chapter 01: light of heavens

A light shines from the darkness and worlds were born.
Succeeded by gods and creatures, then humans but with every creation, destruction shall strike it was the balance of this world.
to prevent it from crumbling the light shall never be extinguished.

That was one of the dream premonitions that the little ying su had before going to the morning chanting. Ying su was a disciple of a cultivating sect named caoben xianzi which took orphaned girls and women only. The rare men that the sect takes are children whose mothers were rescued by the sect and they will be banned after they reach the teenage age but most of them will work in medicinal shops and trade with the women village and the sect which are located deep into a mountain's forest.

Every morning the young girls took herbal knowledge lessons, chanting, cultivation meditation, and medical knowledge the older ones take defense courses and long lances training.
wearing their light robes the little maidens looked exactly like fairies chanting adorations to the sun Goddess, but that morning was different.
ying su kneeled with her fellow sisters in cultivation under a big old tree to begin the morning chant. she looked up and saw the light sparkling and escaping the tree's branches and its leaves. she remembered her premonition about the light. that nothing can extinguish it. she was on deep taught and didn't notice the end of the prayers.

-hey! ying su, why are you spacing up so much today? we need to go.
Said her friend.
- oh! Yes, am coming. replied ying su

Everyone already left for the lessons and she was left alone under the huge tree.

Her friend was a bit far away so she decided to hurry up to her when suddenly from the sky, a ray of light so strong hit directly her friend. Ying su stopped simultaneously when the light stroke. The light began to shine stronger and stronger making it look like a column from heaven. her friend cried for help until no sound can be heard, as one can see she was burning under that light but she looked serene. ying su on the other side was shocked, she fainted on the ground and cried after her eyes went blind to that strong light.

The head cultivator woman in her 40s hurried to the location with her fellow women cultivators when she saw a crammed corps and a blind ying su...

three years after that incident.
The sect was preparing for a big religious event, it was summer and an eclipse was supposed to happen tomorrow, ying su was helping but her blind situation was hindering her.
So one of the oldest sisters told her

-ying su, you might hurt yourself moving those stuff plus you are... Unable to draw proper protection circles,
-oh, am sorry older sister in cultivation.
-don't be. Just go and enjoy the rest of the day.

it was an ominous full eclipse. the creatures of the dark will crawl out of their hideout to share the poor souls and attack small villages.
so protecting the village and the sect with circles of energy and talismans is a must.

Ying su felt useless, in those three years she did her best to not lose ground with her fellow sect members but her condition limited her actions, she could only practice chanting to maintain her energy core and worked alone at knowing herbs from their smell to practice herbal lessons. also, she trained her senses to move around with a cane. but still, with all her efforts, she could not progress much.

Discouraged she entered a room. She sat down next to a bed and held a hand that was bandaged all over.

-you are still warm. You never break down, you held for your life for three years.
they said it was a miracle, but I see your determination to live.
if you don't give up I will not give up too, and when someday you wake up am sure I will see you again too.

Indeed the corps of that day was still alive. When the elders heard ying Su's story they only saw a miracle from it. They took the buddy and healed it for year's it could drink and eat but never woke up.

The next day it was the ominous day.
The sect has prepared for months for it. They were worshippers of the Sun Goddess and the shadows covering it only mean chaos. The creatures of the darkness will crawl out of their hideout fierce and merciless. to begin the hunt for energy cores and human souls.

in the village, the women were inside houses blessed by protection seals and circles and told not to wander outside them. no one left the sect, or the village that day.

As the eclipse began the oldest member gangren Cao gave the signals to begin the protection chant.
As time went out ying su who was chanting with the younger ones smelled something foul. She went off of the meeting chamber and walked until a sect member said to her.

-ying su? Why are you out?
-I smelled something and am following the smell.
-a smell? What kind of?
- a displeasing one. It comes from there.
-oh? Let me see.

The smell came from behind the wooden wall, so the sect member climbed and stayed up for a while, she descended frightened of what she saw.

-what is it what did you see?! Asked ying su
-it's awful! It's an emergency! I don't think if we can take that many at once. said the maiden panicking and running.
-what manny?
-corpses. And monsters are approaching, they will reach our sect in no time!

Terrified the sect member went straight to the sect leader to inform her of what she saw.
Short after they could hear the bangs at the front door.

So ganren cao ordered:
-on defense formation! Put your spiritual energy on the protection circles and the ones who get tired will be replaced.
One of the eldest said :
-but it's weird it never happened before so many corpses and with monsters what a strange combination. normally they never co-work.
Another said :
-corpses and monsters have in common that they suck and Devore their victims for their spiritual energy, but why are such high numbers attacking us not the big sects?
Another said :
-yeah, it's wrong we are not prominent so we don't cultivate a strong spirituality. We only have healing abilities.

The bangs on the door and walls became more and more violent as the number of hideous creatures rises.
time flew by and the creatures didn't care about the burning circle. they attacked it and it began to break.

-we can't hold for much longer.
One said.

Ganren cao looked around her. most of the sect members are out of breath the others are bleeding from their orifices.
-Go to the hideout and take as many as you can from the village. I will stay and hold them up.
The three oldest stayed with her while the fourth leaded the young cultivator to lead the women of the village to the hideout.
The news was spread away and everyone panicked.
Ying su could not run away. she was thinking about her corpse friend :
-I need to take her with me. she said.
She stumbled and fell many times while running to reach her sleeping friend's room.

In the meantime ganren cao can't take it anymore the pressure of their dark energy could not be suppressed anymore and the door brake. The monsters reached the entrance yard followed by the corpses. crawling and growling.

Ganren shouted
-we should take them with our second barrier and talismans. So we can bye them more time to run. The eclipse will end in a few more minutes.

At that time ying su finally arrived at the chambers.
she began to look for her friend's bed, she sensed it but it was empty.

-did someone take her? Am so relieved.
But she was out of breath.
She could smell the corpses
-they have managed to enter the front door! I need to go and hide. she said taking her last energy to run again.

The corpse could breach the second barrier, the best member are out of breath they could no more resist. their numbers were bigger than they can handle. and fiercer than what they did imagine. the women fought bravely with their long lances but they were no match.

suddenly a hideous monster wanted to strike down ganren cao but he suddenly stops?
All of them stopped simultaneously. no one even made a sound and only steps could be heard.
Ganren cao catches fast her breath backed down and looked to where the sound seemed to come. She got surprised, a woman covered in a few bandages, her skin glowing like a golden sun her hair glowing and flowing, so much spiritual energy emanated from her. She was serene, and with a big smile, she walked the ally and stopped at the end of the stairs.
she lifted her hands in mid-air palms up to the sky as a sound broke out from that smile.

-Be Gone.