Cangwu Continent, Heavenly Demon Peak, the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
In the spacious hall, four colossal pillars thrust into the heavens. The gloom was illuminated solely by tiny patches of netherfire. At the very center of the hall, a figure sat upright on a demonic dragon throne, demonic flames surging to the skies around him. His fathomless gaze made anyone who looked into it feel as though they were falling into an abyss.
A thin man stood silently beside him, utterly motionless.
"Liansheng, has anything major happened recently?"
"Reporting to the Cult Leader, fighting continues along the border between the Great Yu Dynasty and the Great Wilderness Dynasty. The Demon Emperor remains in seclusion, and there has been no news of his emergence."
"What have the five great sects been doing lately?"
"Nothing major. Aside from some disciples still traveling the world subduing demons and exterminating devils, there has been no other activity."
"Mm. You may leave."
The slender man flickered and vanished from the hall. The man on the demonic dragon throne pondered silently, a trace of a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
He was not originally from this world. His name was Zhou Qiong, and he had been the president of the Hua Country Traditional Martial Arts Association in another world. His martial prowess had already made him unrivaled on that planet, but just as he was about to break through to the legendary Shattering Realm, which no one had ever reached before, his body suddenly exploded.
When he awoke again, he had become the Demon Sect's cult leader, who was in seclusion. It had taken him a month to absorb the original body's memories. Coincidentally, this body's surname was also Zhou, and his name was Zhou Qiong.
He was the son of the former Demon Sect cult leader, Zhou Shentong. But Zhou Shentong had died unexpectedly when Zhou Qiong was eighteen, immediately throwing the entire Demon Sect into chaos. Ultimately, Zhou Qiong had spent two years stabilizing the situation and becoming the new cult leader of the Demon Sect. He was a very proud man.
In the end, his injuries had left him no choice but to enter seclusion for a year. Eager to break through to the next realm, he had suffered Qi deviation during seclusion and died. Zhou Qiong's soul had happened to transmigrate over, handing him a ready-made windfall.
Zhou Qiong examined his injuries. All his meridians were severely damaged, and he could not even wield one percent of his strength. Here in the Demon Sect headquarters, where devil heads were everywhere, his situation was extraordinarily perilous. Fortunately, he had the original owner's memories. Otherwise, he truly would not have survived a single episode.
"Ding! Invincible Villain System activated. Binding in progress. Merging in progress. 10%, 40%, 80%, 100%. Binding successful."
A voice sounded in Zhou Qiong's mind, followed by a stream of information.
Character: Zhou Qiong Position: Demon Sect Cult Leader Cultivation: Martial Sovereign (severely injured) Techniques: Heavenly Demon Scripture, Firmament Hand (self-created). Mount: -------
It took Zhou Qiong half a day to finally understand how to use the system. Its purpose was to nurture a devil head unrivaled throughout the world. The Invincible Villain System had three main sections: a lottery system, a mission system, and a shop.
The lottery system activated once a week, granting one basic draw. Every three basic draws could be exchanged for one intermediate draw, and every five intermediate draws could be exchanged for one advanced draw.
The mission system would randomly issue missions, with certain rewards for completing them and no penalties for failure. It truly did as it pleased.
The shop was not yet available.
"Ding! As this is the host's first draw, the host has been awarded one advanced draw. Proceed with the draw?"
"Yes."
A large screen suddenly appeared before Zhou Qiong, and a wheel began spinning continuously. It had six slots in total, labeled Life and Death Hand, heavenly demon body, Ten-Thousand-Year Ghost Brew, Ghost Gate Array, Heaven-Devouring Demon Art, and one blank slot.
Even Zhou Qiong's breathing grew rapid. He did not recognize the others, but the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art should have been the one he knew. That was Empress Ruthless's cultivation technique.
Under Zhou Qiong's expectant gaze, the pointer stopped on the Ghost Gate Array. He felt reasonably consoled. At least it was better than the blank slot. Just then, the pointer suddenly moved again, jumping onto the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art.
"Congratulations to the host on drawing the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art. The technique has nine levels in total. Cultivate it?"
"Yes."
"Cultivating the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art. The first level has been attained. Further cultivation requires exchanging Villain Points."
Feeling the sharp increase in his internal power, Zhou Qiong silently calculated that he could now wield at least half his strength. He finally had some ability to protect himself in this world.
"System, use the basic draw too."
The large wheel spun again. This time, it still had six slots, labeled Demon Soldier Art, Demon King Art, Mysterious Gift Pack, and three blank slots.
Zhou Qiong did not hold out much hope. Half the slots were blank, so the odds of drawing something good were not high to begin with.
But perhaps luck was favoring Zhou Qiong today, for the pointer landed on the Mysterious Gift Pack this time.
"Congratulations to the host on drawing the Mysterious Grand Gift Pack. It contains the Demon Soldier Art, Demon General Art, Sunflower Demon Art, Gods and Devils Eye, and Great Strength Pill."
Zhou Qiong used the system to scan the information on the Gods and Devils Eye.
Gods and Devils Eye: the eye of an unknown ancient god-devil (incomplete) Function: shatter all illusions. Divine weapon nurtured within: Gods and Devils Ring "Does the host wish to install the Gods and Devils Eye?"
"Install it."
Boundless demonic light suddenly rose from between Zhou Qiong's brows. An eye was taking shape there, a black ring slowly revolving within its pupil. Gradually, the eye vanished, leaving a silver-black lightning bolt between his brows.
Character: Zhou Qiong Position: Demon Sect Cult Leader Cultivation: Martial Sovereign (half strength) Techniques: Heavenly Demon Scripture, Firmament Hand (self-created), Heaven-Devouring Demon Art, first level, Gods and Devils Eye (incomplete).
He looked at the Great Strength Pill in his hand. This was not the sort of Great Strength Pill from his previous world, but a supreme divine medicine. No matter how grievously injured someone was, taking it would restore their full strength. Its drawback was that they could only unleash three moves before returning to their severely injured state.
Zhou Qiong sat on the demonic dragon throne in quiet contemplation and tapped it lightly.
A figure appeared in the hall and dropped to one knee before Zhou Qiong, who sat above him.
"This subordinate, Di Yi, pays his respects to the Cult Leader."
"Tell me about the recent situation."
"Reporting to the Cult Leader, the Azure Dragon Hall Master and Black Tortoise Hall Master are resisting the Demon Race at the East Sea. The White Tiger Hall Master and Vermilion Bird Hall Master are both in seclusion within the cult. The First Elder and Fifth Elder are also in seclusion here, while the remaining elders and demon kings are patrolling outside."
Di Yi knelt below, hearing no reply for a long time. He raised his head for a look, and the sight that immediately filled his eyes was an ancient god-devil battling a colossal dragon, shattering even space. Frightened, he instantly dropped to both knees and bowed his head even lower. He felt that the Cult Leader's power was growing ever more unfathomable.
"Pass on my command. We will hold court in the Heavenly Devil Hall in three days."
"Yes."
Di Yi's figure slowly vanished from the hall.
Zhou Qiong's brow furrowed even more deeply. The Demon Sect's current situation was not good. Many of those beneath him still refused to accept his authority.
Clenching his fists, Zhou Qiong still placed greater trust in his own fists. Whether in this life or his previous one, as long as his fists were hard enough, every problem would split apart like bamboo beneath a blade. The best way to increase his strength was the system.