24. The Return of the Undying
Lymhrst - The Lin Family Estate
The great hall of the Lin Family Estate was a towering structure of jade pillars and golden lanterns, casting a warm but hollow glow over the gathered elders. They sat in a perfect semicircle, their expressions stern as they awaited Lin Feng's return.
Tonight, the Lin Family would witness the fall of there enemy who had driven there prodigy to despire.
Lin Feng strode into the hall, his movements stiff but laced with triumph. His robes, once pristine, were still stained with the remnants of his battle—Damon's blood dried onto his sleeves like a war trophy.
At his side, he carried a sack, tied with a rope and inscribed with ancient sealing runes.
Lin Zhan, the head of the Lin Family, watched his son approach with a silent intensity. The elders whispered amongst themselves, curious, expectant.
Lin Feng fell to one knee before his father, voice unwavering. "It is done, Father. Damon… is dead."
He untied the sack with deliberate slowness, the runes flickering before fading away. With a sharp motion, he flipped the lid open.
Inside, Damon's severed head rested upon black silk. His purple eyes were closed, his face eerily serene—as if he were merely sleeping.
The room fell into stunned silence. Then, laughter.
"Good. Very good." Lin Zhan's voice rumbled through the chamber like distant thunder. His gaze flickered with approval, yet his eyes held something deeper—unease.
The elders leaned in, some whispering incantations, others studying the head with cautious reverence.
"To think the monster who haunted your childhood is now nothing more than a lifeless relic," one elder mused, stroking his beard.
Lin Feng exhaled slowly. "He was a demon in human skin. A being that should not exist. But now… it is over."
But then…
The air changed.
The lanterns dimmed, flickering wildly. A chill swept through the hall, though no wind had passed through. The shadows stretched unnaturally.
Then—a sound.
A faint, wet gurgle.
Lin Feng's heart stopped.
The head twitched.
A slow, grotesque spasm. A tremor rippling beneath the flesh.
Then, Damon's eyes snapped open.
A gasp rang through the chamber as the severed head began to move.
At first, it was silent, its mouth hanging open like a broken puppet. But then, a whisper slithered through the air—soft, hollow, and utterly wrong.
"You should have buried me deeper, Lin Feng."
Lin Feng staggered back, his breath caught in his throat. The whispers grew, not in volume but in presence—layered, overlapping, speaking in tongues that did not belong to this world.
The runes on the sack cracked, their protective seals shattering into nothingness.
The head began to laugh.
Low at first, then rising into a sound that defied nature. It was not just Damon's voice—it was many voices, cascading over one another, shrieking, mocking, singing in unnatural harmony.
Lin Zhan's expression darkened. His fingers clenched into a fist, energy crackling around his palm. "Destroy it. Now."
But before they could move—
Elsewhere…
---
A thousand miles away, deep in the heart of the abyss…
A pool of blackened blood rippled beneath the moonlight. The once-calm surface began to churn, bubbles rising from its depths.
Then—strings of blood stretched of the blood pool .
A hand, made up of muscle fibers, emerged from the viscous depths. Fingers flexing. A body followed, rising as though drawn by unseen strings.
Damon stood.
His skin was slick with his own blood, yet he breathed—slow, controlled. His hair clung to his face, golden eyes burning like twin dying suns "hahaha the dying is so amazing never knew it was this fun" his heavenly wheel eyes that where always active for the first time was not it just shown gold.
The energy around him hummed, the very air warping with his presence.
His power had not returned through a slow recovery. No.
It had grown"fuck this is addictive!" He could feel his commander realm power more potent than before.
His body had woven itself back into existence—like a seed sprouting from death itself.
Damon rolled his shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of his form. He exhaled, watching the blood evaporate off his skin like mist.
Then, a voice slithered into his mind.
"Master, are you satisfied with the new vessel?"
Vivi.
Damon smirked, flexing his fingers. "Better than ever."
He turned his gaze to the sky, the cold air carrying whispers from a land far, far away.
The Lin Family thought they had killed him.
But all they had done was awaken something far worse.
And then—the screaming began.
---
The Hunt Begins
Back in the southern path of Lymhrst, the severed head twisted violently, its mouth stretching far beyond human limits.
A gust of energy exploded outward, knocking elders off their feet. The ground beneath them cracked. The very walls shuddered.
Lin Feng, still reeling, heard the voice inside his mind.
"Run."
Panic surged through him. He turned to his father. "We need to—"
But before he could finish, Lin Zhan was already barking orders. "Summon the King Realm warriors. Send two of the strongest. Do not delay!"
Two figures stepped forward, their robes lined with gold and Purple—a clear mark of their high-grade bloodlines.
Their energy surged, crackling against the very air.
One of them, an older warrior, cracked his knuckles. "Lin Feng, your arrogance has cost us. You've enraged something beyond reason."
The other warrior narrowed his eyes at the still-writhing head. "Whatever this is… we end it tonight."
Lin Feng clenched his fists, but deep inside, a seed of doubt was growing.
Had he made a mistake?
Had he awakened something that should have remained buried?
As the warriors vanished into the night, racing toward the place where Damon had risen from his own blood, Lin Feng could not shake the feeling that this battle…
Was already lost.
Back at the inn, Damon changed into a white robe, representing purity and his first rebirth. As he ordered wine, it was delivered smoothly.
"Ahh, darling, thank you. Here is a token for your service."
Damon pulled out a medium-grade spirit stone and placed it in the waitress's hand. She quickly grabbed it, making sure no one noticed. She could see the elegance and beauty of this man, but money made her not care at this moment.
"My lord, thank you so much!" she blushed as she quickly turned away.
Damon chuckled, swirling the wine in his cup. He gazed out the window, watching the mortals scurry through the streets. 'Ants,' he mused, a smirk tugging at his lips.