A few hours after that conversation, the village chief kept his promise. He pointed to an old building standing on the edge of the forest, some distance from the settlement. The building had once been a storage warehouse for crops, but it had not been used for a long time. Its wooden walls were starting to rot, its roof was partially covered in moss, and its front door swayed in the wind.
"This place has been empty for a long time," said the village head, looking at Raven who was standing in front of the building.
"No one comes here anymore... even animals rarely pass by. So, you can rest here in peace."
Raven looked at the place for a moment. From the outside, it looked fragile, but the energy was calm, with no signs of foreign qi flowing around it. He stepped inside slowly, the wooden floor creaking softly under his feet. Dust danced in the air, pierced by sunlight seeping through cracks in the walls.
"This place is fine," he said briefly without turning his head.
The village chief bowed respectfully. "Very well, then I will leave you here. As you requested... no one will come near. I will make sure the villagers stay away from this area."
Raven responded with only a small nod. The village chief looked at him one more time before walking away, his voice fading behind the trees.
Silence took over.
Raven slowly closed the wooden door, plunging the room back into darkness. He clapped his hands softly, releasing a small flow of qi energy, and several specks of dust in the air were immediately blown away.
"It's been a long time..." he muttered.
"It's been a very long time since I last did this."
He stepped into the center of the room, then sat cross-legged on the cold wooden floor.
"To return to that path... I must rebuild my foundation," he whispered softly.
"Thanks to Abyssal Soul Breathing, which opened the initial door, now this body is able to process death qi and even absorb it easily."
His breathing slowed, becoming steady.
"But this is only the beginning."
He lifted his chin slightly.
"The next step... the Heavenly Demon's body technique, Nine Abyss Rebirth."
Raven closed his eyes.
The air inside the warehouse changed. The silence felt oppressive, as if the space was slowly collapsing towards him. The flow of qi in his body began to move, at first like a small river, then increasingly rapid, swirling and pressing against each other.
Heat spread from his dantian to his meridians, then suddenly turned cold like ice piercing his bones. Pain spread, tearing from within, but not a sound escaped his lips.
A thick black energy began to gather around him. It was neither fire nor fog, but something in between. From the cracks in the wooden walls, a reddish-black light seeped out like the breath of a primeval creature.
The ground around the warehouse trembled slightly.
The bamboo leaves rustled louder than usual, even though the wind was not blowing strongly.
On the village road, several residents stopped.
"Mom... what is that light?" asked a small child, pointing towards the forest with wide eyes.
His mother glanced over, her face tensing before she forced a smile. "Ah... maybe it's just a forest spirit passing by. Don't go there, okay? Tell your friends too."
She immediately took her child by the hand and led him away.
The news quickly reached the village chief.
He stood on the porch of his house, staring vaguely at the strange light behind the trees. His heart beat faster, but he remembered Raven's message clearly.
"Don't let anyone go near it. Whatever happens, just leave it alone."
He took a deep breath, then called out to several residents who were beginning to grow restless.
"It's okay," he said firmly, though his voice was slightly strained. "It's just a natural phenomenon. There's nothing to worry about."
From a distance, the students also saw the light from the direction of the village hall. They stopped talking and stared silently at the blackish-red light piercing the morning sky.
"Hey, look... what is that?" said one of them.
"Something strange is happening again," replied another, his face turning pale.
"I don't know why... but I find it scary,"
"What is it really...?"
Kyle and William looked at each other, while Leon remained silent with his fists clenched. Cold sweat began to run down their backs. The aura emanating from the light felt very familiar.
It was exactly what they felt... when they were near Raven for the first time.
Night slowly fell.
The moonlight hung high, shining on the old building from behind the trees. From inside, heavy breathing could be heard, followed by a small cracking sound like a stone breaking inside someone's body. Dark energy mixed with a warm aura flowed strongly, colliding within Raven's body.
In his mind, he saw flashes of his Demonic sect's past, his followers bowing before him, and the sounds of war filling the world. All of it swirled between his memories and consciousness, pressing down on his mind until it almost broke. But Raven persevered.
"This... is just the beginning," he whispered.
The faint red light grew stronger, shining through the warehouse walls like a living spiritual flame.