"You're in luck. Aside from astronauts, you're the first person to visit the moon without paying a single cent!" said a fierce-looking old man. Clad in a green robe resembling a theatrical costume and enveloped in a dense shroud of ghostly energy, he smiled sinisterly at a young man trapped inside a transparent purple cage as thin as a cicada's wing.
The youth was about twenty years old, of average build, wearing nothing but a pair of gaudy, floral-patterned underpants. His bare upper body was thin, and his face wore a sour, scowling expression, as if the entire world owed him money and refused to pay. Sitting inside the purple cage, he looked around anxiously.
"What do you mean, 'in luck'? Are you out of your mind, old man? Why did you bring me here? What do you want from me?"
Han Shuo had been sweltering in the oppressive summer heat. He was just about to take a cold shower at home when a flash of white light blinded him. Before he could even strip off his underpants, this bizarre old man suddenly appeared before him. The old fellow had merely stared at him, muttered, "What an auspicious birth date," and then, without a word of explanation, snatched him up and leapt out of the tenth-floor window. Han Shuo had immediately fainted from sheer terror.
By the time Han Shuo regained consciousness, he found himself surrounded by a dark, desolate, and silent wasteland. The ground was rugged and uneven, resembling the severely scarred skin of a burn victim. Only then was he informed that he was on the moon.
It was likely due to the purple cage that he could survive on the moon. Despite being separated by its walls, Han Shuo could communicate with the freak in front of him without any hindrance. Strangely enough, the interior of the purple cage was filled with oxygen, sparing Han Shuo from the immediate threat of suffocation.
"There is no need for you to know why. Just wait until I finish my decisive battle with those three. I seek to break through the shackles of the laws of heaven and earth, to ascend to the peak of the Demonic Path—the Heavenly Demon Realm. Individually, none of those three are a match for me, Chu Canglan. However, if they join forces, I cannot guarantee absolute victory."
"To prepare for the worst, I sought out someone with the exact same birth date as mine—you. Should I unfortunately fall in battle, I can employ the most esoteric secret art of the Demonic Sect to possess your body with my divine sense. When that time comes, I will return, using your body to resurrect myself," Chu Canglan explained slowly and meticulously, staring intently at Han Shuo, an ominous light flashing in his bloodshot eyes.
"Uh... If you put your 'divine sense' or whatever into my body... what happens to me?" Han Shuo asked. His mind was spinning, and he didn't fully grasp what Chu Canglan meant, but instinct allowed him to seize upon the crucial point.
Chu Canglan looked surprised, then smiled sinisterly and said as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"If your body belongs to me, then you will naturally be dead..."
"Motherfucker!"
Han Shuo flew into a rage, cursing up a storm. At this point, he didn't care if he was about to be laid out on a chopping block. Words spewed from his mouth like rapid-fire artillery shells as he began cursing eighteen generations of Chu Canglan's ancestors, creatively and thoroughly "greeting" every single one of the man's relatives in every way imaginable.
“Kid, make the most of this last chance of yours. Curse to your heart’s content! Originally, if I won, I was planning to spare your life. But now, I’ve decided that even if I win, I will send you down to the Yellow Springs!”
Chu Canglan was driven nearly mad by Han Shuo’s relentless cursing. At first, he had remained calm, maintaining a decent composure. But after half an hour, seeing that Han Shuo still hadn’t stopped and was actually cursing with increasing malice, his face finally turned livid, and he couldn’t help but let out a dark roar.
As soon as this roar sounded, Han Shuo instantly shut up. After a brief silence, he began frantically beating his hands against the transparent purple cage, wailing and crying out:
“Hero... great warrior... I know I was wrong. Please let me go. What you’re doing is illegal! The police will arrest you. Technology is so advanced nowadays, even if you run to the moon, it’ll be useless!”
“The Demonic Sect acts as it pleases, never caring for the laws of the mortal realm. I, Chu Canglan, have roamed the world for many years, and have killed more people than I’ve ever met. Aren’t I still alive and well today?”
Chu Canglan’s expression was sinister as he spoke in a low voice. After saying this, his expression shifted slightly. Looking to the left, he muttered to himself:
“They’re finally here!”
Then, Chu Canglan pointed his right hand at Han Shuo. Trapped inside the purple cage, Han Shuo began to float up. Following Chu Canglan’s gesture, he was violently shot into the distance like a released spring, not stopping until he landed in a hollow depression.
Afterward, Han Shuo found that he couldn’t move his body at all, nor could he make a sound. Aside from his mind still being able to think, his ears not being deaf, and his eyes being able to blink, he couldn’t do anything else inside the purple cage.
“The three of you are late. Today, I will battle the three of you. I hope you will do your best, and do not blame me when you die!”
“Amitabha.”
“Wuliang Tianzun.”
Although Han Shuo couldn’t move, perhaps because of the purple cage, he could actually hear the distant conversation. However, he only heard the words “Amitabha” and “Wuliang Tianzun” clearly, while the rest was muffled. He realized in his heart that there was likely at least one monk and one Daoist priest, because on television, monks and Daoists always started their conversations with these phrases.
According to what Chu Canglan had just said, whether the old man ultimately won or lost, Han Shuo was doomed.
Han Shuo was born in YZ City. After graduating from a vocational high school, he squeezed into a second-rate university. After graduating from university, unlike others who went to find jobs, he tried all sorts of things on the internet, from building websites to opening online stores, but failed to make any money. From beginning to end, he was just a computer addict—and a useless one at that, with a bleak future and nothing going for him.
Having messed around on the internet for so long, Han Shuo’s head was filled with wicked thoughts. However, because he stayed cooped up at home all day, his criminal record was perfectly clean. Furthermore, since his parents were neither billionaires nor powerful officials, he was self-aware enough to never dare turn the wicked ideas in his head into reality.
Already twenty years old, he had accomplished absolutely nothing in his life so far. His parents had once arranged a marriage for him, but the other party rejected him, calling him a dissolute rogue with no proper job—and so, it fell through.
Recently, under pressure from his parents, he had reluctantly prepared a resume to find a decent job. Who could have known that before he even had the chance to turn over a new leaf, he would run into such a ridiculous disaster.
Thinking that his life was about to end here, Han Shuo's mind gradually grew sluggish. For the first time, he realized his entire life amounted to nothing. Not only had he never held a proper job, but he had also never done anything truly satisfying—he hadn't even slept with a woman yet.
"Sigh, my luck is truly terrible. I was already prepared to turn over a new leaf, so why won't you give me a chance? If I survive this, I will definitely take all the wicked thoughts in my head and carry out every single one of them. I won't let anyone look down on me anymore. No more daring to think but not daring to act, no more..."
Right now, the only part of him that could still function was his brain. Aside from letting his thoughts run wild, Han Shuo really couldn't do anything else. The more he thought, the more regretful he became, and the more he was filled with grief and indignation.
Suddenly, a massive, earth-shattering roar echoed from afar. Amidst the rumbling, the wild, crazed laughter of Chu Canglan rang out.
But after a moment, Chu Canglan suddenly roared, "Despicable!"
Then came another series of earth-shaking explosions. The violent commotion caused the ground beneath Han Shuo to shake incessantly. Immediately after, another loud shout rang out, "Chu Canglan, you are dead meat this time!"
"Ah, this is the Demonic Consciousness Body Escape! He plans to use this demonic art. There must be a demonic seed hidden nearby!"
"Amitabha. For the sake of all living beings under heaven, even if this old monk must die today, I cannot allow a demon like him to succeed. Amitabha! Great Annihilation Mantra!"
"Monk, don't do it..."
Another series of loud explosions rang out, and then a streak of black light shot rapidly toward Han Shuo. The black light flashed like a meteor, and within it, something seemed to vaguely shimmer, looking like a twisting, glowing liquid.
"Amitabha be praised. Master Yuan Kong sacrificed himself to stop the demonic art. We can finally rest easy. From now on, it will be difficult for Chu Canglan to threaten the cultivators of the hidden world again!"
Han Shuo only heard that final sentence. Then, a streak of black light surged violently into the purple barrier. It felt as though some strange object had forced its way into his head. Following a loud explosion, Han Shuo felt a heart-wrenching pain, as if his internal organs had been completely shattered, and he instantly lost consciousness.
He didn't know how much time had passed before Han Shuo managed to open his stinging eyes. His entire body was in agonizing pain, and his head hurt even more, as if he had a severe migraine. His mind seemed to be filled with a chaotic jumble of things.
Looking around, he saw only darkness, with piles of stark white bones scattered haphazardly everywhere. In the distance, there was some black, sticky substance, emitting a stench so foul it made him want to vomit instantly.
"Sigh, I really am dead. This must be the Yellow Springs of hell!"
Han Shuo's heart was as cold as dead ashes. To think he had died at such a young age—it was truly wretched luck. His entire past life had been a waste, and he only hoped to be reincarnated quickly so he could start anew, praying his next life wouldn't follow the same tragic path.
While Han Shuo was still lost in these thoughts, a sudden, excruciating pain shot through his head. After clutching his head and screaming for a while, he felt as though a vast amount of information had suddenly flooded his mind.
"Bryan... Bryan... Who is Bryan?"
Half an hour later...
Han Shuo's head spun. He thought about those soul-transmigration stories he had seen on television—how could such a thing happen to him? Moreover, he never expected to possess the body of a foreigner. Had that crazy old coot Chu Canglan's demonic seed technique gone completely awry?
Han Shuo's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim darkness. He moved his limbs and raised his right arm to inspect it. The black mole on his wrist was gone, replaced by a long, hideous scar. It looked like a writhing worm struggling on his arm, sending a cold shiver of dread through him the moment he saw it.
This body was not his. Han Shuo was stunned, finally realizing that he had indeed transmigrated into another body...
Although Bryan was dead, Han Shuo, for some unknown reason, actually possessed the guy's memories. Only later did Han Shuo realize that not only had his soul transmigrated, but he hadn't ended up in America, England, or some other Western country.
A strange world called the Csia Continent, a strange nation called the Lancelot Empire—a bizarre continent where different races wielding swords and magic ran rampant.
Bryan's parents had passed away early. When they died, he was only ten years old, and his uncle promptly sold him as a servant to child traffickers. These slave traders then resold Bryan to the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts. From then on, Bryan's life plunged into darkness.
Bryan died just before turning sixteen. At the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts, he had been assigned as an errand boy to the lowest-status Necromancy Department.
For the past six years, his job had been to assist the students of the Necromancy Department, carrying skulls, bones, zombies, and other failed experimental waste into this cemetery. Aside from this primary task, he was also responsible for a mountain of miscellaneous chores like serving tea, pouring water, sweeping floors, and exterminating pests.
Furthermore, the Necromancy students would also force him to test the combat capabilities of skeletons or ghouls, or even test various necromantic spells on his body.
Bryan was weak and cowardly. Over these six years, his life had been a living hell. His body was covered in wounds, he ate nothing but hard, unpalatable bread, and he did nothing but menial, thankless work. Whenever the Necromancy students lost magic duels to other departments, they would take their frustration out on Bryan, using him for target practice.
For a sixteen-year-old boy to be tortured for six years—was this not an incredibly cruel way to treat a child?
Many times, Bryan had thought of committing suicide to end his life, but he was too weak, lacking even the courage to kill himself. Thus, he could only endure, silently accepting the torment for six long years.
Finally, just the day before, he had died after the Necromancy department's little demoness, Lisa, summoned a "Wraith"-class invading spirit. At the moment of his death, Bryan felt no pain at all, only a sense of joy at finally being released.
Bryan had spent six years carrying corpses and shattered skulls, only to end up being dumped here like trash by another errand boy, in the very cemetery where he used to discard waste.
Han Shuo had always thought his own life was dark enough, but compared to Bryan's, his nose suddenly stung with emotion. For the first time, he realized that his past years had actually been quite fortunate.
Understanding Bryan's past, Han Shuo felt a lump in his throat. His voice choked slightly as he murmured with a sigh:
"How could there be someone as foolish as you in this world, such a weak and cowardly youth! Bryan, now that I've taken over your body, shouldn't I do something for you?"
Suddenly, Han Shuo sensed a thread of liquid-like energy moving gently inside his body. At that moment, his head throbbed with a sharp pain, and a flood of memories abruptly surfaced. This liquid thread slowly circulated through his body. As Han Shuo sat there dazed, the pain in his head brought with it a wealth of knowledge that somehow originated from that old madman, Chu Canglan.
Demonic cultivation consisted of nine realms: Solid Body, Conduit Tempering, Soul Shaping, True Demon, Bloodlust, Demon Split, Indulgence, Nine Transformations, and Heavenly Demon. Demonic cultivators killed according to their whims, doing whatever they pleased without regard for morality or law, pursuing nothing but absolute strength.
Once one became a demon, they would possess peerless divine abilities capable of moving mountains, draining seas, and reaching the heavens.
Lost in thought for an unknown amount of time, Han Shuo absorbed a vast amount of knowledge he could never have imagined before. Furthermore, he was certain that Chu Canglan's final demon-seeding technique had gone awry. The old man's soul had perished, but the memories of all the demonic arts he had cultivated were left entirely to Han Shuo.
The thread moving within his body was undoubtedly the demonic yuan, the most vital foundation for a demonic cultivator and the basis of all demonic arts. According to the memories inherited from Chu Canglan, a demonic cultivator would need at least three to five years to condense demonic yuan. Yet Han Shuo, who had known absolutely nothing about cultivation beforehand, actually possessed a thread of it in his body. Although it was pitifully weak, he knew for certain that it was indeed demonic yuan.
Han Shuo thought to himself that although the crazy old man Chu Canglan had intended to use him as a scapegoat, he had unexpectedly ended up sending him to this unfamiliar time and space. The jumble of demonic cultivation techniques in his head had undoubtedly been left behind by Chu Canglan before he died.
Although Han Shuo had gained some understanding of this unfamiliar world through the memories of the poor Bryan, Bryan had only been a weak, lowly errand boy at the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts, so his knowledge was extremely limited. To prepare for his future, Han Shuo fell silent, lost in deep thought.
Bryan was dead, and Han Shuo had taken over his body. Now, Han Shuo was Bryan, and Bryan had been sold to the academy. This was a permanent brand of status. In this unfamiliar world, the punishment for runaway slaves was cruel and terrifying. Thus, Han Shuo could not simply run away, nor was he guaranteed to escape. Furthermore, he had no money—not even a single silver coin.
After weighing his options carefully for a long time, Han Shuo finally decided to return to the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts. Only there could he change his status as a slave, and perhaps do something on behalf of the poor, deceased Bryan.
Han Shuo's entire body was in agonizing pain (before Bryan died, his body was already covered in numerous old wounds). Just as he was about to stand up, a sharp pain shot through him, forcing a loud "ouch!" from his lips as he plopped back down on his rear.
Han Shuo harbored not a shred of goodwill toward Chu Canglan for forcibly abducting him. Chu Canglan's world was completely foreign to Han Shuo, a realm about which he knew absolutely nothing. However, from the memories Chu Canglan had left behind, Han Shuo knew that cultivating demonic arts initially required a robust and healthy body. As one progressed, they would eventually be able to soar through the heavens, tunnel through the earth, topple mountains, overturn seas, and become virtually omnipotent.
Although Han Shuo felt that Chu Canglan was somewhat unhinged, the fact that the man could carry him and fly directly toward the moon made Han Shuo secretly believe in the reality of the miraculous feats described in the demonic arts.
Inside Han Shuo's body was a faint trace of demonic yuan. In order to increase his chances of survival, he decided to give it a try. Han Shuo began to recall the obscure and complex mantras of the demonic cultivation method. Following the formula of the first stage, "Solid Body," he desperately focused his mental strength to control that weak trace of demonic yuan.
Han Shuo concentrated his mind, and following the "Solid Body" formula, began to guide that weak trace of demonic yuan. As it turned out, it was just as Chu Canglan had said—wherever his mind directed, the demonic yuan would flow.
Overjoyed, Han Shuo thought to himself, "Although Chu Canglan seemed somewhat unhinged, who would have thought that the demonic cultivation method he left behind actually works." With this thought, he held his breath, focused his mind, and began to circulate that weak trace of demonic yuan within his body.
It wasn't until Han Shuo's stomach rumbled that he woke up, having no idea how long he had been cultivating. He felt that the pain in his body had decreased significantly, and he had regained a bit of strength. Just a brief session of cultivation had yielded such results. That lunatic Chu Canglan must have cultivated for who knows how long; no wonder he had dared to fly to the moon. Han Shuo could only imagine how incredibly powerful the old man must have been before his death.
The moment he stopped cultivating, Han Shuo noticed something strange—instead of circulating according to the rules recorded in the "Solid Body" formula, that trace of demonic yuan began to flow randomly into his flesh, bones, limbs, and skull, spreading to every corner of his body.
The first stage, "Solid Body," was indeed a method of tempering the physical body, a process to make the flesh and bones tougher and stronger. In addition to gradually cultivating the demonic yuan through hard work to make the beginner stronger, this first stage also utilized methods of continuously striking the physical body, causing it to be constantly injured. Once the demonic yuan was tempered, both the internal and external aspects of cultivation could proceed even faster.
"This demonic cultivation method is truly masochistic! But Bryan has always been subjected to this kind of abuse. Perhaps when I return to the Magic and Martial Academy, I can cultivate even faster. Looking at it this way, the things Bryan went through weren't entirely without benefit!"
Han Shuo sighed with emotion, deciding to leave this place first. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized how foolish it was to remain in this grave. The surrounding stench was unbearable, making him sick to his stomach.
A faint, dim light shone from above. Drawing on Bryan's memories, Han Shuo knew there was a large opening up there used for discarding broken bones and shattered skulls. The moment he stood up, his entire body throbbed with pain. Covered in layers of wounds, six years of torment had long since left Bryan's body incredibly weak. Surviving on nothing but the worst scraps of food, he was naturally reduced to a mere bag of bones, barely standing at just over 1.6 meters tall.
Dragging his battered body forward, Han Shuo stepped onto the green moss and struggled to climb upward. After scrambling for a while and falling five or six times, he finally crawled out of the grave. Looking at the moonlight casting a silver glow over the graveyard, a profound joy of rebirth welled up from the bottom of his heart.
Feeling the demonic yuan still circulating within his body, Han Shuo comforted himself. Having survived this great catastrophe, he was bound to enjoy great fortune in the future. His escape today was all thanks to one thing—the secret manual of demonic cultivation left to him by Chu Canglan, which would allow him to realize ambitions he had never dared to dream of before.
What Han Shuo did not know, however, was that the trace of demonic yuan Chu Canglan had left in his body had not only helped him with "Body Solidification" but was also a seed. This seed was transforming his body while simultaneously altering his way of thinking. His mind had always been filled with wicked thoughts that he had never dared to act upon. But this evil seed would make it so that even if he wanted to control himself, he might no longer be able to do so.
VOLUME 1: PROLOGUE