Chapter 33: The Shadow King
The Black Fang Gang was finished.
The air in the hideout was thick with blood and dust. The gang members lay on the ground, some unconscious, others groaning in pain. The ones still awake stared at Asher as if he were a demon.
Which, to be fair, wasn't too far from the truth.
Asher rolled his shoulders, feeling the energy coursing through him. His Steel Fist technique had strengthened his body. Silent Steps had made his movements undetectable. And Shadow Veil?
That was something else entirely.
The moment he activated it in battle, something changed. The shadows weren't just concealing him. They were moving with him. Reacting.
His Summoning Shadow was awakening.
And this was just the beginning.
He stepped forward, placing a boot on the gang leader's chest. The man—Scarface—groaned, blood dripping from his lips.
"You—cough—you crazy bastard…"
Asher smiled. "Not crazy. Just efficient."
Scarface struggled, trying to push him off. Asher applied pressure.
CRACK.
The man screamed as something in his ribs snapped.
The remaining gang members flinched.
Asher knelt down, his tone casual. "Alright. New rules."
Scarface coughed, his face pale. "Rules…?"
Asher grinned. "Yeah. You work for me now."
Silence.
The gang members exchanged glances. One of them—still clutching a broken arm—spoke up. "Why the hell would we—"
Asher lifted a finger.
The shadows beneath him twisted.
A chill spread through the air as something shifted.
It was subtle. Just a flicker. A ripple in the darkness.
But it was felt.
Every man in the room suddenly realized they couldn't move.
It wasn't Qi. It wasn't a technique. It was pure fear.
Asher's smile didn't falter. "Because the alternative is much worse."
The men gulped.
Scarface gritted his teeth. "You're just a kid. You can't—"
Asher raised his fist.
Scarface barely had time to register what happened before a punch—coated in Steel Fist Qi—slammed into his face.
BOOM!
His body flew across the room, crashing through a table before slamming against the wall. He collapsed, unmoving.
Asher turned back to the rest of the gang.
"Any other objections?"
Silence.
Then—heads shook violently.
Asher clapped his hands. "Great! Welcome to the Shadow Fang Gang."
Someone whispered, "That's just our name, but with 'shadow' added…"
Asher grinned. "Exactly."
Over the next few days, the slums changed.
Under normal circumstances, killing or beating a gang leader would lead to retaliation.
But no one dared to challenge Asher.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
They said he could disappear into the shadows.
That he could break bones with a flick of his wrist.
That he wasn't human.
The Black Fang Gang's territory was now his. Every street rat, pickpocket, and thug now answered to him.
And Asher?
He loved it.
Not because of power. He didn't care about ruling over beggars.
But because money flowed straight to him.
Every illegal business in the slums—smuggling, gambling, even small-time alchemy trades—paid him tribute.
His first breakthrough into the Qi Gathering Realm? Funded by crime.
The night of his breakthrough, Asher sat alone in a dark chamber beneath an abandoned warehouse. A single candle flickered beside him, its glow barely reaching the walls.
The pouch of spirit stones in his hands was the key.
Spirit stones contained condensed Qi—the lifeblood of cultivation. Normally, only sect disciples or rich nobles had access to them.
Asher?
He stole them.
He cracked his knuckles, took a deep breath, and began.
Qi surged into him the moment he crushed the first spirit stone in his palm. The energy rushed through his veins, colliding with his own fragile Qi pathways.
It was painful.
Like his entire body was being rebuilt from the inside out.
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to absorb it. More. More.
The shadows around him twitched.
They were… responding.
No. Feeding.
Asher's vision blurred. His body trembled.
Then—
BOOM.
A shockwave of Qi exploded outward, snuffing out the candle's light.
The room was now pitch black.
And yet… Asher could see everything.
The walls. The ceiling. The very air itself.
His Summoning Shadow had awakened.
Beneath him, shapes began to form.
They weren't just shadows anymore. They were alive.
A single figure emerged from the darkness, kneeling before him.
Its body was featureless—made of pure shadow. Its form flickered, shifting like smoke.
But its voice…
"Master."
Asher exhaled slowly, staring at his creation.
A Shadow Minion. The first of many.
He smirked.
"Time to start playing seriously."
The next morning, Shin Kaede nearly had a heart attack when she found Asher sitting on a rooftop, casually eating a meat bun.
"You—!" She pointed at him, eyes wide. "You're alive?!"
Asher raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware I died."
She stomped forward. "Everyone's saying you took over the slums! That you beat Scarface half to death! That you—"
She froze.
Her gaze dropped to his feet.
His shadow.
It was moving.
Not like a normal shadow. Not following the sun's position.
It was shifting on its own.
Her mouth went dry. "…Asher."
He took another bite of his bun. "Hmm?"
She swallowed hard. "What… are you?"
Asher smiled. A slow, knowing smile.
He could tell the truth. That he was something beyond gods. That he had once destroyed entire systems of power. That he had erased false deities from existence.
But instead, he simply said:
"A businessman."
Kaede stared at him.
Then sighed. "I really regret meeting you."
Asher grinned. "You'll regret it even more when I tell you what we're doing next."
She groaned. "Why do I feel like it's something illegal?"
"Because it is."
She buried her face in her hands. "Of course it is."
Asher chuckled. "Come on. We're robbing an auction house."
Kaede choked.
"You're insane!"
Asher shrugged. "Rich people hoard all the best cultivation techniques. We need resources."
She threw her hands up. "That's called stealing!"
"No," Asher corrected. "That's called redistributing wealth."
"…You're a menace to society."
Asher stretched his arms, his shadow minion rising behind him like a silent specter.
"And soon?" He grinned.
"I'll be a menace to the entire Immortal Realm."