The scents of ancient blood and incense hung heavy in the chamber, a combination that might have sickened a mortal. To Lin Xuan, it was merely the stale air of a new, lesser world. His body was a cage of frail limbs and unsteady Qi, but his will was a sharpened shard of obsidian. He had stolen this life, and these trembling cultivators were the first obstacles on his path.
The one they called "Sect Master" wrung his hands, his fearful gaze darting between Lin Xuan and the hunched figure of Elder Su. "I don't understand," the Sect Master whispered, his voice cracking. "The energy... it is not what the ritual promised."
Elder Su ignored him. His eyes, full of a predatory curiosity, were locked onto Lin Xuan. "The vessel is mortal," the old man murmured, more to himself than anyone, "but the soul within is… foreign."
He stepped forward, his fingers tracing an invisible sigil in the air. A weak probe of spiritual energy, barely at the Foundation Establishment level, crept toward Lin Xuan's mind. The old man sought to read him, to understand the prize that had fallen into his lap.
A faint smile touched Lin Xuan's lips. Foolish.
Instead of simply letting the probe fail, Lin Xuan offered no resistance. He did not erect a wall; he opened a door. Just a crack. He allowed the Elder's consciousness to touch the outermost edge of his own, a sliver of the true abyss.
For a fraction of a second, Elder Su's mind was filled with visions not his own. He saw a sky shattered into a million pieces, felt the phantom weight of a dying cosmos, and heard the grinding of celestial gears the size of suns. It was a power so absolute, so ancient, that it was indistinguishable from madness.
Elder Su screamed.
It was a wet, choked sound. He staggered back, clutching his head as blood streamed from his nose and ears. The younger disciples cried out in alarm, but the Sect Master was frozen, his face a mask of horror. The Elder's eyes, when they finally focused again, were wide with a new, terrifying emotion: not just fear, but a desperate, greedy awe. He had not just seen an anomaly; he had glimpsed divinity.
Lin Xuan stood, and the simple movement carried an absolute finality. The faint light in the chamber seemed to bend around him, drawn into the oppressive void of his presence.
"Enough games," Lin Xuan's voice was low and cold, cutting through the panic. "You prepared a body. You performed a ritual. You summoned something you could not hope to control. I am the consequence." He took a step, and the stone floor beneath his foot fractured with a sharp crack. "Tell me what I need to know. What is this realm, and what is the name of the failing sect you dragged me into?"
The Sect Master stammered, unnerved beyond reason by the sight of the bleeding Elder. "We... we are the Black Lotus Sect," he finally managed. "This is the Azure Wood Continent."
Black Lotus Sect. Azure Wood Continent. The names meant nothing, motes of dust in the grand scheme of his existence. But they were a start. A foundation.
Elder Su, wiping blood from his chin with a trembling hand, began to laugh. It was a ragged, unhinged sound. "A consequence?" he rasped, his fear now warped into manic excitement. "No, no. You are a gift! A blessing from the heavens themselves!"
Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed. This was an unexpected reaction.
"You are not from this realm, are you?" the Elder continued, taking a shaky step forward. "That power… it is the key! The key to breaking past our limits, to ascending beyond the Azure Wood!"
The Sect Master looked at his Elder, horrified. "Su, have you gone mad?"
"Mad?" The old man's eyes glinted. "I have never been more sane! We sought a guardian, a powerful spirit to save our sect from collapse. Instead, we have been given a supreme being." He bowed low, a gesture not of subservience, but of zealous ambition. "We have no desire to control you, mighty one. We only wish to serve. Let us be your vessel, your hands in this world. Guide us, and we will give you anything you desire."
Lin Xuan stared at the pathetic, ambitious old man. The pieces clicked into place. This wasn't just a mistake; it was an opportunity. They didn't see a monster to be feared, but a tool to be wielded. They were wrong, of course.
He was the one who would do the wielding.
"I have no need of worshipers," Lin Xuan stated, his voice turning to ice. He walked past them toward the cave's exit. "But you will be useful." He paused on the threshold, a mere silhouette against the darkness beyond.
"This body, this sect, this world," he whispered, a promise to the void. "They will all serve my purpose."
He was reborn. And his ascent had already begun.