Chapter 27: First Blood in the Inner Sect
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The Inner Sect of the Azure Cloud Sect was a realm apart. The air, thick with spiritual Qi that hummed with invigorating energy, settled over serene courtyards and ancient, sprawling cultivation halls.
Li Shen had spent his first few days here in quiet absorption. His private cultivation chamber, though modest, was a sanctuary of concentrated spiritual essence, allowing him to meditate and consolidate his Qi Condensation Stage 9 with newfound efficiency. He browsed the vast Inner Sect library, its shelves laden with scrolls and tomes detailing advanced cultivation arts, and even selected a foundational blade technique that promised to further refine his already potent Blade Intent Stage 4.
But even within the tranquility of the Inner Sect, the need for action gnawed at him. His Heaven Asura Destruction Body, still locked at 922 demon kills, pulsed with a subtle, insistent hunger, a constant reminder of the power waiting to be unleashed. He needed to find more demons.
One crisp morning, Li Shen sought out his new companions. He found Ran Qiu and Xue Jin at the Inner Sect Mission Hall, a grand, austere chamber where powerful disciples and even elders debated intricate tasks. The mission board here wasn't filled with simple beast hunts or escort duties; it displayed quests ranging from guarding remote spiritual mines to investigating ancient ruins, and, most importantly for Li Shen, exterminating serious demonic incursions.
"Figured you'd be here," Ran Qiu greeted, a wide grin splitting his face as he tapped a scroll on the mission board. "This one looks juicy. 'Extermination of Demonic Blight in the Blackwood Forest.' They're offering a hefty reward, and by the sounds of it, plenty of targets."
Xue Jin, standing beside him, nodded slowly. "The reports indicate a rapid escalation. Not just ordinary demons, but signs of organized dark Qi. Could be a nest, or worse." Her half-lidded eyes drifted to Li Shen. "More than enough for three. And it pays well."
Li Shen's gaze sharpened. "Blackwood Forest? I'm in." He felt a stirring in his core, the anticipation of fulfilling his constitution's demands.
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Their journey to the Blackwood Forest took several days, travelling by sect-provided spiritual mounts – swift, hardy beasts that devoured miles effortlessly. As they approached their destination, the vibrant spiritual energy of the Zhou Empire's cultivated lands gradually gave way to a darker, more oppressive aura. The trees of Blackwood Forest were gnarled and twisted, their leaves an unnatural, sickly black, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. A chilling silence hung in the air, broken only by the rustle of their mounts' hooves on withered leaves.
"The Qi here is heavy," Xue Jin murmured, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her slender sword. "Corrupted. It's affecting the spiritual vegetation."
Ran Qiu sniffed the air, his brow furrowing. "Definitely not just wild demons. This feels… deliberate."
They dismounted at the forest's edge, proceeding on foot. Almost immediately, low-level demons emerged from the gloom – twisted creatures with bulging eyes and razor claws. Li Shen moved like a phantom, his blade a silver blur. His Blade Intent Stage 4 allowed him to perceive their weak points with uncanny precision, each strike fatally precise. He accumulated demon kills with chilling efficiency, his internal counter ticking upwards: 925… 930… 935…
Xue Jin's contribution was unique. Her Wind Spiritual Root and Sound Dao manifested in swirling gusts that disoriented the demons, followed by sharp, almost imperceptible sonic bursts that shattered their crude defenses. Ran Qiu, meanwhile, was a master of adaptation, mimicking the demons' grotesque movements to dodge their attacks, then utilizing strange, hybridized techniques he'd observed from previous battles to create openings or trap them. Their teamwork was fluid, each complementing the others' strengths.
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As they delved deeper, the forest grew darker, the demonic Qi denser. They encountered more formidable foes: hulking fiends with armored hides, nimble imps that darted through the shadows, and grotesque, multi-limbed horrors. The fighting intensified, pushing them to rely on their honed skills and quick thinking.
Li Shen felt the Heaven Asura Destruction Body stir with increasing intensity, a growing hunger for the final activation. The closer he got to that 1,000 mark, the more a primal urge resonated within him, making his blood thrum with a dark, almost intoxicating anticipation.
Suddenly, a flicker of dark Qi, subtly different from the demons', caught Ran Qiu's sharp eye.
"Hold!" he whispered, dropping into a crouch. "Cultivators. And they're not from the Azure Cloud Sect."
Peering through the shadowy undergrowth, they spotted them: a small group of robed figures, surrounded by a swirling aura of deep crimson Qi, methodically subduing a powerful horned demon. Their movements were insidious, their techniques infused with a malevolent spiritual energy that hinted at forbidden practices.
"Blood Ritual Temple," Xue Jin breathed, her voice tight with recognition. "One of the Hidden Demonic Sects."
Ran Qiu's grin vanished, replaced by a grim set to his jaw. "Cultivating demons? Or harvesting them for their dark arts. They're violating the peace and strengthening the demonic presence. This just became more than a demon hunt."
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A fierce battle erupted as the Demonic Sect cultivators realized they had been discovered. They were ruthless, their movements deceptively fluid, wielding dark Qi that corroded the very air. One, a gaunt figure wielding a bone-bladed scythe, moved with a horrifying grace, his attacks aimed at Li Shen.
Li Shen met him head-on, his dao a silver arc against the encroaching darkness. The Demonic Sect cultivator's Qi was insidious, attempting to seep into his meridians with every parry. Li Shen countered with the surgical precision of his Blade Intent Stage 4, dissecting the enemy's attack patterns, finding the minute gaps in their dark Qi defenses. Each strike was aimed at severing not just flesh, but the very flow of their malevolent energy.
Xue Jin unleashed a chilling sonic scream that disoriented another demonic cultivator, allowing Ran Qiu to leap in, mimicking the enemy's own shadow-step technique to deliver a devastating counter-attack. They were facing true danger, a different kind of fight than the mindless ferocity of demons.
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During the intense clash, Li Shen's battle with the bone-scythe wielder reached its peak. The demonic cultivator was powerful, their forbidden arts twisting reality around them. Li Shen pushed through their defenses, his every movement a testament to his sharpened intent. He plunged his blade into the demonic cultivator's chest, not just killing him, but feeling a profound drain of corrupt energy that was quickly absorbed by his own constitution.
998.
He swung his blade, decapitating a grotesque demon that tried to flank him.
999.
Then, with a final, desperate surge of the Demonic Sect cultivator's cronies, one last corrupted beast lunged. Li Shen's blade flashed, finding its heart.
1,000!
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The moment the count clicked to one thousand, an instantaneous, cataclysmic transformation seized Li Shen. It wasn't a gradual shift, but an explosive, internal liberation. The oppressive burden of the Heaven Suppression that had shackled his cultivation for so long shattered into a million fragments.
A torrent of raw, untamed spiritual energy, purified and supercharged by the distilled essence of a thousand slain demons, erupted within his Dantian. It surged through every meridian, every vein, every fiber of his being, reshaping his spiritual foundation.
A low, guttural hum, almost a primal roar, vibrated from deep within him, shaking the very earth. For a brief, terrifying instant, his eyes blazed with a deep, furious crimson, and a tangible, dark crimson aura, laced with a subtle, swirling pattern of ancient power, burst forth from his body. The surrounding demonic Qi recoiled, pushed back by an even more potent, primordial force. Nearby demons, sensing this overwhelming new predator, cowered, whimpered, and fled in disarray.
Riding the wave of this massive, instantaneous awakening, Li Shen simultaneously shattered the bottleneck of Qi Condensation Stage 9. His spiritual energy consolidated, forming a solid, vibrant core within his Dantian. He had successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage 1.
This was no ordinary breakthrough; it was a direct, violent leap, fueled by the activation of his Heaven Asura Destruction Body.
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In the Divine World: The Ancient Alarm
Far above, in the pristine, ethereal reaches of the Divine World, within the sacred, gleaming halls of the Heaven Will Judgment Clan, an ancient, colossal artifact known as the Heaven's Scrutiny Mirror flared violently. Its surface, normally a placid expanse reflecting the celestial currents, now pulsed with a terrifying, blood-red light that stretched across the vast chamber. Runes carved into its golden frame glowed with an alarming intensity, resonating with a deep, ominous hum.
Elder Zhen, a venerable figure cloaked in robes woven from starlight, his face etched with the wisdom of millennia, rushed towards the mirror, his serene expression replaced by one of profound alarm. Other clan elders and powerful figures materialized, their shock palpable.
"The Asura bloodline..." Elder Zhen's voice, usually calm and measured, was strained. "It has activated. A major awakening!"
A younger, zealous Heaven Will Emissary stepped forward, his face pale. "But how? We purged them all! The last trace was millennia ago!"
"The signal is undeniable," Elder Zhen declared, pointing a trembling finger at the swirling red maelstrom in the mirror. "A full activation. But... the location..." His eyes narrowed in frustration. "The signal is too broad! The vastness of the cosmos, the layers of realms... We know it's in a Mortal World, but which one? From which Immortal World does the spiritual resonance originate?"
The truth was horrifying. Due to the sheer scale of the 99 Immortal Worlds, each overseeing 99,999 Mortal Worlds, pinpointing the precise location of the awakened bloodline was an impossible task with the initial, raw signal.
"Dispatch Heaven Will Emissaries!" Elder Zhen commanded, his voice ringing with urgency. "To the Immortal Worlds closest to this general spiritual vicinity. Command them to begin a meticulous, clandestine search. Let no stone be unturned. Investigate every significant spiritual anomaly, every unusual event, every new genius. Start with the Immortal Worlds themselves, then cascade down into their respective Mortal Worlds."
His voice hardened, tinged with a chilling resolve. "An anomaly that escaped our Judgment has reappeared. The consequences of its unchecked growth are unthinkable. Find it. Eliminate it."
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Back in the Mortal World: The Aftermath of Transformation
Back in the now eerily silent Blackwood Forest, Li Shen stood amidst the dissipated demonic Qi, his body thrumming with raw power. His crimson eyes had faded, but the change was profound. He was Li Shen, yet he was more. The Heaven Asura Destruction Body was undeniably active, a volatile, potent force flowing through him.
He was now a Foundation Establishment Stage 1 cultivator, the realm he had dreamed of for so long, but the path to it had been utterly unique, irrevocably tied to his cursed constitution.
Ran Qiu and Xue Jin stood frozen, their faces a mixture of shock, awe, and a hint of fear. They had witnessed Li Shen's sudden, terrifying transformation. The burst of power, the primal roar, the crimson light – it was nothing short of miraculous, yet deeply unsettling.
Ran Qiu was the first to break the silence, his voice a strained whisper. "Li Shen... what... what was that?" His usual mischievous glint was replaced by genuine bewilderment.
Xue Jin, ever observant, simply stared, her mind undoubtedly racing to categorize and understand the impossible phenomenon she'd just witnessed. Her hand hovered near her sword hilt.
Li Shen took a deep, shaky breath, the foreign power settling within him. He looked at his companions, understanding the questions in their eyes. He couldn't fully explain it, not yet.
"A breakthrough," he said, his voice deeper, resonating with a new power. "And... something more. An old power, awakened."
He met Xue Jin's probing gaze, then Ran Qiu's curious one. Their friendship, forged in shared battles, was being tested by the sheer impossibility of what they'd seen. But there was also curiosity, a hint of wonder.
"Foundation Establishment," Ran Qiu breathed, the realization sinking in. "You just... jumped." He shook his head, a wry smile finally returning. "Well, you certainly don't do things by halves, do you? Just when I thought you couldn't get any more puzzling."
Xue Jin finally lowered her hand from her sword, a flicker of what might have been excitement in her eyes. "This... complicates things. But it means you're stronger."
"We should finish the mission, then report back," Li Shen stated, his new voice calm and resolute. He felt the vast power at his command, terrifying yet exhilarating. He had found his true power, and now, the Heaven Will Judgment Clan knew it.
The hunt had begun, but he was no longer a defenseless lamb.
He was a sharpened blade.
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