Shadow Realm Descends.

They waited a bit longer for the Celestial Divine Master to descend. Alex was on the verge of falling asleep; the waiting was so dull that he actually dozed off.

--

"Hmm?" Alex abruptly opened his eyes to find everything cloaked in darkness. He scanned his surroundings.

"What on earth?" Bewildered, Alex had no idea where he was. He had merely fallen asleep while waiting for the Celestial Divine Master, and now he found himself in the shadowy realm.

"Youngster..." A voice emanated from behind him.

Alex looked around and had to shield his eyes due to a sudden burst of intense light from behind.

When he opened his eyes, he beheld an elderly man clad in flowing white robes with a voluminous beard. Every aspect of the man was white, and his pale skin seemed to glow.

"Who are you?" Alex inquired, uncertain whether this being was akin to the demon Ren Yunxia had encountered.

"My name is..." The old man began.

"I don't care about your name, old man. What are you? A demon? A spirit? A soul?" Alex questioned, his curiosity centered on the identity of this enigmatic presence.

"But you asked... very well... I am a celestial descended from the heavens. I have witnessed your potential and have chosen to bestow immense power upon you, young lad. You possess a brilliant future; all you need to do is accept this light into your soul." The old man extended his hands, causing a radiant orb to approach Alex.

"Where should I put this?" Alex asked, his thoughts swirling about the old man's identity.

"Right here," the old man replied, pointing behind Alex.

Alex turned to look and was taken aback. In the dark expanse, he saw a flickering light-blue flame. It was bound by cosmic-like chains, and these chains appeared to be increasingly fractured. Alex was astonished because this was something he shouldn't be encountering just yet—his own spirit. It was on the brink of breaking free. Once he reached the Soul Gathering Level, he would be able to utilize his spirit in various ways.

"So, I just accept it?" Alex inquired.

"Indeed, young one," the old man nodded serenely.

With a smile, Alex approached his spirit. "Here, you mean?" he confirmed.

"Yes," the old man affirmed.

However, what transpired next left him utterly flabbergasted.

BANG!

Alex clenched his fists, causing the radiant light to shatter.

"Aghh!" The old man's luminous aura diminished significantly, and he slumped. "What have you done, youngster!" he rasped.

"A parasite, huh? (I can't believe this kid had a dawg in him so celestial master trying to take over his body). Quite a peculiar situation, old man, i need you to answer some of my questions. i wonder somethings that you can answer." Alex commented, stepping closer to him.

"Why should I provide any answers?" the old man ground his teeth, lacking strength in this form; he was nothing more than a soul. He couldn't exert more power, as it would jeopardize his soul.

"Why did you manifest in this kid's body? He doesn't seem to have any talent, " Alex inquired.

"You... What do you mean... wait... YOU ARE NOT THIS KID..." The old man was utterly taken aback, never expecting someone to preemptively seize control of his host body.

"Yeah, and no, all at once. Now, tell me, when did you possess this body?" Alex asked, his tone cold.

"Cough... I awakened in this body twenty-five years ago, when he was born... I—" The old man replied.

"I see, right from the time of his birth... Hmmm, were you suppressing his potential?" Alex asked, hoping for a significant revelation. Unlocking incredible potential would make Alex's cultivation more straightforward, reducing his reliance on the System. Sometimes, he struggled to acquire enough Lifespan to level up, which was a problem.

"No... His potential is negligible... I chose this body because I glimpsed his future." The old man responded.

Alex was taken aback. "Future?" This was unexpected.

"I am the Heavenly Divination Master; I can foresee the future. I saw what this boy would accomplish in the years to come, and I wished to witness how an untalented youth like him could achieve such feats. I never anticipated..." The old man looked at Alex intensely.

"I see... So, what will I do in the future?" Alex inquired.

"I could only glimpse a flickering light and a peculiar puppet. This puppet stood atop the corpses of other puppets, and above them, it confronted an immensely powerful figure. I believe that figure was you," the old man explained.

"Puppets?" Alex scratched his head in confusion. "What made you want to possess this body for that? Fighting puppets can't be that big of a deal, can it?" He probed further, "Anything else you can tell me about those puppets?"

"You fail to comprehend the power I sensed from that figure. It was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. As for the puppets, I couldn't discern much. There were flashing lights and mechanical movements in their limbs and clits just before their limbs, their limbs were very weird, —that's all I could discern." The old man replied, his gaze unwavering. he wanted to see Alex'es face good in his mind.

"Is that all?" Alex questioned again.

"Yes, that's all. Now that I've answered your questions, can you release me?" The old man pleaded.

Alex's hand extended, but instead of releasing the old man, an overwhelming surge of energy erupted from it.

"Well, you've proven rather useless," Alex remarked.

"I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING I KNEW!!!" The old man protested, surprised that Alex had not released him.

"I already know how strong I can become if I survive. Thanks for the information about the puppets. Farewell, Old Man," Alex smiled and pulled out his hand.

"YOU BASTARD!!! EVEN IF I HAVE TO PERISH, I SHALL TAKE YOU WITH ME!!! [DIVINE RETRIBUTION HEAVENLY]" The old man bellowed, conjuring lightning that enveloped him as he ascended.

BOOM!

An explosion consumed the area, including Alex.

"Huh... Huh... Huh... How was that, you dumb kid—WHAT!!!" The old man gaped in astonishment, staring at the spot where Alex had been.

Alex emerged from the explosion entirely unscathed. "I apologize, Old Man, but I'm more powerful than you think [Space Shatter Fist (1 Shatter)]." Alex employed his technique and lightly tapped the surrounding space.

BOOM!

"NOOOOOOO!!!" The old man was engulfed by the explosion.

--

"HUUUUUUUUH!!!" Alex awoke once more, gazing at Sect Master Lin.

Sect Master Lin regarded him with a mischievous grin. "How are you feeling?"

Alex began to share his revelation but was interrupted by a powerful energy. Together, they turned to observe...

Before them appeared an entity that took Alex a few seconds to comprehend. He blinked, looked again, and uttered, "What the heck?"

End Of Chapter.