Terrifying Consumption

Flames still roared above the ruins of Willow Creek Town, burning the towering Corpse Sha Qi and thick resentment into rolling black smoke that surged into the sky.

Deathly silence enveloped everything, replacing the clamor of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood from moments ago.

Lu Chen stood in place, like a silent statue.

He did not immediately tally his gains, nor did he bask in the joy of his surging power.

He simply felt—felt the four hundred and seventy-eight years of Demon Devil Lifespan, a foundation as heavy as mountains and seas, and the faint, elusive connection to the surrounding moisture and Yin Sha brought by his newly acquired [Water Sha Affinity].

Beneath the ancient well, whose roots Lu Chen had severed with a single saber stroke, a stream of pure, extreme Yin-cold Water Sha was slowly dispersing, returning to heaven and earth.

That power was the century-accumulated origin of the Vengeful Mother in the Well.

Drawn by [Water Sha Affinity], that energy exerted a faint, moth-to-flame pull on him.

But before investigating, there were more important matters to handle.

Lu Chen turned and walked.

He headed toward the Liu Clan Ancestral Hall, which had survived the flames.

At the entrance, the two surviving Warriors sat slumped on the ground, trembling all over.

They watched Lu Chen approach, their eyes filled with a terror that surpassed even what they had felt facing the Corpse Vine Demon Tree and the Vengeful Mother in the Well.

In their eyes, this man—just moments ago a weak, bullied Corpse Handler—was now more terrifying and unfathomable than any demon.

"Lu... Brother Lu... no, My Lord! My Lord, spare us!" one of the Warriors could no longer bear the pressure. He fell to his knees, kowtowing frantically. "We saw nothing! We know nothing!"

The other snapped out of his stupor, scrambling and crawling to kneel, his voice trembling beyond control: "My Lord, our lives are worthless. We would never dare breathe a word! Please, for the sake of our wives and children, spare us!"

Lu Chen stopped before them, looking down from on high. His deep eyes flickered in the firelight, bright and dark by turns, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The longer his silence stretched, the greater their fear. They kowtowed with a dull thudding rhythm, their foreheads soon bloodied.

"Get up."

After a long pause, Lu Chen spoke flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.

They felt as if pardoned, yet dared not rise. They froze in place, looking up at him.

"From today on, remember one thing," Lu Chen said, his voice low but piercing like ice shards, each word stabbing into their marrow. "The Water Ghost Sha in Willow Creek Town was on a rampage. We were ordered to purge it. In the fierce battle, the demon was savage; our casualties were heavy. In the end, I, at the brink of death, was fortunate enough to awaken a faint trace of ancestral bloodline. I fought to the death and perished together with the demon... but I was lucky and survived."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over their bloody foreheads. "As for you two, from the very start of the fight, you were knocked unconscious by the demon's evil sound. You saw nothing, you know nothing. I dragged you both out of the sea of fire. Understood?"

Awakening a bloodline!

This explanation was far more reasonable than mere luck—and far more shocking.

The two instantly grasped Lu Chen's intent.

This wasn't just giving them a way to live; it was finding a surface-level origin for his terrifying strength.

"Understood! We understand!" the older Warrior reacted swiftly, immediately swearing an oath. "We were saved by you, My Lord! If we speak a single false word, may heaven strike us down and we die a wretched death!"

"Good." A hint of "satisfaction" finally appeared on Lu Chen's face. He took a small porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out two Blood Activating Powders, and tossed them before the men. "This is for healing, and for sealing your lips. When you go back, keep your mouths shut."

"Thank you, My Lord! Thank you, My Lord!" They clutched the pills like treasures, weeping with gratitude.

Having cowed the only two witnesses, Lu Chen ignored them and turned toward the ruins of the ancient well.

The sensation from [Water Sha Affinity] grew clearer.

He stood atop the rubble and closed his eyes.

The entire town's underground water vein flow, every lingering wisp of residual Yin Sha, was laid bare in his perception.

Beneath the severed, massive tumor, deep in the earth's veins, a faint light flickered like a dying candle.

Lu Chen reached out and plunged his hand directly into the freezing, filthy mud and broken stone.

A moment later, he pulled out a peculiar bead, no larger than a pigeon's egg, its entire surface a deathly, ink-black hue.

The bead was icy to the touch, its surface smooth, and within it seemed to be countless agonized, wronged souls wailing silently.

[Detected special material: Vengeful Mother Condensation Pearl.]

[Description: The core formed from a century of resentment and Water Sha origin of the Ranked Demon, Vengeful Mother in the Well. Contains extremely pure Yin-cold Water Sha power and spiritual resentment. Usable for artifact forging, alchemy, or direct absorption.]

[Warning: Direct absorption carries a high probability of mental collapse, Killing Intent backlash, and falling into the demonic path.]

Another great evil object—and another great tonic.

Lu Chen expressionlessly wrapped it layer by layer in oilcloth and tucked it close to his body.

Its value was likely no less than that Hundred Refinements Saber.

Lu Chen suddenly opened the ancestral hall's door, entered, and slowly sat down.

The two Warriors found it strange but dared not ask a single question, not even to breathe loudly.

Lu Chen, eyes closed, sank his mind entirely into that vast ocean of lifespan.

Three hundred and eighty-eight years!

"System," he suppressed the heat in his heart and issued his first command in his mind, "Open the Deduction Furnace."

[Deduction Furnace is now open.]

"Insert Body Evasion Steps, Shadow Step!"

[Detected unranked movement technique Body Evasion Steps (Minor Mastery), Mysterious Grade Low Rank movement technique Shadow Step (Minor Mastery). The two techniques share similar attributes with extremely high compatibility and can be fused.]

[The fusion will take Shadow Step as the main body, absorbing the essence of agile dodging and shifting from Body Evasion Steps, and is expected to generate a brand-new Mysterious Grade Low Rank movement technique.]

[Will you consume four hundred years of Demon Devil Lifespan to proceed with the fusion deduction?]

Seeing the number above, even Lu Chen couldn't help but sharply inhale. This technique consumed far more Demon Devil Lifespan than his Turtle Breath Technique.

"Yes!"

[Command confirmed. Consuming four hundred years of Demon Devil Lifespan. Fusion begins...]

In an instant, Lu Chen's mind transformed into a boundless training ground.

Countless fragments of insight regarding dodging, maneuvering, stealth, and breath concealment collided, annihilated, and recombined like billions of stars!

When the first ray of morning light pierced through the clouds, illuminating the imposing silhouette of the Demon Suppression Division, Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze had become deeper than ever before, as if reflecting a dark, starry void.

[Fusion successful!]

[Congratulations, host, on obtaining a new technique—Shadow Demon Trace Steps!]

[Shadow Demon Trace Steps (Mysterious Grade Low Rank): Fusing the ghostly stealth of phantoms with the erratic shifting of impermanence, the practitioner can transform into an intangible demon shadow, walking in the gaps of light and shadow. Its traces are unfathomable, its tracks impossible to find.]