I feel I must state this beforehand: The dungeons and projections featured in this novel are all original works. Even when I borrow tropes, they are heavily modified.
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——Between heaven and earth, there exist monsters known as Evil Demons.
They are not Ghosts, nor are they Magical Beasts. They have nothing to do with Demons in the typical sense, yet they possess an appearance and will similar to all three.
Evil Demons can dwell within the hearts of men or roam the wilderness. Their essence is that of a Demon born from Spiritual Qi, wielding the power of a Celestial God from an Otherworld and manifesting in the mortal realm.
"Evil Demons come in all shapes and sizes, with countless classifications. Some possess intelligence, while others are little more than a mass of Ghosts dwelling in the hearts of men. But they all have one thing in common: every Evil Demon is part of the Clan of a Celestial God from an Otherworld."
Yara's earlier words still echoed in Su Zhou's ears. "In other words, they are all Divine-made Species! This is especially true for the First Generation Evil Demons born from the power of the Great Demon Tide. All of them possess the Divinity of a first-generation Creation."
Divinity. That was the key to distinguishing Evil Demons from ordinary demons and monsters.
An Evil Demon was the key connecting the Otherworld to Earth. In the future, it could also serve as Su Zhou's key to activate the Celestial God Scale and travel to other Otherworlds. Conversely, if he activated the Celestial God Scale without first hunting an Evil Demon, the Silver Pocket Watch would likely teleport him to a random location. It might just toss him into the middle of cosmic space, or even into a black hole's accretion disc.
Therefore, if he wanted to use the Celestial God Scale, it was much safer to slay an Evil Demon and use its aura as a foundation for the teleportation.
Among all Evil Demons, the optimal targets were those that created an 'information disturbance' with the Current Realm—Evil Demons that had a 'work' as their reflection in this world.
This way, if he targeted them for his hunt, not only could he travel to a world similar to its 'corresponding work,' but he would also know that world's general background in advance. He would even know the most important things for a transmigrator: the 'plot' and 'character relationships'! That was far better than traveling to a new world knowing nothing at all.
Moreover, according to Yara, the uses for an Evil Demon didn't stop there.
As a Divine-made Clan exceptionally rich in Spiritual Qi and Spiritual Energy, an Evil Demon's blood could be used as an offering to restore the Snake Spirit's power. Of course, it could also serve as nourishment, watering the Wisdom Tree Pot Plant to spur the growth of a Wisdom Fruit.
Furthermore, the Evil Demon Core, with its high-quality Divinity, Spiritual Energy, and Spiritual Qi, was a necessary component for Su Zhou to rapidly accumulate power and complete his Awakening before the Spiritual Energy Revival.
Evil Demons could even produce Extraordinary Materials before the Era of Spiritual Energy Revival!
"An Evil Demon is a treasure trove from head to toe!" As it spoke, the Snake Spirit slammed its tail against the floor, its eyes holding the same look as an old farmer gazing upon a bountiful harvest.
Although that was true, hunting Evil Demons was an incredibly difficult task. Simply finding one was hard enough. But the good news was that it was still before the Era of Spiritual Energy Revival.
"Speaking of which, this is a stroke of luck for both of us. It's still before the Era of Spiritual Energy Revival, so everything is just beginning to stir, on the verge of waking but not quite there yet. The common demons and monsters haven't awakened. That means anything capable of stirring up trouble and causing an Extraordinary Event right now is almost certainly an Evil Demon, or a Mysterious Organization that worships a Void Celestial God from an Otherworld."
Coiled above Su Zhou's head as he compiled a task list and planned his next moves, the Snake Spirit spoke with deep feeling. "If you go hunting now, you're guaranteed to catch the right one every time. After the Spiritual Energy Revival, the Evil Demons will hide among the hordes of other demons, and they'll be much harder to find. This is why I want you to get moving as soon as possible. It's a rare opportunity!"
"Yeah, I get it."
His fingers flew across his phone screen. After quickly noting down all his objectives, Su Zhou nodded and replied, "Hunt Evil Demons, gather all materials for the 'Perfection Spirit Awakening Orbit'... Okay, done."
He hit the confirm button to save the list, feeling a surge of motivation. "I can start preparing the materials right now!"
The materials for the Spirit Awakening Ceremony included liquid Gold and Silver, blessed Mercury, and various special Gemstones. In other words, it required money.
For an ordinary person, simply preparing these most basic materials for the Orbit would be a monumental challenge. After all, not everyone could afford so many precious metals and Gemstones.
But for Su Zhou, this was actually the easiest part.
After all, he had a brother named Shao Qiming!
Shao Qiming's father, Shao Nantian, was a renowned entrepreneur in Hongzhou and throughout Zhengguo, the founder of Shao's Photovoltaic.
Shao's Photovoltaic was a cutting-edge technology company that researched solar energy, silicon wafers, and various other high-tech fields. It had a very deep partnership with the local Hongdu government and the Academy. It was also part of the 'new energy industry,' which received strong support from the Zhengguo Government, giving it a bright future and substantial assets.
As Shao Nantian's eldest son—he also had a younger sister named Shao Shuangyue—Shao Qiming was well-loved, earned excellent grades, and was regarded as the future heir. He had recently come of age, and if he had a driver's license, Shao Nantian would have even given him a sports car for his birthday.
The amount of Gold and Silver required for the ceremony wasn't large, and the Gemstones didn't need to be particularly valuable; impurities were irrelevant. After all, besides nearly one-hundred-percent pure 'Perfect Gemstones,' even synthetic gems possessed a certain mystical potency. It was just a matter of quantity versus quality.
"Crushed synthetic diamond fragments, to be ignited to create a flame of purity."
"1,200 grams of Silver, representing the pure moonlight of Order, to be melted into a liquid. After being blessed, it will be poured into a thin, circular disc to serve as the Array's base, connecting to the great Source of Spiritual Qi."
"350 grams of Gold, representing the noble light of the Flame, to be sanctified, then melted and drawn into golden threads. These will be used to trace the Array base and Runes, activating the Spiritual Energy."
"And finally, a bucket (20 kilograms) of Mercury, the flowing Source Material. After it's blessed, just pour it directly into the Array. It represents the omnipresent Spiritual Energy in all things."
After double-checking the list of materials, Su Zhou couldn't help but complain to Yara, "Speaking of which, why is Mercury measured by the bucket? The ritual is so haphazard!"
"You can't exactly buy Mercury one gram at a time. Besides, in your era, Mercury is really cheap, so naturally, there's no need to be too precious with it."
He looked up the current prices for the materials online. It would cost around 190,000 RMB. Factoring in the Gemstones and other miscellaneous materials that needed to be custom-ordered according to his own unique spiritual signature, a single Perfection Spirit Awakening Ceremony would cost over two hundred thousand, maybe even close to three hundred thousand!
However, that was well within the range of what Shao Qiming could cover with his allowance.
'What? Be embarrassed to ask for money? Please. Who was he? He was Su Zhou! For his brother, any problem that could be solved with money wasn't a problem at all!'
'Until my brother's money runs out, I don't have to worry about this problem!'
Without a moment's hesitation, Su Zhou grabbed his bag and headed for Shao Qiming's house. Besides discussing matters of the Extraordinary, he could also copy some homework while he was there. Juggling academics and training, a renaissance man in the making!
As he ran downstairs, Su Zhou called Shao Qiming. "Hey, Qiming? I'm heading to your place in a bit. Let's do our summer homework together."
"...I finished my summer homework a long time ago." His friend's exasperated voice came from the other end of the line. But Shao Qiming understood the subtext of Su Zhou's words, so he agreed. "Fine. Around when will you get here? My mom and my sister are both home, so I'll just have our housekeeper make five extra servings for lunch."
"Perfect! I'll ride my bike over, so it should take about thirty-four minutes. See you then!"
"See you."
After hanging up, Su Zhou, who was already downstairs, wheeled his bicycle out into the residential complex.
It was noon on a Friday, and most people were at work. A few elderly residents strolled by the fountain in the central garden, but even they were mostly heading home to prepare lunch. Aside from the chirping of cicadas, the entire complex was nearly silent.
Su Zhou didn't go straight to Shao Qiming's house. Instead, he took a detour to a general flower and fruit shop near the entrance of the complex.
[Zhicheng Flower and Fruit]