Time seemed to stand still as Chen Shuo remained motionless like a wooden post.
From the outside, he appeared to be nothing more than a soulless shell.
Powerful waves of willpower surged frantically into Chen Shuo's body, occupying his thoughts and consciousness.
"After a thousand years, I've finally been reborn. So this is what rebirth feels like? Such immense power, such a perfect vessel - at this moment, he belongs to me."
The Shadow Spirit cackled maniacally, its madness causing tremors in the surrounding area.
"I must say, aren't you celebrating a bit too early? I thought you'd be stronger than this. A thousand years of cultivation, and this is all you've got?"
Chen Shuo, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. The moment he opened his eyes, his consciousness regained control.
He had remained inactive deliberately for this very moment.
If the spirit hadn't forcibly occupied his body, he wouldn't have been able to lure it out. The talismans carved on the stone coffin were too profound - even with his power as a Demon Saint, he couldn't easily break through them.
Even if he could break through, it would severely damage the stone coffin.
His current approach allowed him to bypass the talismans without damaging the coffin.
Now the spirit was inside his body - his home territory.
The Shadow Spirit was shocked by Chen Shuo's sudden awakening. In that instant, it completely lost its ability to move freely within Chen Shuo's body.
"How... how is this possible? This can't be happening! No one can break free from my constraints, no one!"
The Shadow Spirit voiced its defiance. It had already taken control of nearly eighty percent of Chen Shuo's body.
Just a little more, and it would have completely possessed Chen Shuo's body.
But Chen Shuo's sudden revival of consciousness had changed everything.
It was gradually losing control over Chen Shuo's body, and moreover, a mysterious powerful force was now surging into Chen Shuo.
[Ding! Powerful energy entity detected within host's body. Would you like to forcibly refine it?]
"Yes!" Chen Shuo responded without hesitation.
[System initiating, refinement mode activated! Refinement progress: 0%...1.5%...3%...]
After the cold, mechanical female voice spoke, Chen Shuo's body was enveloped in a holy light.
Under the baptism of that holy light, changes began occurring within Chen Shuo's body.
Countless streams of cold, dark energy swirled and coursed through his body.
Originally, Chen Shuo had planned to lure it into his body to destroy it, but this unexpected surprise was even better - the system could help him merge with it, which delighted him immensely.
"You like to devour, don't you? Well then, I'll let you devour to your heart's content!"
Chen Shuo laughed coldly. Without holding back, he channeled the cold, dark energy within his body, frantically injecting it into the Shadow Spirit.
The endless dark energy poured in like tidal waves, causing the Shadow Spirit to violently tremble while the surrounding tremors grew more intense.
"No, I don't need any more energy, no more..."
The Shadow Spirit's terrified voice echoed within Chen Shuo's body. It was afraid - the endless stream of dark energy pouring in would fill even a bottomless pit.
It was terrified and wanted to break free, but it no longer controlled the situation.
As Chen Shuo continued pumping unlimited dark energy into it, the Shadow Spirit expanded endlessly.
As it grew uncontrollably, the Shadow Spirit completely lost its previous arrogance, becoming like a beaten dog.
"Stop, if this continues, we'll both die! You must stop..."
Despite its desperate pleas, Chen Shuo showed no intention of stopping.
Chen Shuo had never been one to be bullied. Since it wanted to devour him, very well - he would let it devour until it burst.
Now all that awaited it was submission and being devoured itself.
"Since you love absorbing so much, let's see just how much you can take..."
Chen Shuo spoke with a hint of madness in his eyes.
"Stop this! We'll both die if you continue!"
Hearing its pleading voice, Chen Shuo didn't stop - instead, he increased the intensity even further.
While letting it devour, Chen Shuo was actually devouring it in return.
It was like the famous saying: when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.
The Shadow Spirit wanted to devour Chen Shuo, but didn't Chen Shuo want to devour it as well?
However, given its considerable strength, devouring it would take time and patience.
This was a war of attrition that would last for a long time.
Outside, Su Xiyan and the others had retreated to the ground floor of the Monster Hunters' Guild for safety. Su Xiyan appeared anxious.
Su Yuanying was similarly pacing back and forth silently.
"Father, why is it taking so long? Could something have gone wrong?"
Su Xiyan felt uneasy. They had been waiting outside for nearly two hours.
Apart from the periodic tremors in the ground, there had been no other signs.
Su Yuanying couldn't give a definitive answer to Su Xiyan's concerns.
Though he was knowledgeable about past and present matters, even he couldn't know Chen Shuo's situation.
But deep down, he believed in Chen Shuo's abilities. If Chen Shuo dared to make such a decision, he must have the capability to handle it.
Nearby, Sang Biao remained silent, sharing their concerns.
Chen Shuo's fate was tied to his own - from the moment he chose to switch sides, his destiny had become bound to Chen Shuo's.
If Chen Shuo failed, his fate would be sealed.
All he could do now was guard the outside to the best of his ability, as he had already sensed two powerful forces drawing near, heading straight for them.
"Father, is there really nothing we can do to help Chen Shuo?"
Su Xiyan asked anxiously, willing to try any method, no matter how small.
But Su Yuanying's silence made Su Xiyan even more nervous.
"Well..."
"BOOM!"
Before Su Yuanying could respond, a thunderous explosion from the sky interrupted him.
"This is bad! Something's happening!"
Su Yuanying stared at the distant sky, his expression grave.
The sky was now covered in dark clouds, with lightning striking repeatedly.
A powerful aura that changed the color of the surroundings enveloped the entire Monster Hunters' Guild area. Sang Biao, sitting nearby, also changed expression.
What he had feared had finally come to pass, though he hadn't expected it so soon.
He had thought they had half a day left, but reality was often cruel. Now he was on full alert, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
