As your personal protector, Sun Zhong swore allegiance not only to the Sun Clan, but also to you personally. Now that he'd promised to keep your secret, you knew he'd take it to his grave.
You ordered Sun Zhong to erase all traces of the mastermind's body, leaving no room for accidents. Then you asked about the Destiny's Child Ye Fan—only now, with the mastermind dealt with, did you spare a thought for the boy who'd been chased off at the start.
At your question, Sun Zhong looked abashed. He admitted that Ye Fan was harboring countless secrets and wielded several powerful trump cards, which was why he'd failed to bring back Ye Fan's head. He'd only managed to sever one of the boy's arms—and seize a few items from him.
Sun Zhong reached into his storage ring and pulled out two things: Ye Fan's severed arm, still dripping blood, and a bloodstained storage pouch.
You raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. On one hand, you were shocked that Sun Zhong— a Seventh-Rank Saint Ascension Realm powerhouse—had not only managed to take Ye Fan's arm but also snatch his storage pouch. On the other hand, the fact that Ye Fan, a mere Fourth-Rank Divine Ability Realm cultivator, had escaped a Saint Ascension Realm expert spoke volumes about the terrifying power of the "Grandpa" hiding in his body.
You took Ye Fan's severed arm. Instead of destroying it right away, you stashed it in your own storage ring. This world was full of sinister secret arts and curses—this arm would surely come in handy someday.
Next, you opened the bloodstained storage pouch. Inside were numerous cultivation pills and heaven-and-earth spiritual materials—clearly the fruits of Ye Fan's lucky breaks over the years. Tucked in the corner of the pouch was an ancient black token, carved with the image of a one-horned, ferocious beast.
You studied the beast token for a long time, but couldn't discern its origins. Still, anything in the possession of a Destiny's Child like Ye Fan must be extraordinary. You put the token away, planning to ask the Sun Clan to investigate it later.
These cultivation resources couldn't have come at a better time—they were exactly what you needed. You told Sun Zhong to drive, leaving the area behind and returning to your private villa in the heart of Magic City to recuperate. Your top priority now was to cultivate with all your might and grow stronger.
...
You entered the cultivation chamber in your villa, telling Sun Zhong to stand guard outside. You swallowed a handful of pills, ready to begin your cultivation session. You stared at the Ancient Dragon Elephant Scripture and the Thousand Shadow Devil Art, weighing your options for a moment—then ultimately chose to practice the sinister devil art first.
「The me in the simulation is being surprisingly cautious this time,」
Sun Qian thought, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.
「He doesn't even fully trust the Sun Clan, opting not to ask the family for combat techniques or movement skills directly.」
「Does he suspect there might be a mole within the Sun Clan working for the mastermind? Or is he just trying to lay low and not leave any traces?」
Sun Qian quickly figured out the reasoning. It made sense—after all, he'd been ambushed less than half a month after arriving in Magic City. A little caution was only prudent.
The Ancient Dragon Elephant Scripture, a Heavenly Human-tier technique, focused solely on physical defense. Without corresponding combat skills or escape techniques, it would only make you a walking tank—strong, but inflexible. Unless you broke through to the Fourth-Rank Divine Ability Realm and condensed a divine ability of your own, you'd be nothing more than a warrior with a tough physique but no real tricks up your sleeve.
Your only lifeline right now was the Blue Talent Greased Lightning.
The Thousand Shadow Devil Art, however, was a sinister, versatile technique. It let you shapeshift, turn into shadows, and disguise your appearance—perfect for making up for your current shortcomings.
What's more, the mastermind who'd tried to kill you was only a Sixth-Rank Transcendent Realm cultivator, yet he'd almost escaped Sun Zhong's grasp purely by relying on the Thousand Shadow Devil Art. That alone was a testament to how terrifying its survival capabilities were.
Sun Qian strongly suspected that if Sun Zhong hadn't been lying in wait underground, launching a surprise attack to severely injure the mastermind, he might have gotten away scot-free.
If you could master this art, pairing it with your Greased Lightning talent… you'd be able to outrun even the most notorious escape artists in the cultivation world.
For these reasons, you chose the Thousand Shadow Devil Art. As you studied it, you realized the technique's potential was terrifying—it seemed to have been created by some demonic overlord who'd surpassed the Heavenly Human Realm, containing all sorts of evil and mysterious secret arts. Unfortunately, only the first half of the manual was available, capped at the Heavenly Human Realm; the second half had been torn away and lost to time.
You began to study the transcribed copy Sun Zhong had given you—but soon frowned in frustration. The text was written in a mix of ancient demonic script and ancient divine characters, completely incomprehensible to you.
An hour passed, and you still hadn't made any progress. Anxiety started to creep in, your brows furrowing so tightly they were almost knotted together. Just then, a cool, calming energy suddenly surged from your spinal cord, spreading through your body and into your mind. A wave of drowsiness washed over you, and you slipped into a strange, trance-like state.
In your blurred vision, the characters on the Thousand Shadow Devil Art manual began to twist and squirm, turning into tiny tadpole-like figures that floated off the page and swarmed toward the spiritual palace between your brows.
You mastered the Thousand Shadow Devil Art instantly—effortlessly breaking through to the first layer and gaining the ability: Demonic Shadow Doppelgänger.
...
「It was the Supreme Imperial Bone that did this?!」
Sun Qian's eyes narrowed sharply. He'd never imagined the mysterious Supreme Imperial Bone had such a godly effect—it could bypass all cultivation prerequisites and force any technique into his grasp, letting him master it in the blink of an eye.
That was simply insane.
Coupled with its ability to accelerate cultivation speed… this was even more overpowered than most cheat abilities in web novels!
Day 1: You reached the peak of the Thousand Shadow Devil Art's first layer, able to conjure nine Demonic Shadow Doppelgängers, each possessing 10% of your original combat power.
A sudden emptiness washed over you, and your Supreme Imperial Bone throbbed with a strange hunger pang. Almost instinctively, you pulled out Ye Fan's storage pouch, dumping all the pills and spiritual materials inside into your mouth and swallowing them whole.
A dosage this massive would make even Mountain and River Realm or Transcendent Realm cultivators hesitate—one wrong move, and they'd explode from energy overload. But your Supreme Imperial Bone erupted with a terrifying devouring force, swallowing every last bit of energy without a single hiccup.
Your progress in the Thousand Shadow Devil Art skyrocketed.
Day 2: You broke through to the second layer of the Thousand Shadow Devil Art, gaining a new ability: Shadow Manipulation. You could now control your own shadow to pin targets in place.
Day 3: You shattered through to the third layer, unlocking Body-to-Shadow Transformation—the ability to temporarily turn your entire body into a shadow, immune to most physical attacks.
Day 4: You burst into the fourth layer, condensing a Demonic Divine Ability: Mimic Shadow. As long as you touched a target's shadow, you could perfectly assume their appearance and match their aura flawlessly.
...
「Devouring special energy to level up the technique… Are you sure your name is Supreme Imperial Bone, not Deep Blue?」
Sun Qian stared at the simulation with a look of utter disbelief.
Good grief—not even a rocket could move this fast!