The Path of Killing and Unrestrained Desire

"This is the Secret Realm Maintenance Team, Mr. Ji Feijie. Please remove the signal jammer from the spatial linking device in Exam Hall One at the Zi City East District testing site."

"Then inject Psychic Energy into the spatial linking device and insert chip 01101 into the red slot on the left side. The new password is the chip number."

"Understood."

"Beep. Reset complete. Please enter the new password."

"Password correct."

"Spatial linking device 01101 is now running. Operation is normal."

"That's all?"

"Yes. The reset procedure for the other devices is the same. Thank you for your hard work."

"No problem. Tell me where the next device is."

A moment later, Ji Feijie opened the three-dimensional spatial map on his communicator. He had received the locations of the spatial linking devices marked by the Secret Realm Maintenance Team.

He ended the call and put the communicator away. His legs exploded with power, and he shot forward like lightning, speeding toward the nearest target.

As he raced along at extreme speed, his immense momentum tore explosive booms from the air.

Had the communicator still been by his ear, the violent air currents would most likely have torn it to pieces.

To prevent the devices from being damaged by accident, most spatial linking devices were set up far from communities of secret realm creatures.

At the same time, the terrain was used to steer examinees away from the areas around the devices.

As a result, Ji Feijie and the other members of the rescue team were headed in completely opposite directions, their movements entirely separated.

Ji Feijie was now hurrying between the various locations to carry out repairs, with no time to worry about whether he was alone.

And with cultivation approaching the Sixth Realm, he felt deep down that he had no need to worry about it.

Because of his carelessness, danger descended upon him without warning.

Eight Bikaku, bunched together, burst from a spatial rift and came whipping down from above with tremendous force.

"Boom!"

Ji Feijie, still on the move, could not dodge in time. He took the blow head-on, relying on his Fifth Realm Peak physique.

Shisui had only just stepped out of the spatial wormhole, but before Ji Feijie could react, two types of Radiant Feathers instantly detached from his Kagune.

The crystalline Radiant Feathers rained down on the enemy, while the hardened Radiant Feathers scattered in all directions, using [Absolute Cutting] to confine the stage to a one-kilometer radius.

Then Shisui, his fighting spirit at its peak, lunged at his enemy. In the shadows beneath his exoskeleton, his Kakugan flashed with a frenzied, blood-red light.

His Bikaku lashed and coiled like vines, while his Ukaku gleamed with the sharpness of blades.

His soul's craving for slaughter poured forth, becoming a catalyst for metamorphosis and driving Shisui to continually accumulate Psychic Energy and temper his body through battle and predation.

He gave free rein to his endless desires, letting his soul and body resonate and meld as he threw himself into the battle. A mysterious, almost unfathomable sensation rose within him.

Unlike Shisui, who had entered a state akin to becoming one with heaven and earth, Ji Feijie was already running low on Psychic Energy after repeatedly releasing it to power the device resets.

The relentless attacks caught Ji Feijie off guard and immediately put him at a disadvantage.

But Ji Feijie was not like those two Fifth Realm juniors, who were either unskilled in combat or inexperienced. He was a battlefield veteran who had earned an official post through military merit.

He seized his chance, blocking with his dagger and using the force of the blow to fling an incoming Bikaku aside with a backhanded motion, briefly halting the storm of continuous attacks.

Taking advantage of that half-second pause, he retreated swiftly and opened some distance between himself and his enemy.

His judgment was sound. All of Shisui's Kagune could be used at close and medium range, and in close combat, Shisui had an overwhelming advantage over an assassin-type fighter like Ji Feijie.

Ji Feijie glanced at Shisui's enormous wings, then abruptly plunged downward, vanishing into the pitch-dark sea of trees in an instant.

He intended to turn the situation around by drawing the massive enemy before him into the forest.

But Shisui's enormous size was merely Kakuja armor formed from his predatory organs. He was equally skilled at hunting in cramped terrain, much like fighting in narrow alleyways.

He showed no panic at all. Instead, his mouth stretched into a ferocious, excited grin.

Compared to a rabbit crushed in a single blow, a lone wolf that struggled and fought back offered more enjoyment and a greater sense of accomplishment to hunt, didn't it?

Shisui folded his Ukaku and dropped into the dark forest in an instant.

Ji Feijie concealed himself in the intricate maze of dense forest. Suppressing his aura, he moved like a phantom as he searched for a chance to kill with one blow.

Unlike low-level awakened, those who entered the Fifth Realm were no longer made of ordinary flesh and blood. They might not be impervious to blades and bullets, but their recovery speed was astonishing, at the very least.

Likewise, low-level awakened would be as blind as ordinary people on a lightless night, but above the Fifth Realm, their eyesight improved significantly, and they gained night vision.

After briefly escaping the frenzied onslaught, he had recovered somewhat.

Which faction sent him?

Ji Feijie spared a moment to consider the question.

His opponent's armor, which covered his entire body, and his numerous limbs all pointed to his inhuman nature.

Could he be a Beastfolk hunter, then?

Could it be that what the Aristocratic Faction said wasn't false, and the Beastfolk really intended to disregard the peaceful coexistence agreement and go straight to war?

For the moment, he had no idea what lay behind the incident.

Perhaps, if I capture that monster alive, I might be able to force some information out of him.

In such a complicated environment, the agile and lightning-fast Ji Feijie was like a fish in water. Had he been facing ordinary killers, those obstacles should have lost their lives on the spot by now.

But the one he faced was Lou Shisui, a Ghoul.

"Clang! Clang!"

After Steel Feathers slashed at the dark dagger, a Bikaku followed close behind and crushed the blade, instantly shattering the spirit weapon forged at great expense.

Ji Feijie abandoned the dagger to dissipate the force, but the rebounding impact still sent fierce pain through his internal organs.

He swiftly drew another blade, hoping to seize the momentary opening after his enemy's strike.

But the other lashing Bikaku were not there for decoration.

One Bikaku blocked his incoming thrust, and the other Kagune struck at Ji Feijie in turn.

Seeing that his attack had failed, Ji Feijie was about to repeat his earlier maneuver and open some distance.

Suddenly, a dark scorpion tail shot out of the ground and pierced straight through the sole of Ji Feijie's foot.

The Rinkaku, which had silently burrowed into the soil, struck true and then withdrew, its task complete.

[Bone-Deep Rot], activate!

Ji Feijie discovered in horror that he had lost control of his body. Starting from his leg, his flesh and bones began to ache as though they were burning and melting.

Before long, his vision blurred, and his consciousness grew hazy.

Shisui put an arm around Ji Feijie's shoulders and placed a hand on his neck.

"Crack!"

His head was removed intact. From the crimson wellspring, a hot spring filled with Psychic Energy sprayed over the surrounding branches, leaves, wild grass, rocks, and the inhuman monster.

Shisui bathed in the warm, fine red rain, while the Kagune behind him reveled in the caress of Psychic Energy.

The desire to kill and the thrill of the hunt intertwined, circling endlessly in the depths of his soul and eroding and reshaping this body that bore [Predator].

At this moment, Shisui realized clearly that no matter how his body changed, his soul remained that of a Ghoul through and through. His brutal, bloodthirsty instincts followed him like a shadow.

To him, his ever-growing desires were the steps by which he advanced, and unrestrained killing was his way of survival.

The Psychic Energy compressed within his body erupted, instantly breaking through the fragile barrier.

Early Fifth Realm, achieved as a matter of course!

With that, Lou Shisui had officially entered the ranks of the extraordinary.

Before he reached the Profound Realm—the threshold of the next realm—nothing would stand in his way as he climbed the steps from the Fifth Realm to the Ninth Realm.