Chapter 5 - Body

In the depths of time's passage, I find myself immobilized, my grotesque body nearly lifeless. Unbeknownst to me, a succession of bodies is being laid in this room.

As the days crawl by, the pile of deceased bodies above me continues to grow. I lie here, my form still, as I persistently absorb the blood seeping from yet another lifeless vessel.

As I absorb their blood, it is only the specific divine essence that I crave. The other corpses simply lie here, destined to decay.

With the cultivation of the celestial demon art, the essence of the heavens must be constantly refined. It flows from the body through the astral form and into the soul, completing a feedback loop that enhances its power.

Yet, the celestial blood I gather is never enough. Gradually, I feel my body shifting from its grotesque state back to its former, more human-like form.

My eyes now bear the lifeless gaze of dead grey orbs, reminiscent of those belonging to a lifeless corpse. Despite this, I can still perceive faint silhouettes of the bodies above me, offering me a glimpse of my surroundings.

As my body undergoes a gradual transformation, I find myself engulfed in the alluring scent of the specific blood I crave. This insatiable hunger perpetually consumes me, driving my every action.

The wretched sounds of screams and desperate pleas for mercy torment me day after day, etching a relentless burden on my senses.

Corpse after corpse is placed above me, and as the days stretch into months, I remain trapped here, unable to move my motionless body. The passage of time seems unending, each moment more agonizing than the last.

As my cultivation deepens, my hearing becomes increasingly acute, granting me the ability to discern their every action and conversation.

One of the men speaks, "Sir, we have run out of experimental subjects."

"Damn it! Just find some then. Go to the slave market or kidnap commoners. I don't give a damn," the grey hooded man replies with fervent determination.

"But sir, if we keep doing this, people will become suspicious," another man voices concern.

"I don't fucking care. Just find me a body so I can continue my experiments!" his eyes blaze with madness and anger. The relentless pursuit of his goals consumes him without regard for morality or consequences.

As the days pass, I become increasingly aware of the sinister experiments taking place around me. The grey hooded man and his cohorts continue their dark deeds, showing no mercy to those they abduct for their twisted purposes.

My hunger for specific divine blood intensifies, and with my heightened hearing, I can now sense the faint echoes of celestial energy resonating within each new victim they bring.

I can feel the energy coursing through my veins as I absorb the celestial essence, the very blood that can bring about my transformation back to normalcy.

Despite my craving for the celestial blood, I cannot bear the thought of perpetuating their suffering. I yearn to escape this chamber of horrors, to put an end to the malevolence unfolding around me.

I work on mastering the feedback loop that connects the essence of the heavens to my astral form, my soul, and eventually, my physical body. The celestial blood I crave becomes not just a source of transformation but also a means to liberate myself from this nightmarish existence.

As time goes by, I notice subtle changes in my grotesque body, a glimmer of hope in my once lifeless eyes. My power grows, and with it, the possibility of escape inches closer.

As my body continues to change, I sense something new and unusual.

Pain courses through my back as a peculiar limb begins to grow, a bone structure unlike any possessed by humans. Slowly, a pair of grey-colored wings emerge, taking their place on my tiny form.

My eyes, once resembling decay, now transform into a radiant silver hue, akin to gazing at the moon's gentle glow.

Yet, the most profound difference lies within my heart, as warmth akin to fiery embers pulses through my body.

I no longer feel wholly human or entirely celestial, but rather something fundamentally distinct and extraordinary.

As I delve deeper into the path of heavenly demon cultivation, my astral body undergoes a profound metamorphosis. Once resembling a 4-year-old child, it transformed into a grotesque form after experimentation. Now, after the effects of cultivation, it has taken on the appearance of a child with wings, mirroring my physical body.

As the days turn into months, my body remains immobile, trapped in this endless cycle of hearing the screams and experiencing the persistent pain.

I continue to absorb celestial blood, but the corpses laid above me are devoid of it. Instead, their blood is a blend of various types, excluding the precious celestial essence, leaving only rotten remnants behind.

You may wonder why they haven't noticed how I absorb celestial blood, and the answer lies in the scarcity of celestial blood. Each corpse carries only one to three drops.

Amidst my continued cultivation, I suddenly hear commotion above in the experiment room.

"Sir, I think we have a visitor!" someone exclaims fearfully.

The grey hooded man halts the experiment, and at that moment, the door is forced open.

"How dare you!" a man declares with anger etched on his face. "After what we've been through, and look what you've done to our citizens!" His expression bears a mix of anger, sadness, and despair.

"We were supposed to protect them, not subject them to this..." he trails off, his heart heavy with sorrow.

The man in knight armor exudes a radiant, bright presence despite the sadness that can't be put into words.

"It had to be done," the grey hooded man asserts.

"Your ideas are wrong; this isn't the right way," the knight retorts firmly.

"F*** you! You've never felt the pain of losing someone dear right before your eyes!" The grey hooded man's face contorts with both sadness and anger.

"You've never experienced the despair of being powerless, standing helplessly by while all the monsters consume your wife's body. I had no power, no means to do anything. My body just remained in the corner, silently screaming!" The grey hood man's voice carries a mix of sadness and anger.

"I wish you had been there, not me!" he declares, pressing a button on the table.

Instantly, the trap formation activates, causing the room to vibrate. Before the knight can raise his sword, chains envelop him, rendering him motionless and unable to speak or resist.

"Now you'll stay here and witness the masterpiece I'm about to create," the grey hooded man says with a twisted smile on his face.

The grey hooded man reminisces, "There was a time when I believed the experiment was successful."

"She had the beautiful face of a child, with silvery eyes and black hair that exuded a sense of peace akin to the warmth of night, I still remember her playing in the garden, oblivious to the world's troubles," he smiles wistfully.

"Though I didn't want to subject her to experimentation, she possessed something unique," he continues the story.

"She had celestial blood! Even though it was so minuscule that my detector couldn't detect it, my instincts never fail me," he recounts, a smile still lingering on his face.

"The father mentioned that the child was born, but her brain didn't seem to be developing properly," he chuckles.

"And guess what? After using my most advanced equipment, there it was! A rare mutation of celestial blood," he says with a twisted grin.

"But sadly, she couldn't survive, just like the others," he proceeds to continue his experiments on another subject.

The grey hooded man declares with a twisted smile, "Now, I must do what I need to do, to protect humanity."

With a cold determination, the grey hooded man announces, "Now, let's begin, shall we? Bring me the subject number #487991."

As he proceeds with his dreadful experiment, the room once again becomes enveloped in screams and agonizing sounds, further highlighting the grim reality of his actions.

The knight stands there, his face a mixture of shock, anger, and indescribable sadness. The gravity of the situation weighs heavily on him as he witnesses the aftermath of the grey hooded man's twisted pursuits.