Chapter 5: The New Face of the Ghost
The demonic energy didn't just sit there. It was a parasite. It tried to claw its way into every meridian, fighting to overwrite the Life Core and take total control of Chen's physical shell. But the Life Core wasn't some weak spark. It roared back, burning with a gold-red light that acted like a physical barrier, forcing the dark sludge of the demonic energy to recede. The two forces slammed into each other until they hit a stalemate, finally settling into a tense, vibrating balance in his chest.
Chen drifted downward. He didn't land on his feet; he collapsed. He was heavily injured, his internal organs feeling like they'd been put through a meat grinder. He coughed up a thick glob of black blood as his knees hit the dirt. Mo was there in a second, his hands steady despite the confusion written all over his face.
He didn't waste time asking questions. Mo immediately helped Chen circulate the clashing energies, guiding the demonic core to stop fighting and start refining. He pressed a high-grade bead into Chen's palm—a focus tool to let the Qi flow without bursting his veins.
"Try and absorb the demonic energy," Mo warned, his voice tight. "And if it's too much, release it. If you don't, that core will backlash and turn you into a puddle of meat."
Chen's body stabilized. The golden glow returned, but now it was shot through with veins of obsidian. The demonic Qi materialized, heavy and overwhelming, far thicker than the standard Life Core energy he'd been using. He managed to sustain both. Double-core cultivators are rare.
Usually, this only happens at the immortality stage, and even then, it's a gamble. Legends speak of a young cultivator hundreds of years ago who defied the heavens with a tri-core path. The heavens didn't like the disrespect. They ripped his body apart and trapped his soul in a far realm.
Mo looked at Chen with deep doubt. In the Eastern Lands, dark energy is a death sentence. If you're caught using it, you're sanctioned, arrested, or just executed on the spot. Rules there are strict. Heavy. If Chen was going to survive the journey, he had to keep that dark side buried under a mountain of iron will.
"Lin Chen."
Mo was standing outside the cave, looking at the sky with a proud, tired smile. Chen approached him. He felt brand new. Strong. The birth of the demonic core had pushed him through the bottleneck, launching him from the early Foundation Establishment stage straight into the middle stage.
"Lin Chen, huh," Mo sighed, testing the weight of the name. "It's not a bad name. But you have to leave it behind. Everyone knows the Lin family in the South is extinct. You're a ghost now. If you want to live, you need a new life."
Chen froze. He'd watched the Lin name burn in the fires of his home. Giving it up felt like losing his family all over again. He clenched his fists, his jaw tight, but he wasn't a fool. He understood the reality.
"I agree, Master Mo," he said firmly. He bowed.
Mo nodded, looking at the kid he'd pulled from the wreckage. He'd raised him from the pain, and now Chen was finally becoming the man he was born to be.
"Listen to me," Mo said. "To become a powerful cultivator, you don't just need Qi. You need a heart like an anvil. Immortality isn't a gift; it's a heist. You're stealing time from the universe. If you want to reach the peak, you have to be colder than the wind and harder than the mountain. From this moment on, you aren't a victim from the South. You are Ye Jun. The Eternal Subjugator."
Ye Jun. It felt heavy. It felt right.
"Master," Chen—now Ye Jun—asked, "what lies on the path ahead? How do I navigate the Eastern Lands without becoming a target? And these cores... they feel like they want to eat each other."
Mo turned to him, his expression grim. "The Eastern Lands are a viper's nest. You'll be joining the Azure Cloud Sect. They're powerful, but they're arrogant. You must control those cores. Never use the demonic side. Not if you're losing. Not if you're dying.
The moment that black Qi leaks out, every master in the region will hunt you. Use your wits. Use the martial forms I taught you. Hide your strength until the moment you can't be stopped."
Mo leaned in, his eyes boring into Jun's.
"One last thing. Don't trust anyone who offers you a hand without asking for a price. In the world of cultivation, a 'friend' is just an enemy who hasn't found your weak spot yet. Keep your secrets buried deep, Ye Jun. Now go. Your revenge is waiting, but it won't be hurried."
Ye Jun stood there. His stance was determined, but his mind was a mess. If he went out there without Master Mo, how would he survive? He'd spent a year relying on this man's shadow. Now, he had to be his own shadow.
Mo looked at him. There was a deep sadness in the old man's eyes, but he forced a smile. It looked a bit tired.
"You are Ye Jun," Mo said. "Keep that in your head. Don't give up. Move forward even when the heavens don't answer you. If they stay silent, you have to defy them."
Ye Jun nodded. He let out a hard, jagged sigh. He didn't want to leave, but life wasn't asking for his permission. The path ahead was pure chaos. Mo reached into a corner of the cave and pulled out a set of blue and white robes. They were the ones Mo wore when he first started his own cultivation centuries ago.
"Change. Then head on."
Ye Jun took them. He was worried about leaving his master, but he did as he was told. The robes fit him perfectly. It felt like a new skin.
Mo started handing over things he'd kept hidden. First, a Spirit-Condensing Gourd. It was a mid-grade treasure that could filter the raw Qi from the air so his dual cores wouldn't choke on impurities. Then, he handed him a yellowed talisman. It felt like old skin.
"This is a map to the Abyssal Sword Grave," Mo explained. "It's ancient. It's a place for later, when you're stronger."
Finally, Mo pulled out a small, green crystal blade. It wasn't a sword; it was a sliver of concentrated energy. It was a gift Mo had received from his father. It was the only thing he actually valued. He pressed it into Ye Jun's hand.
"Keep this. It's powerful. Don't lose it."
Ye Jun looked at the blade. He looked at Mo's face. A heavy wave of emotion hit him. It wasn't just gratitude; it was a realization that the only person who gave a damn about him was staying behind. His throat felt tight. He wanted to say something meaningful, but nothing came out. He just stared at the old man, memorizing the wrinkles and the calm eyes.
He didn't say goodbye. He couldn't. He just turned and jumped.
He moved through the trees in a blur of blue and white. He didn't look back at the cave. He was heading for the Azure Cloud Sect in the Eastern Lands. The boy named Chen was gone. Ye Jun was the only one left.