Astral villain system: The saint's demonic ascension

CHAPTER FIVE

The second scream ripped out. Blood spewed out of Theon's ears, mouth and nose. His skin no longer looked human. Currently, he was neither man nor beast. His eyes had turned a deep russet, black lines crisscrossing his skin.

Droplets of blood fell from his face, rolling down steadily like sweat.

The runes carved into the altar beneath him glowed a terrifying crimson like something born of bloodlust and darkness.

Above him, thunder crackled, the ground beneath him shook. A crack seemed to tear the sky above the wasteland apart.

Grey clouds gathered above him, lightning sparking. The first streak of thunder fell, piercing through the barrier to hit him straight on his forehead.

“Ahhhhhh!”

The scream echoed all around, like a promise of suffering to come. A promise of pain to whoever made him undergo this. The cry of an animal being boiled alive, head forced down into hot water.

“Aaaaah!” His skin split open, fissures appearing. Somewhere along his lower belly, something cracked, like a chick trying to burst out of an eggshell.

He felt it, something slimy and creepy was moving in his body, along his veins, in his core. There was no part of his skin left untouched by the invisible flames roasting him alive. The pain was worse than being pushed into a scorpion lair, and being devoured by ten thousand of them. Indescribable.

The movement came too fast. Theon who was previously writhing on the floor, groaning, lurched forward, mouth open.

Bursts of black slime, entangled with stale blood and necrotic tissue spewed out relentlessly.

It felt like a wicked craftsman was carving him up from the insides with a dull blade.

Something thick and slimy moved from his chest to his throat, agony tearing his brain with every movement. He groaned, a ragged sound that came with a disgusting slop.

Pop! A giant black worm with fine lines of red spewed out of his mouth, coated with blood and dark slime.

His vision began to fade. His teeth clamped down hard on his tongue, heightening pain to stay sane. Inside the worm's belly, there was something golden and shiny, wrapped in a cocoon

Another streak of thunder fell, this time straight at the worm. The worm wriggled, fighting the power trying to make it vomit what it swallowed. The third bolt fell and the worm disintegrated.

Through his side vision, he saw it. Beasts, hundreds of them, gathering, attracted by the thick scent of blood and negative aura converging around Theon.

He finally understood the reason the system suggested they strengthen the barrier first.

Theon's eyes began to feel heavy. Exhaustion outweighed the pain still slicing his insides. The system’s warning echoed in his mind. “The moment you close your eyes and give in, you die.”

A growl came from him, terrifying, unnatural. He grabbed a stone lying nearby and smashed it hard on his left finger, multiplying the pain.

This…this was better than falling asleep. Victory belongs to the living. He must live.

******

Theon didn't know how much time had passed. There were only three things crystal clear in his memory throughout the process.

The pain which made it seem like he wouldn't survive, his desperate demented efforts to keep his eyes open, and finally, the golden cocoon in the black worm's belly.

He recalled that when the thunder struck the black worm, a streak of golden light had zapped back into his body, leaving the rest of the black worm to turn into ash.

The heavy sluggish feeling in his core was gone. But the feeling this time was way worse. He felt…broken.

Outside, the beast tide continued, attacking the barrier with all the viciousness they could muster.

“Congratulations, host. You've eliminated the star crusher poison and its accompanying curse.”

Theon felt no joy. The heaviness in his heart multiplied.

The way his body currently was, this wasn't how normal cultivators should look like. Why the difference?

“However,” The system continued.

His breath skipped. There it was, the reason he felt something going wrong.

“Your meridians have been damaged. The poison stayed too long in your body. Besides, the person who did this didn't leave it at poison. He used two other forbidden methods to make it irreversible, and undetectable.”

Theon's palm clenched, nails digging into his palm, eyes empty, like staring into a dark abyss. ‘They were truly meticulous, eh?’

Does it then mean that all his attempts to break free were useless? With shattered meridians and core, what kind of practitioner would he be?

“You can repair your meridians. You have the advantage of location. In this lonely place, you can do anything without being seen.”

Theon turned to the beasts pounding against the barrier. Even before the system spoke, he could already guess what was involved.

“There's abundant negative energy here, you can absorb and transform it into aegis for cultivation, and eventually heal your body. However, you will need a high grade emperor tier healing pill, and an absorption method.”

Theon's lips stretched, sarcastic and exhausted. “Oh? I'm already owing the system for the detox. If you add this, what will you demand in exchange?”

Silence stretched, interrupted only by the growl and keening of the angry demonic beasts outside the barrier.

“Debts aside, even after you restore your meridians, you will need a lot of time to stabilize your core.”

Theon understood. Repairing his meridians would only be temporary, unless he gathered enough hate points, and system bonuses to pay off his debts and buy the required items.

Even with the system, his journey was nowhere near smooth. If anything, it got more tortuous. His lids slid shut. “Pain I can endure. But humiliation? It must be paid with interest.”

He exhaled, breath rising and falling slowly, like that of a man hanging onto his last breath.

“I'm willing to make the transaction.”

“You have the highest grade of physique in existence. This should be a breeze for you. As long as you can endure the bone crushing pain that comes with it.”

Theon chuckled lightly. “More pain? Good.”

Two panels appeared before his eyes, then flew into his forehead, turning into a stream of information that flowed into his mind. In his palm a pill appeared.

One of the techniques shared how to tap into his innate physique for maximum productivity. The second detailed how to absorb dark and negative energy, and transform them into aegis to be absorbed into his body.

Amazing. Dark cultivators who walk the evil path, absorbing resentful energy, could only cultivate ‘daegis’, the energy of the abyss.

However, this technique actually showed how to transform dark malevolent energy into aegis, the pure holy normal version used by most cultivators.

Although Theon's arm felt heavier than heavenly tungsten iron, he managed to push the pill into his mouth, then sat up.

His hands moved, chanting the incantations, fingers performing mudras.

All he wanted was to crumble down, and take a long nap. He couldn't afford it.

Awooo!

Howls echoed all around, and once again, grey clouds and dark energy gathered above Theon. His fingers moved, eyes turning into a vortex of black and russet.

He could feel it, something deep and ancient inside him was transforming.

Perhaps, it was his primordial physique. It could also be his buried bloodline.

Awoo! Hoooo!

The sounds came again. Silhouettes of ghosts, beasts and skeletal entities swam in the grey clouds alongside the dark nauseating reek of blood. The dark energy formed a mighty funnel, the smaller tip pointed straight at Theon's head, pouring into his body in relentless waves, while he drank it in like a greedy beast.

He was really doing it, harvesting evil as fuel. Taken one more step deeper into the abyss.

And even now, there were no regrets. Only the hard thud of his heart, pounding at the exhilarating power pouring into his body.

As for being dark and forbidden, it didn't matter.