Chen Zhe’s entire body felt like it was being burned alive from flames and only again for the flames to heal him in an instant. Smoke curled from his skin as waves of searing pain and relief coursed through him. Though unconscious, his mind was gripped by vivid dreams like how he is forged in the flames like iron repetitively, but he was merging with the Scarlet Demon's power and made a new being.
Dark viscous liquid began to seep from his pores pooling around him in a sticky mess. The substance bubbled and burned releasing even more smoke into the chamber. Some of it evaporated completely, while other remnants stubbornly clung to his skin.
Hours passed before Chen Zhe’s eyelids fluttered open. Groggy and disoriented, he became immediately aware of the sticky black sludge coating his body. He was uncomfortable and was trying to scrape it off with his hands but the substance clung to him like a second skin.
“That’s not going to work, kid.” the skull said its voice from a distance yet somehow close.
Startled by the sudden reminder of the skull’s presence, Chen Zhe froze. “What do you mean? How do I get rid of this?”
“Use your qi, boy.” the skull said this time in the tone of an old man. “Burn it off. Concentrate yourself and feel it inside you and let it flow like water.”
Despite his reluctance to take advice from the bizarre being, Chen Zhe closed his eyes and focused. To his surprise, he felt a newfound reservoir of energy within him. Then he guided it outward and the sticky substance ignited in faint, blue-tinged flames disappearing almost instantly.
Chen Zhe let out a long breath marveling at how much sharper his senses had become. The rustle of leaves, the faint growls of beasts prowling outside the cave everything was suddenly clearer and even sharper. For a fleeting moment, he forgot about the strange skull entirely and was focused on his newfound abilities.
“Don’t get too comfortable, kiddo” the skull interrupted now speaking like a teenager. “You’ve inherited the Scarlet Demon’s legacy but it’s not just about fancy tricks and heightened senses. You have responsibilities now. Like helping me reconstruct my body back when you reach the Divine Transformation Realm.”
“The what realm?” Chen Zhe asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously. He wasn’t sure if he should take the skull seriously or fling it off the nearest cliff.
“You’re hopeless.” the skull now sounding like a child. “Don’t they teach you anything these days? Fine, I’ll explain. But listen carefully because I won’t repeat myself. Well, I might. Or maybe I’ll just make it up as I go. Who knows. Hehehe”
Chen Zhe pinched the bridge of his nose. “What is wrong with you? Why do you sound different every time you speak?”
The skull chuckled this time in the voice of an elder. “Ah, you’ve noticed just a minor side effect of living so long in this form and being made into this form, I’m afraid. My essence... fractured, scattered, reassembled more times than I can count. One moment, I’m a philosopher. The next, a prankster and occasionally I might even ramble complete gibberish.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Chen Zhe stared speechless. “What... what even is that, then?”
The skull ignored him pressing on. “Anyway, back to your question. Cultivation realms. You atleast know about Awakening, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation and Nascent Soul, right?”
Chen Zhe nodded. “Barely. I’ve only heard bits and pieces from my friends. Tian Lou’s at Early Qi Condensation and Tian Lan is at the peak of Awakening. That’s as far as my understanding goes.”
“Well, there’s a lot more after that.” the skull said as a fact. “After Nascent Soul, there's Divine Transformation realm. There might be even more realms after that anyhow, That’s where you’ll help me reconstruct my glorious beautiful body. But don’t worry about that now. You’re barely at Qi Condensation.”
Chen Zhe blinked. “Wait... I’ve already advanced to Qi Condensation?”
“Congratulations.” the skull said now like a child. “You’re officially not as useless as you were yesterday.”
Chen Zhe groaned shaking his head. “You’re insufferable.”
With a resigned sigh, he stuffed the skull into his bag. He hesitated before stepping out of the cave wary of the savage beasts that had chased him earlier. But to his surprise, the creatures seemed to have fled entirely. The air felt still almost too still as if something more dangerous had frightened them away.
Chen Zhe emerged from the Warces Mountain and looked around his surroundings. His enhanced senses made it easy to track Tian Lou and the others. He set off in their direction though his mind remained preoccupied with the skull’s earlier words.
As he walked, the skull began its tales. “The Scarlet Demon wasn’t always a legend, you know. He started as a lowly disciple in the demonic cult nothing special. Just another face in the crowd.”
“Sounds relatable.” Chen Zhe muttered.
“Oh, but he didn’t stay that way. Unlike you and me.” the skull said its tone shifting to that of a teen. “He clawed his way to the top defeating his peers one by one. Even the elders began to fear him but power breeds resentment. They schemed against him when he was going out on a mission and broke his core and left him for dead when he was only seventeen.”
Chen Zhe frowned. “That’s... brutal.”
“That’s the demonic cult for you.” the skull said darkly. “But the Scarlet Demon didn’t give up. He rebuilt his strength creating his own path outside the constraints of both the demonic and righteous factions and now through you, his legacy lives on.”
“Great.” Chen Zhe said dryly. “No pressure or anything.”
“Oh, there’s plenty of pressure.” the skull now sounding like an teacher. “But don’t worry. I’ll guide you. Unless I decide not to or you get caught being his inheritor...Fibbity kibbity dibbity do.”
Chen Zhe sighed deeply. “I’m starting to think inheriting this ‘legacy’ might be more trouble than it’s worth.”
“Haha that's too late to back out now” the skull said cheerfully. “Welcome to your destiny.”