From Ordinary Axe to Godly Artifact – Dominating the World

Yun Hao’s breath came in sharp bursts as he crouched atop the Blood Shadow Sect’s outer courtyard wall, the moon casting eerie silver light over the compound. Below, disciples moved about—some returning from training, others drunk on stolen wine. None of them knew that the weakling they had once tormented now lurked above, gripping a weapon that had begun to reshape his very existence.

The axe pulsed in his hands, a quiet, insistent hunger gnawing at its edges. It was not mere bloodlust—it was something deeper, more primal. A desire for evolution.

“You need to kill more, Yun Hao.” The whisper echoed in his mind, calm yet urging. “Stronger foes. Greater power.”

He knew it was true. Wei Long’s Qi had been a mere drop in the ocean of power he sought. If he wanted to escape the fate of a mere outer disciple, he had to take more risks. He had to grow.

His eyes landed on a trio of cultivators walking towards the training hall. Inner disciples. Stronger than him—but also arrogant, complacent.

A slow smile crept onto his lips.

The first disciple barely had time to turn before the axe cleaved through his back. A gurgled scream choked in his throat as crimson mist exploded outward, his Qi violently pulled into the weapon.

The second and third disciples recoiled in horror. “Yun Hao?!” one shouted, disbelief evident in his voice. “How dare you—”

Yun Hao didn’t let him finish.

Spinning on his heel, he sent the axe hurtling forward. “Heavenly Butcher’s Cleave.” The words left his lips instinctively, a technique embedded into the weapon’s essence. A spectral crimson arc followed the axe’s path, slicing through both cultivators before they could react. Blood sprayed across the courtyard, painting the stone floor in scarlet patterns.

Their lifeless bodies hit the ground with soft thuds. The silence that followed was almost serene.

Then, the rush came.

A tidal wave of Qi surged into Yun Hao’s body, electrifying his nerves, expanding his meridians. His muscles tightened, bones reinforced with a density he had never felt before. His spiritual core pulsed, growing stronger, firmer.

The early stages of Foundation Establishment were now within reach.

The whispers in his mind hummed with satisfaction.

“More.”

He sat cross-legged, the axe resting on his lap. Closing his eyes, he let the Demonic Qi Devouring technique activate. The blood of his slain enemies seeped into his skin, strengthening his foundation, reinforcing his dantian.

A flash of memory struck him.

Gunshots. Shouts. A city drenched in neon lights and the scent of gasoline. He saw himself—his past self—firing a pistol, grinning as rival gang members fell before him.

He gasped, eyes snapping open. His grip on the axe tightened.

Who… was I?

The memories were fragmented, elusive. But one thing was certain: the thrill of battle was the same. The power, the hunger—it had always been there, waiting to be unleashed.

But inside, he was different.

As he gripped the axe beneath his robes, he felt it pulsating, an extension of himself. The hunger had not subsided—it had only grown more refined, more directed. And he knew exactly who his next target would be.

The ranking system of the Blood Shadow Sect was brutal—strong ruled over weak, and the divide between inner and outer disciples was vast. The ones at the top hoarded resources, their talent unmatched, their arrogance unchecked.

And at the very bottom, Yun Hao had once crawled like an insect. But not anymore.

The axe whispered its intent. “Tonight, we feast again.”

Yun Hao’s lips curled into a smirk.

His target was Meng Bai, an elite inner disciple renowned for his cruelty. His cultivation was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, leagues ahead of Yun Hao’s current state.

But Yun Hao had something Meng Bai didn’t.

An unrelenting hunger.

Slipping past the guards, he crept toward Meng Bai’s private training hall. A single torch burned inside, illuminating the disciple as he practiced a powerful palm technique. Yun Hao could sense the dense Qi radiating from him.

His grip tightened around the axe. This would be a true test.

A low growl vibrated in his mind. “Strike first. Strike deep.”

He lunged.

Meng Bai reacted instantly, spinning to block the attack with a palm strike. The impact sent shockwaves through the hall, but Yun Hao had already expected resistance.

He twisted mid-air, using Phantom Step to reposition, then brought the axe down with all his strength.

Meng Bai’s expression twisted in shock as the blade shattered his defense, biting into his shoulder. Blood sprayed, and for the first time in his life, he saw fear in the eyes of a stronger opponent.

Yun Hao’s smirk widened.

“Not so untouchable now, are you?”

The night was thick with the scent of blood, the moon casting an eerie glow over the Blood Shadow Sect’s training grounds. Yun Hao stood at the edge of the clearing, his grip tightening around the axe’s handle. The weapon pulsed, the remnants of the last battle still fresh in its blade. He could feel it—its insatiable hunger, a reflection of his own growing thirst for power.

His senses had sharpened considerably since the previous night. He was no longer the frail, ridiculed outer disciple. The deaths he had caused, the cultivation he had stolen, all coalesced into a foundation stronger than he could have ever dreamed. Yet, he was still too weak. He needed more.

Tonight, he would hunt again.

A flicker of movement caught his eye. A group of outer disciples huddled near the supply shed, laughing amongst themselves. Yun Hao recognized them immediately—disciples who had often mocked and beaten him, their cruelty unchecked in the hierarchy of the sect. He licked his lips, his fingers flexing around the axe.

"You remember them, don’t you?" The voice slithered into his mind.

He did. Too well.

"They made you suffer. Took your meals. Left you half-dead in the cold."

Yun Hao’s breath steadied as he took a step forward. "Not anymore."

"Wh-What is this?!"

"He’s mad!"

One tried to run, but Yun Hao was faster. The axe sang through the air, carving through the disciple’s spine. Blood sprayed like mist, and the weapon pulsed as it absorbed every last drop of essence.

The last disciple, a taller youth named Bai Xu, fell to his knees, his body shaking. "P-Please… Yun Hao, we were just messing around! We never meant—"

Yun Hao loomed over him, the axe vibrating in his grip. "Neither do I."

The blade fell, and Bai Xu’s head rolled onto the stone path. The silence that followed was deafening, the air thick with death.

Yun Hao exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as the flood of Qi surged through him. His meridians expanded, his cultivation rising yet again. He could feel the breakthrough approaching, the barrier between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment within reach.

But it was not enough.

Yun Hao turned his gaze toward the inner sect. If he truly wanted to rise above his station, he needed to challenge those above him. The outer disciples were nothing but stepping stones.

A new target emerged in his mind—Jiang Yuan, a powerful Foundation Establishment disciple known for his cruelty. If Yun Hao could bring him down, his place in the sect would be solidified, and his strength would reach new heights.

As the first rays of dawn painted the sky, Yun Hao disappeared into the shadows, the axe guiding his path toward his next hunt.