Night.

The night of the higher realms is almost as opposite of that below. When the sky shifted its heavenly bodies, the people also tend to follow the trend basing their activities to the time of the day. But the dragons would never obey such occasion and would base their activities on the mood and fun that they have.

It was already night but the gods are still on their bustling adventures. The shops that never closed since eternity called in costumers as they lure newfound spirits on their stalls. Minor gods are often found to be chatting on every street corner sharing their opinions about the number of worshipers they have or how much paper money one received as an offering.

The older gods are also around mostly found in a circle of young kids. These grandpas and grandmas are watching over their grandchildren when the parents are away from work. Most of older generations had retired on their own households and would spend their time taking good care of the young ones. They still have duties as gods but they often let their subordinates to handle them most of the time.

There are also gods that are considered as worker ants. It is because their roles in the society are very important and the scope of their duties relates to the common folk. These gods can be considered as big shots and are even working more work than the Emperor is. They are the ministers that have their own specialties, like, one god is responsible for fortune telling and the other is for medicine. They are the common gods that one prays when a certain help is needed.

Though, there are gods that are known for freeloading. These gods are not lazy but the cause of their decline is the loss of worshipers. This happens when one generation comes to an end and a deity loses its influence. These gods will still be able to live long though as long as they are not banished from the heavens.

However, something seems to be different in this night.

The streets are still bustling from the flow of people but there is a cautious air over the crowd. There is lesser number of gods wandering and the children that mostly play at night are locked on their houses guarded by their elders. The gods that could not avoid going out from their temples are walking in pairs or in groups, never letting themselves to be alone as they watch each other backs from any suspicious person.

Since the news about the god killer appeared, the gods started to get careful. A god will not die as long as there are worshipers and the soul can be retrieved through being born again. But the said god killer is carrying a weapon that could not only stop the god from reincarnating, it also takes the god head that is said to be the most important part of a god. Stealing ones godhead means that the god killer is not afraid of the tribulation, nor is it afraid to be killed by the emperor.

So far, there are eleven gods who are killed; two more and the seal of the covenant will complete its cycle. Once that happens, the heavens will eventually show its verdict and a thousand lashes of the tribulation would come down to punish the murderer. This seems to be a good way to settle a criminal but it also brings bad luck to gods.

It has been written on the records that the appearance of the seal of the covenant means that a great retribution will come. May it be a disaster or war, nobody knows but it only implies that bloodshed will come after. The disturbances to the balance of the realm will cause a rift of space creating unimaginable disasters that could end a race, or destroying the world.

It's a possibility that will cease to exist.

In a far corner where darkness lies, a rather young god is having a stroll. He just finished doing his jobs and is going home from work. He just said goodbye from the shop that he was working and whistled his way towards the dark alley. He looked up in the sky and noticed the dark clouds covering the usually bright lit moon.

"Seems that the rabbits are not making moon cakes now..." he muttered.

He had heard about the god killer but he wasn't scared. It is because he knows that a minor god like him will never be targeted, and the fact that he is a half god means that his godhead is really useless. Like JiDan, he is also a product of a hatched egg from a human blood. Though, his benefactor did not make it and died after he hatched.

The minor god picked up a tune and started humming. He took a piece of candy from his pocket and tossed it inside his mouth. The candies are part of the offerings, though little, he is happy enough to receive credit. After all, he was a hardworking god following under the prime god of wealth. He is still a special fellow.

He crossed a corner and met the bustling street. He heard a few friends calling him over for a drink on the nearby shop and approached them. Everyone knows each other due to the small population and close space so it's no wonder anyone would call someone in the middle of the street. The people who called him are workers of the other faction and somewhat close to the god of wealth so no wonder they became friends.

"Get some drink!" Character One said.

"Order another plate of nuts. We just finished some workload so we should drink a few," another one agreed.

"Nah, I still got a few things to do tomorrow," the minor god refused. "But it won't harm me to drink a few so get me a cup and let's drink!"

"Oooh, that's my man!"

He indeed took only a few sips in respect to the offer. They chatted for a while until everyone got satisfied. He told them that he should get ahead. One told him to just go with them when going home but he insisted.

"Well, I mean, I am not that special to get targeted," he joked as he waved his hand away. He then entered another dark alley usually being used as shortcuts among the regulars.

The road before him is very smooth and direct. This was a road used a long time ago but due to the rising number of gods being born, buildings started to grow in each sides almost obstructing the natural road. The ministers on the palace during that time created a new map changing a lot of architecture and road blocks. Though a few roads were converted to houses, this alley road remained the same but a bit narrower than the original.

Due to the surrounding tall buildings, the light from the lanterns could only access a portion of the ally only lighting the upper part. Though, this is enough for a dragon because originally they can see very clearly to the dark. That's why when the minor god found a movement from the corner of his eyes, he stopped walking.

He turned around to look on his back. He isn't still far from the main street so he can still hear the noises coming from the bustle of people. He looked left and right, looking for signs of movement. he was looking intently in one direction when he heard a shuffle on the opposite side.

He quickly ran towards the source of the sound and found his self looking at a narrow post in the corner. The post should be a holder for a lantern to lit the dark alleyway but due to long term use it exhausted its energy. It has been a long time since the lantern lost it lights and nobody ever made a complaint to change it.

Looking at it, he found that there are a few things leaning on the lower part of the post. There are garbage bins and a few boxes with sealed contents. Papers are stacked on the corner while a pail of used candles resided the other corner. He also noticed a shadow moving behind all of the things making his entire senses alert.

He slowly walked around the post with careful movements. His eyes gleamed a golden glint as he carefully threaded the way. The surroundings seem to get silent as his focus was on catching the one who is hiding. He was very close to the shadow when suddenly a movement moved out from the post. He almost got his heart out when a cat hopped out from corner chasing a mouse.

"What the hell-" He patted his chest from the surprise. He tried calming his beating heart by patting it. "It's just a cat. There's nothing to be scared of."

The sound returned to his senses. Nothing is different. Nobody is following him behind, and if there is anything else, that would be some god who is using the same passage as him. He looked around to calm his self and found a passed out god snoring loudly in the corner. He shrugged, knowing that that god is a powerful god. If anyone would want to commit a crime in this alley, they should get pass with this god.

Still, the minor god would often feel that someone is watching him so he would stop in every way to look around. Using the perception of a dragon, he would scan the place from top to bottom to see of there are someone lurking in the dark. But all the time he detected nothing as the place is void from anything. He thought that he must have been overthinking and stress is affecting his mind and body.

Or maybe he really did got drunk to start imagining things.

He shrugged his shoulders as he continued his pace. He dug his hand on his pocket again to fish some candy. A few wrappers obstructed his fishing and took around three empty wrappers and two rounds of orange candy out. One candy rolled out from his palm while the three wrappers were blown by the wind.

He is an upright god and never littered on his whole life. He quickly chased the flown wrappers and picked up the other. After securing the three wrappers, he returned to get the candy when suddenly somebody took it first while he was getting it. The minor god could see black boots and a black cape from the below together with what seem to be a blade of the legendary weapon.

He could have looked up to give thanks to the other person... if only his head wasn't taken apart from his neck.

A thudding sound complimented the silent background. The body remained kneeling for a while blood sprayed out from the small tunnels of airways creating a gurgling sound of boiling water. However, the sound this time is due to the blockage of the flow, and the lungs' last attempt of breathing in before exploding. The body wobbled for a while before totally falling down to the ground.

The perpetrator watched as the blood drained out from the neck coloring the pavement red. The fresh blood quickly clotted upon meeting the air changing its lustrous color to red earth. If nobody would look closely to it, one might assume that somebody is shameless enough to pee on the middle of the alley. No one would be able to recognize it due to the darkness.

However, the iron scent permitted by the color is enough to tell that this is not water. So, the god killer took a medicine from his robes and sprinkled it atop the death body. Somehow, the blood on the floor started to depreciate, decaying as if something is eating it. Seeing that the medicine is taking effect, he walked around to the other side and used a stick to flip the dead body over.

The godhead is not literally the head of the god. It was just an expression used to describe the status ranking of a god in the higher realms. The higher the crown, the greater the name - it showed the hierarchy of all the positions. Yu XueQin, being the emperor, has the most powerful godhead of all. This is the reason of his magnanimous control to the whole world.

So where is the godhead placed?

Godhead is the god's main power core of life. This is the place where their soul resides - the heart. The god killer crouched down to tear the chest open. Even though the head is no longer connected, the heart is still beating properly. This is minor's god sign of being a god. As long as the heart is intact, it can still live and be reborn again.

Of course, that would be impossible if the heart is gone.

He simply ripped the heart out without hesitation. The moment the heart disconnected from the body, a golden ripple was formed in the air. It caused the air to move in a small force spreading out disturbing the edges of the resting leaves and breaking small china. A few gods felt the abnormality but ignored it after.

The golden heart losses its color as it started to change to charcoal, while the beats slowed down. The god killer placed the object in a special vial that contained a spell. The moment the heart was placed inside, it stopped beating while containing its heart form. A slight tremor signaled the death of another god.

And the twelfth god is killed.

Together with the skies from the below lighted the signal, a portion of his chest also showed a movement of a clock's hand hitting the top most number. One more strike and the hand will surely point at the 'number 1' direction where the heart is usually placed. Once he hit that mark, he will face the greatest tribulation of all the worlds...

Yet, he is not scared at all.

He will sacrifice everything just to earn that power to deviate The Rules.

The addition of the mark made a pulsing force that spreads out in the air like vibrations. This caused a slight tremble to the ground and to the body of the god killer. As the holder of the curse mark, it would be logical to assume that the body would also feel the sin of retribution. The god killer can feel the all familiar pain creeping on his left chest - the place where his golden heart also resides.

The pain increases as the circle is being completed, the god killer coughed slightly as he slouches down to absorb the pain. The pain throb until the body could not contain it. If it was a normal body, surely, it won't be able to complete the cycle before losing its life. But the god killer is persistent, he thrived to survive.

While he was waiting for the pain to subside, a sudden flicker made him leap up from his position. Five finger-sized needles flew out from the dark corner targeting the god killer. He skillfully maneuvered his body avoiding the weapons by stepping in circles and by using the momentum to wave his black cape. This cause the force to block the incoming metals as it fell to the ground creating a high pitched clattering sound.

The second round of metals arrived immediately. The god killer showed his nimble movements as he spun around unhurriedly using the momentum of the cape to control the moving wind whipping the fabric in motion of a wave to deflect the attack. Like before, the needles halted before it could reach an inch to his body.

The quick succession of movements ended with the sounds of metal hitting the hard floor.

His movement is fluid, flawlessly shifting positions until he is a few meters away from the body. He landed gracefully on the ground, his cape following the after movement before settling down. The god killer stared at the place where the needles are from and found a silent shadow lurking on the back. Two eyes are watching him fiercely as if a cat ready to leap in action.

The stranger did not hide himself now that he was caught. Slowly walking out from the shadows, somehow, the skies participated his arrival as the thick clouds parted for a while to light the dark alley.

Clad in normal clothes, the weak looking hermit gardener Kun Shao walked out from the darkness. His usual half face length fringe hair covered most of his face however; the god killer could tell that the pair of eyes that was watching him earlier was owned by this individual. Those pair of eyes carried a deadly glint that one glance is enough to kill the enemy.

Kun Shao seems to look like a commoner who got lost in the middle of the streets. Nobody would ever think that this man who is shy in the crowd could ever throw such precise needles that targets the vitals directly if not blocked. The god killer did not think that this man is weak knowing that he was unafraid to face him.

The hermit gardener wore a solemn expression. He glared at the god killer in between the strands of his slightly parted hair. This person committed a grave crime by killing other gods and disturbing the balance. He should be executed to return the world back to its neutral state. Kun Shao raised his bare hands and pointed at the god killer with a hint of warning in each movement.

"Give the godhead to me," Kun Shao ordered. His voice usually sounded gentle and shy but this time it was amplified strongly. Anyone hearing it would assume that the demons had risen from the abyss or something.

The god killer's face was hooded by his cape but the smirk on its mouth showed that he isn't impressed. Just seeing how he managed to evade the attack earlier means that he is no ordinary being. Kun Shao also thinks the same so he was careful with all of his actions. After all, despite his history of being a general, Kun Shao is not equal with the legendary weapon that could even kill the emperor.

The position of the two figures remained in truce. No one dared to break the ice or to commit any movement. One careless decision might lead to the death of the other, as they both know that only one could get out from their grasp unharmed. The god killer securely kept the container holding the godhead inside his pockets not going to give it without fighting.

This will be his judgment day.

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Yay! That's the first update for today :D More to come!