Chapter 18: Ghost in the Wild

Chapter 17: Ghost in the Wild

Luo Feng's journey had begun.

Assigned to the Jiang-Nan region as a rookie martial artist, he moved with vigor and ambition. His heart burned with ideals: to protect his family, earn honor, and one day rise to the level of those legends he admired.

Si Feng watched quietly from the shadows.

He monitored every mission, stepping in only when absolutely necessary nudging a beast's path just slightly, deflecting a fatal claw with a silent ripple of force, or delivering rare medicinal herbs to Luo Feng's supply cache without a word.

He didn't interfere with fate. He simply… adjusted the variables.

And as Luo Feng grew, so did Si Feng's world.

The Alchemist in the Core

In the secret lab inside his internal world, Orochimaru toiled endlessly. His hands moved like a surgeon, eyes gleaming with inhuman clarity.

Success after success.

He developed a chakra-based healing serum, capable of regenerating internal injuries and stabilizing the cellular structure of injured martial artists far beyond Earth's current tech.

He brewed Bloodline Awakening Potions, capable of triggering hidden potential in ancient warrior families, extracted from the genetic remnants of simulated tailed beasts and restructured for humans.

He designed a new class of weapons, forged from a metal alloy created by infusing chakra essence with black beast emperor scales and rare Earth metals—stronger than Z-grade alloys, resonant with energy, and bonded directly to the user's consciousness.

The HR Alliance was stunned. Their ghost scientist had revolutionized multiple fields in under a year. They offered him a private research facility and top-level clearance. Orochimaru accepted… under Si Feng's name.

It was only a matter of time before the world noticed.

The Ghost in the Wild

It happened during one of Si Feng's midnight excursions.

Deep in the wastelands outside Base City 023, he encountered a beast emperor—a giant serpent-beast mutated with crystalline armor and a domain ability of magnetic suppression.

The clash was earth-shaking.

The serpent screeched as Si Feng's chakra-enhanced blade tore through its scales. His body blurred with origin force and silent space-time flickers. He was faster. Stronger. But this beast had lived centuries. It fought with instinct and rage.

Their battle lit the night sky in flashes of energy and exploding terrain.

And then, a second presence descended.

Hong.

The strongest human on Earth. The guardian of the Eastern Cities. He landed silently, watching the impossible scene unfold before him.

His eyes narrowed.

He recognized the beast emperor—it had taken five wargods to injure it last time.

But the youth… was holding his own. No, more than that—dominating.

The battle ended with a roar. Si Feng crushed the beast's head beneath his heel, his blade vanishing into storage as if the fight was nothing but practice.

"You've grown bold," Hong said, stepping into view.

Si Feng turned slowly. No fear. No alarm.

"Was I supposed to ask permission to protect Earth?"

Hong's eyes flickered with silent evaluation. "Your domain... it's suppressing mine."

A sphere of pressure expanded from Hong's body—his proudest achievement, a peak-level combat domain developed over decades.

But Si Feng didn't move. His own domain expanded in response—silent, dense, and infused with temporal instability. Hong's pressure crumpled like paper.

He staggered.

"You're not... planetary level. You're beyond that, aren't you?"

Si Feng didn't confirm. He didn't need to.

Hong composed himself slowly, still watching.

"Why the secrecy?"

"Because this world isn't ready," Si Feng said calmly. "If you knew, others would know. And if they knew, the wrong ones would act."

Hong was silent for a long time.

Then he nodded. "So you walk in shadows. Just know… I'll be watching too."

With a soft blur of motion, Si Feng vanished, leaving only a ruined battlefield and a lingering pressure that wouldn't fade for hours.

Elsewhere

In Luo Feng's quarters, a new crate appeared—inside were chakra-forged daggers and a strange red pill that shimmered with warmth.

Luo Feng blinked in confusion, then smiled faintly.

He didn't know who had sent it.

But somehow, he felt safer that night.