Urban Immortal Cultivation Supreme

A pitch-black darkness, devoid of light, devoid of sound, devoid of everything. Zhu Bufan had no idea how long he had slept, but upon awakening, he found himself in a shroud of darkness. He tried to recall what had happened to him; he could vaguely remember himself losing control of his body, chasing Xiao Ruo into the forest, and then nothing. He was simply suspended in this darkness.

This should have been merely his consciousness, yet Zhu Bufan was horrified to find that he could move, could jump, could see his hands and feet, but he had no idea where he was.

Is this death? Zhu Bufan murmured to himself softly. He couldn't determine his current situation: to say he was in a coma, yet he could clearly move and think; to say he was dead, yet he was undeniably alive. He tried in vain to find an exit from the darkness, walking for what felt like an eternity, but around him, the darkness remained unchanged.

After walking for a long time without finding a way out, Zhu Bufan simply sat down. Time seemed non-existent here, as Zhu Bufan didn't feel hunger. Sitting cross-legged, Zhu Bufan began to recall everything. He clearly remembered being devoured by a bloodthirsty thought, and at that moment of devouring, he seemed to sense another existence within that thought. He didn't know what it was, but he knew it was that entity that had taken control of his body.

So there was such a mess hidden within my body, Zhu Bufan chuckled at himself. He had never imagined encountering such things. In his original detailed plans for the future, he would come out of the orphanage, return to his previous residence, find a job that could support him, and live out his days. The genetic discrimination of society made finding a decent job impossible, yet finding one to make ends meet wasn't really difficult.

Zhu Bufan never expected that shortly after leaving the orphanage, he would be targeted for assassination, or should I say eradication, by the Alliance. This experience laid bare the dark side of the Alliance: eradicating the offspring of anyone who had erred simply due to genetic discrimination. Thinking back to that night, Zhu Bufan trembled involuntarily. Bai Lian, Bai Lian was taken by them. Zhu Bufan understood why he followed Xiao Ruo. He saw Xiao Ruo's performance that day and thus, without hesitation, chose to follow him for the sake of power.

But what about now? Zhu Bufan didn't even know where he was. The thought of his current predicament made him sigh with dejection; he still couldn't grasp what had happened to him.

Perhaps, I'm really dead, Zhu Bufan mused, then closed his eyes, wanting nothing, doing nothing, quietly sitting, reaching a state of utmost emptiness, devoid of any desire. Imperceptibly, Zhu Bufan's state fit with a certain rule, an inexplicable rule. Suddenly, his mind, once blank, filled with numerous images, those he already knew became clearer, and newly appearing ones were somewhat blurry. Now, Zhu Bufan was in a state of unconsciousness, unaware that the residual Qi within him began slowly circulating through his meridians.

A trace of silver light seeped from Zhu Bufan, circled the dark space before abruptly returning around him, spinning ceaselessly. Its path was erratic, changing directions at random, clockwise at first, then spinning counterclockwise upon reaching a certain speed.

As the external silver light moved, more accumulated around Zhu Bufan, and his body became increasingly transparent, rendering him like a glass sculpture. Yet this 'glass' contained transparent bones and organs inside. Red blood circulated through blood vessels, flowing out from the ever-beating heart, circulating the body, and returning to the heart. A silver glow traveled along an invisible trajectory, gathering in the lower abdomen. Zhu Bufan's expression was utterly serene. Still, this absolute calmness felt bizarre, for flesh and bone had turned translucent, revealing closed eyes beneath, along with connecting nerves and veins, leading to the brain encased in silver light, obscuring its state from view.

In this state of unconsciousness, Zhu Bufan's Qi operated, following the meridians he envisioned from the images in his mind. His Qi skyrocketed like a rocket. This phenomenon occurred at a realm all cultivators aspired to reach: the Unity of Heaven and Man. In this state, a cultivator's power would surge to the maximum limit the body could endure without leaving any hidden dangers. However, while in this state, a person has no defense: the slightest external disturbance could instantly disrupt the internal Qi, resulting in a shattered body and death.

Nonetheless, Zhu Bufan was fortunate. Besides darkness, there was nothing here, no interference whatsoever. Zhu Bufan even wished for the appearance of a person or some animal.

As more Qi gathered within him, his power ascended to another level. The external silver light slowly formed a cocoon, enveloping Zhu Bufan entirely. The cocoon expanded and contracted as if alive, gradually shrinking to human size and covering Zhu Bufan. His previously transparent body began regaining its color. When the cocoon completely merged into Zhu Bufan, he returned to normal.

As soon as the Silver Cocoon vanished, Zhu Bufan took a deep breath, slowly exhaling it. He slowly opened his eyes, a gleam of silver flashing from his gaze. Standing up, Zhu Bufan examined himself up and down. He sensed a change within, though the specifics eluded him temporarily, a newfound strength coursing through his being. At the thought of power, Zhu Bufan eagerly closed his eyes to investigate. What he found elated him. Never did he expect such progress from a mere slumber. How fortunate! With a few more instances like this, catching up to his master, Yichen, wouldn't be a problem.

Yet excitement dwindled in the face of his odd surroundings, leaving Zhu Bufan glum. The might to traverse the heavens served no purpose if he couldn't escape this bizarre locale. Sighing lightly, Zhu Bufan looked above, spotting a star directly overhead, radiant and bright. He couldn't help but wish to ascend to that star.

No sooner had the thought arisen than Zhu Bufan felt himself involuntarily float, drawn closer to the star. Amazed, he looked beneath, yes, he was indeed flying, albeit slowly. Zhu Bufan was dumbfounded by this phenomenon yet stayed calm after the initial shock, watching the star grow nearer until he saw it wasn't a star after all but rather a lake of water shimmering with silver light.

Without warning, Zhu Bufan slipped into the lake.

No sensation of suffocation, rather a feeling of returning to where he belonged. Zhu Bufan felt utter comfort throughout his body, drowsiness claiming him. His eyelids slowly drooped, breathing becoming even and gentle. Thus, he slumbered in the silver lake.

In the Virtual Realm, within that crystal-clear lake, colorful fish swam joyously, occasionally leaping out with a splash. On the lakeside sat an elderly man with white hair, holding a fishing rod but dozing off, oblivious to the rod in hand. Far off at the lake's center, Zhu Bufan continued to float quietly, seemingly a cadaver adrift.

This entire scene exuded serenity, though it would have been perfect had Zhu Bufan rested on the grass instead.