Night deepened over the hunting grounds.
Fires burned throughout the forest as outer disciples formed temporary camps, wary of both wild Gu and one another. Whispers traveled between groups like unseen currents.
Gu Devourer.
Some spoke the name with fear.
Others with greed.
Because in the outer sect, anything terrifying was also an opportunity.
Shen Yu remained alone.
He sat cross-legged beneath an ancient tree, circulating qi slowly. The Emotion Reflection Gu rotated calmly within his dantian, smoothing the turbulence caused by earlier battles.
Yet his focus kept drifting downward.
Toward the earth.
Ever since encountering the black worm beneath the altar, a faint pull lingered — subtle but persistent.
Not hunger.
Recognition.
The Devouring Presence inside him stirred uneasily, as though aware of something familiar… and hostile.
Shen Yu opened his eyes.
“…It’s below.”
Without fully understanding why, he stood and began walking back toward the dead zone.
The forest grew colder as he approached.
Spiritual energy thinned again, plants twisting into lifeless shapes. Even moonlight seemed reluctant to enter.
The cracked altar waited in silence.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
For several breaths, nothing happened.
Then—
The ground trembled.
A low vibration spread through the soil, too deep to be sound. Shen Yu felt it directly in his bones.
Cracks widened beneath the altar.
Ancient symbols hidden under dirt flickered faintly — sealing formations, worn nearly beyond recognition.
Something was imprisoned here.
And it was waking.
A whisper entered Shen Yu’s mind.
Not words.
Instinct.
Break…
His pupils contracted.
The Devouring Presence surged forward violently, pressing against his consciousness for the first time since awakening.
Not urging him to devour.
Urging him to approach.
Step by step, Shen Yu moved closer despite himself.
The black worm emerged again.
This time its body stretched longer, shadows rippling along its surface like liquid darkness. Around it, qi collapsed inward, swallowed without trace.
The two presences faced one another.
Inside Shen Yu, the Devouring Presence awakened fully.
The air distorted.
Leaves lifted from the ground, trembling between opposing forces.
Predator met predator.
Suddenly, images flashed through Shen Yu’s mind—
Ancient cultivators battling beneath crimson skies.
Colossal Gu blotting out mountains.
A massive shadow being torn apart and sealed into fragments.
One fragment…
Here.
The black worm twitched violently.
A thin crack appeared in the altar.
From below came a slow, ancient heartbeat.
Thump.
Shen Yu staggered backward, breaking contact.
The visions vanished instantly.
Cold sweat covered his back.
“That… wasn’t a normal Gu,” he whispered.
The Devouring Presence withdrew slightly, restless but restrained — like a beast recognizing unfinished prey.
The black worm stared at him a moment longer.
Then it retreated again, disappearing into the seal.
The trembling stopped.
But the crack remained.
High above the valley, Elder Han suddenly opened his eyes.
“The sealing formation fluctuated,” he said sharply.
The inner sect envoy frowned. “Impossible. That relic hasn’t reacted in decades.”
A faint pulse echoed through the monitoring Gu between them.
Both men fell silent.
“…The boy is near it,” Elder Han said.
The envoy’s expression slowly turned serious.
“So fate truly pushes him forward.”
Back at the altar, Shen Yu stepped away slowly.
Instinct screamed one truth clearly:
If the seal broke completely…
Something far worse than outer sect rivalries would emerge.
Yet another thought followed immediately.
If he devoured it…
How strong would he become?
The idea lingered longer than it should have.
Shen Yu clenched his fists and turned away.
For now, survival mattered more than temptation.
But deep underground, within layers of shattered formations, a massive shadow shifted slightly.
Chains of light flickered.
And a voice older than the sect itself whispered through the darkness:
“The Devourer… has come.”
To be continued…
