Heavenly Rebirth: The Outcast Return

The Demon and the Devourer

Chapter 2: The Demon and the Devourer

The serpent demon was a nightmare forged from shadows and bones.

Its body was scaled with jagged obsidian plates, each larger than a man’s shield. Twin fangs dripped black venom that melted stone. Its eyes—void black with flickers of red lightning—locked onto Xuan Long with primal hunger.

It hadn’t eaten a human in centuries.

But this human… radiated something ancient.

“So,” the War Immortal's voice echoed in Xuan Long’s mind, “you want to live? Then kill.”

The serpent lunged.

Xuan Long barely twisted aside as its maw snapped shut inches from his face, shattering boulders with a single bite.

Dust exploded.

He rolled backward, summoning the qi he had absorbed during his time in the Abyss. It surged through his veins like molten lightning.

His arms glowed faintly, etched with the ghostly runes of the pact.

“Use the Devour Vein,” Xie Wutian instructed. “Let it feed.”

Xuan Long raised his palm, and his pupils narrowed to slits.

The serpent coiled, readying to strike again.

“Come, then,” he growled, “and choke on me.”

The beast lunged once more—straight into his trap.

He stepped forward with impossible speed, palm flashing with red flame-like qi, and struck the serpent’s jaw mid-air.

A surge of energy erupted from his hand—spiraling into the serpent's head like a black hole.

The moment the strike landed, the beast froze mid-air, thrashing wildly. But its body began to wither, as though something was sucking out its life force from the inside.

Its scales cracked. Its flesh shrank. Its roars turned into rasps.

Xuan Long screamed as the power poured into him—too fast, too much—but he didn’t stop.

The runes on his chest glowed like molten lava.

[Devour Vein: First Level Awakened.]

He dropped to his knees as the last essence of the serpent was consumed.

A burst of red light exploded from his body, shaking the walls of the Abyss. His cultivation—originally crippled—now leapt past Core Formation, pushing into territory few ever reached in decades.

But the power came with a cost.

Blood trickled from his nose. His heart skipped a beat. And deep in his mind, something laughed.

“You feel it, don’t you?” the War Immortal whispered. “The hunger. The void.”

Xuan Long rose to his feet, panting.

“I’ll control it.”

“Will you?” Wutian chuckled. “You’re walking a path soaked in forbidden blood. There is no turning back now.”

Moments later, he emerged from the serpent’s den, stronger, faster — but haunted.

He now knew what the pact truly meant.

Every time he fought… he would devour. And every time he devoured… he risked losing his humanity.

Still, there was no room for fear. Only vengeance.

As he climbed higher up the Abyss walls, the stone grew darker and ancient symbols appeared — seals of old immortals, warnings etched in dragon script.

He ignored them.

Halfway to the surface, he paused on a ledge to meditate. But as he closed his eyes, a chilling wind blew past.

He opened them — and saw her.

A young girl, barefoot, with silver hair and eyes like moonlight. She stood on air, staring at him.

“Who are you?” he asked warily.

“I am but a shadow of your blood,” she said. “You carry the mark. The Devourer’s Lineage.”

He blinked. “What?”

Before she could answer, she began to fade.

“Beware the Sky Pavilion,” she whispered. “The betrayal was not Mei Lin’s doing. She was only a pawn…”

Then she vanished.

Xuan Long stood frozen, her final words echoing in his mind.

If she was a pawn… then who was the player?

Suddenly, the wall beside him crumbled, revealing a hidden chamber pulsing with green light.

He stepped inside.

Dozens of ancient jade tablets hovered in the air — and at the center, a mirror made of obsidian, sealed with three golden chains.

As he approached, the mirror’s surface rippled.

And what he saw…

Made his blood run cold.

It showed the Crimson Cloud Sect—his former home—under siege.

Elders fighting each other. Sect Master Han slumped against a wall, coughing blood.

And in the middle of it all… stood Mei Lin, eyes blank, strings of energy flowing from her back like a puppet.

Controlled.

The mirror cracked.

Xuan Long stumbled back, fury rising.

So she was used.

And the one behind it all… was still hidden.

“Come, Devourer,” a voice echoed through the chamber. “Come claim your vengeance.”

Then the chamber shook. The golden chains snapped.

The mirror exploded—and in its place stood a black-robed cultivator, his face veiled in mist.

His presence… felt like a mountain pressing down on the soul.

“You shouldn’t be alive,” the figure said, voice like a storm. “But it’s too late now. You’ve already begun the Devourer’s Ascension.”

“Who are you?” Xuan Long growled, summoning his qi.

The man didn’t answer.

He raised a hand—and the entire chamber darkened.

Black lightning crackled across the ceiling. Wind roared. And from the shadows behind the man, hundreds of spirit fragments screamed.

“Tell your War Immortal,” the man said coldly, “that the true war never ended. It only slumbered.”

He pointed a finger at Xuan Long.

“Sleep.”

The world twisted.

And everything… went black.

When Xuan Long awoke again, he was no longer in the Abyss.

He was chained to a floating stone altar… surrounded by masked cultivators… and above them all, a single golden symbol burned:

"Pavilion of Heaven’s Eye."

His enemies had found him first.