Chapter 3
His eyes opened slowly—
But his heart remained hollow.
The sky was overcast, with ash drifting in the wind. Wang Sheng walked aimlessly. His legs trembled. His body was exhausted. He passed scorched trees and barren fields that were once his home.
Tears continued to fall.
Each step was a silent cry. Laughter from the past echoed in his mind. He kept walking until the sky turned crimson with dusk. Then night. Then dawn again.
No food. No purpose.
Unaware, he had crossed through a jagged mountain pass, its terrain sharp and treacherous. His feet bled. Yet he kept moving.
When he finally regained awareness, he found himself in a narrow valley, flanked by towering cliff walls. The air was poisonous. Each breath a struggle. But he walked on—because there was nowhere left to return.
From within the fog, a hiss echoed.
A massive creature slithered forth.
Its body was serpentine, but its black-violet scales shimmered with malice. A large stinger, like that of a scorpion, protruded from its tail. Its eyes glowed crimson, burning with hatred. Venom dripped from both its fangs and tail.
> [Scorpion-Serpent – Middle Core Establishment Realm]
Its aura was so intense, the ground quaked beneath it.
Wang Sheng froze. His hands trembled. He was still only at Qi Condensation Level 9. There was no chance.
"T-This can't be…"
The creature lunged!
Wang Sheng dodged—barely. He was sent flying. Blood sprayed from his mouth. He staggered to his feet, attacking in desperation. But the beast's claw slammed him back down into the dirt.
"Why… do I keep crying… Why do I always run away?"
Tears welled up. But this time, he wiped them away. His jaw clenched. His fists tightened.
"I won't run anymore!"
With a roar, he leapt forward! He slashed at the creature's eye with a sharp stone he had picked up.
The beast howled in pain.
Venom surged from its tail, piercing Wang Sheng's body. Agonizing fire flooded his veins. His vision blurred.
But then—
A pearl emerged from his forehead.
It shone brilliantly—then absorbed all the venom coursing through his body and the surrounding air. In an instant, the beast collapsed. Dead. Its venom swallowed entirely by the jade light.
The pearl shimmered a vibrant green, then sent that purified energy surging back into Wang Sheng's body.
BOOM!
His entire being trembled violently.
Instinctively, his hands clawed into the beast's flesh, tearing at it, his eyes bloodshot, his breath ragged.
"ARGHHH!!"
Suddenly, from deep within the creature's chest, a beast core emerged—radiating power.
It flew straight into Wang Sheng's body and merged with his meridians. A surge of untamed energy burst within him.
His body began to glow faintly.
Qi Condensation Level 20 – Peak Stage!
One step away from Foundation Establishment.
Yet his heart remained in shadows.
And deep within his sea of consciousness, the jade pearl now hovered in silence—slumbering.
Beside it… a faint light shaped like a small child sat cross-legged in stillness.
Wang Sheng's Primordial Spirit.
And the two—were now connected.
Night had fallen. Wang Sheng sat silently atop the beast's corpse. His gaze was hollow.
But something deep within him had changed.
He was no longer the same child as yesterday.
The path to vengeance… had truly begun.
The night sky was pitch black. No stars. Only silence.
Yet as Wang Sheng looked upward… two silhouettes appeared amidst the drifting clouds. A man and a woman—his father and mother.
Their faces radiated warmth. His father gave a solemn nod, and his mother smiled gently—as if to say they had seen what he had accomplished. The son once deemed weak… had slain a creature far beyond his strength.
Tears welled at the corners of Wang Sheng's eyes. But a faint smile graced his lips.
He knew… it was only an illusion.
He blinked, and the sky was empty once more.
Time passed quietly. He dragged his battered body and the serpent's corpse into a cave. His breathing was shallow, his body covered in wounds. Inside, he sparked a fire using damp twigs and stone. Two small fish—caught from a muddy stream—were skewered with a branch and roasted crudely.
His clothes were torn, his body thin, yet when the food was ready, he devoured it hungrily. The warmth in his belly was the only comfort left in this cruel world.
But he didn't notice…
The jade pearl had emerged from within him. It hovered silently in the air, glowing a soft green. Then—without sound—it began absorbing the Scorpion-Serpent's corpse piece by piece, until the entire beast vanished without a trace—only a thin pool of blood remained upon the stone.
When Wang Sheng finished eating and turned to deal with the corpse, he froze.
There was nothing left.
He simply shook his head, blaming exhaustion, and sat cross-legged. Slowly, his consciousness sank back into the pearl.
Inside…
He gasped.
His body now stood within a vast space of green darkness, illuminated by a gentle light. Around him, an ancient banyan tree towered—its roots sprawling like a labyrinth. Hanging from its branches… hundreds of water-drop shaped crystals.
Aurora Crystals.
Their energy was pure and ancient, as if from the dawn of the world. When Wang Sheng touched a small one—
CRACK!
It shattered into light. An overwhelming surge of energy rushed into his body!
"AAH—ARRGHHHH!!"
He levitated into the air!
Qi spiraled wildly through his meridians. He screamed, feeling as if his body might be torn apart. Green light streamed from his pores, his soul trembled, and the jade pearl above him radiated brightly—guiding the torrential energy throughout his being.
Cracks formed at the limits of his cultivation—a sign…
…that the gate to the next stage was beginning to open.