Chapter 46: The Devil’s Wasteland’s New Resident

Meanwhile, in a desolate wilderness in Mississippi, USA.

The setting sun cast an eerie blood-red hue today, as dry winds whipped up sand and dust, raging across the wasteland.

Locals referred to this desolate expanse as the “Devil’s Wasteland.”

Legend had it that it was once a place where indigenous people performed mysterious rituals, later becoming a haunt for adventurers seeking thrills.

****

Within an adventurer’s camp.

“Julie, are you sure you want to collect firewood alone? It’s getting dark; don’t wander too far,” a boy wearing a baseball cap called out to a blonde girl from within the camp.

The girl, Julie, turned back and smiled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just be by that patch of shrubs. I won’t go far. Besides, I have this.”

She shook the flashlight in her hand.

With that, the blonde girl left the camp, heading off alone to gather dry kindling.

As Julie ventured further, the sky gradually darkened.

While collecting dry wood, the beam of her flashlight swept across the sandy ground.

Just as she bent down to pick up a withered branch, an unusual reflection caught her eye.

Between the sand and gravel, something reflected the lingering glow of the setting sun. Yet, it wasn’t an ordinary gleam; it was a profound, almost light-absorbing black luminescence.

‘What is this?’

Julie crouched, brushing away the surrounding sand and soil. Gradually, a black crystal, roughly the size of her thumb, revealed itself.

Its surface was smooth as a mirror, yet it reflected no scenery. Instead, it seemed to swallow all light within.

A strange premonition of dread struck Julie, but her curiosity ultimately triumphed over her unease.

She cautiously touched the crystal with her fingertip. Unexpectedly, it wasn’t cold; instead, it held an unsettling warmth, as if it possessed a life of its own.

‘How strange…’

Julie held the crystal closer to her eyes, intending to observe it more carefully.

In that very moment, a blood-red light suddenly flashed within the crystal, and a sinister man’s voice echoed directly in her mind.

“Hahahaha… I’ve finally waited for you. Woman, surrender your body to me, and I shall bestow upon you unparalleled power.”

Julie’s eyes widened in terror. She tried to throw the crystal away, but found her fingers stuck to it, unable to release their grip.

Even more horrifying, her entire body became inexplicably paralyzed, rendering her unable to even scream.

The crystal erupted in a blinding black light, a tangible radiance that enveloped Julie completely.

She felt countless icy tendrils surge from the crystal, creeping up her arm and spreading throughout her body.

Black mist billowed from the crystal, furiously seeping into her nostrils, ears, and slightly parted mouth.

“No… don’t…”

Deep within her consciousness, Julie screamed soundlessly. She could feel something eroding her thoughts, devouring her memories.

Her university life, her family and friends, her future dreams… everything was being torn apart and reassembled by some dark force.

Cracks appeared on the crystal’s surface. With a crisp ‘snap,’ it shattered into black powder, sifting through Julie’s stiff fingers.

The black mist fully integrated into Julie’s body. She stood motionless, head bowed, her golden hair swaying without a breeze.

After a few seconds of silence, her body suddenly began to convulse violently. Her limbs twisted at unnatural angles, and inhuman gurgling sounds emanated from her throat.

When the convulsions ceased, “Julie” slowly raised her head. Her once azure eyes were now entirely black, devoid of whites, replaced by two bottomless, swirling black vortices.

She opened her mouth, unleashing a fit of deranged laughter:

“Ah! Heaven truly leaves a path for survival! Bai Mengqi, this King lives again! Hahahaha…”

The laughter was filled with twisted joy and profound hatred, utterly unlike the voice of a young girl.

The consciousness now occupying Julie’s body was known as the “Evil King.”

He hailed from a cultivation civilization far more advanced than Earth, a terrifying entity whose very name once struck fear into all.

It wasn’t until the appearance of Bai Mengqi that his reign was finally curbed.

Incidentally, the Bai Mengqi the Evil King spoke of was not the current Bai Mengqi, but rather the Great Immortaless who possessed her. Both she and the Evil King originated from that same cultivation civilization.

The Great Immortaless was the only being in their world capable of suppressing the Evil King.

After being defeated by the Great Immortaless, the Evil King fled their star system.

To eradicate him completely, the Great Immortaless pursued the Evil King across countless star systems, eventually intercepting him near Earth, where a fierce battle ensued.

In that battle, the Evil King was slain, leaving only a remnant soul. The Great Immortaless, too, fell to Earth due to her shattered Immortal Crystal, subsequently forced to parasitize the current Bai Mengqi.

“Julie, what’s wrong?”

Just then, a male voice echoed from a distance, interrupting the Evil King’s reminiscence.

The Evil King swiftly reined in the overflowing dark aura, and her eyes returned to normal.

She — for she should now be referred to as such — had absorbed all of Julie’s memories and personality, perfectly inheriting everything about this body.

“Oh! I twisted my ankle. Wick, could you come help me?” the Evil King mimicked Julie’s voice and tone, a pained expression on her face.

Wick was Julie’s classmate and secretly admired her.

He approached without suspicion, extending a hand with concern.

“Be careful, I’ll help you back to camp.”

The moment Wick’s hand touched “Julie’s” arm, the sinister black light flashed in the Evil King’s eyes once more.

Wick froze completely, his eyes wide, an expression of extreme terror plastered across his face.

He tried to scream, but found the sound caught in his throat, unable to escape.

Soon, a milky-white energy was drawn from Wick’s body, flowing into the Evil King through their point of contact.

Wick’s face aged at a visible rate; his skin became slack, and his hair began to fall out.

In less than ten seconds, a robust young man transformed into a shriveled corpse, falling to the ground with a dull thud.

“Hmm… life essence. Though of poor quality, it’s just enough to replenish a little strength.”

The Evil King licked her lips, sensing the faint increase in energy within her.

She looked down at Julie’s body, a displeased expression on her face.

“Damn you, Bai Mengqi! It’s all your fault! If not for you, why would this King have to possess such a frail body?” the Evil King seethed, gritting her teeth.

Black energy coiled around her fingertips.

“I know you’re in this world too. One day, I will repay you a thousandfold, ten thousandfold.”

The Evil King was keenly aware of her current predicament.

Though she had been reborn through possession, her power was less than one ten-thousandth of her peak.

In this unfamiliar world, even a casual E-rank ability user could easily kill her.

However, the Evil King never lacked patience. She knew how to recover her strength, and devouring life was the most direct method.

In the camp, the other students sat around the bonfire, laughing and chatting.

They were completely unaware that a nightmare was about to descend upon them.

“Hey, Julie’s back!”

A girl was the first to notice the approaching figure.

“Where’s Wick? Didn’t he go to find you?”

“Julie” offered an eerie smile.

“He… was delayed by something. Do you want to see him?”

Before anyone could react, the Evil King struck.

Black mist surged from her body, like a living entity,扑向 the unsuspecting students.

Screams echoed through the wilderness, but quickly subsided into silence.

When the black mist dissipated, only seven withered corpses remained on the ground, their faces frozen in their final expressions of terror.