Chapter 103 – Dog of Heaven
Rin stood at the edge of the desolate valley, the weight of the Unclean God's essence still burning through him. The sky above had cracked open, its scarred expanse tearing away as celestial forces sought to realign the heavens, but Rin knew the rupture was not merely a celestial phenomenon—it was his presence, his being, that had caused it. He had become something beyond mortal understanding, something older than life itself.
Yet, even in this moment of profound transformation, he knew his fate was still bound to the heavens, to the forces that would stop at nothing to hunt him down. The scent of blood, death, and rage hung in the air like a warning, and it was not long before the ground beneath him trembled. It wasn't the wind; it was something far more dangerous—a predator, tracking him.
Rin had felt it before, that cold, predatory sensation that crawled along his spine like the breath of a storm. A hunter was near.
A Celestial Sect Hunter.
The wind howled as the figure emerged from the crack in the sky. Cloaked in celestial garb, the Hunter stood tall, radiating an aura of ancient authority. His presence warped the air itself, as if the heavens bent to his will. Behind him, a twisted, grotesque beast stalked—a divine beast forged from the stitched corpses of fallen cultivators. Its body was a patchwork of flesh and bone, a grotesque amalgamation that moved with an eerie grace. Its many eyes blinked in unison, its teeth bared in a silent snarl, but what was truly unsettling was its voice.
"You," the beast spoke, its voice a cacophony of tortured souls, "you are nothing but heir to the filth."
The words were like a slap across Rin's face, seething with mockery and contempt. The divine beast's head tilted, its mouth curling into something resembling a grin as it continued.
"Born of death, you are but a worm, writhing in the dirt of the heavens' creation. A thing unworthy to even exist—let alone to challenge the gods."
Rin's hands clenched into fists, the black ichor of his Death Refinement Core pulsing in response to the insult. His breath came slow and measured, the venom of the heavens attempting to stir something deep within him—a fury that could unravel the world. But he forced it down. This was not his time to unleash destruction. This was the moment to refine, to turn the tide, and to test the true extent of the power he had gained.