"Get lost already!"
Wang Lu's voice exploded in his mind like thunder.
Wang Li's dazed thoughts shattered instantly. His eyes cleared, and without hesitation, he turned back toward the Spirit Stream Sect and gave a slight bow.
Then—
He walked away.
This time, he wasn't leaving for cultivation.
He was going to settle some score with some people.
---
When Wang Li first opened his eyes in this world, he had awakened in a strange, isolated village.
There, every child was forced to cultivate crude martial techniques.
Those who succeeded…
Would disappear.
One by one.
The original owner of this body had met the same fate.
But Wang Li was different.
He remembered.
He remembered that this world… was part of a novel.
And that village—
*Ancient Locust Village.*
In the story, it was nothing more than a sacrificial ground.
The village head used the children as offerings to nourish a mysterious divine egg hidden within the village. His goal was to break through into the Martial Origin Realm.
But he failed.
Miserably.
Because what hatched from that egg…
Was a *Kunpeng*.
A primordial creature far beyond his control.
Polluted by endless blood sacrifices, it turned demonic the moment it was born—devouring the entire village before disappearing into the world.
Wang Li's eyes darkened.
This time…
That egg would belong to him.
"I won't let it fall into the protagonist's hands," he muttered.
The origin of that egg was far too terrifying. If its existence became known, even ancient monsters would descend to seize it.
He had no such luxury.
He had to act first.
Revenge alone wasn't enough to make him leave the sect in such a hurry.
But this opportunity—
Was worth everything.
---
"After this, I'll focus on what I couldn't do before… merging the saber techniques with the *Mountains and Seas Art*."
At first, he believed the two were incompatible.
But after comprehending the essence of multiple Earth-grade techniques, he realized—
He had been wrong.
Not only could they fuse—
They might produce something far more terrifying.
"And with the new techniques Master gave me…"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"In one day, I should reach the village."
---
By dusk—
A small, quiet village appeared in his sight.
Wang Li stopped at its entrance.
A worn stone stood there, engraved with three words:
**Ancient Locust Village.**
"So I arrived early…" he murmured.
"The speed of the Martial Genesis Realm is truly something else."
The village was silent.
Too silent.
Then—
Footsteps.
An old man slowly walked out to greet him.
The moment Wang Li saw him, his eyes narrowed slightly.
A faint… but unmistakable stench of blood lingered around the man.
Not something an ordinary cultivator could detect.
But Wang Li could.
"Welcome, young hero," the old man said with a kind smile. "It's getting late. Would you like to rest in our village?"
Wang Li's expression didn't change.
"Alright. I am a bit tired. Resting for the night sounds good."
"Where is young hero headed?" the old man asked casually. "Traveling alone at your age… quite bold."
"Returning home," Wang Li replied calmly. "To celebrate joining a sect… and to settle some cause and effect."
The old man's smile twitched slightly.
*Cause and effect?*
*This brat…*
A trace of malice flashed through his eyes.
*The stronger his blood energy… the better.*
"This way, young hero."
He led Wang Li to a quiet bamboo courtyard.
"Would you like food or drink? Our village may be small, but we have our specialties."
"Just a drink," Wang Li said. "And I don't wish to be disturbed."
"Of course."
As the old man left, Wang Li sneered faintly.
"Kindness from strangers… always hides malice."
---
Once alone, he took out the storage bag Wang Lu had given him.
Essence flowed into it.
In an instant—
Its contents opened to him.
With a shake, several jade slips and bamboo scrolls fell onto the table.
He picked three and set the rest aside.
"Let's start with these."
But just as he opened one—
"Young hero! Your drink!"
Wang Li calmly walked to the door and accepted it.
Without hesitation—
He took a sip.
"Not bad."
The old man's eyes flashed with excitement.
What he didn't know—
Was that the moment the liquid entered Wang Li's body, a strange, malevolent energy was instantly refined.
The black sea within him churned violently.
The poison—
Was devoured.
Converted.
Assimilated.
Though slight, Wang Li clearly felt his cultivation deepen.
He glanced at the old man and smiled faintly.
"Nice drink."
"Rest well, young hero."
The old man left, suppressing a cold laugh.
*Sleep well… forever.*
---
Back inside, Wang Li continued reading, casually sipping the poisoned drink like fine wine.
"Ancient Inheritance…" he muttered. "Heretical, yet ingenious."
The first jade slip described forbidden methods that defied natural cultivation laws.
No wonder such paths had been abandoned.
Yet—
They were powerful.
The second jade slip made his expression turn serious.
"This… uses the essence of divine beasts to forge a foundation?"
A strange light flickered in his eyes.
"By building upon it, one can even inherit innate abilities…"
He frowned.
"Why does this feel… deliberate?"
As if something—
Or someone—
Was guiding him.
"I came here for the Kunpeng egg… not this."
For a moment, unease crept into his mind.
But he quickly suppressed it.
"One step at a time."
---
By midnight, he finally stopped reading.
"Time to act."
He stored everything away and closed his eyes.
Though he appeared to rest—
His senses remained sharp.
In truth, his gains tonight were already immense.
Not only had he confirmed the Kunpeng's existence—
He had also discovered something far more valuable.
His *Mountains and Seas Art* could refine poison into essence.
That meant—
Forbidden lands filled with toxic miasma were no longer deadly to him.
They were…
Cultivation grounds.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"And the Kunpeng egg…"
If he sacrificed its innate abilities—
He could use it to break his physical limits.
Increase his essence capacity.
Push beyond the limits of blood and Qi transformation.
Three transformations?
He might achieve four… or more.
At that point—
His foundation would be monstrous.
---
Just then—
A faint sound echoed outside the courtyard.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Wang Li's eyes snapped open in the darkness.
"They're here…"
But what made his expression change—
Was not the footsteps.
It was something else.
Because at that very moment—
Deep within his storage bag—
The jade slips began to tremble violently.
And a low, ancient cry echoed faintly—
Like the roar of something awakening from endless slumber.
Wang Li's gaze turned cold.
Because that sound—
Was coming from beneath the village.