In the night, the city seemed to sink into a galaxy, with lights flowing across glass curtain walls and an endless river of neon.
The narrow corridor's overhead light flickered with a buzzing sound.
From the shadows, an ordinary young man strode out, an alloy box with a metallic sheen clutched at his waist.
Opening the door, the young man entered the room.
It was a space of just over ten square meters, cramped with a single bed and a chipped table, the smell of sweat and dust assailing him.
He hooked the door shut with his foot and leaned back in the cheap chair.
"Finally, I'm out."
The young man placed the alloy box on the table in front of him.
The fatigue on his face gradually receded....
His eyes were replaced by a cold, almost divine scrutiny.
It was none other than Xuan Hao.
The young man had been Possessed by him.
"Was I dismembered?"
Staring at the sturdy alloy box, Xuan Hao pondered.
Clearly, the box couldn't contain his entire body.
So, it must only be a part of his Origin.
Xuan Hao raised his arm, and as Mental Energy infused it, the arm suddenly twisted and deformed, transforming into sharp claws.
"Hiss!"
A harsh scraping sound arose.
The alloy box, capable of resisting bullets, was torn open easily like fragile paper under the inhuman strength.
The contents within came into view....
It was a withered hand, black and yellow, like a dried branch.
"Only a hand, then...."
Xuan Hao pondered, "But it's enough. With just one hand, I can still exert some of my abilities."
"Long time no see!"
He grabbed the hand, and vast Mental Energy, enough to distort reality, surged into the shriveled hand, into every fiber.
Suddenly! The hand began to tremble.
It was as if an ancient god or demon, sleeping for a thousand years, was forcibly awakened.
The shriveled muscles rapidly plumped up and expanded, like withered wood coming back to life!
The knuckles in the palm cracked audibly.
Neural Meridians surged like streams of glowing white light.
The scent of decay quickly vanished, replaced by a life force so vigorous it was unsettling.
"Puff!"
Suddenly, the hand spurted hot blood!
At the same time, the flesh was wildly twisting, expanding, and proliferating.
Swollen blood vessels and muscles intertwined, Meridians spread into the air like tentacles, gradually forming a human silhouette.
As the flesh rapidly grew, a heart appeared.
With each breath, the internal organs grew, and in a short moment, a tall, upright figure appeared in the small rental room.
His long hair was like ink, swaying without wind.
His face was young and handsome, almost inhuman, yet contained an indescribable, ancient majesty.
This was Xuan Hao's true form.
A memory of his old era.
The handsome true form opened his eyes, coldly scanning the ordinary young man in front of him, whom he controlled.
After a moment of thought, Xuan Hao opened the computer.
"Search engine...."
He then opened a webpage.
Immediately, a vast amount of information came into view.
Two thousand years ago, the first Outer God descended, tearing apart the old order, and the world was nearly destroyed.
Over a long period, countless Outer Gods descended.
Regions infected by Outer Gods were marked with glaring crimson on the global map.
Xuan Hao glanced at it....
Less than forty percent of the land was inhabited by humans.
"Martial Artists, huh...."
He quickly noticed the key information.
Martial Artists were roughly divided into four Ranks: U-Rank, O-Rank, A-Rank, and S-Rank, with each Rank further divided into three sub-Ranks.
This information painted a clear picture of an apocalyptic world.
Gods and demons ran rampant, and order was like a candle in the wind.
That humanity could survive on this blood-stained land was certainly not due to luck.... it was due to Martial Artists!
They were mobile defense lines built with flesh and blood.
In Xuan Hao's mind, the Martial Artist he had recently Possessed—Long Er—flashed by.
Long Er, an O3-Rank Martial Artist, possessed the martial prowess to tear steel apart with his bare hands, and a single strike could destroy skyscrapers.
U-Rank was for official Martial Artists.
O-Rank was for elite Martial Artists.
A-Rank belonged to regional powerhouses.
S-Rank was for national powerhouses.
As for Outer Gods, they also had three Rank divisions.
S-Rank: Source of Catastrophe.
BOSS-Rank: World Destroyer.
Old One-Rank: Nearly unstoppable.
"Their classification of me... is quite close to the essence," Xuan Hao murmured.
"New Calendar Year 2030...."
Xuan Hao glanced at the time, somewhat surprised.
Two thousand years had passed since he was trapped in that damned, chaotic, disordered space.
Xuan Hao typed on the keyboard, searching for information about the base where he had previously been trapped.
Unfortunately, there was no information whatsoever.
It seemed that although ordinary people could encounter Martial Artists, they couldn't know more.
Xuan Hao's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment, then he leaned back in the cheap computer chair, organizing his abilities.
After absorbing some Souls and finding this severed hand, his True Immortal Primordial Spirit could now permeate more power into reality.
First, Possession.
That is, after the body dies, he can take root in a new vessel.
At the base, he had devoured a lot of Mental Energy, allowing himself to undergo some evolution.
Now, he could freely Possess without the host needing to die.
Second, Divine Sense.
In just an instant, it could ignore flesh and energy defenses, a mental impact directed at the Soul's Origin, sweeping everything away.
Third, Mental Imprint.
It could also be called... the Yin God.
The Yin God lurked in others' Seas of Consciousness, and even if the controlled body died, he could use it as a coordinate to achieve Possession and Rebirth.
It was the existence of the Yin God that allowed Xuan Hao to handle the battle with the Doctor with ease.
Because he had already prepared, attaching a Mental Imprint to one of the departing researchers, and that researcher had his hand!
Then came countless jumps, a taxi driver, a passerby, finally landing on the office worker youth he currently Possessed.
As for the fourth... Mental Domain.
Because he had obtained a part of his true form, his Mental Energy overlapped with reality, creating a special space.
The Doctor's titles for him, whether Yin God or Corpse Disassembly Immortal, were not important.
Xuan Hao's essence was a powerful mass of Mental Energy, a True Immortal Primordial Spirit.
Possessing others also made him subject to the strength of the body.
But a Mental Domain overlapping with reality was different; his powerful Mental Energy could be transformed into immense power.
Time quietly passed.
The young man leaning in the chair rubbed his eyes.
"What happened?"
He mumbled, his memory feeling as if a section had been cut out.
....
A dark alley, the damp, moldy smell assailing him.
In the lamplight, a handsome, long-haired young man walked through it, his eyes flashing with an indifference that warned others to keep their distance.
At the alley's mouth, neon lights cast colorful hues.
As the long-haired young man appeared, several women leaning against the wall looked over.
One of the women, her eyes shifting, her crimson lips slightly parted, flirtatiously said to the passing figure:
"Handsome, want to have some fun?"
The young man's steps did not falter, his figure merging into the deeper shadows of the alley.
"Handsome!"
Another bolder woman took two quick steps, her voluptuous body carrying a sweet, cloying scent as she tried to press against him, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave, big sister will give you a free one...."
But her arm grasped at empty air.
The figure that was just within reach had vanished instantly.
"Where is he?!"
The women were startled by this sudden turn of events.
"Van... vanished?"
"No, he was too fast, so fast we couldn't see clearly!" the leading woman said, "He must be a Martial Artist."
At this, the women's eyes showed fear.
But deeper down, there was yearning and envy.
Martial Artists, that was truly a leap to heaven; becoming a Martial Artist made one a superior person.