Horror settled across their faces, not sudden, but creeping in as the truth became undeniable. The gap in cultivation was too vast. It was not something skill or numbers could bridge. Against a creature at the peak of the Power Initial Realm, they were insignificant. The thought of fighting did not even take proper shape in their minds. It collapsed the moment it appeared.
There was no chance. None at all.
Alex felt it clearly.
The weight of that realization pressed down on him, heavier than the creature's aura itself. His fingers tightened unconsciously, nails digging into his palm as if pain might steady his thoughts. It did not. His mind was already racing, grasping for anything that resembled a possibility.
Around him, no one spoke. Only staring at the non-believing thing that is happening in front of them.
Yet in that brief, silent instant, their eyes met. One glance was enough. No words were needed. The decision passed between them as naturally as breath.
Run.
But before even a single step could be taken, the creature moved.
Its eyes shifted, locking onto them with a cold, predatory awareness. For a fraction of a second, Alex felt as though those eyes had singled him out, piercing straight through him. His breath caught in his throat.
Then the ground stirred.
The massive body began to rise, pulling itself free from the earth in a slow, deliberate motion. Soil cracked and fell away as more of its scaled form emerged, stretching far longer than any of them had expected. What they had seen before was only a fraction of its true size.
And then it advanced.
Despite its enormous body, its speed was terrifying. Each movement carried a heavy, unstoppable force, closing the distance far quicker than seemed possible. Compared to its size, it might have appeared slow. But against them, it was overwhelming.
Alex felt his heart slam against his ribs.
Running would not be enough.
He knew it. They all did.
For a brief, helpless moment, his body refused to respond. Fear rooted him in place, cold and absolute. He could see the same expression reflected on the faces around him. No one moved. No one spoke. It was as if they had already reached the end, standing there with the quiet, unspoken acceptance of what was coming.
His thoughts faltered.
The creature continued forward, closing the gap with each passing second, and Alex could only stand there, staring, as the shadow of something far beyond them drew near.
"Sigh…"
A quiet sigh broke the suffocating tension.
"In a long time… and the first thing I see is a demon."
The voice was calm, almost indifferent, yet it carried a weight that seemed to settle over the entire scene. It did not belong there, and yet it dominated everything.
Li Ming turned sharply.
Behind them stood a figure he had not sensed before. The man's presence was overwhelming in a way that was difficult to describe. He stood with his arms crossed, posture relaxed, as though the monstrous creature before them was nothing more than a trivial sight. His gaze rested on the demon, cold and unwavering, as if he were looking at something already beneath him.
For a moment, Li Ming forgot to breathe. Then he looked everyone around, looking at the Qingmei and others unaware of someone standing there. as if to them there is no one here except of them.
Then, the pressure in the air shifted, not disappearing, but changing. The fear that had gripped him moments ago faltered, replaced by something unfamiliar. It was not relief. If anything, it was deeper, more unsettling. His instincts, which had been screaming at him to flee from the monster, now fell into a strange silence.
His mind has became clear and now he can think properly.
This man was different.
Li Ming's eyes widened as recognition struck him.
It was him.
The same figure from his dream.
The realization hit with such force that it left him momentarily frozen. That vague, distant memory now stood before him in undeniable reality, far more imposing than anything his mind had imagined.
Then the man turned his gaze. His eyes fell upon Li Ming.
In that instant, the world seemed to narrow. The surroundings faded, the looming monster forgotten, as that gaze settled fully on him. It was not aggressive, nor was it kind. It was simply absolute.
This person who looks to be in his thirties having long hair and have no beard. his eyes have red glimmer to them and he is floating in air. His feet not touching ground.
That single glance swept over him from head to toe, precise and unhurried, as if peeling away every layer. His thoughts, his past, his secrets, everything felt exposed under those eyes. There was no resistance, no way to shield himself. It was as though he stood completely bare before something far beyond his understanding.
Only after a long moment did the man speak again.
"What is your name, boy?"
His voice was steady, neither loud nor soft, yet it carried an undeniable authority. His gaze did not waver as he looked directly into Li Ming's eyes, holding him in place as though the very act of looking away was no longer an option.
To Alex, it felt as if a god had descended and chosen to speak.
"L… Li Ming."
The words slipped out unevenly, as if they did not entirely belong to him. His voice trembled despite his effort to steady it.
"Li Ming… a good name."
The man's tone remained calm, almost approving. Then, without the slightest pause, he continued, "It seems I will be borrowing your body for a moment."
Li Ming's mind faltered.
"W-What—"
He did not get the chance to finish.
Something shifted.
It was not pain, nor was it force in any way he could understand. It was as if control itself had been quietly taken from him. His body no longer responded to his will. In the span of a heartbeat, his connection to it thinned, then vanished completely.
The world tilted.
The next moment, Li Ming found himself looking at his own body from a short distance away.
For an instant, his thoughts refused to process what he was seeing. His body still stood there, upright and steady, breathing as if nothing had changed. Yet he was no longer inside it. He was separate, weightless, reduced to nothing but awareness.
A cold wave of disbelief surged through him.
"What… what is happening?"
His voice carried confusion and shock, but it felt distant, detached, as though even his own words were no longer fully his. He stared at himself, at the familiar form that now moved without him, unable to comprehend it.
The man who had taken control did not respond.
Once he took control over Li Ming's body, he flexed his fingers once, slowly, as though testing something insignificant. His expression remained indifferent, his gaze sweeping briefly over the borrowed form.
"Trash body," he murmured under his breath.
There was no anger in his voice, only a quiet dismissal. Whatever judgment he passed, he did not dwell on it. His attention shifted almost immediately.
The difference was unmistakable.
The posture, the stillness, even the faint aura surrounding him had changed. What stood there now was no longer Li Ming, but something far more profound inhabiting his form.
His gaze moved to the sword in his hand, lingering for a brief moment, before lifting toward the approaching monster.
All of this happened in less than five seconds.
Then he raised his sword.