When Xu Zhijian becomes a full-fledged demon hunter, he is given a talisman to summon his familiar. However, he ends up calling forth the sleeping 'Demoness' and finds himself bound to her without a choice.
Days go by and he begins to discover that...
In the late afternoon, the Elders assembled the entire sect in the Divine Hall.
Gathering from the quick, hushed whispers around Zhijian, this meeting seemed to be of utmost importance and urgency. Together with the others, he waited patiently and quietly observed, especially the way his adoptive father conversed with the other Elders at the front. Their faces wore identical expressions – fearful and anxious.
How bad could the situation be that they had to gather all of them – the Elders, the Eradicators and the juniors – in the same place?
The Elders exchanged a couple more words, before nodding their heads in unison. Once their discussion ceased, Leader Xu stepped forward on the dais to address them.
"The reason that I called everyone here today," he explained, "is because there are sightings of unusual activity down at the Cursed Lake." His eyes roamed across the stilled hall slowly as his words weighed heavily in the air. "The cloud of fog has dissipated and the Demoness Island has reappeared."
The news caused a stir amongst the disciples, their faces portraying horror. Everybody knew the story about the Demoness Island and the wicked demoness that resided on it.
Zhijian, too, had learnt about the appalling history ever since he was a small boy. Back in his hometown, the adults would often share the tale to warn people to stay away from the island.
Twenty years ago, before the Demoness Island and Cursed Lake had earned their ghastly titles, the nearby lands belonged to the Bai clan – a small community of healers. They were relatively quiet people, had extraordinary healing powers and were specialised in growing herbs and conducting research relating to treating diseases.
Clans from afar would travel on long journeys to request for their aid in healing their wounded disciples. Back then, the Bai clan led peaceful lives, offering their help to those in need but denying those who sought their powers for their heinous means.
Until one day, things turned out terribly wrong.
The Jiang clan – one of the dominant clans that was known for their exemplary morals – came knocking on their doors one day to propose for unification. With the increasing number of wounded demon hunters, they needed to hire healers and they thought that merging their clans together was a splendid idea.
In exchange, they would provide them protection, promising the Bai clan that their abilities would be used in a righteous manner.
Needless to say, the Jiang clan's proposal was politely rejected. Even though it was a shame, the Jiang disciples decided to leave but somehow they ended up stumbling upon a big secret that the Bai clan had been hiding for years.
Someone had given birth to an abomination – a girl born with a mystifying power. One that was so great that it could easily wipe out not just a clan, but an entire city itself.
They gave her several names; the Cursed Child, the Daughter of Hell or the Demoness.
She was born a human, yet was nothing like one.
Even her own clan was afraid of her. They sent her away to live on a nearby island, isolating her from their own kind as they feared that she would turn against them one day. They kept her existence a secret from the public, avoiding any unnecessary arousal of fear and alarm.
Their greatest fear soon turned into reality.
It was believed that the girl had met and convinced one of the Jiang disciples to release her from her prison. Thereafter, she took the golden opportunity to seek her revenge. A bloody massacre occurred on the land and every single living member of the Bai clan, including the group from Jiang clan, were mercilessly slaughtered.
And everything was all singlehandedly done by the Demoness herself.
Nobody knew how she had managed to kill over a hundred men herself. There were all sorts of rumours flying around; some said she had super-strength, others believed she had stolen their souls and devoured them, or she had casted a poisonous miasma across the area to wipe out the people.
After committing such an immoral sin, the Legendary Enchantress appeared – a powerful and wise woman who was rarely seen by people – and sealed the Demoness on the same island where she came from, never to be seen and do harm to anyone again.
This was how the Demoness Island had earned its name. Ever since the incident, a thick sheen of fog hovered over the island, surrounded by rough waves and whipping winds. No one dared to cross the Cursed Lake and lay a foot on the island ever again.
Zhijian tightened his grip on his sword. If he were to ever encounter the Demoness, he wouldn't miss the chance to kill her. A murderer should never get away this easily.
Standing at the front of the hall, Leader Xu waited for the whispers to cease before speaking again.
"The appearance of the Demon Island could only mean one thing – the Demoness might have been awakened," the older man shared his suspicion. "Out of everyone here, five will be sent to the Demoness Island first. You will search the entire area and locate the Demoness, but do not engage her yet. Stay low and send us a signal once you have traced her whereabouts. We will send reinforcements thereafter to apprehend her. Any questions?"
When there was none, he nodded his head solemnly. "Very well. Any volunteers?"
Everyone shared a look, but none had the courage to volunteer. After all, this was going to be a suicide mission. There was no guarantee that the first group would make it out alive.
Until Zhijian raised his hand suddenly with a resolute look in his eyes.
"I volunteer."
His declaration made the people around him gasp in surprise. He was a newly appointed Eradicator and hadn't been assigned any missions. To think that he wanted this to be his first mission?
Clearly, one would think he was out of his mind.
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