In his past life, Liu Xing had lived in a city plagued by severe air pollution, where stars were rarely visible. He had gone camping once or twice in less polluted areas, but he had never witnessed such a breathtaking display of stars. The sky was a canvas filled with shimmering lights, resembling pearls scattered across a dark ocean. He knew nothing of star constellations, yet he couldn''t help but wonder how people connected the celestial dots to form recognizable shapes.


    "Probably just some bored guy like me," Liu Xing muttered to himself. He wondered if this world existed in the same universe as Earth. If he were to become immortal and travel among the stars, would he eventually find his way back to Earth?


    Liu Xing doubted the possibility. Surely, if cultivators could reach Earth, someone from this world would have already done so and claimed it for themselves.


    As Liu Xing pondered these random thoughts, he heard a rustling sound and snapped his head toward the noise. In a bush not far from his mushroom shelter, a snake lay coiled, its eyes as red as blood and its scales as dark as night.


    When Liu Xing realized the snake emitted black smoke, just like Mo Yan, he stood up and began cycling his qi. He doubted the snake’s appearance was merely a coincidence.


    While Liu Xing observed the snake, Mo Yan suddenly leapt from inside the mushroom, launching himself like a wolf pouncing on its prey.


    Despite emitting black smoke, the snake was not a spirit beast, but just a normal animal. It couldn’t react quickly enough as Mo Yan grabbed its head and ripped it apart, splitting the creature in two.


    Mo Yan promptly began devouring the snake, eating it like a starving man slurping noodles. His eyes were bloodshot red, blood streamed down his chin, and with the dark smoke growing denser around him and his breath forming white mist in the cool air, he looked terrifying, like a demon ripped straight from a nightmare.


    "What’s happening? What’s happening?" Pu He called out from inside the mushroom.


    "Where’s Mo Yan?" Han Zhong shouted.


    "He’s outside," Liu Xing responded.


    The three of them watched in stunned silence as Mo Yan devoured the snake like a madman consuming the most exquisite meal imaginable.


    "That snake Mo Yan is eating is also emitting black smoke," Liu Xing observed. "Pu He, did Mo Yan ever attack or eat another animal while you were chasing him?"


    "No, he just ran around, trying to chase Senior Sister Yan Yu," Pu He replied. "He never attacked anything, let alone eat something so savagely like this."


    "We should stop him," Han Zhong declared.


    Liu Xing nodded, cycling his qi and jumping from the top of the mushroom, readying himself to summon his gun as he landed near the bush. His heart beat faster, adrenaline coursing through his veins.


    While Mo Yan devoured the snake, the black smoke became so dense it obscured Liu Xing’s vision. He was certain Mo Yan’s body was undergoing a transformation. Where once Liu Xing could have easily defeated him, he no longer dared to underestimate him.


    Liu Xing took a step, then two, then three. Sensing the rising danger, he summoned his gun, cloaking it in invisibility.


    When they were mere meters apart, Mo Yan suddenly snapped his head toward Liu Xing.


    His blood-red eyes locked onto Liu Xing’s, and then Mo Yan smiled, a genuine smile, like a child receiving the most wonderful gift. The blood staining his face, his clothes, and the ground around him made him look like a demon risen from a nightmare.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Thank you for your help," Mo Yan said, glancing at Pu He, Han Zhong, and then at Liu Xing. "Without the three of you, I don’t know what would have happened to this body. My technique is perfect if used in a good vessel, but this body is trash. The side effects of my technique make this vessel too wild, and most of the time, even when I successfully control a new body, it’s already damaged. But who would have known I’d stumble upon another of my vessels right here and right now? It seems Heaven favors me!"


    He burst into laughter, a deep, scratchy sound that was a stark contrast to the voice of the man who had tried to rob Liu Xing. Even as Mo Yan continued laughing, a chilling conclusion formed in Liu Xing’s mind: Mo Yan’s body was possessed by something, something undeniably dangerous.


    "Who are you, and what is this darkness surrounding you?" Liu Xing demanded.


    "Who I am is none of your concern, and the darkness is none of your business either. Still, the three of you have been instrumental in securing my new body, even if it is trash. So, I’ll let you live. Goodbye."


    With that, he jumped into the night sky. His leap was so powerful it cracked and broke the ground beneath him. Moments later, Mo Yan halted mid-air, gravity beginning to pull him down, but then his body transformed into black smoke. The black smoke was now incredibly dark and dense against the backdrop of the star-filled sky. It took the form of a cloud and moved with such speed it appeared to be driven by a fierce wind.


    "Mo Yan!" Pu He shouted after him.


    "Damn it, what’s happening now? Why was Mo Yan speaking like that? Why did he suddenly disappear?" Han Zhong exclaimed.


    "He’s possessed by someone," Liu Xing stated.


    Watching the smoke vanish—no, that darkness vanish—Liu Xing felt his heart race. Whatever that thing was, he couldn’t ignore it. There was a distinct possibility it was the darkness Nui had warned him about, and even if it wasn’t, Liu Xing needed to confront it, to know for sure.


    "I’ll go catch him," Liu Xing declared. "You two can head back or try to follow."


    Liu Xing activated the Lightning Cloak, electricity coursing through his body. He kicked off the ground, shooting himself toward a large branch. The world blurred around him, but Liu Xing knew precisely where the branch was. He landed on it, kicked off again—the branch exploding under the force and propelling him forward.


    Though the darkness was fast, Liu Xing felt confident he could pursue it. He jumped from branch to mushroom to branch, zigzagging through the trees and giant mushrooms like a streak of purplish-blue lightning.


    As he moved, Liu Xing deeply pondered the being that had possessed Mo Yan. While he didn’t have the whole picture, Liu Xing realized the being was a cultivator who practiced a peculiar cultivation technique. What was certain was that it possessed bodies and moved from vessel to vessel.


    Pu He and Han Zhong had mentioned that Mo Yan seemed to be chasing Yan Yu but had moved in strange directions, as if searching for something—and that conjecture now seemed accurate. He had likely been searching for that snake with the black mist, and upon finding it, had devoured it and absorbed the darkness.


    From this information, Liu Xing understood that this cultivator’s goal was likely to reclaim his body and power. To do so, he had probably been seeking another of his vessels so he could devour the darkness and recover—or, since Mo Yan’s body was considered trash, he might be seeking a better vessel. Perhaps both.


    Whether Liu Xing was right or wrong, one thing was certain: he needed to catch this being to learn more about the darkness. He hoped it was merely a unique cultivation method and not something terrible that could threaten this world, or even others.


    Liu Xing continued jumping and running, and after a while, he finally began to close the distance to the black cloud. The cloud flew swiftly above the forest canopy, remaining distinct even amidst the blur of his speed.


    Liu Xing aimed his gun at the black cloud and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger repeatedly.


    Six bullets flew toward the black cloud. These were standard, transparent projectiles. When the bullets struck the black cloud, they passed right through it. They created momentary holes, but these closed almost immediately.


    "Interesting technique or treasure," the voice taunted, "but you’re dumb if you think you can shoot a cloud!"


    Liu Xing’s lips tightened into a thin line. He reloaded his gun, infused the bullets with Explosion Fist energy, and fired again. When the bullets struck the cloud, Liu Xing expected explosions, but they only created temporary holes that quickly closed. Moments later, the faint sound of six distant explosions echoed through the forest.


    "Didn’t I tell you that you can’t shoot me?" the voice taunted mockingly.


    Hearing the taunt, Liu Xing calmed his mind. He realized the voice was right—he couldn’t shoot or punch a cloud. The only way to capture mist was to imprison it, whether with a treasure or a specialized technique, and Liu Xing possessed neither.


    "Damn it, he’s a bad matchup for me," Liu Xing muttered.


    Still, he had to capture this being. Liu Xing felt a strong premonition that if he allowed it to escape, something terrible would happen in the future. He needed to find a solution, and brute force seemed like his only option.


    "I need to try everything I can and hope something works."