This Must Be the Successor of the Soul-Devouring Demon Art

A moment later.

A flurry of hurried footsteps, accompanied by roaring spiritual energy fluctuations, surged toward the training room like a raging tide.

The first to arrive were several elders of the Ling Xiao Sect, their robes fluttering as radiant spiritual light erupted from their bodies, scattering the lingering dark energy.

Close behind, the sect leader moved with agile grace, leaping forward in a few bounds before stepping into the room, followed by a group of nervous disciples.

When they arrived, the sight before them left everyone stunned. The once orderly and solemn training room was now in ruins. Spirit crystal ores embedded in the walls lay shattered on the ground, their glow dimmed, while the inscribed runes had been obliterated, leaving only a few faint remnants flickering weakly amidst the wreckage.

The air was thick with the acrid stench of scorched material and a sinister, lingering miasma. Wisps of black mist still coiled and twisted in the corners.

Yet, as everyone scanned the room, there was no sign of Ling Yu—only his spiritual sword, still embedded in the ground, its blade tainted with an eerie black mist that slowly dissipated.

The disciples exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes filled with fear and confusion.

"Senior Brother!"

One of Ling Yu’s closest juniors couldn’t hold back a shout, his voice echoing through the empty room, but there was no response.

The sect leader’s brow furrowed deeply as he stepped forward, crouching to examine the sword. His expression darkened further.

An elder waved a hand, dispersing the remnants of black mist, his voice grave. "This energy is extremely sinister—it shouldn’t exist near our Ling Xiao Sect. Ling Yu may have met with misfortune."

Another elder added, "For someone to silently abduct a prodigy from the heart of our sect, their strength must be unfathomable. This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

The sect leader slowly rose, his gaze sharp as an eagle’s, sweeping across the room. Finally, his eyes locked onto a pool of blood mixed with black liquid.

His pupils trembled. He strode forward, and the others followed.

Crouching down, the sect leader placed a hand over the bloodstain. In an instant—

A flood of memories surged into his mind. "This is... dark sorcery!"

His voice was hoarse with grief. "Ling Yu... is already dead."

"Dead?!"

One of the elders asked in disbelief, "Sect Leader, how do you know?"

"Because..."

He stood, clenching his bloodstained fist. "This pool of blood... is Ling Yu."

The crowd: "!!!!"

The sect leader took a deep breath, his voice trembling. "This is the unique mark of the Devouring Spirit Demon Art."

"A forbidden cultivation technique that consumes flesh, blood, spirit beasts, and spirit stones to empower the user."

"After devouring its prey, it leaves behind traces of the victim and the sinister energy inherent to the technique."

"When I was still a disciple, I once saw someone use it. But that person was quickly hunted down and killed for being too reckless."

"The dark art was thought to be lost."

"Yet now... it has reappeared."

A dark cultivator... wielding the Devouring Spirit Demon Art?

Everyone’s faces paled.

This... is terrifying.

The sect leader sighed. "Given the circumstances, we must report this to the Alliance immediately."

"The reappearance of a Devouring Spirit Demon Art practitioner in the modern era is no small matter."

"Yes!"

......

......

The next day.

Alliance Headquarters.

Representatives from the Mystic Wind Pavilion, Starlight Sect, Primordial Sanctum, and Ling Xiao Sect had gathered.

Huang Feng, an elder from the Mystic Wind Pavilion, frowned at the images projected on the large screen. "This bloodstain... why does it look so familiar?"

Qing Feng, the leader of the Starlight Sect, suddenly stiffened. "Wait!"

He turned to Qin Luo, seated at the head of the conference table, and exclaimed, "Mr. Qin, this bloodstain is identical to one left behind by one of our missing prodigies!"

As soon as he spoke, Qin Luo nodded and glanced at Little Ke, who was seated in a hovering drone. "Pull up the files."

"Got it."

The next moment, images of the seven Starlight Sect disciples who had died were displayed.

Six of them bore signs of being ravaged by violent winds—but one had vanished without a trace, leaving only a pool of blood mixed with black liquid.

"That’s it!"

The Ling Xiao Sect leader’s expression was heavy as he looked at Qin Luo. Suppressing his grief, he said, "The Devouring Spirit Demon Art practitioner."

"This must be the work of the Devouring Spirit Demon Art practitioner."

The Devouring Spirit Demon Art practitioner?

The attendees exchanged glances, shock evident in their eyes.

Representing the Primordial Sanctum was Feng Quan, the first adopted son of Feng Yutian.

After studying the images, he spoke coldly, "I’ve heard my father mention that practitioners of the Devouring Spirit Demon Art appear periodically."

"Their methods are cruel and stealthy, and their cultivation progresses at an alarming rate."

"They are monstrously difficult to deal with."

"If we don’t root them out, our disciples will continue to be hunted as prey."

Feng Quan’s words left the room in dead silence.

The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on everyone like lead.

After a long pause, Qin Luo finally spoke, his voice solemn as he surveyed the group. "Since we’ve confirmed the presence of a Devouring Spirit Demon Art practitioner, we cannot remain passive."

"Delaying action will only lead to more casualties."

The Ling Xiao Sect leader took a deep breath and sighed. "We understand."

"But the Devouring Spirit Demon Art practitioner is elusive, leaving no traces. In the past, even when we mobilized to hunt them down, we always came up empty."

"Only the foolish ones who exposed themselves too early were eliminated before they could fully develop."

As he spoke, his fingers tapped restlessly on the table, betraying his agitation.

"About that..."

Qin Luo cleared his throat. "The Alliance’s technology can develop a device to track the owner of the black liquid in the blood."

"If we use this unique substance as a marker, there’s a high probability we can identify the demonic practitioner."

His words stunned the room.

"That’s possible?"

"Indeed. This is the modern era, after all."

So that’s how it is.

This is the power of technology?!

Feng Quan crossed his arms, thinking for a moment before saying, "I’ll report this matter to my father."

Then, turning to Qin Luo, he added seriously, "Mr. Qin, please remain vigilant against potential attacks from the demonic practitioner. Based on past patterns..."

"The Devouring Spirit Demon Art practitioner strikes indiscriminately, regardless of time or target."

Qin Luo nodded, his expression grave. "Understood."

A short while later, the meeting adjourned, and the attendees dispersed.

"..."

"Heh."

Qin Luo’s solemn demeanor gradually faded. Leaning back in his chair, he allowed a faint smirk to curl his lips.

His gaze shifted toward the shadows in the corner. "Have you grown accustomed to this body yet?"

"T1—Ling Yu."

As soon as he spoke—

Gurgle...

Ling Yu emerged from the darkness, completely unharmed, wisps of black mist still swirling around him.

His once-normal eyes were now filled with an abyssal black, radiating an icy, alien aura.

He stood still, slightly lowering his head as if adjusting to his newly modified body. After a moment, he responded in a muffled voice, "It's... acceptable."

Qin Luo studied him, the smile on his lips growing more pronounced. "Good. There’s a more important task for you next."

"Right now, all the sects have turned their focus on the so-called inheritor of the Devouring Spirit Demonic Art. You’ll play that role—stir up some chaos, muddy the waters further."

"...Understood."

"In three days, an ancient ruin will emerge in Wang City. You know what to do, right?"

Ling Yu didn’t hesitate, nodding firmly. "Yes."

"But, my lord, there’s one thing I still don’t quite understand."

"Speak."

Ling Yu: "......."

"What does 'T1' mean?"

Hearing this, Qin Luo stood up and walked over to Ling Yu, clapping him on the shoulder with a laugh. "Isn’t it obvious? You’re a T1-destined Chosen One."

"........??"

"Stop with the question marks. You’ll have more teammates like you soon enough."

"Alright, my lord. One more thing."

"You really are full of questions today. Go on."

Ling Yu paused, then spoke seriously, "I want to find my junior brother, Xiao Fei. I don’t believe he’s dead."

Qin Luo gave him a strange look. "Of course he’s not dead. He’s a T0—how could he die? Did you think I went through the trouble of modifying you just for fun?"

Ling Yu: "......"

Sometimes, Ling Yu really wanted to say, If you’ve already turned me into this, would it have been so hard to erase my emotions too?