The Dawn of the New World

In this vast world very few powers could claim to be truly neutral, at least ones that held any real ability. There were always sides to choose even if most people thought otherwise.

So no matter which side you were on, there were some places and things that were always out of reach because of either internal or external conflict.

But Mount Cae was one of these rare entities that didn't choose a side. Well, unless you count all things demonic in which case they were definitely against them.

Mount Cae was an ancient and ethereal worldly 'entity' that took the shape of a mountain. It did not exist as far as the general public was concerned with only a select few cultivators and persons of power being made aware of their existence.

No one knew when Mount Cae first appeared or who was the one controlling it, but as time passed it had become a natural part of the hierarchy.

Its actual location and how to get to it was a complete secret. With there being verified witness accounts of it being seen in Seven of the Nine Worlds.

Only the inner disciples that were chosen from across the myriad of old and new worlds had any knowledge of their inner workings.

Throughout history, the students and disciples of Mount Cae had appeared in many locations, sometimes saving untold lives and other times leaving them with a word of warning for future events.

They had one cardinal rule because of which they were always welcomed no matter where they went, and that was to never interfere with the workings of the local rulers.

Not to mention the Mount Cae disciples were well disciplined and proved to be of great help, providing knowledge and assistance in the fight against the plague of demonic beings with which far too many planets were afflicted in one way or another.

But Mount Cae itself was shrouded in mystery ever since it first made an appearance. It was but a single entity with no known affiliations to any of the High Heavens or the Abyssal Tribes yet the handful of times it was attacked, it had managed to defend itself without any outside help.

These few instances had discouraged many eager and hungry eyes to stay their hand, at least until more was known about them.

****

Zou Huan landed a clean punch near the minor demon's back, finally managing to push it back a little and buy some breathing room for himself.

"I'm trying...god damnit..." he repeated through labored breaths.

He only had the strength of his physical body to depend on for the majority of the fight and now after fighting for more than an hour at full strength he was running on fumes.

The golden light surroundings his upper body continued to dim and flicker, threatening to go out at any moment. He looked around to examine the conditions of everyone else but to his dismay, they were in an even worse state.

The undead completely ignored Zou Huan and focused entirely on the rest of them. Maybe it was because of the minor demon or maybe they knew by instinct that there was nothing to gain from going after him.

The minor demon whose lower jaw was only connected by a piece of white skin to the rest of its body grabbed an injured undead from nearby and forcefully shoved it into its maw. The undead tried to struggle free but it was all in vain since the demon easily overpowered it.

The injuries it had received from the previous fight healed in a matter of seconds, leaving only faint black spots where the punches had landed. It seemed like the energy present around those wounds wasn't so easily dispelled.

Zou Huan's expression turned grim in an instant seeing that. He sighed and took out a bottle of pills from his robe, popping one into his mouth.

The pill was the size of a small marble, filled with a light blue liquid inside. The second it touched his tongue it burst apart and the cool liquid flowed down his gullet.

His injuries did not heal but the flickering golden light around his fists did regain its previous splendor.

Zou Huan pounded his chest like a gorilla and shouted towards the minor demon.

"Let's finish this you scaly bastard!"

He jumped forward, basically throwing himself at the demon who was also incensed by Zou Huan's childish provocations.

Two fleshy tanks met in the air, creating shockwaves lasting tens of meters. Every time they traded blows it would sound like someone was beating a thick piece of meat with a hammer. Only they themselves would know best how painful it was.

But neither of them held back anymore, completely giving up on defense. The one who would be left standing at the end would be the winner.

Quite an unsophisticated and barbaric method but it was the fastest way to determine a clear winner.

Hao Xuan who was watching their exchange with interest couldn't help but take another look at the demon who had devoured the undead with barely any effort and recalled his own ability. It had been so long that he almost forgot about it.

He peered towards the multitude of undead surrounding him and for some strange reason, the dread from the whole situation was washed away with the mere desire to eat.

Hao Xuan rubbed his rumbling stomach, muttering, "So...hungry..."

***

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