Hey, everyone!
I wasn't planning to post a chapter today — just a quick update. I'll be away for the next two or three days, so there won't be any new chapters during that time.
Still, I managed to wrap up this one quickly so the protagonist could reach Gold Rank and get things moving again in the main world right after.
I already have plans for the next arc. I'll be shifting the focus away from the usual events in the inner world to give more attention to the main story.
The next arc will take place in Orchid City. I'm also planning to reread the original up to that point so I can portray everything more accurately.
That's it for now — see you all soon!
Happy Reading!
__________
(Chapter 23)
---
In the middle of a dark forest, a young man with white hair, wearing a cracked armor and marked with blood, was excitedly running around a battlefield, where the lifeless bodies of several Black-Winged Panthers lay.
For Long Chen, the joy of harvesting was almost as good as the thrill of battle itself.
He moved with energetic efficiency, his bloodstained face wearing a wide smile as he extracted the demon cores from the panther corpses. Each one was another chance to grow stronger, a step closer to the Gold Rank.
Thirty-seven cores, including the one from the One-Star Gold Rank leader. A small fortune for him—an enormous one for any family in Glory City.
"Isn't this just like picking cabbages? So easy!" he grinned, storing the "cabbages" in his spatial ring.
He knelt beside the leader's corpse, his sword slicing open the beast's skull to claim the final prize. His fingers were just about to touch the glowing core when the world seemed to tremble.
GROOOOAAAAARRRR!~
A deafening roar, many times more powerful than the previous leader's, exploded through the forest, shaking the trees. The pure soundwave made his eardrums buzz and the ground quake. Long Chen dropped the core instantly and leapt back, turning toward the source with sword in hand.
"There's another one? That leader was already a One-Star Gold Rank... so this one must be…"
Long Chen swallowed hard. The roar had been too close—he knew even if he tried to run, he wouldn't make it far. All he could do was watch.
From the deepest shadows of the forest, a colossal figure emerged.
As expected, it was a Shadowwing Panther—but comparing it to the others was like comparing a housecat to a saber-toothed tiger.
It was at least twice the size of the one he had just killed, muscles shifting beneath fur black as the abyss. Its golden eyes held not only intelligence, but an ancient and icy rage.
Its massive body was covered in wounds. Deep gashes oozed black blood, one eye swollen nearly shut, and it limped visibly on one of its front legs.
Despite its injuries, the pressure it radiated was suffocating.
Gold Rank. At least Four Stars!~
Long Chen's heart pounded. A healthy Four-Star Gold Rank beast would crush him like an ant. But this one… this one was injured.
More importantly—it was exactly the level he needed to push his cultivation even further. A wounded, furious panther, cut off from the rest of its pack. It wouldn't be as strong as in its prime.
"…Then I guess I'll take the risk," he muttered, a tense smile forming on his lips. It was a gamble. If he won, he'd surely level up. If he lost… at most, he'd just go home.
And he made his decision without hesitation.
Quickly grabbing the last core from the ground, he stored it in his spatial ring.
Rising to his feet, he faced the monstrosity. This would be a real battle. He, a Five-Star Silver Rank Demon Spiritualist, against a wounded Four-Star Gold Rank titan.
The panther didn't hesitate—it pounced.
With a low growl, its cultivation pressure crashed down on Long Chen.
"Damn! It's even stronger than I thought," he gritted his teeth.
It felt like a mountain was trying to crush him. The runes on his armor glowed, struggling to withstand the oppressive force.
Sou!
The panther vanished—not the short-range blink like the others, but completely disappeared.
"There!"
Long Chen's instincts screamed. He dodged with [Shadow Steps] just as the panther reappeared exactly where he had stood, its massive claws gouging deep trenches into the earth.
Bang!~
Its teleport distance was far greater than the others'. Its speed was terrifying.
"Shit!"
He had no time to recover. The panther spun, its tail thick as a tree trunk whipping toward him. He raised his sword to block.
CLANG!~
The impact was cataclysmic. His sword was nearly torn from his hand and he was flung back like a ragdoll, crashing into a tree with a dull thud.
CRACK!~
The sound of his ribs breaking echoed in his ears. He coughed up blood, the taste of iron flooding his mouth.
The panther was simply stronger and faster. He tried to use the [Soul-Paralyzing Eye]. His blue eyes flashed with a purple gleam, but the panther just blinked—the technique barely affected it.
His gravity control, once dominant on the battlefield, now only slightly slowed her—and the soul power cost was exponentially higher. Even escaping using gravity was useless. She could fly faster than him, even under increased weight.
She was intelligent.
Realizing he was agile, she stopped using direct attacks and began teleporting to trap him. She'd appear in front of him to force a retreat, only to reappear behind with a savage strike.
SLASH!~
A claw raked across his back, tearing through his Silver Rank armor and opening a deep gash in his flesh. The pain was excruciating. He screamed and rolled away, adrenaline keeping him on his feet.
He was getting beaten—badly. His reactions were fast, but she, even wounded, was far faster. Each dodge was by a hair's breadth; each block sent shockwaves of pain through his bones.
In a desperate moment, he used gravity not on her—but on the dead branches above. With a groan, tree-sized limbs fell toward her. Bang! Bang! Bang!
ROAR!
She roared and shredded them with her claws—but that moment gave Long Chen a precious opening.
[Shadow Steps]
He dashed forward, his sword glowing with frost from the Wind and Snow pattern. He aimed at a pre-existing wound on her leg. The blade sank deep, ice starting to form.
She roared in pain and fury, turning and slamming her head into his chest. Long Chen had no time to dodge.
BAM!~
The impact knocked the air out of him. The world spun. He flew backward, his armor visibly cracking at the point of impact.
He was broken, bleeding—but his fighting spirit only grew stronger.
His vast soul power—multiplied many times over thanks to Nie Li's technique—was the only thing keeping him in the fight, letting him use [Shadow Steps] and gravity over and over, even if with diminishing results.
He was a resilient punching bag—and that was starting to enrage the panther, who bled more heavily from her worsening wounds.
"This won't do. Even with all this soul power, if I die here, it's all for nothing." Long Chen bit his lip.
One last gamble.
Ignoring the searing pain, he focused, pushing his soul power to a dangerous level. He targeted one of the deepest gashes in the panther's side—one he had inflicted himself.
As the panther leapt for the killing blow, Long Chen didn't move. He threw his sword.
Sou!
The long silver blade spun through the air—a deadly projectile. The panther, intelligent as it was, sneered at the move and prepared to dodge.
But then Long Chen roared, veins bulging on his forehead. He poured all of his remaining will and gravitational power into the sword. Its trajectory warped mid-air, accelerating to impossible speed—bending straight toward the open wound.
!!!
The panther couldn't react in time.
SHLIIIIICK!~
The sword plunged entirely into her body through the wound, piercing vital organs.
The Gold Rank giant froze mid-air. Her golden eyes widened in shock. She glanced down at the sword's hilt sticking out of her side, then at Long Chen. One last growl, a bubbling gurgle of blood—and she collapsed, shaking the ground with her fall.
Silence.
Long Chen fell to his knees, his body finally giving out. Victory was his—but at a heavy cost. His vision darkened, pain overwhelming him.
In his final moment of consciousness, a warm, familiar feeling blossomed in his soul. A contract. He felt a presence—a desperate dash, a yearning call.
'Xiao Xue…'
It was like he could feel her running toward him—but the distance between them was vast, like they were in different worlds, separated by an ocean of stars.
His consciousness slipped away, a tired smile on his bloodied lips. With his last ounce of strength, he reached out—and the colossal body of the Gold Rank Panther vanished, stored into his spatial ring.
The world went dark.
But not before a faint whisper left his lips.
"Wait for me, Xiao Xue… I will… find you…"