In the vast expanse of the Azure Continent, where spiritual energy swirled like invisible rivers through mountains and valleys, cultivators pursued the path of immortality. They harnessed the essence of heaven and earth, forging their bodies into vessels of power, ascending ranks from mere mortals to revered immortals. But this world was cruel—talent was rare, resources scarce, and betrayal lurked in every shadow. Clans rose and fell like tides, and only the cunning survived.
Deep within the Whispering Bamboo Forest, a forbidden zone shrouded in perpetual mist, a young man lay sprawled on the damp earth. His clothes were tattered rags, stained with blood and mud. His name was Lin Xuan, or at least, that was the name of this body. But the soul within was ancient, a remnant from a bygone era.
Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open, glowing with an unnatural crimson hue that faded as quickly as it appeared. He gasped, clutching his chest where a gaping wound should have been—but there was nothing. No pain, no scar. Only the faint hum of nascent spiritual energy circulating through his meridians.
"Reborn... again?" he muttered, his voice hoarse but laced with a cold amusement. Memories flooded his mind like a torrent: five hundred years of cultivation, schemes that toppled empires, gu insects he had refined into weapons of apocalypse. He had been the Demon Sovereign, feared across realms, on the cusp of eternal life. Yet, in his final ascension, a coalition of righteous sects had ambushed him, shattering his primordial gu and scattering his soul.
But fate was a fickle gu master. A sliver of his essence had escaped, latching onto this pitiful mortal shell—a fifteen-year-old orphan from a minor clan, slain in a petty skirmish over spirit stones. Lin Xuan—no, he would reclaim his true name soon enough—sat up, flexing his fingers. This body was weak, its aptitude barely qualifying as low-grade. But aptitude meant nothing to one who had mastered the arts of gu refinement.
Gu were mystical insects, born from the world's essence, each embodying a unique path: strength, illusion, poison, time. Mortals tamed them, fusing gu into their apertures to gain supernatural abilities. Lin Xuan's previous life had revolved around the legendary Spring Autumn Cicada, a time gu that allowed rebirth at the cost of his cultivation. He had used it thrice before, each time clawing his way back stronger.
"This time," he whispered, a sly smile curling his lips, "I won't repeat the mistakes. The path to immortality is paved with the bones of fools."
He scanned his surroundings. The Whispering Bamboo Forest was a low-level danger zone, teeming with wild beasts and scattered gu. Perfect for a fresh start. Rising to his feet, he felt the emptiness in his sea of consciousness—his aperture, the spiritual space where gu resided, was barren. He needed to awaken it properly, then hunt his first gu.
As he trudged through the mist, memories of this body's life surfaced. Lin Xuan had been a servant in the Lin Clan, a mid-tier family in Azure City. Bullied by elders' sons, he had stolen a basic cultivation manual and fled here, only to be killed by a feral wolf pack. Pathetic.
But useful. The clan would assume him dead, giving him time to grow in secret.
A rustle in the underbrush caught his ear. Lin Xuan froze, his senses sharpening despite the body's frailty. A shadow darted— a Jade-eyed Serpent, a common rank-one gu beast. Its scales shimmered with faint spiritual light, and within its core likely hid a poison gu.
In his prime, he would have crushed it with a thought. Now, he needed cunning.
He picked up a jagged stone, infusing it with the trickle of spiritual energy he could muster. "Come, little snack," he taunted under his breath.
The serpent struck, fangs bared. Lin Xuan dodged with practiced ease, his movements fluid from centuries of experience. He hurled the stone, striking its eye. As it recoiled, he lunged, fingers digging into its throat. Warm blood spilled as he tore open its belly, revealing a wriggling green worm—the Venom Thorn Gu.
"Basic, but it'll do." He swallowed it whole, enduring the burning agony as it burrowed into his aperture. Power surged, faint but real. His first step back to the apex.
But as the mist cleared, voices echoed—hunters from the Lin Clan, perhaps searching for him or scavenging. Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed. Among them, he recognized the arrogant young master who had framed him.
A chance for revenge? Or a trap to avoid?
He melted into the shadows, his mind already weaving plots. The path of cultivation was endless, and he, the eternal schemer, would climb it once more—no matter the cost.
To be continued...