The biting mountain wind howled through the jagged fissures of the Black Wind Cave, carrying with it the acrid stench of fresh iron and burnt spirit herbs. At the center of the gloom, atop a pedestal of abyssal stone etched with ancient, forgotten runes, nine corpses lay in a flawless circle.
They were cultivators of the Qi Gathering Realm, wearing the tattered robes of orthodox sects. None of them drew breath any longer, yet their vital essence drifted upward as thin threads of crimson mist, drawn irresistibly toward a iron cauldron of pitch-black iron suspended in midair.
Li Chen kept his eyes closed. His thin fingers, scarred from spiritual flame burns, traced forbidden seals through the air. With every motion, dark frost crept another few inches across the stone floor, plunging the ambient temperature into an unbearable chill.
— The world brands this heresy... — Li Chen whispered, his raspy voice echoing off the damp cavern walls. — They claim alchemy must purify the light. But the light is weak. True strength is born from decay, from blood, and from what remains when everything else is consumed.
BOOM!
The black iron cauldron trembled violently. Its heavy lid blew upward into the ceiling, shattering stalactites, while a beam of violet-red light shot straight into the cavern roof. The surrounding atmospheric pressure collapsed inward, siphoning every drop of ambient spiritual qi straight into the refining chamber.
— Master! — a trembling voice cried out from the cave entrance.
Xiao Feng, a young boy in ragged clothes holding a lantern made of spiritual beast bones, fell to his knees near the altar, shielding his face from the overwhelming spiritual aura.
— The scouts from the Sun-Veil Sect... they broke through the First Illusion Array! They are ascending the valley with purifying flames!
Li Chen showed no trace of fear. Slowly, he extended his right hand. From inside the cauldron, a walnut-sized pill drifted smoothly into his open palm. It possessed none of the smooth, radiant luster of common immortal pills; it was irregular, enveloped in a dark mist that whispered the lamentations of nine harvested souls.
The Devouring Blood Pill.
— They come in the name of justice, yet they crave only my secrets, — Li Chen said softly, closing his fingers over the ruby-red pill. — Let them climb. This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.
He lifted the pill to his lips and swallowed it whole.
CRACK!
Li Chen’s bones popped in unison. The meridians in his body—shattered and blocked when he was cast out by his former sect—were forcefully pried open under the impact of the corrosive energy. The Dark Dan lodged itself within his Dantian, erupting with a devouring force that began converting his agony into pure, unadulterated spiritual power.
— The Awakening of the Shadow is complete, — Li Chen declared, dark aura bursting from his back like wings of pure shadow. — Let us welcome our guests.