The thick fog of Nox'Ara Valley clung to the land like a shroud. Too silent—so silent that each droplet falling from the stalactites echoed like the toll of a death bell.
Yan Zhi awoke in a shallow cave, the cold gnawing into his bones. Damp air carried a faint metallic tang, but what made his skin prickle wasn't the chill—it was the whispering. Faint, breath-like murmurs came from nowhere and everywhere at once.
His body felt… different. Lighter, every muscle coiled like a waiting predator. He clenched his fists; the grip was stronger than before. But when he drew a deep breath to circulate energy, he froze. Empty. His meridians were shrouded, sealed beneath some unseen mist.
Then his gaze caught faint carvings on the cave wall—vein-like patterns glowing dim violet, pulsing faintly, almost alive. Before he could touch them, a cold mechanical voice rang in his mind:
[Warning: Host vitality unstable. Immediate acquisition of Shadow Essence recommended.]
A faint tread sounded outside the cave. The fog shifted… and from it stepped a Shadowfang Wolf—fur black as condensed smoke, eyes burning crimson, fangs glistening like wet obsidian.
Yan Zhi recognized it instantly. A low-tier beast, but deadly when hunting in packs. And his reborn body's soul scent… would be irresistible bait.
The attack came without warning—claws slicing through the air, fangs lunging for his throat. He dodged with the basic martial forms he once mastered, but his body instinctively refined each movement, making them sharper, faster.
When the beast's fangs were a heartbeat away from piercing his heart, his eyes flared violet. Time slowed—just enough for him to twist aside and drive his fingers into the creature's neck. Black blood spurted as it collapsed.
From its corpse, a thin black mist rose, flowing into Yan Zhi.
[Shadow Essence acquired: 1 unit.]
[Host vitality stabilized: 23% → 47%.]
Then came the vision—a black throne amid a sea of shadows, and upon it, a towering, formless figure whispering in an ancient tongue he could not understand.
Yan Zhi's breath was heavy, but the corner of his lips curled upward. Beyond the cave, the fog thickened again. Two pairs of crimson eyes glimmered in the dark.
"If you want to come…" his voice was cold, "then come."
The fog swallowed his words, leaving behind a silence far more menacing than before.
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