At that very moment!
Amber Terrace.
Sushang was also refining energy!
She sat cross-legged on a stone stool, her almond-shaped eyes gently closed as a breeze stirred her silver bangs.
She was building her alchemical foundation!
Earlier, Xie Feng had specially refined an eighth-grade pill for her to aid her cultivation.
Once inside her body, the pill instantly dissolved into surging currents of heat that rushed through her limbs and bones. Boundless energy built her foundation in alchemy, strengthened her soul, and opened up a Pill Sea as vast as a mountain range.
As the endless stream of energy gathered, coupled with her already powerful soul, a wisp of swirling white Qi gradually appeared in Sushang's mind.
Pill Essence!
At this moment, her Pill Essence was only the size of a broad bean. It would grow as her soul power strengthened. Generally, a tenth-grade alchemist's Pill Essence could reach the size of an infant's fist!
Pill Essence was energy, not flesh and blood. Though located within the brain, it did not interfere with the brain's normal functions.
The brain was the core of soul power!
Sushang possessed extraordinary talent. Once her Pill Essence took shape, she immediately possessed the foundation of a sixth-grade alchemist!
Ordinarily, becoming a sixth-grade alchemist took at least a hundred years. Even a genius needed decades of cultivation.
But Sushang was a genius among geniuses!
In the days that followed, under Xie Feng's guidance, Sushang cultivated both alchemy and martial arts, making rapid progress with each passing day.
Spirit Continent.
The setting sun shone down.
Broken stone cliffs, crumbling city walls, and scarcely any passersby. In the distance, rolling black clouds gathered, seemingly carrying ghostly wails that pierced the ears with their shrill cries.
A young novice monk stumbled onto this ruined land. His eyes were vacant, and his robes were soaked orange-red with blood and reeked heavily of it.
Monk Moren!
After traveling for days, he had fled from the Central Continent to the Spirit Continent!
Seeing the region in the distance where Devil Qi soared into the sky, he instinctively trembled, yet felt drawn to it!
The Blood Tathagata Beads around his neck emitted a faint light.
He asked a passerby:
"Amitabha!
"Benefactor, may I ask what place lies ahead?"
"The Devil Grotto. Lu Xiuluo's territory!"
"Lu Xiuluo... who is he?"
"Huh, you don't know? A great devil whose very name strikes terror into people's hearts, and number ten on the Aptitude Ranking! Normally, no one dares approach that Devil Grotto, but we're under his rule. There's nothing we can do!"
"Anyone who makes the Heavenly Ranking is an extraordinary being."
"You're not going to look for him, are you? That Devil Creature will kill you."
"Death? I'm not afraid."
As Mo Ren spoke, he slowly walked ahead.
Thinking he had encountered a lunatic, the passerby hurried away in fright.
The Devil Grotto.
Inside the sinister great hall, two ghostly flames flickered.
Devil Emperor Lu Xiuluo sat on a throne of skulls. The black dragon head carved into the Eternal Devil Dragon Staff in his hand gleamed with an uncanny light.
Creak-
The doors of the Ten Directions Hall slowly opened.
A monk entered.
He was small and thin, his eyes bloodshot and his face deathly pale. Large patches of blood had congealed on the robes wrapped around him, leaving them ragged and worn.
Mo Ren!
"My devil general said you wished to see me?"
Lu Xiuluo leaned forward and lowered his head, fixing his icy gaze on Mo Ren. His voice was utterly cold!
The young novice looked up. Seeing that hideous face, half devil and half Buddha, and the terrifying Devil Qi emanating from his entire body, his heart jolted. Then he forced himself to calm down and bravely met the Devil Emperor's gaze.
Mo Ren said, "I've come to seek a master!"
"Whom do you seek as your master?"
"You, Devil Emperor!"
Hearing this, Lu Xiuluo laughed. His laughter mingled with terrifying ghostly moans, echoing throughout the great hall and making one's hair stand on end.
He said, "I am a devil, and you are a Buddhist. You are my enemy! Do you understand?"
Mo Ren said, "But right now, I'm only a half-dead man who wants to survive!"
"Why do you seek a master?"
"Because you're powerful!"
"Is that all?"
"And... and Empress Jialuo slaughtered three thousand members of the Buddhist order. She killed my master, the abbot I regarded as a father. I escaped death, and revenge is the reason I cling to life!"
Mo Ren stared straight at Lu Xiuluo, his body trembling and his fists clenched tightly.
A Buddhist taking a devil as his master...
It was an act that would shock the world!
After all, the two sides had been enemies since ancient times, as incompatible as fire and water to this day!
Even Mo Ren subconsciously considered coming to the Devil Grotto a disgrace. But Lu Xiuluo's strength could help him!
"You want me to help you kill that woman?"
"I would like you to guide me in martial arts!"
"Martial arts? Here with me, you can learn only the devil's path!"
Lu Xiuluo's eyes gradually narrowed as he sneered coldly. Mo Ren desperately suppressed his emotions. He lowered his head, looked at the blood-colored prayer beads hanging around his neck, and nodded firmly!
"Those prayer beads are the Blood Tathagata Beads, aren't they?"
Lu Xiuluo shifted his piercing gaze toward them.
The Blood Tathagata Beads, seventh on the Dharma Artifact Ranking!
Formed from the wills of twenty-eight departed saintly monks and a wisp of the Devil Ancestor's Blood Qi, they suited both the Buddhist and devil paths!
Since they contained a portion of the Devil Ancestor's power, perhaps he, Lu Xiuluo, could wield them too!
Killing intent appeared in Lu Xiuluo's eyes!
Mo Ren still had his head lowered, his thoughts scattered.
Suddenly!
Lu Xiuluo thrust out a terrifying devil claw. His long nails were as sharp as blades, slicing straight through the air toward Mo Ren's heart!
He wanted to kill him and seize his treasure!
"Devil Emperor!"
At that life-threatening moment!
Mo Ren suddenly raised his head, his face resolute. "The prayer beads have already fused with my blood. While I live, the beads remain. If I die, the beads perish!"
Bang!
The devil claw abruptly stopped in front of Mo Ren.
The wind from the claw whipped up violent turbulence that swept toward Mo Ren. Unable to withstand it, he was struck by the turbulent currents. His entire body felt as though it were being sliced by knives, instantly drenched in blood as he violently spat mouthfuls of it.
Lu Xiuluo lost interest.
With a dark expression, he said, "I won't take you as my disciple, but I need a slave. If you wish to stay, kneel and serve me. Perhaps one day, if I'm pleased, I'll give you some guidance."
Mo Ren immediately clenched his fists.
This was humiliation!
For a dignified member of the Buddhist order to bow his head to a devil was bad enough, yet now he had to kneel and become a slave!
But if he did not even fear death, why should he fear losing his dignity?
Besides, if he refused, would Lu Xiuluo let him leave unharmed?
Before coming to the Devil Grotto, he had already cast aside many things!
His life and dignity, for instance!
Mo Ren slowly bent his knees and lowered his head to Lu Xiuluo. "This slave monk, Mo Ren, pays his respects to Lord Devil Emperor!"
Lu Xiuluo said, "Hearing the name Mo Ren makes me angry. Better to call you... Blood Devil!"
For a Buddhist, having "Devil" in his name was an immense humiliation and betrayal.
Mo Ren clenched his fists again. Yet his expression gradually grew wooden and indifferent. He kowtowed and said, "Thank you for bestowing this name, Lord Devil Emperor. Blood Devil will serve you wholeheartedly and remain loyal to you!"
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. The world's winds and clouds surged as usual, but on this day, a new change appeared on the Heavenly Ranking!
The Dharma Artifact Ranking revealed itself!
Shrouded in golden light, the rankings shifted violently.
Ripples stirred once more across the tranquil world!