stjorthotic Chapter 3: Near-Death Awakening
Chapter 3: Near-Death Awakening
Lin Yan walked towards the torchlight, his steps still a little unsteady. The newly generated power within him flowed slowly through his meridians like newly melted spring water, not yet fully receding. With each step, he felt his muscles and bones snapping back together, a tingling numbness mixed with a surge of energy. The wisp of grayish-black energy in his dantian swirled slowly but steadily, each rotation releasing a slight warm current that spread along his meridians to his limbs and bones, nourishing the newly healed wounds—even the deep scratches inflicted by the rotting jackals were now just a layer of pale pink scabs, and they didn't hurt to the touch.
"There's movement over there!"
A rough shout came from ahead, and several torches flickered in the darkness as they approached, casting long and short shadows. Lin Yan squinted and recognized the leader as Wang Ergou, followed by seven or eight soldiers from the Demon Suppression Division. They were all pale-faced, their swords trembling like leaves in the autumn wind, and they couldn't even hold onto their torches properly, not even noticing the sparks falling onto their trouser legs.
"Is...is it Lin Yan?" Wang Ergou, holding a torch, approached. The torchlight illuminated Lin Yan's blood-stained face. He initially shrank back, then his gaze swept over the massive black shadow in the distance behind Lin Yan, and his voice trembled, "That...that monster..."
"Dead." Lin Yan's voice was flat, as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today," but every word struck everyone's heart.
Two words froze everyone in place. Wang Ergou swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing like he'd swallowed a walnut. He mustered his courage and took a few steps forward, the torchlight slowly moving to the shriveled corpse of the demon fang—its hideous head was still tilted to one side, bits of flesh hanging from its fangs, but the black blood in its chest wound had congealed, and its massive body lay limply on the ground, without even the slightest undulation; it was clearly dead.
"Really...really dead?" a soldier asked in a trembling voice, his voice barely audible, and he subconsciously took a half-step back.
"Where's the captain? How is Captain Zhao?" Another soldier suddenly remembered Zhao Mang, looked towards the town gate with fear in his eyes—Zhao Mang was the pillar of the Black Stone Town's Demon Suppression Division. If he died, Black Stone Town would be completely hopeless.
Lin Yan shook his head: "After I was swatted away by the demon, I fled here. When it chased after me, it somehow triggered a mine trap and was severely injured by the backlash. I took the opportunity to finish it off. Lieutenant Zhao... I didn't see it." He didn't mention that Zhao Mang was swatted away, nor did he mention that he had devoured the demon's blood and energy—this world was extremely taboo about the word "demon," and even abilities related to demons were considered evil arts. No matter how corrupt the Demon Suppression Bureau was, it couldn't tolerate such "heresy."
"A trap?" Wang Ergou was skeptical, but the facts before him were clear: Lin Yan was still standing, and the demon was lying down. He circled Lin Yan once, then suddenly frowned—Lin Yan seemed different. The Lin Yan of the past always hunched his shoulders, like a frightened rabbit, exuding nothing but sickness and timidity; but now, covered in blood, his clothes tattered like rags, he stood ramrod straight, his spine as upright as a spear, his eyes shining astonishingly in the firelight, causing Wang Ergou to instinctively avert his gaze when he looked over.
"You broke through?" Wang Ergou blurted out, then immediately regretted it—wasn't this a slap in his own face? He used to always say that Lin Yan was a hopeless case, unable to even touch the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm.
Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless: "At the critical moment of life and death, my mind went blank, and when I woke up, I had already reached the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, all seeing shock in each other's eyes. While the Body Tempering Realm was the starting point of martial arts, many people toiled for three to five years, practicing stances and fist techniques daily, yet still might not be able to draw Qi into their bodies. This kid, Lin Yan, who couldn't even complete the basic fist techniques of the Demon Suppression Division normally, actually broke through amidst piles of corpses? But considering the terror of the Black Scale Demon Fang, it seemed perfectly reasonable—in such a desperate situation, one either died or unleashed their potential; there was no third way.
"Let's go back and report first," sighed an older soldier with a long scar on his face, a remnant from slaying demons. "The town gate is breached; we need to organize people to repair it quickly. And the refugee camp—the demon went there just now; I wonder how it is..."
Lin Yan's heart sank at the mention of the refugee camp. He had indeed seen the demon head towards the refugee camp when he lured it away. Although he had successfully led it to the mine, there was no guarantee that other demons wouldn't take advantage of the chaos to break in—the refugee camp was full of the elderly, women, and children, and they didn't even have a decent knife. If they encountered demons, they would be lambs to the slaughter.
"I'll go check out the refugee camp," Lin Yan said, picking up his sword and heading west.
"Are you crazy?" Wang Ergou grabbed him. "The demon is dead, but who knows if there are other demons in the mountains? You just broke through, your cultivation level isn't stable yet, what if..."
"Someone has to go." Lin Yan interrupted him, broke free from Wang Ergou's hand, and turned to disappear into the darkness. The torchlight followed his back, illuminating only a tall silhouette before it was swallowed by the night in the blink of an eye.
Everyone stared at his retreating figure, speechless for a moment. Wang Ergou stroked his stubble and muttered, "This kid... seems really different now."
The refugee camp was located on the west side of the town, right next to the mass grave, the most remote and desolate place in Blackstone Town. It housed over a hundred refugees, mostly fleeing from the north—some had lost their homes in war, others were starving, and still others had escaped from villages ravaged by demons. They had traveled south, their money long gone, their food completely consumed. Reaching Blackstone Town, they were too exhausted to go any further and had to make do with setting up makeshift shelters outside the town.
The townspeople considered them dirty and wouldn't let them into the city, only allowing them to build shacks in open spaces outside. These shacks were pitifully rudimentary, barely constructed from rags, thatch, and branches; they swayed in the wind and leaked in the rain. Their food depended entirely on the occasional acts of kindness from the town's wealthy residents, who would give them rice porridge mixed with sand, or they would forage for wild vegetables and peel bark from trees in the mountains. Every winter, many people would freeze or starve to death in their shacks, their bodies dragged directly to the nearby mass grave without even a proper coffin.
When Lin Yan arrived, the camp was eerily quiet.
It was too quiet. There were no children crying, no old people coughing, and even the rustling of the wind through the thatch sounded jarring. The air was thick with the pungent stench of blood, mixed with the smell of earth and decay, making one's stomach churn. Lin Yan gripped the hilt of his knife, tiptoed into the camp like a cat—his hearing was much sharper than before, he could even hear his own heartbeat clearly, but there wasn't a single trace of life in the camp.
The first thing Lin Yan saw was a collapsed shack. Not the kind that's been blown down by the wind, but one that had been violently torn apart and trampled—thatch and rags were scattered everywhere, the wooden poles were broken into pieces, and there was dark red blood on them. Lin Yan took a few steps forward, his legs gave way, and he looked down to see the body of a child, no more than three or four years old. The child's tattered clothes were torn, and there was a gruesome claw mark on the chest; the blood had already congealed and turned black.
One, two, three… Lin Yan forced himself to count. Most of them were elderly people and children, and their deaths were extremely tragic: some were disemboweled, with their internal organs hanging out; some were only half a body left, as if they had been bitten off by something; there was also an old woman who was tightly holding a baby in her arms, and both of them were trampled flat, their flesh and blood stuck to the ground, making it impossible to tell who was who.
There were twenty-three bodies in total.
Lin Yan's stomach churned, and he covered his mouth, forcing himself not to vomit. The mark on his chest suddenly felt slightly warm, as if responding to the aura of death, or perhaps... hungry, craving something. He shook his head, suppressing those eerie feelings—now was not the time to think about these things; he needed to find out if there were any survivors.
Deeper into the camp, he finally heard a faint sound—a suppressed sob—coming from behind a relatively intact haystack. Lin Yan tiptoed around it and peered through the gaps in the hay: huddled inside were a mother and child. The mother, about thirty years old, had dry, yellow hair and a dirty face, but the child in her arms was well protected, wrapped in a relatively clean rag. The child looked only five or six years old, trembling with fear, but biting his lip tightly, afraid to cry out.
"Don't be afraid, I'm from the Demon Suppression Division, here to save you." Lin Yan lowered his voice, trying to make his tone sound as gentle as possible.
The mother looked up abruptly, her eyes first filled with terror, like a rabbit being targeted by a hunter. But when she saw the leather armor on Lin Yan's body, her terror turned into a glimmer of light in her despair: "M-Master...save...save us..." Her voice was terribly hoarse, as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.
"Are there any other people?" Lin Yan asked.
The mother shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face and falling onto her child's hair: "They're all dead... That monster rushed in and killed everyone it saw... I held Xiaobao and hid behind a haystack, that's how... that's how we weren't discovered..."
Before she could finish speaking, heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside the camp.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The footsteps sounded similar to those of the Black-Scaled Demon, but slower, heavier, and... there was more than one. Lin Yan's expression changed instantly. He gestured for the mother and son to be quiet, then pointed to the dilapidated temple at the other end of the camp—the only relatively intact building in the refugee camp, with its roof still standing, where they might be able to hide.
The mother understood, tightly covering the child's mouth, her eyes filled with fear, yet she nodded. But just then, the child, due to tension, couldn't help but hiccup.
The sound was very faint, like the buzzing of a mosquito, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent camp.
The two black-scaled demons turned their heads simultaneously, their blood-red eyes like two lanterns, instantly locking onto the direction of the haystack. They were slightly smaller than the previous one, about fifteen feet tall, but their scales were blacker and shinier, clearly younger and more ferocious.
"Run!" Lin Yan roared and charged forward, his long sword slashing at the nearest demon. Taking advantage of the moment, the mother, carrying her child, rushed out of the haystack and ran desperately towards the dilapidated temple.
The attacked demon roared and swung its claws at Lin Yan, the stench from the giant claws nearly knocking him over. Lin Yan ducked and rolled, narrowly dodging the attack, while simultaneously channeling the newly mastered Soul Devouring True Essence into his blade—a faint gray light shimmered on the edge as he slashed with all his might at the demon's knee!
clang!
Sparks flew everywhere. Only a white mark remained on the demon's knee, but Lin Yan was so shaken that his hand was split open, and he nearly dropped his longsword. His heart sank—these two demons were actually also at the late stage of the Body Tempering Realm!
"Come on, you beast!" Lin Yan roared deliberately to attract the demon's attention. He knew he couldn't win, so he could only stall for time until the mother and child hid. The other demon didn't chase after him, but stared intently at Lin Yan, letting out a low growl.
Just then, Lin Yan caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that the demonic beast chasing the mother and child had reached the front of the dilapidated temple. As soon as the mother rushed into the temple with her child in her arms, the demonic beast's giant claw slammed into the door frame. With a "crack," the wood shattered, and the entire dilapidated temple shook.
"Go in! Don't come out!" Lin Yan roared, turning around to rush over, but the demonic creature in front of him clung tightly to him, its giant claws sweeping across, forcing him to retreat repeatedly. The old wound on his back was aggravated, causing him to grimace in pain, and blood seeped out from the wound, staining the tattered cloth red.
This won't do; we'll be worn down sooner or later. Lin Yan gritted his teeth, suddenly abandoned his defense, and let the demon's claws strike his chest—just as the demon's claws were about to touch him, he suddenly turned to the side, gripped his knife with both hands, and fiercely stabbed it into the demon's eyes!
Trading injury for life!
puff!
The longsword pierced the demon's right eye with precision, penetrating deep into its skull. The demon let out a shrill roar, its body twisting wildly, throwing Lin Yan away. Lin Yan crashed heavily to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through his chest, feeling as if several ribs were broken, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth. But he ignored the pain, looking up—the demon staggered a few steps, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, convulsing and lifeless.
Before he could even catch his breath, his mother's scream echoed from inside the dilapidated temple: "Xiao Bao—!"
Lin Yan turned his head sharply and saw that another demon had already destroyed half of the temple door. Its claws reached in and grabbed one of the child's legs, dragging it out. The child cried loudly in fright, and the mother clung tightly to the child's other leg, her nails digging into the wood, but the demon was still pulling her out little by little.
"Let him go!" Lin Yan struggled to his feet, grabbed the broken half of the wooden beam from the ground, and with all his might rushed over, slamming it hard into the back of the demon's head. The wooden beam snapped in response, and the demon, in pain, released its grip, turning around angrily, its blood-red eyes fixed on Lin Yan—it was utterly enraged.
The demon abandoned the mother and child in the dilapidated temple and walked slowly toward Lin Yan. Its steps were slow, each one shaking the ground, as if it were toying with its prey. Lin Yan retreated, only to find himself surrounded by the ruins of a collapsed shack, with nowhere left to go.
The demon roared and swung its claws—too fast, so fast that Lin Yan had no time to react. He managed to turn to the side, but his right shoulder was still pierced by the claws. The sharp nails went in through his shoulder and out through his back, pinning him to a broken wooden stake.
A piercing pain shot through Lin Yan, his vision went black, and his consciousness began to blur. Blood flowed down the wooden stake, pooling on the ground. He could feel his life force rapidly draining away, and all he could hear was the heavy breathing of the demon and his own increasingly faint heartbeat.
Am I going to die...?
He looked towards the dilapidated temple. A mother, cradling her child, looked at him with tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with despair. The child was also crying, his small body trembling uncontrollably. "I'm sorry... I still couldn't save you..."
As darkness gradually swallowed his vision, just then—
My chest! Burning! Exploding!
It was as if a volcano was awakening within him, and gray-black energy surged forth from the mark, instantly filling his limbs and bones. The energy was cold and domineering, carrying a desire to devour everything. Wherever it passed, the broken ribs felt numb and itchy, and the pierced shoulder no longer hurt so much.
Lin Yan's previously scattered consciousness was forcibly pulled back by this energy. He raised his head, his eyes turning a deep gray, his body no longer under his control, yet more agile than ever before. Just as the demon was about to pull out its claws to deliver the final blow, Lin Yan suddenly raised his hands and firmly grasped the demonic claw piercing through his shoulder.
The demon was stunned. It felt a terrifying suction force coming from Lin Yan's hand—not a physical pull, but a plundering at the level of life itself. Its blood and qi, its spiritual core, and its cultivation accumulated over decades were all being drawn away at an alarming speed, flowing into Lin Yan's body through its claws.
"Roar—!" The demon tried to pull its claws back in terror, but found that Lin Yan's hand was like an iron clamp, completely immobile. Its scales began to lose their luster, its muscles slowly atrophied, and its originally blood-red eyes became dull and lifeless.
Lin Yan could clearly "see" a massive amount of dark red blood energy surging into his body through the demon claw, mixed with a small, glittering fragment—a piece of the demon's spirit core. Grayish-black energy circulated within him, grinding and purifying the violent blood energy like a millstone, ultimately transforming it into gentle gray true essence, which flowed into his dantian. The vortex in his dantian spun wildly, growing larger and more solid.
Body Tempering Realm: Early Stage... Middle Stage... Late Stage!
His cultivation level was soaring rapidly! At the same time, the pierced shoulder and broken ribs were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye—flesh and blood were wriggling, bones were reorganizing, and the new skin was smooth and delicate, without even leaving a scar.
In the blink of an eye, the demonic beast was reduced to a withered skeleton, collapsing to the ground, lifeless. The grayish-black energy slowly receded from the mark, and Lin Yan regained control of his body. He staggered a step and pulled out the demonic claw that was still stuck in his shoulder—the wound had completely healed, even the bloodstains had disappeared.
Inside the dilapidated temple, the mother emerged carrying her child, then knelt on the ground with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing: "Thank you, benefactor... thank you, benefactor, for saving my life..."
Lin Yan quickly helped her up: "Let's go, it's not safe here." He escorted the mother and son toward the town, and on the way, he looked inward at himself—the vortex of qi in his dantian had grown several times stronger, and the gray-black true essence was flowing slowly in it. As long as he accumulated for a while longer, he would be able to break through to the Qi Refining Realm.
In just one night, he went from an ordinary person to the late stage of the Body Tempering Realm. If word got out, this speed would be enough to shake the entire Great Yin Dynasty. But Lin Yan knew that this was both an opportunity and a source of trouble—the Soul Devouring Body must not be exposed, otherwise it would inevitably attract countless covetous eyes and pursuers.
When they returned to the town, the sky was already turning white, and the pale light shone through the clouds, casting a pale golden hue on the dilapidated town gate. The fallen wood and stone debris had not yet been cleared away, and the air was filled with dust and a faint smell of blood. Zhao Mang was limping as he directed the surviving soldiers and the braver townspeople to repair the walls and carry away the corpses.
Last night, he was swatted away by the demon's giant claws, crashing into an earthen wall and nearly losing consciousness from the excruciating pain. But driven by his survival instinct, he endured the pain of broken bones, remaining silent and feigning death as he lay down in the ruins. Even when the demon passed by to chase Lin Yan, he kept his eyes tightly closed and remained motionless, thus narrowly escaping death.
At this moment, he had broken several ribs, and his internal organs were also shaken. His face was as pale as paper, and he was sweating profusely. He could only stand by being supported by two trusted soldiers on either side. Even so, he still forced himself to stay alive and shouted at the slow-moving or fearful laborers in a hoarse voice, trying to maintain the last bit of dignity and order of the Demon Suppression Division.
When Zhao Mang saw Lin Yan return, and especially when he sensed the obvious late-stage Body Tempering aura emanating from him, his eyes instantly changed, flashing with a hint of surprise and... apprehension.
"Where is the demon?" Zhao Mang asked, his voice a little hoarse.
"They're dead," Lin Yan replied succinctly. "There were two more in the refugee camp, and they're dead too, killed by the traps."
"Did you kill him?" Zhao Mang pressed, his gaze fixed on Lin Yan's eyes.
"I was lucky," Lin Yan said without elaborating.
Zhao Mang stared at him for a long time before finally nodding: "You have done a great service. I will report to my superiors and ask for a reward for you." His tone was flat and emotionless, but Lin Yan could sense that he was suspicious.
Lin Yan thanked them and led the mother and child to settle in. He found an abandoned, dilapidated house and went to the Demon Suppression Bureau to collect some food for the mother and child to stay temporarily. After doing all this, he returned to his own dilapidated house, closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and circulated his Devouring Spirit True Essence to consolidate his newly broken-through realm.
In his mind, flashes of the demon's final struggle, the corpses in the refugee camp, and the tears of the mother and child who had survived the ordeal appeared. In this world, demons roam freely, and human life is cheap. He must survive, become stronger, and protect those he wants to protect. And the Soul-Devouring Body is his only reliance.
Outside the window, it was fully light. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window, falling on Lin Yan's face. He opened his eyes, a resolute glint flashing deep within his gray pupils.