While his body continued chanting the ancient mantra without pause, Tim's consciousness gradually drifted into darkness.
The agonizing pain disappeared.
The screams faded.
Even the sounds of the cavern vanished completely.
Silence.
When Tim finally opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an endless world of darkness.
There was no sky.
No earth.
No stars.
Only an infinite black void stretching beyond the limits of sight.
"...Where am I?"
His voice echoed into the darkness before being swallowed whole.
"How did I get here?"
He slowly turned in every direction, but there was nothing.
No light.
No life.
No indication that another existence occupied this strange realm.
Or so he thought.
Unbeknownst to him...
A pair of colossal serpentine eyes had already opened high above the void.
They watched him silently.
Ancient.
Indifferent.
As though they had witnessed the birth and destruction of countless worlds.
Tim suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.
His instincts urged him to look upward.
The moment he did—
His pupils contracted violently.
His entire body froze.
Towering above him was a pair of enormous emerald-green eyes, each one larger than a mountain.
The vertical pupils narrowed slightly as they stared directly at him.
The pressure they emitted was indescribable.
It was not merely the pressure of cultivation.
It was the pressure of existence itself.
Tim couldn't move.
He couldn't breathe.
Even his thoughts seemed to slow.
Then...
A voice echoed throughout the endless darkness.
It was neither male nor female.
Neither old nor young.
Its tone resembled countless voices speaking in perfect unison.
"So..."
"...you are the Chosen Undead Monarch of this era."
There was a brief pause.
"How pitiful."
"A mere mortal who has yet to unlock Qi."
Tim remained rooted to the spot.
His mind was in complete chaos.
"Undead Monarch?"
"Me?"
His voice trembled.
"How could I possibly be a monarch?"
"I'm just a cripple."
The colossal entity let out a low chuckle.
The sound resembled a thousand shrieks and hisses merging into one.
"Cripple?"
"Little one..."
"Look at yourself carefully."
"Which part of your body remains crippled?"
Tim frowned.
Confused, he lowered his head.
Only then did he notice his reflection beneath his feet.
The endless darkness had become as smooth as a mirror.
Reflected within it...
Was someone he barely recognized.
His hair had turned snow white.
His pupils glowed a brilliant emerald green.
The whites of his eyes had become pitch black.
He blinked several times.
Then another realization struck him.
He was squatting.
Instinctively...
He stood.
His eyes widened.
His legs...
His legs were supporting him.
He took one hesitant step.
Then another.
Before long, he was walking.
No...
Running.
Years of confinement to a wheelchair...
Years of helplessness...
Had vanished in an instant.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
A joy unlike anything he had ever experienced overwhelmed him.
Without hesitation, Tim knelt and respectfully bowed toward the gigantic eyes.
"Thank you, Senior!"
The ancient entity laughed again.
This time, its laughter sounded strangely nostalgic.
"I had almost forgotten what it felt like to receive another's gratitude."
"But remember this..."
"Only Time itself..."
"...the one witness to the end of all beings..."
"...is worthy of your reverence."
Its eyes brightened.
"You are the Undead Monarch."
"The Six Paths of Samsara are destined to fall beneath your control."
"You shall command life."
"You shall command death."
"You shall command the countless souls that wander between them."
The entity paused before continuing in a more solemn tone.
"However..."
"Do not become arrogant."
Its enormous pupils narrowed.
"I sense another existence within this era."
"An inheritance..."
"...one that rivals mine."
"It may even surpass it."
"For the first time in countless ages..."
"I cannot divine its origin."
"I cannot perceive its fate."
"I cannot even glimpse its beginning."
A trace of seriousness entered its voice.
"Be careful."
"Do not bite off more than you can chew."
Tim immediately thought of countless possibilities.
But before he could ask, the entity spoke again.
"Now..."
"Receive the true inheritance."
Tim hurriedly raised his head.
"Senior!"
"I have a question."
"There is no need."
The colossal being interrupted him.
"I have already read your thoughts."
Tim's expression stiffened.
The entity continued calmly.
"The inheritance your father possesses..."
"...is incomplete."
"What you received through the ritual merely qualified you to stand before me."
"The true inheritance belongs only to the chosen monarch."
"No one else."
Its voice suddenly became colder.
"If your so-called father—or anyone else—attempts to repeat this ritual..."
"They will not become Living Undying Beings."
"They will become irrational undead."
"Powerful."
"Immortal."
"But forever consumed by endless rage..."
"...and insatiable hunger."
Tim's heart skipped a beat.
Then the entity asked another question.
"Tell me..."
"How much do you truly know about your father?"
Tim frowned.
"My father?"
"I know almost everything about him."
The gigantic eyes remained silent for several moments.
"I see..."
"You know almost nothing."
Tim's expression changed.
"What do you mean?"
The entity ignored the question.
"Once you inherit everything..."
"...you will understand."
"No..."
"You will remember."
Tim became even more confused.
"Remember?"
Before he could ask another question—
The ancient being's emerald eyes suddenly blazed with divine light.
The endless darkness trembled.
A pillar of emerald radiance condensed within its pupils.
Then—
SHHHH!!
It shot forward like a divine beam.
No...
It was faster than light itself.
The distance between them seemed to disappear.
One moment, it was inside the entity's eyes.
The next...
It had already arrived before Tim.
He couldn't react.
The emerald light pierced directly into his forehead.
BOOM!!
Countless memories.
Ancient scriptures.
Cultivation techniques.
Forbidden knowledge.
The truths of life and death.
The mysteries governing Undying Qi.
Everything surged into Tim's consciousness at once.
His mind felt as though it were splitting apart.
Yet amidst the unbearable torrent of knowledge...
Another truth slowly emerged.
A truth concerning his father.
A truth that had been buried for decades.
Outside the inheritance space...
The moment the true inheritance entered Tim's soul—
A faint emerald aura burst from his body.
It shimmered like ghostly flames.
The entire cavern instantly became deathly silent.
Lewis's eyes widened.
Then he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"It worked!"
"My son has succeeded!"
"He has truly embarked upon the path of cultivation!"
None of the gathered followers noticed that the emerald aura surrounding Tim was subtly different from the one described within the incomplete Undying Fiend Canon.
It was purer.
Older.
Far more tyrannical.
As though an emperor had awakened among common soldiers.
And with that awakening...
Tim's cultivation exploded forward at an unimaginable pace.
The moment the emerald aura burst forth, Tim's cultivation advanced at a terrifying speed.
The first and second levels of the Mortal Realm were crossed in the blink of an eye.
Without the slightest resistance, he arrived at the peak of the Third Mortal Realm—Blood Energy Refinement.
The aura surrounding him continued to rise relentlessly.
An hour later...
A powerful wave of spiritual energy rippled through the cavern.
Tim crossed the threshold from Body to Spirit.
His cultivation reached the peak of the Fourth Mortal Realm—Spirit Foundation.
Before anyone could recover from their shock, another breakthrough followed.
The Fifth Mortal Realm was skipped entirely.
His cultivation surged straight to the peak of the Sixth Mortal Realm—Spirit Martial.
The emerald aura grew increasingly oppressive.
The surrounding Undying Essence churned violently, as though bowing before its sovereign.
Four more hours passed.
An invisible pressure descended upon the cavern.
Everyone instinctively held their breath.
Tim had crossed the boundary from Spirit to Soul.
His cultivation arrived at the peak of the Seventh Mortal Realm—Soul Awakening.
Another four hours later...
He bypassed the Eighth Mortal Realm entirely.
Without encountering a single bottleneck, he reached the peak of the Ninth Mortal Realm—Soul Avatar.
Every breakthrough defied common sense.
Every advancement shattered the understanding of cultivation held by those present.
Lewis stared blankly at his son.
Even with all his years of experience, he had never witnessed anything so absurd.
The Undying Essence continued pouring into Tim's body like an endless tide.
The countless Bloodline Essences condensed from over a thousand living beings disappeared one after another.
Nothing was wasted.
Everything was devoured.
Lewis's eyes twitched.
Nearly half of the resources they had painstakingly accumulated over several years had already vanished.
He couldn't help feeling a sharp pang in his heart.
Still...
He quickly suppressed those thoughts.
Resources can always be gathered again.
Although finding so many living captives may become much harder with the continent overrun by undead...
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
His gaze returned to Tim.
As long as my son succeeds...
Everything is worth it.
Another ten hours passed.
The cavern had become eerily quiet.
Every drop of Undying Essence had disappeared.
The gigantic emerald pool was completely dry.
Not a single captive remained alive.
Every trace of Bloodline Essence had been consumed.
Tim now sat cross-legged in the center of the empty pool.
His snow-white hair floated gently despite there being no wind inside the cavern.
An overwhelming silence filled the air.
Then—
Tim slowly opened his eyes.
BOOM!!
A terrifying pressure exploded outward.
The entire cavern shook violently.
One by one, Lewis's subordinates collapsed.
Some were forced onto one knee.
Others were pressed flat against the ground, unable to lift even a finger.
Fear filled their eyes.
It felt as though an ancient sovereign had descended before them.
Only Lewis remained standing.
His cultivation was high enough to withstand the pressure.
Not only did he remain unaffected...
The smile on his face became even wider.
"My son..."
"My son actually succeeded!"
At that moment—
Tim's aura erupted once more.
Unlike before...
This aura no longer carried only the chilling Yin energy of the undead.
It possessed something else.
Something ancient.
Something tyrannical.
Something that inspired instinctive fear.
The nauseating aura swept across the cavern.
Even Lewis couldn't help narrowing his eyes.
His smile faded slightly.
For the first time...
He sensed something strange.
From the pressure radiating from Tim's body, Lewis could tell that his son was now at least equal to him in strength.
Perhaps...
Even stronger.
The realization only lasted for a moment before excitement overwhelmed his doubts.
"Hahaha!"
He strode toward Tim with genuine joy.
"My son!"
"You've finally succeeded!"
Without hesitation, Lewis embraced him.
"How do you feel?"
Tim slowly looked at his father.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I feel..."
"...better than ever."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Almost emotionless.
Then...
He rose to his feet.
Lewis couldn't contain his delight.
Seeing the son who had spent years confined to a wheelchair now standing before him filled him with an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
At that moment...
Lewis truly believed every sacrifice had been worthwhile.
He had finally given his son a future.
He had finally fulfilled his duty as a father.
He never noticed...
The deep contempt hidden within Tim's emerald-green eyes.
---
Back to the present.
After Lewis and Tim's Oscar-worthy performance before the others...
Lewis slowly rose from the ground.
He dusted off his clothes before walking toward an old wooden cabinet.
Inside were several bottles of fine liquor he had collected over the years.
Today called for celebration.
His lifelong ambition had finally become reality.
He poured himself a cup.
Just as he was about to take the first sip—
Whoosh!
A figure silently appeared behind him.
Before Lewis's instincts could react—
A hand struck directly toward his lower abdomen.
BANG!!
An unbearable pain exploded throughout his body.
Lewis's eyes widened in disbelief.
His dantian...
Had been shattered.
His cultivation instantly became chaotic.
Spiritual energy leaked uncontrollably from his body.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
He staggered several steps before collapsing onto one knee.
His entire body trembled violently.
He slowly turned around.
Standing behind him...
Was Tim.
Lewis stared blankly at his son.
Shock.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Every emotion flashed across his face.
His lips trembled.
"...Why?"
Before he could receive an answer—
WHACK!!
Tim's kick crashed into Lewis's face.
The force sent him hurtling through multiple stone walls before finally crashing into another chamber.
The impact shook the entire cave.
Although Lewis's cultivation had been crippled...
His physical body had once been tempered to the level of a peak Mortal Realm defensive artifact.
Otherwise...
That single kick would have reduced him to nothing more than a pile of flesh and broken bones.
Lewis coughed violently, blood staining the ground beneath him.
The room he had crashed into happened to be the group's dining hall.
Every subordinate inside immediately stood up.
They stared at the scene before them in utter disbelief.
Their leader...
The man they believed almost invincible...
Was lying on the ground, coughing blood.
His aura fluctuated wildly as his cultivation rapidly dispersed into the surroundings.
Before anyone could react...
Tim calmly walked through the hole in the wall.
His footsteps echoed throughout the silent hall.
He briefly glanced at everyone present.
No one dared move.
No one dared speak.
Finally...
His gaze settled upon Lewis once more.
Cold.
Indifferent.
As though he were looking at a complete stranger.
"You should already know why..."
"...Radis Vazar."
He paused briefly.
"Or should I say..."
"...Lewis Porter."
Lewis's pupils shrank until they were no larger than pinpricks.
His face instantly lost every trace of color.
"How..."
"...how do you know that name?"
His voice shook uncontrollably.
"No one..."
"No one should know that name."
"Not even the Mollock Syndicate."
Tim smiled faintly.
"How I know isn't important."
"I'm simply grateful."
"If you hadn't insisted that I enter the ritual first..."
"...the opportunity to be reborn would have belonged to you instead."