Way of the Devil

The peak level masters of this world called the planet they lived in ” Lie ¹ “.

Planet Lie was divided into several layers, and the World of Pain happened to be the deepest and closest part to the core. Then was the Devil World, then finally the Human World on the surface.

Planet Lie where all three worlds existed was the echo system that sustained both humans and Devils.

Su Ningfei continued, and directly told Lu Sheng that Weapon Grandmasters didn’t stir up much commotion because they didn’t fight within the Great Yin. Instead, they flew up into the Star Space—the space above the Nine Heavens.

“One more thing, the reason why so many Divine Lords and peak level Weapon Masters, especially those from the three major sects, are so willing to cultivate in seclusion here is not because they are bored, but because this place is really a small planet near Planet Lie. Not only does this place have an abundance of Essence Qi, it also had ruins and treasures left over from ancient times. We discovered this unknown but powerful teleportation array from one of those ruins.”

At this point, Su Ningfei waited until Lu Sheng digested what she just explained before she started to shift to her main problem.

“I could cover for you at the main branch, but you need to help your master with something.”

“Master… do tell!” Lu Sheng acted like he was still recovering from a shock, seemingly still having a hard time grasping the concept of a vast space.

Su Ningfei’s mouth twisted upward at this. She continued, “Several months ago, during the battle between a Weapon Grandmaster and a Devil Emperor, a mysterious gate was discovered on a moon circling Planet Lie. We sent in multiple Weapon Masters already, but none made it back. After detailed research, we discovered that a sort of mysterious rainbow-colored whirlpool of energy exists behind the gate.”

“And what does Master want? To have your disciple go check on this thing?” Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed. If even Weapon Masters couldn’t even survive, then even if he was a Divine Lord, there was no guarantee he could withstand whatever danger was within that thing.

“Of course not.” Su Ningfei smiled. “We have master-level specialists from all three major sects researching this. We only suspect that behind this door is a high-level Outer World that we have been researching, a world named Evil Spirit by Weapon Grandmasters.”

“Evil Spirit World?” Lu Sheng frowned. “Is it even more dangerous than the World of Pain?”

“The World of Pain might be dangerous, but first, they can’t materialize in our world, and second, they simply have too few people. And even if they managed to come here, the Three Sacred Gates would deal with them. The Three Sacred Gates have a significant connection with the Anomalies. It could be even said that Anomalies are born specifically to counteract the World of Pain. You have not earned the right to know the secret behind these things yet. We will skip this part.

“I want you to go to another gate and guard it, and replace the Divine Lord who has been guarding the secret gate.”

“Oh? How long would I have to guard it after replacing him?” Lu Sheng asked.

“From two years to a decade. Not only you, but several other Divine Lords will also be sent with you. The reward, aside from me covering the incident with your Prime Devil Sect, is one Divine Intellect grade Divine Weapon for each of you,” Su Ningfei said solemnly.

“Two!” Lu Sheng knew he couldn’t back away at that point. If the Thousand Sun Sect told him so much top secret information, he had to accept. Since there didn’t seem to be any other options, he might as well maximize the profit.

“Impossible! It wasn’t easy for the sects to gather this much to begin with. Realize that masterless Divine Intellect Divine Weapons are extremely rare, so giving you one is the limit. Don’t even think about more,” Su Ningfei refused outright.

“May I ask where is this secret gate your disciple will be guarding is, and what situation might I expect?” Lu Sheng changed the topic.

“Gate of Illusion, located on a small island in the Eastern Sea. Quite a distance away from the Great Yin. It’ll be best for you to arrange everything within your family before leaving, and extract Soul Flame from your relatives. If anyone is in danger, you may return at will,” Su Ningfei said mildly. “This is a long-term mission, you are only replacing a group of people. No need to overthink it.”

Lu Sheng nodded, and asked Su Ningfei several other questions before leaving the Secret Area.

After resting for a little while inside of the secret chamber, he then entered the World of Pain through the ‘Evil’ symbol on his palm.

He found Shizi Xing, and relayed the details of his mission to her.

Shizi Xing sat beside the bookshelf in the room with a frown on her face, her finger moving across the edge of the table.

“Gate of Illusion… That place is overall a nice place as it’s very stable, aside from the occasional evil beings that escape from it. All you need to do is clean up. But you are part of the outside power the three major sects controlled. If the Thousand Sun Sect had any other choice they would never give away so many secrets, let alone make you guard the Gate of Illusion. Seems like they are running out of resources.” Her voice was solemn.

“And Milady thinks…?” Lu Sheng promptly threw the responsibility at Shizi Xing. She probably wasn’t even weaker than Su Ningfei.

“Think what? We are only one of the nine major cult districts, and this place is tiny. It’s been a while since I’ve been banished here to manage this place. Time to make some moves and get reassigned to the main city of the 9th Cult District,” Shizi Xing said in a low voice.

“As for you, the Gate of Illusion had always been the responsibility of the three major sects. You can go without worry, it’s not a trap. But the interference there is extremely intense, and it might be impossible for you enter our world or the Secret Area. Watch your back and don’t expose yourself.”

With some thought, Shizi Xing took out a pitch-black figurine in the shape of a raven, and handed it to Lu Sheng.

“Shatter it in your time of need, it can save your life three times. Don’t waste it. Even I only have a few of these.” His eyes showed a clear sign of reluctance.

Lu Sheng’s expression changed as he took the token. It was only as big as his palm, but the carving was delicate and detailed, just as if a real raven was standing in his palm. Its eyes were red, and a half-hidden silver wire ran across its back. Aside from that, it seemed ordinary.

“Remember to only use it during absolute emergencies. Only we in the Holy Realm have access to this. You will instantly become the enemy of the whole Human World when you use it,” Shizi Xing said seriously.

Truth be told, even though she hadn’t worked with Lu Sheng for long, she appreciated Lu Sheng’s high rate of success during missions, his above average power, and his strong body that could rank him among the top three of his subordinates in a place where True Essence or other powers were useless like the World of Pain.

Combined with the fact that he knew his place and knew when to advance… Shizi Xing wouldn’t have given him the black raven otherwise.

That thing was given to him by his cardinal father personally before he left the main city. There were only three. He’d used one already, and now that he gave Lu Sheng one, he only had one left for himself.

“Remember, your life above all others. The moment the three major sects show signs of any nefarious schemes, save your life first. Our cult district finally showed some promise, and you are responsible for most of it. Don’t die!” He constantly warned him about his safety, which made Lu Sheng confused.

Even though they were technically master and subordinate, Shizi Xing was in truth a good boss. First off, he never play any tricks, second, he was honest and always kept his word, and third, he was quite generous toward his subordinates.

Maybe because of the difference in background, he didn’t really care about the things his subordinates kept for themselves.

But no matter what, Lu Sheng could clearly sense a mysterious field, maybe force field, or some kind of life-like magnetic field, within the raven figurine.

He quickly started to make arrangements for the Prime Devil Sect and the Lu Family as soon as he left the World of Pain.

The long journey couldn’t be avoided. He had to make all the necessary arrangements before leaving, and would leave immediately as soon as Chen Yunxi showed any signs of nearing childbirth.

In a few short months, the Prime Devil Sect greatly reduced and compacted its size, cutting many impetuous disciples that abused their power. At the same time, a Reward and Punishment Department was established specifically for punishing and rewarding sect disciples and members of the Lu Family.

Borrowing from other sects’ laws, Lu Sheng detailedly made a set of rules that could be integrated with the other laws of Great Yin. He then went back to the Secret Area to send a message to Divine Lord Tong Sheng, politely asking him to look over the Lu Family and the Prime Devil Sect if possible.

Then, all that he needed was to wait for Chen Yunxi’s labor.

***

In front of a pond outside of the palace, Lu Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, staring calmly at the reflection of the moon on the water. The room behind him was bright as day, and was filled with the painful screams of Chen Yunxi.

Many others waited outside of the palace, hoping that a boy would be born.

If a male was born, then the Lu Family could be continued. If it was a female, however, it would require her future husband to marry into the Lu Family. That would be quite troublesome. Even if the Great Yin was quite liberal, males still held a higher position than females.

Lu Sheng’s face was calm, but a crowd of his direct relatives stood behind him with anxious faces. Unlike them, Lu Sheng could sense that Chen Yunxi’s labor was going smoothly.

“Sheng’er! Why aren’t you worried? That’s your kid!” Lu Quanan complained wearily. “Look at you, it’s as if Yunxi’s labor doesn’t concern you! Is this how you are as a husband?!”

“Dad, you worry too much.” Lu Sheng smiled. “Shouldn’t you be happy that your son isn’t worried?”

Lu Quanan thought about it, and realized he was right. With Lu Sheng’s power that was like the gods and buddhas, if he wasn’t worried, that meant his daughter-in-law was fine. With that thought, Lu Quanan immediately stopped worrying, and instead tried to comfort Second Mother Liu Cuiyu and the rest of the crowd.

Lu Sheng looked at everyone present. Lu Qingqing’s brain damage had mostly been cured, though she suffered a significant degree of memory loss and was still a little confused. Lu Sheng decided to let her rest. Lu Yiyi, on the other hand, was present and stood with Lu Hongying, silent. She lowered her head in respect when she felt Lu Sheng’s gaze.

Lu Sheng sighed. To cover for the truth of his absurd speed of cultivation, he sent people to spread rumors that he was the reincarnation of some spirit.

That caused less and less relatives within the Lu Family to interact with him closely.

Almost everyone believed that he was some powerful old demon or ancestor reborn. It was impossible for them to live so carefreely anymore.

While he was deep in thought, the inside of the palace suddenly quieted, followed by a crisp and clear cry that went through the gate and all around the courtyard.

Lu Sheng’s expression changed. He closed his eyes, and sensed a sliver of his bloodline within the little life form inside of the palace.

It was such a strange feeling, like a part of his life had sprouted roots outside of him.

He finally had another person closest to him on this world.