The canyon was silent, save for the dry rustle of the wind against stone. Luo Zhen stood over the remains of what had once been a tyrant of these waters. The Silver Flood Dragon King, a creature of immense power and ancient bloodline, was now reduced to nothing more than a desiccated husk—a sheet of thin, papery skin draped over the hard earth.
Luo Zhen let out a soft sigh, the sound escaping his lips like a wisp of steam. There was no pity in his eyes, only a pragmatic acceptance of the world's cruelty.
With a flick of his wrist, the Thunder Cloud Blade materialized from his storage ring. The air hummed with static as he gripped the hilt. He didn't need to exert much force; a casual swing sent a crescent of concentrated blade energy tearing into the ground. The earth parted with a groan, carving out a deep, cavernous pit in the bedrock.
He levitated the remains of the Dragon King and lowered them into the grave.
"Silver Flood Dragon King," Luo Zhen addressed the grave, his voice echoing slightly in the empty canyon. "I may have drained you dry, stripping away every ounce of your bloodline essence, but let us be honest—you were already a dead thing. You've been trapped in that stone wall for a century or more, a prisoner of your own stagnation."
He paused, watching the dust settle over the pit. "Now, through my consumption, you have found a form of release. I carry your legacy in my veins now. No one will disturb your rest again. In a way, I've done you a favor."
It was a cold rationalization, the kind that kept a cultivator sane in a world where eating or being eaten were the only two options.
With his business concluded, Luo Zhen turned away. His body, now radically different from the serpent he had once been, moved with fluid, terrifying grace. His powerful tail, covered in scales that shimmered like emeralds under the sun, propelled him forward. He shot out of the canyon, a streak of green light, and made for his stronghold.
The return to the mansion was swift. The atmosphere in the Black Water Lake was heavy, the water still rippling from the aftershocks of the recent power struggles. When Luo Zhen finally slithered into his main hall, his loyal lieutenant, Ah Bao, nearly jumped out of his skin.
Ah Bao, a leopard demon of decent strength but anxious disposition, stared with wide, trembling eyes. He backed away, his instincts screaming that a predator of a higher order had just entered the room.
"Young Master?" Ah Bao stammered, his voice pitching up. "You... what happened to you? How did you become... this?"
Luo Zhen glided to the center of the room, enjoying the newfound strength coursing through his muscles. "I have evolved again," he stated simply, his tone devoid of arrogance but heavy with authority. "You are aware of the Silver Flood Dragon King that was sealed beneath the lake? I absorbed his bloodline power. The process catalyzed a complete metamorphosis."
He raised a clawed hand, examining the sharp, gleaming talons. "I am no longer a mere snake, Ah Bao. I am a genuine Flood Dragon."
Ah Bao's fear melted into pure, unadulterated awe. "You evolved again? That is incredible! Does this mean you are now a Silver Flood Dragon like the old King?"
"No," Luo Zhen corrected him, his vertical pupils narrowing slightly. "Not a Silver Flood Dragon. My original bloodline mixed with his essence to create something new. I am now a Green-Scaled Flood Dragon."
"Green-Scaled Flood Dragon?" Ah Bao tilted his head, searching his memory. After a moment, he shook his head. "I have never heard of such a species."
Luo Zhen sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to carry the weight of his strange journey.
This was the perennial issue with his cultivation path. Whether he was devouring the flesh of other powerhouses or undergoing bloodline evolution within the mysterious illusory realms, he never followed a standard path. He didn't just level up; he mutated.
From his humble beginnings as a Red Lotus Serpent, to the Soaring Mystic Snake, to the Thunder Tribulation Snake, and now this—every step took him further away from known taxonomy. He was a biological anomaly, a species of one.
I am unique, Luo Zhen mused, a flicker of concern crossing his mind. Even if I eventually absorb all the power of the Nine-Headed Serpent, the Jiuuying, from the illusion, I doubt I will become a standard Jiuuying. I am destined to be a mutant, an aberration of constant consumption and evolution.
He shook his head, physically tossing the distracting thoughts aside. Now was not the time for existential dread.
"Ah Bao," Luo Zhen commanded, snapping the leopard demon to attention. "Follow me to the reception hall. We have matters of state to discuss."
"Yes, Young Master." Ah Bao fell into step behind him, his posture submissive.
Once seated on the main throne of the reception hall, Luo Zhen drummed his fingers on the armrest. The silence stretched for a moment before he broke it.
"Ah Bao, the political landscape of the Black Water Lake has fundamentally shifted."
"Shifted? In what way?"
"The competition is gone," Luo Zhen said, his voice flat. "Every demonic beast that went to the seal to absorb the Dragon King's power is dead. That includes General Green Frog. The news hasn't broken yet, but silence is hard to keep. It will spread."
He looked directly at Ah Bao. "Aside from the Frog, every Sky Mystic Realm beast in this lake was there. They are all gone. That means, apart from myself, the strongest entities left in these waters are merely at the Earth Mystic Realm."
Ah Bao's jaw dropped. The implications were staggering. The power vacuum was immense.
Luo Zhen waited for the shock to wear off before dropping the second hammer. "I have no interest in administration. My path is one of cultivation and ascension. I cannot be bogged down by the minutiae of managing territory. Therefore, I am handing full authority over the Black Water Lake to you."
"Me?" Ah Bao squeaked, looking terrified. "Young Master, please! I am only at the mid-stage of the Earth Mystic Realm. I don't have the strength to hold the fort. Without you there, the others might rebel."
"Did you not hear me?" Luo Zhen's eyes flashed. "There is no one left to challenge you. The heavy hitters are dead. You are currently among the strongest." He softened his tone slightly. "However, I understand your concern. Mid-stage Earth Mystic is respectable, but perhaps not commanding enough for a proxy ruler."
Luo Zhen leaned forward. "That is why I am going to force-feed you power. I have a cache of high-quality pills suitable for your level."
Ah Bao fell to his knees, his forehead banging against the stone floor with a rhythmic thud-thud-thud. "Thank you, Young Master! Ah Bao dedicates his life to you! I will climb mountains of blades for you! I will swim through seas of fire!"
"Get up, get up. I know your loyalty, that's why you're still alive." Luo Zhen gestured for him to rise. "Wait here."
Luo Zhen retreated to his inner sanctum. He retrieved a collection of pills from his storage ring—medicine specifically refined to boost Earth Mystic beasts. But pills alone wouldn't be enough to bridge the gap quickly.
He closed his eyes and focused on the core of his being. The demonic power within him surged like a tsunami. With a grunt of effort, he forced a drop of his own essence blood to surface. It wasn't just blood; it was liquid energy, glowing with a vibrant, ethereal green light.
He carefully dripped the essence onto the pills. The medicinal spheres hissed as they absorbed the blood, glowing brightly before settling down, now radiating a fragrance so potent it made the air heavy.
"Host, you're certainly generous," the System's mechanical voice chimed in his head, sounding almost amused. "Expending your own essence blood? That's an expensive investment."
"It's a necessary cost," Luo Zhen replied internally. "Ah, Bao's aptitude is mediocre at best. Without a drastic intervention, he'd need five years to break through. I don't have five years to wait for a competent manager."
He wasn't acting out of pure altruism. Luo Zhen was now a Saint Beast. His blood carried the weight of a higher tier of existence. For a lower-level demon like Ah Bao, this was akin to drinking nectar from the gods. He had to be careful, though; too much, and Ah Bao would explode like an overfilled balloon. A tiny drop was a torrential flood for the leopard demon.
Returning to the hall, Luo Zhen handed the enhanced pills to a weeping Ah Bao.
The results were immediate and terrifyingly effective.
Five days later, the latent energy pushed Ah Bao to the late stage of the Earth Mystic Realm.
Ten days later, he hit the peak.
A month later, the barrier shattered.
Ah Bao broke through to the Sky Mystic Realm. He was now the undisputed second-in-command of the Black Water Lake, a powerhouse in his own right, solely manufactured by Luo Zhen's blood and ambition.
With a Sky Mystic lieutenant in place, Luo Zhen was finally free.
Freedom, however, meant chores.
Luo Zhen spent the next week consolidating the spoils of war. He had stripped the territories of General Green Frog and General Squid bare. The sheer volume of resources was staggering.
He sat cross-legged in his treasury, surrounded by mountains of items. Anything useless was fed to the System, exchanged for Mall Points. What remained were piles of Spirit Stones—Medium and High Grade.
He picked up a High-Grade Spirit Stone, feeling the hum of energy inside. In the past, this would have been a feast. Back when he was a small snake, he could devour these stones and watch his experience bar fill up.
Now? It was futile.
He was in the mid-stage of the Demon Core Realm. To reach the late stage, he needed two million experience points. Eating Spirit Stones now was like trying to fill a swimming pool with a teaspoon. The quantity required would be astronomical. Furthermore, the laws of cultivation were cruel; as his realm increased, the efficiency of lower-tier energy sources plummeted.
"Currency," Luo Zhen muttered, tossing the stone back onto the pile. "That's all this is now."
He could use them to buy goods or to rapidly replenish mana during a fight, but they were no longer a shortcut to power. To level up now, he needed rare herbs, ancient elixirs, or the flesh of powerful beasts.
He checked the System Mall. There were pills that could help, but the prices were extortionate.
"Black-hearted merchant," Luo Zhen cursed the System. "If I take the points required for one pill in the Mall and convert them to Spirit Stones, I could buy three of the same pill in the human markets."
He made a mental note: avoid the Mall unless necessary. Reality offered better exchange rates.
After ten days of sorting, he was left with the dregs. Among the refuse, however, three items caught his eye.
Three jade tokens.
They were rectangular, carved from a material that felt like cold mutton-fat jade. Embossed on both sides in gold leaf were the characters: Spirit Pool.
"Spirit Pool?" Luo Zhen turned one over in his hand. "What is this?"
He had found one on the Newt, one on the Green Frog, and one on the Squid. Clearly, these were standard issue for the generals of the lake.
"System, scan."
A holographic interface flickered into existence:
[Item: Spirit Pool Jade Token]
[Creators: Grandmasters of the Lu Kingdom & Demon Kings of the Red Desert]
[Function: Grants the holder entry into the Spirit Pool Secret Realm]
Luo Zhen's eyebrows shot up. "A joint venture? The humans of Lu and the Desert Demon Kings made these together?"
This was significant. Humans and Demons were natural enemies. For them to collaborate on a "Secret Realm" meant the rewards inside were too great to ignore—or too dangerous to handle alone.
"A secret realm usually means ancient treasures, rare herbs, or condensed spiritual energy," Luo Zhen mused. "The problem is, I have the keys, but I don't know where the door is. Or when it opens."
He felt a pang of regret. I should have interrogated the Squid before I grilled him.
General Squid had been delicious—a fine charcoal-roasted meal shared with the now-deceased Frog—but his knowledge would have been tastier. Now, the information was lost to digestion.
He tossed the tokens into his Ujin Ring. There was no point in dwelling on it.
Hundreds of miles away, on the jagged border between the scorching Red Desert and the fertile lands of the Lu Kingdom, the air began to tremble.
A solitary mountain peak, long used as a neutral buffer zone, became the center of a gathering storm.
Camps had been erected at the base of the mountain. On the east side, the banners of human cultivation sects snapped in the wind. On the west, the chaotic, feral energies of the Desert Demon Clans swirled like a dust storm.
Usually, proximity like this would result in a bloodbath. Humans harvested demons for parts; demons ate humans for power. It was the way of the world. But today, an uneasy truce held the violence at bay.
Suddenly, the mountain groaned.
A deep, subterranean boom resonated through the soles of everyone present. From the summit, a pillar of blinding white light erupted, shooting toward the heavens like a geyser of pure energy.
It only reached thirty feet before a massive array sprang to life. Multi-colored runes ignited in the air, weaving a net of magical force that capped the eruption. The mountain was trying to explode with spiritual pressure, and the ancient seals were barely holding it back.
The crowd below went wild.
"It's full! The Spirit Pool is full!" a human cultivator shouted, pointing at the struggling barrier.
"The cycle is complete!" roared a demon with the head of a jackal. "The Secret Realm is opening!"
Messengers scrambled. Talismans burned, sending urgent magical missives flying across the continent.
"Inform the Ancestors! The energy has peaked!"
"Tell the Demon Kings! The barrier is about to breach!"
Three days later, the heavyweights arrived.
From the heat shimmer of the desert walked beings of immense pressure—the Demon Kings. From the skies of the Lu Kingdom flew the Nascent Soul ancestors, their robes fluttering with ethereal grace.
They gathered at the foothills, looking up at the summit where the spiritual energy roiled like boiling soup under a glass lid.
"The accumulation is complete," a Demon King rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. "The pressure is critical. If we don't bleed it off, the mountain blows."
"Agreed," a human ancestor nodded, stroking a long white beard. "Let us summon the token holders. It is time for the harvest."
With practiced synchronization, the leaders of both races channeled their energy into master arrays. They reached out across the vast distances, seeking the resonance of the jade tokens distributed to the younger generation.
A signal was sent. A call to arms.
Back in the Black Water Lake, the afternoon was lazy and quiet.
Luo Zhen lay on his bed, drifting in the comfortable space between sleep and wakefulness. The mansion was silent, the water outside calm.
Hum.
A strange vibration buzzed in his mind. It wasn't a sound, but a feeling—a magnetic tug that seemed to bypass his skin and pull directly at his spatial storage.
Luo Zhen's eyes snapped open. The drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by the sharp alertness of a predator.
He raised his hand, staring at the Ujin Ring on his finger. It was vibrating.
He opened the pocket dimension.
The three Spirit Pool Jade Tokens were going berserk. They glowed with an intense, milky white light, buzzing like trapped hornets. They slammed against the invisible walls of the storage space, desperate to fly out.
The pull was physical, insistent, and undeniable. They were being summoned.
Luo Zhen grabbed the vibrating tokens, feeling the directional pull. They were yanking his hand toward the northwest—toward the borderlands.
A slow, predatory grin spread across Luo Zhen's face.
"So," he whispered, feeling the thrill of a new hunt. "The door has finally appeared."