A moment later, the sky above the entire island was quiet.
The ground and the Pyramid Mountain Range were covered in a layer of blood. The scene could only be described as a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Jiang Luo turned to look at Thanses, who stood frozen in place.
"Mother..."
Thanses murmured to himself.
Whoa, what memory had he gotten lost in?
Jiang Luo had manifested the Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist from Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas.
When a Gemini Saint was on the verge of death, he could even use the Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist on himself to resurrect after death through sheer obsession.
So unlike ordinary soul-based forbidden arts, the Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist's essence was to plant—or, more accurately, amplify—an obsession within its victim.
It wasn't a matter of forcibly controlling them.
After all, Thanses was practically the strongest Star Level warrior of his generation in the Gulun Universe Kingdom, and he had even broken through to Universe Level in the midst of battle.
He had also cultivated a Soul Defense Secret Technique.
Even though Jiang Luo had constantly visualized the Nuwa Map and possessed a life level six times that of an ordinary human, his mental awareness was no weaker than a Universe Level warrior's. It would still have been difficult for him to forcibly enslave Thanses.
That was why he had used the Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist, which could subtly alter an opponent's will and twist their mind.
Many Soul Secret Techniques couldn't defend against the Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist.
As Jiang Luo understood it, the only thing that could resist it was the strength of one's will!
And someone like Thanses, whose mind was already twisted, was naturally vulnerable to the Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist.
"Hm?" Jiang Luo's expression shifted.
The Blood Demon, Thanses, seemed to have come out of his reverie. He turned to look at Jiang Luo.
But what surprised Jiang Luo most was that Thanses's narrow eyes, usually filled with bloodlust, cruelty, and pain, were now clearer than ever before.
Even his entire air had changed.
It was as though he had suddenly gone from being a madman to a normal person!
Jiang Luo thought, The Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist can cure mental illness, too?!
Did two negatives really make a positive?
Thanses, who seemed to have been reborn, looked up at the sky and down at the island, a pure smile on his face.
Then he addressed Jiang Luo, who was still wearing his mask. "You saved me from the abyss and set me free.
"I have no way to repay you for this kindness. If you don't mind, I'd like to become your follower and serve at your command.
"But..."
Thanses's gaze was resolute. "My enemy is the Blood Demon King. My greatest wish and goal in life is to kill him, no matter the cost."
So the obsession the Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist had twisted and amplified was to kill the Blood Demon King?
Jiang Luo suppressed his amazement at the fist's "healing effects" and replied calmly, "Your grudge with the Blood Demon King is your own business. But if you prove yourself worthy, I won't mind helping you out someday."
Thanses's eyes lit up.
"First, tell me why you were willing to break through to Universe Level just to kill me," Jiang Luo asked. "Did the Obsidian Company put you up to it?"
Thanses had already reached the first level of the sixth Trial Tower. Among the Star Level geniuses of the 1008 Universe Kingdoms, he was a contender for the top ten.
In terms of Law Comprehension and combat strength, he wasn't much weaker than Luo Feng had been in the Genius Battle finals.
But after breaking through to Universe Level, he might not even rank among the top thousand Universe Level geniuses of the 1008 Universe Kingdoms.
The Peak Warrior Battle would begin in twelve years.
If Thanses failed to break into the top thousand of the 1008 Universe Kingdoms, he would have to wait another thousand years for a chance to enter the Core Layer of the Giant Axe Arena.
But if he stayed at Star Level, he was certain to enter the Core Layer when the Giant Axe Arena came to the Sacred Hall to select Star Level geniuses ninety years from now.
The difference was substantial.
Why had Thanses taken such a huge risk?
On the face of it, the Flint Star Sector Lord's treasure shouldn't have been that tempting to Thanses, who might one day become a member of the Giant Axe Arena's Shenshi Secret Realm.
Thanses gave a bitter smile and sent his reply through a voice transmission. "It was the Blood Demon King's idea. He said the Flint Star Sector Lord's legacy included an egg of a Flame Star Behemoth.
"If I obtained it, he would grant me the secret technique to possess the Flame Star Behemoth.
"If I succeeded, it wouldn't just give me a new lease on life. It would also free me from the mental distortion caused by a lifetime of accumulated killings."
An egg of a Flame Star Behemoth?
Jiang Luo's heart jolted. He sent a voice transmission. "The Blood Demon King sent you to claim the Flint Star Sector Lord's treasure? How could he..."
The Blood Demon King was a Peak King powerhouse. If he truly decided to support Thanses, who could stop him?
Thanses shook his head. "It's not that simple. The Dutu Star Sector and Blood Demon Planet have special status, and the Universe Kingdom has no authority to interfere there. But that doesn't mean the Universe Kingdom is afraid of the Blood Demon King.
"Likewise, the Universe Kingdom has decreed that the Blood Demon King's forces cannot leave the Dutu Star Sector.
"Besides, the Huanming Star Sector belongs to Marquis Huanming, a descendant especially favored by the ruler. Even the Blood Demon King wouldn't dare to act recklessly here.
"And... heh, the Blood Demon King is so powerful that he probably doesn't covet the Flame Star Behemoth's egg much himself.
"To him, this may just be an entertaining experiment. He wants to see if a human with a twisted mind can possess a Flame Star Behemoth, and what would happen if they did.
"The geniuses raised by Blood Demon Planet throughout the generations have all been nothing more than playthings to the Blood Demon King.
"Even those who make it into one of the five great powers can't earn the favor of the strong because of their twisted minds, and they can never escape the Blood Demon King's control."
Jiang Luo pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "Leave the island for now and return to the Sacred Hall to resume your normal training. If I need you, I'll get in touch."
"Yes." Thanses bowed respectfully, then turned into a streak of light and flew away from the island.
Jiang Luo watched him go. Thanses had enough talent that Jiang Luo didn't mind taking him on as a subordinate.
He could manifest countless divine arts, cultivation techniques, and abilities from the myriad worlds.
As long as he had enough faith, he could cultivate not just one Thanses, but thousands or even tens of thousands.
Once Thanses had left as well, Jiang Luo was the only one remaining on the island.
He had fulfilled the conditions for passing the trial.
Morena, the flawless-looking intelligent life, regarded Jiang Luo with a somewhat manic smile. "Master, I've finally found you a truly powerful successor!"
Jiang Luo was speechless. Was it really you who found him?
Any other Star Level warrior in his place would have died long ago in this death-match arena where you raised the strong by pitting them against one another.
A day later, explosive news spread throughout the Huanming Star Sector and continued to reach other sectors.
After a bloody, brutal battle, someone had opened the treasure trove of the Flint Star Sector Lord, the Sector Lord Level Great Axe Warrior Ertis!
The precious treasure that had kept the Huanming Star Sector in turmoil for thousands of years and set its seventeen top powers against one another had been taken by a mysterious Universe Level powerhouse.
The World Lords and even the Immortal Gods were driven mad with rage.
Despite the factions' desperate efforts to investigate, they couldn't uncover the identity of the mysterious Universe Level powerhouse.
A giant pyramid-shaped spaceship sped through the Dark Universe.
In the center of the ship, Jiang Luo sat on his throne, savoring the clear, sparkling wine in his glass.
A rich surge of emotion flowed in with every sip, leaving him wistful as he savored it.
"'Threads of Emotion' certainly lives up to its name. The wine's only grown smoother over the past five thousand years. Why do I keep running into so many people with something wrong with their minds?" Jiang Luo sighed.
The Blood Demon, Thanses, was one example. The Illusionary Demon Emperor Fist had twisted his mind and amplified his obsession, yet the poison had worked as its own cure, healing the distortion in his mind.
At least on the surface, he was a normal person now.
Then there was the intelligent life, Morena. She had actually fallen deeply in love with her master, the Flint Star Sector Lord, Ertis.
As soon as Jiang Luo had passed the trial, Morena had taken her own life to follow him in death.
He really couldn't understand love.
"Master," Wu He said respectfully, his silver hair framing his handsome face. "All the treasures have been sorted."
After what had happened in the Flint Star World, Wu He had fully acknowledged Jiang Luo as his master.
"There are two four-star accounts, one at the Cosmic Galaxy Bank and the other at the Cosmic First Bank. Together, they hold 110,000 Hunyuan Units' worth of Universe Coins..."
Jiang Luo considered this. The amount was lower than he had expected.
The Flint Star Sector Lord was stronger than an ordinary Immortal God, and even a World Lord General was far beneath him.
Otherwise, he couldn't have earned the title of Sector Lord Level Great Axe Warrior, a title held by only a handful in an entire Universe Kingdom.
A World Lord this powerful, with such extraordinary opportunities, ought to have been far wealthier than an ordinary Immortal.
Once he heard Wu He's next explanation, Jiang Luo understood. Most of the Flint Star Sector Lord's wealth had been in various treasures, leaving him with little cash.
Not counting the many other odds and ends, treasures, materials, and weapons, there were three especially valuable items left behind by the Flint Star Sector Lord.
One was the secret manual he had cultivated, Boundless!
It was both an unparalleled manual for cultivating the Flint God Weapon, one of the Nine Divine Weapons of the Controller, and a text that aided the cultivation of the Space Origin Law.
"My old master was most skilled with the Flint God Weapon," Wu He said proudly. "He had already mastered it to the ninth level, 'Even the Undying Can Be Defeated.'
"Half of my old master's title, 'Flint Star,' came from this.
"After that, he made another breakthrough and obtained a powerful weapon, which he named the Flint Star Wheel.
"With the Flint Star Wheel, he raised his combined mastery of the Laws of Fire and Space to a level far beyond the ninth level of the Flint God Weapon. He used it to defeat more than one Immortal!"
As Jiang Luo flipped through Boundless, he couldn't help but nod.
The manual really did begin with the Law of Fire before delving into the Space Origin Law. By combining the two, it developed a Combat Secret Technique with terrifying offensive power.
It had twelve levels in total.
The first nine corresponded to the nine forms of the Flint God Weapon.
It was, without a doubt, the ideal manual for cultivating the Flint God Weapon.
The final three levels surpassed the Flint God Weapon's limits and required a weapon even more powerful than it to use.
Before you continue