Way of the Devil

Lu Sheng put the clay tablet away, and sat down lazily in the chair. He looked at the kids that started playing with the little tubby Lu Ning, seemingly lost in thought.

‘Now that I’ve grasped Origin Power and attained Divine Intellect, I’ve completely broken free of the cage of an ordinary Divine Lord. If I progress any further, I’ll be walking on the path to become a Weapon Grandmaster. The method recorded within the Four Seasons Frozen Skies Time was that I’ll have to continuously carry out Arrivals and strengthen my spirit until a substantial change is achieved one day. Then, I’ll naturally become a Weapon Grandmaster just as a channel is formed when water flows. However, there’s no record on the number of worlds I’ll have to Arrive in. Since I have time on my hands now, it wouldn’t do me harm to have a look.’

When he reached the decision, he relaxed his mind, and no longer thought much about it. He stood up, walked over, and played with little Lu Ning a while longer.

Lu Sheng only brought Lu Ning back to the manor at night. However, he did not go to sleep immediately. After consoling Chen Yunxi, he lay down in his own study.

Naturally, his actual intention was not to sleep, but to deal with his proper business.

*****************

World of Pain.

Lu Sheng wore black robes and wore a white tiger mask, which covered his face. He walked slowly along the wide corridor of the small building.

It had been a long time since he came to this town, and some of the places before him seemed to have changed slightly. However, the overall look of the place remained the same.

Lu Sheng went all the way up to the second floor, and quickly stood before one of the doors. The grayish-white door had been replaced with a cracked white wooden door. Some small maggot-like creatures were crawling in and out of the cracks.

“Come in.” Shizi Xing’s hoarse voice came from within.

Lu Sheng straightened his robes, pushed the door open, and went in.

In the room, a beautiful blonde little girl sat upright behind a desk. This girl looked no older than 12. She had a petite build, and her skin tone was somewhat of a peculiar ghastly pale.

The most striking feature was the palm-length blood-colored wound on the right of her neck. Small white maggots occasionally emerged from it.

They were clearly the same worms which Lu Sheng had seen in the cracks just now.

“You’ve come? It seems that you’ve improved. Not bad, not bad.” The little girl opened her mouth, but her voice was exactly the same as Shizi Xing’s.

“Lady Shizi Xing?” Lu Sheng asked with narrowed eyes.

“It’s me. I’ve switched vessels recently.” The little girl nodded. She then seemed to have felt an itch. She scratched at her neck, and a huge blob of white maggots fell to the floor like chalk dust.

“It’s just that I was slightly late when I got there, so the corpse was already infested with maggots. I’ll have to repair it. I’ll have to soak it in insecticide after this as well.” Shizi Xing smiled. “It’s been two years. I take it that you’ve gained much?”

“Thanks to you.” Lu Sheng nodded earnestly. It was fortunate for him that he had Shizi Xing’s black crow statue with him. Otherwise, he would not dare to imagine what kinds of unexpected outcome he would get from his first forced Arrival.

“As long as it was helpful. You’ve returned at just the right moment. Suo from the Bulls of Brute Force has mentioned you when we were having a chat yesterday. She says that you’ve missed two opportunities to offer your sacrifices.” Shizi Xing smiled.

“It’s my lack of diligence.” Lu Sheng nodded. “I’ll make it up later. I’ve made this trip because I’d like to ask for your input on certain matters, my lady.”

“Oh?” Shizi Xing was intrigued. Her parish had enjoyed rapid and stable improvements with Lu Sheng’s support, which was also the key reason she valued Lu Sheng extremely. Now that Lu Sheng was here to seek her help, she was starting to get interested.

“So, what is it?” she said with a smile. According to her plan in which Lu Sheng would eventually become her assistant, she would only have to keep at it for a few more years, and Lu Sheng would probably return to her parish. She would have the Devil Art Masters and Mirror Spirit Masters who had hit her when she was down know that Shizi Xing was not a person that they wanted to cross.

Lu Sheng muttered to himself before speaking slowly, “My lady, do you know what the greatest difference between a Weapon Grandmaster and a Divine Lord is?”

“The greatest difference? Devil Art Masters and Mirror Spirit Masters are born to be weakened Divine Lords. If they work harder to reach the Jade Star and Divine Intellect tiers and have superior talent, they’ll become leaders of the Black Society such as myself. Your question’s scope is too wide. Weapon Grandmaster is a form of address used in the Human World. In truth, the difference in strength within that tier itself has a wide range. The Weapon Grandmaster tier is actually a general reference to an extremely wide range of tiers. Those under the Weapon Grandmaster tier are referred to as the Prime Level here.”

Shizi Xing started giving an explanation. “Only those at the Weapon Grandmaster tier and above have the right to control a part of their fate. We collectively refer to that as Origin Level.

“Origin Level isn’t the same as Prime Level. After becoming a Weapon Grandmaster, you’ll be constantly strengthening your spirit until it undergoes a substantial change. Then, you’ll use your spirit to discover more Origin Power. This process is known as Army Raising. By the way, the main cultivation method of the Weapon Grandmasters in the Human World is inherited from our Mother World. Whether it’s the Human World or the Devil World, it’s the same,” said Shizi Xing casually.

“Army Raising is a complicated process. However, the overall objective is to train one’s own body as if it’s a Divine Weapon until one reached the Void Underworld tier.”

“Void Underworld?” This was Lu Sheng’s first time hearing about a tier beyond a Weapon Grandmaster. He immediately became interested.

“After becoming a Weapon Grandmaster comes the Void Underworld tier. There is only a handful of cultivators in the three worlds who managed to reach the Void Underworld tier. The most recent Void Underworld expert was born more than 10,000 years ago. Alright, all this is meaningless talk. You’ve returned at just the right time. That person from Seye Palace has returned. I initially thought that she’ll be of some use to me, but I was being overly optimistic…” Shizi Xing had a troubled expression.

“My lady, you’re trying to say…” Lu Sheng’s expression remained unchanged as he waited for Shizi Xing’s orders.

“There’s no need for a second cleric in the Shizi parish.” Shizi Xing scratched her hair. “I don’t care what methods you employ, chase her away.”

Lu Sheng’s eyes glinted as he nodded.

“Understood. I’ll take my leave.”

“Go, then. Settle this as quickly as possible. I’ve been tolerating her for a long time now.” Shizi Xing waved her arm in dismissal, and scratched her head again. Another huge blob of worms fell down like dandruff which resembled chalk powder. It landed on the study table.

Lu Sheng expressed his understanding, and the two of them conversed for a little longer. Then, Lu Sheng backed out of the room calmly, and closed the door. He took extra care with his steps so that he did not step on a single worm.

Then, he descended the stairs slowly until he reached the lowest floor, and slowly stepped back into the streets of Black Speech Town.

It was only now that he slowly made his way toward the Seye Palace, with only his memory as his guide.

At this moment, day broke. On the mornings of the World of Pain, there was nobody on the streets. The Devil Art Masters and Mirror Spirit Masters did not like the daylight. However, Lu Sheng was not among their ranks.

In a monochrome world, making a move during the night was most inconvenient for him. If he did not have to, he would definitely not enter the World of Pain during the night.

The Seye Palace was located in the rear of Black Speech Town. It was a grayish-white palace that was neither big nor small, and was built entirely out of rock. The floor and stone columns gave off a rough and primitive impression.

Lu Sheng was standing before Seye Palace’s great doors in no time. He cast his gaze past the two thick stone columns, and looked straight at the rectangular pool within the palace.

The pool was filled with rolling black water. Occasionally, corpses that were bleached from being submerged too long floated to the surface. Black mats of hair could also be seen entangling each other with the flow of water.

On the side of the pool, a beautiful back with a naked torso was sitting leisurely. The person sat at the edge of the pool. Her slender and fair arm scooped some black water from the pool and splashed it onto her own body.

Lu Sheng knew that this was the master of Seye Palace who gave Shizi Xing such a headache. When he’d first come to Black Speech Town, he had accidentally went into this Seye Palace.

“Excuse me, are you miss Hei Jin?” He took a few steps nearer. He moved his lips slightly, and his voice reached the woman’s ears directly.

The woman with her back to Lu Sheng paused in her movements. She turned around slowly, and displayed her charming, pure, and beautiful face. However, this face of hers seemed to contain a hint of sadness.

“Oh, it’s Lord Lu Sheng,” said the woman drily. “Does Lady Shizi Xing have some new orders?”

“Actually, no.” Lu Sheng eyes the woman carefully. “However, do you know the significance of you coming to Black Speech Town, lady Hei Jin?” He directly touched upon the true objective of her visit here.

“You’re here to persuade me?” The woman was slightly stunned.

“My lady, I’m sure you know that with Black Speech Town’s current scale and development, the main parish is sure to take notice. With such an exceptional trend of development, your appearance here to display your abilities and further improve this town will be exceedingly difficult, my lady. Even if you’re able to use this as a stepping stone to climb up the ranks, impressions can’t be changed by stepping stones alone,” Lu Sheng said with a faint smile.

Hei Jin was slightly stunned.

“I understand that as well. However…” She was never an expert in management. The Devil Art Masters and Mirror Spirit Masters were notorious for their irrationality and actions taken on a whim. It would not be an easy task to make them calm their spirits down and seriously contribute to the parish’s development.

From her eyes, Lu Sheng could see that this lady had never considered the possible background of Shizi Xing. Since she came here anyway to try and claim the credit, it was apparent that she had a powerful background as well. He had an idea, and immediately formed a plan.

“My lady, the issue that you’re concerned about isn’t too urgent. My cultivation base is nothing to be proud of, but I do have some experience in management. If you can obtain a barren parish somewhere and display some accomplishments from nothing, you’re sure to earn the upper levels’ respect, my lady.”

Hei Jin was stunned. Then, she supported her chin, and started to consider the possibility.

Lu Sheng had his own plans as well. Shizi Xing would be returning to the ninth parish soon. He would not be able to follow her there—he had confirmed this with Shizi Xing.

If Seye Palace’s Hei Jin could find a parish in the vicinity, and he could act as her assistant, he could keep things as they were.

Also, although they had only met for a short time, Lu Sheng clearly felt that Hei Jin was much easier to manipulate than Shizi Xing. She was much purer as well.

“You… You’re really able to help me?” Hei Jin said with hesitation. Although she had only been back for a short while, she had her own eyes planted in Black Speech Town. Through her sources, she understood that the reason Black Speech Town was able to flourish was because of this man in front of her.

At the same time, she understood the pinch Lu Sheng was in. Shizi Xing could not possibly bring him to another place. Hence, if he really wanted to stay, he would have to wait for the new bishop who might come here. If the bishop did not like him…

“Don’t worry, as long as you’re able to set the stage.” Lu Sheng smiled.

Hei Jin scrutinized him for a little while.

“If you can do this, then I can give whatever Shizi Xing gave you, even more.”

She was finally enticed.

In truth, she was the daughter of one of the big shots in the ninth parish. She had accidentally stumbled upon Black Speech Town, and built a palace here. However, due to her status, it would be slightly difficult for her to return.

“The gates of the three Worlds will open. I can’t miss this opportunity, so I need you to help me achieve some accomplishments in 12 years,” Hei Jin explained.

“Why 12 years?” Lu Sheng was stunned.

“Because… the gates between the three Worlds will open after 12 years,” said Hei Jin drily. “When that time comes, Devil Art Masters and Mirror Spirit Masters from the Mother World will swarm in. The Human World and the Devil World will turn into exceptional sources of food. Without sufficient achievements, I can’t convince my clan to fully support me in the seizure of resources.”

Lu Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. However, he was greatly shocked.

12 years?! He understood clearly what a Great Tribulation was. It was when the entrance to the Human and Devil Worlds from the World of Pain was opened, and a huge throng of Devil Art Masters and Mirror Spirit Masters would charge out and harvest the living souls to sacrificially refine Divine Weapons.

This was a great catastrophe of nature, and the reason why the Human and Devil Worlds were engaged in a great war—it was to stop the World of Pain’s gates from being opened. In this great calamity, both humans and devils were the victims.

However, he was now told that the Great Tribulation would rain down on them in a mere twelve years?!