Way of the Devil

The platinum cube kept flickering with faint translucent radiance. It appeared to be made of some kind of unique metal.

‘This is the core metal used to build the Radiant King, Alien Platinum.’ Lu Sheng slowly played around with the cube in his palm. He scrutinized it.

‘After liquifying it, it can connect the Harmonizing Power of several hundred individuals and join them as one. This object is really exceptional.’

To him, Harmonizing Power was a part of Spirit Power. In other words, this object was capable of linking a part of the spirits of many organisms together to form an extremely immense being.

There was no enhancement from formation runes or Divine Veins; this was the property of the material itself.

‘I can’t think of any use for it at the moment. I should keep it for now.’ Lu Sheng put the Alien Platinum away. Then, he started looking into the improvements in his Spirit Power after his Arrival in the Armor World.

With a thought, his vision darkened, and he instantly entered his Heart Devil World.

…..

Black rubble was strewn across the land. A clean and white crescent moon hung in the skies.

Lu Sheng hovered in the air. He looked down at the former residential building that was now in ruins, muttering to himself.

A while later, he dropped softly to the ground. He stretched out his hand and aimed it at a broken wall.

“Hiss…”

A male corpse with a pale expression immediately appeared before him. It was his own body.

Lu Sheng stared at his own corpse for a while. Then, he pointed in another direction.

“Hiss…”

Corpses were lifted up. Some of them were female, while some of them were male. There were also old people mixed among them. In no time, the ruins were filled with densely packed corpses.

Most the corpses were of the Devil Tribe. The piled up bodies almost formed a small mountain. The corpses kept increasing in number, and they piled higher and higher.

Lu Sheng put his hand down and walked slowly among the piles of corpses. After an unclear amount of time, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He was already at the end of his Heart Devil World. Beyond the boundary was a dark shadow which continued on into the unseen depths.

‘It’s bigger than before. This world… is it expanding with the strengthening of my spirit? Rather than referring to this world as my subordinate world, it should be more appropriate to refer to it as my associate world. It’s not mine, but it came to be because of me.’

Lu Sheng had a sudden realization.

“Splash…”

It suddenly started drizzling. Raindrops fell from above.

Lu Sheng felt a familiar wave. He hastily looked up.

The thick layers of cloud started moving slowly. They kept releasing catkin-like rain.

‘Did it rain because I’ve mastered some mystery of water?’ Lu Sheng was starting to gain a better understanding.

He looked at the remaining corpses again.

‘Since my mastery of water made it rain, are these corpses a manifestation of my mastery of the Yin Flames?’

For the first time, he was puzzled. The most numerous here were the corpses. His greatest understanding was regarding the Yin Flames. As the core of the Origin tier, he had traced the power of Yin Flames back to its fundamental origins.

He was even capable of controlling the vibrations of each particle with ease.

‘Perhaps I’ve been neglecting one aspect of this, and that’s about the Yin Flame’s nature. Where did it originate from?’ Lu Sheng suddenly had this question in his mind. These bodies might hold the key to answering his questions.

He teleported all over the place more than a dozen times. He quickly learned the rough size of his current Heart Devil World. It was at least bigger by half compared to when he visited.

This was a direct indication of the extent of his spirit’s wild improvement.

‘Judging by the look of things, the other Weapon Grandmasters should have much lower karma completion rate than me. The First Sacred King’s clone was destroyed by me. He must’ve not accomplished too many karmas.’

Lu Sheng exited his Heart Devil World with a thought. He returned to the Devil Palace.

‘I should pay Shizi Xing a visit and learn how powerful a District Bishop is. Otherwise, in the case that something goes wrong…’

He swiftly organized his equipment and listed out the powerful techniques he currently had.

‘The aces which I can use are as follows. Number one, the Hundred-head Devil Wolf mode’s Winter Night Roar. Number two, the Yang Essence sword skills which I derived: Spirit Slaughter, Divine Might, and Death of Stars. Number three, the power of the Divine Vein. I have completely mastered mystic water and the cold frost Divine Vein. About the others, I merely have a simple understanding of them, and I’m not an expert. The Mystic Water Divine Vein alone was capable of creating the Eye of Gesangna. The combination of these powers seemed capable of unleashing some great, mysterious forces as well. I’ll have to do more research on this. Number four, the Capacities and Arts left behind by the Spiritual Power World. With this, I can activate a damaging Art with a large area of effect, Overturn the Sea. Number five is my main body’s Extreme Yang Mode and perfect mode. That’s my most powerful state. I’ll be able to unleash all of my body’s strength.’

Lu Sheng organized them well.

‘Of all my aces, Overturn the Sea aside, they can all be used independently. They won’t be a burden to my main body. If there’s some situation that I really can’t deal with, I’ll use Time Freeze and the Heart Devil World.’

He seemed to have many skills at his disposal, but in reality, he was lacking a key skill that could secure his victory with one hit.

Lu Sheng pondered about this. He assimilated the aces that could be assimilated to see if he could increase their might.

After pondering about it for a while, he thought of an idea according to his perfect main body mode.

“Maybe I can do this…”

…..

World of Pain. Black Speech Town.

In the gloomy and beaten town, Lu Sheng pulled his black cloak tight around him and completely covered his face with a black scarf. He walked quickly onto the main street, and walked along the path toward the Seye Palace.

He had stopped by Shizi Xing’s former office building. It was deserted. Nobody was there. It was clear that she had returned to the Ninth Parish.

Shizi Xing had told him early on that she would be returning to her main parish immediately. He did not think that he would not be able to meet her during this visit.

When he could not locate her, after some hesitation, Lu Sheng could only head toward the Seye Palace to look for lady Hei Jin. She was the second superior whom he planned to align himself with.

Lady Hei Jin had already found a poor town nearby, Duming Town—just as he had suggested to her. The basic amenities were already on their way to being completed in the town.

He had played a great role in this. Hence, Hei Jin’s attitude towards him was friendly as well. Although they were not too close, at the very least, they were not strangers.

Lu Sheng stood far away outside the Seye Palace. He looked into it.

Within the huge pool in the palace, a mass of seaweed-like black hair was swimming. The black hair rose slowly and weaved into the naked body of a woman. From the looks of the stature and back, it was the master of this place, Lady Hei Jin.

“Come in.” Hei Jin turned her head slightly and looked at Lu Sheng, who was outside the palace.

Lu Sheng walked into the palace without saying a word. It had been some time since they last met.

The palace was filled with black hair. It appeared much more strange and eerie than before.

“The Devil Art Masters I’ve recruited before had run into some trouble while they were retrieving the Divine Weapons. As expected, it’s easy for problems to arise without you assisting in the coordination,” said Hei Jin with a hint of helplessness.

“Also, I’ve heard about your ordeal. No matter what kind of secrets you hold, it’s best to keep them hidden before the District Bishop arrives. You can choose to dispose of them or surrender them. Otherwise… the consequences will be dire.” It was rare for Hei Jin to give him some advice out of kindness.

“You knew?” Lu Sheng was stunned.

“You’ve improved too quickly. In fact, you’re improving so quickly that even I’m moved. You’ve managed to attain the rank of a Weapon Grandmaster in just a couple of years.” Hei Jin rose slowly out of the pool. Her slender and fair feet slowly touched the bricks on the poolside. Her weed-like long hair hung loosely, and merely covered her breasts and the arcane part between her thighs. Other than that, it was for all to see.

“However, those are your personal matters. I’m not interested in them. I’m just worried that if you die, I won’t be able to find anyone with the talent to help me manage this town,” said Hei Jin with a dry expression.

Her emotions seemed to have always been on the low side. She did not even seem to have much desires. She appeared to only be interested in building a new town.

“In that case, can you give me some suggestions? It’s regarding the District Bishop.” Lu Sheng ventured a question in a respectful tone.

Hei Jin’s black hair weaved themselves together into an exquisite yet casual black dress.

“The District Bishop?” She waved her arm. Black hair rose behind Lu Sheng and herself at the same time. It weaved into two chairs for the two of them to sit down and rest.

“Nightingale is a harsh person. He’s jealous of other people’s talents and abilities, and he’s also an obstinate oaf. The reason why he was able to become the District Bishop, other than his background, is because he has exceptional talents and strength.”

“In other words, once we meet, I won’t have any chance to turn the situation around?” Lu Sheng asked with a frown.

“Other than submitting yourself to his arrest, I don’t think you can flee from his chase. No matter how far you’ve run, the Pain Mark will ensure that you’ll be recaptured and locked away,” Hei Jin said simply. “Even if you’ve gone to an Other World, unless you’re planning on never coming back, if you ever return to Great Yin, you’d be instantly pulled into the World of Pain and arrested.”

“Is there any way to resolve this?” Lu Sheng asked in a deep voice. “How strong is the District Bishop?”

“His level is above Army Raising. He’s just ranked up to a Confusion Realm expert. If you’re thinking of opposing him with force, you’d better prepare yourself to become his slave for life. If you lose a fight with a Confusion Realm expert, you either die or become the expert’s slave. Your spirit will suffer constant torment, and you won’t be able to reincarnate,” said Hei Jin drily.

“Confusion Realm… What realm is that?” Lu Sheng felt a chill in his heart. He asked the question in a lowered voice.

Hei Jin glanced at him with astonishment. “In the Army Raising realm, we cultivate our own spirit to the extreme. Then, with that as the core, we gain complete control over the Heart World, with which we absorb countless living spirits, then simulate and form a different world. That’s the Confusion Realm. It’s a great realm before Void Underworld.”

“Absorbing countless living spirits?” Lu Sheng frowned. “However, I’ve never heard of any mass absorption of living beings in Great Yin before…”

“Of course, we’ll never do it in our own territories,” Hei Jin said matter-of-factly. “For these endeavors, it’s only natural to venture to the Other Worlds. These things are still too advanced for you, and you have no need to learn about them yet. What you need to know is that the power of a Confusion Realm expert is capable of pulling you into their Heart World in an instant. They all live long lives. Even the youngest Confusion Realm expert is 10,000 years old. So, it’s impossible for you to win against him with your own strength.”

“Is that so…” Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, and said nothing more.

“Naturally, if you’re willing to align yourself with me, I can consider pleading for you so that you’ll only get a scolding. As long as you surrender your greatest secret, this much can be arranged. That is something that you won’t be able to keep no matter what,” Hei Jin said drily. “Don’t think that Nightingale wants it for himself. I reckon that even I myself am not qualified to possess it. You’ve drawn the attention of the higher-ups. The master of the Melancholic Forest, Pope Gloom, has ordered his subordinates to keep an eye on you.”

“Pope Gloom… What kind of being is that?” Lu Sheng had a faint bad feeling about this.