Rebirth

When Han Shuo came rushing all the way back to the students' tents, he suddenly noticed that Gene had not gone to sleep. Instead, he was sitting outside his tent, bored out of his mind.

"Oh, Brian, have you seen Fanny and Lisa?" Hearing Han Shuo's footsteps, Gene immediately stood up and asked.

Han Shuo nodded and said calmly, "Yes. Teacher Fanny and Lisa will be here soon. Teacher Gene, why haven't you gone to bed yet?"

"Oh, Clark suddenly had something to attend to and left. He asked me to apologize to Fanny for him. Ha, honestly, that Clark. He left just like that without giving any reason. It really was rather baffling."

Gene's words stirred something in Han Shuo's mind. He immediately understood that Clark's rash behavior in the pool earlier must have angered Fanny and Lisa. Knowing that he could not explain himself, Clark had left so abruptly.

"I see. Teacher Gene, I still need to gather some things nearby. When Teacher Fanny and Lisa arrive, tell them I'll be back before dawn." With that, Han Shuo hurried south without waiting to see whether Gene agreed, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Although Han Shuo's body was not stiff or weak, the earlier blow from the Deepwater Venom Python's tail had certainly been unpleasant, and he really was injured now. Han Shuo knew that once Fanny and Lisa returned, they would inevitably pester him again, leaving him unable to use his Demonic Cultivation Art to heal his body. He therefore decided simply to avoid them for the time being. By tomorrow, at least most of their anger would have faded, and there should be no trouble then.

On a thick, leafy branch some ten meters above the ground, in a towering tree to the south, Han Shuo sat cross-legged by himself. Holding his breath and focusing his mind, he silently tempered his body over and over with Demonic Essence.

Time slipped by unnoticed. As Demonic Essence circulated through Han Shuo's body, the lingering pain gradually grew less severe. Every part of his skin, flesh, sinews, and bones seemed filled with surging strength.

While Han Shuo was absorbed in this state, a faint pain first arose in his mind, then spread throughout his body. Fierce agony abruptly erupted, ten times more violent, forcing an immediate howl of pain from him.

A series of sharp cracks rang out from within Han Shuo's body along with his agonized cries. With these sounds, faint wisps of impure air seeped from his pores. His skin rippled like the surface of water disturbed by a pebble. Once the impure air and harmful substances inside his body had all drained through his pores, a hazy black radiance faintly wreathed his body.

He did not know how long this state lasted before all the pain in his body suddenly vanished without a trace. With a thud, he sprang down from the branch ten meters above the ground, his body frighteningly nimble and agile.

It worked! He had finally broken through the first stage of the Demonic Cultivation Art, "Solid Body," today. From now on, Han Shuo's body could be considered reborn. Whether in strength, flexibility, or toughness, it had far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Having passed the most basic "Solid Body" realm, Han Shuo would inevitably achieve twice the results with half the effort in his future cultivation.

At a thought, Demonic Essence flowed without obstruction. Not only could it reach his limbs, chest, and abdomen, it could now easily reach his head as well. Han Shuo examined his exposed skin and saw that not a trace remained of the scars that had always marked his body. His skin and flesh were smooth and firm. As he moved, he distinctly felt as though he had grown another centimeter or two.

Looking up at the sky, Han Shuo found that it was still late at night. Immersed in the joy of what felt like a new life, he kept circulating Demonic Essence through his limbs and bones, excitedly experiencing every change in his body.

Suddenly, a thought struck Han Shuo, and he remembered the pouch and Jade Box he carried with him. The last time he had used the strange object inside the Jade Box to meditate and cultivate his Mental Power, nearly all his Mental Power had been sucked away. Only when Demonic Essence flowed into his brain had he escaped danger and reaped enormous benefits.

Now that he had broken through the "Solid Body" realm, Han Shuo could freely direct Demonic Essence to any part of his body, including his head, which had been the hardest place to reach. Recalling the enormous benefits he had gained before, he could no longer suppress his desire. He immediately sat cross-legged and took out the pouch he kept close to his body.

He opened the box. The eyeball-like orb still looked as strange and inscrutable as ever. As Han Shuo focused his Mental Power and slowly began concentrating it within the orb, the events of last time repeated themselves. The orb instantly emitted a hazy blue-green radiance, and a drop of blood-red within it gave off an oppressive, uncomfortable feeling.

Han Shuo's Mental Power streamed rapidly into the orb inside the Jade Box, as though being sucked in by a whale drawing water. As the Mental Power in his brain drained away ceaselessly, the pain in his head grew increasingly severe.

Finally, when Han Shuo felt that his head was about to burst, he willed the Demonic Essence resting in his lower abdomen to shoot into his brain. A boom rang through his head, and as the pain intensified, Han Shuo instantly let out an agonized howl. At the same time, surging Mental Power swept back like an overwhelming tide, instantly flooding his brain.

Han Shuo abruptly collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his mind muddled. This state lasted for a while before he slowly returned to normal. He felt that his Mental Power had indeed increased greatly once again, and in his delight, he could not help gazing at the orb.

Suddenly, Han Shuo saw threads of green light ripple inside the orb. These lights continually joined and intertwined, like a brush sketching a picture. In a short while, an image emerged within it-a strange grayish-brown castle.

After briefly appearing, the green lines suddenly vanished without a trace. Only the drop of crimson inside, like a drop of blood, kept flashing. It actually took the shape of a red arrow, and when it stopped moving, it pointed straight south.

What did this mean? What did the direction of the red arrow indicate?

Han Shuo fell into a daze for a moment, staring blankly at the speck of red inside the orb as his mind raced. Finally, he became certain of one thing-the red arrow inside this orb indicated a direction, as though leading toward a destination.

After hesitating for a moment, he looked at the sky. His curiosity had been thoroughly aroused. In the end, he abruptly grabbed the Jade Box and swiftly headed deeper south, following the direction it indicated.

Along the way, Han Shuo clearly sensed that the farther south he went, the more sounds of large magical beasts moving came from around him. Danger filled the thorny route, leaving him rather apprehensive. He glanced at the orb in his hand from time to time and discovered that the arrow inside kept changing direction, as though pointing out the correct routes for him to take.

After he had continued this way for a long time, the red arrow inside the orb in Han Shuo's hand disappeared. The crimson speck, like fresh blood, appeared again. The green radiance of the entire orb grew increasingly bright, and powerful magical fluctuations emanated from within.

Han Shuo stopped and surveyed his surroundings. He found himself in an ordinary patch of land overgrown with weeds and tall shrubs. In the distance, the branches of enormous, unknown trees intertwined. Under the moonlight, they cast bizarre shadows across the ground, like huge monsters in the darkness.

As Han Shuo concentrated on his surroundings, he suddenly noticed something strange. Elsewhere in the Dark Forest, no matter how quiet it was, there would always be some sounds of insects. But here, he found that the area was almost deathly silent. Not a single insect called, and he could sense no trace of living creatures nearby.

Strange. Beneath its ordinary appearance, the entire area gave Han Shuo a faint, inexplicable feeling. It felt vaguely familiar and comforting, as though it were something he had long grown accustomed to. Yet when he thought carefully, he found that he had no idea what was going on.

Just as Han Shuo was puzzling over this in bewilderment, the orb inside the Jade Box in his hand suddenly flew out of its own accord. Lines of magic were traced in green light across its surface. Han Shuo could feel powerful magical fluctuations suddenly emanating from the empty air, growing increasingly intense as the orb's green light shone over the area.

Watching closely, Han Shuo suddenly discovered that the surrounding area illuminated by the green light was undergoing changes that left him dumbfounded. Wherever the green light shone on the ground, the weeds and shrubs instantly vanished without a trace, giving way to dry, grayish-brown earth piled with stark white bones.

Some of the towering, leafy trees nearby also transformed beneath the green light, becoming the skeletons of enormous undead creatures. If Han Shuo remembered correctly, those huge skeletons should have belonged to bone dragons, the most terrifying dark creatures of legend.

Death-a deathly silent, desolate expanse. Beneath the green light, the entire area seemed to have instantly become an eternally unchanging Death Kingdom.

At its center stood a huge grayish-brown castle, half suspended in the air and half buried deep underground. Sharp, strange spikes surrounded the castle, and images of dark creatures were carved into every side of its walls.

Han Shuo stared in shock for a long while before finally murmuring in horror, "Th-this couldn't be the legendary Death Cemetery, could it?"