Pathway

"What?!"

Screamed the Crow in utter shock as it flipped backwards a few yards. It continued to stare at the unscathed Raven in disbelief. He couldn't believe there was any chance the Raven could do that. A lowly messenger Raven. Was that a life-saving talisman or heavenly grade technique? How could this Raven, even, have a life-saving talisman or know a heavenly grade technique? When it hadn't reached full-transformation stage.

"Oh Crow. I told you, you have no idea who I am."

Voiced the Raven as he transformed into a mortal form. With a wide grin displayed on his face, the Raven slowly shook his head. 

"Titan's torso!"

Ying Jie exclaimed in total shock. The raven sacred beast must be at the peak stage of the golden core the least to attain full transformation. For him to be pretending before, could only mean that the treasure they were after was of huge value. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the risk he was in. Ying Jie shook his head to dispel the rational fear he was having, and continued watching.

In a quick movement, the Crow flapped his wings and tried to flee. But the shadow raven initiated his own technique, a freezing shadow technique that gripped the Crow and held it one place as the Raven arrived in front of it. In a twirling wind of shadow hurricane, the raven delivered a vicious killer blow with a hooked talon that sliced horizontally across across the crow's belly, cutting it into two in a long, wide gash.

A single-blow kill?

Surely, a Yinlong martial master, at the least. What type of treasure could he be after inside the cave? Ying Jie was still pondering on the content of the cave, when he heard the voice of the Raven and quietly peeked.

He saw the Raven looking at the eyes of the dead Crow before talking.

"Do you even know what is inside this cave? How could you have known about the Deathless-God armor, anyway? A armor that, for the eternal beyond, could be used for everything on this plane. Even, for the heavenly ascension tribulation. You were here because of the new, day blood of the sacred ravens and crows needed to be pour on the threshold around the armor. Anyway, you've served your purpose."

The Deathless-God armor? Ying Jie asked himself in wonder. The wearer couldn't be killed in combat on the mortal plane, once it was worn. Even, if the soul was trapped by a more powerful opponent, the soul would still escape the confinement. Unless, the soul was banished with a total grade heavenly soul-banishing scroll or a luminous scroll.

As he was pondering in bewilderment, the shimmering energy sorrounding the cave, exploded outwards. And, a tall dark fairy, twice his own size and was carrying a black and red spear. His black eyes had red irises which were emitting dangerous death energy.

A Death Imither!

Death imithers. Nascent souls creatures of the ascendant level. They were created from pure death energy in the realm of Ogitha. So powerful and deadly, that they were forever isolated from other realms. But, they had allies. The Xue Kus. Equally powerful and extremely deadly.

"Who dares enter the land of the Eternal-Cave without permission?"

The imither demanded in a loud voice as he examined the damages caused to the area. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. The whole place had been destroyed on his watch. 

"What?!"

Tilting his head to the side, his eyes became narrowed. It was as if he was finding it difficult, trying to process the level of the destruction he was seeing. With eyes blazing red in anger, the imither gripped his humming spear tightly with his right hand before pointing the tip at the Raven.

"A forsaken Raven caused all these?! I. Am. The. Guardian!"

The spear of the imither whirled and spun, lashing out with quick, ferocious strikes that caused the air to sizzle and wail as it turned dark green.

Death necrosis.

The raven, now in mortal form, moved in lightning speed as he countered the incoming strikes by dodging and redirecting each attack with the giant sabre in his hand. He was on the back foot as the strikes of the imither continued to come in quick and deadly succession. After several strike exchanges, the raven twisted away, slashing out with his sabre as he sent out two shadow blade lights. The imither slashed through the blade lights but the extra space allowed the raven to retreat backward for a few yards.

"Heaven's forsaken imither."

The mortal raven jumped high into the air as shadow energy covered on his body in a shimmer before turning into a massive mortal figure in an obsidian shadow armor with a raven head, raven wings and raven claws. His true nascent soul. He threw himself forward before transitioning into a forward flip that contort the airspace as shadow ripples were formed. At the same time he twisted in the air before descending as his shimmering sabre tore the fabrics of space in huge unctrollable ripples.

The Shadow Assunder Descent.

The imither slammed his foot on the floor as he transformed into a phantom figure of raging dark death energy. The only visible part were his angry red eyes. He pointed his spear to the floor and started to raise it slowly. The spear was humming and vibrating with death energy in pulsing convulsion. As he pointed the spear to the sky, the air hummed violently as the spacetime convulsed. All the death energy converged on the tip of the speare pointed the spear towards the sky. The imither leaped into the air towards the descending Raven.

The Hallowed Death Realm.

The collision was of heavenly proportion. Two entities who were beyond the golden core stage.  They could well be knocking on the nascent soul stage. The sky was covered in dark shadow and death energy as the vicinity was thrown into complete darkness.

Few minutes after the darkness receeded, the two entities couldn't be located but they could still be sensed, spiritually. Both of them had entered the spirit realm, but, could be returning soon.

Fu Yingjie quickly left his hiding space behind the boulder and sourced for the blood of the ravens and crows before speeding towards the vacant cave. It didn't take him long to locate the armor and poured the blood along the threshold around the armor to claim the armor. As he finished saying the safe word, he heard a powerful energy explosion outside the cave. But, he was already back in the forsaken garden before he could see what caused the explosive sound.

Fu Yingjie quickly left his hiding space behind the boulder and sourced for the blood of the ravens and crows before speeding towards the vacant cave. It didn't take him long to locate the armor and poured the blood along the threshold around the armor to claim the armor. As he finished saying the safe word, he heard a powerful energy explosion outside the cave. But, he was already back in the forsaken garden before he could see what caused the explosive sound.

Although anything and everything could have gone wrong, he knew he had no choice. He would take anything and everything to help him free his parents.

Recollecting his mind, Fu Yingjie put the items back in his sacbag before standing up. He gently smoothened his bed and quietly lay down. The following day, when he would tell them about his own adventure, he would ask them for help. Especially, Ju Feng. He would ask Ju Feng, if Ju Feng's demigod mother and the uncle he was talking about, could help him with his parents. He couldn't wait to tell them and see their reactions in particular. He closed his eyes and slept soundly with a renewed hope for the future.

The following day, when he would tell them about his own adventure, he would ask them for help. Especially, Ju Feng. He would ask Ju Feng, if Ju Feng's demigod mother and the uncle he was talking about, could help him with his parents. He couldn't wait to tell them and see their reactions in particular. He closed his eyes and slept soundly with a renewed hope for the future. The following morning he related his own adventure to them and their reactions were truly wonderful.

"The Deathless-God armor."

They all exclaimed in complete shock, when they saw it inside Fu Yingjie's sacbag.

"Eternal beyond!"

"A total grade heavenly treasure? Heavens tears on my head."

"And you saw an imither? Titan's torso."

"Are you sure you are not dead yet?"

"Really, you were courting death."

Ying Jie watched their bemused and happy faces as they rejoiced with him. He couldn't ask them for help in regards to his parents yet. As he didn't want to spoil their happy days. He would wait and find a good time to that. Now, wasn't the right time.

After their day together, the two siblings, Lin Cheung and Lin Da Xia, went towards the training center while Fu Yingjie walked with Ju Feng towards the library.

"Ju Feng. You said you want to know more about the Conchi Shell."