Deep in the Eastern Sea lay a secret, isolated island unknown to anyone.
In the morning light, the waters surrounding the island took on a color somewhere between dark gray and ink green. The island itself was small, its exposed rock weathered into jagged shapes by the sea wind. Its vegetation was sparse and low. At its center stood a building constructed of black stone, its outer walls covered in pits left by the repeated scouring of seawater.
"Whew!"
The young master of the Nine Nether Demon Sect awoke in a secluded chamber within the building. He sat cross-legged on a stone platform, with no lamps lit around him. Only faint light seeped through several narrow slits in the walls, laying parallel bands of dim light across the floor. His face had grown much thinner, his cheekbones jutting out. His right hand rested on the left side of his chest, where a wound that had pierced clean through him had yet to fully heal. Even through his clothing, he could still feel where it lay.
He slowly opened his eyes, focusing on the floor about three paces away.
Just then, a creak sounded.
The chamber door was pushed open from outside. A middle-aged man in dark gray fighting clothes stood in the doorway, his figure forming a slender silhouette in the light spilling through the gap. His face was lean, his brow prominent. He cupped his hands in salute.
"Greetings, young master. Congratulations on your recovery."
"Left Guardian Dharma Protector, come in."
The young master motioned for him to enter.
The Left Guardian Dharma Protector closed the door and stood respectfully to one side.
"What news have you gathered on the matter I asked you to investigate?" the young master asked. His fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the