Chapter 14: The Primordial Embryo of the Demon Lord

He held his breath and lightened his steps, circling the rocks as silently as a civet cat.

Behind the boulders, the view suddenly opened up to reveal a crude altar. In its center sat a massive black crystal ball, its surface churning with demonic energy like boiling black blood. It resonated eerily with the demonic runes etched into the rock.

Two sorceresses clad in black robes stood before the altar, whispering to one another. Their hoods obscured their faces, revealing only lips painted in thick, dark lipstick that looked particularly alluring in the dim light.

Han Yang activated his Eye of Truth, his gaze piercing through the crystal sphere to reveal the fiend sealed within. The creature was gargantuan, pitch-black, and radiated a suffocating pressure that sent chills down one's spine, even in its dormant state.

"Tsk tsk, if this thing were set loose, the entire Tianxuan Continent would be doomed," Han Yang muttered to himself.

Fragments of the sorceresses' conversation drifted to his ears.

"Saintess... are we... really going to... awaken... it?" one of the sorceresses asked, her voice trembling with unmistakable fear of the creature within the sphere.

"This is... the Sect Master's order... we... have no choice..." the other replied, her voice firmer but still betraying a hint of unease.

"But... what if... we can't control it..."

"We will... as long as we... follow the ritual..."

Hidden behind a thick, ancient tree, Han Yang heard every word clearly. Awaken the fiend? The Sect Master's order?

"Heh, since I’ve stumbled upon this, I can’t let you finish your little show," Han Yang sneered internally, calculating how to sabotage their plans.

The two sorceresses did not appear to have high cultivation, but the fiend in the crystal ball was a massive threat. A direct confrontation was out of the question; he needed to outsmart them.

At that moment, one of the sorceresses pulled a black box from her robes and opened it with extreme care. Inside lay a blood-red heart, still pulsing faintly and emitting a pungent, metallic scent.

"Is that... a virgin's heart?" Han Yang recognized it instantly. This was a supreme treasure of the Demonic Sect, filled with potent life force and the key to awakening the fiend.

Seeing the heart, a bold idea struck Han Yang. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. I’ll gladly help myself to this virgin's heart!"

He quietly channeled the Soul of the Taotie, waiting for the perfect moment.

The two sorceresses placed the still-beating heart onto the altar. Crimson blood trickled along the grooves of the stone, releasing a nauseating, sweet stench. They began to chant, their voices raspy and low, like spirits from the underworld reciting a dirge.

The black crystal ball flared with brilliant light, the demonic energy roiling like boiling dark soup. The runes around the altar ignited with a strange red glow, harmonizing with the black light in the sphere to create a hair-raising spectacle.

A powerful suction erupted from the crystal ball, violently drawing the virgin's heart into its depths.

That was when Han Yang struck!

He appeared before the altar like a phantom, grabbing the black crystal sphere. He unleashed the full power of the Soul of the Taotie, which acted like a massive vortex, greedily devouring the demonic energy within the sphere.

"Who’s there?" The sorceresses were startled by the sudden upheaval, staring at Han Yang in terror. They tried to intervene, only to find themselves restrained by an invisible force. They could do nothing but watch helplessly as Han Yang consumed the demonic energy.

"Heh, little ladies, this treasure belongs to me now!" Han Yang grinned, revealing a set of bone-white teeth that looked particularly menacing in the gloom.

The fiend inside the crystal ball seemed to sense the threat, letting out a series of roars. The black demonic energy churned violently, struggling to break free from Han Yang’s consumption. However, how could it possibly resist the might of the Soul of the Taotie?

The demonic energy flowed into Han Yang’s body endlessly, as if being swallowed by a black hole. His body trembled slightly, his meridians expanding as if they were about to burst from the immense power. Yet, he cared not, absorbing the energy even more greedily with an expression of pure ecstasy.

"Fantastic! This is fucking amazing!" He couldn't help but shout, feeling his power surging at a breakneck pace.

As the demonic energy drained away, the light of the crystal ball dimmed. The fiend began to shrink, deflating like a punctured balloon. Finally, the crystal ball shattered with a loud "bang," turning into a pile of black dust as the fiend was entirely devoured by Han Yang.

Han Yang felt an unprecedented surge of power flood his body. His cultivation skyrocketed, as if he were about to transcend into an immortal.

[Congratulations to the host for consuming the Demonic Lord's Embryo. Level increased by two! Gained 600 years of cultivation.]

[Reward: Wings of the Demonic Lord. A pair of massive black wings will grow from the host’s back, drastically increasing speed—capable of traveling ten thousand miles in a day. You can also manipulate demonic energy to form black feathered blades with immense attack power.]

[Reward: Body of the Demonic Lord. Significantly enhances physical strength and defense, granting immunity to most physical attacks and some magical attacks. Includes powerful regenerative abilities, allowing for rapid recovery even from severe injuries.]

Han Yang opened his system interface.

[Name: Han Yang]
[Level: 5]
[Beast Power: 990,000/1,000,000]
[Current Cultivation: 1,000 years]
[Cultivation Growth Rate: 0.0001 years/s (Rate increases with level)]
[Constitution: Heavenly Destiny Xuan Bird (Capable of manipulating the five elements, possesses an undying body, and can devour all things to serve one's own needs)]
[Talents: Eye of Truth, Wings of the Demonic Lord, Body of the Demonic Lord]

The power of the Demonic Lord's Embryo poured into him like a bursting dam. The blockage in his meridians was cleared by the overwhelming force, and his cultivation surged into the Nascent Soul stage.

He felt stronger than ever.

Behind him, massive black wings slowly unfurled, radiating a suffocating demonic aura. With a single flap, he vanished from the altar like an arrow shot from a bow.

The two sorceresses finally realized the restraint had vanished. They looked at each other in terror and scrambled to their feet, desperate to flee this horrifying place. But before they could take more than a few steps, they found Han Yang standing directly in their path, his playful gaze fixing them like two lambs waiting for the slaughter.

"Well? Where do you think you're going?" Han Yang’s lips curled into a smirk, his voice low and magnetic.

Terrified to the point of collapse, the two sorceresses fell to their knees, trembling violently. "Spare us, My Lord! We are willing to submit to you and serve you as our master!"

They knew full well that Han Yang’s power was beyond their ability to resist. Rather than fight a losing battle, it was better to submit and perhaps save their lives.

Han Yang looked down at the two kneeling sorceresses. They were quite beautiful, and their knowledge of the demonic arts might prove useful. Keeping them alive could be worth it.