A crisp breeze drifted through the familiar streets of an old city long forgotten. The golden glow of the setting sun bathed the ruined structures in warmth, yet the scene lacked the eerie silence of abandonment. The air carried the distant murmurs of merchants calling out to customers, the rhythmic hammering of blacksmiths, and the lively chatter of passersby.
Shen Yuan stood frozen, his expression unreadable. His once-destroyed hometown now stood before him, not as a mere fragment of memory, but as something eerily real.
Yet, what truly made his breath hitch was his own reflection in a shop's glass window—he was no longer the ruthless cultivator he had become. He looked exactly as he had in his youth: shorter, weaker, his once-steeled gaze now carrying a trace of childish innocence. His robes were tattered from an afternoon of running errands, a sight he had long abandoned in favor of the majestic dark robes he now wore.
"This... can't be real."
He clenched his fists, trying to suppress the surge of emotions welling up inside him. His mind raced, searching for an explanation. Was this an illusion? A dream? He forced himself to calm down, yet his heart pounded against his chest like a war drum.
Then, a voice behind him froze him in place.
"Yuan'er, are you going to make me do all the painting by myself today?"
His breathing stopped.
Slowly, almost fearfully, he turned around.
There, standing before him, was a man he had buried long ago.
His grandfather.
The old man's presence was so vivid, so alive. His graying hair was neatly tied back, his wrinkled hands were stained with ink, and his ever-gentle yet firm eyes held a knowing glint. His voice carried a casual warmth, as if the years of bloodshed and loss between them had never happened.
"Come along now," his grandfather sighed, shaking his head with mock exasperation. "You were always the slowest when it came to work."
For a moment, Shen Yuan forgot to breathe. Forgotten memories clawed their way to the surface—those peaceful days when the most he had to worry about was perfecting a brushstroke. Before betrayal. Before death. Before, everything was gone.
"Is this real?" he murmured under his breath.
"What was that?" his grandfather asked, tilting his head.
Shen Yuan swallowed his turmoil and forced himself to play along. "Nothing... I'm coming."
Together, they walked down the street to their family shop. It was just as he remembered—a modest little place filled with canvases, inkstones, and unfinished paintings waiting for the final touch. He sat down, picking up a brush, but his hands trembled slightly as he pressed it against the canvas.
"Focus, Yuan'er," his grandfather said, his voice steady. "Don't rush. Let the brush flow. See the path in your heart first."
Shen Yuan stiffened. The words struck something deep within him, like a key unlocking a door long sealed shut. His grip on the brush tightened.
Slowly, he gazed down at his painting. It was a familiar sight—one of the landscapes he used to draw. But now, instead of admiration, an eerie sense of detachment filled him.
This wasn't right.
This wasn't real.
His grandfather had died.
Shen Yuan exhaled, his eyes slowly rising to meet his grandfather's once more. But now, the warmth in his eyes had faded. The gentle features blurred, twisting into something unnatural. When he blinked again, the figure before him was no longer an old man from the past. It was translucent like a ghost… and not only that, he saw his reflection on the shop mirror again and saw he was back to being him now, not someone who was weak.
A ghost of a smile played on his lips as he whispered, "You're dead."
Silence.
The air grew heavy. The illusion crumbled like shattered glass, and the city, the shop, everything around him faded into a void. The warmth of the sun was gone, replaced by an endless expanse of darkness. The figure before him gave a nod of approval before vanishing completely.
When the world stabilized once more, he was back in the sub-space. And standing before him was the spirit.
A flicker of irritation crossed Shen Yuan's face. His voice was colder than before.
"Was that supposed to be some kind of joke?"
The spirit, hovering in the air, remained unbothered. "It was a trial. One that you passed."
"And what exactly was I being tested on?"
"Your mind. Your heart." The spirit's voice carried a strange depth. "You wish to wield the power of the World Devouring Dragon, yet you still carry the weight of the past. You may not have a future or past anymore, but your memories bind you. That illusion was not a lie nor a dream—it was a pseudo-reality, built from your own recollection of memories. If you had hesitated, if you had chosen to remain in that false past... you would have failed."
Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Deep down, he had already guessed as much.
"Now then," the spirit continued, its voice shifting to something almost amused. "You have successfully passed the trial. You are now the indirect successor of the World Devouring Dragon."
Shen Yuan's eyes flashed with skepticism. "Successor? I'm only getting its innate ability, not the carcass itself."
The spirit chuckled, as if waiting for that response. "Tell me, Shen Yuan—have you noticed how dense the Qi in this sub-space is compared to the outside world?"
Shen Yuan frowned but nodded. "Yeah. So what?"
"And what if I told you... the so-called 'carcass' was never in some hidden land? That it was never waiting to be claimed?"
A pause.
"What are you saying?"
The spirit's eyes glowed. "The carcass of the World Devouring Dragon became this Qi. Every fragment of energy in this sub-space is part of its remains."
Shen Yuan smirked. "Then I'll take it all."
Without hesitation, he sat down and activated the Nether Dragon Scripture. The moment he did, the entire sub-space trembled.
Draconic essence surged toward him, spiraling like a massive vortex, collapsing into his body at a terrifying rate. Black scales flickered across his arms, his bones groaning under the sheer force of absorption. The very laws of the sub-space seemed to bend, as if acknowledging his claim over the remnants of the dragon's power.
Power surged through him. His veins burned. His body trembled violently, sweat pouring down his face. Blood trickled from his lips, yet he gritted his teeth and continued.
Days passed.
Then, at last—
His eyes snapped open.
Revealing a pair of golden eyes, with a red glow, while the pupil seemed to have taken the shape of a mysterious yellow star. It was finally his, he finally now possesses the 'World Devourer's Mirage Eye!'
He was practically feeling like dancing at this but soon, he felt a surge in his yin meridians…. A surge like never before, it was clear, it was a sign that breakthrough to the second stage of Nether Dragon Scripture is possible, as he already had so much draconic essence in his body, while the surrounding qi was from the carcass of the devourer. So now this was easy, as he needed either a draconic beast's blood or draconic essence itself.
Boom!
His meridians expanded. The yin-qi within him intertwined with the absorbed dragon essence, forcefully shattering his previous limitations. His dantian roared like a bottomless abyss, greedily swallowing everything.
His Nether Dragon Scripture surged into its second stage.
A wave of power burst forth, shaking the very fabric of the secret realm. In the outside world, cultivators halted in their tracks, eyes wide with terror. Even the two sect masters, watching from a distance, felt a ripple spread through the ocean itself.
Then, as the waters churned wildly, something impossible happened.
Nature itself carved a name upon the ocean's surface.
SHEN YUAN.
Before anyone could make any sense of it, they heard a rumble from the secret realm, as if the whole secret realm itself would collapse… but suddenly it stopped with an eerie silence.
Then from deep beneath a red lightning flash flew out towards the skies, before it halted just a few meters above the mountains and looked at everyone beneath him with a cheeky smile that said clearly 'I won, you monkeys.'
As they regained their composure finally, they realized who it was, it was none other than Shen Yuan!