(Bonus Chapter = 100 Power Stones!)
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Within the Valley of the Golden Crow's Lightning Flame, there was a specific place called the Sea of Death.
The Sea of Death had earned its name due to how dangerous it was; all that one could see in it was a blood-red scene, as if the very horizon had been stained by the blood of ancient gods. It was a Sea of Lava, an incandescent ocean that had boiled ceaselessly for ten thousand years, spewing heat and destruction like the heart of an immortal fury.
The blazing surface bubbled in flaming waves, spitting columns of fire that rose and collapsed in suffocating roars, like the cry of a trapped titan. The air around it trembled with the intensity of the heat, distorting vision and space itself, as if reality were on the verge of unraveling.
And there, fifteen hundred kilometers from the Sea of Death, the landscape was no less terrifying: a scorched desert, ashes, and black rocks scattered like the charred bones of a land that had already been devoured by hell.
It was a place where even the wind seemed to burn!
The scorching wave of heat in the air above the Sea of Death was even more terrifying than the deep flames unleashed by an ordinary Ruler. The fire spirits wandering above the air all emitted the aura of the Profound Tyrant Realm. Moreover, it is said that deep within the Sea of Death, fire spirits of the Profound Sovereign Realm are born.
Falling into the Sea of Death would certainly mean death for anyone. There was no possibility of survival, for even a Tenth Level Profound Sovereign Realm cultivator who fell into it would be melted to ashes in no more than ten breaths.
After being thrown into this place by the Golden Crow, Ren Zu's body sank into the incandescent sea as if it had been swallowed by the very heart of the sun. The lava enveloped him in a searing embrace that not even the most powerful Sovereigns would dare face. For a moment, his body seemed to disappear within the scarlet fury, as if reduced to nothing, but due to the [Ten Extreme Daos], the lava had no effect on him...
Mastering the Laws of Fire in their absolute form had its advantages. For him, flames were mere illusions with no effect. It didn't matter if it was an ordinary blaze or the most powerful flames conceived by science, the so-called absolute fire, where all matter disintegrates at an atomic level. Even at that extreme point, where even the vacuum of space would seem to burn, he would feel nothing.
The heat did not burn him, the oxygen did not suffocate him, and combustion could not reach him. Fire simply ceased to exist in his presence, as if the very laws of thermodynamics were forced to bow to his existence.
To him, there was no difference between a lit candle and an erupting star; both were just fragile fragments of energy, incapable of even scratching his skin.
"... Damned flaming bird, a warning would've been nice, you know?" he cursed in his heart before deciding to emerge from the lava.
The flaming surface shattered.
Boom!
An explosion of fire rose like a colossal dragon, and Ren Zu slowly emerged, rising to the top of the sea of lava, quickly standing on the surface as if on solid ground. His clothes had been completely consumed by the lava, revealing a body that seemed sculpted by the gods. Muscles defined in perfect proportions, without excess, without flaws, just absolute harmony, as if every detail had been crafted with divine purpose. His skin, fair and immaculate, reflected the glow of the magma, making him even more ethereal.
If anyone were present, their heart would be stolen by the sight: a man who did not seem to belong to this world, but rather to an immortal realm above all heavens. His long black hair cascaded like a stream of wet silk down to his shoulders, shimmering under the heat of the burning sea. His eyes, deep and abyssal, were an inhuman black, devoid of any emotion, so cold and impenetrable that they could freeze even the lava around him.
Ren Zu let out a faint sigh, as if discarding the last fraction of mortal fatigue. Then, he crossed his legs in the void, sitting atop the flaming surface of the infernal sea, untouched by the heat.
Then, he closed his eyes.
Golden flames awakened within his body, emerging in intricate patterns that spread across his skin like living tattoos. A tyrannical pressure filled the air, causing the fire spirits of the Sea of Death to instinctively retreat, like beasts cowering before the roar of an absolute king.
The blood of the Golden Crow roared within his veins like rivers of divine magma. He guided this fierce energy with absolute perfection, his refined control allowing every drop to be absorbed and integrated without waste or issue.
At the same time, golden lines of flames condensed before his consciousness: the flaming characters of the [Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World].
First stage.
Second stage.
Third stage…
Each level of the Profound Art was comprehended and mastered by Ren Zu as if it had been created specifically for him. The flames danced around his body, alternating between oceanic calm and torrential fury, until ten blazing suns slowly spun behind his figure, illuminating the Sea of Death as if they were the original stars of the firmament.
Three hours passed.
In the final moment, an explosive wave of power erupted from his body. The entire sea seemed to tremble, columns of lava shot into the sky, and the fire spirits retreated in reverence.
He had successfully mastered all ten stages of the [Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World] due to his understanding of the laws of fire. Moreover, all the blood of the Golden Crow had been absorbed.
Among the scorching clouds, two colossal eyes opened, reflecting the very magma sea of the world below.
"!!!!..."
They were the eyes of the Golden Crow.
For a brief moment, everything around fell silent. The ocean of lava ceased its roars, the elemental spirits froze in the air, and even the heat that had always dominated that domain seemed to hesitate. The Soul of the Golden Crow observed the young man sitting atop the infernal sea, and its immortal consciousness was struck with disbelief.
Three hours. That was the time that had passed. A period so insignificant that, for the Golden Crow, it was merely a blink of an eye. Yet, before its own eyes, Ren Zu had traversed the entire [Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World], something it had never seen happen in the thousands of years of its life...
Shock coursed through its ancestral soul.
The impossible had been realized before it.
... It seemed that she had truly made the right decision in granting her lineage to the boy. Moreover, she did not regret giving him the Origin of her soul, even if it meant she would disappear in ten years—it was still worth it. After all, he was, without a doubt, the most talented person she had ever encountered.
As she watched him take the Crimson Ascension Solar Pill and swallow it to refine, she closed her eyes and shifted her attention to the other little girl, who had less talent than the boy. A trace of envy arose in her heart... After all, that girl had been lucky: she had won over someone so beautiful and talented that, in her era, he would have been desired even by the myriad of goddesses, including herself. Without a doubt, he would be the target of her heart, and obviously, that noblewoman would have easily won him over...
Unaware of the Golden Crow's Soul's thoughts, Ren Zu closed his eyes, feeling the Crimson Ascension Solar Pill dissolve in his body like a miniature sun, spreading blazing flames that coursed through every channel, every meridian, every vein. The energy was violent and immense, like an erupting sea, trying to tear him apart from within, but his will and absolute understanding of the Laws of Fire transformed that storm into docility, like a lord taming his beasts.
From what he knew, the Crimson Ascension Solar Pill was forged from a single drop of the Golden Crow's blood, combined with various materials easily found in a resource-rich place like the Valley of the Golden Crow's Lightning Flame. He supposed she must have refined it herself, using part of her power after making him merge with her lineage, to further boost his cultivation. Perhaps it was just a petty rivalry against the Vermilion Bird, as he had said, or maybe just an attempt to please him, fascinated by his stunning beauty and unparalleled talent...
The initial moments were chaotic, the pill's power clashing against the Golden Crow's blood he had recently absorbed, as if both were competing for sovereignty within him. But with unwavering firmness, Ren Zu guided this wild energy until it integrated in perfect harmony.
Time dragged on in an endless cycle of refinement.
One day. Two days. Five days…
On the seventh day, when the last trace of the pill's energy was finally assimilated, a deafening roar echoed from Ren Zu's body.
It was as if the heavens and earth had acknowledged his ascension.
The Sea of Death erupted in columns of lava that reached the firmament, and ten thousand fire spirits howled in reverence.
The pressure emanating from his body had completely changed. His aura, previously at the First Level of the Profound Sky Realm, had now risen imposingly, reaching the Fifth Level of the Profound Sky Realm, exactly as the Golden Crow had predicted.
Although he had successfully refined the pill and jumped four cultivation levels in just a few days, his heart remained calm and indifferent. Knowing he had time until the Little Demon Empress finished inheriting the Golden Crow's power, he decided to continue his practice without haste. This time, he wanted to cultivate his self-created technique...
The [Art of the Slaughter God] was a technique he had been developing on his own, step by step, refining it through his battle experiences. Until then, it had been merely a flow of pure Killing Intent, capable of killing weaker enemies with a thought or paralyzing someone with less willpower to the point of making them wet themselves in fear. But now, with his understanding of the Law of Darkness, he decided to create the second stage of his technique.
In his mind, images arose. A monstrous being with four arms and two faces slicing through an entire city with its unparalleled Cursed Technique—the inspiration for the second stage came from this King of Curses from another world. He named the second stage "Four-Armed, Two-Faced Demon" in its honor.
His idea was to use his [Killing Intent] to create "cuts" through invisible, colorless, and intangible blades. These could be shaped according to his will, sharp to the point of surpassing the target's durability, automatically adjusting the invisible edge until nothing could resist.
He felt that creating this second stage wouldn't be too difficult, but it would take time.
He spent a few hours studying and refining this idea calmly, until he felt he still lacked a deeper understanding of the Law of Darkness to achieve success. Then, he took out the Nine Suns Jade and held it firmly in his hand, beginning to slowly absorb its energy through his cultivation method. Gradually, he gained new insights into the element of darkness, while his cultivation steadily strengthened.
When he wasn't doing any of these things, he was within the Ashura Field of his Martial Intent, slaying countless enemies there and refining his skills.
Sometimes, he paused to adjust his mindset.
He had achieved his goal and now had to aim for something new.
Obviously, his goal this time would be to head to the Profound Sky Continent in pursuit of the Moon Slaughter Devil Sovereign to obtain his Devil Origin Orb and also a certain, more terrifying Celestial Profound Treasure suited for a villain: the Wheel of Myriad Tribulations of the Evil Infant, ranked second among the seven celestial profound treasures.
But that was for the future.
He still had many things to deal with.
Setting aside his reflections on his future plans.
He resolved to change...
This thought had already surfaced when he realized his shortcomings after being pressured by the Little Demon Empress, but while training alone in the Sea of Death, he decided to take this step more deeply.
Change doesn't need thunder or a personal apocalypse to happen. Sometimes, it happens in the silence of a thought, in the moment you decide that, well… you're not going to be the same idiot as before. He could have let himself be carried away by impulses, childish anger, or the desire to prove something to the world. But instead, he simply decided to stop. Stop repeating the same mistakes, stop torturing himself with useless obsessions, stop turning every little frustration into an epic drama worthy of a cheap novel. That's it: an internal, silent decision that no one would notice if not for himself.
It's funny to think about it. There was no grand event, no monumental betrayal, no battle that shook worlds. There was just him, sitting with his own thoughts, laughing (a bit bitterly) at all the times he'd let himself be consumed by ridiculous things. He could have made worse choices, could have become someone despicable, and frankly, in another life, maybe he would have. But not this time.
He decided it wasn't worth repeating that kind of ploy to win a woman, as he had done with the Little Demon Empress. Yes, he was a villain, but even villains have a minimum of dignity—he didn't want to end up becoming a second Scum Che.
Speaking of which... he also decided to let go of that useless fixation with that trash and simply move forward, as if he were nothing more than an irrelevant insect. Of course, if the chance arose, he'd kill him without hesitation and take all his legacies, since it'd be foolish not to take advantage. But making that the main mission of his life? Please, he had much better things to do.
He wanted to be the strongest in this world and would do everything to achieve that goal.
With that in mind, he continued cultivating in the Sea of Death, adjusting his mindset and refining his skills.
And so, time passed quickly.
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