Chapter 1 Prologue: The Battle

"The rain and the wind are no match for my longing, the snow and the river cannot stop his heartbreaking. Let go of the sword. I will accept the sword of fate . . ." a woman sang to the sounds of a flute and guqin.

Deep inside a serene valley, a small pavilion sat next to a gushing waterfall that merged into a crystal clear stream.

An imposing and elegant young man, dressed in white, held a flute with both hands to accompany the guqin. The smile on his face showed his pleasure. Next to him was a stunning young woman who could be a fairy maiden on Earth.

Dressed in dark green, the young woman's face bore no traces of makeup but was still flawless. Her flowing black tresses were gathered in a short green scarf, the ends reaching her waist, where a slight wind rustled the strands.

The maiden looked at her lover as her hands strummed the guqin.

The sounds of birds chirping, water flowing, guqin, and flute-playing merged harmoniously, as if there was no end or beginning to anything.

"Hhha . . . !" A loud howl pierced the peacefulness of the scene.

A middle-aged man dressed in purple, with two horns on his head, appeared above the stream next to the young couple. The burly older man had red hair and a face distorted by rage.

The couple stopped playing music when the older man appeared. They frowned and looked toward him.

The older man also stared back; he spoke without emotion. "Xuan Xuan Qingzi, we haven't seen each other for 300 years. How is your Piao Miao Sword now?"

"Demon Qing Tian, you must have improved a lot after 300 years of practice. Your showing up here without notice must mean you've mastered your craft," said the young man passionlessly as he turned and waved; instantly, his flute dissipated in thin air.

Seeing her lover turn around, so did the young woman, but her face was a lot more solemn and filled with worry.

"Well, we'll see who's better after a battle." Qing Tian smiled without warmth. "The only one who can stop me from controlling the world is you. Today, one of us will die. C'mon, I've waited long enough."

"I waited a long time, too." Xuan Qingzi patted his anxious-looking mate. "Xiao, don't worry. Life and death is up to fate. This battle is inevitable. I'll fight him now." He looked at her deeply, as if to imprint her face into his memory before flying up and facing Qing Tian in mid-air.

"Xuan . . ." The young woman wanted to grab his arm, but didn't. Her one word was imbued with great emotion.

"Let's fight to the death!" Qing Tian bellowed, a purple mist surrounding him. He looked at Xuan Qingzi as he attacked. He was fast; in a blink, he was right in front of Xuan Qingzi, with a purple trail behind him.

After Xuan Qingzi left the pavilion, his whole body grew more powerful and his face also grew more intense. Seeing Qing Tian's surge, he didn't panic, only backing up one step, the move slower but also leaving streaks of white shadow, making his actual body seem vague.

Xuan Qingzi raised his right fist, focused energy to his abdomen, and curled his body inward before flying much higher in the sky.

Thump! The two men's fists collided. The sound of wind was deafening as energy streaks in purple and white filled the air around them. The stream underneath them seemed to explode from the fight's power, and even the waterfall nearby appeared to erupt from the force, turning into mist and vapor.

The pavilion shook a few times as a result, as if it was about to collapse. Xiao, watching from inside, waved her hand to make a nine-stringed qin appear. As her fingers tapped, a white energy bubble enveloped the entire pavilion to protect it.

The two men's fists never connected for long. As they backed up, their power seemed evenly matched as they surged up again to confront one another.

Several hundred rounds of fighting passed in a moment. The two men couldn't be seen at all—only spheres of white and purple energy were seen clashing and falling apart. Occasionally, deafening sounds came from the fight, leaving traces of energy streaks, distorting the air in the area, and shaking nearby mountains and rivers.

Xiao now stood next to the pavilion, but still within its bubble. Her eyes were half-open as she watched the battle taking place above her. She frowned, appearing calm, but her pale hands clenched so tightly from tension that they looked red, and she didn't even flinch from the fingernails pressing into her hand.