The Way of Evil Dao! (1)

With a sigh, Su Xiaobai gathered some dry branches and lit a small flame near the cave entrance.

As the fire crackled to life, its warm glow spread across the clearing, casting flickering shadows on the rocky walls.

The flame's light danced across Su Xiaobai's face, accentuating the sharp angles of his features and the gleam in his eyes.

He settled down beside the fire, pulling out the one-horned rabbit he had caught earlier. It was a small, agile creature, known for its speed and sharp horn. Not much of a challenge for him, but good enough for a meal.

He skewered the rabbit over the fire, watching as the flames licked at its flesh, the aroma of roasting meat soon filling the air.

The sounds of the night began to grow around him. The cicadas' song grew louder, a steady drone that seemed to pulse with the heartbeat of the forest.

In the distance, the occasional low growl or rustling of leaves hinted at creatures moving through the underbrush, but none came near—yet.

The fire's glow offered a small circle of safety, but Su Xiaobai knew that in a place like this, it was an illusion.

The true dangers lay in what couldn't be seen.

As the rabbit sizzled and began to crisp, Su Xiaobai's mind wandered. His eyes drifted to the glowing crescent moon, now shining brighter against the deepening blue of the night sky.

Stars began to twinkle into existence, one by one, like fireflies dotting the heavens.

Sitting alone in the fading light, Su Xiaobai couldn't help but feel a small pang of annoyance. "I didn't come all this way to get stumped by a stupid rock," he muttered, reaching into his robe.

His hand brushed against the cold metal of the Infernal Emperor's spatial ring. He had only skimmed through its contents earlier, too focused on reaching the cave.

But now seemed as good a time as any to explore what treasures the Infernal Emperor might have left behind.

As he rummaged through the ring's treasures, weapons, and relics, his fingers stopped on something strange—an old, rugged book.

The moment he touched it, a chill ran down his spine. He pulled it out, holding it to the light of the fire.

The cover was deep black, the texture rough to the touch, as though it had been through centuries of wear.

But the golden threads stitched into the front spelled out something that caught his attention. They gleamed faintly in the firelight, exuding an aura both sinister and strangely inviting.

"The Way of Evil Dao?" Su Xiaobai read aloud, his brow furrowing.

The book felt heavy in his hands—heavier than it should. It reminded him of something Ning Gufan had once said, though his memories of that were fuzzy. "Why doesn't that tightwad's memory mention anything about this? He used to throw around the term Evil Dao like it was some grand secret…"

Intrigued, Su Xiaobai carefully opened the book.

To his surprise, the pages weren't made of paper but thin sheets of gold, polished to a gleam. Yet, what was more alarming was the ink—deep red, with the faint scent of blood still clinging to it.

The moment the first page flipped open, the words on it lifted from the surface, floating into the air before his eyes.

"Take the heavens as your wife and the earth as your concubine…"

Su Xiaobai's eyebrow shot up. "Well, that's one way to live."

"Make the mundane world your cauldron, forging the grand path of Yin and Yang through Dual Cultivation…"

His expression turned to one of amusement. "Sounds like the same garbage that crazy old guy carved into that cave wall. Did he rip it off from this?"

But as his eyes moved to the next passage, his smile faded.

"Seal the yin of death from the heavens, suppress the yang of fate, seize the lust of the skies, and give birth to the Evil Dao…"

The words shimmered, twisted, and rearranged themselves until only a single phrase remained:

THE WAY OF CORRUPTION'

"!"

Suddenly, Su Xiaobai's chest tightened.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded, each beat sending a wave of icy dread through his veins. His vision blurred, his breathing became ragged, and an overwhelming sense of nausea crashed over him.

It felt as though a thousand invisible insects were crawling beneath his skin, eating his heart.

"W-What is this...?" His voice trembled.

For the first time in years, fear—real, bone-deep fear—gripped him.

But this wasn't the fear of death; this was something far more insidious, something that clawed at his very soul.

His vision began to fade, the edges of the world darkening as if the night itself were closing in to swallow him. Desperately, he fumbled with the book, flipping to the next page with trembling fingers.

And then, just as quickly as it had come, the feeling vanished.

Gasp!

Su Xiaobai collapsed backward, gasping for air, his body drenched in cold sweat. His heart still pounded in his chest, but the suffocating terror had disappeared.

"What… what in the hell was that…?" he muttered, staring up at the starry sky. The moon above him gleamed, uncaring, while the cicadas continued their song as if nothing had happened.

Slowly, Su Xiaobai sat up, wiping the sweat from his brow. He glanced at the book, now lying harmlessly in his lap. A nervous chuckle escaped his lips. "I almost got taken out by a damn book…"

But as he stared at the faintly glowing words, something stirred within him.

It wasn't just fear.

There was power in those pages—dark, dangerous power.

And if he could master it…

Su Xiaobai sighed deeply, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. "This book is so… corrupted…" he muttered, his voice laced with both exasperation and curiosity.

He had barely escaped the grip of the 'Corruption', but just as he felt the tension release, the words on the second page began to glow, rising up into the air and circling him like ghostly fireflies.

"!"

His face darkened.

He clenched his fists, instinctively wary of what might come next.

But as always, his curiosity got the better of him.

Perhaps this next path would hold more answers, or—he dared to hope—power.

Without another thought, he let the words draw him in.

"Bind the stars as witnesses and the moon as judge..."

A chill ran down Su Xiaobai's spine as the voice that accompanied the words was no longer just an echo; it was authoritative, as though ancient celestial beings themselves were watching him.

The sky above seemed to pulse in tandem with the words, the stars twinkling unnaturally bright as if bearing silent witness.

"Walk the shadowed path of the forgotten, where rivers of innocence flow into seas of corruption…"

In his mind's eye, Su Xiaobai could see it—the rivers, once pure and untouched, being consumed by darkness as they merged with an endless, blackened sea.

The path it described was not just one of personal evil; it was a path through realms of lost souls, where forgotten histories and cursed memories shaped the very landscape.

The shadowed path stretched before him, flickering with echoes of countless sins, and Su Xiaobai felt the weight of each one pressing on his mind.

"In the land where the stars no longer shine, where gods avert their gaze, rise from the depths and make the heavens tremble at your step..."

"... The abyss of the forgotten will carry your name, and the heavens will remember what they have tried to bury."

"The Way of the Devil."