Infiltration and Deviation

Just as Benjamin had expected, as they continued descending, they encountered several more waves of "sentinels" in all manner of forms.

Some had evolved compound-eye-like arrays of light-sensitive structures, capable of monitoring faint disturbances in light from multiple directions at once. Some had flattened their bodies and clung to the rock walls like glowing moss, blending into the background energy radiation. Others had even abandoned physical form altogether, turning into faint luminous mist that filled the air within the fissures—any solid object passing through would cause abnormal currents in the mist.

As Anya silently reaped the sentinels' life force like the god of death, she could not hide her astonishment through their mental link.

"Creatures of the same element can actually differentiate into so many specialized variants for stealth and reconnaissance in such a short time? The speed and directionality of this evolution are unbelievable."

Benjamin, however, was thoughtful. He roughly understood why this had happened.

What Starfall called "Sentience Ignition" was, in essence, the enlightenment of Spirit Energy.

In a wizard's worldview, these undoubtedly all belonged to the broad category of "light elemental lifeforms." But through the cognitive framework of the Cultivation World...

"They should actually be considered part of the Demon Race," Benjamin sorted through his thoughts. "The Demon Race has two defining traits. First, individuals created through enlightenment often differ from their original species, becoming unique 'mutants.' Second, their racial classifications are exceedingly fine-grained. Especially for beings such as mountain spirits, water monsters, and nature spirits, each enlightened individual may become a tiny independent race of its own due to differences in origin, experience, and the intent of the one who enlightened it."

"So from a wizard's perspective, they are a group of 'light elemental lifeforms.' But from a cultivator's perspective, they are clearly a collection of