The descent felt eternal, a chaotic blur of whistling wind and encroaching darkness. Lin Chen's broken body struck a jagged outcropping near the base of the abyss, the impact shattering what few bones remained intact. He lay in the damp gloom of the pit, his breath coming in shallow, tattered gasps. Death was reaching for him, its cold grip tightening around his heart.
Suddenly, the air in the abyss grew heavy. A flickering, ghostly green light manifested above him, swirling into the shape of a man with eyes like dying stars.
"What a pathetic end," a voice hissed, echoing directly inside Lin Chen's mind. "Betrayed by a girl, discarded like trash. Do you want revenge? Give me your body. Let me take the reins. In exchange, I will make you the most respected powerhouse this continent has ever seen."
The spirit lunged, a misty hand reaching for Lin Chen's forehead to initiate the possession.
"My body... is mine," Lin Chen growled through gritted teeth. Even in his dying state, the thought of being a puppet—after just realizing the cruelty of the world—was an insult he could not endure. "I will not... be a tool again!"
As the Supreme Will touched his brow, a violent, pitch-black tremor erupted from Lin Chen's dantian. A terrifying suction force, like a collapsed star, tore through his meridians.
The spirit's seductive grin vanished, replaced by a mask of pure horror. "What is this? My soul energy... it's being eaten? Stop! Let go!"
The black light intensified, manifesting as ethereal, shadowy roots that wrapped around the Supreme Will. These were the Devouring Spiritual Roots, and they were feeding. Simultaneously, Lin Chen's skin began to glow with a dark, metallic luster—the Devouring Physique, a bloodline that hadn't been seen for eons, was forcibly awakened by his sheer willpower.
"No... it's impossible!" the Supreme Will screamed, his form dissolving into the black vortex of Lin Chen's chest. "That aura... that hunger! How can a 'trash' from this backwater land be from the Forbidden Clan?!"
The phantom was swallowed whole. The high-level soul energy flooded Lin Chen, knitting his bones and sealing the hole in his chest with terrifying speed.
Lin Chen stood up in the darkness of the abyss, his eyes reflecting a cold, murderous light. He didn't care about the shock in the spirit's voice or the mysterious name it had shouted.
"Forbidden Clan? Heaven's Will? I don't care about any of that," he whispered, his voice echoing like grinding stone. He looked up toward the distant, tiny speck of light that was the cliff's edge. "I only know one thing now: those who offend me will die, and those who betray me will find that even death is a mercy I won't grant."
He clenched his fist, feeling the raw, stolen power of a Supreme Will coursing through his veins.
"Xue Linger... wait for me. I'm coming back to settle the debt."