Chapter 11: First Kill

When Li Zhen regained consciousness, he didn’t immediately open his eyes.

Using his perception of spiritual objects, he sensed that there were no such entities within a ten-meter radius of himself.

Only then did he slowly crack open his eyelids, taking in his surroundings.

He found himself in a windowless room, bound hand and foot and thrown onto the floor. Cheng He was nowhere to be seen, leaving Li Zhen uncertain about his classmate’s condition.

Why is this world so perilous! he thought helplessly.

It truly seemed as though danger constantly dogged his steps. If this were merely a conflict between him and Cheng He—even with an upperclassman involved—it should have amounted to nothing more than a beating. There would have been no risk to his life.

Who could ever imagine that a dispute among classmates would take such a terrifying turn?

Li Zhen spared little worry for the ropes binding him. They appeared to be made of some unknown material; despite straining with all his might, he couldn’t break free.

But with a mere thought, he could effortlessly retract the ropes into his Dragon Heart Space—after all, they now had skin contact with him.

With a subtle shift of focus, the ropes vanished from his body, reappearing at his feet.

He conducted a quick inventory: both his practice sword and identity bracelet were missing. Without the latter, he realized, even if he wanted to call for help, he’d be utterly unable to do so.

Since calling for help was impossible, he had no choice but to rescue himself.

Carefully, Li Zhen stood up and approached the door. It was made of iron, solid and sturdy. The large iron door exceeded the storage space’s capacity; he pressed his hand on the spring latch, which vanished, allowing him to easily open the heavy gate.

He cautiously peered outside. A corridor stretched before him, lined with rows of iron doors on both sides.

At the far end of the hall, hazy voices echoed faintly. He turned to examine the other direction, reasoning that it might lead to an exit based on the current layout.

Just as he prepared to attempt escape, footsteps sounded from the end of the corridor. In this quiet place, every step resonated distinctly.

A determined glint flashed in Li Zhen’s eyes—he had to take a risk now or face certain peril if discovered by whoever approached.

He drew out his rune dart, noting the number 16 displayed on it—the remaining attacks available. This magical weapon relied on spiritual energy blocks for power, capable of being recharged repeatedly. However, Li Zhen lacked any means to replenish these energy sources.

Those sixteen rune bullets were his trump card. Apart from them, as a student who had just entered the first layer of Qi Refinement and hadn’t learned any spells or combat basics yet, he feared he wouldn’t even be able to harm a cultivator with sheer strength alone.

The footsteps grew closer. Li Zhen maintained a one-finger-wide gap in the iron door, his rune dart at the ready.

First, Li Zhen sensed the fluctuation of a spirit object’s aura—a mid-grade first-rank spirit object. His heart sank involuntarily.

A mid-grade first-rank spirit object corresponded to the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement; even some poorer cultivators in the late stages of Qi Refinement would use such first-rank magical items. He might still stand a chance against someone in the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement, but against those in the Late Stage, he would have no means of resistance whatsoever.

But now, with no retreat left, he had to risk everything for this desperate gamble.

This cultivator strode forward without any caution. This was their secret base, where they believed no outsider could possibly infiltrate.

In two lifetimes, Li Zhen had only killed once before, during that dangerous incident.

Now, he was about to take an active role in killing again. It would be impossible not to feel nervous.

The aura of the mid-grade first-rank spirit object drew nearer. Li Zhen held his breath, sweat trickling down his palms.

As soon as the cultivator’s figure appeared before him, he squeezed the trigger, firing the rune dart.

He aimed for the cultivator’s chest, not bothering with the more lethal headshot. His field of view was too narrow; attempting to aim for the head would have been too difficult.

The moment Li Zhen attacked, the cultivator sensed danger and swiftly dodged to the side.

A higher cultivation realm meant more than just increased spiritual power—it encompassed an overall enhancement, including reaction speed.

While avoiding a direct hit to the heart, the cultivator still took a bullet near it.

The rune dart pierced through his body, seemingly striking the lung area.

Li Zhen didn’t hesitate, continuing to pull the trigger.

Faced with fatal peril, the cultivator raised his arms defensively. There was no time even to draw out a magical artifact. However, a terrifying transformation occurred within his body.

His frame, originally around 170 centimeters tall, shot up to about 250 centimeters with a cracking of bones. Brown fur sprouted from his skin.

Teeth morphed into beast-like fangs, their elongation causing his face to distort dramatically.

The sudden transformation startled Li Zhen greatly; the cultivator’s clothes were in tatters, no longer resembling a human but more like an upright beast.

The cultivator’s speed and reflexes became much faster, with their defense also significantly enhanced.

Of the few rune bullets Li Zhen fired next, only two managed to pierce through during the cultivator’s metamorphosis, hitting its arms. The rest of the rune bullets were completely blocked by its skin.

What shocked Li Zhen most was the cultivator’s recovery rate—its wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Given the extent of the cultivator’s injuries, it would take mere minutes for them to fully recover.

The cultivator lunged towards Li Zhen, who rolled aside just in time. The iron door flew open from the force of the cultivator’s charge, slamming hard against the opposite wall.

Now there was nowhere left to flee. The cultivator’s eyes fixed on Li Zhen.

Those eyes! They were yellow, shot with dark red blood vessels, and vertically slit. There was not a trace of human emotion within them, making the cultivator seem like a wild beast driven solely by the urge to kill.

Li Zhen had no doubt that this creature before him would tear him apart into pieces.

His options were limited. Apart from his rune dart, he could only rely on dragon might.

After transforming, the cultivator was no longer threatened by Li Zhen’s rune dart, and he had little confidence in the effectiveness of dragon might against this form.

In truth, at his current cultivation level, dragon might lacked significant lethal power, serving mostly as a means of intimidation.

Even if the transformed cultivator stood right here, Li Zhen’s rune dart couldn’t penetrate his defenses—forget about killing him outright.

With no other choice, Li Zhen activated his dragon might for the first time.

From within his heart, where his dragon core resided, faint waves of dragon might emanated outward, radiating from his body in all directions.

Perhaps due to having reached the first layer of Qi Refinement, deploying dragon might no longer induced intense dizziness. In his current state, he could unleash this level of dragon might at least three times consecutively.

The transformed cultivator, struck by the surge of dragon might, froze instantly, his body rapidly shrinking back to its original size.

This cultivator had employed a shape-shifting ability granted by one of the great powers of the demon realm, allowing him to temporarily transform into a demonic form. This transformation dramatically enhanced his defense, speed, reflexes, and attack capabilities.

Such abilities were what made the Demon-Worship Cult truly terrifying. By making certain contributions, cult members could receive these gifts from the great powers of the demon realm.

Of course, such power came at a price. Once bestowed with this ability, the recipient became forever bound to the world of demons, unable to sever ties.

This Transfiguration ability was nearly invincible among peers, unless countered by extraordinary magical artifacts or unique spiritual entities beyond their rank.

However, since the Transfiguration originated from the world of Yao, it was naturally vulnerable to Dragon Might—the innate power of the supreme beings within that realm.

While Li Zhen’s Dragon Might was currently negligible, the cultivator before him possessed only second-hand Transfiguration capabilities from the world of Yao.

Seeing the cultivator frozen in place, Li Zhen noted his height had shrunk back to around 170 centimeters. This time, he aimed for the cultivator’s head and once again activated his rune dart.

With a resounding boom, the cultivator’s skull exploded, and his body crumpled to the ground.

Li Zhen, now certain the cultivator was dead, swiftly approached the door and peered out into the corridor.

He realized that despite the battle just fought, it hadn’t drawn attention from others nearby.

Considering this place housed captured individuals, some commotion would be considered normal.

Moreover, the entire struggle had been brief, with the most noticeable event being the iron door blown open.

Li Zhen couldn’t help but feel fortunate; at present, his rune dart contained energy for only eight shots. Killing this single cultivator had consumed half of his remaining runes, yet who knew how many more Demon-Worship Cultists remained here?

After confirming no one else came to investigate, he finally approached the cultivator’s corpse.

First, he located the mid-grade first-rank spirit object—a short sword-shaped magical artifact of the same tier.

Throughout the entire fight, the cultivator hadn’t managed to draw this mid-grade first-rank magical artifact.