313: ten years

Blood Prison Abyss, Nuna City.

The territorial layout of the Nine Great Abysses was consistent.

The cities at the bottom of the abyss accumulated high-level Demon Race members, while the cities outside the abyss stood above it, guarding all directions.

Nuna City was the largest of these colossal outer-abyss cities within the Blood Prison Abyss territory.

At this moment, Xiao Zhuo and Yue Li sat side-by-side at the pinnacle of a towering pagoda in Nuna City, a place known as the waning moon pendant of Nuna.

This magnificent building, ninety-nine stories high, was the city's foremost commercial center.

In this place, under the watchful eyes of all, the two calmly enjoyed the delicacies meticulously prepared by the Demon Realm's renowned chefs.

News of the annihilation of the Blood Prison's Three Great Legions and the injury of the Blood Demon Venerable had already spread like a plague.

The Corpse Clan Army seized the opportunity, sweeping through, their forces pointing directly at the 10,086 outer-abyss cities surrounding the Blood Prison Abyss, forming a tight blockade.

Aside from a few defiant resistance fighters who were mercilessly crushed, the Corpse Clan showed "generosity" to those who surrendered—they only needed to offer their Soul blood and swear allegiance to preserve their lives and cities.

Facing the terrifying reality of the Three Great Legions collapsing instantly and the Demon Venerable being injured, most Blood Prison City Lords were already terrified, and they all bowed in submission.

The Corpse Clan Army, without shedding a drop of blood, easily took over all the outer-abyss cities.

This was a common occurrence in the Demon Realm, where the strong preyed on the weak.

"Junior Brother," Yue Li's gaze shifted to Xiao Zhuo, and with a flick of her slender hand, a small, exquisite jade pendant, glowing with the warm luster of moonlight, appeared in her palm. "Revered Master already knows all about your performance this time. This item is something he asked me to give to you."

Xiao Zhuo took the jade pendant, and as his Divine Sense probed it, his heart jolted: "A origin supreme treasure?!"

"Precisely." Yue Li nodded slightly, a faint smile gracing her lips, tinged with a hint of emotion. "Even I was surprised when I first saw it."

As she spoke, she elegantly picked up a piece of exotic beast meat and brought it to her mouth, but after only a slight chew, her delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

She forced herself to swallow it, then let out a soft sigh: "This Heavenly Corpse Body doesn't enter Reincarnation, and with it, my sense of taste has also vanished. Though I miss the flavors of old, I can no longer experience the myriad delights of these fine delicacies."

Seeing the inexpressible melancholy in her eyes, Xiao Zhuo's heart also rippled.

However, his thoughts quickly returned to the waning moon pendant in his hand.

A origin supreme treasure!

Its value far surpassed that of an origin divine weapon, and it could only be conceived from the core of a nascent Great Thousand World, forming innately.

It was incomparable to an origin divine weapon, which was refined over time by plundering Origin and consuming countless hours.

Such treasures not only served as Supreme vessels for a Quasi-Saint's Severed Corpse, but each also contained unique and profound Divine Ability.

The moon-shaped jade pendant in Xiao Zhuo's palm possessed the miraculous effect of continuously nourishing and strengthening the wearer's Divine Soul, and it could also activate a robust Soul defense capable of rendering even Devil King-level powerhouses helpless.

Such a composite ability, combining top-tier support with powerful defense, was an extremely rare and excellent existence even among origin supreme treasures.

If this item were in Revered Master Hao Duo's hands, it would be enough to make his Divine Soul as solid as gold, allowing him to ignore all Divine Soul attacks of the same Realm.

However, Hao Duo had bestowed such an important treasure upon him, a newly initiated Disciple.

"Revered Master has no intention of binding you to the Corpse Clan." Yue Li's voice was gentle and clear, her gaze calmly fixed on Xiao Zhuo. "He knows that a powerhouse's Dao must be forged with his own blood and fire. He asked me to tell you that if you want to venture out, go ahead! You are a peerless Prodigy who has condensed his own Dao Principle; your path can only be walked by you, step by step. All Revered Master can do is guard your Dao."

Her words were full of sincerity.

Xiao Zhuo remained silent.

This profound kindness indeed touched his heart.

He just didn't understand why a dignified Quasi-Saint mighty figure would favor him so much.

Recalling his journey, although there had been several who imparted knowledge: Revered Master Xuan Lun represented a legitimate Legacy, Void Soul's teachings were for the Sect's continuation, and Blood Heaven was more about manipulation and schemes, with the mark he planted still concealed by the Heavenly Illusion Sacred Art and not yet erased.

Only Hao Duo's kindness was the most inexplicable yet the most profound—asking for no return, imposing no shackles, only cultivating him with all his might.

This kind of unreserved trust and investment made a person with a deep Heart-Nature like Xiao Zhuo feel even more deeply grateful.

He solemnly placed the waning moon pendant into his body for nourishment and said with a serious expression: "Xiao Zhuo will remember Revered Master's benevolence! To be frank, Senior Sister, once the matters of the Blood Prison are settled, I do intend to travel through the Immortal-Demon Realm."

He had keenly perceived the shortcomings in his own Heart-Nature and wished to temper it by traveling the world and witnessing its myriad phenomena.

While the panel could help him rapidly increase his strength, having witnessed Hao Duo's Quasi-Saint might and recalling the unfathomable depth of True Immortal Tianyuan in the blood fiend stele, upon careful reflection, his Heart-Nature was indeed his greatest weakness.

Yue Li nodded with delight: "Since Junior Brother has such aspirations, you should naturally forge ahead bravely. Come, although I have no affinity for this taste, you must not let it go to waste. Quickly, try it!"

She smiled and placed a piece of Nuna Silverfish, unique to Nuna City and gleaming with silver light, into Xiao Zhuo's bowl.

Xiao Zhuo picked up the fish meat as instructed, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

His guard had not yet completely dropped, but he had already secretly resolved that if Hao Duo treated him with true sincerity, he would repay him tenfold if he ever had the ability.

An hour later, the two left the towering top floor of the waning moon pendant of Nuna, which overlooked the entire city.

Xiao Zhuo went directly to a Supreme guest room located on the ninety-eighth floor.

Such guest rooms were extraordinarily spacious, comparable to a palace; in the past, a single night's stay would have cost thousands of demon stones.

This guest room had a dedicated Cultivation quiet room, and even more, a High Grade demonic vein was brought in by great Divine Ability to supply energy for Cultivate.

However, Xiao Zhuo's current Cultivation no longer relied on external energy absorption; the key lay in his comprehension of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and the evolution of his own zizai world.

Years flowed by, and in a blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

Deep within the Blood Prison Abyss, there was a deathly silence.

The Blood Demon Venerable and the Black Heaven Demonic Lord were both in seclusion, healing their injuries, and the entire Demon Realm surface also appeared calm.

However, anyone with a bit of insight knew that this great war, which would determine the ownership of an abyss, was far from over.

Both sides were accumulating strength, awaiting the opportune moment for the final eruption.

During these ten years, Xiao Zhuo remained stationed in Nuna City with Yue Li, his Divine Sense like an invisible giant net, constantly enveloping the nearby Blood Prison Abyss entrance, monitoring any slightest disturbance.

During his secluded Cultivation, his comprehension of the four fundamental Great Dao—Space, Time, Soul, and Thunder—successively reached the Realm of Perfection.

Even more surprisingly, under the daily nourishment of the waning moon pendant, his Divine Soul strength had surged by nearly fifty percent in ten years!

This terrifying rate of increase could be called Heaven-Defying.

With a slight thought, the panel quietly appeared:

Name: Xiao Zhuo.

Race: Human Race.

Realm: Golden Immortal Peak;

Physical Body: Golden Immortal Peak;

Divine Soul: soul infant Tenth-Stage Peak;

Divine Sense: Saint-Grade Low Grade (Coverage: 1 billion li radius);

Physique: Thunder Divine Body; Devouring Divine Body; Innate Blood God Body; Universe Extreme Divine Body;

Cultivation Technique: Free and Natural Heavenly Art Fourth Layer (Saint-Grade Low Grade); Heavenly Illusion Sacred Art Limit Broken (saint-grade high-rank); Startling Cold Sword Canon Perfection (saint-grade high-rank); Remaining Cultivation Technique folded (can be expanded for viewing)

Great Divine Ability: Weapon of Freedom/Self-Mastery, Limit Broken (saint-grade high-rank); Zizai Tian Shu (Freedom Heaven Art) Limit Broken (saint-grade high-rank); Limit-Breaking Universe God Step (saint-grade high-rank); God's Eye of Breaking Illusions (saint-grade high-rank);

Unique Skills: Heavenly Demon Hegemon Body; Heaven-Observing Divine Eye; Heaven and Earth Calamity Weapon; Illusory Dream Space; Illusory Dream Reversal; Remaining Unique Skills folded (can be expanded for viewing)

Secret Arts: Source Blood; Soul Burning Sacred Method; Soul Slaughtering Sacred Method; Soul Fusing Sacred Method;

Talents: Danger Perception; Innate Divine Strength; Soul Perception; Origin Force Fusion; Blood Manipulation; Space Manipulation; Devouring;

Great Dao: Great Dao of Space (Perfection); Great Dao of Time (Perfection); Great Dao of the Soul (Perfection); Great Dao of Thunder (Perfection);

Dao Principle: The Way of Freedom (Minor Achievement);

World: zizai world (Minor Thousand);

origin divine weapon: jade blood; tian han (heavenly cold);

origin supreme treasure: waning moon pendant (Soul-type);

Attribute Points (Great Thousand World): 489054.

Although his Divine Soul still remained at the tenth-stage Peak, Xiao Zhuo clearly felt that his soul infant was at the critical point of transformation.

With the continuous miraculous effect of the waning moon pendant, even if he didn't immediately assault the Realm of Grand Unity (Demonic Lord), a Breakthrough was only a matter of time.

Over ten years of contemplation, he not only fused countless Divine Ability from the classics Hao Duo had given him, pushing several of his self-created Great Divine Ability to saint-grade high-rank, but also cultivated the "God's Eye of Breaking Illusions."

Although this eye could not analyze the Origin of Law and Great Dao, it could penetrate all illusions, clearly observe the trajectories of energy flow, see through the essence of all things, and its eyesight was extraordinary.

In front of Xiao Zhuo, ordinary secrets could no longer hide.

His current combat power had increased a hundredfold compared to ten years ago; if he were to face Hao Duo in a battle of the same Realm again, Xiao Zhuo was confident he could instantly kill him.

Once again ascending to the towering top floor of the waning moon pendant of Nuna, Xiao Zhuo's black robe fluttered, standing against the wind.

His profound gaze pierced through the clamor of the Demon City below and the gloom of the distant abyss, then turned towards the boundless night sky.

Ten years of accumulation, his Foundation was solid, and the path ahead was clear.

He silently chanted in his heart, and a firm belief arose: "It's time to Break through to Demonic Lord!"