black luo cult

Countless individuals strolled outside, as if the crisis were a distant dream, each leisurely basking in the sunshine and holiday spirit.

This was a prosperous era, meticulously protected, safeguarding precious human civilization.

The restaurant was not far from his home. Su Xuan strode with his long legs, his gait both bewitching and elegant, his pale, glistening thighs dazzling countless men under the brilliant sun.

That beautiful figure drew countless men to stop and stare.

For a moment, they forgot time itself, forgetting even the girlfriends clinging to their arms beside them. Perhaps, in the loneliness of night, another figure would grace their dreams.

Upon his return to the residential complex, men widened their eyes, eager to approach and inquire which building this peerless beauty resided in, and if a friendship might be forged.

Yet, her beauty, seemingly ethereal and beyond the mundane, filled them with self-reproach. What man could possibly hope to touch such a woman?

Under those scorching gazes, Su Xuan lowered his head, a blush spreading across his face, and swiftly returned home, burying himself in the soft bed, inhaling the faint, delicate fragrance.

Bored, he powered on his phone, idly searching for interesting news. Yet, the moment the app opened, a headline instantly captivated his gaze.

‘Members of the Black Luo Cult secretly traveled to White City. The Investigation Bureau conducted a late-night raid on a cult stronghold; three cult members are suspected to have escaped… All three were apprehended this morning at 9 AM, and the reason for the cult’s infiltration of White City remains under further investigation.’

White City was Su Xuan’s hometown, and within this seemingly peaceful metropolis, such terrifying events were quietly unfolding in the unseen shadows.

Compared to the invading Dark Evils, Su Xuan harbored a deeper hatred for the cult organizations established to worship so-called deities—deities who were, in fact, the very Dark Evils currently invading Azure.

These cults mythologized the Dark Evils, portraying them as emissaries of the Heavenly Emperor sent to save humanity. They advocated a policy of non-resistance, claiming that the Dark Evils would not harm humans without malicious intent, and that by converting to their beliefs, one could achieve eternal life.

Compared to the Dark Evils who brazenly risked their lives in invasion, these individuals stabbing from behind were far more despicable. Any detected cult member, regardless of their background, was subject to immediate execution. Those who discovered cult activity but failed to report it would be dealt with according to criminal law.

Perhaps somewhere in White City, such a bomb lay hidden. These individuals, who disregarded life and killed without remorse, would undoubtedly cause immense damage if they successfully reached densely populated areas.

Warriors fighting on the front lines, upon hearing news of their families’ misfortunes, would undoubtedly suffer unbearable pain, potentially even directly influencing a critical point in the battle, thus, like the flapping of a butterfly’s wings, dragging the world into a dark, chaotic abyss.

However, after assessing his own strength, Su Xuan dejectedly shook his head. His abilities were truly too ordinary; he wasn’t even sure if he could defeat a Dark Evil member. Thus, for now, he decided against playing the hero.

Su Xuan pulled himself from the bed, preparing to continue his training and further enhance his strength.

Shedding his female attire, that peculiar feminine allure also vanished. Donning his training clothes, his entire focus converged on cultivation. Su Xuan remained silent for a moment, his vermilion lips slightly parting.

‘Aid me in cultivation…’

‘Mmm…’

Suddenly, an invisible, ethereal blue light emanated from Su Xuan’s body, as the two energy stones clutched in his hands were ferociously drained of their energy particles.

The energy particles transformed into a river, swirling within Su Xuan’s body. Several wisps of the ethereal blue light mingled within, gradually merging with the energy particles.

The energy particles flowed along his meridians, circulating throughout his body. With each passage, a small amount of energy particles would vanish, fusing with his cells, strengthening every single one. Concurrently, the ethereal blue soul essence, carried by the energy particles, entered his cells, silently influencing every fiber of Su Xuan’s being.

This form of cultivation was a joint endeavor between the Phantasm Soul and the human body. During a past science class, his teacher had explained that every type of Phantasm Soul carried an untraceable soul essence, something between an ability and matter, yet leaning more towards matter. Only when the human body absorbed energy particles with the aid of a Phantasm Soul would a small amount of this soul essence permeate the body, causing cellular evolution.

Once the soul essence’s reinforcement of the body reached a certain limit, extraordinary abilities could be awakened.

As Su Xuan would put it, it meant being ‘fully steeped in the flavor.’

In fact, in this world, the concept of DNA didn’t exist. Almost all living organisms grew under the control of Phantasm Souls, and one of the purposes of cultivation was to absorb this special soul essence, leveraging its property of being slightly soluble in energy particles, to transform the body.

This was precisely why Su Xuan had initially refused the assistance of his Phantasm Soul, refused to reveal to his best friend that his Phantasm Soul was Yin-aligned (TL Note: Referring to a feminine energy type, as opposed to Yang, a masculine energy type.), and went to great lengths to display a Yang fluctuation on the testing day.

Because this foreshadowed that one day, if no other method was found, he would inevitably become a girl. When that day arrived, would he be psychologically prepared?

‘No, not at all! I still want to be a man for a few more years; I haven’t even experienced that yet.’

This was why Su Xuan had persisted for so many years in not using his Phantasm Soul: to grant himself more time as a man, while also preserving the chance that perhaps one day, he wouldn’t have to become a woman.

However, extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. Outside, savage invaders—the Dark Evils—loomed. Inside, there were rotten apples—the cult members. The time left for him was truly running out.

After two days of internal struggle and a series of psychological shifts, Su Xuan set three rules for himself moving forward.

One: He would strive to cooperate with his Phantasm Soul in cultivation, acting decisively when necessary, without hesitation. Not a single second would be wasted.

Two: Even when in his female form, he would endeavor to maintain his masculine mindset, persisting day by day, until he simply could no longer.

Three: He would search for the Phantasm Soul’s secrets, seeking a way to avoid becoming a woman.

These three points would allow the future Su Xuan to accept the Phantasm Soul’s assistance and its bodily transformations without psychological burden, while also preserving his hope of reclaiming his male identity.

Even if hope was slim, it wasn’t entirely absent. Someone once said that even if you’re dealt the worst hand at the poker table, you still have to play it out.

Nothing had reached that point yet, so why give up?

With his Phantasm Soul’s cooperation, Su Xuan became entirely immersed in cultivation. His entire being seemed to drift through space, at times diving into the ocean depths, at others soaring into the clouds, freely roaming across the vast world.

This ecstasy enthralled Su Xuan completely. It was utterly unlike the stagnant, blocked sensation he had experienced in previous cultivation sessions. ‘So this is what true cultivation feels like!’

Yet, as Su Xuan was engrossed in his cultivation, several kilometers away, a middle-aged man in a black T-shirt clutched his mouth, while his other hand covered a trouser pocket, seemingly concealing a metal object the size of a Weet-Bix biscuit within.

He was the fourth individual among the three who had escaped. No information about him could be detected, as his name wasn’t even on the list for this operation. He was an envoy directly appointed by the Archbishop, and among the thirty-two cultists who came to White City, only one was aware of his existence.

He had also paid a hefty price to conceal his aura, stealthily making his way here. His mission was to deliver the ‘metal block’ in his pocket to a certain important figure within White City.

That important figure, it was rumored, possessed a method to summon the Gate of Chaos, thereby transforming this vast city directly into a dark abyss of hell.