In the depths of the Imperial Dungeons, the air did not merely feel cold; it felt heavy.
It was a weight that pressed against the lungs, a suffocating density that tasted of wet stone and despair. This section of the palace was a masterpiece of architectural cruelty—a labyrinth of damp corridors and "Void-Lock" formations designed to do one thing: strip a cultivator of their connection to the world.
For Lin Chen, the fallen "Hero" of the Heavenly Sword Sect, it was a living tomb.
Aris walked through the corridors. His footsteps echoed with a rhythmic, hollow sound—clack, clack, clack. He was no longer wearing the grand robes of the Pale Alchemist. He wore a simple, dark tunic that allowed him to blend into the shadows. He didn't look like a savior here; he looked like an executioner.
Beside him, Nox rippled like liquid ink, its violet eyes occasionally flashing in the gloom, hungry for the despair that saturated the walls.
[Location: The Abyss-Modified Cell #0]
[Active Formation: Soul-Grinder Array (Glitched)]
[Effect: 50% increase in Mental Fatigue; 100% suppression of Solar Qi.]
Aris stopped before a heavy iron door inscribed with glowing blue runes. He waved his hand. The Black Jade Seal on his ring pulsed, injecting a violet code into the lock. The runes turned purple, and the door slid open silently.
Inside, Lin Chen was suspended by "Void-Lock" chains that extended from the ceiling and floor, pulling his limbs taut.
His once-pristine white robes were shredded strips of dirty linen. His copper hair, which had once shone like a second sun, was matted with sweat and grime. But it was his eyes that had changed the most. The molten gold was gone, replaced by a dull, flickering ember of defiance that was rapidly burning out.
[Target: Lin Chen]
[Level: 35 (Falling...)]
[Mental Fortitude: 12% (Critical)]
[Status: Broken Spirit / Primed for Re-Coding]
"Still holding onto that 'Righteous Path,' Lin Chen?" Aris's voice was a low, soothing rasp that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Lin Chen lifted his head. His breathing was ragged. "You... you are the one. The monster behind the mask."
"Monster? No."
Aris stepped into the single shaft of dim light. He let Lin Chen see his true face—the face of a five-year-old boy. The face of the "trash" he had seen on the street.
"I am just a player who knows how to exploit the flaws in your programming," Aris whispered. "You were born with 'Heroism' written into your DNA. It makes you predictable. It makes you weak."
The Dark Conversion: Breaking the Light
Aris didn't start with physical pain. Physical pain was a distraction; a hero would just use it to fuel their resolve. To break a hero, one had to dismantle their truth.
He reached into his Abyssal Inventory and pulled out a small, pulsing vial of Abyssal Miasma—a concentrated byproduct of his Root-Admin access.
"Your Master sent you here to investigate the 'darkness' of the Emperor," Aris said, pacing around the suspended youth. "But did he tell you why the darkness exists?"
Aris stopped, leaning close.
"It exists because your 'Righteous' sects have been siphoning the prosperity of the common people for centuries. You are not a savior, Lin Chen. You are a debt collector for a group of old men who are afraid of the dark."
"Lies!" Lin Chen spat, blood spraying the floor. "My Master is... noble..."
"Is he?"
Aris activated the Abyssal Eye. "System, project the 'Hidden Narrative'."
A holographic display flickered in the air before Lin Chen's eyes. It was a projection of ledgers and memories—fake records Aris had manufactured using Forbidden Archeology mixed with fragments of real corruption data.
It showed the Heavenly Sword Sect selling "Protection" to villages, then raiding those same villages using outer disciples in disguise to drive up the price. It showed the Sect Leader hoarding resources while the commoners starved.
It was a half-truth, the most dangerous kind of lie.
"Every life you saved," Aris whispered, his voice sliding into Lin Chen's ear like a parasite, "was just a marketing move. Your 'Solar Flare Physique' isn't a gift from the Heavens. It's a battery that feeds on the worship of the ignorant. Look at the World Tree, Lin Chen. Even the earth itself is tired of your 'Light'."
Aris activated the Palace Drain through the connection with Princess Ling.
Suddenly, the dungeon was flooded with a terrifying, crushing pressure. Lin Chen felt the tiny remaining spark of his Solar Qi being violently extinguished. In its place, the cold, seductive hum of the Abyss began to leak into his meridians.
[Skill Activated: Reverse Refinement - Neural Overwrite]
[Process: Dissolving 'Righteous Resolve'.]
[Injecting: 'Shadow-Knight' Core Code.]
"No... NO!"
Lin Chen screamed.
It was a sound of pure agony that echoed through the entire dungeon complex. It wasn't physical pain; it was the sound of his soul being reformatted.
He felt his memories being rewritten. His love for his Master was replaced by a deep, burning resentment. His pride in his Sect was replaced by a cold, clinical loyalty to the boy standing before him.
"Accept it," Aris commanded, his violet eye glowing with a blinding intensity. "The Light was a lie. The Abyss is the only truth. Become my blade in the dark."
The Birth of the Shadow-Knight
The process took hours. Aris burned 1,000 AP to maintain the stability of the "Glitched" formation.
He watched as Lin Chen's copper hair turned a dull, matte black. The boy's skin became unnaturally pale, losing its sun-kissed warmth. Finally, Lin Chen opened his eyes.
The golden iris dissolved into a liquid, violet void—identical to Aris's own.
[Conversion Complete!]
[Target: Lin Chen (Shadow-Knight Variant)]
[Level: 40 (Level Up due to Abyssal Integration!)]
[Loyalty: 100% (Bound by Soul-Contract)]
[Class: Solar-Void Hybrid (Unique)]
Clang.
The chains shattered, falling to the floor.
Lin Chen dropped to one knee before Aris. His movements were fluid and predatory, completely devoid of his previous "Heroic" stiffness. He moved like smoke.
"Master," Lin Chen said. His voice was no longer a warm baritone; it was a hollow, echoing whisper. "What is your command?"
Aris looked down at his masterpiece. Lin Chen was no longer a person; he was a Trojan Horse.
"Return to the Heavenly Sword Sect," Aris said.
He handed Lin Chen the sword Solstice. The blade had been re-forged with Abyssal Steel. To the naked eye, it still glowed gold, but underneath, the core was rot.
"Tell them you escaped the 'Demonic Alchemist' of Qin. Tell them the Emperor has been corrupted beyond saving. Gather the other disciples. Lead them into the capital for a 'Great Crusade'."
Aris smirked, his featureless mask appearing on his face as he prepared to leave the cell.
"I want you to bring me the heads of your Elders. But more importantly... I want you to invite the Sect Leader here. I have a special 'pill' I want him to try."
"It shall be done," Lin Chen replied.
He stepped back and vanished into the shadows, using a variant of Shadow-Walk that Aris had gifted him.
[Abyssal Nexus: End of Chapter Status]
The successful conversion of a Tier-1 Protagonist into a Shadow-Knight has caused a massive feedback loop of "Villainous Energy," forcing Aris's own cultivation to breach the next major barrier.
Host: Aris Thorne
Level: 38
Class: Forbidden Alchemist (Rank 3 - Ascendant)
[Attributes]
Strength: 180 (Can shatter Spirit-Jade defenses with a physical strike) Agility: 165 Intelligence: 75 Qi Capacity: 8,000 / 8,000 (Mid-Stage Core Formation Peak)
[Physique: Abyssal Sovereign Body (38% Awakened)]
New Ability: 'Commander of the Void' – You can now summon a 'Shadow-Knight' to your side from any distance, provided they are in a shadow. New Passive: 'Heart of the Architect' – Your mental processing speed has tripled; you can now manage up to 10 'Living Formations' simultaneously.
[Abyssal Inventory]
Currency: 2,500 AP / 45,000 Gold. Active Formations: Palace Drain (Princess Ling) - 5% Total Palace Qi Siphoned. The Thorne Siphon (General Thorne & Family) - 45% Refinement Complete. The Sword-Spy (Lin Chen) - Initializing Infiltration...
[World Status]
Heavenly Sword Sect: Unaware of the "Infection" within their ranks. The Emperor: 45% Addicted (Has started executing ministers who question the Pale Alchemist).