The Inner Palace roared like thunder in Er Dongsheng's ears. Sitting cross-legged beside the campfire, he focused on the workings of his body. His spirit spread into the void, drawing in the boundless Abyssal Aura.
The breakthrough had begun.
Becoming a First-Level Demon was a strange experience. As Er Dongsheng immersed himself in it, his spirit began to expand. Drawn by an inexplicable force, memories surfaced bit by bit: from his birth in his previous life to the birth of this Abyss Demon body in this one. One body held the memories of two souls.
Er Dongsheng knew the Great Cosmic Will was sorting through his soul. It would use the particular nature of each soul—its memories—to shape a different evolutionary gift for every Abyss Demon.
Memories kept rising and flashing before his eyes. There was the joy of his birth in his previous life, the satisfaction of getting his first girlfriend, online games, guns and ammunition, novels, films, and countless impractical fantasies. Above all, there were the Chinese Martial Arts and alchemical arts engraved deep in his soul. The memories churned, and in the next instant, the life of a tiny demon appeared: the hardship of every hunt, eating insects, gnawing leaves, surviving brushes with death. He grew through stumbles and scrapes until a grievous wound killed him and another soul entered. The two became entangled, a new demon emerged, and another arduous struggle for survival in the Abyss began.
Er Dongsheng's body blazed with radiance. His brow bone shone, and his spirit, now thoroughly combed through, grew brighter and fuller. As he drifted within the Universe Will, his body kept changing. Bones and sinews rang in unison, his flesh turned translucent, and golden light like glazed glass shone through it.
The Little Succubus lay nearby watching, stunned. He was too beautiful!
Time trickled by. Only the crackle of burning wood remained in the cave. There, in the darkness, an unknown Lesser Demon took a firm step toward becoming the great Demon God who would one day shake the ages and stand above every plane.
His mind was clear now. He quietly watched the memories of his two lives. Whether they held the heartache and frustration of the past or his present pain and struggle, they brought him a faint warmth. The Universe Will was vast and all-embracing; it guided Er Dongsheng to see his former life from another angle.
He let go, and he took hold. He let go of his attachment to being human and took hold of his pride as a demon.
In this life, I am a demon!
Before long, his body grew indistinct. Scattered rays of glazed-gold light wrapped around him completely, billowing like clouds at sunrise. His flesh glimmered. Beneath the light, his dull gray scales fell away one by one, and glossy jet-black scales grew in their place.
He was transforming. From head to toe, every cell was changing.
The Universe Will drew a vast spiritual radiance into his body, washing through him from top to bottom.
"Awooo! Boom!"
Peals like the thunderous cries of tigers and leopards rang through his limbs and bones, growing ever louder. His bones glowed and trembled, each becoming more crystalline and translucent.
His cells, sinews, and bones grew stronger without restraint. Capacity, recovery, toughness, resistance—all rose at a dizzying pace. Twice as strong, three times as strong...
His flesh was changing too. Every inch was like the gateway to a treasure vault, thrown open now for spiritual radiance to pour in and nourish his body.
At that moment, he shone from head to toe. The will of the martial path poured into him, and form and spirit mingled, nourishing his mind.
Some Abyss Demons tended toward Spiritual Evolution, others toward physical evolution, and still others toward Elemental Evolution. Not one in a hundred evolved along two paths at once.
Then was he evolving along two paths?
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a far more violent sound erupted from Er Dongsheng's body. Streams of pitch-black fire, gleaming with a deep and mysterious light, surged out of him. In an instant, the glazed-gold radiance around him faded, replaced by desolate Black Flame that covered his entire body.
"Ink Spirit Flame." A message reached him, and Er Dongsheng understood: this was a rare flame of the Abyss, one that had not appeared in ages.
In ancient times, when Ink Spirit Flame appeared, all other flames gave way. Its majesty had once accompanied that departed Demon Lord, burning across the myriad worlds.
"Boom! Boom!"
The Ink Spirit Flame burned fiercer still. Bolstered by the Universe Will, it began another round of tempering Er Dongsheng's body.
From within outward and from without inward, the changes proceeded together. Bone and flesh fused, a film of light appeared, and at last its glow reached the surface of his body.
His blood glowed, becoming a crystalline river that nourished his flesh. Wisps of flame then rose from it and washed through his organs, leaving them bright and clear like pieces of jade. Finally, his bones shone once more.
All the wounds he had suffered in his recent battles had healed. His organs looked fresh and lustrous, yet they were hard as steel, unlike anything a living creature should possess.
The power of the Great Cosmic Will was mysterious. Half a quarter of an hour passed, and the transformation continued.
Second by second, his flesh drew closer to perfection. At last it reached the limit it could bear at this stage. Er Dongsheng opened his eyes and sighed.
"So I've reached the limit? Sigh. This body still doesn't have much potential!"
"Then let the real evolution begin!"
"Boom!"
The true evolution began now...
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