Extreme Chaotic Yin Qi

"It was YOU, THE DEVOURER." Shen spat a mouthful of blood,

"Bastard… This foul Qi will alert everyone… You won't escape," Shen whispered, laughing despite his blurring vision.

"Don't worry about me," Bai She replied, his fingers morphing into claws as he tore the Eye of Truth from Shen's forehead.

As he absorbed the Eye, a green glow passed through Bai She's eyes, returning them to their normal state. But in that moment, he also regained his memories. He was no longer just Linfer. He had become the true Young Master Hu.

He cast a calm gaze at Shen, who lay dying at his feet. He had no intention of refining his essence now. Other plans awaited him.

"They're arriving sooner than expected," he realized, sensing the approaching inner disciples.

A few hundred meters away, the disciples were rushing toward the corrupted energy. Shen, despite his pain, managed a smile:

"Your fate is sealed, Devourer…"

Bai She briefly closed his eyes, regretful:

"I'm sorry, little brother. I'm too weak to save you."

"Huh?" Shen, confused, had no time to react before Bai She concentrated his Qi in his hand, triggering an internal explosion that tore through his own body.

Then he focused his power again and self-detonated.

The inner disciples were running toward the corrupted energy.

"We must act quickly. The Devourer has separated us to ambush us more easily."

The others nodded, rushing to the scene when suddenly—

*Boom*

The extreme chaotic Yin Qi exploded, sweeping across dozens of kilometers.

In the night sky, a figure was violently thrown, crashing against the walls of the Upper Realm's castle. His left arm was nothing but mangled flesh, consumed by dark energies. Blackish blood dripped from his lips, but his gaze burned with fierce determination.

"Don't worry about me!" he roared, pushing away a disciple who tried to support him. His raspy voice echoed in the cracked hall. "*Cough*… Go save Shen! He's trapped in that cursed mist!"

A young disciple with an angular face, Lian, dared to intervene: "Young Master Hu, your wounds… If you move, the Yin Qi residues will consume your meridians!"

Bai She staggered to his feet, tearing what remained of his bloodied robe. His chest revealed a pulsating wound oozing shadowy filaments. "You dare give me orders, you little shit."

"I am the heir of the Hu family! *Blood splattered* Do your ancestors even have the audacity to answer me back? Obey!"

The disciples murmured among themselves. Ming, a scarred woman, crossed her arms: "Your brother, Young Master Shen, is likely in battle with the Devourer. It would be wiser, Young Master, to stay here, lest your wounds worsen."

Bai She glared at her, but his trembling fist betrayed his shame. "Shen..." He whispered, his voice broken.

"... deserved better than a brother who hides. I led him to the Lower Realm in selfish pursuit of glory... So anyone who stops me will die before the Devourer."

Everyone knew Bai She was a weak, arrogant bastard with a big mouth. But the support behind him was immense.

Bai She, staggering, pushed aside an inner disciple.

"I am a core disciple, *Blood splattered* the sole heir of the Hu family. How could I sit here and let *Cough* inner disciples risk their lives for my selfish goal?"

"Don't blame yourself, Young Master. Defeating the Devourer will avenge all victims and free the oppressed!"

The disciples, seeing his determination, gathered around him. Even though Bai She was an arrogant, lecherous young master, he was surprisingly brave when his martial brother was in trouble. The disciples were shockingly moved to see the Young Master of the Hu family in a new light.

"All with Young Master Hu! The Devourer must not escape, even at the cost of our lives!"

They flew off, covering dozens of kilometers in minutes.

The group cut through the poisoned clouds, soaring over forests withered by Yin Qi. The disciples flew in tight formation, protective talismans crackling against the corrosive mist.

"Over there!" Lian shouted, pointing to a valley where a greenish glow lingered. The air stank of burnt flesh and rusted metal.

Ming grimaced as she landed on cracked ground: "The corpses… They've been drained like empty sacks." Around them lay shriveled bodies, faces frozen in horror.

Upon arrival, they were greeted by a scene of death: shriveled corpses of disciples present during the explosion, drained of their essence. A reddish-green mist hung in the air, thick and toxic.

Despite warnings, Bai She pressed on, determined to save Shen.

"Even if I must die, I'll bring him back and kill the Devourer." He said, disappearing into the toxic mist.

Days passed, and no disciple dared venture into certain death. Shen remained missing. When the mist finally dissipated, Bai She stumbled, clutching a rock. His mutilated arm released tendrils of chaotic Yin Qi.

Bai She collapsed to his knees before his martial brother's corpse, ignoring the burns from the cursed ground. "Shen... DAMN IT!"

He clutched the body to him, his tears evaporating in the mist.

Ming placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder: "The Devourer has fled. We must…"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Holding back tears behind a hardened expression. A murmur ran through the disciples:

"Young Master Xuan Shen is dead..."

Some approached to console him.

"You did all you could, Young Master…"

Bai She shook his head, his gaze dark.

"No, I failed. The Devourer escaped. And Shen is dead."

In a bitter voice, he declared:

"We return to the Upper Realm."

***

*Upper Realm, a few months before Xuan Shen's death*

In the mystical heights of the Upper Realm, the sky stretched like a sea of silvery mist, bathed in the soft light of an immortal sun. Mountain ranges soared toward the heavens, their peaks hidden in layers of pure Qi that flowed like luminous rivers, infusing every stone and breath with ancient vital energy. Sacred lotuses drifted lazily in crystal-clear lakes, their petals emitting a pale, enchanted glow, as if the entire world sang in silence.

*Fragrant Lotus Inn*

Waitresses in light robes adorned with silver thread poured generous cups for the two drunken young masters.

"Ah, Elder Brother Bai She, you've disobeyed Matriarch Hu again," Xuan Shen laughed, his voice slightly slurred from intoxication. He raised a cup to his lips, drinking fervently.

Bai She smiled nervously. "Little brother, no matter what I do, Mother will always punish me. She's as unyielding as the rocks of these mountains."

Xuan Shen chuckled. "Then I'll plead for mercy for my elder brother."

"By the way, little brother, among these beauties, which one is your favorite?" Bai She suddenly asked with a lecherous smile.

"Elder Brother, you forget I'm a minor. Unlike you, I care a bit about my reputation."

"Heh, even I, little brother, but in the world of cultivation, age doesn't matter."

"Elder Brother, I'll leave the choice to you. I know at least five will end up in your bed tonight."

"Heh, Xuan Shen knows his elder brother well."

Xuan Shen smiled at his friend's affirmation and took a more serious tone.

"Elder Brother, are you still serious about tomorrow?"

"Ah... After what I've done, little brother, if I don't return as the hero of the younger generation to the domain, Mother will kill me directly, even though I'm the sole young master of the ancestral Hu family."

"When I think about it, you're truly irredeemable, ha ha... Do you think we can defeat the Devourer? Maybe I should ask Sister Ruoxi or the Imperial Prince for help?"

"No need. I'll bring some inner disciples with us. This Devourer isn't the one from ancient times, and his cultivation is about the same as ours. If we manage to kill him, not only will I escape my sentence, but you might even have a chance to become the new Black Turtle."

"Then this young master will help you."

Bai She nodded with a slight, mischievous smile. His plan to steal the Eye of Truth was already in motion.