Morning broke, a cruel and beautiful deceit. The sky was bright, clouds drifting by as if innocent. Yet, that sun shone down on figures who had just feasted on blood. Beneath them, only horrifying dried gore stained the morning grass.
Chen Mo wasn't truly meditating. He was just calming his mind and soul. He knew he was being watched, sensed the approaching presence. But he stayed silent, waiting for the other party to speak first.
A figure in black robes stepped closer, their voice soft, smooth, yet laced with a cunning that crept across their face. "Good morning, you two. Looks like you've just had a feast. I merely wished to say hello."
"Yeah, what do you want? My master and I are training, don't interrupt," Mei replied.
Chen Mo smiled inwardly. Finally. Took you long enough to show up. He opened his eyes, a dark, amused glint there. "I've been waiting for you quite a while, 'Yin Yu.' Care for a match?"
Yin Yu's tongue snaked out, licking her outer lip. Her breath was heavy, her eyes ravenous for death.
Ahhh, Ao Man, why are you so sharp and sweet? We've been waiting for your arrival, we wouldn't forget your ambition from back then. It's been a million years, you haven't changed, just lost your memories from being sealed too long.
Yin Yu's eyes gleamed with masochistic delight.
Chen Mo narrowed his eyes, thinking. She didn't just come to say hello, huh. There must be another motive.
Yin Yu replied, "If you want it, perhaps I can grant it. But, are you strong enough to fight me, Chen Mo?"
"This! This is what I want!" Chen Mo replied, his eyes wide. "I'll fight her! I'm not afraid of anyone stronger than me! I'll prove that I'm the strongest! I'm your king!"
Yin Yu laughed loudly, then threw open her robe. A figure so beautiful, clad only in thin cloth, was revealed beneath. Her pristine white skin gleamed in the morning sun.
"Hahaha! Let's train, Chen Mo. Just call me Ming Qianyu." She walked, approaching Chen Mo who was still sitting, and stood before him, a smile on her face and saliva dripping onto her chin.
Mei, who was meditating, opened one eye, then closed it again.
Chen Mo stood up and growled, "Whore, don't you dare cry when you're in pain! I'll tear your face until only flesh remains!"
Ming Qianyu pulled out her flute. Chen Mo gripped his sword. The tension was suffocating, silent like two predators eyeing each other's prey.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The morning wind howled. They stood frozen for 10 minutes, each calculating how to win.
Chen Mo's eyes narrowed. Swatt! The sound of a sword slash flew swiftly towards Ming Qianyu.
Ming Qianyu smiled. "Soul Qi Shadow Step!" Wush! Wush! She evaded rapidly, as if walking through shadows.
Chen Mo focused his Soul Qi into his blade and roared, "Soul Qi Slash!"
A destructive force like ripping wind surged towards Ming Qian Yu, but Ming Qianyu remained relaxed. She shouted, "Mirror Shadow!" Instantly, Chen Mo's slash bounced back.
Chen Mo's returning slash was so fast that he struggled to evade it. But Chen Mo wasn't foolish. He immediately yelled, "Soul Qi Parry!" Though he managed to parry it, the explosive force still hit him, sending him flying backward.
Bruakk!
The sound of him crashing into trees echoed loudly, making them crumble. Blood spilled from his mouth. Ugh! Ugh! Yet, Chen Mo smiled, his eyes widening as if facing a new challenge.
From a distance, Ming Qianyu shouted, "Soul Qi Level 2: Summon Shadow!" Immediately, a shadow figure identical to Chen Mo appeared, gripping a sword, and dashed towards Chen Mo.
Chen Mo stood up and ran, trying to think. Maybe I can use Shadow Step. I'll try it. Chen Mo focused Soul Qi into his legs and bellowed, "Shadow Step!" It worked, but it wasn't as fluid as Ming Qianyu's.
Ming Qianyu used her flute, wrapped in Soul Qi, as if controlling the shadow. Sliitt! Sliitt! The shadow slashed at Chen Mo, who was using Shadow Step, as if it could see his every move.
Chen Mo parried it, thinking, If I fight this shadow, it's pointless. But it's hard to reach Ming Qianyu; she's cunning, throwing me far away and controlling from a distance. This is interesting. Why is Mei silent? She still hasn't truly submitted. Chen Mo thought hard while parrying blow after blow. Tingg! Tingg! Swashh!
"Mei, HELP ME! Why are you just speechless there, you bastard?! Can't you see?!" Chen Mo roared, his voice filled with rage.
Mei, from a distance, saw Chen Mo struggling, yet she merely smiled and stood up. "Is this the Founder? Why so weak?" she muttered in a soft, cold tone.
Mei raised her hand and yelled, "Blade Slaying Qi, come to me!" Instantly, the sword Chen Mo held vibrated violently, tearing itself from his grasp, and flew swiftly towards Mei.
Chen Mo, seeing this, could only scream, "Is this your true nature, Mei?! Why are you betraying me, you bitch?! I already suspected this... was your child's death a lie?!"
Mei glared at Chen Mo with icy eyes. "Who has a child? Little Hu was just my clone, and I have no husband—that was all nonsense. How foolish you were to be deceived, you idiot! I only ever wanted this sword, and to play with you, Hahaha!"
Too shocked, Chen Mo no longer evaded. Ming Qian Yu's shadow sword cleaved through him.
Sruuatt!
Blood splattered from Chen Mo's body, and he collapsed, unconscious. Chen Mo's body was split on the right side, his arm severed, gushing blood violently.
The skill Ming Qianyu used didn't just cut his physical body, but also his soul, causing Chen Mo to completely black out.
Darkness enveloped his soul's vision. Yet, this time it wasn't emptiness, but brutal, vivid flashes of memory.
Impossible.
Chen Mo saw that everything he had experienced until now was just a perfect illusion. There was no such thing as modern Earth, no deadly firearms, no 'Era of Nothingness' in Tianjing City.
This is a lie. It's all a lie.
What he saw instead was a horrifying truth: ancient cultivators executing him. They plunged a black sword he recognized—yes, the Qi Slaying Blade—through his stomach, precisely where the gaping wound he felt upon waking in this new body was.
The flashes of memory were so real: that execution, the burning of his original home, all of it was true. The military soldiers and the city's chaos were just deceiving mirages.
This... this is insane. Everything I believed, everything I remembered... fake?
Confusion engulfed Chen Mo in the thick darkness. How could everything he experienced, every detail of his life on Earth, have been just a play? He finally saw the true location of his sealing: his original body sealed deep within a silent, desolate abyss in the Ancient Shadow Forest, with the Qi Slaying Blade firmly embedded, locking away his power.
Damn it! So this is the truth. I'm not the Chen Mo who died on that Execution Pole. I... who am I?
A sense of emptiness and rage began to boil within his soul. They... they deceived me. Sealed my memories. Controlled my life. This time, no one will escape.
Suddenly, a mocking laugh echoed, filling the darkness. It was the same voice he'd heard when he first woke in this new body—the voice that awaited him in his past.
"Hahaha! Dust creature! You are merely a speck of dust I only need to blow away! Why do you look so bewildered, hahaha?" The voice taunted.
"Do you understand now? All of it was my doing, and you are merely an arrogant, ungrateful creature. If I wished to extinguish your soul, I could. BUT WHERE IS YOUR PROMISE? Come on, COME ON! IS THIS ALL YOU ARE?! Where, WHERE?! HAHAHAHA!"
The voice vanished for a moment, then swiftly reappeared.
Chen Mo, hearing that, snarled. "Rrrrrrrr... You bastard, you damn god! Damn! DAMN IT ALL!" Chen Mo's fury erupted, his pride trampled, yet a blazing resolve emerged from the ruins.
He spoke in a hoarse, yet utterly threatening voice, "Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! I will shatter the heavens and all your creations, and I will kill you!" The roar sounded hollow in the darkness, but for the god who heard it, a faint smile formed.
Chen Mo, consumed by rage, ground his teeth, his eyes radiating a profound aura of anger. From the darkness, a shadowy figure of himself emerged, emanating an equally powerful aura, but with a mocking gaze.
"Oh, my weak self," the figure's voice resonated, ironic and cold. "You are powerless. Is this all your talk amounts to? Just arrogance that brought you ruin. If you had your former strength, perhaps you could level any realm. But I cannot help you, merely greet you." The figure vanished.
Chen Mo, engulfed by rage and emptiness, drifted away. Total darkness swallowed him. He couldn't see anything.
Mei, seeing Chen Mo lying there, his body severed from a distance, mumbled, "I'm sorry... perhaps I unsealed his sword too quickly." She turned towards Ming Qianyu.
Ming Qianyu looked at Mei with a sinister gaze. "We don't need your help," she replied sharply. "Why would a Noble of the Beast Realm interfere? If it weren't for Ao Man, we might have killed you already. And let me remind you again, do not block our path. Return to your realm and await our arrival, Yun Mei. We may be weak now, but soon we will lay waste to the Beast Realm."
"Hahaha! Interesting. I'll await you and your friends' Demon," Yun Mei retorted with a sneer.
"From the beginning, I was merely curious to see what the founder of your organization was like... Well, it turns out he's weak. I couldn't use my full power because this is merely a soul manifestation. I await your coming, Seven Curses!"
After saying that, Yun Mei vanished, carrying a seal sword, returning to the Beast Realm.
Ming Qianyu, seeing and hearing Yun Mei, was instantly overcome with rage. "Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!" she roared.
"If you hadn't awakened him sooner, Pride wouldn't be like this! You Bitch, Tch! Tch! Tch!" Ming Qianyu shed a tear, then quickly walked towards Chen Mo, who lay unconscious on the ground.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of wind and mist enveloped them, signaling the arrival of all the other members of the Five Curses. They walked together in chilling silence, approaching Chen Mo, who lay unconscious and helpless on the ground.