Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

He had traveled through the Black Forest for a while now, but there was no sign of any other living beings within it except for some weird plants and strange creatures that scurried away as soon as they caught sight of him.

This place was truly bizarre; there seemed to be no end to it, as far as he could tell. After walking for some time, Asher felt as though he was being watched by some unseen presence.

Just then, Asher heard the faint sound of rustling leaves coming from behind him, which was soon followed by more sounds coming from everywhere around him.

The noise increased in intensity, creating an unsettling atmosphere as Asher glanced around him in confusion, trying to determine the source of the noises.

Then, all of a sudden, dozens of black figures leapt out of the bushes and surrounded him, revealing their true forms as shadow wolf Star-Beasts.

Asher cursed his bad luck. The timing couldn't be worse for running into so many Star-Beasts all of a sudden.

Howl!!!

The wolves howled in unison, causing the trees and bushes to vibrate as if affected by some strange power. Their voices echoed through the woods, sending chills down Asher's spine.

Suddenly, a group of four shadowy figures lunged towards him from his left side, their eyes glowing eerily in the dim lighting. They bared their sharp fangs as drool dripped from their mouths while snarling at him.

Asher reacted without hesitation and jumped back, dodging their attack, before striking back with a kick towards one of them. The force of his blow sent the beast crashing against a tree, knocking it back.

But before he could follow up on his assault, another one of the wolves pounced on him. The Star-Beast lunged towards him, sinking its sharp fangs into his arm and tearing into it violently.

Though no blood was shed, and that Asher soon disappeared as it was his illusion technique. The real Asher was standing a short distance away from it with a smirk on his face as he stood there, watching the confused look on the creature's face.

"Since you want to fight with numbers, I'll give you exactly what you wish for," Asher said coldly as he summoned two dozen clones to even the playing field.

The shadow wolf Star-Beasts cried out furiously as they saw their enemies multiply in front of their eyes. The sight caused panic among the creatures, with the bold ones charging forward to attack them.

"Get them!" Asher commanded his shadow clones, who rushed into action without hesitation as they engaged the beasts.

The fighting commenced between the Star-Beasts and the shadow clones, resulting in a fierce melee.

Shadow wolves swiped their claws at the shadowy figures, only to miss as their targets moved faster than them. One clone parried a strike aimed at its chest, followed by a counterattack with another that connected with its attacker's ribs.

Another beast's jaws snapped shut on empty air as it found nothing but shadows surrounding it instead of the original target. It let out a frustrated roar before lunging towards one of the closest shadow clones to it.

Meanwhile, several other shadow clones fought back against their opponents by using their shadow tendrils to grab onto the Star-Beasts' limbs and pull them apart in grueling and horrific ways. The Star-Beasts howled in pain as they were ripped into shreds.

HOWL.....!!!

Suddenly, an alpha Star-beast with dark blue eyes growled loudly as its body began glowing with a dark blue aura, and it jumped toward the crowd of shadow clones. Its aura surrounded it like a thick coat of armor, enhancing its physical capabilities beyond what its natural abilities could provide.

As it charged, the ground trembled under its weight, and its shadow stretched far behind it. When it reached the spot where one of the clones stood, it swung its claws and smashed the copy to pieces, reducing it to a mass of shadows before it dispersed.

Following suit, a number of other Star-Beasts began emitting similar dark blue auras, boosting their speed and power to the maximum.

These auras allowed them to tear through the shadow clones like paper.

Within moments, Asher's shadow clones were being annihilated faster than before by the newfound strength of these Star-Beasts. Seeing that the tides of battle were turning against them, Asher decided to take matters into his own hands.

The Alpha Shadow Wolf pounced at Asher with tremendous force. Its aura was dense and heavy, enveloping it in a dark glow. It launched itself forward with enough speed that even the strongest cultivator in the True Spirit Realm would be hard-pressed to avoid it.

At the same moment, Asher stepped forward with his right hand clenching into a fist before enveloping it with a dark aura of his own. The air around his fist rippled with heat, and the ground beneath his feet cracked as he slammed it into the incoming Alpha Star-Beast's face with devastating results.

The impact created a shockwave that shook the forest around them, sending dirt and debris flying everywhere. The force of his punch sent the beast careening through several trees before slamming into the trunk of a particularly large one, which cracked under the pressure.

Asher watched as his opponent hit the ground with an audible thud, its dark aura flickering briefly but not fading away. However, despite the powerful blow, the Alpha Star-Beast stood up and began to growl as it prepared to charge again.

Seeing this, Asher smirked and readied himself for another round of combat.

"Let's see how tough you really are, beastie." Asher's expression remained calm and focused as he stared down at his foe. His dark aura pulsed around his body, shrouding him in a black cloud that made it difficult for others to see anything inside.

The very next moment, Asher disappeared like a shimmering shadow, which confused the Alpha Shadow Wolf Star-Beast and made it stop for a brief moment.

However, before it could react, Asher reappeared in front of it with his leg raised in midair. He brought his foot down in an axe kick that sent tremors throughout the vicinity as it made contact with its target.

The shockwave from Asher's kick caused a crater to appear beneath them, with cracks spreading outward like spider webs along the ground.

The beast's head was slammed into the ground, leaving it stunned and dazed. Seeing that the Alpha Shadow Beast was vulnerable, all the other shadow wolves discarded their targets and charged toward Asher at top speed.

They came at him like a wave of black fur and fangs, intent on tearing him to pieces. However, their efforts proved futile, as they found themselves unable to even get close to Asher because of his illusory shadow technique.

All the shadow clones used that moment of distraction to use the Abyssal Grasp technique to form sharp thorns that pierced through their targets' bodies, pinning them to the ground. The beasts wailed in agony as they were impaled in different parts of their bodies before they soon fell silent forever.

In just one move, Asher had wiped out most of the pack of Star-Beasts.

The remaining ones retreated in terror, having witnessed Asher's incredible strength firsthand. They didn't dare stay any longer since they knew their chances of victory were slim.

However, the Alpha Star-Beast did not share the sentiment of its companions, and looking at its dead kin lying lifeless on the ground, it got enraged and roared in anger.

HOWL...!!!!!