Am I a Shadow Demon?

Zhang Tie felt as if he had been having a long, sweet dream, as if he had returned to his mother's womb and become a fetus again, his whole body soaking in warm water. He did not know how long he had slept. When consciousness began stirring in his mind once more, he twisted his body a few times, then opened his eyes.

All was darkness before him. Only after a moment did Zhang Tie realize that it was not that his eyes could not see the light—it was that his entire body was wrapped in a thick layer of dark, cocoon-like membrane and hard shell.

He had actually not suffocated to death?

The thought surfaced in Zhang Tie's mind, and he began moving his limbs, tearing and ripping apart the membrane and shell enclosing him with loud ripping sounds before stepping out.

Having emerged, Zhang Tie was momentarily unaccustomed to the gentle light outside. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and only after several seconds did he begin surveying the place.

Master Abian, who had likewise been wrapped inside that blood cocoon over two meters tall, was already thoroughly dead. He had completely turned into a dried corpse, his body shriveled by nearly half, like a weathered strip of dried lizard meat. His mouth hung open, and terror still lingered on his face. The sharp horn-like object remained embedded in his chest.

Zhang Tie merely glanced at Master Abian before shifting his gaze away.

He saw the Manjusaka Little Tree, and immediately felt reassured. As long as he was still inside the Castle of Black Iron, he would be safe. Yet the Little Tree before him seemed somewhat different from the one he had seen several days ago. More specifically, it seemed to have grown taller, its branches and leaves