During his half-day journey, Xypharos advanced slowly due to his injuries. Demonic beasts that attempted to attack from the sky or the ground were swiftly dispatched before they could touch him.
Hopefully, since he was outside the restricted regions, all he faced were rank 1 demonic beasts.
Due to the throbbing pain in his head, he couldn't estimate how much longer he could continue.
As a mortal with no cultivation, Xypharos could only defend himself with the Ethereal Sword Domain, one of the two highly lethal techniques he had painstakingly mastered in his previous demonic life.
In Ellinor, he had no talent for magic and was not blessed with Aura. Despite this, he refused to give up and discovered an extraordinary talent for swordsmanship. He found solace in the sword after enduring misery and being dismissed as useless by everyone, including his own people. However, just a few months later, he contracted a rare, incurable magical disease. His body, already lacking magical power, soon became a liability. He halted all physical training and confined himself to his home, not out of misery, but to train intensely for ten years without food or water.
Upon emerging, he effortlessly created two masterpieces that consumed spiritual energy instead of magic and set out to hunt the strongest adversaries. With only a few years left to live, he resolved to live or die on his own terms. Strangely, his ascent to the top was smooth, and he easily defeated Seffire with his second move. Disillusioned, he chose to end his successful yet bitter life on his own terms.
The new day dawned, and by morning, Xypharos had arrived at his destination.
"Finally arrived..." he muttered under his breath. Before him stretched a panorama of two-story buildings with intricate designs, interspersed with the occasional magnificent and exquisite pagoda standing proudly within Moon Town.
From a single glance, he could tell how vast the town was. Since the owner of his current body had visited Moon Town before for family business, he was somewhat familiar with it.
Fang Wei, the name of the body he had occupied, was one of many heirs to Bamboo Merchants, one of the three major powers in the Country of Han. With branches spread across the country, Bamboo Merchants wielded significant influence over cultivation resources, effectively monopolizing their authority to amass immense wealth and prosperity. This success was largely due to the presence of their great Ancestor, who had achieved the strength of a Spirit Emperor years ago.
Xypharos, or rather Fang Wei, scrutinized the demonic core in his hand and thought, There is a branch of Bamboo Merchants in this town. Let's check it out.
However, just as he was about to move, something weird happened.
A transparent projection appeared next to his face, similar to those he'd seen in Ellinor and from the memories of an Earthling named Lu Hua who, despite being a mortal in a world without Qi, was knowledgeable about the cultivation world.
Multiple words were appearing on the screen one after another in native language of this world. As he'd memories to help him, he could easily understand what was written on the projection screen.
----
[Evil System Installed!]
[Inspecting the Host... Successful!]
[Status is active now!]
----
[Name: Fang Wei]
[Lifespan: 12/80]
[Spirit Root: Five Profound Roots]
[Cultivation: None]
[Physique: None]
[Heavenly Treasures: Supreme Soul of the Sword Sanctum]
[Skills: (Culinary), (Archery)]
----
Fang Wei stared at the screen silently, allowing the words to come to a halt.
From his memories, he recognized this so-called system as a golden finger or cheat that could assist him in advancing to higher levels of cultivation. The system was originally intended for Lu Hua, but due to its delayed manifestation, Lu Hua had died of heart failure.
On the other hand, Xypharos, now with the body of Fang Wei, never relied on others and solely trusted his own strength in Ellinor.
This was equally true in this new world, where demonic cultivators and beasts roamed freely, killing on a whim. As such, he was prepared to unleash his strongest attack against the system if he sensed any hint of malevolence.
He couldn't bring himself to trust an existence that offered help without any apparent reason. So, for now, he remained silent, closely observing the system.
----
[Evil System has existed since Time Immemorial, created to maintain balance in the world. The current Host has been selected to uphold this balance. With the resurgence of Chosen Ones, the Evil system has been tasked with eliminating these overgrown pests. As the system cannot eradicate them directly, the Host's assistance is required.]
[Aim: Demise of Chosen Ones]
[Time Limit: None]
[The system will aid the Host in locating the Chosen Ones. To effectively eliminate them, the Host must first strip them of all their fortune before cornering and destroying them.]
----
Hmm? Kill the chosen ones? He contemplated.
After a moment of reflection, Fang Wei scoffed, "Why should I even assist you?"
----
[Processing↻]
[Appropriate rewards will be granted to the Host for each Chosen One slain.]
----
"There's no contract or guarantee that you'll honor your words," he said flatly, unable to bring himself to trust this so-called system.
----
[Processing↻]
[A starting gift package has already been prepared for the Host.]
----
A gift it says...
"What gift?" he asked sharply, finding it hard to trust the system. He even considered the possibility that it might be a trap intended to seize his soul or body.
----
[Opening the gift package!]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! The Host has acquired the complete Evil Mantra!]
----
However, just as the next words appeared on the projection screen, he felt a brief, unsettling sensation in his mind.
It lasted only a moment, but he decided against attacking the screen.
He quickly realized that what he had received wasn't dangerous. Instead, it was unfamiliar knowledge about cultivation—the manual for the Evil Mantra, a gift from the system.
Evil Mantra!
A cultivation technique practiced by primordial demons. Only those with a demonic nature could truly benefit from this technique.
Fang Wei closed his eyes and examined the Evil Mantra.
This technique involves using the corpses of beasts or cultivators to accelerate cultivation in the shortest time possible. The only downside is the intense craving for blood that can last for a month or more...
Opening his eyes, Fang Wei quelled his inner turmoil and redirected his focus to the system screen.
----
[Searching for the Chosen Ones...]
----
The system screen displayed no changes; it only showed a few words repeatedly, as if malfunctioning.
Ignoring this, he decided to head to Moon Town first to purchase some healing medicine for his injuries.