The journey down Black River Mountain took three days.

  To ordinary disciples, the descent felt like relief — leaving behind the suffocating pressure of the inner sect. But for Shen Yu, every step only sharpened the strange awareness growing inside him.

  Gu were everywhere.

  Hidden beneath soil.

  Sleeping inside trees.

  Crawling unseen through streams of qi flowing beneath the earth.

  And all of them… noticed him.

  Sometimes he felt faint pulses brush against his senses, like cautious animals testing the air. Other times, hunger stirred within his chest, slow and patient, urging him to devour.

  He forced himself to ignore it.

  For now.

  The caravan escorting outer disciples moved along a narrow canyon road. Wooden carts carried supplies while sect guards walked alongside, their auras steady and oppressive.

  Luo Sen walked ahead, laughing loudly with several disciples, already basking in his growing reputation.

  Behind them, Elder Han rode silently atop a spirit beast, eyes half-closed.

  Shen Yu walked alone.

  Until someone matched his pace.

  “You shouldn’t isolate yourself,” Lin Mei said quietly.

  She carried a small satchel of herbs, her expression calm but observant. “Outer sect life is dangerous. Alliances matter.”

  Shen Yu glanced at her. “Alliances are temporary.”

  She smiled faintly. “So is survival.”

  Before he could reply, a sudden tremor shook the canyon.

  Rocks fell from above.

  The caravan halted instantly.

  “Defensive formation!” a guard shouted.

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  Qi flared as disciples activated protective Gu. Shen Yu felt it immediately — a chaotic aura rushing toward them from deeper within the canyon.

  Wild Gu.

  But different from before.

  Aggressive.

  Starving.

  A swarm burst from the shadows — black beetle Gu the size of fists, wings buzzing violently as they descended upon the caravan.

  Screams erupted.

  Several disciples panicked, their control breaking as the swarm tore through defensive barriers.

  Shen Yu’s chest tightened.

  The hunger awakened instantly.

  Not pain.

  Not fear.

  Desire.

  The Devouring Presence stirred eagerly, reacting to the dense concentration of Gu essence.

  Food.

  He clenched his fists.

  No.

  Not here.

  But the swarm noticed him.

  Hundreds of tiny eyes turned at once.

  Then—

  They changed direction.

  Ignoring the other disciples, the beetles rushed toward Shen Yu.

  “Watch out!” Lin Mei shouted.

  The guards prepared to intervene, but before they could move, the swarm halted midair, hovering around him in a vibrating sphere.

  The canyon fell silent.

  Shen Yu felt their instinct — confusion, submission… and terror.

  They sensed the thing inside him.

  His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.

  Thump.

  One beetle suddenly fell from the air, its body dissolving into faint green light that streamed into Shen Yu’s chest.

  Then another.

  And another.

  He staggered backward as warmth flooded through him.

  “No…” he whispered.

  The Devouring Presence surged awake.

  The swarm began collapsing rapidly, each Gu dissolving without resistance, absorbed one after another.

  Within moments, the sky cleared.

  Nothing remained.

  Only drifting motes of fading qi.

  The disciples stared in stunned silence.

  Luo Sen’s expression turned pale.

  Elder Han slowly opened his eyes.

  For the first time since leaving the mountain, true seriousness appeared on his face.

  “…Interesting,” the elder murmured.

  Shen Yu dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. Inside him, the hollow space felt larger now — deeper, more alive.

  Satisfied.

  But not full.

  Never full.

  Lin Mei knelt beside him. “Are you alright?”

  He nodded slowly, though unease crept into his thoughts.

  He hadn’t chosen to devour them.

  It had happened naturally.

  Effortlessly.

  Like breathing.

  That night, the caravan camped near a dried riverbed.

  Most disciples avoided Shen Yu entirely now, whispering among themselves.

  Monster.

  Abnormal.

  Dangerous.

  Shen Yu sat alone beneath a cliff, staring at his hands.

  “You’re adapting faster than expected.”

  He looked up sharply.

  The masked stranger from the trial stood above him, leaning casually against the rock wall.

  “You…” Shen Yu said quietly. “You’re not an elder.”

  The man chuckled. “No. Elders fear rules too much.”

  Moonlight reflected faintly off the stranger’s mask.

  “What lives inside you,” he continued, “is older than the Gu path itself.”

  Shen Yu’s gaze hardened. “Then tell me what it is.”

  The stranger tilted his head.

  “A king,” he said softly.

  “A predator born to devour other Gu… and eventually, those who control them.”

  A chill ran down Shen Yu’s spine.

  “Why help me?”

  The stranger turned away, looking toward the distant silhouette of the Black River Sect.

  “Because the heavens made a mistake long ago,” he said. “And you… are its correction.”

  Before Shen Yu could ask more, the man vanished into shadow.

  Left alone, Shen Yu felt the Devouring Presence stir once more.

  Far away, deep beneath the sect grounds, something ancient shifted in its sleep.

  As if sensing its natural enemy had finally arrived.

  To be continued…