Demon of Dawn and Dusk

It took some time for me to adjust to Cultivator Raphael’s presence in Astra’s old immortal cave. While he was a core disciple of the Dawn and Dusk Sect like my older sister, he had no duties other than to cultivate. He had no plans to become an elder, and therefore didn’t need the contribution like Astra did. This meant that he had more free time than she did and could move into the immortal cave without issue.

While this annoyed me, the idea had merit beyond the tutelage I received from Cultivator Raphael. If nothing else, his presence in the immortal cave masked my own. According to him, he wasn’t the only one who had noticed Astra’s odd movements over the past few months. Others within the sect were curious about what she was up to, including Big Sis Sidra, which was the last thing we wanted.

With Cultivator Raphael here, Astra could pretend that she was just sneaking off to meet with her lover/betrothed. While it was inappropriate for a man and a woman who weren’t related to each other to live together before marriage, it wasn’t unheard of. Unless someone else came by to investigate, no one would discover the truth of the matter.

Not that they would be able to enter the immortal cave if they did come by. The arrays Astra set up prevented most from even approaching the cave’s entrance. Cultivator Raphael had bypassed them because he was one of the few exceptions, which allowed him to just stroll in unimpeded. Astra fixed this flaw to prevent any further mishaps.

Still, after living in the immortal cave with just my older sister for company, it took some time to get used to Cultivator Raphael’s presence. Even back on Mt. Wind Dance I lived on my own, so sharing living quarters with another person was a novel experience for me. While Astra spent time in her old immortal cave, her duties to the Dawn and Dusk Sect kept her busy for long stretches of time.

Cultivator Raphael himself helped ease the transition. While his presence annoyed me, the man himself was an amiable soul. He was easy to get along with. On his first night in the cave, he shared a bottle of spirit wine with me, which lowered my barriers. Like spirit tea, it was a beverage that contained small amounts of qi. It tasted delicious and increased one’s cultivation by a minuscule amount.

It helped that I learned a lot from Cultivator Raphael. Under his tutelage, I filled in the gaps in my cultivation knowledge and learned more about cultivator society; at least for the Northern Region. From him, I learned that the world of cultivation was much bigger than I realized.

Seven sects known as the Seven Great Northern Sects, dominated the Northern Region. They had the most power, and therefore claimed the most territory and resources. The Dawn and Dusk Sect was one of these Seven Great Sects. While it wasn’t the most powerful one, it was among the top three. It was also the only Unorthodox sect among the Seven Great Northern Sects. The rest were evenly divided between the Righteous sects and the Demonic sects.

According to Cultivator Raphael, this was unusual. Few Unorthodox sects ever rose to a position of prominence. The Righteous sects and the Demonic sects often trampled over them and kept them suppressed. One of the reasons why the Dawn and Dusk Sect was an exception was because of its divine demons. This allowed it to stand toe to toe with the rest of the Seven Great Northern Sects.

There were also countless smaller and weaker sects dotted around the three continents that made up the Northern Region, as well as an even larger number of cultivator clans. Since spirit roots were passed down from parent to child, cultivators often established clans in order to increase the number of potential cultivators in the world. Many clans were founded by disciples from the many sects that called the Northern Region home, and thus had strong ties to those sects.

However, a few were founded by rogue cultivators and were therefore independent from any sect. Clan Wind Dance was among these few. Not that it mattered to me. Except for Lucius and my father, I cared little for Clan Wind Dance. I mean, I would get revenge on my uncle and Zayne if the opportunity presented itself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother with them. It was a waste of time, and I would rather focus on my cultivation.

All of these sects and clans were autonomous powers in their own right, able to govern themselves and their territory as they saw fit. As long as they swore fealty to the Azure Dragon Emperor and paid their taxes, they were given a lot of leeway. However, this freedom came at a cost. They had to rely entirely on themselves for their own safety and security.

In addition to teaching me about cultivation and cultivator society, Cultivator Raphael also taught me two divine mystic arts. The first was Heavenly Seal. This mystic art restricted an opponent's movements for a time. It also prevented them from using demonic and ghostly mystic arts. While useful, Heavenly Seal had its drawbacks. Its power depended on my own, meaning it was most effective against opponents that were weaker than me or on the same level of power at most. Using it against opponents stronger than me was a gamble. If they broke the seal, I would suffer from backlash.

The second divine mystic art that Cultivator Raphael taught me was Heavenly Shield. It was a defensive mystic art that summoned a barrier to protect me from harm. While it held its own against most attacks, like all divine mystic arts, it was particularly effective against demons, the undead, and other unholy beings.

Cultivator Raphael also taught me how to convert regular mystic arts into divine mystic arts. So Fire Serpent became Divine Fire Serpent, Fire Fist became Divine Fire Fist, and so on. While this didn’t make them any more powerful, it made them more effective against creatures weak to divine qi. Cultivator Raphael demonstrated this with Astra’s assistance. My older sister summoned a black demonic flame, which Cultivator Raphael snuffed out using a golden divine flame of equal strength.

Cultivator Raphael and I also sparred often. He turned out to be a tricky opponent to face. Unlike Astra, who was a ferocious and aggressive opponent, Cultivator Raphael was more cautious and defensive. His spear gave him more reach, which he used to great effect by keeping me at bay. Finding ways past his spear was an ordeal in and of itself, and that was with him going easy on me. It was an illuminating, if frustrating, experience.

My sister and her betrothed also helped me temper my mind. Cultivators could use their spirit sense to pressure and overpower the minds of others, as long as their spirit sense was strong enough. By subjecting myself to the pressure created by the spirit sense of a stronger cultivator, I could temper my mind the same way I tempered my body using demonic qi. It was grueling and painful, but the results were well worth it.

Under the combined tutelage of Astra and Cultivator Raphael, I increased my proficiency with my mystic arts and my martial arts at a rapid pace. So much so that as soon as I reached the physical refinement equivalent of mid Qi Condensation realm, both Astra and Cultivator Raphael declared me ready to hunt down the weakest of demonic beasts.

Several weeks after Cultivator Raphael moved into Astra’s old immortal cave, I found myself in a nameless forest that bordered the Black Mist Mountains. While there wasn’t as much demonic qi in this forest as there was within the purplish-black mist that gave the Black Mist Mountains their name, there was enough to taint the forest and corrupt it.

The trees in this forest were all twisted things that looked more like the claws of some demonic creature than anything else. Their leaves weren’t green, but rather a purplish-black similar in color to the mist within the Black Mist Mountains. The trees formed a thick canopy overhead, blocking out most of the sunlight. This didn’t present a problem to me, due to my cultivation, but a mortal would have had difficulty navigating their way through in such dim lighting.

The rest of the plants within the forest weren’t any better. Many of them were spiky or had sharp leaves, ready to wound the careless and unwary. Even the soil itself seemed twisted and corrupted, unable to sustain any kind of life. Yet, it somehow did. The air smelled acrid, and tasted the same, though not to an unbearable degree.

Small creatures scurried about, making noise with their movements but otherwise keeping their presence hidden. These weren’t true demonic beasts, but regular animals that were tainted by the ambient demonic qi within the environment. It made them more vicious and aggressive than their mundane counterparts. They left me alone because I was a cultivator and I didn’t bother hiding my aura, but they would have attacked a mortal without hesitation.

Not that a mortal had any business being in this forest in the first place. While there wasn’t that much demonic qi in the area, it was still poisonous to mortals. Just breathing in the air would be enough to kill one. Even low level cultivators would have difficulty navigating through this forest, unless they took the proper precautions. As demonkin, and a divine demon at that, the demonic qi in the area didn’t bother me at all.

All in all, while I found this forest eerie and unpleasant, it was the perfect place to hunt low level demonic beasts. Like cultivators, demonic beasts were ranked by their strength. Rank One demonic beasts were the equivalent of Qi Condensation cultivators, Rank Two demonic beasts were equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators, and so on. Also like cultivation realms, these ranks were further divided into early, mid, late, and peak.

The demonic qi in this nameless forest was enough for early to mid Rank One demonic beasts to appear, but nothing more powerful than that. This meant that I could hunt demonic beasts to my heart’s content while minimizing the risks involved. In fact, low level cultivators often came to this forest for that exact reason. Not only could they gain combat experience, but demonic beasts themselves were valuable. They could be hunted for their body parts or tamed as pets.

According to Astra, hunting down demon beasts was how many low level disciples of the Dawn and Dusk Sect earned extra spirit stones for themselves. For the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall, it was their main source of income. Unlike the other halls of the Dawn and Dusk Sect, Flame Fiend Hall didn’t provide its disciples with a stipend of spirit stones and cultivation pills. Instead, it expected its disciples to rely on themselves in this regard. While this took time away from cultivating, it also encouraged the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall to go out and experience the world, which was valuable in itself.

After they deemed me ready, Astra and Cultivator Raphael dropped me off in this forest before making themselves scarce. I knew they were nearby, watching over me, but they wouldn’t interfere unless my life was in danger. If I wanted to hunt down a demon beast in order to have Cultivator Raphael’s cousin cook it for me, I could only rely on myself.

As I walked through the forest, I maintained a vigilant watch over my surroundings. While I knew that Astra and Cultivator Raphael wouldn’t let me die, a moment of carelessness could lead to serious injury. So I kept an eye out for potential threats, as well as any nearby demon beasts.

While I caught sight of several animals tainted by the demonic qi in the environment, finding a true demon beast took much longer. The former weren’t worth the time and effort it took to hunt them down. Any benefit I would gain from eating them would be minimal at best.

About an hour after Astra and Cultivator Raphael dropped me off, I found my first target. It was a boar, or a boar-like, demon beast about twice the size of a regular boar. Its solid black hide was covered in a layer of needle-like fur, sharp and pointed. A pair of oversized tusks, also solid black, protruded from its mouth. The demon beast made snuffling sounds as it dug through the ground near the base of a tree, looking for something.

I snuck my way towards the boar demon beast making as little noise as possible. It must have heard me anyway, because soon after I caught sight of it, the creature stopped rooting around and whirled around to face me. A pair of crimson beady eyes stared at me from its face. A Devil Hog.

Devil Hogs were early Rank One demon beasts known for their tough hides and vicious tempers. They were the most common kind of demon beast within this forest, and the one most hunted by cultivators. A Devil Hog’s bones and tusks could be used to refine low-grade to mid-grade offensive magic treasures, while its hide could be used to refine defensive magic treasures. Consuming its flesh benefited demonic physical refiners, like myself and Astra, especially when prepared by a spirit chef.

Unlike many other demon beasts, a Devil Hog couldn’t use any mystic arts or innate abilities. It relied entirely on its powerful physique, making it a tough opponent for early Qi Condensation cultivators and their physical refinement counterparts. As the physical refinement equivalent of a mid Qi Condensation cultivation, I should have no problem dealing with a Devil Hog. However, that was no excuse for carelessness. Even regular boars were tenacious creatures, a Devil Hog would be even more so.

All these thoughts passed through my head in the blink of an eye. The Devil Hog pawed the ground with its trotter, before it aimed its tusks towards me and charged in my direction. As it rushed towards me, the Devil Hog let out an unholy squeal. The sudden charge and the loud squeal caught me off guard, delaying my reaction. By the time I regained my composure, the Devil Hog was almost upon me.

I jumped to the side just in time, dodging the Devil Hog’s tusks. Despite my lapse, I had no trouble avoiding the attack. I was used to sparring with Astra and Cultivator Raphael, who both moved at much faster speeds. Avoiding the Devil Hog’s attack was rather easy compared to dealing with either of them.

The Devil Hog charged past me for several feet before it managed to stop itself. After sighting me again, it let out another squeal and charged at me once more. This time, I was more than ready for it.

As the Devil Hog bore down on me, I considered my options before deciding on a course of action. When it neared me, I dodged to the side again. However, the Devil Hog must have anticipated this because it turned its head to try and gore me with its tusks even as I dodged its charge. I managed to avoid the tusk, though it drew a line of fire across my skin as it grazed me.

I retaliated with an attack of my own. My fist slammed into the Devil Hog’s front leg, right in its knee. A sickening crack filled the air as I broke the Devil Hog’s leg and the demon beast let out a pained squeal. Unable to support its weight, it slammed into the ground and left furrow in the earth.

Rather than attack right away, I whirled around and performed a series of hand seals.

[Divine Arts: Heavenly Seal]

A golden light emerged from my hands, before manifesting into a circular golden seal made from divine qi. The golden seal floated in the air for a brief moment before it flew over to the Devil Hog and enveloped it. The demon beast struggled against the seal, letting out several panicked squeals as it did so. However, no matter how hard it tried to free itself, the Devil Hog couldn’t break free within a short amount of time.

Taking advantage of its immobility, I pounced on the Devil Hog, aiming for its vital points. After several well aimed blows, it stopped moving. However, to be safe, I hit it a few more times just in case.

When I saw that I had truly killed the Devil Hog, I stepped back and let the golden seal fade away. Afterwards, I took stock of my condition. Other than the scratch on my side where the Devil Hog grazed me, I had no other injuries. I wasn’t even winded. Despite that, I felt my heart pounding in my chest.

Astra and Cultivator Raphael appeared next to me, as if from thin air.

“How does it feel, Little Demon?” Astra asked, grinning at me. “Your first kill that is?”

“Based on the smile on his face, it seems like we have another martial idiot on our hands,” Cultivator Raphael observed with a raised eyebrow.

It was in that moment that I realized that I wore a wide smile on my face. My heart wasn’t pounding from fear but from excitement. The Devil Hog’s blood covered my hands, and the smell of it filled my nostrils. However, I felt vindicated rather than sickened. Not only had I faced my first foe in a life or death situation, but I had won an almost perfect victory.

“It feels amazing,” I said in response to Astra’s question. “I’ve never felt so alive.”

Astra snorted and rolled her eyes. Despite that, she wore a fond smile on her face.

“Why didn’t you finish it off from a distance?” Cultivator Raphael asked, taking on what I called his teaching tone. “You had plenty of ways to deal with the Devil Hog from outside its range. Why did you risk letting it get close to you?”

This was something Cultivator Raphael liked to do when teaching me or after we sparred. He asked me to explain why I gave a certain answer or acted a certain way, before offering his own thoughts on the matter. This method of making me question myself, in both thought and deed, helped me find my flaws faster than I would have otherwise.

“I wanted to conserve my qi,” I answered. “I’m here to hunt multiple demon beasts, not just one Devil Hog. With my weak cultivation base, my qi is limited. It would have taken several spells to kill it from a distance rather than the one I used to restrain it. It was more efficient.”

“Yes, but it took you longer to kill the Devil Hog this way,” Cultivator Raphael pointed out. “Not only that, but you suffered an injury that you wouldn’t have otherwise, minor though it might be. Conserving your qi isn’t a bad idea most of the time, but sometimes killing your enemy as soon as possible is more important.” He gestured to the Devil Hog’s corpse. “Also, if you planned on conserving your qi, why did you cast Heavenly Seal after you gave it a crippling blow? Why bother using Heavenly Seal at all at that point?”

“Animals are at their most dangerous when they’re desperate, and I see no reason why demon beasts would be any different,” I pointed out. “If I had approached the Devil Hog without restraining it with Heavenly Seal first, I would have risked an even more severe injury. As for why I used Heavenly Seal after I crippled the Devil Hog instead of before, I didn’t know if I was strong enough to restrain the Devil Hog without weakening it first. I didn’t want to risk backlash. Using Heavenly Seal at that moment in time seemed like the safest option, considering the circumstances.”

Astra and Cultivator Raphael glanced at each other.

“Fair enough,” my older sister said. “You get a passing grade. While you could have done better, you could have done worse.”

I beamed at Astra. I then placed the Devil Hog’s corpse in a storage ring Astra had lent to me for the occasion, before heading over to the spot where I saw it digging around. I started digging in the same spot with my bare hands. At my current cultivation, moving around some dirt was a simple and easy task.

“What are you doing, Darian?” Astra asked, walking over to stand next to me. Cultivator Raphael joined her.

“The Devil Hog was looking for something,” I explained. “I want to see what it is. Maybe it’s something valuable.”

“I doubt it,” Astra said with a snort. “The spirit herbs and medicines you can find in this forest are only useful to Qi Condensation cultivators.”

“Your brother is a Qi Condensation cultivator,” Cultivator Raphael pointed out.

Astra scowled at him.

“Shush you.”

After digging for several more minutes, I found what the Devil Hog had been after. It was some kind of lumpy black fungus with white spots all over it. I dug the fungus out of the ground and inspected it. It was about the size of my hand. Based on the traces of qi it emitted, I knew it was some kind of spirit herb. However, I didn’t recognize what kind of spirit herb it was.

“A White Spotted Black Truffle?” Astra exclaimed. “It can’t be! Let me see that.”

Before I could even react, Astra snatched the fungus from my hands. She studied it for a moment, before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“It is a White Spotted Black Truffle!” my older sister said, before looking at me in disbelief. “It took me a decade to find my first White Spotted Black Truffle, but you managed to find one during your first trip to this forest? How? That’s not fair!”

Cultivator Raphael started laughing so hard that he clutched his stomach and hunched over. With a pained look, Astra handed the fungus back to me. I gave her a questioning look.

“Is this valuable then?” I asked her.

While Astra and Cultivator Raphael had taught me a lot about cultivation, they hadn’t taught me much about spirit herbs. What little I did know was a drop in the ocean compared to the variety of spirits herbs and other natural treasures out there.

“White Spotted Black Truffles are prized by low level demonic physical refiners such as yourself,” Cultivator Raphael said after he managed to calm himself down. “Not only does consuming one strengthen your physique by a small but noticeable amount, but they’re also quite delicious.” He gestured to the fungus in my hands. “They’re also rare, since they can only grow under certain conditions and take about a century to mature. Finding one on your first outing in this forest means that you have no small amount of luck, Cultivator Darian.”

As I listened to Cultivator Raphael’s words, I grew more and more excited. The prospect of eating a spirit herb that not only strengthened my physique but also tasted delicious made my mouth water. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, I pulled a wooden box out of the storage ring. It emitted an astonishing amount of qi.

Spirit herbs and other natural treasures lost their potency over time if they weren’t stored in magical treasures created specifically for that reason. This wooden box was one such container that Astra had lent to me, just in case I found a natural treasure worth keeping.

I stored the White Spotted Black Truffle inside the wooden box, before placing the box inside the storage ring. Afterwards, I continued on my way. As excited as I was about finding such a rare natural treasure, the day was young and there were plenty of demon beasts to hunt in this forest.