77: The demonic energy fills the body, giving the first taste of demonic power

In Zhao Linger's clear, water-like eyes, a resolute back was clearly reflected.

He walked step by step towards the churning, inky abyss.

His spine was held perfectly straight.

It was as if, at this moment, he was shouldering the entire Qingyun Sect's future and hope.

"Senior Brother..."

The girl's tearful, worried murmur was scattered behind him by the biting mountain wind.

Lin Gou did not look back.

And he absolutely dared not look back.

He was afraid.

He was afraid that if he turned his head, the volcanic surge of ecstasy on his face, which he was barely suppressing, would be completely exposed to his Junior Sister.

A perfect excuse.

A perfect stage.

A perfect geomantic treasure land that would allow him to die to his heart's content in an absolutely safe environment!

Was there anything more wonderful in this world?

No!

When he rounded the corner of a giant rock, riddled with holes by Devilish Qi.

Confirming that Zhao Linger's line of sight was completely blocked.

Now!

The tragic expression on his face, one of 'generously sacrificing himself for the Sect's great cause, and exploring the path for his Junior Sister without regret,' vanished in 0.1 seconds, like ice and snow melting under the scorching sun, leaving no trace.

In its place was a nearly pathological, twisted-to-the-extreme fanaticism!

The corners of his mouth were uncontrollably curving upwards, almost reaching his ears.

His eyes shone like two sudden ghost fires ignited in the dark night, burning with long-suppressed greed, excitement, and desire!

"Woohoo! We're taking off!"

A cheer from the depths of his Soul exploded in his heart!

He could no longer suppress the primeval power within him; his leg muscles instantly bulged, and he pushed off fiercely.

His entire body, like a cannonball shot from a barrel, plunged without hesitation into the deepest part of the cliff crack, where the Devilish Qi was densest, almost like a viscous liquid.

Charge!

Charge towards death!

Charge towards KPI!

Charge towards that captivating SS-grade luxury gift package!

Boom—!

The moment he stepped into the crack, an indescribable, terrifying pressure squeezed him from all directions.

The air here was no longer air.

Instead, it was viscous, cold, black Devilish Liquid with a fishy smell scent that corroded the Soul.

This place was the Origin of Devilish Qi.

Pure, ancient, filled with the Origin power to destroy everything.

Lin Gou not only did not circulate any spiritual power to resist.

He even removed the last trace of defense on his body, spread his arms, raised his head, and closed his eyes.

On his face, he even showed a kind of intoxication and enjoyment, like embracing a long-lost lover.

He opened every pore of his body, like a sponge thrown into the Sahara Desert and dried for a thousand years, madly, greedily, and actively devouring the ancient Origin Devilish Qi around him, which was enough to instantly kill even a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor!

It's coming!

It's here!

Screech—

The first wisp of Devilish Qi, like a red-hot steel needle, fiercely pierced his skin.

Excruciating pain.

Immediately after, came the second wisp, the third wisp, thousands upon thousands of wisps!

Billions of the most vicious army ants drilled into his flesh and blood, frantically gnawing at his bone marrow.

Countless poisoned steel knives scraped at his bones, wildly churning and cutting through his Meridians.

His skin cracked inch by inch, oozing black, inky blood.

His muscles began to atrophy and dissolve, turning into puddles of pus.

His bones groaned under the unbearable pressure, emitting 'crack, crack' sounds, and terrifying, spiderweb-like cracks appeared.

Pain.

A pain beyond the limits of mortal imagination, like a sky-shattering tsunami, engulfed every nerve ending in his body.

But on Lin Gou's face, that strange and fanatical smile still hung.

What was this pain?

Compared to the 996 blessing of working seven consecutive days without rest, sleeping only three hours a day in his previous life, this was simply a heavenly SPA experience!

"Not enough!"

"Still not enough!"

He even disliked the death process for being too slow, and actively guided the violent Devilish Qi, gathering it into a destructive torrent, launching a desperate charge towards his most core and fragile Dantian Qi Sea!

What he wanted was not an ordinary death.

What he wanted was the most magnificent, most thorough, and most value-extracting grand performance from the System!

Boom!!!

His Dantian Qi Sea, that small Universe that originally stored golden lightning spiritual power, instantly collapsed and disintegrated under the impact of the black Devilish Qi torrent.

The golden spiritual power was polluted, devoured, and assimilated.

Meridians severed!

Internal organs turned to mud!

Finally, his Divine Soul.

The golden barrier, firmly protected by the medicinal power of the 'Nine Revolutions Clear Heart Pill,' was as fragile as a window paper in the face of this most fundamental Devilish Qi, erupting from within.

It only lasted for less than a breath of time.

"Crack."

Accompanied by a crisp and pleasant cracking sound, the barrier broke.

Endless negative emotions—resentment, madness, slaughter, despair... like a breached flood, instantly overwhelmed Lin Gou's consciousness.

His vision completely plunged into an eternal darkness.

In the last moment before his consciousness was annihilated, he seemed to hear the most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life.

【Ding!】

【Detected that the host actively guided 'Ancient Origin Devilish Qi' to infuse the body, self-destructed the Dantian, and annihilated the Divine Soul. Death method identified as: actively seeking destructive sublimation!】

【The death process is complete, the will is firm, and the viewing experience is excellent!】

【Death Rating: SS-grade!】

【Generating epic death reward...】

【Reward settlement in progress...】

【One: Congratulations on obtaining the special talent — 'Undying Demon Soul' (embryonic form)!】

【Undying Demon Soul (embryonic form): The essence of your Soul has undergone mutation, producing super affinity for all Demonic Path powers. Effect 1: Immune to 90% of Devilish Qi damage of the same rank and below. Effect 2: Can actively absorb and convert a small amount of pure Devilish Qi for personal use.】

【Two: Congratulations on obtaining the supreme Demonic Path Cultivation Technique — "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Grand Technique" (Introductory Fragment)!】

【Heavenly Demon Disintegration Grand Technique: A supreme secret scripture of the ancient Demonic Path, capable of instantly unleashing power beyond limits by burning essence blood, Divine Soul, and even life. Note: This Cultivation Technique is highly compatible with your System; please use it cautiously (boldly).】

【Three: Congratulations on obtaining the permanent Physique enhancement — 'Elementary Devilish Qi Resistance'!】

【Elementary Devilish Qi Resistance: Your Physical Body has adapted to the Devilish Qi environment and can greatly reduce the corrosive effect of Devilish Qi on the Physical Body.】

Awesome!

An unprecedented sense of exhilaration, like a thunderbolt from the creation gods, pierced through Lin Gou's rapidly dissipating consciousness.

SS-grade!

As expected of SS-grade!

These rewards were simply outrageously luxurious!

...Not far away.

One kilometer away, at the temporary resurrection anchor point Lin Gou had set up beforehand.

A faint light appeared out of thin air.

Lin Gou's figure quietly coalesced.

He was completely unharmed, even his clothes were as good as new; all traces of the previous Devilish Qi corrosion were gone.

Slowly opening his eyes, he carefully felt the surging new power within his body.

Within his Meridians, there was no longer just the domineering golden lightning spiritual power.

Wisps of extremely pure black Qi, like docile pets, flowed alongside the lightning power without conflict, even subtly revealing a harmonious blend.

He could clearly feel a deep, rhomboid black mark in the deepest part of his Divine Soul.

That was the embryonic form of the "Undying Demon Soul."

With a thought.

The violent Devilish Qi around him, which Righteous Path Cultivators would avoid at all costs, now gathered towards him obediently and intimately, like courtiers seeing their monarch, encircling him like a gentle breeze, no longer able to cause him the slightest harm.

This feeling... was indescribable.

It was like a severe internet addict suddenly falling into an internet café with top-tier configurations, gigabit internet speed, and 24-hour unlimited supply of happy fat-house water!

"Hahahaha!"

Lin Gou finally couldn't help but let out a low, unrestrained, extremely hearty laugh.

He quickly calmed down.

Business first.

He skillfully pulled out a set of spare clothes from his Storage Pouch, tore them to shreds with a Spell, and then stained them with some Yao Beast blood and his own aura.

Then, he returned to the 'suicide' spot.

With a wave of his hand, several streams of spiritual power shot out, creating several deep slash marks and explosive craters on the ground and mountain wall.

A tragic scene of a desperate struggle against a powerful demonic creature, ultimately repelling it before collapsing from exhaustion, was perfectly faked.

He casually threw the torn piece of clothing in the center of the battle marks.

Done, mission accomplished.

It was time to go back and find his 'thoughtful' Junior Sister.

On the way back.

A demonized Demon Wolf, covered in black bone spurs and with blood-red eyes, suddenly darted out from the shadows, blocking his path.

The strength of this Demon Wolf was comparable to a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator.

It let out a low, threatening growl from its throat, staring intently at Lin Gou, seemingly regarding him as delicious blood-food.

If it had been before, Lin Gou might have had to put in some effort.

But now.

Lin Gou just looked at it calmly, his eyes as still as water.

He didn't even release any spiritual power pressure.

He merely leaked a minuscule, insignificant wisp of the "Undying Demon Soul" aura from the depths of his Divine Soul.

"Woof..."

The ferocious demonized Demon Wolf's body suddenly stiffened.

Its blood-red pupils were instantly engulfed by an extreme fear originating from the depths of its Bloodline and Soul.

The aura emanating from this seemingly weak human Cultivator... was even more ancient! More noble! More terrifying! than the Demon Lord it served!

That was... the aura of an Origin Demon!

"Awoo!"

The Demon Wolf let out an extremely mournful howl, as if it had seen a ghost, tucked its tail between its legs, and scrambled away into the darkness, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

One glance, and a demonized Yao Beast of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage was scared away.

Lin Gou nodded in satisfaction.

This newly acquired power was just this simple, unpretentious, and boring to use.

He was in a pleasant mood, preparing to reunite with Zhao Linger.

But just then.

In the depths of his Divine Soul, the black "Undying Demon Soul" mark suddenly transmitted a violent, needle-like throbbing!

A strong, deadly sense of crisis, without any warning, enveloped his heart!

Incorrect!

This sense of crisis was not directed at him!

It was... He suddenly looked up, straining with all his might towards Zhao Linger's direction!

Through the "Undying Demon Soul's" super perception of the surrounding Devilish Qi, he 'saw' it!

He 'saw' a terrifying beast tide, composed of dozens, even hundreds of demonized Yao Beasts, forming a huge encirclement under the control of a deeper, more powerful will!

They bypassed his location.

They had only one target.

The girl who remained in place, having set up a defensive Formation, waiting for his return with a heart full of worry!

Zhao Linger!

Lin Gou's expression instantly changed drastically!

His pupils suddenly constricted into the most dangerous needlepoints!

The ecstatic mood from receiving a huge reward a second ago was, at this moment, doused from head to toe by a basin of ice water from the Nine Nether, instantly cooling into bone-chilling coldness and anxiety!

Damn it!

He had calculated everything, but the one thing he hadn't calculated was that the mastermind Devil Head's actions would be so swift, and his target so clear!

In the distance.

Faintly, the roar of exploding Spells could be heard, along with a girl's panicked and urgent shout.

"Evil beast!"

It was Zhao Linger's voice!

Lin Gou's mind buzzed and instantly went blank.

He unhesitatingly pushed his recently surged speed to the extreme.

The operation method of the "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Grand Technique," without even a thought, was already wildly circulating in his Meridians like an instinct.

His figure transformed into a blurry black lightning bolt, rushing back with unprecedented speed, regardless of anything!

He must get there!

He must get there!

As for how to explain his sudden surge in strength? How to explain his incredible, monarch-like 'restraint' over Devilish Qi?

These thoughts flashed through his mind for only a moment before he fiercely cast them all aside.

Now, nothing else mattered!

If Zhao Linger met with an accident... he dared not think further.

For the first time, Lin Gou's eyes revealed true, bone-chilling killing intent.