Elsewhere, amidst a patch of ruins on the eastern side of the rift valley.
A burly demon sat atop a collapsed pillar, idly tossing a dark red crystal in his hand.
He stood over three meters tall, his entire body covered in dark red scales, with thick horns atop his head resembling those of a bull.
His eyes were a dark gold with vertical pupils, and his gaze carried a nearly manic violence.
Grom, the genius under the Molten Demon Lord.
“Grom, I heard an interesting fellow has arrived in the east.”
A voice drifted from the shadows of the ruins.
It belonged to a thin demon with grayish-white skin, sparse hair, and cloudy gray eyes.
He leaned against a ruined wall, slowly sharpening a slender dagger with a whetstone.
Grom didn’t look up, continuing to toy with the crystal in his hand.
“How interesting?”
“A human.” The thin demon looked up, a hint of excitement flashing in his gray eyes. “I heard he’s already killed at least fifty participants.”
Grom’s movements paused.
“A human?”
“Indeed. And word is he settles every opponent with just a single sword strike.”
Grom fell silent for a moment before tucking the crystal into his robes and standing up.
“Let’s go take a look.”
With a flash, the two figures vanished into the ruins.
On the western side of the rift valley, by a black lake.
Two figures stood facing each other.
One was a demon covered in ice-blue scales—Mordekaiser, the genius under the Frostbone Demon Lord.
He was about two and a half meters tall with a slender build, surrounded by a faint ice-blue mist.
His eyes were ice-blue with vertical pupils, his gaze as cold as a blade.
Opposite him was a figure clad in dark red robes.
The hood was pulled low, obscuring most of the face and leaving only a sharp, cold jawline visible.
The “Holy Son.”
“You’re going too?”
Mordekaiser spoke, his voice sounding like grinding ice, piercingly cold.
The Holy Son didn’t answer, offering only a slight nod.
Mordekaiser remained silent for a moment before turning and walking toward the upper reaches of the rift valley.
The Holy Son followed closely behind.
The two figures, one after the other, vanished into the twilight.
Above the rift valley, Jiang Lin came to a halt.
He stood at the edge, overlooking the bottomless darkness below.
The rift was several li wide and of immeasurable length. Its sides were steep black rock walls covered in jagged crags and strange, crystallized substances.
At the bottom, that heartbeat-like energy fluctuation was pulsing, each throb causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
“There’s something down there.”
Jiang Lin made his judgment.
He didn’t rush down; instead, he sent the crimson claw-wings to scout ahead.
Dozens of crimson claw-wings silently glided into the rift, their dark red eyes piercing the darkness and streaming the imagery of the valley floor back to Jiang Lin’s consciousness.
The bottom was even more expansive than he had imagined.
It was a massive underground space with a ceiling a hundred meters high. The floor was made of smooth black stone slabs, and through the cracks between them flowed a dark red, lava-like liquid.
In the center of the space stood a colossal altar.
The altar was circular, over fifty meters in diameter, and constructed from countless black rocks.
Its surface was densely covered in runes that flowed with a dark red light, writhing like living things.
At the very top of the altar, a dark red crystal the size of a fist was suspended.
The dark red light inside the crystal throbbed like a heart, and each pulse sent a slight tremor through the surrounding air.
“What... is that?”
Jiang Lin frowned. Just as he was about to have the crimson claw-wings move closer to investigate, a sudden warning sign flared in his mind.
Through the perception of Phantom Step · Shadow Wind, several powerful auras were approaching from different directions.
He looked up, his golden eyes scanning the surroundings.
From the southeast, two figures were racing toward him at high speeds.
They were incredibly fast, covering several li in just a few leaps across the ruins.
Due north, a pure white figure rose from the depths of the rift, surrounded by black mist, the eye sockets behind the mask looking like two black holes.
To the northwest, two figures walked side-by-side—one covered in dark red scales, the other as thin as a bamboo pole.
To the west, two figures moved one after the other—one wreathed in ice-blue mist, the other in dark red robes.
Every aura was at the 5th-rank or higher.
Several were even at the 5th-rank peak.
Jiang Lin stood at the edge of the rift, his golden eyes sweeping over the approaching figures.
One, two, three... seven.
Seven powerhouses of the 5th-rank or higher, with at least three at the 5th-rank peak.
And they were the cream of the crop among the 5th-rank.
Meanwhile, he was only at the 3rd-rank peak.
“I can’t win.”
Jiang Lin made an exceptionally honest assessment.
While he could fight across ranks, crossing into the mid-to-late stages of the 6th-rank was his limit. Facing seven 5th-rank peak geniuses simultaneously was pure suicide.
However, he didn’t choose to flee immediately.
He still had life-saving items on him; there was no harm in using them if he truly couldn’t win.
“It’s been a while since I used that move.”
Jiang Lin raised his right hand, palm up, as a wisp of golden holy light condensed at his fingertips.
That holy light was warm and pure, radiating a sacred aura that was completely out of place under the dark purple sky.
But the demons present simultaneously furrowed their brows upon seeing it.
“Holy light?” Grom stopped in his tracks, a hint of wariness flashing in his dark gold eyes. “Is he an apostle of god?”
“No.” The thin demon beside him shook his head. “How could an apostle of god have a Demon Lord Seed? The aura of the seed on him is thick; he’s absorbed at least fifty.”
“Then he’s a defector,” Mordekaiser said coldly. “Just like that ‘Holy Son.’”
Everyone’s gaze simultaneously turned toward the figure in the dark red robes.
The “Holy Son” remained silent, his face hidden under the hood. He only tilted his head slightly, appearing to be sizing up Jiang Lin.
Karthus spoke, his voice low and raspy, carrying a metallic texture like grinding metal:
“A human apostle of god, yet he has a Demon Lord Seed in his body. And an ice-attribute sword intent that isn’t weak... Just what is your deal?”
Jiang Lin didn’t answer.
He simply continued to condense the holy light while sinking his mind into his body, mobilizing that Strengthening Technique which had long ago reached the limit-broken stage.
During his three months on Planet Teluofuto, he had almost never used this move.
First, because the Aberrants lacked normal physiological structures, making the Strengthening Technique ineffective against them.
Second, because against the evil god Mozos, the move was utterly meaningless.
Third, because he really didn’t want to see those eye-searing visuals again.
But now, it was a matter of life and death.
“Sorry about this, everyone,”
Jiang Lin said softly. Then, he raised his right hand and swept it forward.
Hundreds of Strengthening Technique · Jetting Aura instances burst from his palm like a rainstorm, spreading out in all directions!
Those Strengthening Techniques were incredibly fast, and because they were buff-type skills, they could bypass most defenses.
Grom was the first to be hit.
Seeing the clump of golden holy light flying his way, he instinctively raised his arm to block, a dark red shield appearing on his body.
But the holy light ignored the shield and sank directly into his body.
“What is this...?!”
Before he could finish his sentence, his expression abruptly changed.
An indescribable impulse surged from deep within his lower abdomen, like a flash flood or a tidal wave.
He gritted his teeth desperately, mobilizing all his magic essence to suppress it, but the impulse was too intense—so intense that even his 5th-rank peak physical body couldn't endure it.
“You... what did you do to me?!”
Grom roared, but his voice was already trembling.
Jiang Lin didn’t answer and continued firing.
A second wave, a third, a fourth...
Hundreds of Strengthening Techniques flew toward every demon present like flower petals scattered by a celestial maiden.
Ice-blue mist surged around Mordekaiser as he tried to freeze the holy light.
But the Strengthening Technique was not physical; the ice mist couldn't stop it.
It passed through the mist and sank into his body.
Mordekaiser’s body stiffened violently, a flash of terror appearing in his ice-blue eyes.
“This is... a Strengthening Technique?!”
His perception of energy was extremely acute.
He could clearly feel that after the holy light entered his body, it went straight for his lower body and began to writhe and strengthen frantically.
“Despicable!!”
He roared, but his voice had already changed pitch.
Karthus reacted the fastest.
He didn’t try to tank it. Instead, his figure flashed as he retreated rapidly in a streak of blood-light, while a blood-colored shield condensed in his hand to try and deflect the holy light.
But the Strengthening Technique was too fast and too numerous; he still took dozens of hits.
“Ugh!”
He let out a muffled groan, his face turning an iron blue.
Meanwhile, the swordsmanship of the “Demon Sword” Lilith was completely useless.
After a few hits of the Strengthening Technique entered her body, her legs turned to jelly, and she collapsed to her knees.
“I... I can’t...”
Her voice carried a hint of a sob.
Seeing this, Zephys chose not to reveal herself at all.
She had been hidden in the shadows from the start and didn’t show her face.
However, through the prediction of Chronowalker's Evil Eye, Jiang Lin captured her trail a second before she was prepared to launch a sneak attack.
He raised his hand and fired several Strengthening Techniques into that patch of shadow.
A muffled groan came from the shadows, and then a slender figure tumbled out.
It was a silver-haired woman with a cold and elegant face, but she was now flushed bright red, clutching her stomach as she curled up on the ground.
“You... you degenerate...”
She gritted her teeth, but her voice was already shaking.
Only the “Holy Son” and the “Soul Devourer” were not hit.
The former had drifted back the moment Jiang Lin made his move, his speed so great that he evaded every Strengthening Technique.
The latter was surrounded by black mist that seemed to apply a debuff to himself, interrupting the effects of the Strengthening Technique.
“Interesting.”
The “Soul Devourer” spoke, his voice raspy like sandpaper. “What kind of skill is this?”
Jiang Lin didn’t answer. He simply looked at the demon geniuses, some kneeling and some lying down with iron-blue faces, as the corners of his mouth curled slightly.
“How does it feel, everyone?”
“You... you degenerate!!”
Grom roared, though his voice now sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
He tried desperately to suppress it, but the impulse was growing stronger and stronger, as if it would burst through at any second.
Mordekaiser said nothing, only staring deathly at Jiang Lin, his ice-blue eyes filled with killing intent.
But his legs were trembling slightly.
Karthus’s face was iron-blue, the blood-light in his hand flickering unsteadily.
He was also exerting all his effort to suppress it, but with little effect.
“You think you can win like this?”
He gritted his teeth.
“We were only caught off guard by your trickery. Once we recover...”
“You won’t be recovering.”
Jiang Lin interrupted him and raised his right hand.
This time, it wasn’t a Strengthening Technique, but Sword Intent Condensation.
Five streaks of deep blue sword light shot from his fingertips, simultaneously striking toward Grom, Mordekaiser, Karthus, Lilith, and Zephys.
The expressions of all five changed at once.
They wanted to dodge, but the chaos within their bodies made their movements sluggish.
They wanted to block, but the sword light’s offensive was fierce—not at all like a sword move a 3rd-rank peak should be able to execute.
Its power was barely different from the skills they released themselves.
They wanted to run, but their legs wouldn't obey, and surge after surge of overwhelming momentum was brewing within them.
At the same time, because they were trying to prevent their rear exits from losing control, they were several beats too slow in condensing their shields.
“No!!!”
Grom let out a roar of despair.
The sword light sank into his forehead.
His body froze in place as frost spread from his forehead to cover his entire frame.
A breath later, an ice statue stood at the edge of the rift.
Mordekaiser, Karthus, Lilith, and Zephys were struck by the sword light in succession.
Five ice statues now reflected the cold light under the dark purple sky.
Jiang Lin stepped forward and extracted their Demon Lord Seeds one by one.
Five seeds—each one far more powerful than any he had absorbed before.
In particular, the seeds of Grom and Mordekaiser contained a staggering amount of energy.
He absorbed all five seeds.
This single act was equivalent to devouring hundreds of ordinary Demon Lord Seeds.
The seed at his heart throbbed violently, the dark red light surging as the patterns on its surface writhed like living things.
Its volume expanded from the size of a fist to that of an infant’s head, and the energy inside was like boiling lava, racing through his body.
Jiang Lin closed his eyes, carefully sensing the change.
A 5th-rank peak Demon Lord Seed was truly different.
He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the distant “Holy Son” and “Soul Devourer.”
The two stood at a distance—one surrounded by black mist, the other in dark red robes—neither having approached.
Jiang Lin withdrew his hand, his calm gaze sweeping over the two figures who had consistently kept their distance.
The “Holy Son” still stood in the shadows at the edge of the rift, his dark red robes fluttering slightly in the wind, his face hidden under the hood without any discernible expression.
He was surrounded by a strange aura—it wasn’t the violence of a demon, nor the sanctity of a human, but an indescribable ambiguity somewhere in between.
The “Soul Devourer” hovered in the air on the other side, the two black holes behind his pure white mask “staring” intently at Jiang Lin, the black mist around him writhing slowly like a living creature.
Neither of them showed any intention of attacking.
Neither did Jiang Lin.
He simply stood where he was. The Demon Lord Seed within him, which had just absorbed five high-grade seeds, was throbbing violently. The dark red light pulsed like a heart, and each throb caused his aura to climb another notch.
A 5th-rank peak seed was indeed on another level.
He could clearly feel that his Demon Lord Seed was undergoing a qualitative change.
Its size had grown from a fist to an infant’s head, its surface densely packed with patterns, and dark red light flowed through it like it was alive.
“You two aren’t going to make a move?”
Jiang Lin spoke, his voice calm.
The “Holy Son” didn’t answer, only tilting his head slightly as if observing him.
The “Soul Devourer” let out a low laugh that sounded like sandpaper grinding together:
“A human who possesses both the status of an apostle of god and a Demon Lord Seed. And someone who can instantly kill 5th-rank peak powerhouses while being ranks below them... Just what kind of monster are you?”
...
Rate on N.U.
