169: Devil

What could the key be?

Xiao Fan wasn't entirely sure, so he decided to seek out Grand Secretary Liu.

Liu Tianjiang was in his office, quietly observing Xiao Fan activate his Yuanhuang Form. After pondering for a few minutes, he stated with absolute certainty, "It's a devil seed, or rather, a devil core."

"In other words, the power of a devil."

"A devil core is a type of infinitely growing power that only powerful devils can produce. The class of the devil core varies depending on the devil's strength."

"Characteristics of a devil: madness, ruthlessness, cruelty, and power."

"Creatures that fit these characteristics have an extremely faint possibility of manifesting devil power, but this can almost be ignored. More often, it's an innate talent for devil power. Darkness can also be considered one, and Ghost Seven's nightmare also shares similarities."

Liu Tianjiang suddenly realized the structure of the Planet Will within Xiao Fan's body. It should be a possibility, which aligns perfectly with Chen Changsheng's character.

Before Xiao Fan arrived at the Super God Class, his personality was already very close to the characteristics of a devil. This might still be the case, only hidden, as there aren't as many enemies to kill here.

Yuanhuang Form was the possibility granted to Xiao Fan by the Planet Will, and later, based on his personality, it developed in the direction of a devil.

Xiao Fan nodded slightly, also understanding what he needed to do next.

There were also Lord-level devil cores in the Scripture Pavilion. This special power was extremely expensive, valued at 1 million federal currency.

So, he now had another goal: this devil core!

Finally, Grand Secretary Liu, deep in thought, murmured to himself, "The power of a devil... I've never studied this power before."

Suddenly, he stood up and said as he walked, "There's a mung bean cake on the table; you can take it to eat. I'll figure out a way to get you a devil core."

Hearing this, Xiao Fan's pupils constricted. One million!

I... What the heck?

His emotions were complex; he didn't want to accept favors casually, yet he desperately wanted to acquire a devil core quickly.

But by the time he made up his mind to refuse Grand Secretary Liu's kind offer, the teacher had already left.

Xiao Fan quickly found Zheng Qiong and asked, "Will it cost Grand Secretary Liu a lot to get a devil core?"

"Nonsense," Zheng Qiong snorted, "That's a special power; each one is rare and hard to come by."

"Forget devil cores; even most of the Element Seeds you see on the table right now are borrowed and must be returned after experiments."

"Scientific research cannot be extravagant; we contribute to the Human Race, not exploit them."

"Money?" Xiao Fan hastily said, "I have money."

"Do you think the 'money' I'm talking about is federal currency?" Zheng Qiong scoffed, "It's honor points."

"It's similar to your super god points, but your super god points are more valuable than honor points."

"You buying a devil core for one million federal currency, we might need two million honor points to buy one!"

"The academy only gives teachers two hundred thousand a year; most of it comes from their research achievements."

"Wait, does Teacher have enough for two million?"

"He already spent a lot of money on Element Seeds to welcome you before."

Thinking of this, Zheng Qiong suddenly became anxious. He picked up his phone and quickly opened his honor points balance on the Di Yi Academy's teacher software; he still had over five hundred thousand.

Without hesitation, he directly transferred five hundred thousand to Grand Secretary Liu.

Xiao Fan, who was standing by, was stunned. He asked, "You... what are you doing?"

Zheng Qiong glanced at him and said, "Remember, you owe me two hundred and fifty thousand super god points!"

"Teacher is very concerned about his Face. If he doesn't have enough money, he definitely won't tell you and will go borrow from others."

"How embarrassing would it be for our lineage to owe others then?"

Hearing this, Xiao Fan's expression became incredibly complex.

But Zheng Qiong suddenly pushed him away and said, "Don't disturb me while I'm working. Your super god points should be exchangeable for honor points. Just remember to pay me back then, and it would be best if you could pay back Teacher's portion too."

"Wait..."

"With a devil core, your strength should increase quite a bit, right?"

"You should be able to climb higher in the Peak Tower, and get better rankings in the upcoming team battles and individual battles, making it easier to earn points."

"Now that I think about it, I'll charge you interest then."

After muttering to himself, he picked up the book-like material in his hand, intently reading it while eating the soft mung bean cake.

The Elemental Reaction Laboratory was incredibly quiet at night. Only one light was on, illuminating the thin, tall Zheng Qiong, who wore glasses. He suddenly became so engrossed that he missed his mouth while eating, and mung bean cake powder splattered on his clothes. After cursing under his breath, he patted it onto the floor bit by bit, then bent down to slowly clean it up with a tissue, as if he didn't even possess elemental power.

For such a person, the position of Little Gelao might truly be very important, and he had worked hard for many years for it.

Xiao Fan, silent beside him, thought to himself.

I will pay it back, principal and interest.

...

The night was peaceful.

The Hall of Valor was usually inhabited only by the Lord of Jail, but in reality, there was another person in this ancient building, imprisoned in the deepest level of Hell.

The terrifying flames in Hell seemed to burn eternally, with only a small clearing in the middle untouched by the fire, surrounded by a massive invisible energy shield.

No one knew how thick this energy shield was, because almost every person who had attained the Realm of Martial Emperor through Dao in history would come here to reinforce it, making it even more indestructible than Di Yi Academy's shield.

The prisoner trapped inside the shield was isolated from the world. He was the demon who once nearly destroyed the entire Federation. His former talent was nightmare, and he had another identity.

The Lord of Jail's Senior Brother.

No one could truly kill him.

Because demons were everywhere!

Wherever there was a dream, there he was!

His Realm had also reached Martial Emperor Ninth Level, making him more dangerous than the Lord of Jail, because he could, unknowingly, change a person's thoughts, or even personality, with just a glance or a word.

Without any marks or energy traces, like a ghost that came and went without a trace, he unknowingly led people into an abyss, causing them to make insane choices they would never have made before, even the former Federation President.

The only relief for the alien races was that this madman's hatred was not directed at them, but at the Human Race.

Suddenly, the fires of Hell extinguished, and the Hell prison instantly became dim. The next second, a faint light illuminated the place again.

The Lord of Jail stood quietly outside the shield, looking at the withered old man before him, revealing a strained smile.

"Senior Brother, I've taken on a Disciple."

Hearing this, the demon raised his sunken eye sockets and also smiled, but his skin was too dry, making his smile somewhat frightening.

"Congratulations to you," the demon's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if he had never drunk water.

The Lord of Jail nodded gently and said, "My Disciple is very special. His talent is the same as yours, but perhaps he can walk a different Dao, and maybe this will be the cure to save you."

Hearing this, the demon said with a forced smile, "The one who needs to be saved isn't me, it's you."

The Lord of Jail sighed and said, "Senior Brother, nearly seven hundred years have passed. Are you still unable to let go?"

"Have you let go?" The demon twitched his lips, self-mockingly, "It was our master who died. She was so kind, yet her death was so tragic."

"After death, she was still insulted. Is it true that even now, people are still mocking her name?"

"Tell me, are there still people in this world discussing the story of the immoral evil woman?"

The demon's eyes were like ghostly flames, staring intently at the Lord of Jail.

The Lord of Jail actually flinched a bit, avoiding his gaze, and only left with one sentence.

"I don't want to argue with you."

After speaking, he turned and left, and the fires of Hell reignited.

In the empty prison, the demon suddenly revealed a sinister and cruel smile.

Eighteen years! That power with infinite possibilities has finally appeared!

All those sins will be purged.

Those irreparable tragedies now have a chance to change.

I will only do two things.

Obtain that power!

Kill everyone who mocked her! Then revive her!

Suddenly, a pure and brilliant smile appeared in his mind, but it was burned to ashes in the flames of sin.

He twitched maniacally, his voice hoarse and sharp.

"The show is about to begin... The devil is coming..."