The cultivation of this body is truly weak. Since I wish to awaken, I shall gladly accept the demonic energy of this small world.
Ke Honggu, Ke Tong, and Hua Wuyue, you shall become my nourishment."
As Lord Keshun Demon's mad laughter echoed, the demonic energy within the Demon Sealing Secret Realm was suddenly drawn and rushed in with frenzy.
Simultaneously, his soul origin, sealed within the Demon Sealing Tomb, left behind a trace to continue deceiving the seal.
More than half of his soul origin directly crossed vast distances and descended into Yang Hong's body.
...
"What is happening? The demonic energy is gathering in one direction, forming a vortex."
Feng Ruhua, who had already gathered with the demon tribes of the Dragon and Phoenix clans, looked at the visible mass of demonic energy in the sky with terror and worry.
Anyone with a bit of sense would suspect a true demon breaking free when seeing such a phenomenon.
"Could it be that a true demon has broken free?"
Ao Deju looked at the grayish-black cloud mass, his voice trembling as he turned to Ao Lie, the leader of the Dragon clan's delegation this time.
"There is no Demon Sealing Tomb in that direction, so it should not be a true demon breaking free."
Ao Lie finished speaking and, with a hint of uncertainty, produced a small iron shield. He activated it with his cultivation power, and it displayed a map.
"No, there is indeed no Demon Sealing Tomb in that direction.
The most dangerous place in that direction should be a place where Yin souls gather, the Netherworld."
Over thirty demons surrounded him, all scrutinizing the map.
Only after repeatedly confirming the absence of a Demon Sealing Tomb did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"Alright, regardless of what is causing this celestial anomaly, we must distance ourselves from that location."
Ao Lie put away the map, looked at everyone, and continued.
"According to the original plan discussed by the ancestors, we will directly proceed to the Bone Demon Path Demon Sealing Tomb to inspect the seal there."
"Right, right, let's go, let's go quickly."
"Remember to find our other clansmen as well. Absolutely do not try to be brave and head in that direction."
"Let's hurry, I feel a great terror about to emerge."
"Yes, let's leave here quickly!"
The dragons and phoenix demons, devoid of their usual arrogance and pride, now wore faces filled with worry and caution.
Both the Dragon and Phoenix clans were royal lineages among the demon tribes, possessing great insight.
This scene before them seemed somewhat familiar.
It was somewhat akin to the way their clan's ninth-tier Demon Emperors absorbed spiritual energy and transformed it into immortal energy before ascending.
All of them worried about the birth of a demon.
After cultivating to the ninth tier, cultivators would ascend to become immortals.
The known immortal realms were Immortal, Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, and True Immortal; the demonic path also had corresponding levels.
As for higher-level immortals and demons, due to the rules of the Immortal Realm, cultivators on the Taiyuan Continent were unaware of them.
And an ordinary demon was not something that those at the highest seventh-tier, Integration Realm, insignificant beings like them could resist.
Therefore, it was best to flee quickly and get as far away as possible.
Many demons were intelligent. Along the way, Feng Ruhua and the others encountered a large number of demons fleeing in a direction away from the center of the demonic energy vortex.
Although demons were not particularly intelligent and could be stubborn,
they would choose to flee in situations where they knew it meant certain death.
All demons, without exception, moved away from the area where Yang Hong was located.
They preferred less gain to risking their lives.
In terms of timidity, demons were more practical and direct than humans.
...
In the deep pit beside the Netherworld Epiphyllum, endless demonic energy surged in. The demonic energy in the pit had transformed into a strange liquid, a mixture of foul odor and sweetness.
Under the nourishment of infinite demonic energy, Yang Hong's body grew stronger and blacker.
However, no matter how much demonic energy flowed into Yang Hong's body, his cultivation remained at the Nascent Soul stage.
"What's wrong with this body? The demonic energy I've absorbed is enough to allow an ordinary person to ascend into a demon, yet I'm still at the fifth-tier Nascent Soul stage?"
Three days of silence were suddenly broken by a low, sinister voice.
"The physical prowess of this body has a limit, it cannot even transform into a demonic body.
This is truly strange."
*Snap~ snap~ snap~*
A series of snapping sounds echoed through the deep pit.
"Where did all this demonic energy go? Could this body belong to someone from the so-called Divine Realm?"
Sensing a physical quality far beyond the fifth-tier Nascent Soul stage, Lord Keshun Demon harbored a strange misconception.
"I don't believe it!
I shall use the demonic energy of an entire small world to nourish this body."
Under his misconception, Lord Keshun Demon once again used his soul origin to draw upon the demonic energy of the entire Demon Sealing Secret Realm.
He failed to notice that as his actions grew more drastic, the three white jade tombs located in three directions of the Demon Sealing Secret Realm began to emit a bright white light.
A terrifying will seemed to be awakening.
He was even more unaware that Yang Hong's body was bound to a [Planting and Returning Cultivation System], and to improve his cultivation, he had to meet certain conditions before he could continue to break through.
Yang Hong also did not expect that his cultivation level could one day save his life.
At this moment, beneath Yang Hong's dark purplish-black sea of consciousness, a faint purplish-gold light point slowly began to glow.
Within the light point, a miniature Yang Hong opened his eyes.
"So that's how it is.
My former self truly did something significant, and the karma involved is indeed immense."
It turned out that Yang Hong's soul was not directly devoured by Lord Keshun Demon. Only a part of his soul was consumed.
His soul origin, protected by merit and the Heavenly Dao of this world, had hidden itself deep within his sea of consciousness.
In the depths of his sea of consciousness, Yang Hong witnessed his past life and the entirety of his former self's current life.
His past life was straightforward enough: an ordinary programmer at a large internet company, whose life ended prematurely due to the grueling 996 work schedule.
His current life was quite interesting.
It turned out that before the age of fourteen, the former self was normal. He was an unfavored prince of an ordinary mortal dynasty, but despite being unfavored, he lived a peaceful and happy life.
However, at the age of fourteen, a cultivator came to the Great Sui Dynasty to inspect the seals of the Five Directions Dynasties and discovered some problems.
To repair the seal, the fourteen-year-old former self was chosen, and his soul was split in two.
One half of the soul remained with the original owner, but the original owner immediately became mediocre, with his aptitude for both scholarly and martial pursuits turning into that of a cripple.
The other half of the soul was integrated into the Five Directions Seal, suppressing the demons within the seal, and simultaneously regulating the geomantic energies of the Five Directions Dynasties to prevent the leakage of demonic energy and resentment from within the seal.
Following this, the original owner's soul, due to the continuous consumption by the other half of his soul, gradually dissipated, ultimately leading to his demise.
This was how Yang Hong got his transmigration and rebirth.
When Yang Hong was reborn, his body was protected by the system, and his soul no longer dissipated, allowing him to survive.
After reviewing his entire life, Yang Hong understood why the immortals from the Tianji Sect had forbidden him from cultivating.
This was because as his strength increased, the other half of his soul would also increase in parallel.
During the final part of his life review, which covered the period of Yang Hong's rebirth, Yang Hong could see two timelines.
One was the real experience that he knew.
The other was the gradual awakening of the other half of his soul in darkness, developing sentience, and becoming an independent will with the mission of destroying the heavens and devouring everything.
A... Demon!
Now Yang Hong finally understood why in Lord Keshun Demon's [Dream of Demons], he was constantly eating.
It was because of the influence of the other half of his soul.
Currently, the strength of that soul had reached the Nascent Soul stage. Whether it was an ordinary Nascent Soul or a ten-thousand-year-old Nascent Soul was unknown.
"What a miraculous life, a miraculous life created by a miraculous seal.
If, if I can return alive, I will first resolve this hidden danger."
"Now, I must reclaim my body!"