Shi Yao emerged from the dark maw of the cave, the air outside feeling thick and heavy, carrying an unseen weight that seemed to mourn the unrest that gripped the land.
The sky above presented a fractured vista clouds unnaturally peeled back, revealing patches of a cold, distant blue amidst the jagged, imposing silhouettes of the mountain peaks.
A suffocating pressure, both literal and metaphorical, pressed down on him, constricting his chest with every labored breath he took. Then, his gaze caught upon them.
Five figures, robed entirely in black, descended silently from the fractured sky, their movements defying the very laws of gravity. They floated downwards through the parting clouds with an eerie grace, their presence alone twisting the air around them, creating an ominous ripple that signaled a danger far beyond the realm of mortal understanding.
Flying… I heard only Golden Core stage or above can fly. Shi Yao's eyes narrowed as he recalled the old man's hushed warnings and the power hierarchy he had described.
These were not mere men; they were likely powerful cultivators, monsters hunting for Bai Ling's secret and now, in all probability, hunting him as well. There was no time for hesitation, no room for fear to take root.
He whirled around and fled, his feet pounding against the unforgiving, craggy mountainside, his heart thrumming wildly in his chest like a frantic drum.
The sparse vegetation of the upper reaches gave way to a thicker forest below, the shadows deepening, greedily swallowing what little light managed to penetrate the dense canopy. Every snapped twig under his worn boots sent a jolt of adrenaline through his already frayed nerves. Minutes stretched into a tense and agonizing eternity, the threat unseen but felt with an almost physical certainty lurking just behind him.
Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught his eye from the deep shadows cast by the ancient trees. A wolf emerged from the gloom a lean and sinewy beast, its fur a mottled mix of grey and ash, its eyes glowing with a faint, eerie luminescence, a clear manifestation of the qi energy that pulsed within it.
It was a predator of the Qi Refinement Stage, a low-ranking beast in the grand scheme of things, but undeniably deadly to someone in his current weakened state. Shi Yao stopped abruptly, his lips curling into a grim, almost predatory smile. Perfect. A flicker of dark excitement danced in his eyes. Time to finally test what that old man so generously bestowed upon me. The wolf bared its teeth in a silent snarl, its muscles bunching as it prepared to lunge. With a sudden burst of feral energy, it sprang forward.
Shi Yao reacted instantly, his movements surprisingly agile despite his recent injuries. He dodged to his left, feeling the cold, sharp rush of the wolf's claws as they just barely missed his face, the wind from their passage a chilling reminder of the danger he was in. In the same instant, with a focused burst of crimson light erupting from his outstretched palms, he unleashed the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art.
A fierce and potent aura crackled around him, his hands glowing like molten embers in the dim light of the forest as the unseen pulse of energy reached out, hungrily siphoning the wolf's vital qi and its very life force. The beast let out a high-pitched, agonizing howl as its energy was violently drained away, flowing like an invisible torrent into Shi Yao's damaged meridians. A sharp, searing pain bloomed throughout his limbs raw and intense almost unbearable but beneath that immediate agony, a process of rapid healing had begun.
His broken pathways of energy, the severed meridians that had crippled this body, began to knit themselves back together with brutal, almost violent precision, guided by the stolen energy. The wolf, its life force extinguished in mere moments, collapsed onto the forest floor, its body limp and lifeless.
Exhausted but acutely wary, Shi Yao pressed onwards, his senses on high alert.
Not far ahead, a gaping, yawning cavern pierced the side of the towering mountainside, the shadows within pooling like thick, viscous ink, promising unknown dangers. From the dark depths of the cavern, he could hear low, guttural growls and the unsettling rustling sounds of many lives stirring within wolves, perhaps dozens of them. The scent of raw qi energy was thick and heavy in the air, a palpable presence that both warned and enticed him.
He stepped cautiously inside the cavern's maw, his senses straining against the oppressive darkness. Suddenly, the cavern erupted in a cacophony of furious snarls and guttural howls as a pack of wolves, their eyes gleaming fiercely in the darkness fierce and desperate creatures surged from the shadows, their forms materializing like nightmarish apparitions, surrounding him with a menacing circle of teeth and claws.
They attacked relentlessly, a coordinated assault of savage fury. Shi Yao moved with a brutal efficiency, every strike he delivered infused with the potent energy of the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art. Each successful kill resulted in a surge of stolen qi flowing into him, flooding his weakened body with a much-needed influx of energy.
This influx was accompanied by a searing, white-hot pain that seemed to meld with the sensation of his body rapidly healing, the agony becoming a strange sort of affirmation. Hours blurred into what felt like days as the brutal battle raged on an unending, savage dance of blood, death, and a bizarre form of rebirth with each fallen foe. Shi Yao's muscles tore and rebuilt themselves, his spirit forged anew in the relentless crucible of combat.
Throughout the entire ordeal, his mind remained sharp and focused. He calculated every move, conserved his rapidly fluctuating energy whenever possible, and struck with deadly precision, ensuring each blow counted.
The Heaven Devouring Pulse Art demanded a delicate balance,drain too much qi too quickly, and his own body would likely rebel and collapse under the strain; drain too little, and the sheer resilience of the pack of wolves would eventually overwhelm him. He embraced the agonizing pain not as an enemy, but as a brutal yet effective teacher, and he viewed the wolves not just as adversaries, but as a gruesome form of sustenance, fuel for his desperate survival.
Seven long days and nights passed within the suffocating confines of the cavern.
At last, an unnerving silence descended, the furious growls and snarls finally extinguished. Shi Yao looked around the cavern floor was now a grim and macabre mosaic of lifeless wolves, their bodies piled in grotesque heaps. Blood and matted fur stained the rough stone, a testament to the brutal and prolonged conflict, but beneath it all, a potent power now thrummed within Shi Yao's very being. He rose slowly, his breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps, his body aching but undeniably stronger.
With measured steps, he climbed atop the mound of carcasses, his bare chest heaving, a faint red aura flickering around his skin like molten embers cooling in the darkness. His gaze was steady and intense, burning with a quiet, hard-won triumph. "I've finally reached qi refinement stage six," he murmured, his voice hoarse but filled with a newfound strength, "all that agonizing pain... it was actually worth it in the end." The journey was far from over, and the lingering ache in his muscles reminded him of the brutal cost, but Shi Yao's body was no longer frail and on the verge of collapse. He felt a burgeoning power within him, a sense of readiness for whatever lay ahead.
After a grueling climb back up the treacherous mountainside, Shi Yao froze abruptly at the sight that unfolded before him. In a small clearing bathed in dappled sunlight, a massive wolf was feeding greedily on the bloodied carcass of a bear. Its dark fur bristled with raw, untamed power, and its eyes glowed fiercely with a visible qi aura that rippled around it like dark storm clouds gathering on the horizon.
It was clearly a powerful predator, nearing the peak of the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. A cold smirk, devoid of any real warmth, tugged at the corner of Shi Yao's lips. He seized a heavy, fallen log that lay nearby, his weakened muscles coiling with a sudden surge of focused intent, and hurled it with surprising and brutal force.
THWACK.
The heavy log slammed squarely against the back of the wolf's thick skull, the sickening crunch of bone echoing through the otherwise peaceful forest. The massive beast staggered, its ears flattening against its head in pain and surprise, its glowing red eyes locking onto Shi Yao with a burning fury that promised retribution. "You bastard..." Shi Yao muttered under his breath, a dark satisfaction in his voice as he cracked his neck, the sound sharp in the stillness. "Looks like you've been having a little fun without me, haven't you?" The wolf vanished from its spot with an impossible burst of speed, its massive form blurring as it moved faster than the human eye could easily track.
Suddenly, a brutal, unseen force slammed into Shi Yao's back, nearly knocking the breath completely out of him and sending a jolt of searing pain through his spine. He twisted sharply on his heel, narrowly dodging a vicious claw swipe that tore through the air where he had just been standing, carving deep furrows into the bark of a nearby ancient tree. A steel-cold calculation sparked in his eyes.
With his right palm suddenly ignited in a burning crimson glow, Shi Yao lashed out, his strike aimed precisely at the wolf's exposed ribs.
The Heaven Devouring Pulse Art flared to life within him, surging through his palm like molten lava, eager to consume. The wolf howled in pain and surprise, the raw energy of the forbidden technique ripping vital qi and life force directly from its body, channeling it ruthlessly into Shi Yao's still-healing meridians. But this was no mere mindless beast; it snarled ferociously, its powerful claws lashing out wildly in a swift and desperate retaliation.
Shi Yao reacted with surprising speed, blocking one savage swipe with his forearm, twisting his body and ducking low to avoid another lethal strike as the enraged beast lunged again with terrifying agility. His movements were a blur of motion, weaving through the trees with an almost supernatural grace, each step and shift honed by a primal instinct and a ruthless calculation of the deadly threat before him.
His foot shot out low, aiming for the wolf's powerful ankles in an attempt to trip the larger creature. The unexpected maneuver worked, and the wolf crashed forward with a surprised yelp, its massive body hitting the ground with a heavy thud. It rolled with surprising speed and agility, recovering instantly, its powerful jaws snapping shut just inches from Shi Yao's face, the stench of raw meat and primal fury filling his nostrils. With a sharp, focused breath, Shi Yao's eyes flickered with an intense crimson light as he tapped deeper into the power of the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art, consciously focusing the energy-draining pulse into his legs, fueling an explosive burst of raw strength. He sprang forward, his knee driving upwards in a brutal strike that landed squarely in the center of the wolf's broad chest.
The beast grunted in pain, staggering backward, its eyes widening in surprise at the unexpected power of the attack. But suddenly, with a powerful leap, it launched itself high into the air, its razor-sharp claws extended in a deadly, arcing strike aimed directly at Shi Yao's throat. Shi Yao barely managed to twist his torso at the last possible moment, the razor-sharp claws grazing his ribs, tearing through flesh and drawing a searing line of agonizing pain across his side. Pain exploded in his senses, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out, and instantly ignited his left palm with the familiar crimson glow. He caught the massive wolf midair with a searing palm strike, the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art burning through muscle and bone, the stolen energy crackling and sizzling against its fur.
The wolf crashed violently into a thick tree trunk, the impact splintering the wood and sending shards of bark flying through the air. Before the stunned beast could even attempt to rise, Shi Yao rolled forward with surprising agility, launching into a rapid flurry of devastating strikes his fists a blur of motion, each pulse-infused blow ripping more vital qi and life force from the wolf's powerful body, simultaneously healing Shi Yao's own injuries as the beast's energy rapidly waned. The wolf snarled in a mix of fury and desperation, snapping its jaws savagely as it attempted to retreat, its movements becoming increasingly sluggish.
Shi Yao's breath came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning with exertion, but his gaze remained steady and unwavering, locked onto his powerful prey. "Looks like it won't be quite that easy to take down this particularly stubborn beast," Shi Yao thought to himself, a grim determination hardening his features. The wolf charged again with renewed, albeit clearly diminished, ferocity, its jaws snapping menacingly and its claws tearing at the air.
Shi Yao dodged and countered with precise, economical strikes, his every move weaving seamlessly between offense and a desperate attempt at self-healing as the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art continued its relentless siphoning of the wolf's remaining qi, bit by agonizing bit. The two figures, one human and one monstrous beast, blurred through the dense forest in a brutal and desperate dance of survival fist against claw, crimson aura crackling around Shi Yao's fists like a raging wildfire. Birds scattered in terror from the canopy above, and the very trees shuddered from the sheer force of their violent collisions.
Finally, with a sudden shift in his stance, Shi Yao feinted sharply to his left, expertly baiting the wolf into launching a predictable attack. At the last possible second, he twisted his body to the right, catching the wolf's exposed flank with a spinning elbow strike that landed with a sickening thud, the sound echoing through the otherwise silent woods.
The massive wolf tumbled through the air, a dark streak of blood now clearly visible against its matted fur. Before the beast could even attempt to recover, Shi Yao vaulted high above it, his right palm blazing with an intense crimson light. He descended like a falling hammer, slamming the full force of the Heaven Devouring Pulse Art directly into the wolf's skull.
A final, agonizing scream pierced the air as the last vestiges of the wolf's powerful life force were violently drawn out, its once formidable body visibly shriveling and decaying beneath the sudden, devastating surge of devouring energy. Within mere seconds, the forest fell silent once more, the only sound the heavy, ragged breaths escaping Shi Yao's lips. All that remained of the once mighty predator was a charred, smoking pile of bone and singed fur.
Shi Yao stepped back, his own body glowing faintly with the raw power he had just absorbed. An overwhelming surge of energy roared through him, violently breaking through his previous limits, pushing him forcefully to the eighth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. Unused energy now hummed beneath his skin a raw, volatile power, waiting to be refined and forged into something even greater.