Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Life Star Hangs High, Sun and Moon in the Same Sky

Pioneer City, Luo Family Village.

This village, a secluded paradise, was nestled against Heaven Pillar Mountain. The villagers typically went into the mountains to hunt, gather herbs, and chop wood, which they then sold in the city.

On an open plot of land in the village, a gaunt-faced boy, no older than eleven or twelve, was practicing his fist forms. Though his face was sallow from malnutrition, he threw every punch with extreme diligence, letting out grunts and shouts of ”HUH! HAH!” from time to time.

”Put your back into it! Don’t slack off!”

Beside the boy stood a burly, bare-chested man.

”Practicing your fists is like rowing a boat upstream. Miss one day, and your skills regress. Miss ten days, and even the greatest talent will go to waste. How can you expect to sense your Life Star then?”

The man held a bamboo stick. As he berated the boy, he used the stick to tap his body, correcting flaws in his fist technique. His voice and actions were extremely severe, and only when he saw the boy still gritting his teeth and persevering would a rare warmth surface in the depths of his eyes.

This continued for the better part of an hour.

”Alright, that’s enough. Stop and rest for a while.”

Though the man had spoken, he did not relax his gaze. He watched the boy intently, seeing that he didn’t instantly collapse to the ground but instead slowly relaxed his fighting stance.

”Huuuu...”

He exhaled a long stream of air that condensed without dispersing, like a white arrow hanging in the void. Only after completing this did the boy methodically come to a still standing position.

”Not bad!” The man finally nodded in satisfaction. ”It seems you didn’t forget what I taught you yesterday. The biggest taboo when practicing is letting your energy dissipate. Even if you’re pushed to the Extreme, unable to continue, you must not slack off when you rest. Otherwise, the energy will scatter, and your whole session will have been for nothing.”

”Hehe...”

Hearing this, the boy scratched his head, his expression a mixture of simple-natured pride and delight. He then looked up at the sky.

A glance revealed a sky of countless, dazzling stars.

Regardless of sunrise or moonset, even during the daytime, countless stars twinkled in the sky. Some were dazzling, some were dim, and some had yet to be lit.

He had been taught from a young age that the stars in the sky corresponded to the people on the ground, symbolizing the destinies of all living beings. At this thought, a glimmer of anticipation appeared in the boy’s eyes. He couldn’t help but look at the man. ”Master, when do you think I’ll be able to light my Life Star?”

”Today.”

The man spoke casually, but his words left the boy stunned on the spot. It took him a long moment to process it. ”Today!? Master, why didn’t you tell me sooner!”

”If I had told you sooner, it would’ve been jinxed.”

A smile touched the corners of the man’s lips as he said softly, ”You just performed a set of the Obedience Fist. Now, look up at the sky and slowly close your eyes.”

The boy quickly did as he was told.

Strangely, this simple action, which would have been meaningless on any other day, now sparked an indescribable sensation within the boy.

’My Life Star...’

In a trance, the boy’s consciousness seemed to connect with the firmament. He saw a star, once dim, slowly brighten as he watched.

The next moment, an Intention flowed down on the starlight—

[Villager]

The simple word left the boy stunned for a long while. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the man watching him anxiously. ”What Life Star did you get?”

”[Villager],” the boy answered truthfully.

The man’s expression didn’t change at the words, but a flicker of disappointment showed in the depths of his eyes. ”[Villager]... Well, living a quiet and stable life isn’t so bad either.”

But the boy looked confused. ”Can’t a [Villager] practice martial arts?”

”Of course you can.”

The man patted the boy’s head and sighed. ”But the Divine Effect of [Villager] is just that it allows you to eat anything when you’re starving.”

”When it comes to martial arts, however, you aren’t a [Martial Soldier]. You don’t have the corresponding Divine Effect to support you, so your training will yield half the results for twice the effort. Rather than waste your time, it’s better to be an obedient [Villager] and farm the land. If you rashly try to change your Fate, you could end up worse off than you are now.”

Saying this, the man sighed again.

He was speaking from personal experience.

Unlike the boy, he was a [Martial Soldier]. But he hadn’t been content to remain a simple foot soldier; he had been determined to become a general.

However, it was not his fate to be.

The corresponding Life Star never lit for him, and so everything went awry. Trying to break from one’s destined path only invites misfortune, and the result for him was being grievously wounded in a major battle.

If not for that, he would never have left the army to live in seclusion in a small mountain village like this one.

”But, Master...” After listening, the boy lowered his head, then looked up hopefully. ”If my Life Star is [Villager], does that mean I have to be a villager my whole life?”

”...Not necessarily.”

The boy was still young, and the man didn’t want to crush his enthusiasm, so he changed the topic.

”Though the world’s Life Stars are all subject to a Constant, there are exceptions. For example, when the Celestial Demon Enters the World, countless Variables arise.”

”At that time, even a [Villager] has a chance of becoming an [Emperor].”

”I know, I know!” The boy shot his hand up. ”The Next Emperor and the Night Emperor! Their corresponding Life Stars are the Sun and the moon!”

”Correct.” The man smiled faintly. ”He who commands the star of the Sun is the Next Emperor. He who commands the star of the moon is the Night Emperor. Both are Supreme Venerable positions of Heaven and Earth.”

”Whenever the Celestial Demon Enters the World, Martial Artists across the land will sense it. Ultimately, two Celestial Emperor Venerables will rise and join hands to slay the Outer Celestial Demon.”

”At that time, the Emperor will unite the world, ushering in a long-awaited era of great peace and order.”

As he spoke of this, a look of yearning appeared in the man’s eyes. ”Ancient records state that the last time the Celestial Demon Entered the World was a thousand years ago.

”Back then, pressed by the might of the Celestial Demon, the monarchs of the Sixteen Kingdoms of Central Plains joined hands. Right here, on the summit of Heaven Pillar Mountain behind us, they swore a blood oath to resist the Celestial Demon together. Under the new dynasty they founded, fierce generals were as numerous as clouds, and brilliant strategists as plentiful as rain. They all pledged their lives in service, which is how the imperial line has endured to this day...”

The man was a decent storyteller.

As he spoke, a soul-stirring tale of history unfolded, leaving the boy utterly captivated and wishing he had been born in that great age of strife.

However, at that very moment, several young men came running from the outskirts of the village, carrying bows and daggers, their faces filled with terror. ”There’s an uproar in the mountains! Beasts are stampeding!”

”What?”

At these words, the man’s expression turned to one of shock. ’Heaven Pillar Mountain spans thousands of miles and is home to countless venomous creatures and ferocious beasts—there are probably even several Beast Kings within it. What ordinary event could cause such a massive stampede?’

’Could it be a beast tide?’

’That’s impossible. Years ago, the City Lord made an agreement with the Beast Lord of Heaven Pillar Mountain. Each side was to keep to its own territory. Why would the Beast Lord suddenly incite a beast tide?’

Be that as it may, the man dared not delay. After all, Luo Family Village was just a remote hamlet at the foot of the mountains. In the face of a beast tide, it was no more than a pebble in the ocean, fated to be engulfed in an instant.

Perhaps only the nearby Pioneer City could be considered a reef sturdy enough to withstand the waves.

At this thought, the man made a swift decision. ”Gather the villagers at once and evacuate to Pioneer City! This is not something we can handle. We must report to the City Lord first—”

RUMBLE!

Before the man could finish his sentence, his voice was drowned out by a thunderous boom. The sound erupted from within the mountains; for a moment, it was as if Heaven Pillar Mountain itself was collapsing!

In an instant, terror appeared on the faces of countless villagers in Luo Family Village.

Even the man, who considered himself worldly and experienced, was utterly stunned, staring dumbfounded at the long, narrow rift that had been suddenly torn open in the sky above Heaven Pillar Mountain!

’Heaven... it’s tearing apart...!?’

The descriptions from the ancient texts flashed through the man’s mind. A story he had only ever read in books was now playing out before his very eyes, leaving him at a complete loss.

’The Celestial Demon Enters the World?’

’The Celestial Demon Enters the World!’

In that instant, billions of stars across the firmament lit up as one. The stars of the sun and moon, in particular, blazed with brilliant light, casting their glow upon the rift.

At almost the same moment, the image of the rift appeared in the eyes of every Martial Artist who had lit their Life Star. They felt the shackles of their Life Stars completely shatter. No longer were they bound by the identities their stars bestowed. And in their hearts, a powerful, irresistible urge bloomed:

”Kill!”

Kill the one who emerges from the rift!

The first to take their head shall be king of all under Heaven!