We stand before the battlefield where I died.

  The grass has grown taller, the corpses have shed their flesh, and even have the red flowers of death growing on their skeletal remains. This is a mark of my power. These are the humans who died from my swords.

  As much as this now green field brims with life after a disaster, I can still smell death as well as replay the scenes from that night.

  The war had lasted for four days. Humans killing demons, and demons slaying humans.

  We had no choice.

  They had invaded our home, forcing us to fight back.

  "...ren? Zhuren?" Xing'er draws me from those dark memories as she tugs my hand. "What are you thinking about? Why are we here? Did mortals fight here?"

  "It seems so." I turn my eyes, crawling over thousands of skeletons across the field.

  "Nobody even bothered to bury them. And they keep talking about how they're better than us."

  "Huh? Who are you talking about? Who is better than who?"

  The ghosts of these humans are still wandering on this battlefield. Normal beings might not sense them, but as a god, I can feel them wailing. Crying to be set free.

  According to human traditions, a soul can be released only by giving them a proper burial.

  But how am I to bury so many?

  "Xing'er?"

  "Yes, Zhuren."

  "Do you have a pot that can store more than its size?"

  She nods.

  "Good. I want you to use your fire and help me burn these human remains. I will collect the ashes."

  "Oh, are we giving them a...a...what is it called?"

  "A burial. That's right. We will help them find peace."

  She floats in the air, her eyes starting to glow. Using her qi, Xing'er ignites all the bones in flames. Her control over her crimson flame is admirable. But what is more fascinating is her Dantian. Despite using so much qi over the past weeks we have been together, she has not shown any signs of fatigue or depletion.

  Even now, burning away thousands of bones to ashes looks like she is doing a mundane task such as blinking.

  As the flames burn away the remains, I quickly harness the wind and direct it over the ashes before they are lost in the grass.

  The pot she spoke of materializes before me. It will act as an urn. What matters is that they will get a burial. Simple as it is, it is better than nothing.

  Using the wind, I direct all the ashes from across the field and into the pot. This takes several minutes. Once we have cleared everything from the grass, the wind settles down and Xing'er comes down to stand by my side. She takes the pot and puts the lid on.

  "Where will we bury it?"

  It is better to set up a small grave for the ashes and light incense for them.

  The best place to do this is near the human border.

  "Let's go. I'll show you where we can dig the grave."

  Instead of proceeding to the demon border, we are forced to turn back towards the human side because I cannot bury human ashes near the demons lest another war is started over a misunderstanding.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The noises from the streets are a little annoying. But I cannot deny that I feel at peace being among other beings who are not trying to kill me.

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  In this lawless town where refugees from both races seek shelter after disasters, anything can happen. Yet still, they interact with each other without making the racial differences a problem.

  As we pass through one of the streets, I notice the glances being directed our way.

  Only now do I realize that we are still wearing robes which are considered divine artifacts because of the various roles they play; protection, self-cleaning, along others.

  Xing'er might not understand because she has never been in the lower worlds as this one, so if anything happens to her, it will be my fault.

  My eyes scan the shops around us. When I find what I'm looking for, I take Xing'er's hand and drag her through the bustling street until we walk into the clothing shop.

  "Welcome. Welcome," a man who appears to be forty years old welcomes us with a wide smile that exposes his broken tainted teeth. From his smell, he is a human.

  "What would you like to buy, young master. We have all types of fabrics from across both realms."

  Looking at the quality of the clothes here, I can only sneer in my head. He claims to have every type yet I see such low-quality fabrics. Whatever. These will do for now.

  "Get me something her size first."

  "Hahaha! Of course. Of course. Please come over here and sit."

  I follow him while still holding Xing'er's hand to a section of the shop where a few shabby seats are available.

  He goes as far as to pour us tea but the smell of it makes my stomach turn. Did they make it with dirty water or did they use their urine?

  Xing'er has the same expression, which confirms that I am not acting spoiled. The tea is genuinely disgusting.

  While he goes through the robes hanging around the small shop, he strikes up a conversation. "It is rare to see people like you. You must be heading for the tournaments."

  "What tournaments?"

  "Hehehe! It's fine if you don't want to te-"

  "I'm curious. Tell me more about the tournaments."

  This will be a good opportunity to learn about the changes that have taken place in the weeks I have been away.

  "Sir, how can you not know about the human demon tournaments that take place every five years? Rich young masters like yourself attend them all the time."

  A tournament that involves demons? Are they participating willingly? Are they getting paid?

  "When did they start?"

  "Huh?" He eyes me strangely. "This is the only way to maintain the peace that followed the last demon-human war. How can you not know of this? I thought people like you have access to more knowledge."

  My heart feels as if it is shrinking.

  "Zhuren?" Xing'er whispers. "Why are they fighting?"

  The shopkeeper comes to us holding a pink robe that is decent for her. "Little girl, what do you think of this? Do you like it?"

  Xing'er stares at it for a moment and then shakes her head. 'Pink? She hates it.'

  I get up, ready to go through the options available.

  "Hehehe! Young master, please let me do it for you. You two are my guests."

  "Shut up and tell me more about the war."

  "Oh! Ah! Two hundred and fifty-six years ago-"

  I choke on my saliva before starting to cough. Over two hundred years? No! This is impossible! I hardly slept when I died. How can so many years pass?

  Then, those human bones have been out there for over two hundred years?

  "Ahem! Go on."

  "Two hundred and fifty-six years ago, the demon lord waged war against the humans. It is said that they fought for weeks. In the end, both sides suffered heavily. But the demon lord survived against the immortal lord who led the humans.

  "After the disaster, the demon lord created a new rule; demons would fight against humans in tournaments. The side that wins gets to control the spirit stone mine by the demon border. So far, humans have been winning, growing stronger than the demons yet the demon lord hasn't attacked humans."

  This is untrue.

  I died.

  The human immortal died with me.

  So who has been acting as me all these years and slowly weakening the demon race by tricking them into believing that they're achieving peace while in truth, he is just killing them quietly?

  ** Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying the story. So, unlike my first book, I'm actually loving the process of writing this one for me. I'm focusing on a storyline I'd enjoy reading or watching. If you have any complaints, please leave them in the comments. Also, please add the book to your favorites and follow it. Thank you for reading :-)****