When Heaven Has Feelings

"Brother, did your breakthrough succeed?" The little Succubus asked joyfully when she saw Er Dongsheng (Baal) rise to his feet.

"You're so tall! Lulu can't reach Brother anymore!" The little Succubus had come running over excitedly, but suddenly pouted. Only when Er Dongsheng lowered his head did he realize that the little one was now only as tall as his thigh. She could no longer leap up and wrap her arms around his neck as she had before!

Does this count as another growth spurt?

He was now a little over 1.8 meters tall, while the little Succubus was less than a meter tall. Small and exquisite, she looked like a porcelain doll.

"Mm, only the final step remains." He crouched down and gently picked up the little Succubus. After thinking for a moment, he lifted her with both hands and settled her securely on his right shoulder.

"Giggle, giggle, giggle!" The little one was ecstatic. Sitting on his shoulder, she swayed from side to side, hugged his neck, and laughed without stop. She was tiny, while Er Dongsheng was now broad-backed and powerfully built. His wide shoulders were just right for the little girl to sit on securely.

After playing with her for a while and seeing the little foodie happy again, Er Dongsheng decided to begin the final step of his breakthrough.

"Abyssal Will, come!"

Boom!

Whirr—

Boundless momentum burst forth from his body in an instant: the savagery of martial arts, the ethereal clarity of Daoism, the chaotic evil of an Abyss Demon, bloodthirst and slaughter. All kinds of different auras spewed from within him, tangling together into a momentum unique to himself as it thunderously spread throughout the entire cave.

From afar, the little one gazed at Er Dongsheng, whose eyes had turned hazy. Looking at that terrifying figure, abyssal as a demon and like a demonic god, her heart suddenly began to pound.

"Ah!" Her face flushed red. She pinched herself hard, stopping her wild thoughts, and began watching Er Dongsheng's final breakthrough.

At that moment, above the cave outside, wind and clouds abruptly gathered. Violent Abyssal Aura began to condense in the sky, and vast swathes of dark clouds formed.

Suddenly, bolt after bolt of lightning flashed forth, resounding through heaven and earth. As bright as day, they illuminated this small patch of forest. Nearby animals, whether Abyssal Species or ordinary creatures, all lay trembling on the ground in terror.

"Lightning in a clear sky? It's no longer the Abyssal Rain Season. How is that possible?" At the far western edge of the forest, an enormous Abyss Snake stared with lantern-sized eyes and spoke in shock.

"Lightning, lightning... How could this be? Could it be...?" On the eastern side of the forest, a tribe of several hundred people stared in shock at the lightning above the woods. At their head stood an exceptionally beautiful woman, whose face was now deathly pale.

"Lightning in a clear sky... Has an Abyssal Species broken through to become a First-Level Demon? But why is the lightning's scale so immense? Could a Greater Demon have been born?"

The outside world had already been thrown into turmoil by the Abyss's actions, yet the protagonist remained quietly inside the cave, awaiting the arrival of the final moment.

Suddenly—

A terrifying will descended upon the tiny cave in an instant.

Er Dongsheng's heart suddenly tightened, and large beads of sweat streamed down his face. The feeling was like facing his master for the first time—abyssal and oceanic—but even vaster and deeper, with no boundary in sight.

His body involuntarily assumed a defensive stance. Though Er Dongsheng understood that before this great will, he was as weak as an ant, the unyielding will of a martial artist drove him not to give up until the very last moment.

The Abyssal Will was indeed unfathomable, possessing might even greater than the Earthly Heavenly Dao. At this moment, Er Dongsheng was already beginning to regret rashly accepting the Abyssal Will's blessing!

Boom!

The Abyss paid no heed to Er Dongsheng's movements. Or perhaps, to these Heavenly Dao consciousnesses, they were all merely ants—why should it care?

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! It sounded as though the air currents around him were exploding without end. The Abyssal Aura around the cave condensed at a visible speed, growing denser and denser.

Suddenly, the Abyssal Will carried that condensed Abyssal Aura and shot toward Er Dongsheng's face.

Whoosh!

Before Er Dongsheng could react, it burrowed into his brain, smashing through everything in its path as it charged toward the Sea of Consciousness.

"Not good!"

Er Dongsheng was horrified. A martial artist's sixth sense repeatedly warned him that he absolutely could not allow this Abyssal Will to invade the Sea of Consciousness. He did not know how other demons dealt with it, but if he accepted this will, he would surely sink forever beneath the Abyssal Heavenly Dao, becoming a slave of the Heavenly Dao and never attaining freedom for all eternity.

"What do I do? What do I do? What exactly should I do?"

"System! Right, the Abyss System! Hurry and give me a solution!"

"Calculating. Please wait..."

"Hurry! Hurry!"

"Faster~! Faster~!"

"Ah..."

While desperately gathering his mental strength to resist the invading Abyssal Will, Er Dongsheng frantically urged the Abyss System on.

"Hurry up! If I'm finished, you won't fare any better either!"

Time passed second by second. Within the Sea of Consciousness, Er Dongsheng struggled bitterly against the Abyssal Will that was smashing through everything in its path. The violent Abyssal Will could not be bothered with Er Dongsheng blocking its way. Like rotten wood crumbling before a storm, it shattered defense line after defense line he had laid down. The core of his Sea of Consciousness was nearly completely corrupted.

"No... can't go on..." His soul grew weaker and weaker, and his resilient martial will was about to collapse.

Er Dongsheng was about to give up...

"Brother, what's wrong? What happened to you?" Suddenly, a voice rang out.

Seeing Er Dongsheng's face suddenly twist into a ferocious grimace, the little girl panicked. She wanted to go help him, but the Abyssal Will pinned her firmly to the ground. Yet she still refused to give up, crawling little by little toward Er Dongsheng. Such defiance of the Abyssal Will seemed to thoroughly enrage it, and an even greater pressure crushed down upon the little girl.

As she crawled, the immense pressure caused the little Succubus's tiny arms and legs to scrape violently against the rough ground, leaving trails of blood all along the path she had crossed.

The little one did not frown in the slightest. She continued inching forward, unwavering and determined. In her heart, even if she died, she wanted to be with Brother.

At that moment, Er Dongsheng, within the Sea of Consciousness, froze. He stared blankly at the little girl who kept inching forward, memories of all their days together rising before him.

"Big Brother, won't you eat Lulu?"

"Big Brother, Lulu's hungry! Can you give Lulu something to eat?"

"Big Brother, did Mother and the others not want Lulu anymore?"

"Big Brother, you're so nice!"

"Brother? Brother?"

"Mhm, Brother is family even closer than Mother. Mhm, Lulu has a brother now!"

"Lulu isn't someone nobody wants anymore!"

"Brother, Brother, you eat too. Lulu is full!"

"Brother, once you finish your breakthrough, you have to make something tasty for Lulu!"

Every little bit, every sentence, every day they had spent together gathered into rays of light, illuminating Er Dongsheng's heart that had already given up. He had never imagined that he was so important in this little one's heart, nor had he realized how impossible she was to part with in his own heart at this very moment.

If Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would grow old; the true way of the human world was the vicissitudes of time!

Even if they were demons, demons despised by countless planes, the deepest part of their souls could still not be defiled, because... they too had feelings.

They were demons, yet they were also lonely, and they too... yearned~ for~ family~.

"Lulu, stay there properly. Brother is fine. I'll make you something tasty in a moment—we'll have a feast!" Turning his head, Er Dongsheng forced a smile at the little one still trying to crawl toward him. It was an utterly awful smile, yet it suddenly made the little Succubus, whose heart had been like dead ashes, happy again.

"Mm-hm, Lulu will wait for Brother!" Though she was still sprawled on the ground, her tiny face covered in blood and dust, the little one still smiled happily.

Because she believed in him, believed in that incomparably powerful brother.

"That's right. I still have family. How can I give up? How can I betray her trust?"

"I've never... fought alone!"

"Come then, Abyssal Will. This isn't over! Once I've dealt with you, my little Lulu will still be waiting for me to make dinner!"

Fight! In this battle, it could only be your death and my survival, because...

I have feelings, while you... are~ heartless.

That was your sorrow, and my good fortune...