Chapter Four: Awakening in the Ashen Hell
The darkness in the Forest of Bones was unlike any other—tangible, heavy, suffused with the scent of ancient death and rotting leaves that had never seen sunlight for centuries. Fang Li awoke slowly, opening his eyes, only to see shades of gray and black. The world he had once known, even in its pale colors, had now become nothing more than a silent film of bygone eras.
He tried to move his hand, but felt no contact with the ground beneath his fingers. He remembered the price he had paid—the loss of his sense of touch. His own body felt alien, as if he were observing another from within, or perhaps a shadow encased in emptiness.
[Host Awakening…]
[Status: Frail. Energy: 5%. Muscular tissue damage: 30%.]
[System Note: You survived an entire night among wolves thanks to "Ash Concealment." Do not thank me; it was to protect my only investment.]
Fang Li ignored the system's sarcasm and attempted to stand. He wobbled slightly; without the sense of touch, balance was a formidable challenge. He had to rely entirely on his black-and-white vision to gauge angles and force his muscles into stability.
"Where… am I?" Fang Li asked internally. His voice sounded calmer, stronger than ever before.
[You are deep within the Forbidden Forest of Bones.]
[Surrounding Threat: Extremely high. Fifth-Level Cauldron Ignition beasts nearby.]
[Suggestion: Immediate infusion of pure Ash Essence required to repair damage, or your cauldron will begin to contract.]
He stepped carefully between the skeletal trees, each footfall calculated. These trees were like the vertebral columns of forgotten giants, stretching toward the gray sky, their falling leaves like ancient ash. Suddenly, he froze—a swift movement emerged from behind a massive trunk. A creature resembling a panther, yet covered in stony scales, its eyes glowing red—or what Fang Li perceived as bright gray light.
[Monster Detected: "Scaled Ash Panther".]
[Rank: Cauldron Ignition – Fourth Level.]
[Assessment: In your current state, you are a "snack."]
"A snack?" A cold smile curved Fang Li's lips.
"System, show me its weak points. I want to merge its claws with my strength."
[Analysis…]
[Weak Point: Joint between skull and neck. Defense there is 40% weak.]
[Suggested Fusion Plan: Touch its blood to activate "Absorptive Fusion" and extract its energy before it tears you apart.]
Fang Li inched forward cautiously. Almost without senses, yet his Fused Eye compensated; he could see energy traces in the air, how Ash Essence flowed through the panther's body. The beast approached, sensing a strange scent—alien to the forest, alien to humans.
Suddenly—it leapt! A lightning-fast strike.
Under normal circumstances, Fang Li would have frozen in pain or fear. But now, almost devoid of feeling, almost immune to pain, he bent skillfully, letting the panther's claws slice past his shoulder. He felt no agony, only watched the dark fluid spurt from the wound.
"Now!" Fang Li shouted, grabbing the panther's head midair and pressing precisely on its weak point.
[Initiating "Forced Plunder"!]
[Extracting "Beast's Essence"…]
The panther experienced fear it had never known. This was not a physical fight—it was the absorption of existence itself. Its body withered rapidly, its stony scales crumbling into dust that Fang Li's palms absorbed directly.
[50 units of pure Ash Essence absorbed.]
[20% of body efficiency restored.]
[Additional Option: Fuse the panther's scales with your skin to increase physical defense?]
"Do it," Fang Li commanded, breathing steadily as a thin, transparent layer formed beneath his skin, granting unnatural resilience.
As he prepared to leave, footsteps approached from a distance—human, methodical. He hid behind a tree and watched. Three cultivators emerged, dressed in black garments, strangers to the Han Clan.
"Did you see the explosion at Han Mountain yesterday?" one asked, wielding a long sword.
"They say a small rebel destroyed the courtyard and fled here. The bounty on his head is a thousand pure ash stones."
"A thousand stones?" the other laughed.
"With that, we can buy a single 'Ash Construct' and rise in rank. Search carefully—no wounded man escapes this forest."
Fang Li's eyes sharpened. He felt no fear—only hunger. These cultivators were no longer humans in his eyes—they were raw materials for his next fusion.
"System," Fang Li whispered,
"How much energy do I need to reach Fifth-Level Cauldron Ignition in one surge?"
[You must absorb the energy of all three.]
[Note: One is Fourth Level, the other two Second Level. Probability: 70% if "Surprise Element" is used.]
Fang Li stepped from behind the tree, advancing steadily. This was no flight—it was a precise, calculated attack.
"Who's there?" the leader shouted, raising his sword toward the approaching shadow.
They saw a pale youth, clothes tattered, eyes devoid of light—as if risen from the grave.
"I am the bounty you seek," Fang Li said calmly, opening his palms as black smoke began to seep from them.
"But unfortunately for you, you are the sacrifices for my next level."
Before they could react, Fang Li surged like the shadow of night, beginning a new chapter of bloodshed in the Forest of Bones. This was not a battle for honor—it was an expansive fusion operation, turning the surrounding world into a testing ground of energy and plunder.