The sky darkened as a thick, oppressive mist slithered from the heart of Mistveil Grove , a forbidden stretch of forest lying beyond the sect’s sacred grounds. The vapors coiled like living serpents through ancient, gnarled trees, carrying with them the stench of decay and death. Even seasoned disciples avoided this cursed land , where savage beasts prowled in endless hunger, and the very air gnawed at one’s spiritual essence like unseen teeth.

And tonight, Jiang Xuan was cast into this abyss of death.

A mocking voice trailed him to the edge of the grove.

“Well, well. The cripple still breathes,” Liu Tianyi sneered, his tone dripping with cruel amusement. With a sharp motion, he slammed a crimson talisman onto the formation barrier. A jagged crack split open the mist wall, revealing the darkness beyond. “Go on, Jiang Xuan. If you crawl back out alive, maybe I’ll even spare you next time.”

Jiang Xuan lowered his gaze, feigning weakness, but beneath his calm exterior, a killing intent so cold it could freeze marrow coiled in his chest. He knew their kind , wolves in silk robes, feeding off the helpless. The weak died here, buried without names or mourning.

But not him.

“Fine… I’ll go,” he muttered, shoulders hunched, staggering forward like a broken man.

The ground crunched beneath dead leaves and rotting roots. Within moments, the mist swallowed him whole, reducing his vision to mere feet ahead. Faint, guttural howls echoed from the shadows, and an invisible weight pressed down on his spirit , the suffocating aura of predators lurking just beyond sight.

Half an incense stick later, Jiang Xuan arrived at an ancient, moss-ridden well.

Mistveil Grove’s infamous core.

Dark water lay stagnant within its crumbling stone rim, its surface disturbed only by slow, bubbling eruptions that popped with a sickly stench. Legends whispered of something sealed deep below , a remnant from a forgotten age. Jiang Xuan didn’t care for myths.

His focus was locked on the creature guarding the well.

A Blood-Marked Ironfur Ape .

The beast stood nearly three meters tall, a mountain of muscle wrapped in coarse fur streaked with silver-gray. A glowing rune pulsed faintly on its brow, marking it as a rare specimen. Its eyes burned with primal crimson fire, and its aura roared with barely contained power , a peak Tier-3 Spirit Beast, teetering on the brink of evolution. Hidden within its chest, a radiant spiritual core pulsed like a beating heart.

Jiang Xuan’s lips curled into a dangerous smirk.

If I take that core, it might just save my worthless shell.

Or better yet , help me get my revenge.

He crouched low, gathering every shred of spiritual energy left in his supposedly crippled core. That which had been sealed tight now stirred faintly , a flicker of dormant power pulsing beneath layers of suppression.

His system interface shimmered faintly in his mind’s eye.

[Hidden Trait Activated: Spiritbrand Devourer ]

Allows the host to absorb and repurpose unstable spiritual cores upon fatal contact.

He exhaled slowly.

“Perfect.”

In one swift motion, Jiang Xuan snatched a jagged rock from the earth and hurled it into the mist to his left. The stone crashed through brittle branches with a sharp crack . The ape’s ears twitched. A low growl rumbled from its throat.

Its attention shifted.

And Jiang Xuan moved.

Silent as a ghost, he shot forward, a shard of rusted metal clenched tightly in his fist. The beast barely registered the presence behind it before the blade plunged deep into its throat.

A spray of hot, iron-scented blood painted the air crimson.

The ape roared in agony, thrashing wildly, claws slashing blindly through the fog. But Jiang Xuan was already scaling its massive frame, driving the makeshift weapon deeper. Blood gushed freely. The beast staggered, slamming against the edge of the well, claws scraping uselessly at empty air. In its final convulsions, it managed to grasp Jiang Xuan’s arm , its grip like unyielding steel.

Jiang Xuan gritted his teeth, ignoring the searing pain.

“Die.”

Summoning every last ounce of strength, he drove his free hand into the beast’s chest, tearing through flesh, muscle, and bone. At last, his fingers closed around something warm, pulsing , the source of its power.

The spirit core.

The moment his skin made contact, a surge of searing energy exploded through his body. His system flared to life.

[Core Extraction Complete]

[Spiritbrand Devourer Assimilation: 12%… 34%… 67%…]

A wave of molten power surged through his meridians, shattering the chains binding his crippled core. Jiang Xuan’s vision blurred. His body screamed in unbearable agony.

But he did not stop.

The beast collapsed with a final wheeze, its blood steaming as it touched the mist-choked earth. Jiang Xuan slumped beside it, the stolen core radiating pale, flickering light in his trembling grasp.

At that moment, a faint ripple spread through the grove.

Somewhere beyond the veil of mist, a pair of ancient eyes opened.

A presence.

Someone , or something , had noticed.

And far behind him, unseen by the scheming disciples, a shadowy figure in pale robes lingered high in the treetops. A girl. Her eyes reflected the dying glow of the spirit core clutched in Jiang Xuan’s hand.

A flicker of recognition , or perhaps curiosity , passed through her gaze.

Then she vanished.

Jiang Xuan exhaled, his pulse still hammering.

“Good,” he muttered. “Now we start.”

Mistveil Grove had claimed countless lives.

Tonight, it gave birth to a new predator.