The forest beyond the ruined village stirred with life. Branches shifted as figures leapt gracefully between them, their robes glimmering faintly beneath the moonlight. The golden cloud emblem on their chests marked them as disciples of the Cloud Soaring Sect, a rival to the Black Sky Sect.
At their head was a middle-aged cultivator with sharp eyes and a calm but heavy aura. His name was Elder Han, a man whose very presence bent the silence around him.
"Master," one disciple whispered, bowing as they landed near the outskirts of the ruined village. "It reeks of blood and smoke… the Black Sky Sect must have slaughtered everyone here."
Elder Han's gaze swept across the destruction. Houses reduced to ash. The scent of death still clinging to the soil. His lips tightened.
"No one should have survived this," he muttered. "But search. We owe the dead at least that much."
The disciples scattered into the ruins, their steps quiet, their eyes sharp.
---
Li Shen stood amidst the wreckage, his body trembling with exhaustion. He had not moved since the night began, and yet his heart pounded harder now than ever.
Because he could feel them.
Their Qi was pure, refined, like the warm breath of heaven itself. Compared to the cold, devouring emptiness inside him, their energy was fire to his ice.
And to him—it smelled like food.
His stomach clenched. His veins screamed. The hunger gnawed at him, sharper than any pain he had felt during cultivation.
Then the shadow appeared again, its form clearer than before, as if nourished by Li Shen's weakness.
"Do you feel it?" the voice purred. "Their Qi is ripe… rich… begging to be devoured. Just one taste, and you could rise beyond this pitiful shell."
Li Shen gritted his teeth, clutching his chest as if to hold the hunger inside. "No… they're not my enemies."
The shadow's grin widened, its crimson eyes burning. "Not yet. But they will be. Do you think they'll accept you when they learn what you are? When they sense the abyss writhing inside you? No… they will fear you. They will try to kill you. Better to strike first."
Li Shen shook his head violently. "I… I won't become a monster."
The shadow's laughter rang in his mind, low and cruel. "You already are."
---
A faint sound broke his struggle—the crunch of boots against ash.
"Elder Han! Over here!" a young voice called.
Li Shen froze.
Through the haze of smoke, a young disciple appeared. His eyes widened as he saw Li Shen standing among the ruins, his clothes torn, his face pale and smeared with blood and soot.
"A survivor?" the disciple gasped.
More footsteps followed. Soon, Elder Han himself stood before Li Shen, his eyes narrowing as he studied the boy. His aura pressed against Li Shen like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.
"You're alive," Elder Han said at last. His voice carried weight, neither kind nor cruel. "What is your name, child?"
Li Shen's lips trembled. For a moment, he almost answered honestly. But then the shadow hissed in his ear.
"Careful. Tell them nothing. They'll never accept what you've become. If you reveal yourself, they'll crush you like an insect."
Li Shen clenched his fists, struggling. Finally, he rasped, "Li Shen… from the village." His voice cracked, hoarse from smoke and grief.
Elder Han's gaze softened slightly. He looked at the ashes around them, then back at Li Shen. "The Black Sky Sect did this, didn't they?"
Li Shen's eyes darkened. The memory of fire, of his sister's lifeless body, burned behind his eyes. His hands shook as he whispered, "Yes…"
One of the disciples spat on the ground. "Those bastards. To slaughter mortals like this…"
Another disciple stepped forward, pity in his eyes. "Elder Han, should we take him back to the sect? He has nowhere left."
For a moment, silence hung heavy.
Li Shen's chest tightened. The idea of shelter, of belonging—it was tempting. But the hunger twisted inside him, and the shadow's voice coiled like a snake.
"Fools. They pity you now, but once they sense your Void Qi, their pity will turn to blades. Do you really think they'll let a monster walk among them?"
Li Shen bit his lip so hard it bled. He wanted to believe otherwise. He wanted to believe he could still live, that he could still find a place where he belonged.
But the hunger… the hunger was too loud.
The moment Elder Han stepped closer, Li Shen felt it—his Qi, vast and refined, like a blazing sun. Li Shen's knees nearly buckled, not from fear, but from the raw urge to consume.
His breathing quickened. His hands trembled violently.
"Stay back…" he whispered, voice shaking.
The disciples exchanged glances. "Elder, he's afraid."
But Elder Han frowned. His keen eyes pierced Li Shen as though reading the boy's very soul. "No… it's not fear. It's something else."
Li Shen's heart pounded. Sweat dripped from his chin. Inside, the shadow roared with laughter.
"You can't hide it! Look at them—so full of light, while you drown in darkness. Take it! Take their Qi, and ascend! Do it before they destroy you!"
"No!" Li Shen growled aloud, clutching his head. The disciples recoiled, confusion flashing across their faces.
Elder Han's gaze sharpened. He stepped forward, his aura flaring slightly. "What are you hiding, boy?"
Li Shen's breath came in ragged gasps. His vision blurred. His body screamed.
The hunger clawed at him. The shadow's whispers grew deafening.
And for the first time, he felt it—his control slipping.
---
The night wind howled through the ruins. Ash swirled in the air, caught between the boy who stood on the edge of collapse and the cultivators who had yet to understand the danger before them.
Li Shen's eyes lifted. They burned faintly—not with tears, but with a flicker of black flame deep within.
The disciples stepped back in alarm. Elder Han's expression hardened, his hand hovering near the sword at his waist.
Li Shen's lips parted. His voice was low, trembling, filled with both desperation and hunger.
"Don't… come any closer…"
The shadow laughed, its voice booming in his skull.
"Too late."
And the world seemed to hold its breath.