Di Qian's feet felt alive again as he stepped on the sandy shores of his homeland . Behind him , the red seawater bubbled energetically . Today was one of the calmer days in the poison sea , something Di Qian was thankful for . He and his soulbeast little Hei were at their very limits after travelling through its mucky waters for so long .

With a splashing sound , little Hei , the large black fish jumped out from a tiny wave and landed on the basket on his back . Its relief after finally getting to dip lazily in normal water was apparent from its movement inside , making Di Qian smile .

"Get some rest , little Hei . You've earned it ."

Through the black and white sands that spanned several miles , Di Qian's speed got faster and faster . The familar landmarks he noticed at the distant horizon visibly seemed to take out all tension from his body .

Soon , he reached the first sign of human civilization near the poison sea , a vast , sloped platform that reached at least a hundred meters high where the majestic gates of the Beasthaven Sect stood proudly . Behind the gates rose gigantic towers and sculptures , a sight impactful enough to stun even the members of the sect from time to time . Miles across the sands , the Beasthaven Sect's territory was a sight that even the most colourful imaginations couldn't capture .

Six gatekeepers , dressed in colourful uniforms , stood side by side with their soulbeasts behind them , watching Di Qian intently .

"Greetings , elder Qian . The sect master has been very worried these days . It is a relief to see you unscathed ," the head of the gatekeepers , a slender young man said after a curt bow . The other five followed suit .

"Is everybody in ?" Di Qian asked with a nod , his impatience seeping within his tone .

"Yes , elder . The rest who went out have all returned . Many were injured , including your grandson . But they've recovered for the most part ," the head gatekeeper answered .

"That's good , that's good . Send someone to ring the fourth level alarm throughout the sect ." Di Qian entered the gates immediately and vanished out of their sight . The head gatekeeper stood still for a few seconds , seemingly stunned , before rushing to another direction inside the sect grounds .

On his way , Di Qian put little Hei inside one of the Body Nurturing Lakes . The poison sea had taken a great toll on its health . A dip inside the lakes with its own kind would to the fish some good . The sect ground was flourishing with artificially created animal habitats that utilized natural resources to the limit to nurture animals . Thousands of disciples were constantly rushing to and fro with their soulbeasts , busy with their own lives . Di Qian felt a faint pain in his heart as the realization dawned on him that the peace and tranquillity here wouldn't last for long . Not with the news he had brought .

Qing Shi , the master of Beasthaven sect , was standing outside his residence , absent-mindedly gazing at the sky . Di Qian's footsteps brought him out of his thoughts .

"Elder Qian !" He exclaimed , surprise and relief evident in his voice .

"Now , this is worth celebrating over ! I was about to assume the worst possibility ! Your family has been worried sick for your news ."

Di Qian bowed curtly , a warm feeling suffusing his heart .

"My apologies , sect master . A couple of bastards snatched my soul signature pulser away during the time I was recuperating after a grievous injury . I imagine they've been misusing it since then , huh ?"

". . .Not exactly , elder . It only sent one pulse in the last two months . That's why we became even more worried !"

"That's strange ," Di Qian muttered as he recalled the two mischievous brats who had 'confiscated' the soul signature pulser . They clearly knew what it was and how to use it . Did the brats die after entering Pine town ? That shouldn't be...

"But are you alright right now ? How much have you recovered , elder ? Let's walk towards the infirmary while we discuss these things . You look like you've lost a lot of weight . That's not a good thing at your age..."

Eyes twitching , Di Qian followed Qing Shi as the younger man fussed over him . It was a common knowledge in the sect that Qing Shi wasn't exactly a reserved person , much less being the sort who could be passed off as someone as lofty as the master of the Beasthaven sect , arguably the most powerful sect in this tiny planet .

"As much as I'd like to treat my injuries , sect master , I cannot currently muster the peace of mind that would allow me to sit and recuperate . I have some. . . bad news ."

Qing Shi's smile faded . "Did something happen to our sacred seedlings ?"

"Not them , they're fine . But they won't be for long when the prophecy comes true , would they ?"

Qing Shi froze , his pupils shrinking into tiny dots . A long moment of silence passed between the two of them as they stood together in the middle of the road , busy disciples and their soulbeasts passing by them carefully , greeting them from a distance .

"Please tell me that was a joke ," Qing Shi finally said in a weak voice .

"That was a joke ," Di Qian said .

"Thank heavens for that !" Qing Shi exclaimed . "You scared me there for a second , old man !"

" I'm quite scared myself , so I wouldn't blame you . The prophecy is about the destruction of our entire planet , after all ."

". . ."

"Yes , sect master . The prophecy really is coming true , if my suspicions are correct . And I'm not senile enough yet to make a mistake on a issue so grave that it'll put us all in graves ."

"Tell me ," Qing Shi replied in a grim tone .

The fourth level alarm began ringing through the sect soon , causing great confusion among the disciples of Beasthaven sect . They had never heard this particular alarm before . But from the way the elders dropped what they had been doing and rushed toward the sect master's residence , they figured it was something of significant importance .

........ ........... .........

The evening wind would have been soothing had Qing Shi not been worried for the future of his sect , his family and himself . Standing at the seashore , his thoughts came in scattered and chronically . Try as he might , he failed to find an alternative that could save the countless lives he was in charge of from the impending doom .

Escape from the planet ? That was the only possible solution . Except he could only take a small number of people with him if he chose to leave . But what about the rest of the sect ? Abandon them ?

Impossible . Qing Shi would have never rose to his current position in life if he had a mindset that selfish . Many would call him foolish for not attempting to save those he could . But Qing Shi didn't care . Either he would find a way to save even the chickens and dogs his sect nurtured , or go down with this planet trying to stop the apocalypse .

It would be a pretty cool way to die , Qing Shi felt . Much better than dying because of the territorial scuffles in higher level worlds .

"Hello there , fellow cultivator . You look preoccupied ."

An unfamiliar voice came from behind , jerking his thoughts into a standstill as Qing Shi turned around instantly . How the hell did somebody sneak up on him ?

A black void , shaped like the silhouette of a tall human , stood in front of him just a few meters away . Qing Shi spread his astral senses and repeatedly scanned the area the silhoutte stood in , yet he couldn't sense any sign of life there .

Without waiting for the silhoutte to speak again , Qing Shi closed in on him instantly and poked a finger toward its throat . The silhoutte made no move to counter him .

As if touching air , Qing Shi's finger passed through the void and appeared behind it .

"If you're done confirming your suspicions , let's have a more civilised discussion , shall we ?"

"I'm not quite sure I should trust anything that comes out of your mouth when you don't trust me enough to reveal your identity , fellow cultivator ," Qing Shi said after retracting his hand .

"Good point there . But I'm sure you'll be quite interested in what I have to say to you ."

Masking his qi , Qing Shi sent a secret signal to the sect to surround this place and block all types of arrays , formations and qi fuelled mechanisms . Then he sat down on the sands and gestured at the silhouette , "go ahead . I'm listening ."

"Soul of a dragon

broken and scattered

soul of a human

twisted , unfettered

heavens forbid

should they touch

scholars of laws

left but a grudge

rulers of stone

their throne lost

shepherds of sands

torn and scorched

the crimson worlds

ripped , besieged

the leaf of a god

burnt to bits

the sturdiest sword

cracked , it sits

scrolls of the wise

buried beneath

the sphere of life

rots , no wreaths ."

In a singsong voice , the silhouette finished the rhyme and chuckled while observing Qing Shi's rigid expression .

". . . Where did you hear that from ?" Qing Shi asked , his voice trembling .

"Not from those in your sect who knows about the prophecy , that much you can assure yourself . Let's just say that you're not the only one who received this prophecy ."

Qing Shi's brows furrowed in confusion . "Then why are you telling me this ?"

"Because , I can offer you a solution . The salvation that you seek , to protect your family and sect , to protect those you treasure , I can show you 'shepherds of sands' a way ."

"How can I tell if you're lying or not ?"

The silhouette laughed upon hearing his question .

Raising a finger toward the sky , it shouted ,"by the heavens , if I spoke a single sentence while harbouring ill intent toward the Beasthaven sect , may the heavens punish me !"

Glancing at the calm sky , Qing Shi wasn't particularly reassured . It would be foolish to believe a person who makes such oaths so easily . Almost every law had its loopholes . It wasn't exactly difficult to twist one's words to fool an unsuspecting opponent . But Qing Shi had no choice but to listen to what this mysterious stranger had to say . If the way he offered was viable , why not consider it ?

...... ......... .........

The peaceful night in Crimson Snow Sect was broken by a thunderous hissing sound , rousing all disciples and elders from their sleepy cultivation sessions .

Han Xuhan and his minions tumbled out of their hut and stared at the sight in the sky with their jaws opened wide .

A gargantuan illusory serpent encircled the larger mountains of the sect , its face hovering over Xuan Zi's mountain peak . By rough estimations , Xuhan realized that the snake was at least a few miles in length and wide enough to store a mountain in its stomach .

Turning toward his hut , Xuhan's eyes fell on the tiny rattlesnake spine on the table . The comparison was heartbreaking .

"Sect master Xuan Zi , this lowly envoy greets you ," the serpent suddenly rumbled .

Due to the distance between their mountain peaks and the serpent's semi-transparent body blocking their way , Xuhan couldn't tell what was happening on Xuan Zi's mountain peak . But a few minutes later , the enormous serpent disappeared like smoke in the wind . Confused and frightened , Xuhan , as well as every other living being inside the sect rushed toward the sect master's mountain to know what had happened just then .

Soon , word spread across the mountain peaks like wildfire . The Beasthaven sect had announced the inter-continent decennary tournament ahead of time . As one of the most powerful sects in the planet , it sort of had the right to do so , apparently . And all other sects of similar caliber had actually agreed to it .

Crimson flags rose with the sun next morning in the Crimson Snow sect as a festive mood wrapped itself all around the mountain peaks .

Amidst the excited celebration and preparations , no one noticed a certain young man with two skeletal minions wailing inside his hut .

"Good heavens , give me a fucking break ! A tournament , on top of all things ? No wonder things were advancing way too smoothly for me these days ! Fuck , I'm not gonna get crippled by some asshole soon , will I...? Nonono, I can't participate, never !"