Bai Yi watched Fei Ya's display, and the corners of his lips twitched slightly.
Level five.
And she had become a level five just by slaying an evil ghost.
That innocent yet deranged expression of hers didn't fool him. He wasn't worried about her intelligence, nor her growth potential—just the sheer unpredictability of it. The rate at which this thing developed was… beyond imagination.
She had used the very skills of an evil ghost to kill a hellhound.
That kind of growth…
Before Bai Yi could even sigh, Fei Ya—who had received no answer to her earlier call—stretched out her small hand toward the corpse of the hellhound.
As her palm touched the creature, its body began to shrink rapidly. A powerful wave of energy burst out from within Fei Ya's tiny frame.
Level six.
Bai Yi immediately began recording her data into Zero's database.
At the same time, he raised a hand. The three golden-ranked hell creatures nearby were consumed by terror. Though fear burned in their eyes, none dared to resist his command. Trembling, they moved closer, unable to look away from those maddening, scarlet eyes.
"Follow me."
His tone was calm, almost casual.
As Bai Yi walked leisurely through the infernal forest, a simple gesture caused countless alchemical runes to appear, sinking seamlessly into the mountains, earth, and air.
The three golden beings followed step by step, terrified of being slain by this terrible god.
No one wanted to die. Even in Hell, only the truly insane were driven purely by chaos—these ones were not among them.
If this had been a group of abyssal fiends, they would have torn each other apart the moment madness took hold.
When Bai Yi finished forming the powerful alchemical seal, he ascended to the peak of the mountain with his golden followers, looking down upon the chaos about to unfold below.
At that moment, he released the Evil Realm and Spatial Arcana barriers.
Fei Ya—now resembling a six- or seven-year-old girl—tugged nervously at her clothes. She wore a medical uniform forged from epidemic-grade materials, its gold-tier adaptability allowing it to grow with the wearer. Of course, not infinitely.
Transformation warriors of the X-type or the "Blooming Madness" strain couldn't wear normal equipment at all.
With the realm's suppression gone, the hellish landscape began to stir once more. Disorder spread like wildfire.
Fei Ya searched the chaotic horizon but couldn't find the figure she longed to see.
Danger pressed in from all directions—too many threats to count. Pretending or hiding wasn't an option anymore. To survive here, she needed to grow stronger—fast.
On the Mountain Peak
Zero continued to record every variable, while Bai Yi quietly annotated the finer details. The transformation of silkworm life was still far from perfect.
Once Fei Ya's data had been logged, he prepared to send her deeper into Hell—a gift, a trial, and a blessing all in one.
The chaos below erupted into slaughter.
Bai Yi watched it all unfold—the transformation of a baby into a girl, the cunning intelligence in her every move.
Fei Ya provoked chaos with precision, using various skills to ignite a massacre among the frenzied hell creatures. She then gained the favor of a silver-ranked hellhound, securing its protection with a mere +10 affinity.
But in the end, she betrayed it.
Striking from behind, she devoured its power and claimed its Hellfire skill for herself.
From that moment on, she ascended—a bronze upper-rank silkworm life form, completely crushing all opposition.
The Hellfire she wielded now burned with terrifying potency. Even silver-level hell creatures were suppressed beneath its might.
Every being burned to ash by her flames left behind pure essence, which surged into her like a tidal wave.
In just three hours, she had reached silver rank.
What followed was even faster growth—more slaughter, more purity, more power.
[Notes: Ongoing Observation]
"I will carve my own path, not chase rapid power. The energy I absorb shall be tempered until pure enough for complete assimilation."
"Subject may have inherited fragments of Fei's memory and traces of the unknown legacy of Shea. Displays foundational understanding of the Creator's World."
"Growth rate is extreme but not destabilized by complex data input. Captured memories appear as accelerated visual playback with selective deletion ability."
"Deletion function confirmed. Potential for controlled madness noted. (Deleted.)"
"All indicators stable. The temporary energy body exists as both silkworm life and energy construct—capable of self-initiated reincarnation through host attachment.
▸ Disadvantage: Cannot achieve ultimate growth.
▸ Advantage: Recyclable if encountered and subdued."
The data continued to flow. By nightfall, the chaos below had quieted.
Tens of thousands of hell creatures lay dead. Only one figure remained—a silver-haired girl, 1.7 meters tall, clad in a black coat.
Her eyes were calm but weary, her aura locked at Level 44 – Upper Silver.
Bai Yi didn't immediately acknowledge her. Instead, he continued updating the database, refining his notes for post-analysis.
The first generation had always been special. He wouldn't recycle her. Not yet. He wanted to test her limits.
Once the final entries were complete, Bai Yi waved a hand. Alchemical glyphs rose like smoke, unraveling the seal below.
Fei Ya's gaze lifted; joy and longing flashed in her eyes.
"Father~" she called softly.
Bai Yi ignored her, continuing his data input.
[New Observations]
"Multiple expertise awakenings detected.
▸ Cognitive and combat capacity increased significantly.
▸ Probability of betrayal +60%.
▸ Fear of creator remains at 100%.
▸ Disguise proficiency: MAX."
"Kill him," Bai Yi said evenly, his tone like steel wrapped in silk. "Do that, and you'll live."
His gaze fell upon the trembling evil ghost beside the golden-ranked creature. Its form flickered, body half-corporeal from fear.
Under the weight of Bai Yi's scarlet eyes, the ghost shuddered violently and floated toward Fei Ya.
"Father… why?" Fei Ya whispered, her tone exhausted and pleading.
Bai Yi gave no reply.
Trembling, she bowed her head. "If this is Father's will… Fei Ya shall obey."
The ghost hesitated. Even as an evil being, it couldn't fathom this god's intentions.
But Bai Yi's expression remained cold, unyielding.
The ghost lunged.
Squelch!
Claws tore through flesh. Blood splattered across the ground.
Fei Ya's body fell lifelessly to the dirt.
The evil ghost looked up at Bai Yi, terrified yet secretly hopeful. But the god's eyes were not angry—they were smiling.
A smile of satisfaction.
The ghost's instincts screamed. It turned to flee.
Too late.
Flames roared forth—hellfire, pure and silkworm-forged—swallowing moonlight and space alike.
When the blaze subsided, only ash remained.
Bai Yi glanced toward the surviving golden beings and smiled faintly.
"Fei Ya is a creature of Hell," he said. "Sign a contract with her. Serve as her subordinates."
The two—an ogre and a shadow spider—bowed low, trembling.
"As you command, under the crown," they answered in the guttural tongue of Hell.
The air shuddered as Fei Ya's broken body reformed within the infernal fire.
"Father…" she murmured weakly, body scarred yet alive. The evil ghost was gone.
"Did you hear me?"
"Yes, Father."
"Drink."
He tossed her a vial of shimmering, blood-red energy.
Fei Ya caught it and drank without hesitation. Facing Hell's beasts, she might act bold. But before her creator, she obeyed without question.
Bai Yi nodded. "Then begin."
"Yes, Father."
Fei Ya turned to the two golden creatures. Abyssal power gathered as the Contract of Hell formed before them—crimson parchment glowing under twin moons.
Under Bai Yi's watchful gaze, neither creature resisted. They marked the contract, sealing their fates.
When the flames consumed the paper, the bond was complete.
Bai Yi eyed the shadow spider thoughtfully. It had the rare ability to traverse realms.
"This one can return to Hell," he said calmly. "I'll make my intentions clear."
He turned to Fei Ya.
"What I've given you requires nothing in return. Grow strong. Your existence will bring chaos to Hell, but I won't destroy you for it. Perhaps… I'll even save you someday. So don't turn against me."
Fei Ya lowered her head. "I understand… Father."
"I prefer 'Maker,'" Bai Yi corrected.
"Yes, Father."
He sighed but didn't press further. "That's enough. Cross-plane communication consumes vast energy. Unless your life's in danger, don't summon me. Go—Hell will shape you."
"Yes, Father."
Fei Ya looked to the shadow spider. Shadows expanded around them, and Bai Yi stood unmoved as the dark tide reached his ankles. Space twisted; the stench of rot filled the air.
A surge of power enveloped Fei Ya.
When her vision cleared, two blood-red moons shone above. The ground was dyed scarlet.
"Finally…" she breathed, smiling. "Freedom."
Her eyes turned toward the ogre and spider. The smile sharpened.
"Why didn't you challenge me earlier?" she asked softly. "I hate your face."
"M-Master?" the ogre stammered.
Fate trembled. The abyssal contract flared. The ogre's body froze as its soul was erased.
Hellfire devoured it whole, leaving behind a surge of pure energy that Fei Ya inhaled with satisfaction.
Her gaze shifted to the shadow spider. "Now then," she said, voice light, "let's begin our free adventure."
The gift to Hell had been delivered. Fei Ya would not disappoint him—unless she wanted more "siblings."
Stretching lazily, Bai Yi ended the transformation process for now. The next target plane would be the Abyss.
But not yet. He needed to plan the future path of silkworm evolution.
Returning to the city lord's mansion, he lay down and calmly spent four skill points—maxing out Silkworm Life.
Vast knowledge flooded his consciousness. His spirit burned, yet his mind easily withstood it.
[Master-Level Alchemy Transformation: (4,830 / 100,000)]
Bai Yi frowned slightly. "Only 4,000 progress. Still decent."
To reach the level of an Alchemy Sage was no simple feat. It wasn't about knowing rare techniques—it was about perfecting the impossible.
"The silkworm's weakness lies in its material synthesis, not technology…" he murmured.
As he reviewed the rewards and new expertise options, he couldn't help but smirk.
[You have unlocked: Specialization Selection ×1]
Choose one:
Charm: +30 Charm
Crafting Affinity: +30% Mechanical Affinity, +30% Elemental Affinity
Power of Alchemy: +50 Strength, +50% Physical Damage
"These are getting worse," he muttered, though he wasn't surprised. It wasn't a boss specialization—just a standard one.
He selected Crafting Affinity without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)