonishing that they had managed to call out at the same time.
The man who was seated in the chair waved his hand casually and opened his eyes. His eyes shone with a gaze that seemed to pierce one's soul. It was a gaze that had a sharp edge to it; a gaze that seemed as if it contained a sword within. A sharp swordforce shone from deep within him.
The five men in the water screens felt their hearts quiver just from being looked at. Even though they knew they were far away and it was impossible for them to be wounded through a water screen, they still felt the imposing and domineering aura that this expert displayed.
"I have summoned you all because of a very important problem which occurred just moments ago."
"You know we all originate from the Divine Beast World. Back then I became the Crowned Sovereign of the world, but due to the Gods’ trick, I cannot control the power belonging to that world. It was inevitable that someone would stumble across the realm left behind by those old beasts, and now it has happened. A new Crowned Sovereign has appeared and taken away all the power that was mine!"
"I am currently preparing to challenge the Crowned Sovereign Mu Zi of the ninetieth Heavenly Realm. Although he has the assistance of a Heavenly Realm, I am definitely more powerful than him. The challenge has been issued, and I will be busy cultivating for the next decade."
"We need to get our hands on this new Crowned Sovereign." The seated man continued. "Although I, An He, am not going to bicker over a little world such as the Divine Beast World, I am not willing to let this specific person become a Crowned Sovereign. He is growing a little too quickly."
"Give this man an inch, and he will take a mile. We cannot afford to let him keep growing."
"Master, I am located within the Divine Beast World. Please enlighten me, who is it that I need to kill?" The voice that asked was firm and filled with decisiveness. The man who spoke had clear eyes filled with reverence for An He. They shone with eagerness to prove his worth.
An He nodded his head. "Ah, that’s right. Then I will depend on you. Although this will break your cover, it is worth it. The one you need to kill is Hui Yue. You know him well, but beware, there is a chance that the damned bird within him has also reached the God rank. If he has become a true divine beast… It might be a tad troublesome for you to deal with."
"You did a good job punishing those from the Dragon Corps who failed in their duty to deliver my Ancestral Worldpower. Don't let me down."
"I will not let you down!" The man said excitedly, and An He nodded his head before he waved his hand and the five waterscreens vanished into nothingness.
"Hui Yue. Lan Feng. I cannot allow them to keep growing. Although my speed of advancement was quick, it cannot compare to that of this human, Hui Yue. He has encountered quite a bit of good fortune and gained a few legacies and heritages already. If he continues to grow, he will no longer be mere entertainment but turn into trouble. It is time for him to die."
"Although I wish I could personally deal with him, right now I can’t afford to divide my attention."
Sighing, An He picked up a small black bead that was laying on the table and slowly rotated it in his hand. Looking at this bead, a black mist started to fill the room. The longer it was in contact with the skin, the denser the mist became.
Soon An He started to inhale this mist, and his eyes turned completely black. One could no longer see his pupils or the white in his eye; everything was black. The more mist which entered his body, the paler his skin became, and his sweat started flowing.
Gasping for air, An He kept forcing the black smoke into his body, and after a bit of time, his entire body started steaming. It looked similar to back when Hui Lei had got rid of his impurities, but this aura was much more sinister. It was the aura of death!
After the bead had completely vanished turning into dense smoke, An He finally stood up from his chair. With a wave of his hand, the sweat soaked clothes on his body were replaced by a fresh set of garments, and he left the chamber.
Outside was a spacious hallway with thousands of rooms similar to the one An He had just left. By the side of each door was a maid, and the maid outside An He's door was the woman who had previously been within the room. The one who informed him about the waterscreens being prepared. When she saw An He leave his chamber, her heart once more skipped a beat, and she respectfully knelt down in front of him.
"Take me to the master of the mansion." An He said casually, and the woman clasped her hands as she rushed to her feet. Walking in front of An He, she dared not say anything as she moved towards the master's chambers.
The two moved through corridor after corridor, mansion after mansion, and garden after garden. It took them a whole hour before they finally reached the massive chamber where the master of the mansion was. An He seemed not to be bothered by this long trip, nor did he show any kind of displeasure or arrogance.
The moment they reached the double doors leading into the chamber, they opened on their own and a strong voice reverberated through the corridor. "An He, enter!"
With great respect and care, An He bowed to the doorway before entering. The inside was similar to his own room. There was a chair and table within, yet while his room was small, this room was at least a hundred times larger.
"An He greets the Manor Lord." He said respectfully as he bowed deeply in front of the expert seated in the chair.
"I have consumed the pill of Samsara and request a mission with the reward being a pill of death or higher." He said while bowing. He didn’t dare glance up at the Manor Lord in the slightest.
"Oh? You already consumed that deadly pill? Not bad. The more of them you eat, the stronger you will become. Although you have to give up your humanity for this strength, the trade is worth it." The Manor Lord praised from high up on his chair.
His hands went through a set of scrolls before he picked out three. "Your main mission right now is to become the Crowned Sovereign of the ninetieth ranked Heavenly Realm. You have eight years to prepare, and although you can take on other missions during this time, we prefer that they are not too difficult. If you fail in becoming the next Crowned Sovereign, we will have to wait a hundred years for the next chance!"
Tossing the scrolls to An He, the young black-haired man caught them and looked through them causing his eyebrows to raise drastically.
"These missions, they will also grant me the pills of Samsara?" He asked dumbfounded. "They are the lowest rank of missions possible, is this true?"
The Manor Lord chuckled slightly. "We would gift you some of these pills, but we cannot do that. You are one of the more talented individuals that master has taken in, and thus, it is only natural that we treat you with care. The next eight years you should focus on training and continuously cultivate. Soon you too will become a true expert, and then your strength will soar to the heavens."
An He was ecstatic as he bowed deeply in front of the Manor Lord. He would never forget how he had met their master and the effect it had had on him. His life had completely changed, and the path to true strength had opened for him. He was going to become one of the strongest figures in the whole galaxy! He was going to become stronger than even Goddess Nuwa and the Four Divine Beasts! Deep within his heart, he knew that he would become even stronger than his own master.