LightReader

Chapter 16 - The Seal of the Serpent.

"Interesting... is the situation in the secondary branch really that bad?"

The seductive, drawling voice echoed through the clearing. The woman's smile, sinuous as a snake's, betrayed that she spoke not just out of curiosity, but also to test.

Li Shang narrowed his eyes, but didn't reveal anything other than a look of calculated surprise.

"That... how do you know?"

His tone was perfect—a mix of disbelief and suppressed anger. Inside, however, the cultivator was laughing.

'If that makes you believe it... then so be it. I don't care about the lie, only what I'll get in the end.'

Orochimaru inclined his head, satisfied with the reaction. His yellow, reptilian eyes gleamed in the dim light of the forest.

"The success rate is low... 90% of those who receive this power die. Their bodies fail, their souls are destroyed."

Kabuto took half a step forward, his face cold and his glasses reflecting the light.

"It's a gift only the chosen ones should have. You're playing with fire, Hyuuga."

But before the venomous whisper could be completed, Li Shang raised his hand, cutting off the words in midair.

"DO!"

His voice sounded like thunder, filled with conviction.

The silence that followed was heavy. Kabuto's eyes widened in shock.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO LORD OROCHIM LIKE THAT—!"

Before he could finish, the woman raised her slender hand, cutting the air with a calm gesture.

"It's okay, Kabuto."

The smile that spread across his lips was too wide to be human.

"I liked him."

The next moment, everything happened too quickly.

Her neck elongated grotesquely, like a snake pouncing on its prey. Li Shang barely had time to activate his Byakugan. A searing pain exploded through his flesh. Sharp teeth sank into his neck, piercing his skin.

"Aaaaaaaaargh!"

His scream echoed through the forest, wild, desperate. The ground vibrated beneath his knees as he fell, feeling the strength drain from his muscles.

A wild energy began to spread through his body, flowing from the bite. It was as if thousands of corrosive worms were infiltrating his veins, destroying everything in their path, trying to destroy him from the inside out.

'This... is like... living poison...'

He gritted his teeth, the veins around his eyes bulging. The chakra he possessed felt like a sail against the storm. The energy not only corroded his body, but also tried to engulf his soul.

Boom, boom, boom!

His heart was pounding wildly, as if it were about to explode inside his chest. Each pulse brought a fresh wave of pain, tearing at his insides, burning his bones.

And then, amidst the darkness that filled his mind, the soft, venomous voice reached him:

"I hope you survive..."

A deadly silence preceded the final words, laden with malice.

"...my guinea pig."

Li Shang's consciousness crumbled, engulfed in absolute pain, as the forest seemed to swallow his scream.

Li Shang opened his eyes within his sea of ​​knowledge. The dark, vast space seemed to tremble, reflecting the unstable state of his physical body. However, his gaze remained calm, almost indifferent to the chaos consuming him outside.

'Exactly as I predicted. This mark stores energy and nourishes the body... but there's something different.'

He raised his hand, observing the currents of energy circulating in his spiritual dantian. Amidst the ordinary flow of chakra, a denser, more vibrant essence seeped in, dispersing like fire in the wind.

His eyes widened for a moment.

"Yuan Qi!"

The word escaped her lips, filled with surprise.

It was impossible to mistake that energy. Yuan Qi, the world's Original Energy. The foundation of all true cultivation. In his past life, without Yuan Qi, no cultivator could dream of reaching the Core Realm.

'I thought this world was too weak to sustain it... but I was wrong. The energy was here, hidden, extremely diluted. And this demonic mark is the key that condenses it into the host's body.'

An almost maddened smile formed on his lips.

"What a gift... this will help me when I enter the Core Realm. Refining my energy into Yuan Qi will be infinitely easier if it is already running through my body."

He closed his eyes, remembering the barriers so many cultivators faced. Upon reaching the peak of the Body Refining Realm, a cultivator needed to transform all their accumulated power into pure Yuan Qi. It was a slow and painful process, which is why many consumed Yuan Qi-rich pills to adapt their bodies. But now, fate had given him something even better: a constant internal source.

"I have to concentrate..."

His thoughts returned to the present. Although he had discovered a priceless treasure, the situation was critical. His physical body was withering too quickly, corroded by the wild energy the seal injected. If he didn't refine it immediately, the present would become his grave.

Li Shang clasped his hands together and began to trace complex seals. His spiritual breathing steadied.

"Heart of the Celestial Devourer."

Instantly, his spiritual body emitted an intense crimson glow. Energy pulsed like liquid fire, rushing in all directions. Red waves enveloped him, compressing and refining the wild energy released by the seal.

Every spark of power was filtered, transformed, and then devoured. Gradually, the crimson flames surrounded him like armor, expanding in circles.

He could feel his physical body trembling in reality, breaking out in a cold sweat, his veins nearly bursting under the flow. Yet, he remained still, in the lotus position, inside his mind.

'I can't rush. If they—that woman and Kabuto—realize I'm controlling the seal, it will be my end. I have to feign weakness until they leave.'

From the outside, his body lying on the ground looked like a young man in despair, moaning softly and convulsing, as if on the verge of death. This was exactly what Li Shang wanted them to see.

Two hours had passed since Li Shang began the refinement process. The crimson glow of his technique slowly dissipated, leaving only silence.

He took a deep breath, feeling his veins pulse in harmony.

'So it works like this...'

Understanding came clearly, as if I had unraveled the logic of a perfect mechanism.

First, the demonic mark flooded the body with dense chakra, saturated with Yuan Qi. This process was not gentle. It forced every cell, every muscle, every nerve to adapt. Those unable to withstand the pressure simply perished, which explained the high failure rate the woman mentioned. But for those who resisted, the seal changed.

The energy began to stabilize, slowly nourishing the host while accumulating the surplus within the mark itself. This hidden reservoir was the true weapon, a sealed power that could be unleashed in moments of danger, like what he had witnessed with Sasuke.

A sharp smile appeared on his lips.

'I found something interesting in this process... hehehe...'

He slowly raised his hand, revealing his palm. There, floating like an ethereal flame, was something no one would expect. A soul fragment.

He was small, unsteady, but his essence was unmistakable. The pale, cold, sharp gaze of a man who never accepted defeat.

'Interesting.'

The seal wasn't just a source of energy. It was a safeguard. Should the original bearer perish, the mark ensured their soul wouldn't be destroyed, allowing them to remain in this world until they found a new body.

Li Shang wasn't surprised. In his past life, among cultivators, similar methods were common. Great figures always left a contingency mark, a thread of their soul sealed in an artifact or secret technique. What surprised him wasn't the concept, but the fact that someone had developed something so refined in a world without true cultivation.

'Developing this method here, without any foundation in the Martial Way... this is truly incredible.'

The soul fragment seemed to writhe, trying to escape, but it was powerless to resist. Li Shang's gaze hardened, and the crimson flames of his technique enveloped the remnant of the sennin, slowly sealing it within his sea of ​​knowledge.

The pent-up tension finally exploded into a muffled laugh, echoing in the darkness.

"Hahahahaha... I really won a lot this time."

His laugh was more than satisfaction. It was the celebration of a predator who had stolen the prey he believed controlled everything. The woman may have believed she was using him as a guinea pig, but in the end, Li Shang had ripped away a piece of her very essence.

With that, he finished the process, slowly rising to his feet. His body still ached, but the mark burned on his neck like a trophy—not a curse, but a weapon.

[Author's Note:This story was originally written in Portuguese, so there may be some translation errors. If you notice any, please let me know so I can fix them. Thank you for reading!]

More Chapters