The Ash Raven Strikes

The dragons and the white haired swordsman landed with a soft thud. The head of Blood Raven was still warm in Bai Jian's tail's grasp, shrunken to a manageable size. The onlookers were stunned struggling to comprehend what just happened.

Zulong grimaced at the course of events. The aftermath will be most troublesome to deal with. If the devil's popularity were any indication then they will likely be chased out by a mob.

"What have you done!" The injured mayor roared. "Do you have any idea, any idea at all what you have unleashed? Do you have any idea who that was you killed?"

"Another devil trash," Bai Jian responded tossing Blood Raven's head onto the ground. The mayor desperately leapt at the head and clutched it gently. He desperately searched for any signs of life desperately hoping that the devil wasn't dead.

"No, no, no, no, NO! This cannot be happening," the mayor cried. Tears poured down his face as he glared at the dragons. "You've doomed us all," he said.

Zulong frowned, he lifted his right hand faster than the mayor could react.

Tap!

Zulong's index finger touched the immortal's head with a soft glow. The knowledge to properly speak the western language flowed into the dragon's head. Two extra sparks shot out of Zulong's hand and into Yinglong and Qinglong's heads.

"You condone a roughness massacre of your own citizens?" The dragon asked. The mayor stood up and glared at the dragon in fury.

"It is the universal way, it is the way his most holy devil ancestor decreed for all who tied the path of cultivation," the mayor said. Zulong saw the truth in the man's eyes, or at least what he believed to be the truth.

"Really? And your cultivation requires you to mindless throw youths to their deaths?" Zulong asked. Behind him, Bai Jian whispered a faint, "what a joke".

"What would you know of cultivation? Cultivation accepts only the best of the best of the best. Only the most excellent deserves to tread the path of cultivation," the mayor said with fervour. "We are devils, this is our way."

"I see," Zulong said. "You only tread the path made for you by your ancestor?" The dragon asked raising his eyebrow.

"It is the true way to immortality," a voice of a cultivator in the crowd yelled.

"Yes, yes, yes, it is the right way," another agreed. Then another as well. The dragons saw the faces of the enraged cultivator community of Nan Dao Chen.

"Such a narrow mindset," Qinglong whispered. Bai Jian nodded in agreement.

"What did you expect?" The swordsman said. "It's all they know, the devilish Dao isn't just a cultivation sect. To them, it is their identity. They are devils, mortals or not, cultivators or not," he explained with a mocking look of disgust. "Just a bunch of ignorant trapped pigs."

"Why do you say that?" Qinglong asked. "Why hold the entire path to such contempt?"

"Right, such things aren't obvious unless you're already on the inside," Bai Jian said with sadness. "The mechanisms of the devil ancestor is terrifying indeed. With a show of kindness, he prevented all prospective challengers. The devil is a being of freedom, but there can only ever be one devil."

"One devil?" Qinglong's eyes widened slightly. Zulong who was listening in frowned, he could already formulate what Bai Jian had meant.

"Oh, what would you know," the mayor suddenly turned his attention to Bai Jian. "Don't think I don't recognise you. A bloody heretic is what you are."

"What did you just say?" Ire drawn, Bai Jian stepped forth drawing his sword. "Say that again," he growled.

"You think me scared heretic? You who only knows betrayal and murder?" Before the mayor could continue, a golden hand struck his sternum knocking him back onto the platform. That same hand pushed Bai Jian's sword back into its sheath.

"That is enough," Zulong said. "I will not have such uncouth behaviour displayed before me," he said placing both hands behind his back.

"Apologies," Bai Jian and the mayor apologised but suddenly scratched their heads. 'Why did I do that?' They both thought.

Down below, some surviving cultivators had returned to the embrace of their families who cried tears of joy. They seemed to be ignoring the events happening on the platform. Onlookers still had yet to move, unsure of what to do.

However, one youth stood up and cupped his hands and bowed. "Many thanks to seniors for saving my life," he said gratefully. After his example, many others followed.

"What are you all doing?" The mayor screamed. "Don't you realise what's happened? Ash Raven will be here soon."

"Yes, we did realise that," Zulong interrupted. "Don't worry, I'll take of him when the time comes."

"Deal? How? You're not even," the mayor stuttered. He felt his legs go weak. He was not very impressive for a Great Unity Golden Immortal. He hadn't even formed a proper Dao yet unlike the legendary Ash Raven. That beast was said to have competed with the Green Ape devil of the ancient past.

"Does that man seriously intend to fight patriarch Ash Raven?" The citizens below suddenly buckled at Zulong's words. "Fuck it, let's get out of here. Nan Dao Chen is already lost."

"My love, flee the city, I'll run home and get our essentials." "Shit gotta get my money then I'm outta here."

The common consensus was to simply flee. Zulong silently agreed. For mortals, getting caught up in the fight of immortals, much less Golden Immortals would be fatal.

"Seniors, why aren't you scared?" The same young man from earlier asked suddenly. "Don't you know how strong of a devil Ash Raven is?"

"It was us that got involved in this mess. It shall be us that resolves this," Zulong said. "You should leave with your parents child. Staying here is unwise."

"But why? Why risk yourself for us in the first place? Why bother saving us?" He said. "We knew the risks going in, why would a fellow devil like you go against the… well…um." He stumbled a bit on his wording, it wasn't a written down rule or tradition. It was just common sense.

"Well I'm not a devil aren't I?" Zulong said.

Suddenly, those few words shocked everyone. Not a devil? That was strange for the devilish Dao path was the only sure way of cultivation. Even the strange sea creatures further west agreed.

"Then what are you?" The young man asked.

"A dragon child, I am a dragon," Zulong said.

"How do I become a dragon?" He asked again. This caught Zulong off guard. He was born as he was, a dragon of the sea. How would one go about becoming a dragon?

"Brother," Yinglong called out. Zulong's eyes flicked eastward and he frowned. The sky had darkened somewhat and an ominous feeling could be felt. "That guy is fast," he said.

"I killed his son," Bai Jian said. "He's sect isn't far from here in the first place, he can get here in record time." The swordsman turned to the dragon, "Can you really handle him?"

'Who do you think you're talking to?" Zulong said in amusement. "Only another emperor can challenge an emperor," he said slowly floating up into the sky.

"Child, I'll be going now, don't get caught in the crossfire," Zulong said from high above the ground. "Do not worry citizens of Nan Dao Chen. I Zulong extend my protection to you all."

"What a fool," the mayor snorted turning around to leave.

"Where're you going?" Yinglong asked the man.

"Not here," the mayor said. His human features began morphing. Scales appeared on his person and his robes morphed as well fading into his body. His form elongated into a large eel.

"You're from the sea?" Yinglong asked.

"West ocean tribesman born and raised," the mayor said. "You just cost our clan everything we've worked towards," he said with anger.

"We'll compensate you in the future," the winged dragon said.

"Future? What future?" The mayor snorted before jumping and diving into the distant ocean.

The sky began darkening more and more. The silhouette of a large avian creature appeared. He descended from the skies in a burst of hot ash cloud. That cloud washed all over Nan Dao Chen burying it in a thick layer of ash. At least that was what was supposed to happen.

The reality was however a whole lot different. Nan Dao Chen remained covered by a barrier of auspicious white clouds. None of the ash even came near them.

"What?" The bird muttered. His ash burned so hot that the land began melting. Small pools of magma began appearing as well. Yet still the clouds did not disperse.

"Hmph, murderer of my son, don't think you're all that," Ash Raven growled with cool rage. His ash flowed up into a spiralling drill and slammed into the cloud. The territory around Nan Dao Chen shook.

"Oi, don't target the innocents," a royal voice called for Ash Raven's attention. "They have nothing to do with your son's death."

"All are sinners in my eyes," Ash Raven responded with an attack on Zulong. The devil did not care for anything other than total destruction. In a sense, he was simply venting.

The devil's aura of power was suffocating even to fellow Great Unity Golden Immortals. His Dao appeared as a reddish grey Dao fruit outline on his inner cosmic tree. The tree was all wood and had no leaves, a very distinct look from Zulong's own tree.

"Impressive," Zulong clapped his hands before opening them in a square shape. A column of wind tore Ash Raven's attack apart and scattered the clouds of ash.

The devil frowned narrowing his eyes. Wings raised, Ash Raven flew forward. Each flap generated more and more ash, thick clouds of red hot ash.

Zulong waved his arms creating golden black dragons. These constructs struck and dispersed the clouds of ash further frustrating Ash Raven.

The avian devils' claws shone with red hot energy. He flew overhead and clawed at the comparatively tiny form of Zulong.

The dragon slightly tilted his head and dodged the attack. "You're far weaker then Zulin. Your cultivation had reached a similar summit as ours but in terms of abilities, you're far inferior," he said as if commenting on the weather.

"Don't take me lightly stranger," Ash Raven growled. The swirling energy around him grew more and more. The Skys darkened as well as if an angry ward had descended. It was as if Ash Raven's wrath had taken physical form.

Grey lightning descended from the heavens. Zulong raised his arm and blocked the attack despite being pushed down somewhat. Excess electricity scattered from the first bolt landed on the ground blowing up like bombs. They rented the landscape apart.

Zulong raised his hands. The earth sprouted rocky dragon claws that grabbed at Ash Raven. The devil simply flew to the side and kicked the claws to pieces.

Zulong smiled and swung his left arm. A gargantuan arc of water rose up like a scythe travelling incredibly fast. Ash Raven barely had time to widen his eyes before his left wing was punctured.

"He got through my Ancient Devil physique?" Ash Raven was mystified. He wasn't the best at physical body techniques but his durability was no joke. He picked up speed, utilising his strong suit as more and more slashes of water was delivered.

Zulong jumped in the air propelling himself at Ash Raven. A large sphere of water was already gathered before the dragon. It morphed into a wrecking ball which was thrown at the distant Raven.

"Hmph!" Ash Raven closed up his wings before opening them. He released an intense wave of heat at Zulong. The dragon held up his hand blocking the wave with his scales. He grimaced at the heat.

The water on the other hand was reduced to steam clouds. They were extremely thick and obscured vision. However, this did not bother Zulong. He could easily see Ash Raven within the clouds.

Reaching out, Zulogn took hold of the steam mist and transformed it. Around Ash Raven, the clouds took shape and constricted.

"What is this?" Ash Raven gasped in surprise before his body was tightly wrapped in the body of steam cloud dragon construct. The beast gripped his body and roared at his face. Ash Raven opened his beak and shot a ray of hot energy.

The cloud dragon's head merely shifted away from the blast while the real Zulong approached. His fist shone in black and golden light. His skin was textured like rough scales. The dragon threw out a fierce punch at the devil's face.

BOOM!

Ash Raven's head snapped sharply to one side. His neck nearly snapped with a single punch. He couldn't help but spit out swaths of blood. His face was broken in so many places that he couldn't even begin to count.

Ash Raven attempted to struggle but Zulong tightened the construct's grip. The steam cloud dragon had turned fully black and exerted much greater strength than it was supposed to. Ash Raven could feel his own bones breaking.

Opening his mouth again, Ash Raven blasted Zulong point black in a beam of fire. The dragon frowned and kicked the devil's lower beak clean off. However, a gaseous being had already flown out.

"Abandoning your body so easily?" Zulong sent out his claw. His nine digit dragon claw spread out wide. So big it was that it looked like it could've held the entire world in its palms.

Ash Raven's nascent soul screeched in horror as the dragon claw enclosed itself. A small poof could be heard and the devilish presence faded.

Down in Nan Dao Chen, those spectating looked in disbelief. One of the devil overlords of the region was killed just like that?

…

Da Hai stood in an empty hallway and sighed in relief. Thank gods that Luohu was still in secluded cultivation. In his hand, a dark talisman shattered without anyone's notice.

The sleeping Taowu next room over didn't even notice. Not even the maid of this temple noticed anything when Da Hai placed a fake talisman on the shelf.

"Great lord's technique is simply ingenious," the head moth fairy praised at Da Hai's side. She waved her thin snow white arm at the working maid's face and got no response.

"A magnificent yet terrifying ability of my Dao," Da Hai whispered. "Come, I don't want to find out if anyone can detect me."