93: Demonic Heart Refining Soul, Devouring Origin

Here was endless Chaos.

There was no up or down, no left or right.

Even the concept of the passage of time had been lost.

There was only pure, substantial darkness, so dense it had materialized.

And, an unending torture—disintegration.

Lin Gou’s consciousness, like a pebble thrown into aqua regia, was being frantically corroded, dissolved, and assimilated.

His Physical Body had already completely vaporized the instant it was first devoured, not even a speck of dust remained.

Now, it was the turn of his Divine Soul.

Countless twisted, malevolent, and insane wills transformed into billions of hungry worms, burrowing into his Divine Soul from all directions, frantically tearing and mercilessly gnawing.

Every wisp of will carried the ultimate despair of a creature at the moment of its death.

This was the most fundamental negative aggregate, a precipitation of the Demon Lord’s consumption of countless living beings.

Its goal was to grind Lin Gou’s Divine Soul into dust, turning it into another insignificant drop of nourishment in this sea of Demonic Energy.

Pain.

Unimaginable pain.

This torture, directly affecting the Origin of the Divine Soul, felt as if billions of red-hot poisoned needles were simultaneously piercing his Soul.

In the face of such pure Law suppression, any will seemed pale and powerless.

Lin Gou’s consciousness began to blur and dissipate.

He “saw” the edges of his Divine Soul, like paper set ablaze, becoming transparent inch by inch, eventually turning into nothingness.

Is… it over?

This thought surfaced uncontrollably.

“System, this death experience is too terrible… I won’t even feel a complete process before it’s gone?”

He was still instinctively complaining.

Just as his consciousness was about to be completely overwhelmed and sink into this sea of Demonic Energy.

A face suddenly emerged from the deepest part of his consciousness.

That face was streaked with tears, filled with despair and determination.

It was Zhao Linger.

The word she had screamed with all her might, head tilted back, had long since become the sharpest carving knife, branded upon the Origin of his Divine Soul.

“Liar!”

In that voice was the heart-wrenching pain of belief shattered by the most trusted person.

“You’re a big liar!”

Lin Gou’s Divine Soul trembled violently!

His fading consciousness, as if struck by a bolt of Nine Heavens thunder, instantly coalesced!

He remembered.

The promise he made when he cradled her cold little face.

That wasn’t comfort.

Not a farewell message.

That was a command!

“Wait for me to come home.”

Yes.

I haven’t gone home yet.

How can I just disappear like this?

I promised her.

If I don’t go back, then won’t I truly… become a liar?

A madman? A monster? A good-for-nothing?

Anyone in this world can call Lin Gou that.

But she, she cannot!

I absolutely cannot let her think I’m a liar!

Buzz—!

An unprecedented will to live, no, it should be a 執念 to fulfill a promise, erupted from the core of his Divine Soul’s Origin!

His Divine Soul, on the verge of collapse, at this moment, not only did not continue to dissipate, but instead contracted in an inconceivable way, rapidly solidifying!

The Undying Demon Soul!

This bizarre Cultivation Technique, specifically for tempering the Divine Soul, was pushed to its limit by him at this moment!

His Divine Soul, which had been passively defending like a lone boat in a raging storm, suddenly changed its nature!

No longer a boat.

But a black hole!

A greedy vortex, spinning madly, with the 執念 of “Wait for me to come home” at its core!

The negative wills that were tearing at his Divine Soul, the Demonic Energy that was eroding his Origin, let out an extremely shrill shriek the moment they touched the Divine Soul vortex.

They were no longer hunters.

Instead, they became prey!

“Come on!”

“Didn’t you want to devour me?!”

Lin Gou’s consciousness roared madly.

“Then let’s see who devours whom!”

Boom!

The suction of the Divine Soul vortex instantly surged!

The original one-way “disintegration” was forcibly reversed by him!

Pure Demonic Energy from all directions, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, was frantically pulled, devoured, and drawn into his black hole-like Divine Soul!

“Ding! Detecting that the host is reversing the absorption of the target’s Origin energy!”

“Warning! Energy properties conflict! Divine Soul is undergoing high-intensity assimilation impact!”

“The Undying Demon Soul Cultivation Technique automatically operates in overload mode! Energy conversion program initiated!”

The System’s notification sounds, like celebratory cannons at a carnival, continuously exploded in his mind.

Lin Gou could no longer pay attention.

All his mind was immersed in this unprecedented, frenzied experience of dancing with death.

He could “see” that the pure and violent Demonic Energy, after being sucked into the Divine Soul vortex, immediately threatened to burst his Soul body and completely demonize his will.

But at this very moment.

Deep within his Divine Soul, another power was completely activated.

That was the Origin of the Thunder Spirit Saint Body, which had long since fused with his Divine Soul!

Zzzzz—!

A subtle, almost invisible golden electric arc suddenly lit up in the core of his Divine Soul.

This electric arc was filled with the destructive aura of ultimate Yang and rigidity, a natural nemesis for all filth and evil in the world.

When the first surge of devoured Demonic Energy impacted this golden electric arc.

The imagined violent explosion did not occur.

Instead, an incredibly wondrous resonance and Fusion, almost at the Law level, was produced!

The golden lightning was stained with a pitch-black demonic nature!

The pitch-black Demonic Energy was imbued with a wisp of immortal Divine Might!

Sacred and fallen, destruction and rebirth!

A completely new, never-before-seen strange energy was thus born!

That was a deep, three-colored Divine Thunder, imbued with a destructive aura!

Golden, was the Origin Divine Might of the Thunder Spirit Saint Body.

Black, was the devouring demonic nature of the Demon Lord’s Origin.

And a hint of eerie blood-red, that was the color of Lin Gou’s own Divine Soul will, formed by the 執念 of “Wait for me to come home”!

“This…”

Lin Gou’s consciousness paused.

“What should this thing… be called?”

“Demon Thunder? Divine Demon Tribulation Light?”

“Who cares! As long as it tastes good!”

The thought flashed by, and he immediately increased the intensity of his devouring!

With the Thunder Spirit Saint Body as a “converter,” he had no more worries.

The Divine Soul vortex spun faster and faster, its suction becoming more and more terrifying.

He was like a glutton who had been hungry for billions of years, greedily devouring this sea of Demonic Energy, which was originally a death trap.

“Ding! Energy conversion rate 10%… 30%… 70%…”

“Ding! Host’s Divine Soul strength is rapidly increasing!”

“Ding! The Thunder Spirit Saint Body and Demonic Energy undergo an unknown beneficial mutation! Gained new characteristic: All Laws Return to Thunder!”

“Ding! Critical point is about to be reached! Please note, Host, the target’s core is about to detect an anomaly!”

…Outside.

Above the Qingyun Sect.

The colossal demonic shadow, towering to the heavens, let out a satisfied and pleased roar.

“Hehehe… the Saint’s Soul, indeed a great tonic…”

Its face, composed of pure Devilish Qi, even showed an expression akin to “intoxication.”

It could feel that the ant’s Divine Soul was being rapidly digested, and would soon become part of its power.

This battle had been very fruitful.

Not only did it annihilate a Sect that overestimated itself, but it also devoured a Grand Elder and a born Saint.

Once it completely absorbed these nutrients, its “pseudo” Nascent Soul Realm would be completely stabilized, and it might even have the chance to glimpse the true Nascent Soul Dao!

However.

Just at its most triumphant moment.

Its demonic body, without warning, trembled violently.

A needle-like stinging pain abruptly came from its Origin core.

That feeling… was like a diner enjoying a feast, halfway through, discovering that the roasted chicken on the plate suddenly extended its claws and fiercely pecked at his stomach!

“Hmm?”

The Demon Lord’s playful roar came to an abrupt halt.

Its vast Divine Thought instantly sank into its Origin Demonic Sea, performing an introspection.

The Demonic Sea was still vast and boundless.

But… its extremely keen Divine Thought immediately detected something amiss!

The “total volume” of the Demonic Sea seemed… to have decreased a tiny bit?

Although minuscule, for it, which controlled every ounce of power in this body, this depletion was as clear as a torch in the dark night.

“What’s going on?”

The Demon Lord was surprised and uncertain.

Was it due to excessive consumption when devouring the Grand Elder just now?

No!

Immediately after, the needle-like stinging sensation became more intense and clearer!

Moreover, it felt that its Origin Demonic Energy was flowing towards a certain corner of the Demonic Sea in an extremely strange way.

Like a reservoir with an invisible leak.

Although the flow was slow, it was indeed losing energy!

“That bug… isn’t completely dead yet?”

A thought so absurd that it made itself want to laugh, surfaced in its consciousness.

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

In its Origin Demonic Sea, let alone a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator, even a true Nascent Soul Old Monsters would only be disintegrated and assimilated!

This was its “Dao,” its home ground, the Foundation of its power!

Here, it was the only god!

However.

The next second.

Its Divine Thought finally captured the source of that “leak.”

In the depths of the vast Demonic Sea, a tiny, almost negligible black dot was spinning madly.

That black dot emitted an aura that was both familiar and strange to it.

Familiar, because it was the Divine Soul aura of the Qingyun Sect Saint it had just devoured.

Strange, because that Divine Soul, instead of being disintegrated, had transformed into a greedy vortex, and was… reversing the absorption of its Origin!

—!!!

The Demon Lord’s Divine Thought, at this moment, erupted with the most violent tremor since its birth!

Within the tremor, there was endless absurdity, horror, and a monstrous rage at having its Divine Might provoked by an ant!

“Seeking! Death!”

Boom!

The entire Origin Demonic Sea instantly stirred up monstrous waves!

Endless Demonic Energy transformed into billions of the sharpest blades, the most vicious curses, the most defiled demonic flames, and from all directions, frantically squeezed and crushed towards that tiny Divine Soul vortex!

It wanted to use the most absolute power to completely obliterate this heretic who dared to desecrate it!