The Azure Jade Spirit Body was a miracle, no doubt. The System's own analysis confirmed it: the fusion of a Dark Gold serpent and a Green Wood spirit had created something terrifyingly resilient. Luo Zhen could regrow a limb as easily as shrugging. Powerful? Absolutely.
But he was still miserable.
What good was a miracle in a cage? What good was a self-healing body when the Ant Queen held the keys? He may have forged a Demon Core and reached the rank of General, but the demonic power humming within him was sealed tight, useless.
He let out a long sigh.
Host, you need to look at the bright side, the System's voice chimed in his mind, ever the pragmatist. At least with the Azure Jade Spirit Body, she can't do any permanent damage. No matter how much essence she drains from you, the Spirit Body will just generate more.
Luo Zhen didn't answer. The thought of being a self-replenishing battery wasn't exactly comforting.
Then, a thought sparked. "System," he asked, his voice low. "The Queen is absorbing my essence to break through to the Demon Emperor realm, right?"
That's the plan, yes.
"Then is there a way… any way at all… for me to absorb her power instead?"
Negative, the System replied flatly. My own power and memory banks are too limited right now. I have no such function. Perhaps after a future upgrade, but not now.
Silence fell again, heavier this time.
A day later, as Luo Zhen was meditating, a sweet-smelling pink mist drifted into his chambers. It slipped into his lungs before he could react. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and a strange, disorienting heat began to build deep in his core.
What the hell is this? His thoughts grew fuzzy, his limbs heavy. He fought through the haze, a thread of panic rising. "System, what is this pink fog? I feel like I'm about to pass out."
The System's voice had a grim, knowing tone. It's from the Ant Queen. As for what happens next… well, you can probably guess.
Before Luo Zhen could process the words, his world went black.
Moments later, the Ant Queen entered, a vision of deadly grace. Seeing Luo Zhen unconscious on the floor, a small, cruel smile played on her lips as she slowly began to shed her clothes.
…
Two hours later, she sighed in deep satisfaction, licking her lips. On the floor, Luo Zhen was a husk. His once powerful, athletic frame was now withered and gaunt, as if every drop of life had been wrung out of him.
"Incredible," she murmured, looking down at the depleted snake demon. "The essence of a supreme-grade spirit seed is truly divine. A shame he has so little stamina." She chuckled. "Drained dry in only two hours."
Shaking her head, she bent to retrieve her clothes. But then, she stopped.
A soft, azure light began to glow from Luo Zhen's body. Under its ethereal radiance, his withered form began to change. Like a balloon being inflated, his muscles filled out, his skin regained its vitality, and his strength returned. In less than a minute, he was back to the picture of robust power he'd been before.
The Ant Queen stared, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What is this? He… he recovered his lost essence that quickly?"
A slow, predatory grin spread across her face.
"If this is true," she whispered, her voice filled with avarice, "then I haven't just found a treasure. I've found a limitless well."
Tossing her clothes aside, she descended upon him once more.
Over and over, the cycle repeated. He was drained to a husk, only for the Azure Jade Spirit Body to erupt in light and restore him. Full to empty, empty to full. It happened more than a dozen times before the Ant Queen, finally satiated, left him in peace.
It took two full days for Luo Zhen to regain consciousness. The first thing he felt was a searing pain in his lower back. The second was the faint, azure glow still pulsing from his skin. A pile of priceless medicinal herbs and potent elixirs sat beside him.
Host, you're finally awake, the System said.
Luo Zhen groaned, rubbing his back. But as he moved, he froze. Something was different. He could feel it—a vast, unrestrained sea of demonic power churning within him. The seal…
It was gone.
That's right, the System confirmed, sensing his shock. The seal is gone, and so is the gu poison she used to control you. You're free, Host. Truly free.
"Free?" Luo Zhen managed a bitter laugh. "It cost me, didn't it? After I passed out… she came in." It wasn't a question.
She did, the System said. I'll spare you the details. You're lucky you had the Azure Jade Spirit Body, or you wouldn't have survived.
"What do you mean?" Luo Zhen's brow furrowed. "I was in that much danger?"
Danger? You were on the brink of death multiple times, the System stated bluntly. She nearly drained you into a permanent, dried-up corpse. Your Spirit Body was the only thing that kept replenishing you, pulling you back from the edge each time.
Luo Zhen nodded slowly, the grim reality sinking in.
But that's over, the System continued. Now, focus on those herbs. You don't need to eat them. Just activate your Spirit Body. It will absorb their essence directly.
He did as instructed. The azure light exploded from him, bathing the room in its glow. The herbs and elixirs dissolved into pure, shimmering motes of energy that streamed into his body. Ten minutes later, the light faded, leaving behind nothing but piles of fine grey ash.
He felt incredible. The pain and exhaustion were gone, replaced by a surge of limitless energy. He felt stronger than ever before.
"This Spirit Body is something else," he said in awe.
The more wood-attribute energy is around, the faster you'll heal, the System explained.
Suddenly, a violent wind ripped through the air outside. Within seconds, the clear sky was blotted out by a swirling vortex of black clouds. It looked like the end of the world. Through his window, Luo Zhen saw a single, graceful figure shoot into the sky, standing defiantly against the storm.
"The Ant Queen," he breathed. "What is she doing?"
She's facing her tribulation, the System replied, its tone grim. She's making her move for the Demon Emperor realm.
"A tribulation? To become a Demon Emperor?" Luo Zhen was floored. "Is that always required? Will I have to face one, too?"
Absolutely, the System confirmed. In fact, the tribulations start at the Demon King realm. Every single advancement, even a minor one, requires you to survive a trial by lightning. Pass, and your power skyrockets. Fail… and you're either crippled or vaporized.
"That's harsh." Luo Zhen's face grew serious.
Don't worry about it, the System said breezily. With my help, a little lightning will be trivial for you.
As they spoke, the sky answered. Arcs of electricity danced within the clouds, coalescing into a single, massive bolt of raw, celestial fury that screamed down toward the Ant Queen.
She stood unshaken in the air, her arms raised in a strange, complex gesture. A shimmering, pale-silver barrier materialized around her. The lightning bolt hit it with a deafening CRACK.
Blinding white light bleached the world, illuminating the entire city. When it finally faded, the Ant Queen was still there, her silver barrier intact. She had weathered the storm.
Instantly, the world's energy went berserk. A colossal funnel of power formed above her, and she drank it in like a black hole, pulling the raw magic of the heavens into her body. A moment later, an oppressive wave of demonic pressure erupted from her, a physical force that washed over the city.
Even with his newly forged Demon Core, Luo Zhen felt his muscles seize, his body screaming at him to kneel. Only his unique bloodline kept him on his feet.
"That power…" he gritted out, fighting the pressure. "Did she do it? Is she a Demon Emperor now?"
She passed the trial, the System confirmed. She is now in the first heaven of the Demon Emperor realm.
"First heaven? Not 'early stage'?"
The classifications change, the System explained. From Demon Emperor onward, the power gaps are too vast. The realms are measured in 'heavens,' from one to ten. Each step is a monumental struggle. Oh, and by the way… see that silver barrier?
"Yeah? What about it?"
She forged it from your essence. Without the shield she built from your life force, that lightning bolt would have blasted her into oblivion.
The words hit Luo Zhen like a punch to the gut. My essence. The very power she stole from him was what allowed her to ascend. The irony was suffocating. "It's that powerful?" he asked, his voice hollow.
Of course. You're a supreme-grade mutated spirit seed. Your next evolution is toward a Sacred Beast. And after taking it from you more than a dozen times? It's no surprise the barrier was strong.
"So that's what I am," Luo Zhen muttered. "Wait… more than a dozen times?"
Before he could dwell on it, the sky began to churn again. The clouds, which should have been dissipating, were growing darker, heavier. New flashes of silver lightning crackled within their depths, gathering for another, even larger strike.
Incredible, the System sounded genuinely surprised. She's going to attempt another tribulation!
"What do you mean? Another one?"
Like I said, even minor advancements require a trial. She just reached the first heaven. Now, flush with power, she's trying to immediately break through to the second!
"That's insane," Luo Zhen whispered.
It's the barrier, the System reasoned. It's so effective against the lightning that she thinks she can keep going.
"Let her," Luo Zhen said, turning away from the window. "It has nothing to do with me anymore." He had his freedom. He'd seen the spectacle, and now it was time to disappear.
He started for the door.
Host, the System's voice cut in suddenly. You know… You could try to face that lightning, too.
Luo Zhen stopped dead. "What? Are you out of your mind? You want me to go out there and get hit by that? I'd be annihilated!" Even the Queen needed a special barrier forged from his own life force to survive. A direct hit would be suicide.
Normally, yes, the System said, its tone dead serious. But you have the Azure Jade Spirit Body. Think about it. You can heal from almost anything. And more importantly, you can control electricity.
The gears in Luo Zhen's head started to turn, slowly at first, then faster.
You can absorb it, the System urged. You can take the power of the tribulation and make it your own!
Make it his own. The words echoed in his mind. His body could heal from the damage, and his affinity for lightning meant he could potentially harness the energy. It was a crazy, reckless gamble… but if it worked, the reward would be unimaginable.
"System," he asked, his heart starting to pound. "What are the odds?"
I've run the numbers. Barring any catastrophic surprises, you have a ninety percent chance of success, the System replied. But listen carefully: you can only absorb a single bolt. Anymore than that, and not even the Spirit Body will save you.
"Understood."
Licking his suddenly dry lips, Luo Zhen turned back to the window and looked up.
Just as he did, a second bolt of brilliant, silver-white lightning ripped itself from the heavens and screamed down toward the earth.