A thunderous cracking sound echoed across the wasteland, breaking the long silence surrounding Blood Moon City.
After countless years, the ancient Infernal Void Serpent race had finally been reborn.
The enormous egg shattered, sending fragments flying across the ruins. A young serpent emerged from within, its scales darker than the deepest void, absorbing even the faintest light. Its crimson eyes slowly opened, glowing like burning embers as it examined its surroundings and felt the tremendous vitality flowing through its body.
Viscous fluid dripped from its long body as it slithered out of the broken shell. A crimson aura spread from its body, pulsing like a heartbeat across the desolate ruins.
Blood Moon City remained silent. Nothing moved among the ruins, and not a single living being could be seen.
The serpent soon noticed something nearby.
A strange black stone and three shimmering crystals lay among the rubble. Although it had only just been born, something deep within its instincts told it that these objects were extraordinary.
It slithered toward them and examined them closely.
The black stone had a flawless surface, polished to an unnatural smoothness. Faint waves of energy radiated from it, filling the surroundings with a heavy pressure.
The three crystals were equally mysterious. Black, crimson, and violet light flickered across their surfaces, and the energy they contained seemed to resonate with the serpent's very being.
It instinctively understood that these were precious treasures.
Without hesitation, the serpent approached the nearest crystal. The moment its scales touched the surface, the crystal dissolved into streaks of light and merged with its body.
Intricate patterns appeared across its scales, glowing with a strange brilliance. A surge of power spread throughout its body, filling it with an intoxicating sense of strength.
The serpent immediately turned toward the remaining crystals.
One after another, they merged into its scales, leaving behind increasingly complex patterns. With each crystal it absorbed, its aura grew stronger and more oppressive.
Only the black stone remained.
The serpent hesitated briefly.
Unlike the crystals, the stone gave it a sense of reverence. The spiritual energy contained within it was vast and ancient, carrying a purity that it had never encountered before.
It opened its jaws and swallowed the stone.
The instant it entered its body, an immense wave of energy erupted within it, rushing through every part of its form like a raging flood.
After a while, the energy finally settled.
But before the serpent could examine the changes, it felt something else.
A mysterious pull was drawing it deeper into the ruins.
It raised its head, its crimson eyes turning toward the heart of the ruined city.
Without hesitation, it began moving.
Its massive body glided across the broken streets, pushing aside debris as it passed through collapsed buildings. Despite the devastation surrounding it, an ancient energy still lingered beneath the ruins.
The farther it traveled, the stronger the pull became.
Eventually, the serpent arrived at a place where the ground itself seemed to pulse with power.
This was where the Free Heart Inn had once stood.
Now, only broken stones and scattered rubble remained.
Yet among the wreckage lay a small black mirror.
Everything around it had been destroyed, but the mirror remained completely intact. Its smooth surface showed no sign of damage, as though the catastrophe had never touched it.
As the serpent approached, crimson light began to spread across the mirror's surface.
A silent call emerged from within, reaching past the serpent's instincts and entering the depths of its consciousness.
Unable to resist, the serpent lowered its head and touched the mirror.
Suddenly, unbearable pain erupted throughout its body.
Its mind and soul were torn apart by a force it couldn't resist. The serpent writhed violently among the ruins, its massive body twisting as waves of agony swept through it.
It couldn't escape or fight back. All it could do was endure.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the pain disappeared.
Silence returned to the ruins.
The serpent slowly opened its eyes.
Something had changed.
Its gaze was no longer that of a newborn beast. Intelligence and awareness filled its crimson eyes as memories flooded its mind.
Knowledge, ambitions, and countless experiences emerged, overwhelming its primitive instincts and restoring the consciousness that had once belonged to a human cultivator.
A calm voice sounded within its mind.
"As expected... even with my soul intact, I nearly lost myself to the Infernal Void Serpent's will."
The serpent's eyes narrowed.
"I've finally returned."
A faint aura of authority spread from its body.
"I, Liang, will ascend once more."
His voice was filled with unwavering confidence.
"Mortals, immortals, gods, and devils... one day, all of you will stand beneath me."
After speaking, Liang examined his new body and assessed its strength.
"This body is already comparable to a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator, but that's still not enough."
His thoughts quickly settled on his next objective.
"I need to assume human form and condense a Nascent Soul again. Only then can I rebuild my foundation and return to my former peak."
The cultivation knowledge he had accumulated over countless years remained clear in his mind.
In this lower domain, cultivation was divided into three grades: low, middle, and high. Each grade contained several major realms.
The low grade consisted of Spirit Awakening, Spirit Palace, and Core Formation. These realms formed the foundation of a cultivator's strength.
Above them was the Nascent Soul Realm, a major threshold that allowed cultivators to transcend ordinary mortality and live for nearly a thousand years.
Beyond that stood the higher realms of cultivation.
Spirit Severing.
Dao Integration.
Void Transformation.
At the Spirit Severing Realm, cultivators could sever the connection between their soul and body, freeing themselves from some of the limitations of the physical form.
At the Dao Integration Realm, they merged their Dao with the world, bringing themselves closer to the laws of heaven and earth.
Above them all stood the Void Transformation Realm, where cultivators could manipulate the very fabric of existence, including space and time.
Liang's crimson eyes gleamed with determination.
"This time, I'll go even further."