Immortal Cultivator System

Chapter 61: A tale of old and Phoenix

Phoenixes were known throughout the entire world. They were rare, the ones who hadn't heard about those mysterious creatures. Flying monsters capable of breathing a fire stronger than even the one of the Fire Dragons. They were also known for having the ability to cure any diseases with their feathers, while a single tear from them could even bring people back from the dead. However phoenixes were rare, just like the dragons. And while most people thought they knew a lot about those creatures, they knew nothing at all. For most of the informations they had, were merely from myths.

Mara on the other hand seemed to know quite a lot about phoenixes. And Jian was merely stunned in a silence as the unholy being told him about those monsters, explaining everything he knew. Jian was mostly afraid of the reason as to why Mara was explaining what Phoenixes were. Jian had believed that the mansion had been burned by someone who could phoenix's fire...But this looked like Mara was about to tell him that the culprit was an actual phoenix !

"As I said, phoenixes are one, unlike the dragons. They are not separated into tribes. Due to their low birth rates, they cannot afford to fight among themselves and as such are truly united. They do not have a leader, their society is merely based on decisions taken by the whole group. It's what's called a democracy, though it's usually the strongest phoenixes who take decisions, the others merely voicing their concerns when they have some. " 

[Hmm, hmm. Very interesting. Continue monster, I do not possess those informations in my data bank.]

"...Can you not interrupt me ? Just listen and shut up ! Anyway, where was I ? Ah yes ! Now, phoenixes are rare and most of them would never come to a world like this one, especially since they are afraid of human's greed. Not that most humans can even injure them, but some can. Of course, there are always exceptions and this case was one. This mansion was burned by something that used a weaker version of the phoenix's fire, but it was only weak in terms of intensity, not purity. As such it wasn't someone who was bestowed the powers of a phoenix.....It was a phoenix in human form !" Mara announced, dropping the bomb on Jian.

" That's possible ?!" Jian exclaimed. Hearing Mara release a quick 'yep', Jian paled even further.

" Allow me to explain a little thing to you. There was once a tale of a man named Juxen. Now this man was a sage, and he explored the entirety of the stars, searching for the knowledge that would allow him to bring the dead back. Flying and resurrection were always fantasms of the human specie, but whatever. He one day met a god, I think it was Asura...Or maybe Buddha ? I don't remember honestly, I was a baby when I heard this story. The god appeared to him with the appearence of a human, and the stunned sage asked him why that was. The god decided to play a little game with him. He would teach him the meaning to bring back the dead...If he could guess why the gods, and many other non-humanoid creatures, had human forms. In fact, I think what he asked him was 'Why do all the creatures of the universe ressemble, in some ways, you humans ?'. The sage was confused, he had seen dragons before, and they didn't look humans in the slightest. But then he understood. Maybe they too had human forms, forms that they didn't always use but could still call upon. It would explain why the gods would sometimes appear as blinding flash of light and sometimes...As mere humans. And so he said this ' I believe, oh great king, that everything in this universe ressembles you.'." Mara said. Jian was enthralled in the tale, wondering just how mara could talk about meeting a god so casually, almost as if he had met one himself.

" And so, the sage returned to his home with hundreds upon hundreds of resurrected soldiers. He brought them back to his emperor and was named the grand sage. He still lives to this day, and he is more considered like a god nowadays. I can only say that it is understandable. He is quite the legend to you humans." Mara said, ending the tale. However Jian was confused.

" But he didn't answer the question. He said that every beings ressembled the gods...While the god asked him why every beings ressembled the humans...Oh" Jian said, realization dawning on him.

"Indeed, oh. Every beings ressembled the humans, for the humans themselves ressembled the Gods. You humans were...Gods without powers. I think that's the best way to explain it. You took after them, getting the exact same bodies, only you weren't given the powers that came with it...Only some basic restrictions so as to not make you too powerful. I believe a human once said that God created Men in his image. Well you know what ? That's the perfect truth...Also explains why you're all so annoying and prone to evil even though you are neutral." Mara said, only whispering the last part so that Jian wouldn't hear. 

"That's.....Interesting, I guess. But this doesn't really change my life ya know ? It's like learning that the price of sugar has gone up....I mean I never ate any pastries because I was too poor, so it wouldn't really-"

'Alright shut up ! I get it ! But here's the thing.....A phoenix in human form is currently in this world....I do not know why, how or even what made him burn the compound....However this is bad. It won't impact you, so I suggest you just train even more after that little girl steals all the treasures. I will just use my senses to try and spot that damn phoenix. From what I sensed when you got close to the mansion, he is definitely a weak one, possibly equal to a law realm cultivator...But that's still enough to make a whole city go up in flames.....Phoenixes are just that dangerous with their fire. 'Mara warned the boy.

" Yeah well, I don't see why he would stay in the capital after burning a whole damn noble family. That and the flies already know that he is the culprit, I am sure of that. The government didn't get that information yet of course, but the flies have spies everywhere, especially around the nobles and the sects. They are sure to know about the culprit, or at least they know it's not me. Since Biyu would've told them about it already. " Jian explained. He still wasn't very anxious. A phoenix was bad news, but not really to him. He failed to see why Mara was even that stressed, and said unholy being just stopped trying to convince Jian that this was a great threat....But he still couldn't shake off that feeling. Something bad was about to happen, and it would happen the day after that.....

During the tournament !

***********

( Near the frontier between the Wukong Empire and the Gaozhu Kingdom )

The Gaozhu kingdom was a forgettable place, ran down by poverty and the constant harassment from the Wukong Empire. They made the mistake of trying to take advantage of a disease that had momentarily weakened the empire, and they were paying the price even to this day.....40 years later. 

However the kingdom was getting back on it's feet, during a time when the empire couldn't spare the necessary spies to get a good look at whatever those fools were doing....That in itself was perhaps a great mistake. For the Gaozhu Kingdom just happened to have gotten quite a special ally. 

It had only been a few weeks since they signed a contract with a certain organization...And the results were getting some of the citizens to stay in their homes, weeping under their blankets. Simply because it was all too frightening.

Monsters out of a child's worst nightmare were running amok the streets. But worst thing was, they weren't trying to hurt them. They were simply running around, fixing buildings and creating new ones.

This was a scene out of a very deranged tale. This was....Simply too chaotic to even be described. The Gaozhu kingdom had obtained the help of perhaps the worst monsters in history, and the elites were only now realizing just how stupid their idea was....or perhaps it had been pure genius. They couldn't tell. Their country would back on it's feet faster than in any nation in all of history...But at what cost ?

Amongst all those monsters were normal people. Well they were normal only in face, but their clothes weren't all that normal. They were pretty rare actually. It was nearly impossible to catch someone wear those types of clothes on the streets. Not only were they appparently insanely expensive, they also only came from one source that only provided it's own agents and no one else.

Those suits of various colours all sported various pins on the sleeves, collars or even on the belts. However the 'humans' who sported those outfits all had the only symbol that mattered tattooed right on their tongues, not that anyone else would know. 

Two of such people were currently enjoying a walk around the gardens of the royal palace. The flowers and plants were being tended to by gigantic beings that looked to have come straight out of hell, and that was the case...For those beings were Asuras. Asuras who had become gardeners for some reasons.

"It is quite an enjoyable day, is it not Agent Mercury ?" The first figure asked the second. 

The second was of course Agent mercury, the man who had attacked the Raja sect with his colleague, Agent Wood Shadow. He looked to have aged quite a bit, but that only due to the beard he was now sporting. 

"Indeed. You should've gone for a walk alone, instead of forcing me to come too....." Mercury complained, scratching his head as he looked in the distance. The sun was hitting him, and he really wasn't liking it in the slightest. 

The first figure took out an umbrella out of nowhere and smiled at Mercury.

"Ask and thou shalt receive. " 

Mercury groaned and reluctantly accepted the umbrella. He frowned when he felt his hand get all wet and sticky and clicked his tongue when he saw the handle of the umbrella was covered in blood. 

He said nothing however and they both continued to walk, until the rain suddenly started to fall. Mercury looked at his colleague who stood in the rain, a massive smile on his face.

" So the umbrella....Nevermind. Let's just continue." He said. 

They both arrived in front of a tree, on top of which had been built a small house. They quickly climbed the tree and entered the house. What greeted them was a woman, half naked, meditating. All around her, Mercury could see various burnt objects, amonst which were various dolls and candies. 

"Agent Shark will surely be angered by this. And I do not think you want to anger someone from the Beast clan, Xini. " Mercury said. 

The woman looked behind her shoulder and made a movement of her head to get them to step inside. They sat on the small pink bed and waited for the woman to get dressed. Instead she merely grabbed a bottle of Battle-made Red Wine, a kind of wine made only in the Wukong Empire, and downed said bottle. 

"Is it any good ?" The first figure asked as Mercury once again groaned.

"Freaking alcoholics." He said, but he quickly got a slap on the head, curtesy of woman. She definitely looked she had enough muscles to do damage up from this close. 

" Amateurs of good drinks, it's not the same." She said as she gave the first figure a cup filled with the wine. He rotated the cup a bit, tooka whiff of the wine's aroma and then slammed the cup back.

Tasting the wine in his mouth, he moved his tongue around before smiling.

"Fruity, quite strong but not enough to ruin it. It's made with those silver grapes and demonic qi, right ?" 

"Indeed. They mix the whole thing and it gives that little acid after-taste. I always loved the way the wukong empire made drinks. Using Demonic Qi and Nature Qi was truly a good idea. For some reasons, using elemental Qi never had any uses." She said, totally missing the way the two agents looked at each other. 

"If only she knew why." Mercury said.

" Different place, different rules. Especially so for Qi." The first figure said. 

"Alright, we didn't come to drink, Xini. We came to talk about your little attack on the Peizhi Kingdom. We pinned the blame on that Crow guy, just to make sure they wouldn't find him too quickly, but this was really dumb." Mercury said, glaring at the girl.

" And extremely chaotic...Which is good. Everyone liked that." The first figure said, before Mercury's elbow came crashing on the man's side.

" I'm sorry about that. But they knew something about my lord, and I got angry. I am so desperate for any informations....I won't lie about it. And I know none of you will tell me anything. At least everyone thinks you are the ones trying to break him out, so no one knows about me. I can thank you for that, but I still hate you. I would've been reunited with my lord a long time ago, had you decided to simply tell me where he is and how I can get him out." She said, countering Mercury's glare with her own.

Mercury could understand how she felt, so he didn't get too angry at her. However he still had to warn her.

" Tread carefully, Xini. You know how it works with us. With the clans, the organisation, the Shayatins groups and those mercenary groups. We are not from this world and we are here only to bring chaos. Not everyone will react in the way us two do, you might get beheaded for some random reasons...And in the end no one will save your lord. "

Xini nodded, seeing the truth in his word...But she also had a warning for him.

" Then I must also tell you. Because I know I will get him out one day.....My lord will brink a new age to this world.....An age of absolute violence. Phoenixs are pacifists...And that's exactly why he is here."