Yan Zhen kicked a stone in his way, the stone rolled and hit a corpse on the way making it bounce back. He has been stuck in this place for past three days he is just waiting to die at this point. He has expected a quick death as soon as he was pushed down but unexpectedly he was alive and really bored.
He has lived in Frost Moon sect since he was twelve years old and now after eight years of working tirelessly he was told that it was his only way to be proved helpful so it wasn't like he had an option to refuse when they asked him to be an offering to the demon Valley, but it did bug him how quickly there sect decided on his name.
Offerings to demon valley has been common since past five years, it is believed that giving up a disciple every year by each sect would keep the demon valley satiated and they will not rise up to harm the heaven and earth. Usually it's a big deal with sect holding competition where the ultimate loser would be the one who will be offered and it has been the case with his sect too in the past but this year there was no such thing because as he turned twenty with a broken Qi core that can't gather any energy he is already the biggest loser.
He laughed, the brutal suffering of past three days were slowly dulling any sense of devotion he felt for his sect.
He has been walking for too long, and with a suspicion that he might just be going around in circles. well it's not like he has anything better to do anyways...
Maybe he should try to live, crawl out of this place and destroy his sect make them crawl at his feet. Yes that would be great so he should first try to survive.
Even when his mind was coming with all these plans deep in his gut he was aware that he is as useless as possible. Getting revenge? destroying the sect? ha!! He is not even going to live one more day here.
But no matter how close or unavoidable death is, no mortal can accept it laying down. Yan Zhen want to survive he really does so he decided to eat what he has been eating for past days, little mushroom growing on the foot of valley or the algae growing in the creeks, and when the hunger is strong enough that it feels like it's consuming your organs even these feels like delicacy.
Yan Zhen started to look for something to eat but he realized soon enough that everything available on the base of valley, he has already consumed it and he has to go deeper in if he don't want to eat the decaying corpses. Well he picked his outer robe that he have long discarded to avoid unnecessary trouble and walked in. his shoes splashing the water flowing from the small creak.
*oh young lord, come here! come here! I have such a great thing to show you! come here!*
Yan Zhen stepped paused, the girly voice giggled repeating itself *here my lord! come here!* He felt his heart drop to his stomach, the regret to ever step in this direction was immediate. The voice sound like it belonged to a night market during moon festival and not in demon valley with corpses lying around.
He took a small step back trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. The voice paused, maybe he is away from the zone??
*I called you this way sir! where are you going?" This time the same voice was way too close he turned away planning to run away but his feet was no longer touching the ground he felt himself float towards the voice being so week he cant even try to fight back.
Maybe this is how his pathetic life would finally end.
----
"oh you are a smart one! usually others will use their spiritual energy and burst open their Qi core."
The women in front of him was nothing he expected. her skin flawless with hair tied in a bun with few strands falling on her face. she was wearing red hanfu but her inner robe was missing and her bust were peeking out from where it was tied messily.
He felt his throat go dry at the sight, and maybe the women also noticed as she laughed a slow ringing sound that seemed to echo in the silent valley.
"Mortal, you are quite interesting but don't look at me like that. I am nothing but a soul waiting to pass on a legacy, and you are the one I choose"
Yan Zhen looked up scared, "why me?"
"hmm.. I've no reason honestly this is a task my master gave me once i complete this I can finally leave to be with him but for past half a decade there seems to be some problem whoever I try to pull here seems to burst their Qi Core and die, why would you use spiritual energy to flee when I'm giving you a lift?" The women looked genuinely confused, and for first time Yan Zhen thanked its Qi Core that can't gather spiritual energy core.
"well mortal, now take this quickly I want to go to my master"
HE DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT
"Well what is it ? who are you ?" He should at least know what he was getting himself into if he was going to enter into some kind of mess.
"uhh?? why would you need to know that"
"because.."
"Okay anyway, I am demoness Shuri and this is a book by my master, as my master need a disciple but as you see he is too busy with us so he can't teach you personally, but all of us can only return once we find a perfect disciple and till now only you can stand alive here so we chose you" And just like that Yan Zhen saw not just Shuri but what looked like over hundred of women all beautiful from demons to what looked like sect goddesses in front of him.
So powerful, is that man so powerful to command such high level women. He want that book even if it's waste in his hand with its inability to gather any spiritual energy he can't just let this opportunity pass by maybe he can sell this book if it's really that useless for him.
"I will be grateful for such an opportunity, I will worship the master"
"There is no such need, with your drop of blood in the seal your every achievement would enrich our master so rather than focusing on worshiping him just focus on getting stronger" This time it was another women who looked like a noble in a peacock embroidered silver Hanfu.
Well he did feel a little bad for their master now, but as long as they are not aware he should just grab the one in a million chance.
he took the blade tied to his robe and slice his arm letting the blood flow into the seal placed in front of him, the seal glowed bright red and settled to black color before bursting like a small fire cracker.
The women cheered, they looked more happy then him as they started to disappear one after another and he realized a little too late that he should've asked how to get out of this valley but oh whatever.
He looked down at the book that came out of the seal, a little tattered toward the edge the title written in bold blood ink- THE SUPREME DUAL CULTIVATION ART.