The cold northern winds blew harshly.
The snowy plains surrounding the mountains were coated in endless frost and wailed on by hail.
In fact, ice rained down from the heavens for even days at a time, spanning thousands of miles across the North.
And yet, even in this treacherously cold climate, the sound of leather boots firmly marching on was there, and firm, clenched hands moved with every stride, undeterred by the potential dangers that lurked all around.
The harsh cold was quite dangerous indeed, but even in such a perilous landscape, this man was determined to stomp his feet through.
"…Brrr… May the Heavens guide me to my destination, as always! I wouldn't want to die on a random day like this!"
The strange man was taking oddly-determined strides with a resolute look on his face, as if to say he wouldn't turn back, even if he was afflicted with frostbite right then and there.
He was a gruff, 34-year-old man with a small stubble on his chin, and he was simply called Gabriel by his peers and neighbours.
He held a geothermal lamp in his left hand and wore five layers of clothes, wandering in search of a legend from the distant past.
A 'Demon Tanuki'.
For context, this 'Demon Tanuki' came from an era long ago. A time when these lands, officially known as the Northern Continent, ruled by the blood-splattered, crimson gaze of the 'Golden-Eyed One'.
With the Bloody Arbiter Sect he commanded, anybody who went against the absolute order of things in his lands was annihilated in the blink of an eye.
However, against his rule, a resistance was formed. A rebellion, hoping to slay him once and for all.
The leader and vice leader of this rebellion became famed figures even beyond the Northern Continent after managing to kill the tyrant in an elaborate attempt to overthrow him, utilising countless plans and backup plans in the process.
And, through this, the existence of the 'Demon Tanuki' became known to all when the leader of the resistance, known by the alias: 'Hailstorm Blade', summoned that being's dead corpse from the depths of the mountains and used it in a vague way to land a final blow on the Golden-Eyed One.
And, although the end result of that battle was clear, the now-Demon Tanuki escaped from their sights, never to be seen again.
Except, this man, Gabriel, supposedly knew of its location, despite countless explorers and famed adventurers taking the chance to capture the beast, and yet failing.
He was a very tenacious and unfaltering man, so it was expected that he would try to find the Demon Tanuki, despite him having not a single reason to do so.
…Well, other than money.
Once upon a time, he was a low-ranking guardian warrior of a small Sect, called the 'Mystic Cauldron of Refinement Sect' in Tianshui City.
But, after getting kicked out for making love with a female guardian warrior under the guidance of one of the Sect's High Preceptors, he decided to lay low for a while.
He was only lucky that he wasn't the center of attention due to the rumours about a 'Wind Angel' descending from the skies on top of the snowy mountain's peak, or else it's possible all his limbs may have been chopped off as punishment.
Such beings were envoys of the Sages, who were said to have transcended to a higher realm filled with an abundance of 'Ghostly Qi'. Meanwhile, this planet only held normal 'Qi' in the air and its surroundings.
Anyway, after that incident, he found some work to do in the nearby villages, and often went to a nearby fishing pool on his off-days.
And then, his life there-on became stagnant.
He tried to learn more martial techniques by forming his second Soul Core through spiritual refinement and meditation, however it went badly and he just forgot about it.
Spiritual refinement and meditation wasn't an easy process anyway.
It involved the training and tempering of the tri-soul, that consisted of the spiritual vessel, the spiritual roots and the spiritual veins, and all three were connected by a network of 'divine channels' called the meridians.
Through this way, he managed to obtain his first Soul Core in his spiritual vessel, similar to most other martial practitioners, which allowed him to manipulate Qi on the most basic level.
And that same Qi, that leaked through the gap in the skies that the sages made as they pierced through to get to the High Overseer, made up the fundamentals of this world's 'new order'.
'Kill or be killed.'
'Be strong and brave, or you will be devoured by the crafty and wicked.'
Through this way, someone who was talented enough could become insurmountable with a bit of patience, luck and plenty of training and knowledge.
However, it wasn't exactly patience and knowledge he lacked. Instead, it was luck.
In fact, the only thing he had to his name was grit and dedication.
Though, it was due to that grit that he found the 'blood crystals' lurking near the fishing lake far from the village he resided in.
As he arrived at the lake, he stepped closer and closer until he was looking right over the edge, face to face with his own reflection.
"After so much time spent examining the blood crystal… I'll finally discover whether it truly is the remains of the Blood Tanuki lying down there or not."
"I've trained my swimming abilities to the very maximum for this! I can't wait to find out!"
"Humph!"
Gabriel quickly inhaled and exhaled before diving into the lake, feeling the bitter coldness of the water immediately.
Despite having all of his clothes on, he wasn't weighed down much due to the strength he accumulated as a guardian warrior.
"I see it!"
He dived deeper, his eyes concentrated on what seemed to be a portion of a large animal skull at the bottom of the pool. Yet, there was something off.
The skull seemed to be cracked deliberately, and there was something inside of it.
So, using all the strength he could muster, Gabriel swam deeper.
And then, he saw something quite mysterious and confusing.
"…"
"…This…"
"…This is… a human?"
Unlike what he had previously expected, he saw a naked, sickly-pale young man in the fetal position within the cracked skull, his eyelids barely closed with white-streaked black hair and purple eyes.
This boy didn't seem to be awake, but was most definitely alive.
"…Damn it…"
Gabriel pulled the boy out of the cracked white skull, and pulled him up, using all of his strength to do so.
Finally, once they breached the surface, Gabriel gasped for air and laid on his back for a brief moment.
He glanced at the young man, who seemed no younger than seventeen, and groaned:
"Seriously… all I got from that excitement was a cracked skull and a barely even alive person?!"
"My luck really is the worst…" He turned and stood up, circulating Qi around his body quickly to warm himself back up.
"Phew…"
Gabriel looked at the young man and pitied him. Out of sheer kindness, he placed a hand on the young man and continuously circulating Qi through both of their bodies.
It took a while before both of them seemed well-protected enough from the heat. Though, Gabriel was intrigued by his origins.
"…Hm… maybe I should bring him back to the village elder."
The naked young man stirred, and then turned to look at Gabriel suddenly, his eyes wide awake.
"Huh? You were awake?"
"…"
There was no response for a while, and the young man turned to look at the sky.
After staring for a while, a single tear fell from his eyes.
He remembered a faint memory of the past, it was fuzzy, but he saw, in his memories, a mysterious individual with a strange sword forged from a pool of 'golden water'.
"…My mind… is fuzzy."
The naked young man placed his hand on his own chest. There was a strange coldness within him, but there was also a conflicting warmth akin to a small flame lit inside him as well.
This was thanks to Gabriel.
He also felt internal pain in his upper and lower body.
It seemed his body was ruined beyond compare from unknown circumstances, and he even started to cough blood.
"My name… is Chen Xian, and…"
"…I need… help…"
He glanced towards Gabriel, shortly before fainting.
"What in the…"
Gabriel approached the unconscious young man, who mouthed a few words in the empty embrace of his dream.
"Don't… kill me…" He whispered gently, "…Don't… Revenant… King…"