Chapter 37 – Echoes of Power
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A Lingering Hunger
Luo Fan remained seated, his breath steady but mind racing. The void he had touched wasn't just a power—it was alive, watching, waiting for him to slip.
He clenched his fists. If he was going to control this, he couldn't hesitate.
> "So, Boss, let's summarize!" EchoStar chimed, its mirror flickering. "You now have a piece of an eldritch horror inside you, something in the abyss is whispering cryptic nonsense, and you still have no cultivation. How's that for a win streak?"
Luo Fan exhaled slowly. "Could be worse."
> "Really? How?"
"I could be alone."
A beat of silence.
Then—
> "Tch. Alright, that's fair."
Shen Mu rolled her eyes. "Enough jokes. What did you learn?"
Luo Fan flexed his fingers, feeling the faint stir of something in his core. The Devourer's power was there—but unlike qi or divine energy, it didn't flow naturally.
It pulled.
It wasn't about generating power—it was about stealing it.
"Absorption," Luo Fan muttered. "It's not just devouring—it's adaptation."
Shen Mu's gaze sharpened. "You're saying you can absorb external forces?"
> "Hold on—are we talking, like, a leech-type ability? Or full-on 'rewrite reality' kind of nonsense?" EchoStar asked.
Luo Fan smirked. "Only one way to find out."
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Testing the Limits
The ruined temple had little in terms of resources, but there were scattered remains of old formations, broken talismans, and fragmented artifacts buried under debris.
Luo Fan knelt, brushing dust off a shattered jade tablet. Its glow was faint—lingering spiritual energy, but barely enough to be useful.
Shen Mu watched warily. "You're not thinking of consuming that, are you?"
Luo Fan raised a brow. "Is there a problem?"
> "Oh, no problem at all, just the minor issue that you don't know what will happen. But sure, go ahead! I love unpredictable disasters."
Ignoring the sarcasm, Luo Fan placed his hand over the tablet and focused.
The abyss within him stirred.
Pull.
The weak energy inside the tablet trembled—then flowed into his palm.
A shiver ran through Luo Fan's body. It wasn't painful, but it was… strange. Unlike normal cultivation, where energy was refined and merged with the body, this force simply became his.
No conversion. No adaptation.
It was just his now.
His fingers curled. The stolen energy wasn't much, but it responded.
Luo Fan exhaled. "I can take in residual spiritual energy."
Shen Mu frowned. "And?"
He clenched his fist—and the energy within moved. Not like controlled qi, but more like shifting weight. It wasn't stable yet, but—
He could use it.
> "…Huh." EchoStar's voice was quieter. "Alright, I won't lie. That's actually kind of cool."
Luo Fan smirked. "See? I do have good ideas."
> "Let's not go that far."
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A Warning from the Past
Shen Mu crossed her arms. "Be careful with that power."
Luo Fan raised a brow. "You sound worried."
She didn't respond immediately. Instead, she walked toward the broken temple walls, running her fingers over ancient carvings.
"This place belonged to a sect that sought the same thing you're trying now."
Luo Fan's amusement faded. "And?"
Shen Mu turned, her gaze unreadable. "Look around, Luo Fan. What do you see?"
Ruins. Dust. Nothing left but broken stone and forgotten echoes.
Luo Fan's fingers twitched. "They lost control."
> "Ohhh, fantastic. Nothing like a bit of ominous foreshadowing to keep morale up." EchoStar muttered.
Shen Mu's voice remained steady. "Hunger is a dangerous path. If you let it consume without restraint, you'll lose yourself."
Luo Fan met her gaze. "Then I won't let it."
A pause.
Then—Shen Mu smirked. "Good."
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A Glimpse of Strength
The temple ruins still held traces of ancient formations, most of them broken beyond repair. But if there was anything left—
Luo Fan was going to find it.
Shen Mu gestured to the collapsed chamber ahead. "If you want to test your limits, there's something deep inside. But be warned—the last person who went in never came out."
> "Oh great. Abandoned ruins, ominous warnings, potential death? Boss, we are thriving in classic protagonist bad decisions."
Luo Fan smirked. "What's life without a little risk?"
> "'A lot longer' comes to mind."
Ignoring the system's complaints, Luo Fan stepped forward.
Whatever awaited inside—
It was time to face it.
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[Chapter End.]