Chapter 12: Evil Monarch

Time passed slowly, and Lester’s eyes fluttered open. His body was drenched in cold sweat, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. He lay there momentarily, his mind foggy, struggling to piece together his thoughts. His heart still pounded in his chest, and a sharp, throbbing pain stabbed through his skull, as if something were thrashing around inside his head, creating chaos.

Fighting against the pain, Lester forced his gaze to shift around the room, the memories of what had happened slowly trickling back. His eyes landed on the open cabinet, and the events from before came flooding back all at once.

"What happened? Why do I feel like this?" Lester muttered to himself, his voice trembling with a mix of irritation and fear. His body ached all over, a reminder of the fall he had taken after the explosion in his mind. He managed to push himself up from the floor, his limbs weak and shaky as if he’d run a marathon.

As he stumbled toward the cabinet, his eyes darted over the shelves. The yellow book, the fragmented technique manuals—they were all there, just as he had left them. But his heart sank when he noticed one thing missing—the peculiar black gem.

"Surely it was that gem that caused all of this!" Lester thought, his mind racing. As he moved to furrow his brows in frustration, he felt something strange between them—a slight pressure, a discomfort, as if something foreign were embedded there.

Fear gripped his heart. "Could this be some kind of alien spell? Some kind of alien device that can kill others?" His thoughts spiraled into panic as his hand trembled, inching closer to the spot just above the glabella, the area between his eyebrows.

He had every reason to be terrified. The alien ship had carried countless strange artifacts, each capable of bizarre and often dangerous things. Stories of these alien relics had circulated widely. He remembered the tale of a man in Cambodia who found a knife that, when thrown, transformed into a venomous alien serpent that attacked with its deadly fangs. Unfortunately, it turned on its wielder as it strangled him to death. Or the horror story from Japan, where a man’s head was blown clean off after he tinkered with a mysterious object he had stumbled upon. Alien devices were unpredictable, and often lethal.

As his fingertips brushed the skin above his glabella, Lester’s heart skipped several beats. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and a cold sweat dripped down his spine. His breathing grew shallow as his fingers felt something hard and unnatural—a protrusion that shouldn’t be there.

Panic surged through him, and he bolted to the bathroom, his breath ragged and his heart pounding like a war drum. His mind raced with possibilities—each more terrifying than the last. He feared what he would see, yet he had to know.

He stared into the mirror, his eyes widening as he took in his reflection. "What in the world...?"

Above his glabella was the very same black marquise gem from before, now embedded in his forehead. It sat perfectly centered, slightly raised from his skin, and glowed with a faint, dark aura. The gem’s presence on his face made him look otherworldly—like something straight out of a myth or nightmare.

Desperate, Lester reached up and grabbed the gem, trying to pull it free. But it was as if it were a part of him. The gem moved with his skin, like a tattoo or scar, refusing to budge. His frustration mounted, his breath quickening.

"What the hell!?!" he shouted in a mix of fear and anger. Then, a thought struck him. "Wait! If this happened because I used World Qi, maybe if I use World Qi it will be removed!"

Summoning his World Qi, Lester carefully directed it toward the gem. His hands glowed faintly as the ethereal energy began to swirl around the black stone. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly:

“Boom!”

Another explosion of chaos erupted in his mind. The gem flared to life with a peculiar dark violet light, pulsing like a heartbeat. Lester’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock. But before he could fully process what was happening, a powerful, resonant voice echoed within his head.

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"Greetings, youngling. I am Visil Fajin, otherwise known within the Flageka galaxy as the Evil Monarch! Worry not, I am no longer in this world, and it is because of this that you can hear me right at this moment. You have acquired my inheritance."

The voice was deep and ancient, carrying an air of profound authority and nobility. Lester’s entire body trembled; he felt as though a colossal presence had entered the room, filling every corner of his mind.

Questions flooded his mind in rapid succession, his thoughts racing too quickly to focus. As if sensing his confusion, the voice spoke again, calm but commanding.

"Well, at least up to the Flower Forming Realm… Well... I know you might have a lot of questions regarding the black gem that is now on your head, but do not be afraid. The gem is what my sect uses to pass down inheritances to our disciples. It will bring nothing but endless benefits to you."

"Inheritance? Lake Forming Realm?" Lester murmured, his mind grasping for understanding. Once more, the voice responded.

"Inheritances are extremely common in this universe and are an efficient way for experts to pass down their teachings to their disciples. You might have a genius-like talent for cultivation, or you might be lacking. However, once again, do not worry. This gem is here to guide you through the process and, hopefully, allow you to build a foundation to one day help I, the great Evil Monarch, finish my work! Do well and do not disappoint me!"

The voice paused, as if weighing its next words carefully, then continued.

"This gem is where you will receive my memories and the techniques I used throughout my life up to a certain point. You are not allowed to share or teach anyone the secrets of the sect or any important information about me within the gem, as the consequences would be fatal and against sect rules. You can now be considered a member of the Evil Sect, and if it still exists in the future or not, only time will tell. Farewell, disciple, and once again, do not disappoint me!"

Lester snapped out of his daze, his breathing ragged as he tried to process everything. The gem continued to glow softly, casting a dim violet light that made his reflection look even more bizarre. He instinctively moved his World Qi around the gem again, and, as he expected, a torrent of memories flooded into his mind like a raging river breaking free of a dam.

It was overwhelming. He saw the life of the Evil Monarch from his early childhood to his teenage years. Battles, training, moments of victory, and crushing defeats—all played out in vivid detail, as though Lester himself were living them. The memories were astonishingly clear, down to the smallest detail, and for a moment, he felt as if he were no longer himself but Visil Fajin.

But the memories were selective. There was no mention of personal connections—no family, no friends—only his growth as a cultivator and his rise within his mysterious planet. It was clear that the gem only allowed Lester to access a fragment of the Evil Monarch's life. The rest, it seemed, was locked behind an invisible barrier, to be unveiled only when Lester achieved specific milestones in his own cultivation journey.

The sensation of receiving the memories was supernatural, unlike anything Lester had ever experienced. His mind buzzed with new knowledge, techniques, and insights into cultivation. And he knew that what he had seen was only the beginning. With this guidance, he now had a roadmap for his own path forward—something that most cultivators on Earth could only dream of.

As he sifted through the memories, he realized the teachings would only guide him up to the point of filling his core and a little beyond that. His heart pounded as he grasped the full implications of what he had learned. "He filled his core in his early teenage years!?" Lester thought, astonished. Compared to the Evil Monarch, any self-proclaimed genius on Earth would look like a novice. The possibilities were astounding.

Lester felt his entire body tremble with excitement. This was the opportunity of a lifetime—an inheritance that could propel him to heights he had never dared to imagine. He almost felt dizzy with exhilaration, his mind spinning with the sheer luck of his encounter.

For a moment, he glanced over at the [Black Sand Zu Lizard Cultivation] book. He had once considered cultivating that path, but now, with the memories and techniques he had just acquired, it seemed almost irrelevant. Yes, the Zu Lizard book was a complete guide, but the inheritance of the Evil Monarch promised much more, with the potential for far greater growth. And though he knew that, beyond a certain point, he would need to forge his path, he felt more confident than ever. This foundation was more than enough.

The most profound revelation was the insight into the vast universe they inhabited—far beyond Earth, beyond the stars. It was a universe filled with infinite possibilities, and for the first time, Lester felt truly enlightened. His perspective had broadened, and his ambitions had grown.

He could no longer contain his excitement. “This is unbelievable!” he whispered to himself, the grin on his face stretching wide.

The journey ahead was uncertain, filled with dangers and challenges beyond his imagination. But with this newfound power and knowledge, Lester knew one thing for sure: his destiny had changed forever.