Ling Wugi's soul wandered aimlessly, like a faint speck of dust in an endless void.
It drifted left, up, then down—directionlessly, like a leaf caught in a storm. The concept of time had dissolved into nothingness. Days? Months? Years? He couldn't tell nor did he cared.
For what felt like eternity, his soul floated silently, weightless. Then suddenly, without any warning, it shifted. Something unseen pulled at him, it happened so suddenly and abruptly.
The force grew stronger with each seconds passing.
'What is this?' he wondered. There was no destination, yet he accelerated. Faster. Faster. And then—
A presence.
It came from nowhere, a force so overwhelming that it swallowed him!!
---
[Ling Wugi's Pov]
I abruptly opened my eyes.
The first thing I noticed was warmth. My body, solid and real once again, lay sprawled on something soft. My fingers twitched slightly against a coarse blanket, and the faint smell of ash and herbs filled my nose.
'Where the hell am I?' I thought, my confusion palpable on my face.
My eyes the. darted around, taking in my surroundings. The room was small, cluttered with broken furniture, scrolls, and strange jars filled with glowing liquids. A single lantern flickered against cracked walls, casting long, trembling shadows.
I sat up, my hand brushing against a pile of books that toppled to the floor with a dull thud.
"This..." My voice was hoarse, unfamiliar even to myself. I clenched my fists, the feeling of having a body again felt both strange and satisfying.
A faint rustling sound from the corner the. caught my attention.
I couldn't help but smirk, the thought of reincarnation creeping into my mind.
Reincarnation… It was nothing new to me. In my previous life, strong cultivators could reincarnate with ease. However, this time.. it was different.
'Would the Heavenly Dao truly allow my soul to live? After I had broken the very laws and balance... Even stealing the technique that was to be sealed for eternity!?' I questioned myself.
My brows furrowed as I pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on the cramped, filthy room around me. The air itself felt suffocating, the Qi thin and tainted, as if the world itself was polluted from filth.
'What is this fucking filth?' I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my thoughts, but the Qi only made me gag. It was worse than sewage, a far cry from the pristine energy I had at my feet back in the heavenly god realm and my home sweet realm.
Crossing my legs, I immediately began examining my new body. My soul stirred, diving inward to inspect the foundation of this host.
What I found nearly made me laugh aloud.
At the center of my being sat a weak, fragile excuse for a dantian, barely held together. The Qi within it was thin, diluted, and filthy—worse than a mortal's breath. But hidden beneath it, buried under layers of grime, was something else.
A second dantian.
This one was different. Sinister. Clean. It pulsed faintly with demonic energy, its presence unmistakable.
'Hah, interesting,' I thought, reaching for it. But the weaker dantian blocked my access, standing in my way like a locked gate.
'This trash dares to hinder me?'
Turning my attention to my meridians, I scanned each pathway. All 360 of them were sealed, clogged beyond recognition. The blockages weren't natural—they had been placed there intentionally, perhaps even at birth.
"Tch." My lips curled in irritation as I inspected the pathetic state of this body. "The last idiot who owned this shell… You were truly worthless."
I sneered, shaking my head. "Born with a weak dantian and sealed meridians? Were you a pig in your past life, or just a waste of air in this one?"
Closing my eyes, I steadied my thoughts.
'No matter. Trash like this won't stop me. It never has.' My lips twisted into a cold grin. 'I'll find whoever sealed these meridians and break them. One by one.'
My aura stirred faintly, limited by the weakness of my new vessel. Still, I could feel the dormant power of the demonic dantian beneath.
"It won't be long," I muttered, my voice low and venomous. "It won't be long before I return to my peak."
I focused again, probing deeper into the hidden dantian. As my soul brushed against it, a familiar energy pulsed back.
'Wait… this is…' My smirk widened, my hand brushing over my chest as if I could feel it physically. 'The Nine Laws of Hell. You survived?'
A twisted satisfaction coursed through me.
"So, even death couldn't separate us." I chuckled coldly. "Not even the Heavenly Dao could rip you from me."
The energy within the demonic dantian hummed faintly, its presence alive and waiting.
'I stole you from the heavens once, and now you're mine again,' I thought, my grin widening.
Turning my attention back to the sealed meridians, I recalled an old technique—a crude but effective method to break through blockages.
'The Meridian Shatter Art. Primitive, but it'll do.'
Gathering what little Qi I could muster, I directed it toward the first sealed meridian. The resistance was immediate, like trying to smash through solid rock with bare hands.
"Break," I hissed, forcing the Qi harder. Pain tore through my body like jagged blades, sharp and unrelenting. Sweat poured down my face as my teeth clenched against the agony.
Finally, the blockage cracked. Qi surged through the meridian, filling it with a faint, renewed energy.
"One down… three hundred fifty-nine to go," I muttered darkly.
The next meridian was tougher. Each push of Qi felt like ripping through raw muscle and bone. My vision blurred, but I didn't stop.
"Break! Break, damn you!"
Hours passed in grueling effort. One by one, the sealed pathways gave way, the Qi in my body growing stronger with each success.
When the final blockage shattered, a wave of energy flooded my body.
"Fourth stage of Qi Refinement," I whispered, my voice filled with a cold satisfaction.
Flexing my fingers, I tested the new flow of Qi coursing through me. It was crude and incomplete, but it would suffice for now.
Closing my eyes, I turned my focus to the demonic dantian. Summoning its power, a dark, ancient book materialized in my hand. Its cover was cold and foreboding, the script etched into it faintly glowing.
'So, you truly survived,' I thought, running my fingers over its surface.
The book resisted as I tried to open it, its energy mocking me.
"Don't test me," I growled, forcing the first page open.
The words, written in an ancient script, spoke directly into my mind:
| Start your path to hell by using the hidden yin core within. This core has no limit, even in lower realms, but it requires the purest form of energy: raw, devoured dantians. |
I paused, rereading the lines. A cold grin spread across my face.
"Lucky me," I murmured, my voice laced with cruelty. "I've always enjoyed tearing those things apart."
The book detailed the steps to cultivate using the yin core—a dark and unorthodox process that twisted Qi into unnatural forms.
Without hesitation, I began.
The moment I directed my Qi toward the yin core, it resisted. The sensation was like shoving against an immovable wall. I forced harder, and the gate finally gave way.
Dark energy surged through me, veins pulsing black against my skin.
"Pain again," I muttered, a grim smile playing on my lips. "How nostalgic."
The cultivation process was brutal, the Qi tearing through my newly opened meridians and filling the yin core drop by drop. As the final step completed, knowledge flooded my mind.
| To advance to the second stage, you must devour 30 high-quality dantians. Only through consuming the pure energy of others can the yin core grow. |
A low laugh escaped me, cold and wicked.
"Thirty dantians?" I said, my voice echoing in the empty room. "Sounds fun."