Breakthrough, Breakthrough, Breakthrough

His inner core roared, rumbling like heavenly thunder in his ears. Er Dongsheng sat cross-legged beside the bonfire, carefully sensing the inside of his body. His spirit spread into the void as boundless Abyssal Aura gathered around him.

The breakthrough had begun.

The realm of a First-Level Demon was a wondrous one. Er Dongsheng immersed himself within it, his spirit beginning to diffuse. Guided by an inexplicable force, memories emerged bit by bit—from his first life, from the moment he entered the world wailing, to the birth of this Abyss Demon body in this life. The memories of one body and two souls were drawn forth.

Er Dongsheng knew that the Great Cosmic Will was sorting through his soul. According to the unique traits of every soul—namely, their memories—it would shape the differing evolutionary talents of each Abyss Demon.

All manner of memories continually surfaced and flashed before his eyes: the joy of being born in his previous life, the fulfillment of getting his first girlfriend, online games, guns and ammunition, novels, movies, and countless impractical fantasies. More than anything else, there were the Chinese Martial Arts and alchemical Dao techniques engraved deep into his soul. Slowly, the memories churned. In the blink of an eye, the growth of a tiny demon appeared once more—the hardship of every hunt, eating insects, chewing grass leaves, facing life-and-death crises, stumbling and bruising his way into adulthood. Then came a death from grievous wounds, the intrusion of another soul, the two becoming entangled, and the birth of an entirely new demon—followed by another arduous road of survival in the Abyss.

Er Dongsheng's body shone brilliantly, and his brow bone glowed. His spirit, having been sorted through once, became even more dazzling and full. Wandering within the cosmic will, he changed without cease. His sinews and bones rang together, his flesh became crystalline, and golden light like glazed glass radiated through his body.

At this moment, the little Succubus lying nearby and watching had gone completely blank with shock. It was too beautiful!

Time trickled away bit by bit. Within the cave, only the bonfire crackled and popped—the sound of burning wood. In the pitch-black cave, an obscure little Lesser Demon slowly took a firm step toward becoming the great demon god who would one day shake the ages and descend upon all planes.

His heart was now clear and empty. Quietly watching the memories of his two lives, whether it was the bitterness and melancholy of the past or the pain and struggle of the present, all of it gave him a faint warmth. The cosmic will was tolerant and great. It guided Er Dongsheng to view his former life from another angle.

He had let go, and he had taken hold again. He had let go of his obsession with being human and taken up the pride of being a demon.

In this life, I am a demon!

Before long, his body became hazy. Scattered golden light like glazed glass completely wrapped around him. Clouds steamed and rosy mists rose; his flesh gleamed. Within, the dull gray scales began to fall away piece by piece, only for glossy, pitch-black scales to grow out one after another.

He was transforming. From head to toe, every cell was transforming.

The cosmic will drew vast spiritual radiance into his body, baptizing him from head to foot.

"~Awoo~, ~boom~"

Roars like tiger, leopard, and thunder echoed together through his limbs and bones, growing ever more intense. His skeleton glowed, every bone trembling as it became even more crystalline and translucent.

The cells, sinews, and bones of his body strengthened without limit. Capacity, recovery, toughness, resistance, and more all soared at high speed. Onefold, twofold, threefold... the strengthening of his flesh surged at a dazzling pace.

His blood and flesh naturally underwent change as well. Every inch was like the gateway to a treasure trove, now flung open as spiritual radiance shone down and nourished his body.

At this moment, his entire body shone resplendently. The will of martial arts poured into him, form and spirit merging as they nourished his mind.

Among Abyss Demons, some evolved toward Spiritual Evolution, some toward the body, and some toward Elemental Evolution. Dual-path evolvers were rarer than one in a hundred.

Then was he a dual-path evolver?

Boom

Suddenly, an even more violent sound erupted from Er Dongsheng's body. Jets of utterly black flames, flickering with eerie and mysterious black light, burst from within him. In an instant, the glazed golden light around him faded, replaced by vast black flames covering his entire body.

"Ink Spirit Flame." A stream of information came to him, and Er Dongsheng understood that this was a rare and peerless strange flame of the Abyss.

In ancient times, when Black Spirit appeared, ten thousand flames retreated. The majesty of the Ink Spirit Flame had once followed that fallen Demon Lord, burning across the myriad heavens and worlds.

Boom! Boom!

The Black Spirit Flame grew even fiercer. Bolstered by the cosmic will, it began another round of tempering Er Dongsheng's physique.

From within to without, and from without to within, it proceeded simultaneously. Bone and flesh merged together, a layer of light film emerged, and at last reflected upon the surface of his body.

His blood glowed, becoming crystalline rivers that nourished his flesh. Then wisps of flame steamed out from his blood and flesh, baptizing his organs and making them translucent, like pieces of jade. Finally, his bones began to shine again.

All the injuries he had suffered in recent battles were now healed. His five viscera and six bowels were fresh and glistening, yet hard as steel—nothing like organs a living creature should possess.

The empowerment of the Great Cosmic Will was mysterious. Half an hour passed, yet this transformation continued.

Second by second, his blood and flesh became ever more perfect. At last, they reached the limit this stage could bear. Finally, Er Dongsheng opened his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Have I reached the limit? Sigh, the potential of this body is still too low!"

"Then let the formal evolution begin!"

Boom

The true evolution began now...