Ch. 194 - Infernal Lord, Welcome Back!

“Now, shouldn't you fulfill your promise?” the old man asked, his expression sour. After all, anyone would feel awful knowing their memories had been accessed, and a million years of effort from their entire race had ended up benefitting someone else.

“You’re free to go,” Xu Zimo nodded, signaling Chaos to release the old man from his suppression.

“Hopefully we’ll meet again,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“Better we never cross paths again, not even in death,” the old man replied coldly.

His Empyrean Meridian Realm aura surged, and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished into the endless void.

“Senior brother, do you think the Dark Primordial Race will retaliate?” Little Gui asked worriedly.

“Who knows,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

He sat down cross-legged and began to organize the knowledge he had just received about the Twin-Born Battle Physique technique.

This secret art could only be used after advancing to the Empyrean Meridian Realm and forming a complete God-Soul.

However, he could start preparing which battle physique to fuse.

Though he currently possessed the Azure Cloud Battle Physique, Xu Zimo honestly wasn’t too impressed by it.

Since the second battle physique would be fused into the God-Soul, it was important to choose one that was highly compatible with the soul from among the Hundred Battle Physiques.

……

At dawn, the rising sun slowly peeked out from the eastern horizon.

The snow-covered world began to melt under its gentle light.

The air felt even colder.

Xu Zimo and Little Gui were preparing to leave the mountain range and head toward the Baili Imperial Clan.

They had only walked a few steps when the ground began to shake.

A stream of black demonic energy slowly rose from the center of the mountains, like a dark mushroom cloud erupting into the sky, blotting out the heavens.

“Senior brother, what is that?” Little Gui asked in shock.

“Let’s go check it out,” Xu Zimo said, squinting his eyes. He could feel something within him pulling, his heartbeat speeding up uncontrollably.

“Senior brother, maybe we should just leave. That has to be some kind of monstrous calamity,” Little Gui said nervously.

“You go back to Primordial Ancient City and wait for me,” Xu Zimo said, eyes fixed on the black mist in the distance.

“Senior brother, I’m not someone who fears death, I’ll go with you,” Little Gui insisted.

“That’s not what I meant. I feel something… calling me. You need to go,” Xu Zimo shook his head. “I’ll come find you later.”

Little Gui hesitated, then finally said, “Alright, I’ll wait three days. If you’re not out by then, I’ll return to the Sacred Ground and bring reinforcements.”

Xu Zimo nodded slightly.

As he watched Little Gui’s figure disappear, he turned back, paused for a moment, then made his way toward the center of the mountain range.

……

Boundless demonic energy surged and roared. Within it, twisted and tormented faces appeared, full of agony and despair.

The sky itself was dyed black. This energy was pure, untainted by any other attribute.

It transformed into countless forms, churning all around, and under its power, it felt as if all things in the world submitted.

The deeper Xu Zimo went, the stronger the familiar feeling in his body became.

The demonic energy intensified until he reached a valley.

……

“Welcome to my Realm of Despair. I am the Demon of Despair, Paimon,” a twisted, terrifying face formed from black mist appeared in the air.

The demonic energy around it grew even thicker, corroding the space into pitch black.

“Insect, submit to me. Engrave my demonic mark onto your True Fate. Become a Demon Apostle, and you shall receive my supreme power.”

The moment this demon appeared, Xu Zimo felt a repressed power in his body surge to its peak.

He threw his head back and roared. Demonic energy erupted from his entire body as his Hell Suppressing Deity Physique activated on its own.

The sky-darkening demonic clouds were instantly torn apart. Dragon-like lightning streaked across the sky.

Even purer, more terrifying demonic energy began rising from Xu Zimo’s body.

His hair turned blazing red. Purple-black markings appeared across his face.

His demonic pupils radiated with endless darkness. His muscles tensed and swelled with power.

All the demonic energy in the sky bowed before him, coiling around his body.

At that moment, he looked like the ruler of all existence, an eternal king.

“This… this can’t be…” the demonic face stared at him, muttering in disbelief.

……

Xu Zimo felt like his head was about to explode. A flood of fragmented, unfamiliar memories rushed into his mind.

“Remember my name, Paimon, commander of the Southeastern Division of the Demon-Slaying Legion.”

“You little demon bastards will all be wiped out one day. Your Infernal Lord’s head will be taken by me, Paimon the warrior!”

“I lost… why didn’t you kill me?”

“Don’t think I’ll ever submit to you just because you spared me. Never. We are mortal enemies, eternal enemies. This ends in death.”

“What path are you people even trying to walk?”

“Is this what you call ambition?”

“Infernal Lord… may I join you?”

“By the name of warrior Paimon, I swear, I am willing to become the Demon of Despair, to follow you for the rest of my life. Even if it means making enemies of the entire world, I will not hesitate. Until the end of time, until all things fall into ruin.”

……

Countless tendrils of demonic energy bowed before the man in the sky, as if all of existence could only look up to him.

“You… you’ve returned,” Paimon said in shock, his voice trembling with excitement. “There’s no mistake. That aura… that bloodline… Even though you haven’t fully awakened yet, I can still see that figure, the one who once stood alone, halberd in hand, marching toward the end of the world.”

“You’ve returned from death. The Ancient Demons can finally rise again!”

Paimon muttered to himself, laughing madly as he threw his head back.

His demonic aura shook the heavens and roared through the void. His laughter was filled with wickedness and unrestrained joy.

“Infernal Lord, welcome back!”

……

Xu Zimo was still trying to make sense of the chaotic memory fragments in his mind.

They were far too scattered and disjointed, making no coherent sense.

Most of the memories felt out of order or contradictory.

Before him, the demonic energy gathered like thunderclouds before a storm, dark, oppressive, and suffocating.

A roar came from within the mist, and then a towering figure leapt out of the black clouds.

With a single leap, he landed with a thunderous crash. Dust soared into the sky, and a massive fissure split the earth, extending to the horizon, deep and endless.

“One of the Eighteen Infernal Archons, Paimon, Demon of Despair, greets my lord!”

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