Fang Li's breaths came out in ragged gray clouds as he sprinted through the back alleys of Ash City. The city, dormant yesterday, had transformed into a frenzied hive. Alarm bells rang from the Heavenly Sword Sect tower, while the guards' shouts echoed everywhere.
But Fang Li was not only fleeing the guards—he was fleeing his own mind. Auditory hallucinations had reached their peak; the voices of the dead he had absorbed now manifested in his monochrome vision as shadows chasing him, whispering in his ears: "Join us… the grave is cold… just like your heart."
"System… start… the merge!" Fang Li shouted as he crashed into an abandoned cellar beneath a ruined tavern, shattering the lock with his metallic arm.
[Critical Warning: Host in fragile mental state (Hour 22, no sleep).]
[Merging the 'Ash Dragon Heart' under these conditions may cause cauldron explosion or total erasure of human consciousness.]
[Do you wish to proceed despite 40% failure probability?]
"Do it!" Fang Li crushed the crystalline box with his right hand. "I've sold my emotions, my colors… the only thing left to lose is this cursed consciousness. If I must become a monster to survive, so be it!"
[Protocol Initiated: "Dragon Fusion".]
[Injecting raw dragon energy into veins…]
The moment Fang Li touched the pulsating heart, a storm of glowing gray light erupted inside the cellar. It was not ordinary pain—it felt as if every cell in his body was dismantled and reassembled with a hammer and anvil forged from lightning.
AAAAAAARGH!
His scream was swallowed by the thick cellar walls. His human heart began to falter, replaced by the Dragon Heart, its energy roots coiling around the bones of his chest. Dragon energy was not just power—it was feral pride, clashing coldly against the system's mechanical control.
[System suppressing dragon's will…]
[Balancing black energy with gray dragon essence…]
[Success! Level Up Achieved!]
Suddenly, a profound silence fell. Fang Li collapsed to the ground, his body emitting thick smoke. He opened his eyes slowly, freezing in place.
The ceiling he saw in monochrome now bloomed with color. Gray was no longer a single shade; he saw its deep gradients. He saw the red liquid of blood on his hands… the faint blue of residual sparks. He had regained color vision—but it was no ordinary sight. Colors were sharper, more vivid, as if the entire world had caught fire.
He moved his hand to touch the cold floor… and felt it! The chill of stone, the roughness of ash. Touch returned to him.
[Congratulations, cursed host.]
[Current Rank: Peak 'Smoke Condensation' – Level 9.]
[New Ability: "Merged Dragon Breath" – capable of releasing energy waves that disintegrate matter.]
[New Ability: "Minor Spatial Sovereignty" – sense all movement within 50 meters.]
Fang Li stood, feeling ten times lighter and stronger. He glanced at the shattered mirror in the cellar; his wooden mask was no longer just a mask, it had become part of him. Yet his eyes glowed faintly golden through the slits—the Dragon Eyes.
"I have returned…" Fang Li whispered, his voice deeper, carrying a subtle metallic resonance.
[System Note, sarcastic: Don't get too excited about regaining your senses. They're restored only so you can taste the 'pain' ahead; your pursuers from the Heavenly Sword Sect are already at the cellar entrance.]
Fang Li's ears twitched. Thanks to his hearing and spatial sovereignty, he detected four cultivators directly above him. They were all in the Smoke Condensation rank, one at Level 7.
"We tracked the energy here!" one shouted from above. "Come out, thief! Hand over the heart, and we'll grant you a quick death!"
Fang Li smiled—this time, a true smile, cold and malevolent. He raised his right hand, and instead of a simple metal blade, gray-black flames erupted from his palm.
"Quick death?" Fang Li said, stepping toward the stairs. "I gave myself life anew from the womb of death… how dare mere mortals speak of my end?"
With a single strike, Fang Li did not just destroy the door; he obliterated the ceiling above. The building collapsed onto the terrified cultivators, and Fang Li emerged from the rubble and dust, surrounded by a terrifying aura that made the others retreat in horror.
"You… how did you ascend so fast?" asked the group leader, trembling.
Fang Li gave no words. He vanished in a blink faster than Swift Wind Steps, appearing behind the leader. He placed his hand on the man's shoulder. Upon touch, the cultivator's body disintegrated into golden ash, absorbed by Fang Li.
"System… tell them how much time is left before I harvest the entire city," Fang Li said, watching the remaining cultivators fall to their knees in awe.
[Time Remaining: Until host grows bored,] replied the system.