Becoming a Demon

(The previous chapter mentioned peacocks, but I corrected that in two seconds.)

Wang Xuan ventured into the fog!

Everything is different now; the fog is like a dividing line between life and death.

Outside, the sun blazes fiercely, the mountains and forests are magnificent, there are numerous lakes, monsters roam freely, and the place is teeming with life.

But within the line separating life and death, a bright moon hung high, the night was deep and silent.

Wang Xuan wondered if he had arrived in a New World. Had something gone wrong after he stepped out, leaving him stranded in an unknown alien land?

He had read some Transmigrated Novel, but he hadn't been hit by a car or jumped off a rooftop, so how did he end up in time travel? He was driven by a strong will to survive and was currently fighting against supernatural monsters!

He seemed to have gone deaf; he couldn't even hear his own footsteps. It was a world without sound.

At the same time, he felt extremely unwell and his body was in great pain. He looked at himself and saw that he was bleeding in many places.

He was deeply uneasy; the atmosphere here was extremely unusual.

Wang Xuan turned around and froze. Where had the mist behind him gone? It was completely gone, leaving only the darkness of night.

Has he really arrived in a completely new world?

Somewhat skeptical, he looked down at the ground, finding it barren except for his faint footprints. He then retraced his steps.

Until he disappeared into the darkness and reached the end of the footprints, he thought he could overcome the barrier and see the sun shining brightly again.

However, he felt suffocated and unable to breathe, as if he were drowning. Most terrifyingly, his mental consciousness was also becoming blurred and on the verge of collapse.

Wang Xuan quickly backed away, then took a deep breath. He felt incredulous, staring blankly at the night sky.

He couldn't go back the way he came; he was standing in a completely unfamiliar world.

Most frighteningly, he was experiencing severe pain in many parts of his body, and blood was seeping from the red spots on his skin; the aftereffects of eating Blood Grape were acting up.

Is he really going to turn into a demon?

Wang Xuan's eyelids were itchy, then painful, and two faint lines of blood, like tears of blood, flowed down the corners of his eyes.

Neither the Root Method of the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners nor the physical techniques described in the five pages of Golden Book could stop this change.

This silent New World seemed to accelerate his Demon Transformation; some of the red spots on his body began to swell, as if something was about to emerge.

Wang Xuan was in pain all over his body, blood and cold sweat flowing out together. The stinging pain was unbearable for him, and even the Golden Body Art could not stop this strange change!

This is tearing outwards from the inside of his body, growing something inexplicable.

And at that moment, something seemed to be calling to him from the depths of the New World, attracting him, or rather, stirring his demonic instincts.

Because, as he walked further inside, the pain in his body seemed to ease somewhat.

He took a step forward, and in an instant, his long, blood-red hair swelled up. His shoe was pierced with a soft thud, torn to shreds, and sharp toenails grew out.

As he continued walking forward, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and it swelled up, revealing two tiny heads emerging from it!

During the process, although the pain subsided, the terrifying changes shocked him, and his heart trembled.

He is a human being with flesh and blood, living in modern society, and has no desire to become a demon.

Wang Xuan had seen his share of grand occasions; he had interacted with Female Sword Immortal and confronted Red-clothed Demon Immortal across a curtain, but none of them had shaken his soul as much as the feeling he was experiencing now.

In just a short while, his body underwent a strange transformation. It was too violent. How could a person's life form change so quickly?

He retreated quickly. Could there be a substance deep within the so-called Misty Realm that could rapidly transform humans into demons?

Earlier, when he heard those powerful aliens talking about the possibility of a secret path here, he was quite excited, but his current experience has chilled his heart.

The demonic features on Wang Xuan became more pronounced, and he retreated rapidly to the edge of the area.

"Is it irreversible?" He stretched out his hands and found that his fingernails had grown long and hooked, becoming very sharp.

Not only was his body trembling, but his spirit was also resonating, as if it too longed to enter the depths of the New World.

He suppressed the urge and circled around the edge of the dark area, not wanting to be driven by that terrible impulse, because he felt it was Demon Transformation instinct, not his true self.

"Ah!"

Within five breaths, Wang Xuan cried out in pain. How could the will of someone who had formed a spiritual domain be weak? It was simply too painful.

The red spots on his body were torn apart, all over his body, as if his skin was being peeled off, and he could feel that not only his flesh and blood, but also his bones were changing.

Is the process of Demon Transformation accompanied by skinning and bone-pulling?

After Wang Xuan embarked on the Old Arts path, he also experienced many hardships, but this time it was very special. The suffering was not caused by the enemy, but came from inside his body.

Suddenly, he felt his entire Spine Bone burning hot, and then his back split open, and he looked back.

In an instant, Wang Xuan's heart sank to the bottom. What was on his back? A bright red bone spur, more than two feet long, protruding outward from his spine, pointing straight at the moon.

A normal human would never grow something like this; he's going to become a demon!

Then, his clothes were pierced, and bright red feathers more than a foot long grew on his body, the outside of his arms and the outside of his thighs!

"What kind of monster am I going to become?" He absolutely refused to accept such a change.

Wang Xuan continuously stretched his body, practiced the Root Method, and used Old Zhang's physical skills, hoping to suppress the trend of Demon Transformation.

"This isn't a physical entity, it's energy?!" He touched the bone spurs on his back, then touched the red feathers on his body.

Is there still a chance to stop this increasingly severe trend?

As his body began to show abnormalities, the desire to get closer to the depths of a strange world grew stronger, like an insect's phototaxis; he could hardly control this instinct.

Wang Xuan ran wildly, circling the edge of darkness, only to find that the so-called alien realm was not large; a complete lap was only a few dozen miles.

This is about the same distance he would travel in a circle around the Misty Realm in the outside world.

His shoulder was covered in blood, from which two energy heads, the size of fists, had sprouted. Their shapes were not yet clear, and it was unknown what kind of creature's heads they would eventually become.

Then, he experienced a sharp pain in his head, and a pair of horns grew out!

"So be it!"

Ultimately, Wang Xuan decided to head towards the very center of this strange land.

Even if he controls his instincts and stays in the most peripheral area, he is still Demon Transformation and cannot stop this trend.

Since that's the case, he might as well just charge in and get a quick and decisive result; it's better than being slowly tortured.

There are several low, bare hills in the central area that block the view.

It remains silent here; it is a deathly still world.

Sure enough, as Wang Xuan approached, he felt himself becoming more and more like a demon, with scales appearing on his body and an energy-formed snake tail growing from his back.

After crossing the low hill, Wang Xuan was lost in thought.

The entire wasteland is barren and lifeless, but this place is different.

A small lake, its surface a vibrant blue, ripples with a rich, mysterious energy. Within it, several lotus flowers thrive, their green leaves glistening with dewdrops.

A bright moon hung high in the sky, its clear light like water, casting a thin mist over the entire lake.

It was a tranquil scene of lotus pond under the moonlight, completely different from the terrifying and ominous place Wang Xuan had imagined. It was so peaceful here, with a sense of otherworldly tranquility.

And there was sound again; he was no longer deaf.

Boom!

His body roared, his long red hair swelled up and spread all the way to his feet, and his scales opened and closed with a clanging sound, trying to transform from energy into reality.

The feathers on his body were also becoming more and more realistic.

Two heads swelled up on his shoulders, suddenly opened their eyes, and slowly turned to look at him with terrifyingly cold eyes.

Wang Xuan felt a chill run down his spine. The two heads on his shoulders still looked human, but they were so unfamiliar. One looked like an ancient person, with a bamboo hairpin in its hair.

The other head had long, flowing hair. Although it was a man's head, it looked unreal, like a handsome head that had been transformed from Demon Transformation.

Wang Xuan's heart skipped a beat. The presence of two strange heads staring at him with such a chilling gaze was truly unsettling.

Wang Xuan looked down and saw his shadow under the moon. In an instant, his scalp tingled. The shadow was a hundred times more terrifying than he actually felt!

The shadows were moving, and there were hundreds of hands, like a group of vengeful ghosts reaching out their claws to the sky, trying to grab the moon.

The shadowy figures behind them were enormous, numbering as many as... dozens of huge heads!

They were swaying; some had animal heads, some bird heads, and some had demon heads with horns...

Wang Xuan was furious. He kept his head down and didn't move, but his shadow was dancing wildly, and all sorts of demonic images appeared.

He believes this effect cannot be achieved by eating Blood Grape, but is related to this ominous place.

What kind of secret path is this? A demon's secret path, perhaps!

Wang Xuan felt that this place was far too hostile to humans; it was not a benevolent place at all, but rather a place that would help people transform into demons.

"I don't want to become a demon, I can't fall here!" Wang Xuan roared, then realized with a start that his voice was terrifying, high-pitched, and could pierce through gold and split rocks; even this shout sounded like that of a great demon.

He realized he couldn't control himself. His physical body hadn't moved, but the terrifying figure behind him, like a horde of demons dancing wildly, was pushing him forward.

His feet left deep footprints on the ground. He wanted to stay rooted to the spot, but his shadow pushed him, and his body moved sideways, getting closer and closer to the blue lake.

Behind him, the roars of beasts and the cries of birds rose and fell, as if a group of great demons were struggling and howling. He was just a physical body, yet hundreds of shadows appeared behind him.

"What kind of bizarre change is this?!" Wang Xuan exclaimed in horror, utterly bewildered.

As he approached the small blue lake, the scenery suddenly changed dramatically when he reached the shore!

Boom!

Waves crash against the sky.

What did he see? A vast ocean, with waves crashing against the shore.

Along the shore are high platforms, and beneath each platform are countless creatures.

"I want to become Golden-winged Great Peng!"

Beneath one of the high platforms, a humanoid creature roared, surrounded by both humans and monsters, all shouting along in a frenzy.

On that high platform, a golden light floated up and down, and inside it was a roc with its eyes closed, silent and still.

Below another high platform, a group of fanatical beings were shouting, yelling, and waving their arms.

"I will become the Thousand-Armed True God!"

They shouted as they went down to worship.

On this high platform, bathed in divine light, sat a hazy man with thousands of arms.

Upon reaching the shore, Wang Xuan felt as if he were being torn apart. Behind him, shadows danced and pulled him toward different high platforms.

There are hundreds of high platforms, each housing a legendary, powerful creature that radiates a hazy glow, with a large number of pilgrims below.

"It's not real! Everything I've seen is fake! I don't want any of this!" Wang Xuan roared.

However, his body was bleeding profusely, the shadow behind him was tearing at him, he was almost ripped apart, and he was in excruciating pain all over his body.

"If you want to become demons, go ahead! Wings, horns, tails, demon wings, three heads and a thousand arms—get out of my way and don't bother my body!"

Wang Xuan's voice was hoarse as he struggled desperately, not wanting to be kidnapped, and even less wanting to become like those monsters.

As he struggled, the ocean crashed against the bright moon in the sky.

He saw a small boat in the depths of the sea, its surface shimmering with golden light, tossed about by the waves and occasionally seeming to touch the bright moon in the sky.

That was... a ship made by hollowing out the Ascension Divine Bamboo.

He had seen such a thing before. In the underground experimental field of the Greater Khingan Range, the Female Daoist practitioner's body lay in a bamboo boat, remaining vibrant for three thousand years.

Now, he saw this strange bamboo boat again!

However, this one is much larger.

The Ascension Divine Bamboo has a diameter of three meters. It rose and fell in the vast ocean, but was never sunk by the waves.