11 - Nightmare Wolf
Bathing in the cold waters of the nearby pond, finally able to wash away all the blood and sweat in truly clean water, the peace he felt was indescribable.
His long, whitish hair floated on the surface of the water, making it even more evident how long it was. His pale skin and sharp purple eyes stood out even more under the reflected moonlight on the pond and his body.
Despite all this, Long Shen couldn't keep his mind entirely empty or completely calm. Thoughts about his next steps to take revenge constantly invaded his mind, bringing with them a hint of anxiety and a few traces of insecurity regarding his plan.
Although he might be considered a genius in cultivation, that didn't necessarily mean he was experienced in other aspects of life; things like manipulation and planning could often be improved mainly through experience, something that someone at his age, only 15, would hardly possess in abundance.
But it didn't matter anymore. Whether his objectives would be realized or not depended entirely on him from this point forward. With that determination engraved in his heart and reflecting on how futile his worries were, he calmly closed his eyes, focusing solely on feeling the cold yet comfortable breeze of the wind against his body.
Sigh... At this point, all the blood and bad smells must have left my body. I better start my plans as soon as possible instead of wasting time worrying about them.
Swimming to the edge of the lake and stepping out, Long Shen donned his clothes and necklace again, pulling out a simple white mask he had taken from a skeleton days before leaving the well, and placing it over his face.
Despite how different his appearance was from months ago, some people would surely recognize his face in the city, especially since he had such striking physical features in a small kingdom. If that happened, he could say goodbye to his plans of seeking revenge without drawing too much attention.
Just as he was about to leave that open area, he sensed something approaching through the bushes in the forest using his inner energy.
Crack!
The sound of a twig breaking confirmed his suspicions that someone was nearby. Without wasting a moment, Long Shen's once-relaxed eyes sharpened and became wild as he looked toward the source, waiting for the creature to reveal itself. His index, middle, and ring fingers on his right hand were tightly pressed together.
His heart beat incessantly, and a subtle smile filled with excitement and curiosity appeared on his face. Finally, he would have someone to test his abilities after reaching the second realm and the third stage of his technique.
It's coming!
Emerging from the shadows of the trees and bushes, a beast resembling a wolf revealed itself. Its body was large and muscular, easily matching the size of the young man despite it walking on all fours. Its fur was completely black, and its wild red eyes shone with a fierce determination. Above all, it exuded a terrifying and ominous energy that constantly radiated from its body; without a doubt, it was a Nightmare Wolf.
A mere beast of the Purified Physical Realm, but one that had gained notoriety due to the legends surrounding it and its great rarity.
The origin of its name came from the stories shared by those who had encountered such a beast, claiming that if you didn't eliminate it completely, it would often appear in your dreams, lurking in the shadows and turning your life into a true nightmare, consuming you with the fear of simply sleeping.
Originally, this beast would surely instill fear in Long Shen, but at that moment, with the disparity in their levels, he felt little desire to engage in battle as he had just moments before discovering what kind of creature was lurking.
It must have been attracted by the smell of blood. Since I suppressed most of my energy to escape, it probably thinks I'm on its level... What a shame. At least I can test my new ability. He thought, his disappointed expression shifting into a small smile.
This was a battle Long Shen did not wish to prolong, but he still wanted it to last long enough to gauge the disparity between their strengths, therefore, he refrained from making the first move, waiting for the Nightmare Wolf to strike first, which it did in the following moments.
After cautiously approaching the young man, the beast, baring its teeth with a gaze filled with wildness and determination, leaped toward him, easily closing the 5-meter distance between them due to its immense size.
Slash!
Naturally, Long Shen dodged its attack with a simple lateral jump, but the beast wasted no time, moving swiftly and gracefully in a manner he had never seen before.
Moving with extreme speed and fluidity, leaving behind nothing but a black blur, the Nightmare Wolf initiated a series of successive attacks against the young man, using its claws and fangs, along with its long tail, while he deftly evaded and parried each one with his hands.
To think a beast would have such incredible footwork! I really know so little about the martial world still.
After a few more minutes of combat, realizing that the wolf had nothing more to show him beyond its pseudo-transformation into shadows, which was already relatively impressive, Long Shen leaped into the air and, while still aloft, summoned his spectral purple blade to manifest around his three fingers, aiming it at the beast.
His blade was now at the 3rd stage; although its size hadn't increased dramatically, from 25 centimeters at the 2nd stage to just over 30 centimeters, it had grown significantly in thickness and power.
However, the most remarkable thing he had gained in this evolution was not just the increase in power, but what he was about to demonstrate at that moment.
Simply pointing his blade at the beast and extending his arm like a weapon, before the wolf could escape, Long Shen launched the blade from his fingers in an extremely rapid shot that pierced through the beast's neck from side to side, only stopping when it hit the ground and caused a small crater.
As he landed back on the ground, he approached the beast's body to examine the damage more closely. He couldn't help but feel impressed with his own capability, the wound being extremely clean and consistent, as if the Nightmare Wolf's neck had been sliced through like butter.
His eyes reflected his satisfaction as he looked at the injury, making him wonder: To eliminate a creature nearing the peak of the Purified Physical Realm like this... Is it the difference in level that makes this possible, or have I truly grown so strong?
Regardless of the answer, however, he had finally managed to gauge how strong he had become, but still, he wasn't done with the tests he wished to conduct with the wolf.
The faint sound of bells he had heard at the moment of the kill, which he had initially chosen to ignore, finally captured his attention. With a simple thought, the system interface he had neglected appeared once more.
Ding!
[You have successfully eliminated a Nightmare Wolf! +71 Death Points!]
Finally, he had in his hands the main driving force of the System, the Death Points, also known as DP; with these, he could accomplish virtually anything the System had to offer, from strengthening his cultivation and techniques to assimilating new techniques and uncovering secrets, among numerous other things.
Long Shen couldn't suppress his happiness, but it still wasn't over; there was one last thing he needed to do. Thus, approaching the beast's body and placing his hand upon it, with a simple thought, the long-awaited process began.
Spiritual Absorption of the Void.
Flowing from the beast's body and using his hand as a conduit to establish a connection with his own veins, Long Shen began to absorb all the wolf's power for the first time.
Call it spirit, soul, essence, or vital energies; it didn't matter. What he was doing in that moment was something that even the most orthodox cultivators could become corrupted for the sake of obtaining.
Refining a spirit was something most people, including cultivators, had only heard of in legends, tales, and myths, said to be performed by feared demonic cultivators through rituals, mystical techniques, celestial artifacts, and so on, methods considered to be special. But Long Shen, merely placing his hand on the beast's body, could easily absorb its spirit for himself.
His palm grew cold as a purple energy enveloped him, very similar to the energy he had seen when he acquired the System months earlier, while he felt the violent energies of the beast flowing into his body.
So... this is the power of a Death Herald? He wondered after withdrawing his hands from the beast, feeling its energies now within his spiritual core.
The power to feed on death... in the palm of my hand... how incredible.