The First Demon Scholar

Shadow Fiend really had a good meal this time.

As Iver's level of Dedication Path increases, the strength of the flesh and blood he willingly sacrifices also increases.

Perhaps it was truly overeating, or perhaps it was expressing gratitude... or perhaps the appearance of the Paradox Flame Butterfly made it somewhat wary and eager to elevate its status in Iver's heart.

The Shadow Demon offered to try another side of the Shepherding Method, granting Lily a portion of its power.

As a demon, the Shadow Fiend doesn't believe in "love that grows over time"; only self-interest and fear are truly intertwined. Therefore, it tries its best to make itself as useful as possible.

Despite being Greater Demon, Shadow Fiend felt that he was the weaker party at this moment.

If it were any other Demon Scholar, they'd have to worship the Shadow Fiend. That's where the concept of "Greater Demon" comes from.

Because the demons themselves are stronger, the contracts have insufficient binding force on them. These demons are the type to listen when they're in a good mood and ignore you when they're in a bad mood. Even if a demon wanted to get rid of them, killing them and finding a new master, or returning to their own territory in the Dream Realm, it wouldn't be difficult.

But that's fine too.

Compared to those Demon Scholar who didn't excite Shadow Fiend, it preferred the promising and dangerous type like Iver.

"Speaking of which," Iver asked casually while preparing for the pastoral ritual, "You said your rebirth was probably decades ago? Were you summoned by other Demon Scholar?"

"Yes, I have."

Shadow Fiend chuckled in Chloe's sweet voice, "But I killed them all off easily."

"Too weak. No power, no talent; no desire to rise higher, not even a modicum of vision. It's rare that they can summon me, but they only hope I can take away their political enemies or secretly protect their safety."

It was clearly impatient with those Demon Scholar: "For something as trivial as killing, wouldn't it be the same if you just hired an assassin or bodyguard?"

"Huh?"

Lily, standing nearby, asked curiously, "So demons don't like killing people?"

"This is common knowledge that many Demon Scholar are unaware of—most demons don't actually like to bully the weak. Demons like to eat people, or rather, all phantom demons are interested in souls, because souls, thoughts, and wills are the food of phantom demons. Shadow demons are also savoring my 'transcendence'."

Iver replied from the side, "Demons are simply cruel and tyrannical in nature, so they show no mercy and choose the fastest and most utilitarian means to obtain food. But they do not derive pleasure from sadism... Humans judge demons based on their own moral values and preferences, and thus conclude that demons like killing."

Lower Demon prefer to attack humans because they are the weakest of the phantom Lower Demon. Like the Iron Hook Demon, they are not demons transformed by being branded with the Great Sin Imprint, but rather newly born phantom demons spontaneously arising from various concepts of pain, sin, evil, and desire.

These phantoms have little intelligence and no memories of their Previous Life. They act purely on instinct and can barely speak.

Aside from residing in the Dream Realm and not leaving a complete corpse upon death in the Material Realm, they are not much different from ordinary wild beasts. In fact, many wild beasts are more intelligent than them—for example, griffins.

"The characteristics that Demon Scholar determine by observing the habits of these Lower Demon do not actually match those of Greater Demon. This is why they encounter strong resistance when trying to control Greater Demon."

Iver said with a smile, "For these Greater Demon who have normal human intelligence, or even more intelligence, these Demon Scholar are used to manipulating those lesser demons and treating them as children or mentally challenged as well. This is a behavior that is very easy to provoke demons."

"Therefore, we don't mind human Demon Scholar dividing demons into ' Greater Demon ' and ' Lower Demon '."

Shadow Fiend added from beneath Iver, "Let them summon those mindless demons. I'd rather stay in the Shadow Domain."

"What is the Shadow Domain like?" Lily asked curiously.

You'll see him soon.

The Shadow Demon replied, "Although the Shadow Domain is in the Dream Realm, it also overlaps with reality in some parts. It is also called the Shadow Land, the Shadow Realm ... Although mortals regard the ' Shadow Realm,' ' Heavenly Realm ', and 'Netherworld' as different 'planes,' they are actually all in the Dream Realm. They are just different areas of the Dream Realm."

In the Shadow Domain, Shadow Demons are actually a minority. There are other Phantom Demons who possess shadow powers.

The vast majority of them come from the Path of Love, while a few Path of Transcendence or Path of Adaptation. This is because the celestial beings who control the Shadow Domain are not the Fallen Angel, but the Shadow Angel.

"Isn't the Dream Realm the place where we participate in the Promotion Ritual?" Lily pressed.

"All the extraordinary individuals who participate in the Promotion Ritual actually enter the same area. The area they enter during the ceremony is called the ' Trial Grounds '."

Iver replied, "I heard that the Trial Grounds didn't have apostles as presiding over them before. Back then, some phantom demons would lurk nearby, intruding into the Promotion Ritual and devouring the souls of the extraordinary individuals participating in the advancement... It's true that some examinees were carried off by passing wolves."

"There are also some Phantom Demons who particularly dislike a certain path. So they will deliberately target the extraordinary individuals on that path, causing them to fail in their advancement. There are also extraordinary individuals who take advantage of this habit to summon Phantom Demons and notify them in advance, seeking cooperation from outside the arena."

"This is undoubtedly a form of cheating."

"The officiant is here to prevent this from happening, to guard the Ritual Site from being invaded by outsiders. Although the apostles may not be that powerful, they are the agents of the Nine Pillar Gods, and attacking the apostles is the same as attacking the Nine Pillar Gods... Am I right?"

"Absolutely right, my wise and learned master. Your understanding of demons and the Dream Realm surpasses that of more than 90% of the Demon Scholar in this world."

"Ninety percent? One hundred percent!"

Iver bluntly stated, "Even Fontanael, the progenitor of the profession of Demon Scholar who has now become a great demon and an apostle of the Fallen Angel, has gone astray."

Only in this field does he have the confidence and ability to surpass all his contemporaries.

Although Demon Scholar is currently the most popular profession Path of Transcendence, it is actually a relatively young profession.

The first Demon Scholar was born in the early 15th century, less than five hundred years ago. His name was Jean de Fontanel, and he was the first person in the world to develop Demon Contract.

He was once an alchemist who tried to create a potion that could "bring the dead back."

He had clearly failed. But he had only failed halfway, for he had summoned his former friend... who had been transformed into a Shadow Fiend. In order to keep his friend in the mortal realm, he developed Demon Contract.

"The world's first Demon Scholar, the demon he contracted was the Shadow Fiend. It is said that he could summon demons from his own shadow that would tear others apart... that was undoubtedly the Shadow Fiend."

"He himself was not famous, but he had a student named Francois Prelati. Instead of inheriting his teacher's alchemical tradition, he became interested in demonology. Ultimately, through studying the doctrines left by his teacher, he established the lineage of Demon Scholar."

"He later became Enticement Demon, and his friend Gilles de Rais, who was originally interested in alchemy, also became a blood demon under his deliberate guidance. These were the three who initially advanced to become Demon Avatar through Demon Scholar. Ultimately, all three of them became apostles of the Fallen Angel."

For humans with short lifespans, the possibility of ascending to become an immortal and incredibly powerful demon is extremely tempting.

As a result, all the Demon Scholar went down the wrong path.

However, this "taking the wrong path" also depends on the era. Before the Ouroboros Ring Ritual was invented, becoming a demon was the only path to advancement for Demon Scholar.

However, they clearly lacked sufficient understanding of demons. They didn't know how to summon Greater Demon, or even how to understand Greater Demon, and their research on demons themselves was not in-depth enough... Although they had analyzed some of the reasons for the birth and abilities of low-level demons, they were basically completely ignorant of demons above the Fifth Level.

"Fallen Angel?"

Lily realized something. "Why not the Serpent Father?"

"This is the crux of the problem."

Iver just smiled, but didn't elaborate. "Alright, the preparations are almost complete. Let's try the Shepherding Method... channel the Shadow Fiend's power into your body."

This is actually why Iver was convinced that those Demon Scholar had gone astray.

Because Demon Avatar can only be promoted to the position of apostle of the Fallen Angel.

Contrary to the impression given by demons, the Serpent Father is actually a relatively compassionate Pillar God, or at least one with a more detached personality.

He abhorred blood sacrifices and human sacrifices, and therefore disliked cruel Demon Avatar. The concept of Path of Transcendence is often associated with cruelty and evil, simply because demons have a louder voice and a stronger presence.

Therefore, anyone who becomes the Demon Avatar will inevitably be rejected by the Serpent Father.

This is why, after they transform into Demon Avatar, they can no longer advance on the path to transcendence.

This is a secret unknown to 100% of Demon Scholar, and perhaps even to the vast majority of demons. Because although demons worship the Serpent Father Serpent Father, they have absolutely no contact with him.

Therefore, Iver chose to remain silent.

Because this was information he should never have known, and had no legal way of obtaining it! Chapter Two, complete! Please vote at the end of the month/beginning of the new month, and also recommend a friend's book~ "This Fox Spirit is Too Inhuman".

The male lead is a Fox with a detachable tail; the story is lighthearted and unrestrained. Life is too bitter, so just enjoy it.

"Ren Yidao! Please, have some decency!"

"Huh? Become a human? But I'm a fox spirit."

"Also, please call me Foster Father."