Dark Moon Era

“Head, I’ve embedded the First Scale on him. A-avenge me…”

Scale grabbed the placket of the man in black. Contracting his remaining muscles and mustering all his strength to voice his last will, he gasped and died in the arms of the man.

It had not been easy for him to hold up until now. His body was covered with electrocution burns and cuts from wind blades plus all sorts of claw and bite impressions. The reason he could last so long was that three more members of the Death Adder Squad, Tongue, Fang and Venom, had sacrificed themselves. The squad of seven was down to three after an intense fight.

Head put Scale’s body down as he scanned the desolate valley. The five bodies of the dead demon apes could not be wasted. They should be brought back, but would they be enough to cover the loss?

No! The only thing that could cover the squad’s loss was Tang Ling’s dead body!

The Stardust Council had suffered great losses in this attempt to capture Tang Ling. Their only consolation was the First Scale that Death Adder Scale embedded in Tang Ling.

…

After a night of intense battle, the six villages cleaned up the aftermath of the battle, so was Stardust Council.

Tang Long was quietly sitting on a chair with a calm look on the top of the three-story building at the base, watching the sky turned bright.

What a strange process it was. From the dark night to the first light at the horizon, when the first light slowly suffused the sky, the darkest part of the sky slowly faded and morning arrived. The reddish sun appeared and dyed the sky with its color, turning it into a bright soothing blue.

Tang Long loved the moment when morning arrived. This little moment inspired him and ushered his day with light charged with hope to illuminate the darkest and heaviest part of his mind.

“Young Master Long, it’s morning. We should head to the temple now,” Li Wu voiced a reminder beside Tang Long. His heart was rumbling with anxiety because everyone in the base clearly heard the status report from the battlefield earlier: 167 men and 4 Purple Moon Soldiers dead, plus 4 members of the Death Adder Squad sacrificed.

Regardless of how huge of a miracle had Tang Ling created overnight, Tang Long did not really care because he himself was also a creator of miracles. His reputation and even the True Capital’s shone as splendidly as the first light in the sky and the sun from the horizon, so no one could neglect his presence. All he was waiting for was the day to truly shine.

The point was that Tang Long had lost in this encounter with Tang Ling even though he had the advantage of the terrain. He had no excuse for the loss since Tang Ling ran around solo whereas he controlled tremendous power and resources. If they were comparing advantages, Tang Long was a lot stronger.

“I can do better, can’t I?” Tang long lifted the cup for a swig of water.

After living 17 disciplined years, except on special occasions, he only drank clear water. He was the kind of person that people knew as a genius but worked harder than anyone else in the room.

Li Wu dared not say anything because he did not even understand the game between Tang Ling and Tang Long. Only when the dust settled, he realized how astonishingly the brothers fought. Both of them fought not with brawn but with brains; it was a competition of tactics.

“I can actually do better.” Tang Long stood up as he did not expect the foolish men around him to answer.

“Young Master Long, a call.” Someone rushed up to the roof and handed Tang Long a communication device which he accepted silently.

“Tang Long, it is time for you to experience failure.” A solemn, sophisticated voice came from the other side. It was none other than the Supreme President of the Stardust Council, and also Tang Long’s godfather.

“Yes, I know.” The wind tousled Tang Long’s black hair. After such a tiring night, his eyes were a little bloodshot.

“I hope you know how to accept failure with the right attitude. Don’t get angry or be stubborn. Instead, use it as motivation. Act on your words.” The president paused for a moment before he continued, “Sometimes, information is powerful, and you’ve done well.”

Tang Long remained silent. If he had not started the game with a mistake, Tang Ling could not have changed his information into an advantage that helped him escape. His godfather was merely comforting him.

“It’s fine, he is the son of that man. If you beat him this easily, you will lose an opponent that can train you and improve you. You should thank your opponent on the path of growth. I hope you understand my words.” The president then hung up the call.

Tang Long squeezed the device hard as he smiled sadly.

The son of that man? Aren’t I the son of that man too? I was the one raised with the best there was and under the finest conditions, but I’m still the son of that man!

No one could understand the hidden wound in the deepest part of his heart. Of course, he would never tell anyone about this ugly wound and how ridiculous it sounded. He, Tang Long, had always been the neglected son!

“Death Adder Scale’s First Scale is embedded in Tang Ling. I suppose I don’t have to tell you people what to do next, do I?” Tang Long stood up wearing the white uniform on his shoulders.

“Let’s go to the temple,” he said as he walked down the stairs.

…

The headlines for the newspaper for that day erupted like a volcano once more.

Many soldiers and Purple Moon Warriors had participated in the operation, so it could not possibly stay a secret. Besides that, the villagers from the six villages in the grasslands had experienced the same thing as well, so the news spread like wildfire.

‘Tang Ling Appears, Kills The Wolf King, Fought The Council, Breaking Through A Myriad Of Soldiers. Is He Tang Feng reincarnated?’

‘The Path Of Escape? The Path To Glory? The Legend Continues.’

‘The Chosen One, Tang Long, Faces Defeat. Legendary Boy Tang Ling Rises.’

One had to give it to the folks who worked in intelligence. They were not journalist or reporters from the old civilization since there was not a lot of trivial matters happening in the Purple Moon era, let alone entertainment news.

The biggest spotlight of the current world would be the different powerhouses across the globe. Whatever happened to them was no longer news and was deemed intelligence.

Regardless of the name, the intel personnel were able to sniff out a big scoop the moment it happened and were able to convert the information into a newspaper, which would be distributed to every corner of the world, thus sparking a heated discussion once more.

If Tang Ling’s first appearance raised anticipation among everyone, then his latest performance was an outright declaration that he was Tang Feng’s son. No anticipation was needed for him. All they needed to do was wait, wait for him to grow into the brightest light ever.

The newspapers were distributed among the different factions in the world. Despite not spreading like wildfire across the Raqir Plains or a rural area like Safety Sector No. 17, a lot of people still received the news.

Since Tang Ling had started his path to glory, how should the others tread their own paths?

…

Holy Tree City was known as the most beautiful safety city in the whole world. It was also the most unique because there was no other safety city built on top of a tree.

No conflict would ever happen in this safety city because no one wanted to bear the title of Destroyer of Humans’ Most Sacred Property.

This tree was enormous with its crown alone a hundred kilometers in radius. It was considered the wealth of mankind. Who would want to start a fight in such a sacred place and destroy the mysterious and great tree of the world?

There were many secrets and mysteries surrounding this great tree, but they were all in the hands of the most elite scientists. Many speculated that the Holy Tree was a safety city managed by scientists. They were a group of peace lovers who devoted themselves to scientific research while governing the safety city. However, of course, only they had what it took to reasonably occupy the Holy Tree and convince the other factions to acknowledge it as the city of peace.

Other than the scientists, the public might not accept it even if a faction as powerful as the Stardust Council took over the Holy Tree.

It had been a decade since Han Ze arrived in the Holy Tree. Ten years were nothing else but decaying motivation and an increase in age. Even though times were peaceful, he was not able to let go of the past. Through the window of the treehouse, he was able to look further away since he lived in the middle of the Holy Tree.

He saw the vast and long Qinfeng Ridge, the towering Huatai Peak, and the crooked and vigorous Huang River that danced in between the mountains like a lively dragon. The wind sent the large leaves in the air, fluttering as they danced, similar to how the days of his youth sounded like pleasant waves in his ears.

Han Ze shut his eyes, turning away from the glass that reflected his white hair and wizened appearance that was reflected off the glass cabinet.

I’m getting older. Since when do I have white hair sandwiched in between the black strands? With that in mind, Han Ze could not help but stroke the newspaper on the table and smile feebly as he sighed.

“Dad! Today is the Fruit Festival. Aren’t you going?” Tearing in with haste, a young boy came in unannounced.

Han Ze opened his eyes and saw his youngest son, Han Xing.

In a blink of an eye, he’s already turning 16?

…

“Old Han, would you believe me if I said I know physiognomy?” Tang Feng laughed in a despicable tone, and as he talked, he carried Little Han Xing in his arms.

“I don’t believe you. Give me back my son.” Han Ze was nervous. Tang Feng was a man without moral principles while Little Han Xing was only two years old. Still, he carried the toddler out to the streets.

He pointed at the ladies walking on the streets and said, “Little Han Xing, if you want to know which lady is better, you must first look at their legs.”

“Legs, legs, legs!”

“Yes, the legs must be long and straight, and if the legs are fair enough, she will be a good lady.”

“Hahaha, good lady,” Han Xing pointed at a lady and parroted innocently.

“Hmmm, genius! This kid is a genius! He knows that a lady wearing black stockings is the best!” Tang Feng lifted Han Xing up to kiss his face affectionately and rub his head. “Genius!”

Han Ze’s heart was shattered when he saw that because he was afraid that Tang Feng would turn his youngest son into a mini version of himself. Therefore, when Tang Feng wanted to pick his son up again, Han Ze actually wanted to stop him in order to minimize his bad influence.

“Stop pushing me! I’ll teach him a set of sword techniques that are one-of-a-kind. Only he alone will know this set of techniques in the whole world!

“I told you I know physiognomy! He will be the world’s top swordsman and fight alongside with my Little Tang Ling. Even my Little Tang Ling won’t be his match in swordplay!

“Gosh, go away! I am not bullsh*tting you. He is the top three on the list of seeds. What’s wrong with me teaching him personally?”

“He’s just two! I’ll teach you my wrath before you teach him sword skills! Give me back my son!”

Memories shattered like glass in his mind as Han Ze got a little carried away.

…

“Dad?” Han Xing ran over to his father and climbed up the desk, waving his hand in front of his face twice before he threw himself forward in an attempt to get behind his father.

Han Ze’s eyes gleamed all of a sudden. He grabbed a pen from his desk and thrust it at Han Xing’s eyes at an unpredictable angle. Swiftly, Han Xing turned his body and his left hand reached out to the wooden sword behind his back.

Ka-chang!

The pen and the wooden sword clashed as the father and son immediately became solemn. Soon, the pen and the sword then clashed in a fury barrage. In a mere ten seconds, both of them had stabbed their respective weapons forward by more than 50 times.

In the end, Han Ze’s pen seized Han Xing at the chest. Annoyed, Han Xing scratched his head while pouting. “What a lame game.”

“Are you trying to get my mail with that?” Han Ze asked as he put his pen down.

“If my sword technique doesn’t fail me at times, I would have won.”

Han Ze went silent as he thought of that man again. What kind of sword techniques did the man teach his son?

Han Xing had his eyes fixed on the mail behind the vest. It was a green uniform with a long robe with a lively and vigorous embroidery of an azure dragon on its back that somewhat looked inconspicuous. Only he knew how powerful this mail was, and he had his eyes on it for a very long time.

“Do you still remember who taught you the sword techniques?” Han Ze folded the newspaper and asked.

“What do you mean who taught me? I don’t remember. Although I’m a genius now, the sword technique was branded in my brain since I was born,” Han Xing answered casually. He then noticed the newspaper in his father’s hand and snatched it.

“Path of glory? Tang Ling? This kid again? Everything that he does gets him on the headlines!”

“Do you want to be on the headlines too? Can you do what he did?” Han Ze looked asquint at his son.

“I don’t know.” Han Xing scratched his head, but a second later, he smiled. “I just want to be on the headlines, and if I can, a lot of ladies will notice me such as Alice, Shizhu, and Juno to name a few. Throngs of ladies will notice me! No one will dare to ignore me anymore!”

Han Ze’s face flushed. It seemed like the influence buried in his son’s memory was persistent or was his son just a natural-born pervert? With that in mind, he grabbed the pen from the desk and threw it at Han Xing. “Get out of my face!”

…

“Stop! Stop, you f*cker!” The world was ignited once again because of Tang Ling although he himself was hiding in a dark and humid cave. He curled up like a shrimp and punched the wall of the cave ceaselessly.

In less than five minutes, the muddy wall of the cave was struck into a flat surface with a metallic luster. It could only be formed with mud that had been infinitely packed together.

Upon a closer look, Tang Ling’s back had a blue, crooked mark that looked like a little snake. It was wriggling and spreading and each time it moved, wreaking tremendous pain on his body. The pain was even more painful than eating vicious beast meat, and it felt very cold and sinister. His spine felt as if it would freeze his flesh and blood.

Beside Tang Ling was a dagger and his back was bloody. It was obvious that he was trying to cut this strange blue mark out of his body, but his efforts were futile. All he could do was endure it. Meanwhile, his face was pale and cold as the pain tortured him.

It seemed like Young Master Long had not completely lost the game!

“Aaaaaargh!” Tang Ling shouted deafeningly deep inside the cave.