Upon closer inspection, it was evident that Ye Yun's eyes—now black as ink—carried a faint, ominous crimson glow. The sight evoked a deeply unsettling impression; any who met his gaze would feel their heart plummet, seized by an inexplicable chill of dread that made them instinctively recoil.
Adapting to the change, Ye Yun closed his eyes for a brief moment, filtering the shadows from his vision. When he reopened them, his eyes had returned to their natural, tempered appearance.
As he prepared to review his personal data, a surge of violent energy erupted within him. It was a volatile, living entity that clawed at his insides, fighting to tear its way out of his physical frame.
Before he could register the panic rising in his chest, Ye Yun instinctively circulated the Primordial Demon Scripture.
A swirling vortex of black miasma ignited around him, a churning cloud of darkness that surged in rhythm with the energy raging through his veins. The domineering power of the Primordial Demon Scripture worked with relentless efficiency; the miasma thickened, becoming a dense shroud that greedily consumed the encroaching energy.
Ye Yun had been poised at the precarious peak of the Dao-Seeking Realm. But under the combined force of the internal eruption and the aggressive pull of his new scripture, he crossed the threshold unexpectedly.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The shackles that had long bound him to the Dao-Seeking Realm shattered like brittle glass.
Ye Yun had ascended. He had reached the Great Might Realm.
The miasma clinging to his skin was the heavy, malevolent qi of the Primordial Demon Scripture, an energy brimming with a sinister hunger. As it drifted through the chamber, the qi acted like a subtle poison, tearing through the opulent furnishings and leaving ruins in its wake.
True to its word, the system isolated the chamber and occluded his demonic signature. Outside the closed doors, the guards and servants remained oblivious to the transformation; in their minds, the young master was merely resting.
Swiftly, Ye Yun seized control of the demonic qi, pulling the darkness back into the depths of his body. He felt the vital energy settle, though the weight of it was far heavier than anything he had known before.
He could not afford to be discovered. Despite the system's protection, the mark of a demon was a death sentence in the Immortal Realm; discretion was his only true safety.
"Phew..."
Ye Yun exhaled slowly. The breath that escaped his lips cut the air like a sharpened blade, leaving a visible slash in the fabric of the room before it finally dissolved into the atmosphere.
In his eyes, a sharp, predatory glint flickered within them. He was no longer the fragmented soul of a dying man; he now possessed total mastery over a body attuned to the Great Might Realm, a level of power that made him a tier above most experts.
Anyone who attained this realm was a figure of awe, a powerhouse capable of founding a sect. And in the history of the Immortal Realm, no one had ever achieved it at the age of eighteen.
His talent was not merely great—it was a terrifying anomaly.
Clenching his fist, Ye Yun felt the raw power pulsing through his knuckles, a vibration of pure strength that made the very floorboards tremble. "System," he murmured, his voice tinged with bewilderment, "why did that energy surge up and force my breakthrough?"
He had used no pills, no rare herbs, and no secret elixirs. The sudden evolution seemed to come from within.
[Master, the Supreme Demon Eyes possess an immense store of dormant energy. However, they remained inert until you mastered the Primordial Demon Scripture. The resonance between the two triggered the release of that latent power, enabling your ascension to the Great Might Realm.]
The explanation settled his confusion, but another doubt surfaced. He recalled the memories of his predecessor—the harrowing battle against inner demons that had led to his collapse.
'Will those inner demons return?' he wondered. The prospect of mental instability was far more alarming than the fear of exposure.
"System," he asked, "will my former inner demons return to hinder my cultivation?"
For a cultivator, inner demons were the ultimate taboo; a single gap in mental fortification could lead to an irrevocable fall.
[Please be at peace, Master. The integration of the Supreme Demon Eyes and the Primordial Demon Scripture has effectively purged the remnants of your predecessor's inner demons. Furthermore, the possessing of these two legacies ensures that you will not develop new mental blockages in the future. Your path is clear.]
The weight that had been pressing down on his chest vanished. Not only were the perils of the past erased, but his path ahead was secure.
"System, bring up my personal information," he commanded.
A translucent screen flickered into existence, tethered to his consciousness.
[Host]: Ye Yun
[Age]: 18
[Identity]: Young Master of the Ye Clan of the Immortal Realm
[Cultivation]: Early Stage of the Great Might Realm
[Physique]: Supreme Immortal Body, Supreme Demon Eyes
[Techniques]: Primordial Demon Scripture, Slaughter Immortal Technique, Ancient Sword Technique
[Treasures]: Slaughter Sword (Samsara Grade)
[Destiny Value]: -1000
[Villain Points]: 2000
[System Inventory]: Empty
Ye Yun stared at his Destiny Value, a dry, wry smile twisting his lips.
'Good grief,' he thought, massaging his temples. 'I may have the body of a powerhouse, but my luck is in the gutter. I'm officially a disaster waiting to happen.'
It was fitting, he supposed. A villain could not simply have the luck of a saint; it would be a contradiction.
"How does the exchange for Destiny Value work?"
[Master, ten Villain Points must be expended to obtain a single point of Destiny Value.]
The exchange rate left him speechless. To return his luck to zero alone would cost him ten thousand points—far more than he currently held.
He glanced at the lottery system, drawn to the promise of legendary bloodlines and forgotten techniques. But with such dismal luck, a draw now would likely yield something useless. He decided to hoard his points, waiting for a moment when destiny was less hostile.
Rising from the bed, Ye Yun surveyed the wreckage of the room. The once-pristine chambers were now a ruin of scorched carpets and splintered jade.
"The richness of this clan is a miracle," he muttered, shaking his head as he stepped over a shattered vase. "The value of what I just destroyed could likely sustain a small city. My heart aches for the loss."
Despite the soul merger, his inner conscience remained intact; the young master's wastefulness still made him cringe. He walked to the heavy doors and pulled them open, allowing a flood of golden sunlight to pour into the gloom.
Standing outside were his personal attendants: two maidservants, Xia He and Qiu Lan. Both were stunning, their features wrought with a fragile, ethereal beauty. Clad in flowing robes of green and blue, they bowed their heads, their expressions clouded with a subtle, lingering melancholy.