Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 781: An Ancient Presence

Back within the Inheritance Hall, the consequences were fully manifest.

The Stelae blazed.

All the energy rerouted from the sect’s vast array network poured into the monolith, flooding the hall with dense red mist. It billowed outward, thick and suffocating, swallowing the pillars, the walls, the blood flames themselves.

Visibility dropped to nothing.

One could not see their own hand, even if it were pressed against their face.

Han Yu’s form vanished completely, lost within the crimson fog.

At the very center of the mist, something stirred.

The runes that remained no longer moved independently. They converged, aligning into a massive, intricate sigil that hovered above where Han Yu sat. The air there warped, bending inward as if space itself were being folded.

A pressure descended.

Not spiritual or physical, but something deeper.

Older.

A presence began to take shape, vast and indistinct, as though an ancient gaze were opening for the first time in countless ages.

And within the churning red mist, the Founding Will of the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect began to awaken.

The runes that had been hovering in chaotic patterns suddenly began to move with purpose.

One by one, they converged, spiraling inward toward a single point above Han Yu’s unmoving body. Their motions were slow and deliberate, as if guided by an intelligence far older than the sect itself. Each rune shed excess light as it moved, compressing into denser, darker symbols that pulsed with restrained power.

The red mist that filled the hall responded.

WHOOSH

It churned, folding in on itself, streams of vapor flowing upward and downward simultaneously, as though gravity itself had become confused. The temperature within the hall dropped, then rose, then settled into a strange equilibrium that was neither warm nor cold.

Minutes passed.

Gradually, a shape began to emerge.

At first it was nothing more than a vague outline, an impression in the mist. Then arms took form, thick and corded with strength, sculpted as if from condensed blood essence. A broad chest followed, followed by shoulders that radiated a pressure far heavier than their size suggested.

There was no lower body.

Below the waist, the form dissolved into a roiling mass of crimson fog, endlessly shifting, never settling. It was neither solid nor entirely incorporeal, existing in a state between manifestation and idea.

The head formed last.

It was smooth and featureless, save for two glowing red eyes that burned with a steady, ancient light. Where a mouth should have been was only a thin black slit, unmoving, expressionless, yet somehow capable of conveying emotion far more vividly than any human face.

The instant the form stabilized, all remaining red mist in the hall surged toward it, drawn in like water into a vortex. The blood flames flickered once, then extinguished entirely as their energy was absorbed.

In the span of a single breath, the hall was clear.

The Inheritance Stelae stood silent once more, its runes dim and dormant, as if exhausted by what it had just accomplished.

The ancient presence hovered above the stone floor, looking down at Han Yu.

For several long minutes, it did not speak.

Its gaze moved slowly, carefully, tracing the contours of Han Yu’s body. It studied the rise and fall of his chest, the subtle flow of qi through his meridians, the faint glow of his dantian. Its eyes lingered on certain points longer than others, as though committing each detail to memory.

At last, it spoke.

"Interesting."

The word echoed softly through the hall, not as sound carried by air, but as intent impressed upon reality itself. Despite the power behind it, the voice was not oppressive. If anything, it sounded curious, even faintly amused.

The presence began to move, circling Han Yu in a slow, deliberate orbit. As it passed behind him, the stone floor beneath its misty lower half frosted slightly, then turned red hot before being returned to normal. As it passed in front, the air shimmered, bending around its form.

"To think," it continued, "after all these years, someone would actually manage to force the Array Spirit to awaken me."

It paused, eyes narrowing slightly.

"That alone is no small feat."

The presence stopped in front of Han Yu and extended a hand. The hand was solid, veins faintly visible beneath its surface, each one glowing with restrained crimson light.

It placed its palm gently atop Han Yu’s head.

"Let us see what makes you so special," it said calmly. "Shall we?"

In that instant, its senses poured into Han Yu.

There was no resistance.

No barrier.

Han Yu’s body, soul, and cultivation were laid bare as though he were an open book.

The presence moved methodically, beginning with the surface. It examined Han Yu’s physique, noting the density of muscle fibers, the subtle strengthening of bones, the faint remnants of old injuries long since healed. It traced the pathways of his meridians, pausing where they showed signs of careful repair and reinforcement.

"Efficient," it murmured. "Not flawless, but refined."

Its attention shifted inward.

The dantian came into view, stable and well-developed, rotating slowly as it processed spirit qi. The presence observed the interplay of elements within, the dominance of fire, the supportive undertones of wood, the pitch black presence of darkness and then...

It stopped.

Within the flames, something else existed.

Something hidden.

The presence’s eyes brightened.

"Oh?"

It lifted its hand slightly and made a subtle pulling gesture.

From within Han Yu’s depths, a flame responded.

SHUA 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

It was not ordinary fire.

It was alive.

A golden-red flame rose up through Han Yu’s body, emerging from his forehead without resistance. It hovered in the air between them, flickering softly, radiating an aura that was both fierce and gentle.

The presence stared at it.

For the first time since its appearance, it smiled.

"To think," it said slowly, "the Dao Flame of that talented little junior would still be intact."

The flame drifted closer to the presence, wrapping around its finger like an affectionate creature greeting an old friend. It pulsed once, warmly, as if recognizing something familiar.