Legend of the Great Sage

In the primordial times, on a chaotic battlefield, a thick-browed, large-eyed youth with a horned helmet held a damaged battle axe. Blood flowed down the edge. Who knew how many lives he had claimed already, yet his eyes were lost.

With the mighty dragon’s cry, a giant dragon soared through the air, riding on the winds. The huge wings took up half the sky, looming over the entire battlefield. It dove down to swallow him in a single gulp.

The youth let out a furious roar, raising the battle axe to receive the giant dragon.

Within the dazzling light, the youth saw a man standing on the dragon who waved his hand gently. The giant dragon immediately closed its wings and mouth.

The battle axe missed, leaving behind a great crack on the ground, stretching over to a mountain in the distance that collapsed with a great boom.

The man smiled. “I remember you. You’re call A’pang, right?”

The young man shivered. He found the man far more terrifying than the giant dragon, actually afraid to meet his eyes. “Yeah, I’m A’pang!”

“A’pang, you’ve already been defeated. Will you surrender?”

“No, we haven’t been defeated yet!”

At this moment, the youth saw many familiar figures behind the man. He flew into a rage. “You traitors!”

Some of them averted their gazes, and some sighed and tried to persuade him. “A’pang, we’ve been defeated. We should submit.” Others were very irritated. “You’re just a nobody. Why should you die for…” They showed a hint of awkwardness, omitting the name.

The man who rode the dragon waved his hand, and everyone fell quiet. “If you don’t surrender, then there will only be death. I can tell you’re a fine child. I don’t want to kill you. Do you really want to die?”

The youth lowered his head deeply and trembled even harder. He did not fear those damned traitors, no matter how powerful they were. However, he feared the man who rode the dragon, no matter how gentle his voice was.

And he feared death. He wanted to continue living, even if it was just another day.

He lowered the battle axe in his hand.

As a result, he lived, and he lived a hundred times, a thousand times longer than he had originally anticipated. He even became someone who could decide the fates of others.

His duties as an officer of the underworld allowed him to avoid many great crises, which was something he felt extremely glad about. However, he was also aware that more importantly, he was just a nobody. He could not change the overall situation. No one needed him to do anything either.

This was fine. This was fine…

Until one day, a voice said to him, “A’pang, can you help me out?”

The familiar tone and voice seemed to have never been tarnished by the passage of time, calling him over to do something small that was within his abilities.

He saw a black ox with a broken horn whose eyes were gentle and tired. “You’re… you’re…”

“Kid, have you even forgotten about me?”

“Your majesty!” He knelt down on the ground. “I would never forget!” His heart trembled, perhaps out of excitement and perhaps out of fear.

“Has hell adopted these rules and customs as well? Get up, I’m not that guy, nor do I need any your majesty or his majesty. I’m just an old guy who’s come to ask for your help.”

He felt terribly ashamed, standing up in a hurry, “Your majesty- what do you need me to do?”

“My fifth brother is with you, right?”

“Yes… This… I might not…”

He shuddered inside and frantically looked for a way out of this. He was just a measly Hell Guard. He could not afford to become involved, yet he was also afraid that he had declined too bluntly. The person before him only needed a single thought to claim his measly life.

“I don’t want you to release my fifth brother. I have a little brother called Li Qingshan. He’ll arrive in the six realms of sa?sāra in the future. I want you to take him and visit my fifth brother.”

“Li Qingshan!”

He had never heard that name before. He probably was not someone important. After all, he had not spent all these years living for nothing. Whether it was the six realms of sa?sāra or beyond the Nine Heavens, he had already familiarised himself with all the major figures.

“He’s a mortal, but in a few years’ time, he should have a reasonable cultivation.” The black ox was rather proud.

He suddenly felt a little unconvinced. He’s just a mere mortal, so what right does he have to be referred to as ‘little brother’ by him? Bringing people down to hell is my job, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. However, as soon as he thought of everything involved, he began to falter again.

“If it’s too difficult, it’s fine. If it weren’t for my circumstances, I wouldn’t have wanted to disturb you any further either.”

“Y- you know I’m in the Hell realm?”

“Of course. Ox-headed A’pang. Who hasn’t heard of that name? Who doesn’t know who you are?”

The black ox smiled at him, entering a slight trance for a moment as if he had recalled the extremely distant past. Suddenly, he returned to his senses. “Alright, I need to go! Old guys like me just love thinking about the past. I’m very happy that you can continue living. Far too many clansmen that don’t deserve death have already died. It’s time to settle this once and for all.”

He shuddered inside, We’re of the same race. In the past, I was also his little brother! Yet now, I suspect that he’ll harm me. Before I even knew it, have I also begun to believe those slanders?

“Just what right does a treacherous traitor like me have to be burdened with such a heavy task? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll sell out this Li Qingshan?”

“Kid, what nonsense are you on? Your path is for you to walk. As long as you don’t let yourself down, that’s enough! Why do you need to take responsibility for me? If you really want to talk about responsibility, it was me who was defeated back then. That guy has already been good enough to you. At least it’s better than sending you to your death. However, you better not divulge this, or I really won’t spare you.”

It was better described as an earnest warning than a threat, afraid that he would make the wrong choice in a moment of poor judgement.

“Aren’t I a traitor? That had bothered him mentally for all his life.

On the Road to the Yellow Springs, Li Qingshan grabbed Ox-headed A’pang’s shoulders and shook him forcefully. “Tell me, where is he? Don’t tell me he’s locked up in the Hell realm? Alright, I’ll go and save him right now!”

“How?” Ox-headed A’pang could not help but question him. This kid who was nowhere near as powerful as him could actually come up with such great boasts.

“You still have to ask how? Old brother A’pang, I didn’t know you were an undercover spy who infiltrated the enemy. I have said many insulting words earlier, so please forgive me.”

Li Qingshan did not suspect this to be some kind of trap by the enemy, as his strength right now truly amounted to nothing. Schemes were completely unnecessary. Just sending over a few Hell Guards was enough to deal with him.

And right now, this ox seemed friendly no matter how he looked at him. As he gazed at the moist fur on his face, he simply did not have the heart to hurt him any further.

My great mocking technique is far too powerful. Isn’t this friendly fire? Look at how I’ve wronged him. I need to console him quickly so that I can ask him where brother ox is.

“You were right. I am a traitorous dog!” Ox-headed A’pang said indifferently.

Li Qingshan thought he was still venting, so he felt even more sorry. “How are you one? Look at your thick brows, large eyes, and dignified bearing. You stand head and shoulders above all oxen!”

As a result, Ox-headed A’pang told him about the defeat and surrender from back then, but because there were far too many names he could not mention, he only gave a rough summary.

Li Qingshan was astounded inside. Never did I think that a thick-browed and large-eyed fellow like you would also be a traitorous revolutionary! Brother ox sure is big-hearted to send a damned traitor to receive me. What if this bastard sells me out?

Ox-headed A’pang sneered. “Are you still bold enough to go to hell with me?”

“Since he trusts you, then I trust you too. So what if we go to hell?”

“What if I sell you out?”

“Then that’s our poor judgement. We can’t blame anyone else. Though, you had no other choice than to surrender after being defeated. However, if you dare to betray me, even if brother ox wants me to spare your life, I’ll never spare you!”

Paying back kindness was paying back kindness, while settling grievances was settling grievances. Kindness and grievances were clearly distinct. They had nothing to do with one another.

When Ox-headed A’pang heard that, he instead began to laugh. This personality. No wonder, no wonder! He stood up and brushed off the dust. “Don’t worry, I won’t surrender again this time!

He gave off a sense of determination. Li Qingshan was very familiar with this aura. That was wagering his life to do something.

Ox-headed A’pang bowed deeply towards him. “Kid, I was testing you earlier, to see whether you had the right to bear such a great responsibility. I’ll apologise to you. Though, I do feel much better after being cursed by you! Your mouth is a little too sharp. You should get your tongue removed in hell!”

Li Qingshan rubbed his head in embarrassment. “Haha, you’re too kind, you’re too kind!”

The corner of Ox-headed A’pang’s eye twitched. I was praising you?

“Let’s go! There’s still a long road ahead!”

The Road to the Yellow Springs stretched endlessly. Within the yellow sand, the two of them walked together. As they spoke and laughed, they had already become friends.

After a series of questions, Li Qingshan learnt that brother ox was not in the Hell realm. He was off to see another Great Sage, one that had been suppressed in the very depths of Avīci. Due to “censorship”, it was inappropriate to mention his name.

He finally stopped worrying. Compared to that unreliable woman Su Mirao, now this was a proper guide.

After hearing about Ruin’s End, Ox-headed A’pang also guessed which Great Sage it was supposed to be, but for the same reason, his name could not be mentioned either.

As a result, he took out his alcohol pouch, and the two of them had a hearty drink. They cussed out one another, basically just something to go with the drinking.

Li Qingshan took advantage of his tipsiness to ask, “Aren’t you reluctant to become involved in this mess? Why’d you agree then?”

“I originally thought that anything was better than dying, even if it was just a horrible life.” Ox-headed A’pang took a vicious swig of alcohol.

“And now?”

Ox-headed A’pang exhaled. “I don’t want to be a dog anymore.” His eyes burned with flames, the flames of war that had been extinguished for thousands of years.

This time, if he lost, then he would be perishing in battle.

There was actually no delight behind dragging out an ignoble existence at all.