Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

It had been quite some time since Liora journeyed to the real Demon World.

As soon as she left the range of Hollow City, she sensed the demonic energy around her become less, both in volume and quality.

At the same time, the invisible oppression born from several powerful beings who lived in close proximity vanished.

The latter was a good thing, while the former was bad. However, Liora paid attention to neither.

After frowning briefly, she regulated her demonic energy and continued with her journey.

—

Hollow City was located at the peak of the 173rd Demon Layer.

Although it was commonly referred to as a city, its true nature was that of a world, one that had been moved by the Hollow Ancestor and repurposed for his own needs.

Even though it floated at the top of the Layer, it would be more accurate to say that it existed in a different dimension.

It would be impossible to find unless one were a Greater Devil, no matter how strong that person was or what power they wielded.

Hollow City served as the central hub of the entire layer, gathering millions of powerhouses.

Liora had wondered in the past why there were still so many Greater Devils who chose to settle elsewhere.

However, after she had stayed in the city for some time, she realized the reason.

Ordinary Greater Devils could only serve as cannon fodder in Hollow City.

Only Greater Devils at the True Spirit Stage were valued, and even those were likely to die while performing some kind of dangerous mission.

Only by becoming an Archdevil could one really ensure one’s safety.

“Settling down in Hollow City is indeed beneficial. But doing so will result in a loss of their status and will be accompanied by great risk.”

“Although there are people who choose to bet with their lives, there are as many who prefer to stay as ’local overlords’.”, Liora commented as her body rapidly approached the Demon Layer below.

Shortly after, her figure hovered only a few hundred meters above the ground.

She lowered her head and surveyed her surroundings, trying to find anything that could help her pinpoint her location.

Soon, her eyes lit up.

A giant city with millions of residents fell into her eyes, while the aura of a Greater Devil caught her attention.

There were hundreds of such cities in the Demon World.

Liora was, of course, unable to recognize them with just a look.

Fortunately, she had a way to find out.

The skin on her forehead parted, and a golden pupil squirmed out of it.

It glowed eerily, utterly indifferent and aloof.

Under Liora’s control, it flicked towards the city. Its gaze penetrated through space.

Secretly, the Throne within Liora’s soul space vibrated, and her new concept, Gaze, was urged.

Liora’s gaze scanned over the city, observing its residents indifferently.

A few seconds later, she shifted her attention towards the Greater Devil, who was practicing silently at its depths, clueless about her arrival.

The gaze of Heaven’s Eye locked onto the other party. The pupil within the eye squirmed.

The body of the Greater Devil was broken apart, and its composition became clear to Liora.

She pinched her chin.

“A Greater Devil at the Indestructible Soul Stage with the bloodline of Duskblade…”

“Judging from his strength, he should be quite powerful among this rank…”

“He has practiced several Devil Techniques, among which are…”

“He has 9 True Devils under his ranks…”

The Greater Devil’s information was revealed by Liora, as if she were now able to use the System Panel to investigate other people.

Several clues were pieced together. Combined with the information she had purchased, Liora quickly realized their identity.

“This should be Duke Menos, who controls the Duskblade City situated in the western part of the Demon Layer.”

“If I’m not wrong, this place should be close to the Skyfall Mountains.”, Liora whispered.

The easiest way to navigate the 173rd Layer was based on the four forbidden areas.

Each representing one of the four elements—fire, earth, wind, and water—they existed in the north, east, west, and south, respectively.

They were the primary landmark of the 173rd Layer and were perhaps even more well-known than Hollow Ancestor, its Ruler.

Liora had heard that these four forbidden areas were naturally formed, and she had partly believed it, though doubtful.

But, having reached her height, Liora had a more plausible explanation.

“The Astral Pavilion claimed that one of the parties combined during the Catastrophe Devil’s birth was the Four Elements Devil, a peak Archdevil with mastery over the four elements.”

“I refuse to believe that these forbidden areas have nothing to do with him. Moreover, the Hollow Ancestor’s relentless chase of the other party is quite interesting…”, she thought.

Liora had no reason to care about these in the past, since her strength was quite lacking.

However, having now become an Archdevil, she had a strong hunch that she would end up involved in this matter, even if she were unwilling.

After all, her encounters with the Four Elements Devil were many.

She had been thrown into the Inferno Valley when she first ascended to the Demon World and had been forced to battle against the Fire Elementals there to find a chance to survive.

If she had not been somewhat lucky, she would have died not long after her arrival.

Such an entanglement was already big enough. The fact that she was responsible for the Catastrophe Devil’s birth only reinforced their causal bond.

Liora remained silent for quite a while before she suppressed her thoughts.

After she took one more look at the city and the oblivious Greater Devil, she soared into the sky again and followed the call of her bloodline.

Nothing changed in the city. Throughout the entire process, no one noticed her arrival or departure, and its millions of residents never knew that their lives were under the control of someone.

Or at least, this was how it seemed.

It was only a few hours after Liora had left that the Greater Devil in its depths showed some changes.

With a bang, he collapsed to the ground, soaked in his own sweat. His body couldn’t help but tremble.

“So close… So close…”

“Which great being just targeted the city? Was it a True Spirit Greater Devil?”, he questioned, but immediately shook his head.

“No! I’ve met a True Spirit Greater Devil when I went to Hollow City before.”

“The overwhelming power I sensed just now was countless times more terrifying.”

An incredible guess formed in the City Lord’s mind: the culprit was most likely an Archdevil!

Immediately, he couldn’t help but pace back and forth in his room.

“Should I give up on the city? Although the other party has left, there’s no certainty that they will not return.”

“Why did such a being come here? Is a major war about to break out?”, the man rambled incessantly before quietly slipping out of the city.

Liora would have never guessed that her unintentional actions had caused a Greater Devil to escape the city he had ruled for tens of thousands of years.

In her opinion, she was merely asking for directions from start to finish.