The Southern Province of the Unorthodox Empire was no longer a land of jade forests; it was a charnel house. At the center of the slaughter stood a man who should have died a thousand times over.
Lin Han didn't wear armor. He didn't need it. His chest was a roadmap of scars that vanished even as you looked at them. A rebel spear thrust through his shoulder? The muscle knitted around the blade before the soldier could pull it out. An arrow to the eye? He simply plucked it out, the socket sealing with a wet, silver light in seconds.
This was the Immortal Vital Body—the Immortal Calamity. His cells didn't just heal; they aggressively over-reproduced, a biological tide of Rank 4 power that threatened to turn him into a mindless mountain of flesh if he didn't constantly expend energy.
"Is this the 'Hero' the Arch-Dukes promised us?" a voice rang out, clear and resonant, cutting through the screams of the dying.
Lin Han turned, his eyes bloodshot and wild. Standing at the edge of the battlefield was Xue Lei, the Heavenly Demon. He looked out of place in his pristine black robes, floating inches above the blood-soaked mud.
"You're the boy-emperor," Lin Han growled, his voice like grinding stones. He swung a massive stone pillar—his makeshift weapon—shattering the ribs of a nearby soldier without looking. "They said your Core was hollow. They said you were a ghost waiting to vanish."
"Void Core," Xue Lei corrected calmly. "And a Void is only empty because it is hungry."
Lin Han roared, launching himself forward. His Immortal Vital Body surged, his muscles bulging until they threatened to tear his skin.
Xue Lei didn't flinch. "Manifest."
Suddenly, the air pressure changed. Behind Xue Lei, a towering, ethereal projection of himself—the Schemavatar—shimmered into existence. It was twenty feet tall, its hands folded in a meditative mudra. At its feet, a golden Sonar Circle expanded with a low-frequency hum, instantly enveloping Lin Han.
Lin Han felt it immediately. The moment he entered the circle, his movements became visible—not just to the eye, but to the world. The Schemavatar "read" the vibration of his intent. Every twitch of his muscle, every surge of his cellular regeneration, was mapped and countered before he could even complete his swing.
Xue Lei moved like a dancer, stepping through the gaps in Lin Han's berserker rage. Within the Sonar Circle, Xue Lei's attack power tripled. He struck Lin Han's chest with a single, open-palm strike infused with Void Qi.
The blow didn't draw blood. Instead, it acted as an "Anchor." It forced a portion of Xue Lei's stabilizing intent into Lin Han's chaotic system. For the first time in years, the constant, agonizing itch of Lin Han's regeneration stopped. The "Calamity" was stilled.
Lin Han fell to his knees, gasping.
"Your body is a sun that refuses to set, Lin Han," Xue Lei said, standing over him as the Schemavatar faded. "But a sun without an orbit only burns until there is nothing left. Be my Grand Marshal. Be the first Arrow of my Court, and I will give you stability."
Lin Han looked up, the madness in his eyes replaced by a terrifying, cold clarity. "And if I refuse?"
"Then I will let you heal until you are a mountain of senseless meat, and I will build my palace on top of you."
Lin Han laughed—a dry, hacking sound. He reached out a hand, his fingers stained with the blood of rebels. "The Arch-Dukes promised me a blaze of glory."