The pill in Luo Zhen's hand pulsed with a life of its own.
"The spiritual density radiating from this Mystic Infant Pill is terrifying," Luo Zhen murmured, his expression shifting as he examined the small, glowing sphere. Even standing a few feet away, he could feel the waves of raw energy washing over him, heavy and intoxicating.
"The Mystic Infant Pill is indeed potent, but I must temper your expectations, Host," the System's mechanical voice chimed in his mind, cutting through his admiration. "This solution is temporary. It will delay the inevitable for exactly one month."
Luo Zhen's eyes narrowed. "Only a month?"
"Precisely. For thirty days, the Blood Skull Seal will be fiercely suppressed. During that window, Bai Susu will return to her zenith. She will wield every ounce of her demon power and all her arcane arts without restriction. However, the moment the clock runs out, the suppression collapses. To maintain her state, she will need to consume another pill."
A frown creased Luo Zhen's forehead. He had assumed that refining a single Mystic Infant Pill would be the end of this ordeal—a permanent cure for a permanent problem. He hadn't anticipated a subscription service for survival.
"Fine," he muttered, shaking off the annoyance. "If there's a time limit, then I'll simply stockpile them. The ocean around here is teeming with King-level sea beasts. It's just a matter of grinding for a little while longer."
With a flick of his wrist, the pill vanished into his spatial ring. In its place, he withdrew the Fragrant Jade. The object was innocuous to the eye, but to the beasts of the deep, it was a siren's call, an irresistible scent that promised power and evolution.
He didn't have to wait long. The water churned, and several massive shapes broke the surface, their eyes locked on the jade.
Luo Zhen smiled with a cold, predatory expression. The hunt was on.
The process became a rhythmic, bloody cycle. Every time his kill count reached thirty Demon Infants, he fed them to the System to synthesize a new pill.
By the time the sun reached its apex, the waters surrounding the small island had gone still. The silence was absolute. He had slaughtered every King-level entity in the vicinity; even the potent lure of the Fragrant Jade could no longer draw a single breath of life from the depths. The local ecosystem had been effectively wiped clean.
Luo Zhen stood, his silhouette blurring as he transformed into a streak of azure light, shooting into the sky toward the next island on the horizon. Five minutes later, he landed, set his bait, and resumed the slaughter.
Days bled into nights. His collection of Mystic Infant Pills grew from a handful to a hoard.
Five days into his crusade, the routine was broken.
Two towering figures blocked his path, their auras radiating the oppressive weight of the Emperor-level First Heaven. They were sea beasts in human form, their eyes burning with greed and malice.
"We've been hearing rumors," one of them snarled, staring daggers at Luo Zhen. "A stranger, a rogue Demon King, hunting in our waters. It looks like we found him."
The second man didn't speak, his gaze fixed hungrily on Luo Zhen's hand.
Luo Zhen casually tucked the Fragrant Jade out of sight, shaking his head with feigned ignorance. "I'm afraid you gentlemen have me confused with someone else. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play the fool with us!" the first man roared. "We saw the jade! Hand it over!"
"That scent," the second man licked his lips, his voice trembling with gluttony. "It's rich enough to drive a man mad. I even want to swallow it whole. Hand it to your elders, boy, and we might make your death quick."
Luo Zhen let out a short laugh. He had initially assumed these two were avengers come to punish him for the genocide of their kin. It turned out they were just common bandits, driven by appetite.
"And if I refuse?" Luo Zhen asked, his tone slow and deliberate.
"Then you've chosen death!"
"Why waste breath on him?" the second beast scoffed. "He's a late-stage King. A junior. We can crush him with a single strike."
"Agreed. Let's end this."
The air screamed as the two Beast Emperors struck in unison. Two massive blades of compressed water, sharp enough to cleave mountains, slashed toward Luo Zhen.
Luo Zhen didn't move. He merely thought, and the void behind him tore open.
From the rift, a shadow emerged—an ancient, terrifying silhouette of a nine-headed serpent that seemed to blot out the sky. The Nine Infants.
The two attackers froze, their arrogance instantly replaced by primal terror.
"What... what the hell is that?!"
"Run! Move!"
They turned to flee, their coordination shattering in the face of the overwhelming demonic pressure. But they were too slow. At Luo Zhen's mental command, two of the phantom's massive jaws unhinged, spewing torrents of golden fire.
BOOM!
The golden streams caught the fleeing emperors mid-air. There was no scream, only the sound of incineration. In a heartbeat, two Emperor-level beings were reduced to drifting ash.
Luo Zhen sighed, looking at the empty air where his enemies had stood.
"A waste," he lamented. "If I had harvested their Demon Infants, the resulting pills would have been vastly superior to the standard ones."
He had tried to hold back, but the Nine Infants' golden flame was simply too devastating. Even a restrained attack had resulted in total annihilation.
Seconds later, the summoning timer expired, and the monstrous phantom faded into nothingness.
Almost immediately, the horizon rippled.
Four streaks of light tore across the sky, closing the distance from the horizon to Luo Zhen's island in a matter of breaths. The wind from their arrival whipped up the sand as they landed—a white-bearded elder, a rotund man, a gaunt man with hair like fire, and a woman in emerald green.
Luo Zhen's heart skipped a beat. All four radiated the undeniable pressure of Emperor-level cultivators.
Moving with practiced subtlety, Luo Zhen prepared a Wind Escape Talisman in his sleeve while simultaneously activating his System's scanning function.
Ding.
Name: Yu Xing
Strength: Unknown (Disparity too great to calculate)
Affiliation: Wilderness Continent, Qingzhou Prefecture City — Enshrinement
...
Name: Zhang He
Strength: Unknown (Disparity too great to calculate)
Affiliation: Wilderness Continent, Qingzhou Prefecture — Knife Transformation Sect
Luo Zhen scanned the list rapidly, his internal alarm bells ringing.
Unknown. Unknown. Unknown.
The scanning function had hit a hard wall. Unless the target was within a reasonable range of his own power, the System couldn't analyze their skills or magical treasures. He was flying blind against four heavyweights from the Wilderness Continent across the strait.
The white-bearded elder, Yu Xing, frowned as he surveyed the area. "Strange. I could have sworn I sensed an Emperor-level clash here just seconds ago. How did it vanish so completely?"
"Indeed," the others murmured, scanning the empty beach. "Very odd."
"Let's not waste time chasing ghosts," the woman in green, Wen Biyun, said dismissively. "We have a mission."
"Right, business first," Yu Xing agreed. "We head to the Silver Flood Dragon Clan to reclaim the Ascension Tokens, then proceed to the State of Lu."
Without so much as a second glance at Luo Zhen, the four transformed back into beams of light and shot off toward the horizon. To them, a mere Demon King was part of the scenery—insignificant, invisible, unworthy of attention.
Luo Zhen rubbed his nose, watching them vanish. Being ignored was a bruise to the ego, but safer for the body.
Qingzhou Prefecture City. Knife Transformation Sect. Cold Moon Sect. Fire Sun Sect.
"They mentioned Ascension Tokens," Luo Zhen mused, piecing together the puzzle. "And they're heading for the Silver Flood Dragon Clan. They must be recruiters."
He flipped his hand, and two triangular tokens made of cool, azure jade appeared in his palm. He weighed them thoughtfully.
Suddenly, the four streaks of light on the horizon banked hard and returned, tearing back toward the island with frantic urgency. They landed in a circle around him, their expressions transformed from indifference to shock.
"Boy!" one of them shouted. "How do you possess the Ascension Tokens?!"
"How did you know?" Luo Zhen asked, genuinely curious. They had been miles away.
"We carry artifacts tuned to the tokens' frequency," Yu Xing explained, his eyes locked on the jade triangles. "Once we're within a hundred miles, we know their location and authenticity. Now, speak. There are only three tokens on this entire island chain—two with the Silver Flood Dragon Clan, one with the Lu royalty. Yours are genuine. Where did you steal them?"
"Steal is a harsh word," Luo Zhen said, smiling. "Is it surprising I have them? Are they bound to specific bloodlines?"
"No," Yu Xing admitted. "We recognize the token, not the bearer. But the Silver Flood Dragon Clan traded centuries of accumulated treasure for those two tokens. They are their greatest assets. They wouldn't just hand them to a wandering junior."
Luo Zhen nodded, the pieces falling into place. No wonder the Dragon Clan's treasury had been so underwhelming; they had liquidated everything to buy a ticket to the big leagues.
"Stop stalling," Yu Xing barked. "Answer the question."
"You don't need to go to the Silver Flood Dragon Clan," Luo Zhen said calmly. "They've been exterminated."
The silence that followed was heavy.
"Exterminated?" The four masters exchanged incredulous looks.
"The Silver Flood Dragon Clan has ruled these waters for thousands of years," Yu Xing said, his voice dropping. "How does a localized hegemony just disappear?"
"It was recent," Luo Zhen lied smoothly, mixing truth with fiction. "A cultivator named Daoist Qing Yang broke in. He slaughtered them all."
"Qing Yang?" Yu Xing's eyes widened. "That cockroach is still alive?"
"You know him?" Zhang He, the fat man from the Knife Transformation Sect, asked.
"I do. He practices a forbidden demonic art. Years ago, the Silver Flood Dragon Clan begged Qingzhou Prefecture for aid against him. We sent experts. We thought he was dead." Yu Xing sighed, turning to the gaunt, red-haired man. "Li Hongyan, didn't your Fire Sun Sect take a Silver Flood Dragon genius as a disciple a decade ago?"
"We did," Li Hongyan replied, his voice raspy. "My junior brother joined us in exchange for one of those tokens. If he finds out his entire bloodline has been wiped out... it will be a mess."
Luo Zhen felt a cold prickle at the base of his neck.
A survivor.
He and Bai Susu had decimated the clan just days ago. If a powerful disciple in the Fire Sun Sect found out the truth, Luo Zhen would have a vendetta on his hands. He kept his face impassive.
"Well," Yu Xing said, turning back to Luo Zhen, his demeanor shifting from interrogator to businessman. "If the clan is gone and you hold the tokens, the opportunity falls to you. You may use them to join one of our sects."
Luo Zhen feigned hesitation. "I'd like to, but I know nothing about your factions. How am I supposed to choose?"
Yu Xing smiled, sensing a recruit. "Allow me. We represent the four great powers of Qingzhou Prefecture. All are Two-Star Sects."
"Two-Star?"
"Sects are ranked One to Nine. We are the elite of the region. I represent the Prefecture City itself. We offer the most comprehensive library of arts. Whatever your affinity, we have a path for you."
Luo Zhen nodded and looked at the fat man.
"Zhang He, Knife Transformation Sect," the man grinned, patting a heavy saber at his hip. "We live by the blade. If you want to cut the world apart, you come to us."
"Wen Biyun, Cold Moon Sect," the woman said coolly. "We focus on the sword. However, we prioritize female disciples. Even with the token, your acceptance isn't guaranteed."
Luo Zhen turned to the final man.
Li Hongyan stood tall, his red hair flaming in the wind. He looked down his nose at Luo Zhen with undisguised disdain. "Fire Sun Sect. We master the flame. We possess Primal Fires."
Luo Zhen's interest piqued. "Primal Fires?"
"Yes. But let me save you the trouble," Li Hongyan sneered. "Don't pick us."
"Why?"
"Because the Fire Sun Sect is for the elite," Li Hongyan declared. "My cultivation technique allows me to see the potential in others. And you? You feel mediocre. Trash, really."
The insult hung in the air.
"Although the token forces us to accept you," Li Hongyan continued, "you would be surrounded by geniuses. You would spend your life in our sect, humiliated, crushed by the pressure of your betters. Do yourself a favor: pick a lesser sect and live out your mediocre little life in peace."
Luo Zhen's expression hardened. "You're very confident for someone who just met me."
"I am the strongest here, representing the strongest sect," Li Hongyan said arrogantly. "It is not confidence. It is a fact."
The other three masters stayed silent, tacitly admitting the Fire Sun Sect's dominance.
Luo Zhen laughed, a cold, sharp sound. "The strongest? You look down on me? Well, listen closely. I look down on you."
He turned his back on the red-haired man and faced the fat cultivator.
"I choose the Knife Transformation Sect."
It wasn't a decision made purely out of spite, though the spite was certainly there. Luo Zhen had analyzed his options. He needed a path that suited his combat style, and the way of the blade was calling to him. The Knife Transformation Sect was the logical, strategic choice.
But Li Hongyan threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"The Knife Transformation Sect? Hah!" He pointed a trembling finger at Luo Zhen. "Of the four powers, they are the bottom of the barrel! The weakest link! But I suppose it fits. Trash chooses trash. A weak sect for a weak man!"
Luo Zhen didn't respond. He just gripped the token tighter, his knuckles white. The choice was made. And in the world of cultivation, the last laugh was usually written in blood.