Stars are Falling: Condemning the Heavens, #3

By Tinalynge

A young man embarks on an adventure, trying his utmost to survive while cultivating inner energies and practicing martial arts.

 

In the continent of Chang'an humans had lived as livestock and slaves to the Primordial Beasts. These beasts were ferocious, bloodthirsty and overwhelmingly powerful, but even so, the humans managed to prevail in the face of despair.

As the human race grew stronger the Primordial Beasts fought back with relentless fierceness, rousing beast hordes to engage in frenzied battles over the land.

Every single child on the continent was taught martial arts for the sake of fighting these Primordial Beasts, yet many of them were sent straight to their death.

In this world filled with constant battle, a young boy was born. This young boy was hoping to become the most outstanding cultivator, but who would have thought that his talent was so poor that he could not even cultivate?

As the boy was filled with despair over his unfortunate situation, a life changing event occurred which would forever leave a scar in his mind, pushing him to transcend his limits and grow to become a legend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tinalynge
• Release date: Mar 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215002711

Book preview

Chapter 1 - Condemn

The sun shone brightly in the sky above. The sound of animals was ever present in the forest. Mortal birds were chirping, and a mortal deer fearfully advanced through the dense thicket in fear of arousing the attention of a Fierce Beast or a human.

Suddenly, this lively forest turned deadly silent. The birds dared not chirp, and the deer dared not move.

It was as if a predator had started to move within the ecosystem; the entire area was silent, yet the animals still dared not move.

Finally, the sound of rustling appeared, after which a young man stepped out from behind a dense cluster of branches and bushes.

This young man was wearing tattered red clothes that had seen better days. Although his clothes were made from Fierce Beast silk, they were clearly worn down from extensive travel through desolate and difficult areas.

He had worn his clothes when the beast horde attacked back in the Kingdom of Heping's capital. They had been worn when the Ice Harpy had dragged him away, which left behind gaping holes by his shoulders.

These clothes had been worn when he was in prison and later on when he was escaping. He had worn them when he went to save Tie Haolong and when he later fled the battle. He had even worn those same clothes while cremating Tie Haolong.

Xue Wei had long since wanted to change them, but he knew that it was too risky for him to enter a village or city. He was simply too easy to recognize, and he knew that there would be someone chasing him.

Because of this, he had traveled in deserted areas. In places filled with beasts and no humans.

Along the way, he found out that the beasts went silent and tried to hide their presence whenever he came by; even the Fierce Beasts tried to dig themselves into a hole, so although Xue Wei was traveling through extremely dangerous areas, he did not encounter any difficulties in the form of having to fight beasts.

As he came out of the forest, he found that a small village was present in front of him. Contemplating for some time, Xue Wei wondered what his plans were.

I wish to visit Lingyun Town, Xue Wei pondered. I know that it will be incredibly dangerous and also a little stupid to go since I am likely to be chased and captured. Still, something is calling for me. If I do not go, this unrest will never leave my body.

As to what I can do after visiting Lingyun town, I guess I will decide by then.

I guess one option is to enter the center of the continent and visit Lan... but at the same time, this seems rather risky too. I have no intention to follow Lan, which means his incentive to assist me will drop drastically. At the same time, everyone in the Kingdom of Heping knows about my relationship with Lan; if they can't find me any other way, then they will move towards the center of the continent. I highly doubt that they will let me be.

In that case, finding him might be as dangerous as going towards Lingyun town. Also, I cannot forget that I am currently marked as a criminal, someone who is colluding with Primordial Beasts.

Although Lan is strong, and although he has a group of supporters, the truth is that every strong man will have strong opposition. If rumors come out about Lan supporting someone who might be a Primordial Beast, he will be put in a tough spot. He will be forced to deliver me to the government.

Xue Wei pondered deeply, and then he sighed. I want to kill Chu Huiyin. She has caused much trouble for me; she has framed me and taken everything I wanted away from me. It is only fair that I return the favor, but to do so I need to be incredibly strong.

But Chu Huiyin is not the only thing I care about, Xue Wei said, his eyes turning serious and his lips tightening to a straight line. I need to avenge Tie Haolong. I cannot accept that he sacrificed himself for me so that I could escape, only to be left unavenged.

Until I get revenge for Tie Haolong – and revenge for myself – I will not allow anyone to stop or capture me.

Xue Wei was chatting to himself, his eyes which had been slightly lost were now focused. His determination was strong. They wanted to destroy his life? They will see how he takes his revenge on them, see how he kills them all!

They wanted to condemn him? See how he condemns the world. See how he condemns the heavens!

A slow fire started burning inside Xue Wei. He felt energized – he felt strong enough to be able to stand against the entire world if need be.

Xue Wei once more glanced at the village in front of him before he merged back into the forest. He waited for the night to fall.

These citizens were all farmers. Although they had previously been cultivators, none of them had been talented. They were very well aware of the fact that if they went to do work as mercenaries or soldiers, they would die.

Instead, they had settled as farmers. Some grew medicinal herbs, while others grew more mundane crops necessary for their livelihood.

Xue Wei watched as the men and women returned from their fields once it was dusk and entered their small homes.

Clothes were washed and hung outside to dry in the gentle summer breeze, and Xue Wei waited until all lights were turned off and all of the villagers had gone to sleep.

It was at this time that he snuck into the village and swiped some clothes that he could fit in.

Although these clothes were made of ordinary beast fabrics rather than the Fierce Beast silk his own were made of, they were clean and soft on the skin.

They also made it possible for Xue Wei to almost blend in as a commoner.

All men his age were in the army, even the ones a year younger than him had just entered the recruitment camp, so seeing a young man travel the roads usually meant he was a deserter or on a mission.

In such a situation, Xue Wei would still stick out like a sore thumb when he was traveling in the crowded areas, and he understood that it was better to avoid them as much as possible.

Unfortunately, as he traveled further and further north, it was impossible to completely avoid areas inhabited by humans, and Xue Wei, who thought that he could never be too cautious, created a bamboo hat he wore on his head.

His sleeves were long and reached past to cover his hands. The bamboo hat cast an obscuring shade over his face, and he was tall enough to seem like an average adult despite having yet to finish his growth spurt.

He was lean of build, and although he had some muscles, one could see that it belonged to a youth. Fortunately for Xue Wei, his baggy robes were more than enough to hide that.

Xue Wei could feel his heart hammering away in his chest as he reached the end of the animal trail he had been traversing.

This trail ended as it connected to a road that crossed through the forest. Although the road seemed somewhat empty at the moment, Xue Wei could sense and see on the many trails that were evident on the road itself that it was well used.

Taking this path would make it possible for Xue Wei to reach the Northern Territory sooner than if he continued to travel through the wildlands, but he also understood that with this speedy travel came more dangers in the form of random encounters, possibly with hostile forces.

If it were just normal soldiers that were after Xue Wei, he did not fear them too much. However, if they were Primordial Beast Hunters, then he was in for a lot of trouble.

Xue Wei understood that he had played it safe for around two weeks now, traveling in areas vacant of human presence. And although he had avoided danger by doing so, he had also lost a lot of information about what had been going on in the rest of the kingdom.

Xue Wei was torn, but then he shook his head, and his eyes turned ruthless. I won't gain anything if I do not risk something as well, he mumbled to himself with conviction evident in every single word.

I will avoid the bigger cities, but the smaller ones I can enter, he decided.

I have no money... they took all my items when I was captured, but I can still listen to conversations from the shadows.

Xue Wei had made a decision, and he saw no reason to waste any time. He was close to the Northern Territory by now, and he could feel the excitement grow with each step he took.

The road towards a small village meant that Xue Wei once more had to enter the world of humans once more.

As he did, his worry about being penniless was quickly addressed. He had to walk through a small canyon. This canyon looked peaceful and average from the outside, yet when Xue Wei entered he soon found that it was anything but that.

Here, he encountered more than one life-and-death situation. He was forced to flee at times, and forced to rely on his bloodlust at other times.

Finally, when he came out on the other side, he had gained the possessions of three bandits. Although it had not made him rich, he had earned enough money to be able to enter an inn and ask for a simple meal once in a while. This would make information gathering much simpler.

He had also managed to get a few different sets of clothes that he changed into. And although his bamboo hat had been damaged, he quickly made a new one.

The canyon had taught Xue Wei to always be on guard. While the canyon itself gave off a simple and beautiful image, danger had lurked around every corner, and it was only now that he understood just how threatening the outside world was. And he’d only begun exploring the depths of the Kingdom of Heping, a backend kingdom that others looked down upon for simply being too weak.

Xue Wei walked down a dusty road. His black clothes had long since been covered with a whole layer of dust, and his hair swayed like tight ropes every time the wind passed by due to the dust that had settled in the long black strands of hair that could be seen beneath the bamboo hat.

Xue Wei wore simple black shoes with nearly worn-down heels, and he could feel that he had walked for a long time before a small village finally came into sight in the distance.

Xue Wei had always lived in major cities such as Tiankong City and the capital, so when he saw the small town he was heading into, he looked around curiously before he got a grip on himself and slowly headed straight for the middle of town where the inn was located.

The town was big enough to have an inn, and it also had various shops, but it was not big enough to be considered a city.

Xue Wei walked straight into the inn where he found a table in the back. The lighting there was dim as it sat in the shadows and not many would notice it.

It was early morning, and Xue Wei ordered some breakfast, paid for it together with a room, and leaned back, ready to listen in on the conversations of both patrons that frequented this inn and other travelers. He knew that it would take quite a long time before such visitors appeared, but he was hungry and wished to sit down for a bit.

Despite being an inn in a small town, the staff were all experienced. Although the seat he had picked was inconspicuous and many would expect that it was an error, the truth was that it was there especially for those seeking information. Only those who wished not to be noticed and still gather information would sit in such a place.

Because of this, they did not even blink an eye when Xue Wei stayed seated even after finishing his meal.

Chapter 2 - Seed of Doubt

The morning was slow in the small town. Some caravans and travelers passed through, but none of them stopped. It was clear that all of them wished to travel without rest until evening.

Xue Wei was not in a rush. He ordered a few more dishes, paid with the small amounts of money that he had, and then slowly ate it. The food tasted great. For a long time, Xue Wei had been on the run and lived off whatever he had been able to acquire in the forests and on the ground. He had not even been able to eat meat as the beasts had avoided him like the plague.

This had caused Xue Wei to starve. He had been eating root vegetables and other plants. He had eaten berries and fruits. Fortunately, it was in the middle of summer, so the wild was filled with these plants.

Xue Wei was now eating meat for the first time in around a month. This was something he wished to savor, and he enjoyed eating it slowly without hurrying. Although he was on the run, he felt like a new person.

He was silent while eating, but his mind was filled with thoughts of what he wanted to do, his eyes set with determination. The food kept invigorating him the more he ate.

Although he was a wanted person, he stopped paying attention to anything and allowed for his mind to wander. Suddenly a light shone in his eyes. He started to feel that he had never felt this much alive before. He was right on the edge of life and death with every move he made.

Deep in thought, the day turned to evening. More and more people filled up the inn, and many came from caravans that were transporting goods. Some were travelers traveling on their own, while the rest were mercenaries that were in smaller groups on their way to the dangerous regions to earn some money.

These people loved gossiping, and many of them started talking with people from other groups in the hope of finding more information.

Have you heard about the hunting squad that the royal family has sent after the criminal? someone suddenly asked, but the others scoffed at him. Even the animals know about that. What about it?

Well, we met the hunting squad! the person who had spoken chortled, clearly very pleased with himself. The hunting squad is specifically picked by His Highness the King to hunt down the criminal. As you know, most information about them has been quite lacking, but if someone offers to buy me some wine, I will gladly tell you all I know!

Xue Wei was about to jump in and offer him some wine when he realized that it would seem strange to do that. He forced himself to calm down and instead prayed that someone else would step in.

Fortunately for Xue Wei, everyone was eager to hear these rumors. After a moment, three cups of wine had been placed in front of the loud-mouthed caravan guard.

Well, how to begin, the man took a deep gulp of the cup of wine and looked around with glistening eyes, clearly eager to tell what he knew.

The king himself found a hundred experts and asked them all to hunt down the criminal. These experts are eighty Sky Warriors and twenty Earth Warriors.

The captain is a Sky Warrior of the ninth layer. He is not to be underestimated.

We met them around two weeks ago. They were heading the same way as us in the beginning, so we traveled together, but suddenly they changed their direction.

They tried to locate the criminal in every village and city we went through, but no one had seen him. I guess they assumed that he had stayed away from the main roads, and traveled in the wilderness all the way.

The captain is very well-known in the army; his name is Captain Yuan Chao. I got to know a little from him, the man continued to speak, and more and more cups of wine appeared on his table, all of the people wishing to hear him speak more. Even the inn itself offered a cup of wine on the house.

Xue Wei listened intently as well. He could not help but grimace underneath the bamboo hat. He was being chased by eighty Sky Warriors, and the leader was a ninth layer Sky Warrior? Wasn't that almost the same as sending a Heavenly Warrior after him?

At least from what he had understood, no one had been able to find his trail and follow him. Xue Wei understood on the other hand that this could also prove to be a dangerous thing for him. If they could not find him, then they would split up and go to the places he was likely to visit.

There were only a few places he could go to, one of them being back to Tiankong City to seek shelter under Manager Su. Another would be the center of the continent and seek out Prophet Lan, while the final location would be Lingyun Town.

These pursuers were not slow, and since this Yuan Chao was famous in the army, he could not be dumb either, so Xue Wei instantly assumed that when they suddenly broke up from the caravan, they had either split up into three groups, one heading for each location, or they had decided to gamble on one of them and left the other two up to fate.

The man paused slightly. We don't know more than that, he sighed. He was slightly tipsy from all the wine he had received, but he was also cheerful from having shared such delicious gossip with others.

I heard that he stole the Lightning Sparrow from one of the most esteemed Primordial Beast Hunters in the country, someone muttered, and the others looked at him with perplexion. This was old news, so for him to say it, he had to have something else to follow up with they thought. We are poor people, he continued, so for us to get a Fierce Beast as a companion is probably impossible, but imagine those who have spent a fortune on a Fierce Beast, only to see it revolt against them.

Also, has it not struck you that the only ones being able to control a Fierce Beast are the Diviners, but this kid could still do it.

What is he? he then asked, and the others were quiet as they too mused on the same question.

Even a Primordial Beast cannot remove the bond between a tamed beast and its owner without direct intervention, but this child was able to do exactly that.

At the same time, I got some gossip from Tiankong City about where he used to live. A Diviner took an interest in him around two years ago, and this Diviner had taken him aside for a talk. If he was truly a Primordial Beast, do you not think that the Diviner would have noticed it? Their entire lives practically revolve around those, and to let go of one so young would be the greatest shame of their lives.

This leaves me incapable of comprehending. Who is he? The Ice Harpy made an appearance and called him ‘brother’. The Diviners do not think him beastly. The kingdom on the other hand is trying to capture him. Us commoners are unaware of whether he is human or beast. But there has to be some connection between them.

Everyone in the inn was quiet as they contemplated. Some had deep furrows in their brows, while others were slightly confused.

Finally, someone sighed. I don't care, the person said after a bit. In the start, everyone thought it was a way to try and turn Xiao Lei into the public enemy, but now everyone is convinced that he has conspired with the beasts.

As to what he is, I would say he is a human. The Ice Harpy is strong; I bet she has just used her powers and made it look as if he did it all. As to why he is so valuable for the beasts, I am sure it has to do with his connection to Primordial Beast Hunter Xiao Lei.

Someone else seemed to disagree. I don't think so. If he were valuable because of his connection to Xiao Lei, then he would have lost all importance the moment that he was exposed, he pointed out.

Some nodded their heads, others frowned. Right now, the kind of rumors being spread were few, most of them being speculations as to what Xue Wei could be, and these speculations stumped him.

Him, a beast? Some people truly thought so. But what they said rung true in his heart. What was he? Everywhere he went, the beasts would hide and cower as if they feared to disturb him. He had somehow managed to help the Lightning Sparrow break the bonds it was caught under.

The Ice Harpy knew a great deal about him and seemed to value his pure yang blood for some reason. There were many things that did not make much sense even to Xue Wei, the one in the middle of everything.

Pondering about it, Xue Wei stood up from his seat and went to the room he had rented. He took a quick bath before he sat out on his journey once more.

When he had stood up in the inn, no one had been shocked by his presence. Everyone had been in the army before and had at least some sort of cultivation base. They could all vaguely sense Xue Wei’s strength, but no one asked about his purpose there. When he left after the discussion began to go off-topic, they all thought that he was not interested in such a subject and decided to leave.

Xue Wei, on the other hand, had been shocked by the questions they had raised about his heritage.

While thinking about this, Xue Wei's thoughts were muddled. Who am I? he muttered to himself as he left the small town. I know nothing about my heritage. I only know what Uncle told me. Where am I from? What happened to me? Why did my memories vanish?

Xue Wei was filled with questions. For the first time in his life, he started to question the authenticity of what Xiao Lei had told him.

He did not for a moment doubt that Xiao Lei loved him and cared deeply for him, but how much of what he had told Xue Wei was the truth? Had he lied about some things to hide the truth from him?

Xue Wei suddenly remembered how Xiao Lei would always avoid certain topics. He would do anything to protect him from harm. He would be unwilling to tell Xue Wei about his previous life, always saying things like, I don't know, I did not live with you back then, or, there is no need to try and force yourself to remember, just be happy with how life is now.

The more Xue Wei thought about it, the more unsure he became. It was so bad that Xue Wei did not even look at where he was going, completely absorbed in his thoughts. Fortunately, it was in the middle of the night, and there was no one on the road.

He had gotten a few kilometers away from the town when he stood still in the middle of nowhere. He calmed himself and took a few deep breaths.

Uncle is a good man, he assured himself. Everything that he has kept from me is for my own sake, he continued. If he is going to lie to me, then he has a good reason to do so. I will look for him when i finish my visit to Lingyun town. Xue Wei finally made a decision as to what exactly he wished to do with his life while aiming to become strong enough to gain vengeance for himself and Tie Haolong.

When I know the truth from Uncle, then I can plan things accordingly. Xue Wei felt relieved after reaching a conclusion. Even now, when someone had sown a seed of doubt in his mind, he ended up trusting his uncle unconditionally.

Chapter 3 - Black Dog

Xue Wei had finally entered the Northern Territory. From all the books he had read, he knew that the Northern Taiga took up a great amount of space within the Northern Territory, so he would encounter it sooner or later.

When he found the Northern Taiga, it was simple to just follow around the edge of it until he reached Lingyun town, but he also understood that this was the moment where he had to be careful and on high alert.

This was a place where humans hunted for treasures. Although they mainly targeted Fierce Beasts, some of them would not shy away from killing a single young man in their pursuit of fortune.

Xue Wei was already a hunted man, so if someone saw his youthful appearance, then their first assumption would be that he had escaped from the army and would not hesitate to attack him as a result. Deserters were hated all over the kingdom.

Xue Wei reached the edges of the taiga without any issues, but many were curious about him. He was dressed in all black clothes, and his head was hidden beneath a big bamboo hat, hiding all his features.

Everyone knew that someone with an appearance like this meant they were eager to stay out of people's sights, but this just made them even more curious about him.

Fortunately, Xue Wei was traveling the edge of the taiga. Although he met mercenaries and groups of apothecaries surrounded by guards that were going to find herbs, none of them truly had the time to deal with him.

They were all either traveling to the taiga to start their hunt as soon as possible, or returning with all their bountiful harvest.

As he traveled, Xue Wei found that it was safer for him to travel inside of the taiga. He did not have to fear the beasts, as none of them wanted to be close to him, nor he did have to fear the humans either, as they were too busy fighting against said beasts.

Xue Wei came across many fights while traveling. Some were bloody and desperate, others beautiful and elegant. But no matter what he saw, Xue Wei did not intervene. He would not save any of the beasts, and he did not save any of the humans either.

It was not before he sensed a great commotion in front of him that he changed his tactics. There was a beast, a massive black dog, that was being targeted by around fifty cultivators.

These cultivators were all at the higher end of the Earth Warrior rank, with some at the ninth layer and others at the eight layer.

The beast that they were chasing seemed to have a strength equivalent to the ninth layer of the Earth Warrior rank, but it held its own against this massive group of people; it scratched and bit, kicked and clawed at them, leaving one person after another with a wound more serious than the last.

Dammit! This is not a simple black dog! one of the people swore. Another added in, it has such fine fur – we need to capture it already. If we can capture it alive and get our hands on a Diviner to tame it, it will be the best we've ever done!

As if we have the money for a Diviner! Let us just kill this monster. It has already killed half of our men and wounded the rest of us.

I agree. Although it might be fighting desperately, it won't be able to survive for much longer. We might have sacrificed half of our men, but we have severely wounded and tired out this beast!

Xue Wei had avoided all sort of battles up until now. However, when he saw the beast that was cornered from every direction and riddled with wounds, he felt his heart ache slightly as it reminded him of himself.

This dog had eyes filled with despair and unwillingness to give up. It was fighting against the world; no one came to assist it, and it was not strong enough to defeat the enemies in front of it.

It opened its mouth, and briefly it seemed as if it had swallowed the sun and the moon. The area turned as dark as the darkest of nights. Although it was in the middle of the day, there was no light that penetrated the tree branches, and everything seemed to be completely enveloped in darkness.

Xue Wei frowned. He knew that special beasts had different abilities, this could be seen on the beast hides and silks woven by the humans that also carried some of these abilities, but it was the first time that Xue Wei had seen them display something more magnificent than just hurling fireballs, water balls, or other inherent abilities.

Xue Wei felt his blood run cold. This ability was dreadful.  Shortly after the darkness descended everywhere, he started hearing screams. He felt a breeze spread through the area, and then someone yelled out, Be careful! He is a celestial dog! He is capable of devouring the sun and the moon – devouring us is a simple matter!

After this was said, rustling sounds could be heard, and Xue Wei assumed that this was the result of people fleeing as far and as fast as they could.

Xue Wei remained in his hiding place behind a large tree, ensuring that no one managed to find him, and then he just patiently waited for the light to return in the area.

It happened slowly, and when it did Xue Wei saw that the black dog was laying on the ground. Blood poured out of its wounds, painting the grass on the ground red.

Around him were the remains of humans. Some of them had half their torsos removed, clearly showing that they had been ripped in half and devoured by the black dog. Others had their limbs torn off, and some had lost their heads.

All of them were either dead or unconscious, or close to dying. The only one still standing was the black dog, but it too was on the verge of collapsing.

Xue Wei sighed. He was reminded of the Lightning Sparrow when he saw this black dog, and he knew that not all beasts were hostile towards all humans.

He was unsure if he should try and help this beast. It was obvious that it could become the worst decision of his life, but after thinking about how much the Lightning Sparrow had done for him, he felt that he should give something back to the beasts.

Sighing, Xue Wei stepped out from his hiding place and casually walked closer to the beast. He was not scared of the black dog, as it was