DBoC - Intro (Patreon)

This is the introduction to the patreon exclusive novel Demon Beast of Cultivation. First chapter will hopefully be published in a few days. Enjoy!   

Demon Beast of Cultivation

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth permeated all of creation. From the divine realms the sailed the Astral Sea like fierce water dragons to the Infernal plains bathed in fire at the root of existence and the mortal realms between. All places, all things, are nourished by Qi.

It's source unknowable and it's nature unfathomable, the energy flowed along the ever shifting spirit rivers, changing direction and intensity according to their own design. The most saturated holy places and sacred valleys might overflow with an abundance for ten thousand years, only to be as dry as a desert the next. 

Spiritual Qi, more precious than gold, more coveted than diamonds. This energy brought with it a chance, a hope, of performing the impossible, of allowing a mortal to shed their flesh, slough it off and be born anew as immortal, inviolable. By cultivating the mind, body and soul, channelling the spiritual energy through oneself, this transformation could take place and brought with it innumerable benefits. Speed, strength, unyielding spirit, focus of mind and the ability to manipulate nature through the comprehension of nature's mysteries. 

What would a person give, a mortal man or women, born into the mortal realms where the flow of Qi is at its thinnest, what would they give for the chance to overcome their limits, be freed of their shackles and rise above mortality? Consider the poorest farmer who tilled their fields in the shadows of the wildlands, beaten down by their tyrant lords and forced to sell their children for taxes. What would he give? Or the great rulers of the dynasties, bathed precious resources, pulled high above the masses from the moment of their birth. That their reign might last forever, that their divine destiny may be made manifest, what would they give? What might they be willing to sacrifice?

Everything.

They would sacrifice everything. For even the slightest chance. Everything.

Wherever the Spirit Rivers flow, conflict will follow. This is a universal truth among mortal kind. Mountains of bodies and oceans of blood have been spilled for the slightest whiff of Spiritual Qi.

However not all mortals are created equal. Only a lucky few are born with the ability to sense the energies of the heavens and earth. Whether by fate or some grand design who could say? It is these people only who might try to seize their chance, the Cultivators, the Immortals, who would crush a million commoners under their heel to pursue their goal of endless life, perhaps even ascension into the realm of the divine.

But the heavens and the earth do not discriminate. All things experience their touch and are given their chance to drink from their cup. As for mortal kind so for the plants, so for the animals and indeed for all things. And as with mortal kind all things are changed by the Spiritual Qi. Wondrous herbs, great spirit trees and miraculous fungi are formed wherever the flow of energy is greatest. Treasures indeed for those mortal cultivators who seek every advantage to rise above their foes.

As for the animals, great powers are born when they drink of Spiritual Qi. Powerful spirit beasts such as the World Fire Phoenix, the deadly packs of Shadow Wolves or the swift Ice Wind Leopard. These creatures were blessed with greater strength, spirit and mind than normal creatures, vicious and hungry they too sought to cultivate themselves, contesting mortal kind with their great strength and long lifespans. Fierce battles have been fought with these creatures over millions of years. Some cultivators sought to subdue and tame them, to make their strength part of their own. Others have defeated and plundered them, stripping their remains of precious resources.

However, even as mortals are not born equal in regard to their affinity to Spiritual Qi, so too do the Spirit Beasts differ. Some are born more cunning, more deadly, more insidious, whereas others become so due to happenstance or coincidence. These creatures are feared, hunted and reviled throughout the mortal realms both low and high. Vicious without remorse, relentless without pity and hungry beyond satiation. Capable of befuddling mortal minds, mesmerising victims and taking on mortal form, these are the Demon Beasts. The deadliest foe of all cultivators for these creatures are their predator and they, mightiest of all the mortals, are their prey.