That morning, a thick fog hung low, tightly embracing the ruins of Qianlong Village. The air was cold and piercing, carrying with it the scorched smell of burnt wood and the scent of dried blood—the aroma of death that the morning dew could not wash away. This strange, suffocating scent had become the breath of the dead village. In the middle of the rubble, under an old sakura tree whose trunk still stood tall despite its burnt branches, Li Xian dug a small hole. His right hand trembled as he placed a piece of bloody cloth, the only remnant of his parents' robes he could find. The cloth, now stiff and foul-smelling, felt like a weight on his entire soul. He touched the cold ground, feeling the damp soil between his fingers. This was no longer a home. This was a grave, where his beautiful memories and nightmares were buried together.
After burying the cloth, he took a water jug from the well that was still intact. The jug felt heavy in his hands, like carrying the weight of all that was lost. The water in it was clear, reflecting his dirty face, which was covered in scratches. The face that was once innocent was now adorned with streaks of soot and cruelty. The eyes that were once full of laughter were now empty and full of vengeance. He stared at his reflection as if seeing a stranger.
"This is not me," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I am no longer the Li Xian from this village."
With a powerful jerk, he slammed the jug to the ground. CRASH! The pieces scattered, and the water quickly seeped into the earth, as if he had just cut the rope that tied him to his old life. The booming sound broke the silence, scaring away the crows perched on the burnt tree. The crows' cries sounded like mockery, laughing at the destruction he witnessed.
He stepped toward the ruins of the ancestral altar. There, among the ash and burnt wood, a glimmer of light caught his attention. A jade pendant, cracked in the middle, still emitted a faint glow. The jade was a locket his father had always worn. His father always said that the jade was their protector, a legacy passed down from generation to generation. Li Xian picked it up, feeling its cold, cracked surface. He slipped it under his clothes, near his heart. This object was the only remaining link—his last connection to the past.
Beside the altar, a family tombstone, cracked by the heat of the fire, caught his eye. He wiped the surface of the stone, cleaning the soot that covered the ancient carvings. His fingers traced the words carved in blood-red ink.
“The Road to Wuyang: Face the Poisonous Shadows.”
The words echoed in his mind. It was as if his father had left a clue, a last message carved in blood. He looked up, black crows circling in the sky, forming an endless circle, like death angels watching over him. Suddenly, he saw strange footprints in the mud near the well. The shape was larger than a human's but unlike any animal he knew. The tracks were not there yesterday. A cold premonition crawled up his spine. Someone, or something, had come and gone. Cold sweat drenched his back. He knew he was being watched.
Li Xian gripped his shoddy sword tightly. This dull, rusted sword was the only weapon he had. There was no time to mourn. The path ahead was the only way out, the only way to an answer.
Li Xian's journey took him to the edge of the forest, where gnarled, moss-covered trees formed a natural arch, like a gaping gate to hell. Under the arch, the ground was wet and muddy. The air around him felt thick, smelling of ammonia and something sweet, like rotting flowers. The smell was so strong it felt like a slap to his face. He stepped through the gate, and instantly, darkness enveloped him. The bright morning sun was swallowed by the dense tree canopy.
The bark of the trees exuded a thick black liquid, dripping slowly to the ground, forming small, glistening puddles. In the darkness, green phosphorescent moss glowed on every tree trunk, radiating light like countless small eyes watching his every move. The sight, although horrifying, had a captivating beauty of its own. A deadly beauty.
"What is this smell?" Li Xian muttered to himself, his breath shortening. "It's like poison."
The air here felt heavy, as if every breath forced him to inhale dust and poison. Suddenly, his vision blurred. A flash of the massacre in his village came uninvited. He saw his father fall, his mother scream. He felt the coldness of a sword piercing his skin. Li Xian shook his head, trying to drive away the shadows. He stopped, pressing his hand to his rapidly beating chest.
"No, I cannot be weak," he whispered, biting his lower lip until he tasted blood on his tongue. He forced himself to move forward, his legs trembling. "I must be strong. For them."
As he stepped deeper, he saw an even more horrifying sight. A series of animal skulls, some of which looked like wolves or wild boars, were hung on low branches with ropes made of tree roots. Their sunken eyes seemed to warn anyone who dared to go further. On the wrinkled tree bark, a blood writing appeared, as if just recently made.
“Go back, Cursed Child.”
The writing seemed smeared with fresh blood, as if it had just been written. Li Xian's hands trembled. He knew this was not just a forest. This was a trap. He had two choices: return to the village that no longer existed, or move forward into uncertainty. He looked back, in the direction he came from, and saw only the same darkness. There was no going back. He chose the latter, stepping deeper into the heart of the darkness.
"I will not go back," he said with a firm voice, even though his heart screamed in fear. "I will go forward, even if I have to become cursed."
The journey led him to a swamp. The mud here was a metallic purple, shimmering through the gaps in the tree canopy. Every three seconds, a bubble of poisonous gas erupted from the surface, emitting a rotten smell that made Li Xian nauseous. He tried to walk carefully, using a dry branch as support. However, the branch broke, and he fell into the mud. The mud felt like quicksand, slowly pulling him down.
"Damn it!" he cursed, struggling to pull his legs out. Every movement felt futile. The mud was swallowing him, slowly but surely.
Suddenly, a group of creatures emerged from behind the trees. Their bodies were thin like wolves, but they had scorpion tails and red eyes that glowed in the darkness. They were the Fog Dogs. They let out a chilling howl, then charged at Li Xian. One of them jumped and stung his arm. The pain was unbearable.
"Agh!" he screamed, yelping in pain.
The sting, like scorpion venom, spread throughout his body. His vision immediately spun, and he saw a shadow of his dying parents. His mother called his name, her hand reaching out to him. "Li Xian... run!" her voice echoed in his ears. His father reached out his hand, his face covered in blood. He knew this was just a hallucination, but it felt so real. The fog dogs continued to attack, their sharp claws scratching his skin. He was cornered; the mud had reached his chest.
In deep despair, as another Fog Dog jumped to sting him, something strange happened. A wave of dark energy exploded from within him. His left hand changed, his nails elongating into sharp, terrifying black claws. He heard the sound of bones cracking in his hand but felt no pain. With one swing, he slashed the Fog Dog in front of him; the creature's body was split in two. Black blood and thick fluid spurted from its body. The other creatures retreated in fear, their howls turning into whimpers.
Li Xian stared at his hand. The claws returned to normal, but he felt something was wrong. He felt a stabbing pain in his nose. Blood. He touched his nose, feeling a warm liquid flowing. Then, everything went dark.
Two hours later, he woke up on the edge of the swamp. He did not remember what happened. All he knew was that he had survived.
"What... what was that?" he whispered, looking at his hand. "Was that... a monster?"
After escaping the swamp, Li Xian felt something new inside him. A whisper, cold and tempting, constantly swirled in his head.
“Surrender yourself. Unlimited power awaits you.”
The voice felt like his own, but at the same time, it felt foreign. The whisper offered power, but he remembered his father's last words.
“Li Xian... Be a human, son, not a monster.”
The dialogue appeared like a bright and clear flashback. The war within him began. The whisper felt enticing, promising power for revenge. However, his father's words felt like an anchor, preventing him from sinking into darkness.
"I don't need your power," he replied in his heart, trying to ignore the whisper. "I will use my own power."
Suddenly, he saw a collapsed mini temple. A statue of the forest god, made of wood, lay on the ground, its head severed. Despite being destroyed, a peaceful aura could still be felt there. Li Xian remembered the cracked jade pendant under his clothes. Without thinking, he took it out. For some reason, he felt he had to fix it.
Carefully, he used the cracked jade to reattach the statue's head to its body. The jade stuck to the statue's neck like a necklace. It was a futile act, but it gave him a strange sense of peace. As if by fixing the statue, he was repairing a small part of his shattered soul. As he was fixing the statue, a worn-out piece of paper fell from under the collapsed altar. It was an ancient map. The map showed a secret path in the Poisonous Shadow Forest, a path that seemed to avoid the most dangerous areas. On the map, there was a strange symbol that resembled the emblem of the Hei Ye Ting clan.
"Hei Ye Ting," he muttered, his eyes narrowing. The name was foreign, but the symbol felt familiar. "What is their connection to this?"
The path shown on the map led him to an area filled with Separate Soul Flowers. The flowers had beautiful purple petals, but their thorns were deadly. As he walked, he slipped and fell, and the thorns pricked his arm. In a matter of seconds, his body became paralyzed. He could not move, but he could feel everything. The poison did not kill him but imprisoned his consciousness in a helpless body.
The recurring nightmare appeared: he returned to his village, only to see the same massacre happen over and over again, each time more horrifying than the last. He could not scream; he could not move. He could only watch. He saw the faces of the people he loved—his neighbors, his friends—all killed in front of his eyes.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled. A gigantic plant entity emerged from the ground, green moss creeping all over its body. The Moss King. The creature had many tentacles, each with a red, glowing eye. The Moss King let out a roar that shook the ground, then jumped toward him.
Li Xian knew this was the end. He was paralyzed, helpless. He saw the metallic purple mud near him. For a moment, a crazy idea came to his mind. He remembered his father's lessons on chemicals. He remembered that ammonia gas was highly flammable. With his remaining strength, he bounced a spark from the stone he held toward the bubbling mud. BOOM! The ammonia gas in the air reacted, creating a small explosion that burned a part of the Moss King's body. The creature roared in pain but continued to attack.
In desperation, he summoned the dark energy within him. He did not ask for it; he demanded it.
"Help me!" he screamed in his heart.
The whisper answered him: “Pay the price.”
Suddenly, a burning pain in his eye spread throughout his body. The dark energy enveloped his body, burning the poison from the Separate Soul Flowers. He felt his bones crack and fuse back together. The poison was gone. But the price he paid was very high.
When he opened his eyes, the vision in his right eye felt strange. He touched his eye, feeling a permanent black film covering his pupil. His vision became dark and blurry. However, with that sacrifice, he felt stronger than ever. He got up, ready to face the now-weakened Moss King.
"You're the one who has to pay the price," he said with a cold voice, gripping his shoddy sword. He jumped and began to fight. His movements were faster, more deadly. The claws of dark energy appeared again on his left hand, and he slashed the Moss King's tentacles, one by one. Finally, he managed to take down the creature; its body was destroyed and returned to moss.
The secret path from the ancient map led him to a hidden cave. Inside, there were the remains of an ancient cultivator's camp. Torches that had turned to charcoal, rusted equipment, and several manuscript scrolls hidden in a chest.
Li Xian took the scrolls. The title on one of the scrolls made his heart pound: “Travel Notes to the Poisonous Shadows.” He read voraciously. The scroll told how this forest was actually a testing ground, a large project to test the dark energy that was hidden. Qianlong Village was not an ordinary village but "gatekeepers" who were betrayed. They were sent to guard the gate of the Poisonous Shadow Forest, but in the end, they were used as guinea pigs.
Li Xian's eyes widened as he read the name of the organization responsible for all this: Hei Ye Ting. Anger burned in his chest. That name was the same as the symbol on the ancient map.
"Hei Ye Ting... so, they did it?" Li Xian gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. "They used us. The entire village..."
Among other items, he found a jade necklace. Its shape was simple, but when he touched it, he felt a cold and comfortable sensation. A small note accompanied it: “This jade will protect you from any poison.” He immediately wore it.
Right under the scroll, he found an experiment notebook. The Hei Ye Ting emblem was clearly printed there. The book contained horrifying data about the experiments they conducted. He put the book in his bag, evidence that he would use to confront them.
“You will pay for this,” he promised himself, his voice filled with burning anger.
The secret path led him to the edge of a lake with black, murky water. The Poison Lake. In the middle of the lake, a wooden-skinned humanoid, with eyes that shone like fireflies, stood tall. The Lake Guardian. This entity protected the gate to Wuyang.
Li Xian approached, gripping his sword tightly.
"Move aside," he said, his voice hoarse. "I have to pass."
The Lake Guardian did not move. It just stared at him with a blank gaze, its firefly eyes glowing dimly. Suddenly, Li Xian remembered something from the ancient notes: the weakness of this entity was the moonlight reflecting on the water. That night, the moon was shining brightly, and Li Xian could see the reflection of the moonlight on the surface of the lake. He saw the silhouette of the Lake Guardian in the reflection. The silhouette had a gap in its chest, a weak point.
However, there was one obstacle. To get to that point, he had to cross the lake. The jade necklace he was wearing protected him, but it would not protect him if he actually went into the water. He had to take it off.
"Damn it," he muttered, his eyes fixed on his jade necklace. This was his only protector. He looked at the lake, then at the necklace. His mind raced. If he took it off, he would be exposed to poison. But if he did not, he would never be able to pass. "I have to..."
With a heavy heart, he took off the jade necklace and threw it onto the land. He stepped into the water, feeling a burning sensation on his skin. It felt like a thousand needles pricked him at once. The poison quickly attacked, and the dark energy within him raged uncontrollably. Black energy sequences spread across his skin, like moving tattoos, feeling cold and hot at the same time. His hair, from the roots, began to turn white. The pain was unbearable, and he felt himself on the verge of destruction.
"Hold on!" he roared, fighting against the pain that afflicted him. "I have to get there!"
As he reached the point where he could attack, he took a deep breath, gathering all the dark energy he had. He stabbed the reflection of the Lake Guardian in the water. Suddenly, the humanoid in front of him collapsed, turning into wood chips floating in the water.
Li Xian gasped, staggering to the edge of the lake. He saw his reflection in the now-clear water. His black hair now had white strands, like snow in the summer. The dark energy sequences were clearly visible on his left hand, glowing faintly under the moonlight. One of his dark eyes was covered by a black film. He had changed.
He stepped out of the forest, and in the distance, he saw it. The Gate of Wuyang. The city lights twinkling like stars in the night. He smiled bitterly. The smell of blood on his clothes mixed with the dirty smell of the city. This journey was over, but the real journey had just begun. He was no longer the same.
"I'm coming, Hei Ye Ting," he whispered, his voice low and full of promise. "And I'm going to make all of you pay."
With every step he took toward the city, he knew that he was not only carrying revenge but also a forgotten legacy and the dark power that had become a part of him.